hiya all,,just wanted to say hello,i am nearly 50yrs young lol and from woodford green on the essex/east london borders,,,will be needing a new daily driver for wife and i [old porker owned for sunny weekends] and cant seem to decide,it seems almost certain we will go for a 335i msport coupe[manual] but my eyes keep drifting over to the e46 m3cs which seems to be the same sort of money,,is the m3 overkill for a daily driver? and would i be better off with a 335i m coupe? i think the 335 will be more practical , anything i need to watch out for with the 335i like the vanos probs with the m3?,any ideas,insights or recs much appreciated,,,many thanks jason p

both lovely cars in my opinion but i would always go for the e46 m3...i had the chance to test drive one of these last year and was amazed at the sheer power of it...the e46 is the nicest looking of the 3 series models i reckon.

although saying that a 335 would also be a lovely motor but i have been told told that a lot of newer bmws are very plasticy feeling and not as refined as the older ones(i could be wrong though).

i guess the only person that can decide this is yourself,its all about what you want out of a car.both would be very fast.both would be expensive to run but both would be lovely to get into and go for a boot around some local lanes........

what a nice predicament............

like i say i would go for the m3 everytime

good luck choosing mate.oh and welcome to the club

thanks matt,,thats kind of you,,yeah keep going back to the e46 m3 cs,,one i like is in interlagos blue and another in a grey similiar to the csl but also saw what looks a mint silver m3 with full spec [sat nav-sunroof,h/kardon],low miles,!Removed! tough decision as have owned e46 325i coupe in the past and love the model,,thanks again matt,will keep you posted,,regards jasonp

Vanos ain't to much of a problem really, it's all just hype.

Plus I got a spare one in the shed if you need it ;-)

E46 mate, all day

thanks gav,thats good to know,,how long before clutch changes on the m3? also is the cs model harder to live with then the regular m3 on a daily basis and much difference on servicing charges? thanks for the replys and starting to get excited now,my wife likes the m3 shape more then the newer shape 335i,,could make that turbo interesting with a few tasteful mods though,,thanks again all,,regards jason p

Tbh he 335 does have more scope for tuning with that turbo:-)

Not sure on clutch life and servicing charges sorry mate

The only difference withe the club sort is its a tad lighter, less sound proofing etc.

Nothing mechanical different mate

blimey gav thats a suprise as i thought that the cs had improved traction control and steering rack and "better" front brakes apart from csl wheels,,alcantara steering wheel and handbrake?so a standard m3 with some nice rims and a bit of alcantara..,love the interlagos blue though...thanks a lot gav,regards jason p

I stand corrected, the M3 CS is a lot different ti the M3

I was thinking that the CS in the M3 was just going to be the same as the CS in the 330ci.

19" bbs wheels as standard, recaro sport seats, foam steering wheel with m/f, clubsport spoiler, drilled and grooved vented discs all round, and has something called m-trac mode?? it also has 364 bhp 21 bhp more than the standard model M3

Welcome to BMWOC :)

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Welcome Jason, Enjoy the forum

thanks for the replys everyone,looks like a e46 m3 as wife likes that shape much more then the newer 3 series,so just need to get one and when i do post some pics,,thanks and regards jason p