I went from a 96 wrx to a e36 m3 evo then back to an sti, i just missed the grip from the 4x4 the the kick from the turbo. I had the m3 for about 2 years, but it wasnt going to be long before i stuck it in a ditch. It was so tail happy (fun tho). Top end the bm was crazzy it used to do 155 in 5th with another gear to go. Both very good cars!

 

lol, fool!

I looked at the E60 M5 after my M3, I very nearly bought one.

Then I saw my Spec C. The M5 immediately felt inferior, not in build quality of course, more excitement quality it lacks.

E60 M5 is a very nice car, but its far too heavy for my needs.

 

 

That's the problem with the M3,they are a tad boring.

 

if you can afford to run an M3, then there a great car, but that M badge makes things rather pricey.

tyres are £1000 a set, brakes are around the same, and the servicing is pricey too. this alternator issue is minor, £150 is the least of your worries on them cars.

i had a E46 m3 breifly, and decided to sell as i couldnt afford the maintaince.

 

Off topic but do you want those wheels tonight? Need to know so I can get them off the car.

Paul

 

Says it all really.

You drive an Audi RS6.

Probably the fastest most boring car ever produced.

Far to clinical.

Nice car though.

 

most boring?? I can tell you have never been in one never mind driven one.Its more exciting to drive than any impreza,sounds better,looks better and on coilovers and uprated ARBs it is every bit as good in the twisties.It is also as good/bad as my Spec C was on fuel it is just heavy on maintenance costs compared with the inferior jap parts

 

Id miss 4 wheel drive in the wet and when it snows Nice cars though but if i had to choose it would be an RS4 or s4 so i can have both Lux and 4WD

 

I like the rs6 and rs4 the only thing that put me off them was the amount of scoobs that kicked ones **** up the elvington airfield at the scooby shootout 1/4 mile strip lol . only kidding bud they are nice cars though .

 

More exciting to drive than an Impreza? Total rubbish imo, I have driven one and whilst it's a fantastic car 'fun' is not a word I would use to describe it in any way. Lifeless steering and a massive kerb weight (1865kg!!!!!! That's 630kg more than my impreza.) do not make for a fun car. In every other way it's definitely superior to an Impreza but you are kidding yourself in claiming that it's more fun to drive. I have never driven a fast audi that has been anything but dull, fantastically well built cars with excellent interiors, general build quality, loads of grip with quattro but always dull to drive - the sensation of speed just isn't there, you need to look at the speedo to realise how fast you are going. All imo of course, no offence intended!

 

No one mentioned VANOS yet?

Tony

 

The vanos was a big problem with the E36 , not the E46 , although a few E46's have had problems , but not many and nothing to worry about

 

Nothing wrong with the vanos on an E46....

What needs to be mentioned is if you are buying an E46 check the rear subframe very very carefully for any signs of cracks. BMW are repairing under warranty (if under ten years old, which most obviously are) but any form of suspension mods and you're on your own. A big factor in the reason i sold mine (which had Eibach springs as the standard rears keep cracking )...

 

i had an m3 for 2years and was a great car 03 plate bought it for £16,000 and sold it for £15,000, so not a bad second hand buy and didn,t have any issue,s mentioned. i love my modded scoob and they are easy to drive fast however the m3 needs a little more respect. lol to the classic i,m faster than you brigade. last time i crossed a classic (green in colour) he blew his engine trying to leave me and considering an engine rebuild costs more than the value of the car

 

I must say that the newest M3 is the first M3 that actually has had me wavering because that 'appears' to be a great car. However given that I personally love the new 2011 Scoob which next year will get a brand new design higher displacement engine with at least a 90mm stroke crank as standard and a shorter, wider bore Is the new M3 worth another £30k over that? Just for me personally.... I think not.

 

comparing these two cars from new dosn,t work for me on price because the brand new sti will be worth the same as a 3 year old m3

 

I'd prefer the STI 2nd hand too, however since we're in 2010, I reckon I'll struggle a bit

 

I have driven most of the RS Audi's, dont get me wrong, they are nice, and very fast cars.

But very very boring, its a fact, anyone who has a soul understands this.

 

You speak the truth.

The E46 does suffer with subframe issues, particularly at the rear.

I think Turner Motorsport can supply a subframe reinforcement kit.

 

Well i guess we will agree to differ,I found the Spec C to be very very boring and too predictable aswell as uncomfortable and useless for motorway driving.It was ok in country lanes but then so is my fettled RS6 and i am in no doubt whatsoever that it would be equally as capable in the twisties as my STANDARD Spec C was,besides my car would be long gone before the spec c even made it to the twisties

 

Dunno how you can say the Spec C was useless on the motorway, 3k = 70mph, nothing wrong with that uncomfortable, well yes it can be a little harsh, boring, nope predictable, hmmmm wouldnt say that, very capable, yes, and if a fettled RS6 is as capable as a standard Spec C in the twisties, shows you how good the Spec C is

Tony

 

Scooby-tc lets be honest here as nice as the RS6 is, its still a boat regardless of how much money you throw as the suspension. It will never be nimble and as chuckable as an impreza and if anyone says different then that is just plain rose tintedness!

 

Was thinking at an E46 M3 my self, but was put off. I would no doubt have got bord of thrashing it.
What I red was that most are only 320-325bhp and NOT the claimed 343bhp.
QTR was mid 13's

 

Was thinking at an E46 M3 my self, but was put off. I would no doubt have got bord of thrashing it.
What I red was that most are only 320-325bhp and NOT the claimed 343bhp.
QTR was mid 13's

 

If I buy an expensive car I don't want to have to start putting coil-overs on it.

 

Alot of them don't make power as so many never get thier valve shims replaced on their main services,due to the mechanic thinking "it's not tappy"
However a few shims will be worn and will cost you German ponies!

 

Dont ever consider an Audi RS then as the standard DRC suspension will fail time and time again.Coilovers is the only way of sorting the problem

Tony,the Spec C is boring on the motorway as it is noisy and uncomfortable for long journeys and performs no differently than any other performance car.Twisties is another story as it is well balanced and better suited but stop pretending the Spec C is the be all and end all of performance motoring because i have been there and done that and in my experience it is no better than my previous cars unless driven at speed round country lanes which IMO is irresponsible and dangerous (maybe i have grown up a lot)

 

Absolutely the same feeling I got from the RS4 I had on "loan" for a few days. You are just in a capsulae and completely removed from the sensation of speed....have tried to describe it myself to a few people and I couldn't have said it better.
Lovely cars- nice noise, built fantastically etc. so getting back in the P1 was a bit like jumping into a toy car after the grown up stuff in the RS4....but boy was it not just so much more fun! Throwing it into corners etc. (although probably not any faster...) just FELT faster and more exciting....if you know where I am coming from.

Maybe my driving style needs readjusting to enjoy what the RS4 had to give, along with it not being mine and not wanting to completely rag it out?

I would still like to have one sitting on the drive though!! Lol.

 

At the end of the day both the RS4/6 and the impreza are designed for completely different things,like chalk and cheese.The only thing IMO that the Impreza is better at is taking corners at speed other than that i can't think of a single other thing that makes an Impreza better than my RS6 hence the reason i got shot of my Spec C and went all grown up.
Anyway the thread isnt about my car its about an M3 or STi and depending on your budget id get an M3 CSl as it will blow the pants off any impreza on or off the track failing that a regular M3 will be a fantastic cruiser but as has already been said you do need to rev them to get the best out of them but they will last a lot longer than an impreza will and won't suffer the image crisis that imprezas have adopted.If you just want a play thing to throw round corners get the STi

HTH