[mrivc211]

Back in June 2003 I bought a 2002 325Ci for $24,000. It had 16K miles the sport package, premium package, and was in excellent condition. I loved that car. I ultimately wanted a M3 but the girlfriend kept giving me the guilt trip about spending that much money on a car. For some stupid reason, I sold the car for $26,500 (profit at least) and purhchased a 04' Infiniti G35 Coupe. Second biggest mistake I ever made. The car is nice, but it will never be a BMW. I've had problems with the car since day one. The dealer has ruined the interior everytime I take it in for a warranty job.(ie rub grease all over the leather). The thing can't drive straight, it has an alignment issue. They claimed sports cars do that, I told them my BMW never did that and it pissed them off.

Now I've been trying to sell the damn thing for 3 months and haven't received one phone call. My plans are to sell the thing and purchase a nice commuter car for work which is 100 miles away(each way), and wait one year for the new 330 coupes to come out. Since I'm a airline pilot, I can hope over to Germany and do the ED thing and come right back home the next day. My ultimate goal is to get the next M3 that comes out but I'm going to be hesitant on purchasing the first year model as it always has kinks in it.

This time around, the girlfriend isn't going to get in the way! So can someone answer a few questions for me?

Since the 4dr is out now as a 2006 model, I'm assuming the coupe will be out next year in as a 2007 model. And the M3 a year later as an 08 model? Is that correct? If my calculations are correct, I can pick up a 330 07' coupe for around $34K with all the options on ED and sell it for around if not close to that a couple of years later when I lease the 09 M3.

Another thing, whats everyones opinion on purchasing or leasing the M3? I almost got one last year for $2500 drive off and $800/month out the door(tax included) for 36 months and 12K/yr miles. I'm assuming the new M3 that comes out will probably be $100-200 more the first year since its new. The thing that blows my mind is you can lease a SL 500 for around $1100/month.

BTW- long time lurker.

[E90Fleet]

There is some word that the Saloon M3 may be released next year with the coupe M3 following later

[itznin]

100 miles each way! AND in LA, I would die!

[fredtoo]

Trade the car in and let the dealer worry about getting rid of it.

See if you can toss in the girlfriend to sweeten up the deal

[ACZakka325i]

aahhh, the m3 sedan returns!!

i miss the days of the 4dr e36 m3. what a great car.

if i was int he market for an m3, i would greatly consider the 4dr

[CC 330i]

I think we are both in a similar situation except that I don't have to commute every day (90 miles each way 2 days a week). Instead of getting an S4 I ended up with a 330i, which gets a lot better gas mileage, and I am purchasing it so that I don't have to worry about miles I put on the car.

I figured out when I bought my car that I would be many thousands ahead versus a lease after 3 years, even with the greater amount down and higher payment.

If you are going to be driving that much and sitting in traffic, I would actually consider a 325i very strongly. Everything about an M3 costs more.

[mrivc211]

I actually don't have to drive that everyday. Its once a week. Drive there mondays and return Thursdays. My BMW used to get awesome gas mileage on the trip. The infiniti gets almost HALF what the bimmer got.

If I trade this thing in I'm looking at losing $$$$'s of dollars to these sleazy dealers.

[CC 330i]

Originally Posted by mrivc211

I actually don't have to drive that everyday. Its once a week. Drive there mondays and return Thursdays. My BMW used to get awesome gas mileage on the trip. The infiniti gets almost HALF what the bimmer got.

If I trade this thing in I'm looking at losing $$$$'s of dollars to these sleazy dealers.

Well, I think Crevier down in Irvine is a pretty good dealer, though I wouldn't recommend trading in the G35 even to them. I would just hold out for a call on the private sale. Double check your asking price and maybe drop it a bit if you have to. In the end you will probably still make out better than a trade in.

I am not sure about buying a loaded E90 coupe for 34K, even at ED prices, but it might be possible.

I would also hesitate to buy a car that you really don't want to keep for more than a year. You will end up having to pay tax and license twice. Tax and license adds up to about $3500 on an E90, and would have to be at least that much on a new M3. No matter how good your resale on the E90 4 door or coupe you buy, this $3500 per car will be lost. So in other words, I think you should just hold on to the G35 until the M3 comes out, and in the meantime, cultivate a buyer for your G. You have already taken the biggest hit in resale on the G35, and it will likely retain most of the rest of it's value until the new M3 is available.

Of course, that is just my advice, and I certainly would understand if you couldn't wait to get rid of the G35.

One other option is to try to take over someone's lease on a E90 using swapalease.com or some similar service. You may be able to find a short term E90 that someone can't afford payments on and just take over the lease until the M3 comes out. You might be able to save the tax and license on buying a new car that way. There are many many E46s on there for under $400 a month that would be a good option for you until the new M3 is available.