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      03-28-2008, 04:37 PM   #1
Timberwolf
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Anyone get out of an E46 M3 for a 135?

Just wondering how people are feeling about this move. I'm in a situation where I can get nearly what I payed for, for my M, which is rather tempting. I adore the 135 just not sure its "as much car" as the M3. But, does it have the charisma and the presence? Granted my M3 is modified and looks pretty, but I would carry out similar mods to the 135 with about 100 more ft/lbs torque!!

Any remorse or discomfort with the new car?
It seems a tad narrow, and less muscular than the m3 which is wide and stocky.
Would love some feedback of current owners.

My M3:
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      03-28-2008, 04:59 PM   #2
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Sweet Ride:w00t:,....interested to hear the responses you get.
Was considering a used M3 like yours before ordering the 1
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      03-28-2008, 05:05 PM   #3
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Looks are subjective and 100% up to you. Don't let anyone else tell you want is good looking.

Having said that, I think the 135i has more headroom for mods then your M3, which looks nice btw.
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      03-28-2008, 05:08 PM   #4
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+1 to both of the comments posted
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      03-28-2008, 05:12 PM   #5
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let me be the first to say RRRRROOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAMAMA thats a nice ride!!! although i`m gonna pick up my 1 tomorrow, if i hade the chance to get this black Über-M-Biest....... i didn`t know what to do neither:biggrin:. maybe i`m not 1addicted enough...
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      03-28-2008, 05:45 PM   #6
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WHAT ARE those seats in your M3? your car is beautiful, although i've never been a race-seat fan. i would hang on to what you have unless you're unhappy. but hey, if you want a change, i don't think you'd be disappointed except by the lack of M badging. this car drives like no other bmw i have driven. but i havn't driven an M :-/

personally, i still like the nose on that year 3 series. i have a 330 in the driveway (it got bumped) and i still think its good looking every time i drive by it in my 1.
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      03-28-2008, 05:50 PM   #7
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Your car is sweet. I got out of a 2002 m3. I think the 135 is just as fast and the torque is much better. I can make slow speed turns in 3rd with no hestation. I got my 135 pretty loaded so I a loving the nav and esp the bluetooth. I think it's a better day to day car. The suspension is much less harsh but I think it will corner as well as a stock m3. I can't wait until I take it the track. I enjoyed driving the m3 at 10/10.
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      03-28-2008, 06:30 PM   #8
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Thanks for the compliments guys... To me the E46 M3 is questionably one of the prettier cars to come from Munich in recent years.
The SEATS are Porsche GT3 seats which I retrofitted with extra lumbar and tushy padding. After a 3 hour drive you feel fine! They WILL go into the 1 if I get it...

I went to a local dealer with a friend who knew the salesman. We asked if we could drive both the E92 M3 and the 135 back to back.
Once behind the wheel of the new M3, my buddy asked if we could race the new M vs mine!! He grinned and we went for it.
The outcome was as follows: From 40 to 110, the new M gained a solid car from bumper to bumper. I expected more from the V8.

Bottom line, not enough for me to consider the new M3 at 70k or what not...

Then we drove the 135 auto which felt slow and smooth compared to both other cars. Granted we had 3 people in the car. The auto eliminates the sensation of acceleration since there is little to no pause for shifts. I dislike that, even if its quicker. The paddles were also bugging me out because I have SMG in my M... ayayay! Push pulll... You forget during spirited driving..

Despite the initial expectation of more tug, I enjoyed the 1 in the back roads, and felt that with a few mods it could be a hell of a ride and cheaper monthly that my M is which Ive had 2 years now.

Just wondering what observation is making people buy. What unique traits are pushing people over the edge to toss out the old and get the new...
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      03-28-2008, 06:39 PM   #9
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i'd say only get the 1 if your no longer under warranty on your M, otherwise enjoy your beast a bit longer. imo the e46 M is a classic, just like the e36 & e30. cant say the same about the e92 no matter how much i want to
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      03-28-2008, 06:53 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kobezklutch View Post
imo the e46 M is a classic, just like the e36 & e30. cant say the same about the e92 no matter how much i want to
personally i wouldnt class the E36 as a classic, not by a long way.

however i think the E30 is, and i believe the E46 will be even more so in years to come.

btw your M3 is insane!! to me, visually, that is the most perfect car ever made! it makes the 135i, (which i pick up in a shade over 48 hours) look awkard in its company.

all IMHO of course. :roundel:
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      03-28-2008, 06:55 PM   #11
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Damn I dunno.. that is a freaking nice M3.
I would pick that up over a 135 personally, if there was one on the lot.

A used M3 was my second option but the only ones I've found are SMG.
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      03-28-2008, 07:00 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aponting389 View Post
personally i wouldnt class the E36 as a classic, not by a long way.

however i think the E30 is, and i believe the E46 will be even more so in years to come.
What makes the E46 more classic than the E36? E36's were classics in the sense that they were quirky, easy to fix, and were really easy to "bond" with. I dunno.. but try and tell an E36 M3 owner that their car isn't as classic as an E46 M.
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      03-28-2008, 07:18 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Esmallstii View Post
Sweet Ride:w00t:,....interested to hear the responses you get.
Was considering a used M3 like yours before ordering the 1
Quote:
Originally Posted by Timberwolf View Post
Thanks for the compliments guys... To me the E46 M3 is questionably one of the prettier cars to come from Munich in recent years.
The SEATS are Porsche GT3 seats which I retrofitted with extra lumbar and tushy padding. After a 3 hour drive you feel fine! They WILL go into the 1 if I get it...

I went to a local dealer with a friend who knew the salesman. We asked if we could drive both the E92 M3 and the 135 back to back.
Once behind the wheel of the new M3, my buddy asked if we could race the new M vs mine!! He grinned and we went for it.
The outcome was as follows: From 40 to 110, the new M gained a solid car from bumper to bumper. I expected more from the V8.

Bottom line, not enough for me to consider the new M3 at 70k or what not...

Then we drove the 135 auto which felt slow and smooth compared to both other cars. Granted we had 3 people in the car. The auto eliminates the sensation of acceleration since there is little to no pause for shifts. I dislike that, even if its quicker. The paddles were also bugging me out because I have SMG in my M... ayayay! Push pulll... You forget during spirited driving..

Despite the initial expectation of more tug, I enjoyed the 1 in the back roads, and felt that with a few mods it could be a hell of a ride and cheaper monthly that my M is which Ive had 2 years now.

Just wondering what observation is making people buy. What unique traits are pushing people over the edge to toss out the old and get the new...
Good write up. I feel sorry for the guy that buys that new M3 though...hahahah

Anyways, you mentioned that with a few mod the 1 would be a "hell of a ride" if you modded the 1 with the same mods you have on your car how would the 1 compare? also, if you made the mods that you felt the 1 need how would that compare to a M3? and finally how close performance wise does the 1 come to the M3's stock.

Thanks!
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      03-28-2008, 07:21 PM   #14
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i'm getting out of an m3 and into a 135. after 7 wonderful years of ownership, i'm ready for something new. looks like i'll own both for a while (just listed my car last weekish) and i should get my new 1er in about a week. i look forward to literally being able to do back to back drives whenever i want. it will be very telling. either way, i'm commited to my purchase and to selling my m3. do what works for you. i don't think you'll find a more beautiful bimmer than an e46 m3. the 135 certainly has lots more CHEAPER potential.
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      03-28-2008, 07:26 PM   #15
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I don't see the dilemma, E46 M3 is the hottest BMW ever made.
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      03-28-2008, 07:58 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by excel View Post
Good write up. I feel sorry for the guy that buys that new M3 though...hahahah

Anyways, you mentioned that with a few mod the 1 would be a "hell of a ride" if you modded the 1 with the same mods you have on your car how would the 1 compare? also, if you made the mods that you felt the 1 need how would that compare to a M3? and finally how close performance wise does the 1 come to the M3's stock.

Thanks!
Well the first thing is that the Shark injector on the M3 does virtually nothing for power. Even with crazy mods including headers, cams, pulleys, the max you will see out of the E46 (which a friend made) is about 317-320WHP. Impressive enough... But the torque is still in the hight 200s, maybe 300 if lucky... Torque is what gets you going, gets you out of turns and what shoves you at 2000 rpms...

In the 135 a tune will bump your torque to nearly 400 ft lbs!
So tack on, turbo back exhaust, intercooler and you have nearly 400/400 hp to torque ratio! That's enough for heavier and longer wheel based 335s to stay with E60 M5s! That's fast...
I think that with some weight reduction, light wheels and the shorter wheel base, you will see these 135s fly!
I think it will be like the Z3 Mcoupe I had with the s52 motor. It was as fast as my friends E46 M3! Short wheel base, lighter weight...:thumbup:

Bottom line is, the new M3 and the outgoing model are maxed out motors for the most part. You are not going to see huge gains like a turbo motor with bolt ons. So with just software and turbo back exhaust, you should be able to walk an E92 M3 no question.

I think BMW knew what they were doing when they put the 4 piston (optional 6) on the 135. They were building an enthusiast's car.:headbang:
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      03-28-2008, 09:14 PM   #17
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same boat, went and test drove one yesterday as matter of fact, I can feel the power coming faster, if it's ok to say it's almost as if you can actually feel the torque coming up sooner than what you are used to, the turning felt quicker <a bit too quick, but more of a "getting used to it" issue rather than an actual problem per se> but I could also feel a bit that the car is moving more weight behind the front wheels. My favorite part was the suspension, it handled almost as nice as the M <basically as if the M had gained some height hehe> but the dampening was not punishable at all <if anything it's harsher than the 335 but coming from the m3, it's lovable!> Overall was not disappointed at all and will be getting one but the final decision was that it will be an addition rather than a replacement
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      03-28-2008, 09:55 PM   #18
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I traded in my '05 M3 w/SMG for the 135i.

As others have noted, the suspension is softer, so it's more livable in day-to-day driving. But it's not quite as composed over the bumps. In particular, the rebound damping seems a bit soft. The 135i is more eager to turn-in and rotate around than the M3, though, due mostly to its shortened wheelbase, IMO.

As for the engine, I haven't really let the engine run to redline yet, as I've only had it for about 200 miles. But yes, the torque comes on earlier, but the motor doesn't seem *quite* as eager to rev as the S54. Plus, there's less engine noise in the cabin of the 135i than the M3. This is a plus some days, a minus others.


The 135i seems a bit undertired, especially in the front, but that was the case with the E46 M3 also. Going up to 225/255 should help matters in that department.
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      03-28-2008, 10:22 PM   #19
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^^^

Great comparo's guys, keep them coming!

Timberwolf, thanks for your write up on adding bolt ons. There's no doubt that tuning the turbo engine will give you more gains. How would you compare the ride and handling on the m's compared to the 1?
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      03-28-2008, 11:21 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by excel View Post
^^^

Great comparo's guys, keep them coming!

Timberwolf, thanks for your write up on adding bolt ons. There's no doubt that tuning the turbo engine will give you more gains. How would you compare the ride and handling on the m's compared to the 1?
Great question... Again I'm going off of 1 ride in the 1, and 2 years in the M3 with stock suspension and Tein S Tech springs.
The M3 has a very taught feeling, like the car is very wide, and has claws at the furthest extremities that dig into the pavement. Over bumps the car is a tad harsh, but sports car like and refined. My girlfriend never complained, even with the GT3 seats.(I did though! Hate North Eastern pot holes!)

The 135 did not feel as taught or as wide, yet felt more nimble, and less nose heavy, thus happier in quick switch backs.
It feels like BMW diluted the sports car experience to lure the mature driver, knowing the enthusiast would do their own thing with coilovers or whatever the new BMW parts catalogue has to offer.

But again, I think the 135 is a great starting point. My BMW technician friend said the suspension components are all aluminum, which is ideal, and that some parts could potentially be interchangeable with the E92 M3 components if one desired.
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      03-29-2008, 12:07 AM   #21
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Here's something I read from m3post from a driving instructor:
Quote:
If I sell the 335i for $38K or so it will cost an additional $25K after tax to get into a similarly-equipped M3. That's a ton of cash. I now am strongly considering getting a really nice variable ramp LSD for $4500 installed and KW2 suspension for around $2K installed and hold onto the 335i for at least another 2 year. By then they will work any bugs out of the M3 and I will be able to pick up a year-old one for $53K or less.

Hate to say it, but as a performance car I think a tuned and developed 135i is going to be THE car. Much lighter than an M3 (350 lbs), more nimble, slight rear-weight distribution, and huge turbo potential will make it a crazy performance machine.
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129644

I also had an owner of a beautiful black e46 m3 checking out my car on the road. Both him and his gal were looking over. One of the perks of owning a first delivery, regardless of good or bad.
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      03-29-2008, 05:22 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Timberwolf View Post
Great question... Again I'm going off of 1 ride in the 1, and 2 years in the M3 with stock suspension and Tein S Tech springs.
The M3 has a very taught feeling, like the car is very wide, and has claws at the furthest extremities that dig into the pavement. Over bumps the car is a tad harsh, but sports car like and refined. My girlfriend never complained, even with the GT3 seats.(I did though! Hate North Eastern pot holes!)

The 135 did not feel as taught or as wide, yet felt more nimble, and less nose heavy, thus happier in quick switch backs.
It feels like BMW diluted the sports car experience to lure the mature driver, knowing the enthusiast would do their own thing with coilovers or whatever the new BMW parts catalogue has to offer.

But again, I think the 135 is a great starting point. My BMW technician friend said the suspension components are all aluminum, which is ideal, and that some parts could potentially be interchangeable with the E92 M3 components if one desired.
Great insight...Thanks!
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