CAR WARS! Family Edition: Would YOU Rather Have An E46 M3 Or All-New BMW M235i?

One car that has not particularly impressed me is the all-new BMW M235i. As I've made clear in previous threads, the car is just too much of a poser for me. And get that damn M badge off of it already. Seriously.

So, when I saw that a writer from the The Detroit News started comparing the all-new pseudo M car to the legendary E46, I just knew I had to keep this in my back pocket for when I had some time to really think about this.

I will admit on paper, the M235i and M3 are closely matched siblings. One should expect that for a car that's been developed 10 years after the original. And, if you are in market, it's pretty hard to pass up that four year, 50,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty AND free maintenance BMW shakes at you. If you've never looked at an E46 M3 and noted how much its Inspection I and Inspection II are you may RUN away screaming.

At the end of the day though, I find myself asking a more philosophical question: "Is a car really only good for what is written on paper?"

I already know the answer to that question. Let me clue you in. No!

So, here we are with a legend in one corner and an all-new entrant in the other. Sure the all-new BMW has PLENTY going for it, but what's it going to be? Would YOU go with the BMW that is tried and true, or would you make a move for the all-new car that will let you sleep at night?

What's it going to be? The E46 M3 or all-new M235i?

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wudupperz - 9/17/2014 3:36:09 AM

+3 Boost

Honestly from the start that is the only car i've compared the M235i to! Hello agent ooR ive been following your website and post for years! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. anyhow pertaining back to your question.

I read that the M235i lacked a LSD now On bmwusa.com you can add that on for roughly $3000 dollars. then i guess we can start comparing new apples to aged apples. Personally i would say the E46 M3 is always going to be a timeless classic in its own right. My brothers friend whom has a wife and two kids wanted to sell me his 2000-mid 2001 bmw M3 manual in silver before and from time to time i keep thinking about that car. Theres just something about that car that attracts me even after a decade and a half that makes me want that car and i beleive it has a LSD as standard correct me if im wrong. The transmission for that car will always be manual, don't get me wrong even though the SMG I or SMG II is great but if you're a little bit old school like me a MT is the transmission of choice plus less problems i feel and more mechanical which is what people want in "THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE" anyhow I'm currently in a lease which has about roughly a 18 months remaining on a 2014 LEXUS IS F 250 SPORT. I'm sorry but the moment i leased it i know cars like that are great for luxury all the leather and so on and so forth but the car has NO SOUL. anyhow before getting completely side tracked - Im going to eventually buy my brothers friends E46 m3 and have it in my garage most likely and then I'm going to lease the M235i with a LSD BUT GO FOR THE 8 SPEED even though yes the manual would be the enthusiast choice its just tough i guess why i would decide for that transmission being the times have changed and 14 years later from the E46 M3 it only seems right. as for the LSD even though chances are i'll rarely if ever use the LSD it just makes sense if i decide to take it to a track. I know the manual transmission will be on my mind tho. HOWEVER to soothe my mind and clam my senses i know that when the lease for the Bmw m235i is up the BMW M2 or 2M is going to be right around the corner ;) awaiting to carry the torch then ill have the E46 m3 next to the M2 !!! In conclusion ill have both the e46 and the m235i and then eventually ill give up the m235i and when the TRUE M arrives .....fill in the blanks

-Ed W. Subaru Product Specialist and Sales Rep.

Agent00R - 9/17/2014 5:58:53 AM

+1 Boost

Interesting perspectives, but I understand where you're coming from. I am a bit surprised you wouldn't have a Subaru product with AWD — not sure where you're geographically — and then an E46 in the garage.

Agent00R - 9/17/2014 5:59:17 AM

+1 Boost

And, thank you for the compliment!

Chip - 9/17/2014 6:19:00 PM

+3 Boost

I've leased five Bimmers over the last 15 years and the E46 M3 was one of them. Man do I wish I had kept it. Never bought them at lease end cause having the luxury of BMW warranty and maintenance was huge. I still stop and stare at every E46 M3 and E39 M5 I see, they're classics, designs that have proven to stand the test of time. IMO these were the best cars BMW has ever made. However when the lease ended on my last one, an E90 335d M Sport (also a fantastic car) I just couldn't bring myself to get another one. There are several reasons. I don't like the new styling on any of them. The number of options and prices are beyond absurd. The suspension and especially the steering were not at all what I was used to from my past cars, everything is too soft. And the cars have gotten so big, even the M235i feels like a whale compared to the previous 1-series. I just don't get what BMW is doing right now. None of their cars are appealing to me anymore. The brand has become so diluted I can't even keep track of what's what. I feel like they have alienated the people who made them the juggernaut that they are today. So to answer the question, E46 M3 hands down. Or better yet, if you can afford it, the last truly great car they made, the 1M.

USNA1999 - 9/17/2014 9:10:00 PM

+1 Boost

Chip is that your GTI in the picture? Awesome color, how do you like it?

HughJass - 9/25/2014 7:33:35 PM

+2 Boost

E46 M3 easy, its still a real BMW, not some watered down mass market secretary car.