Hey guys for the last few weeks I've been thinking about buying a new car. The M5 was on my list... but since this car has to be used kinda like a daily driver (some days I may take the train still) I decided the M5 is a little to pricey to drive daily, actually its more for my mental piece of mind. I dont think I'd feel right leaving a 70K car in a parking garage downtown while I'm at work. Call me crazy, I'm like that.

Anyways my list is a little strange you could say. Right now I'm thinking about getting either a Lancer Evo, STi, or M3. Your probably thinking wow EVO and STI are 30K and M3s are 60 kind of a big jump. But I thought, well what the hell I've loved M3s so why not. LOL I decided my next car has to be more sport orientated to make commutes and weekends more enjoyable. Also this will be my only car here, my NSX is staying in the states mainly because I dont have enough garage space, and suburban wont be driven to often since it doesn't fit well into underground garages.

So my question is how reliable is the M3? I come from a family that drives mostly Japanese cars Lexus, Acuras, etc. and everyone knows about Japanese reliability. My mom has a 500SL that she rarely drives but its reliable so far, but no one I really know drives BMWs. There is a chance I may save some $$$ and get either an 02 or 03 but it will be loaded and I'm having trouble deciding whether I want a SMG or 6 speed. I'm leaning toward SMG for the auto modes when I dont feel like dealing with shifting. What problems if any are SMG owners experiencing? Any info would be great. Also any input regarding the cars reliability, drivability, maintenance costs, and just overall ownership would be great as well. Sorry for the long long post but I'm getting really excited to get an M3. I know the car is solid and it delivers outstanding performance, and I THINK BMWs are as reliable as any Honda or Toyota, but I just wanna hear what you guys gotta say. Thanks and sorry for this long post.

My Opinion:
Drive one and you will not question it anymore. The integrity if the car is far superior to Japanese cars. The srait line performance may be equal but the all round performance is BMW

Originally posted by mini///m3
My Opinion:
Drive one and you will not question it anymore. The integrity if the car is far superior to Japanese cars. The srait line performance may be equal but the all round performance is BMW

I tired to test drive one but no luck in getting anyone to help me! Hell I would just like to sit in one!

I've had three BMWs in the past 7+ years (1996 328is, 1999 M3 and 2004 M3). None of them have posed any serious reliability issues for me. The 328is and '99 M3 both had faulty oxygen sensors (resulting in the "check engine" light coming on), which were replaced under warranty. There were a couple other recalls, but nothing major. If you're used to the "perfect" records held by most Japanese cars, you may encounter small surprises here and there, but overall, the cars are highly reliable. IMO, the driving experience the Bimmers give you far outweighs those small issues you may (or may not) run into.

Originally posted by daihard
I've had three BMWs in the past 7+ years (1996 328is, 1999 M3 and 2004 M3). None of them have posed any serious reliability issues for me. The 328is and '99 M3 both had faulty oxygen sensors (resulting in the "check engine" light coming on), which were replaced under warranty. There were a couple other recalls, but nothing major. If you're used to the "perfect" records held by most Japanese cars, you may encounter small surprises here and there, but overall, the cars are highly reliable. IMO, the driving experience the Bimmers give you far outweighs those small issues you may (or may not) run into.

Excellent... is your 04 SMG or 6 speed? I was reading the one year test Z4 that Motor Trend has and they claim the SMG tranny is crap... but they did mention its not the same as the one used in the M3... so I'm also looking for SMG user feedback as well.