Own an Evo VIII. Now do i want an E39M5 or an E46 M3?

[j1o]

I currently own an '03 Evo 8 with ~50k miles.


Other than the cold air intake that came with the car when i bought it, the evo is bone stock. Its a fun car, handles amazingly well, and is definitelty quick even with stock boost and no real power mods. Ive had the car for 2 years now and my orignal plan was to put ~2,5K into it and have a 400hp rocket. Well that never happened, and im starting to get a little tired of the horrible ride quality and the fact that i only get about 200 miles/tank. And i dont really like the stigma of racing around in a "kids" car anymore, even tho it is an awesome ride and one of the most complete drivers car you can find for the price.


I previously owned a pretty heavily modified Corrado VR6, and after that an E36 M3.





The stock evo has better grip adn sharper handling than my M3 did (which had the full koni/ground control coilover track kit + swaybars) but the AWD just doesnt "feel" as good as the bmw did. The evo also feels faster up to about ~100 but, but once i got to the top of 3rd and into 4th the M3 would pull away (M3 had pulleys, euro hfm, injectors, exhaust, software, etc.) So ive been looking into possibly getting a new ride and the search led me towards 2 contenders:

03-06 E46 M3
02-03 E39 M5

They are in the same price range (20K -26K) depending on mileage/condition) and i know all about the maintence costs ascociated with owning a BMW, but im not sure what the difference in driving experince is like bewteen the two. Anyone here that has owned both?

The biggest dillema i can think of is the size and passenger carrying capabilites of the M5 vs the tossability and nimbleness of the M3.
What do you guys think?
Also im old now (30) and the gf is gonna want to get married and start a family like yesterday, so that may come into consideration as well

[Kevlar]

Do you want 4 doors or 2? That's the biggest deciding factor right there... you are still going to get about 200 miles to the tank.

[j1o]

Originally Posted by Kevlar

you are still going to get about 200 miles to the tank.

really? i thought that the M5 got ~350mi/tank.
and my E36 routinely pushed close to 400 so i assumed the E46 would be similar.

The number of doors is a big question... im tyring to decide if the extra doors/space is worth sacrificing the extra fun factor of the M3 for

[Kevlar]

Originally Posted by j1o

really? i thought that the M5 got ~350mi/tank.
and my E36 routinely pushed close to 400 so i assumed the E46 would be similar.

The number of doors is a big question... im tyring to decide if the extra doors/space is worth sacrificing the extra fun factor of the M3 for

I guess that depends on how hard you drive... I had the E46 M3, never the E39 M5. The M3 is definitely more fun.

[jcapelo]

Even when I beat on my m5 I would still get high 200s to low 300s out of a tank and around 350miles just cruising. I could get about 21mpg if I babied it, and dropped down to about 11mpg if contantly beating on it. I usually averaged 15-16mpg

If your not into any kind of tracking/autocross etc then I would go with the M5, The handling doesnt compare to a e36 m3 or your evo but for everyday driving and tearing up some local twistys it doesnt do to bad for how heavy of a car it is. But the torque is amazing, Being able to slam into 2nd gear and spin all the way till third is always fun. Plus 4doors always comes in handy especially if your going to be starting a family.

Good luck.

[E36BMW3series]

e36 4 door with a supercharger? All the reliability you need plus power to match the e46.

Maintenance would have me worried on both cars. Never drove either car but have always drooled over an e39 and am still young. Something about a sleeper sedan sounds awesome. I would also rock a sweet nimble wagon any day of the week.

[MonsterM3]

I'd go for the M5 over the M3. thats just my opinion. V8 with ITB's is pure sex.

[webdesigner]

You should be asking the dealer for a test drive rather than people on the internet...

[Johneeson40]

hahaha this guys got a point...

[Daedalus34r]

I cant say i've driven either, just obsessed plenty about both.

Seems like M5 is where you want to go. 2dr & family dont go very well together. M5 will give you the power and I'm sure it is plenty nimble. You will have to give up some go-kart mentality but it should be just fine.

[WILMAR188]

Be sure to do a LOT of research on E39 M5's if you do decide to get one. The E46 M3 is a bit more "user" friendly in terms of maintenance, but the E39 is on an entirely different level. The other thing that scared me away from the E39 M5 was the fact that there are many things that can go wrong that will not trip specific codes or throw an CEL, therefore making problems much harder to track down. The M5 is more of a super car in terms of maintenance in comparison to the E46 M3. Don't take my word for it, but read up on E39 M5 issues/costs and compare them to that of the E46 M3. Both are excellent cars though!

[jprovence]

Hands down, I would only sport an m5. I dont think an M3 would shake the boy racer image. I think the E46 is a lateral step from the evo. The M5 is a step up or maybe two steps.

[Julian]

Originally Posted by jprovence

Hands down, I would only sport an m5. I dont think an M3 would shake the boy racer image. I think the E46 is a lateral step from the evo. The M5 is a step up or maybe two steps.

You really think the M3 is a lateral step from a japanese rally inspired four dour with a huge wing on the back and a big intercooler in plain view?

[Phore]

Get the M5 if that will be your main car. 2 doors will get old if you are starting a family. But if you have another car you can dedicate as a baby hauler then get the M3 since they are more fun to drive due to their reduced weight.

Keep the M3 clean and stock looking if you wanna shake the boy racer image off of you. Modded M3's stand out. Leave the stock exhaust, do suspension and be done with it.

[jprovence]

Originally Posted by Julian

You really think the M3 is a lateral step from a japanese rally inspired four dour with a huge wing on the back and a big intercooler in plain view?

yeah I do, both have racing pedigree in them. Both belong to the track. Aesthetics aside on the evos part. It terms of shear performance/value, they are both about equal. Both handle and drive very well. But the M5 is put into its own catagory. Too many people take the M3 literaly as a gift from God himself.

[MBe36]

Originally Posted by jprovence

yeah I do, both have racing pedigree in them. Both belong to the track. Aesthetics aside on the evos part. It terms of shear performance/value, they are both about equal. Both handle and drive very well. But the M5 is put into its own catagory. Too many people take the M3 literaly as a gift from God himself.

Incorrect. That would be the e30.

[E36M34life]

The sound of the S62 V8 in the M5 to this day makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up just thinking about it, and the thrust and torque is just intoxicating.

To me it is the ultimate daily driver. M5 hands down.

Originally Posted by jprovence

yeah I do, both have racing pedigree in them. Both belong to the track. Aesthetics aside on the evos part. It terms of shear performance/value, they are both about equal. Both handle and drive very well. But the M5 is put into its own catagory. Too many people take the M3 literaly as a gift from God himself.

That's because 9/10 of those people cannot afford an M5, and secretly loath at people who can, all while think their M3 is the be all to end all M car.

That being said, I love M3's as well. Just not as much as I love M5's..no replacement for displacement baby.

[Mad Machine]

well, if the mantaince of the m5 scares you, how about a 540?

[j1o]

Originally Posted by Mad Machine

well, if the mantaince of the m5 scares you, how about a 540?

im not too worried abot the maintence, i understand the costs adn have several very good bmw shops here in the bay area that i trust. If i do get a 5 series it will def be an M5

[black bnr32]

I think I've seen 1 M5 owner and 1 M3 owner in this thread thus far lol...

[KenAllen08]

2003 Evo 8 Delete Mod.

[E36M34life]

OP, have you driven either of the two cars? I have driven both. The M3 wasn't "special" enough for me. It was like a really refined E36 M3. The M5 was just a completely different beast. As soon as you step on the throttle and feel the thrust of the V8 you KNOW this is going to be a fun ride and that this is a special car.

Even the build quality felt better to me. Aside from the motor, the car felt MUCH more solid and better built, even the interior materials felt like they were of higher quality.

Don't take my word for it though. Go drive a few examples of both and report back to us.

[pbonsalb]

I agree. Go drive examples of each. I have a supercharged E36 M3 and have thought about both the E39 M5 and the E46 M3 as possible next cars. They are more refined and comfortable and spacious. But neither would have enough power for me stock so I would have to spend money on mods (my M3 is over 400 rwhp) and each are getting older. Then I start to think about a 2 year old 335i with a chip and exhaust that would make it faster than a new M3 . . . .

[tortexal]

pulling a car seat in an out of a coupe will drive you insane. if you want the big boy car and want to get away from racing with the kids get the M5

if you're worried about gas mileage on either the m3 or m5 get an accord.

just saying

Originally Posted by E36M34life

The M5 was just a completely different beast. As soon as you step on the throttle and feel the thrust of the V8 you KNOW this is going to be a fun ride and that this is a special car.

Even the build quality felt better to me. Aside from the motor, the car felt MUCH more solid and better built, even the interior materials felt like they were of higher quality.

5 always > 3

new 3 series is still amazingly cheap feeling compared to new 5 series

[yotone]

an Imola red M5