I was looking for some input from a 3 Series owner. How has your ownership experience been? How do you compare it in terms of performance, reliability, driving enjoyment and overall cost of ownership/rewarding to drive ratio to other cars you have owned? Please state what it is you are comparing it to and how it stacks up.

 

So far I've had no issues with my car at all. It's been very solid and feels fantastic.
I have to constantly remind myself that it's a four-door car! It really does drive like a sports car. I've owned a Boxster and quite a few Corvettes including a C6 Z06. It is every bit as sporting as the Boxster. Speed is similar. The Boxster may have been a little more engaging, but the stability of my BMW is fabulous at high speed (yes, on the track).
No, there really isn't a comparison to the Z06. It is literally a supercar compared to a sedan with more than twice the horsepower and weighing a few hundred pounds less.
Overall, I'm very impressed and love it.

 

ownership experience, in terms of dealership accommodations/experiences?

the car is incredible, i have an e90 335, & i'm in love with it. i've had a '91 acura legend, '96 lifted tahoe, '98 5 series, '03 evo & '06 evo..the 335 is hands down, my favorite. the evo's are the only cars i've owned that have in comparison to how good you feel when you drive the car but i got pulled over all the time in my evos, you have a stigma of a 'ricer' no matter what you do, there is no insolation in the evo so it's loud in the ****-pit all the time..& for around $10k more i got everything i felt while driving my evo + all the luxury that a bmw offers, not to mention the free maintenance. i haven't tracked it yet but i canyon run it often & it handles like my evo did on any given day, i know my limits in terms of what i can do in the canyons so i'm sure if i kept pushing it, it wouldn't be up to par with the all wheel drive system of the evos but for me, it's perfect. i am on kw's which helps a lot but regardless, i would recommend the 3 series to anybody!

 

I have found myself lusting over EVO/STi, I will try to stray from them by convincing myself I need something more which I do. But when I say MORE I mean more and not sacrificing the performance and fun to drive factor. We all have the wild side in terms of times where we just don't care about how NICE something is, just how it FEELS. I unfortunately can't afford a 335i otherwise this would be easy. I CAN however afford the EVO or STi (used they are getting very cheap and with the right looking over you can find a good one, abused or not if it was taken care of you should be ok) but it is that or taking a HUGE performance hit with a 3 Series because I can't afford an M3 and the 330i ZHP are almost as expensive as an 01-02 M3 which defeats the purpose. So I was wondering HOW great the 3 Series was and if it can really make you think "EVO,STi, Corvette huh?"

 

I think the answer really depends upon which "3 series" car you are thinking of. They vary greatly in terms of performance between the different models and also depending upon which engine you select. I had an E46 330i 5 Speed and an E36 M3. They were both about the same performance wise when stock. When it was modified as a track only car, my 95 M3 was much faster than my 02 330i.

I sold my 330i after driving it for ~65K miles, it just didn't have the high speed performance that I was looking for. It felt like it "ran out of grunt" in the higher end of the rev range (right about the point where the M3 was pulling like mad). I sold it and bought an E39 M5 which obviously solved my lack of power problem.

I have instructed (at the track) several people in Evos and am really impressed with that cars performance. With just a little bit of modding they kick a$$ on the track and with a lot of modding a stock E46 M3 can't hang (assuming like tires/brakes and equal drivers).

I have never been in an E90 on the road and have yet to see any E90s at a NASA driving event so I can't comment on that chassis.

With the exception of maybe a 335i or any of the M cars, I don't think you will get Evo levels of performance out of a 3 series of any body style. I am running comparable lap times in my stockish (brake pads and tires) M Roadster to some of the fairly modded Evos (~400 HP) but with only 225HP (330i) or less with other "3s" you will be way short on power.

It sounds to me that your budget is in the $20K range and for that you will not come close to Evo levels of performance with a BMW. You would be much better off with the EVO (if that's your benchmark).

If on the other hand this is only a street car, then it doesn't really matter which you buy because most of the time you are only using a fraction of the cars maximum performance anyway. In that case I would probably suggest a 330i because the interior materials and comfort levels are quite a bit better than the Mitsubishi and for the most part your resale values will be higher with the Bimmer.

Good luck with your decision.

 

if you're a dude... just save some money and get yourself a new body 4runner. more space. cheaper to maintain. rugged looks.

leave the 3-series for the gf/wifey/hairdresser.

 

Get an Evo. 8, 9, or 10. This coming from an Audi owner.

 

+1, from your original post it sounded like any 3 series platform was an option, if you're trying to stay in the high teens to low 20's in terms on what you want to spend, i'd go evo/sti hands down no question.

 

I am just trying to figure out what it is that the 3 Series has that makes up for the lack of power. Most people suggest EVO/STi hands down but own something else themselves?

 

mine has 2 turbo's! so there is no lack of power..there is some low end lag but that is a solvable problem. & my recommendation of an evo is from experience, i've owned 2, an '03 viii & an '06 IXMR. there is just no comparison in terms of power/performance, etc. IMO. in your case, the only reason to buy the bmw over the evo is to say you have a bmw & not a mitsu..but when you see an evo on the track or street i'm sure they will take you, no doubt

 

I see you're in PA. If you're near Philadelphia... NEVER go to Otto's.

Recently got rid of my 335. They were far from "accommodating."

 

+1 from an E46M3/E39M5 owner.

 

Love my 3 series!

 

Love my 335i sedan 6 speed

 

+1 for the 3 series, i had an 01 325ci clutch and tranny rebuilt @127k miles!!! for 4 years then upgraded to 04 m3 cabrio. they aren't cheap to fix unless you DIY, but totally enjoyable and you get way less attention from the po-po.

If 20k is the price range, i'd shy away from any bmw. most of the BMW's in the 20k and less range are out of warranty and you will be out of pocket soon and sometimes its sooner than you expect it. Get something reliable and cheap for now then step up to a newer 3 series in a couple/three years. Set a goal so you can reward yourself with what you truely desire. A 3 series... GL!