go with the 335i with the proper modding that thing will be a beast

 

What made you decide to cancel your oder?

Back to topic... There is a guy who lives near me with a tuned 335i (Vishnu Tuning) and a few other BASIC mods and he took an e39 M5 on the highway.

335i is incredible...You are talking about the coupe......right?!

 

Thats not that hard to do did u see the vid I posted the other day me my friend vs 2 V10 M5's?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcgCXTNnowk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5CNbn84TZ0

 

I've got both, I prefure the M. Its much more engaging to drive as a manual (the 335 is paddle shift) sounds better and is a much more rewarding car to drive. Just do the 4.10 diff swap, drop in coilovers and be done with it.

The 335 is a much better car, in that its newer, has better tech and all the trick stuff. But, hearing the exhaust note on the S54B32 leaves the 335's donk for dead.

Performance wise they are both as quick as each other for straight line pace, the M3 is obviously a much peakier engine, with redline way up in the rev range, the 335 has much more low end grunt (although 4.10 gears in the M negate this somewhat) and a lot of useable power for totting around town. It needs to be short shifted at about 5800 rpm though to get the best performance out of it.

Honestly it really depends on what you want out of a car. An E46 M3 will always be a cult classic, with simple mods it can totally transform the car. Case in point, I've had my M3 since 2004 and was getting bored with it earlier in the year, I'd already done the 4.10 gears which I loved as a mod and put on OEM CSL wheels. Apart from that I was really starting to get fed up with it, I'd got a E92 335 earlier in this year. A set of KW coilovers totally transformed the M3, its much more fun to drive it points well now and handles as it should have from the factory.

Outright pace on either car stock or slightly modded is the same, it doesn't interest me personally modifying either greatly as I've got a 12 second E30 and 750hp GTR that I run around in as fun cars.

You need to work out what criteria fits your needs, the 335 has vastly more potential for power ups and is much newer, where as the M3 as someone else said is an M. If you want the bit power potential later on you can't beat FI. If your not worried about having the quickest draw on the street get the M. But seriously drive both as others have said, its your money.

 

i test drove both, you should do the same. M3 is more responsive and thrilling/raw to drive. 335 is a bit softer, from what i remember, and there is some turbo lag. i always prefer a newer car for fit+finish, no rattles, but if you find a well maintained M, id go with that etc. interesting dillema, let us know what you've decided on

 

Always had a soft spot for the E46. It was my dream car when it came out. Now I can afford one, so I figured now or never. It's not the new thing, but I'm looking for an 04 which can be had for about $10K less than the 335i I had on order anyway. That seals the deal.

M3forum member since 2002.

 

E92 335i + KWV2 suspension ($2200 installed) + ProCEDE ($1400) + Exhaust ($800) + Aerodynamics pieces ($2000) = 375HP, 390TQ and a hell of a nice ride for under $55K (that's with a loaded E92)

 

Hmmm.... definitely a whole lot of new insight on both cars I had never really considered earlier. Thanks to everyone who responded! I will be taking a test drive soon. I really think the 335i is growing on me though and the modding potential on that car is really intriguing. A $1200 ECU flash gets you 385hp and 385tq. Coming from my Z I think this will most definitely obliterate my 350z.

I will keep you guys updated!

Britt, I think I would be shooting for something a lot like your 335i. I love your interior choice but would probably pick the metallic black exterior instead. I'm hoping for a lot of the same visual mods as yours as well. Your car looks great.

 

Your 335i looks great! What mods/hp/tq are you putting down? I'd love to see some more pictures of your car if you don't mind!

 

That is ridiculousssss! Do you know what all was done to this particular 335i in order to achieve that?

 

Also, on a side note. I was optioning out a 335i on the BMW website yesterday and noticed that the 335i also comes in a All Wheel Drive version! Does anyone have any experience with this? It is roughly $2,000 more for the AWD version. Is it justifiable to buy it or does it not really matter a whole lot? I love my buddies Sti and really only have that to compare it to for AWD.

I know the primary 335i comes with RWD but with no Limited Slip Differential if I remember correctly.

Does this become a problem when you start heading up in the higher horsepower for this car? Say anything 400hp/400tq and above or so?

 

Yeah, no LSD I wish it comes with it

everyone who had E46 M3 but switched to 335i is quite happy with their decisions
good luck~

 

The M3 is among the most "mature" sports car and the most "infantile". I believe it really takes having one and getting rid of it to realize what that car really offers. At first, the "power" of the M3 wears off and you dont know what you are doing in a car that feels slow and needs to be revved above 5.5k for any meaningful power. Thats about when you sell it. However, a year or so after, you realize that that is really heaven on earth and the degree in which you can throw around a car with those dynamics is really quite amazing...





I know I missed my car...and its why I got the z4m C

 

i like 'em both, but just due to the newness of the e92, i say 335i all the way and get it JUST the way you want it.

 

You can see my 335 pics here.and an old Dyno
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ad.php?t=93137

The 335 that raced the M5's had Downpipes , Exhaust , Intercooler , Procede V2 Piggyback ECU.