335i + LSD = Badass E46 M3 killer.

And thats before you chip it, throw and exhuast on it and put down 375hp, and 400ft/tq.

335i wins.

 

no problem

 

against a stock e46 m3 maybe in a straight line, not on a track though. 335 still weighs 3600-3700 vs 3415 for a stock e46 m3. on a track that extra weight will kill you in corners.
plus 335s dont trap as high as a stock e46 m3, so just adding an LSD wont make you much faster in a straight, it will help you more on the track, but still wont win.

 

I would say no queston 335, have owned an m and there nice but espically now with the lower value every 18 year old kid has one. Although and e92 dirty dirty car. No matter what you wont go wrong though

 

[MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rprWczollCo[/MEDIA]
Me want!

 

Not to mention the 335i is an awesome looking car. The E46 is starting to show its age and that will only get worse when the new model hits the streets. I'd get the 335i+rims+procede+lowering+tint, and call it a day!

 

No way an LSD will take an M3 without other mods. It's a slower car in a strait stock (barely), and that's NOT due to traction alone.

ECU - 1200
Exhaust - 1500
Coilovers - 1600
LSD - 3000 +/-
Aero lip (make it look decent) - 500
Wheels/tires to get the traction down - 2000 minimum

Total = 9800.
I had a nicely equipped E92 ordered (no premium) for $47,500. Now that's $57,300.

I'd rather spend $3K-$8K more and get the E92 M3, or save $20K and buy a nice 2004 clean E46M.

A stock 335i is slower, and way too popular/played out already in my city. Clean it up and tune it and it's a SWEEEEEEET car, no doubt... But still a 3 series for $60K.

 

I agree that getting a great deal on a used E46 M3 is definitely a smart way to go. I've seen some that would be great to modify and are in the $25-30K range. I just don't know how well these cars run at 80-100K+ miles. In either case, at that price range, you have room for routine maintenance and mods.

I'd still wait until the new M3 comes out before buying an E46, that way you can benefit from the added depreciation hit.

 

the s54 motor is acutally quite reliable (if you have 02 or later in particular) and I have seen more than a few examples with over 100k


the only thing one may need to replace is the diff at some point but that is only a good thing as you can just swap it with a 4.10 or something similar to that...

 

The S54 motor is very solid just check out "E46 M3" on Ebay Motors and check out all the high mileage M3's that show up. (Some over 100,000 miles) I have been looking into the M3 ever since I really became an avid car enthusiast and still have a passion for them just think the 335i suits me better currently. It is hard for me to turn down a brand new car with newer technology/features than a used car but that's my argument. I'm not biased towards either car in particular by any means.

As Wyatt said, either car is not going to agree with your bank account. As someone had stated earlier the 335 in stock form is "heh" but with a few mods can turn into a completely new car and has the looks to match. Fortunately for me I live so close to Active Autowerks so I will be having far too much fun with this beast when I get it. Going to go check out the car in a few mins with my dad. In the end it is still a car and they are rarely an investment. Enjoy whatever you have and as car enthusiasts it's obligatory for us to "invest" money into our rides!

 

Pretty cool. I can only wish an LSD came with the 335 in stock form.

 

Having driven a E46 M3 and a E92 328i, I'd say go with the 335. I find that the E92's are much more entertaining to drive than the E46 - great steering feel, chassis dynamics, etc. The bodystyle looks great too, both in and out.

The E46 M3 doesn't have the magic of most other M cars (I've owned a E36 M3, E368 S54 M Coupe, E34 M5) - it's a great coupe, but just seems dull. If you took the brillant S54 motor away it wouldn't be very interesting to drive.

That being said if you're a track and mod junkie the M3 would probably be better, they do very well there. But for an all-around car the 335's an easy winner. I'd actually take the 328, I like BMW's NA motors...

 

Was lucky enough to go to the dealership today and for some reason they had around 4 335i's on the lot even though they were all either sold or salesman's cars. I ended up talking to the sales manager and told him I wanted a 335i and would be damned if I could get a test drive or even a ride in one anytime I had been to the dealership.

A salesman just happened to walk by who owned one of the 335i's I had been looking at earlier in the day. He happily took out his keys and took me for a 10 minute spin. It was an automatic but still had quite a bit of kick to it. I had never driven with the paddle shifters before but it was pretty nice. Didn't intrigue me enough to switch from my beloved manual gearbox but I could see how it could be fun to have.

He eventually handed me the keys to the car which I thought was awesome of him since it wasn't the dealership's but his actual every day vehicle. I'd lie if I said I didn't beat up on it, after all I had been waiting for this opportunity for a while now!

My opinion: It is definitely quick. I think the manual would be a hell of a lot more fun and probably "feel" quicker although the auto probably statistically is quicker. I like the torque and really wanted a torquey car so I think it will make me happy. There is some minor turbo lag (1-2 seconds or so) but nothing to freak out over.

The interior is fantastic The sport package is even better. I am in the works of trying to figure out how in the hell I can get the style 197 rims on the 335i somehow. (If it is even possible)



I really don't like any of the regular rim options for this car at all. I may just end up purchasing the CSL style rims for this car in the end if nothing works out since I think they look great.





I can only imagine this car with a chip! I think I would have a blast with this car. In stock form it isn't ridiculously fast by any means but you do get 4 seats and an interior to kill for.

In the end I would like to shoot for something like this

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbJU30FdTwI&mode=related&search=[/media]

 

I'd have to agree with you. I drove the 335i for the first time this past summer and it left me with a "hella fast" feeling that I just haven't gotten from any other car. It "feels" faster than the Charger SRT8, which has over 400hp. I don't know of the exact numbers, but IMHO who cares really.. Those turbos rocket your head back into your seat and the handling is really superb. TCS, suspension.. everything is perfect, at least in comparison to the SRT8 and my CTS.. both of which are really happy to burn rubber despite TCS.

A 335i is really itching to get into my garage.. I just wish it were possible to have the coupe front end and tail lights on the sedan. I have a wife and kid, so if I am trading in the CTS, I have to replace it with another sedan.

Glad you gotta test drive finally!

 

I really enjoyed it. I am actually not at all disappointed with the stock form of this car at all. I didn't set my standards high as my 350z has 300hp as well so I didn't think it would be dramatically quicker but it was definitely nice. This only gets me antsy thinking about getting a 335i tuned. I like the fact that I will end up driving the recommended 1200 or so miles and wait until everything is settled in. Once the 1200 miles are up I will start throwing mods onto the car. I am not quick to jump to modifications before I know the car is in perfect working order and I can get anything taken care of ASAP without mods so BMW has nothing to bring into play for repair other than their own non-functioning car.

On a side note - the interior on this car is superb. I cannot wait to see my black exterior / red interior / aluminum trim / sport package combination in person!