Undecided between E46 M3 and Evo X MR [merge]
May 30, 2008 | 06:40 PM
#1
Undecided between E46 M3 and Evo X MR [merge]
Sup fellas, I'm currently driving a 2005 Honda s2000 at the moment and the lease will expire around the end of December this year. I'm looking for a replacement and narrowed it down to a used 2005-2006 E46 BMW M3 maybe ZCP or a new Mitsubishi Evolution X MR. They will probably be priced around the same 38-42k. I'm pretty torn between them. Both have the same performance. The positives of the BMW is the M badge with 333HP, an SMG tranny, and awesome looks. The MR on the other hand has an awesome dual clutch tranny, 4 WD, and excellent handling but doesn't look as pretty as the M3. Any advice would be appreciate on what I should get. Thanks.
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May 30, 2008 | 07:01 PM
#8
^^^ yeah, just drop $18,000 on the car and it should be fast... 
I had an E46 M3 before my Evo IX (have not driven a X). The M3 is very classy
and feels great at high speeds, but the mods (exhaust, powerchip, etc...) are fairly expensive for very little gain. 
I would recommend the convertible M3 as the *** seems to sit lower to the ground and appears more aggressive than the coupe, which can be easily mistaken for a 330...
The M3 engine has very little torque down low
(282tq at flywheel?), but revs to 8k rpm and sounds badass doing it (has that F1 sound). It starts pulling smoothly at like 4500rpm all the way to redline.
The M3 gearing is the opposite of the Evo's and favors top-end speeds (keeps pulling easily over 100mph), rather than torquey power down low.
M3 handles very well despite it being heavier; Evo handles even better but does give up some ride comfort in exchange.
If you are going to mod the cars for performance, $1000-2000 into both cars and the M3 gains like 15-20whp, while the Evo (IX) will gain over 100whp.
Conclusion: M3 more classy looking and fairly fast, but be prepared to get eaten up by any Evo with an exhaust and tune...
I had an E46 M3 before my Evo IX (have not driven a X). The M3 is very classy
and feels great at high speeds, but the mods (exhaust, powerchip, etc...) are fairly expensive for very little gain. I would recommend the convertible M3 as the *** seems to sit lower to the ground and appears more aggressive than the coupe, which can be easily mistaken for a 330...
The M3 engine has very little torque down low
(282tq at flywheel?), but revs to 8k rpm and sounds badass doing it (has that F1 sound). It starts pulling smoothly at like 4500rpm all the way to redline. The M3 gearing is the opposite of the Evo's and favors top-end speeds (keeps pulling easily over 100mph), rather than torquey power down low.
M3 handles very well despite it being heavier; Evo handles even better but does give up some ride comfort in exchange.
If you are going to mod the cars for performance, $1000-2000 into both cars and the M3 gains like 15-20whp, while the Evo (IX) will gain over 100whp.
Conclusion: M3 more classy looking and fairly fast, but be prepared to get eaten up by any Evo with an exhaust and tune...
May 30, 2008 | 07:54 PM
#12
Don't buy the BMW if it is out of the service warranty, especially if it is out of the regular warranty. Trust me 
BMW's are fun when they are running, and they get more attention from da ladies, but I rather have my IX than anything BMW except maybe the new X6
And X is bigger than IX, so the transitive property tells me that X is thus > BMW.
BMW's are fun when they are running, and they get more attention from da ladies, but I rather have my IX than anything BMW except maybe the new X6
And X is bigger than IX, so the transitive property tells me that X is thus > BMW.
May 30, 2008 | 09:25 PM
#15
Get the X if you want a fast car. Get the BMW if you want a sporty car. I suggest you test drive both though, handling and power wise you'll get more out of the Evo than the M3. Plus its going to be used, out of warranty most likely, and expensive to mod. I prefer the look of the X over an E46 anyday, but thats a personal preference. Good luck.