M3 or M5

[WRX]

Hey guys. Haven't been around in a while. I sold my WRX and bought a Ford F150 SuperCrew for the family but now it's about time for a new car. I have been going back and forth between a M3 and a M5. I can't afford a new one so they would be used. Between the 2002 and 2004 model years. What do you guys think? If not an M car what else do you think in the $35-45,000.00 Price range.

[ZfrkS62]

hmmm...for an M5 you'd have to get a 2003 to have the latest..but i think for 35-40K, you'd have to get an M3. Not that the 3 is any less fun

[SilviaEvo]

i myself like the M5 more of a usable car but the M3 is a great car too not much of a family car though. but at least with the M5 and M3 you will never have many family members driving it.

[gobs3z]

I agree with everso. They're both great cars, but i've never heard anything bad going wrong with M5's, and there is not nearly as many M5's as M3's. Do you still want to drive stick all the time or do want to try out some F1 paddle shifting?
?

[styla21]

I voted the M5 for the four doors - seeing you have a family. Good luck in your choice

[ZfrkS62]

i don't think he'll be able to get an M5 for that price range. the M3 is closer to what he wants to pay.

[papaSMURF]

youd be surprized what you can get if you know the right people, and look in the right places...

as for the choice, please go with the m5, it was the last bmw m car to have a decent engine development plan which results in almost no costs later on. A family member of mine had both at a point but liked the m5 because it is the ultimate highway car. the m3 is better for lower speeds, but a tad unstable at high speeds (130+). the m5 u can modify and have fun with, plus by the time you get it, it will already have taken its hit because of the new m5/ 5 series. if you got an m3, by next year price would go down even more which would greatly affect the resale value.

happy hunting.

[ZfrkS62]

the m3 is better for lower speeds, but a tad unstable at high speeds (130+).

i'll have to disagree with you on that. i've had one at about 140 and it felt just as stable as it did at 90. and the only issue with the S54 engine has been the conrod bearings that came from the manufactuerer as faulty, but that's being taken care of with a recall to replace the bearings.

if he can get teh M5, more power to him (literally )

[DUNKiNUTS]

M5 its like driving a speed boat

[CSedl87]

There are many good subs for that price range (well sort of). You've got the Infiniti G35 sedan and coupe, Subaru Legacy (really good car IMHO), Audi A4, BMW 3-series (can get the Audi and 3er for cheap used). They're not going to be the rockets that the M3/5 are, but are more 'practical' than the latter. I must say good luck getting a 2003-04 M5 for your price range, though. Most of those years are still in the low to mid $50k's, the M3 you can find for a decent price. My best advice is go out and drive every car that strikes your fancy, or even the ones that don', cause sometimes you'll be pretty surprised.

[papaSMURF]

if you say all those problems with the s54 engine were solved then why do they continue to pour into dealers for spun bearings? as of 2 months ago... it doesnt take 3 years to fix a problem does it?

go ahead, drive an m5 and an m3 on the same road, at speed, what happens? the m5 is somehow more stable at the elevated speed... wow a shocker..

m3 is MUCH better at low speeds than the m5 is because of mass etc.

[ZfrkS62]

if you say all those problems with the s54 engine were solved then why do they continue to pour into dealers for spun bearings? as of 2 months ago... it doesnt take 3 years to fix a problem does it?

i said it's BEING taken care of. not has BEEN taken care of. The problem with the bearings was that because they weren't manufactured to the right standards, they prematurely wore out. And yes it can take 3 years to fix a problem. there are still first gen M60 V8s that are being replaced under warranty because the notification letter was either not recieved or disregarded. OR they just never made/showed up for the appointment to have the recall carried out. And i haven't seen one with a spun bearing yet, but i'm sure they are out there. so thanks for exaggerating :roll:

go ahead, drive an m5 and an m3 on the same road, at speed, what happens? the m5 is somehow more stable at the elevated speed... wow a shocker..

The M5 feels more stable because of the double pivot front suspension that controls the deflection in the front end. The Servotronic helps out alot with the 5 by controlling the amount of steering effort you have to put in at high speeds. The 3 didn't get Servotronic

[skituner]

M5 e34, e39 or e60 ill take any of them

[papaSMURF]

funniest thing was when i got the car, the salesman told me the problem with early production m3's were fixed (delayed shipment), but as you state thats not true, which i find hard to believe... hmm leme think hard for a second. a company devoted to engine development and attempting to make the ultimate driving machine is having problems with their best production engine prematurly failing. now if i was the head of pr for that company what would i blame that on? of course!!! someone else! I believed bmw to be on top of QC, but as you say this isnt true.. hmm.. looks pretty bad for bmw...

another classic example is of ford's suv's and the whole tire thing.

as for the handling, i never said anything about the steering feel at high speeds, just that its more stable. ill give another example. my 540 felt more STABLE at 120 than my rx7 did, eventhough the rx7 was nuts at 165 and could handle better than most other cars ive driven, the 5 was still more STABLE.

i know youre attempting to defend a car you idolize, and probablly have researched for years (much more than me of course), honestly i feel bad keep comming up with reports and press releases as to why something goes wrong, but deep down youll have to admit BMW screwed up on the i-6's development in some ways... i know, it sucks, theyll fix it eventually..

[ZfrkS62]

check my profile and you'll understand why i seem to know so much about these cars.

BMW didn't discover the problem right away. they had to do extensive tests on warranty bearings before they realized what had happend. as soon as they did, they issued the recall. the last one we got in for the recall was an '02. It can take a little time before BMW can get the owners notified of a recall.

The connecting rod bearings installed in M3 coupe/convertible vehicles produced from February 2001 through May 2003 were not manufactured to BMW quality standards. As a result, the connecting rod bearings are susceptible to overheating and subsequent premature failure if vehicles are driven at higher engine speeds over an extended timeframe. This condition will cause a total engine failure.

thats from the S.I. #11 04 04. Not everything is going to be perfect when it is man made.

and salesmen don't know shit about these cars. i can't tell you how many times i've called them on bullshit.