I think at some point after your graduation from Middle School, and your death, you will understand the value of keeping your mouth shut and letting the world believe you are an idiot, versus opening your mouth and removing all doubt.

This is all moot b/c right now with GM employee pricing, a freaking Z06 bases for less than M3 cost. As big a BMW fan as I am, that’s a no-brainer people.

The only difference is that in North Carolina, where I live, I can find 25 M3’s that are going for sticker… That’s the beauty of living in a not-so-established BMW market, yet. It’s catching up, though. Although it will take some time to see more 335’s then 328’s rolling around the woods.

I agree that if you want to save money and beat up on the 2 Fast 2 Furious retard crowd, the E90/E92 335i is a great way to start. You can mod it fairly quickly and easily with just a chip and exhaust and be throwing down 4.4s 0-60’s in no time, flat…

But the M3 is still the ideal car for any driving, at least to me.

You can’t buy a dry M3 in Southern California … they don’t stock them. Try finding a desirable collar match e92 with a sticker less than $60,000. It doesn’t exist in So Cal. So, by the time you get to the finance guy, you’re $66,250 M3 is actually 72,496 with tax and fees.

This debate isn’t even close.

What it all comes down to is this; if price isn’t a factor, sure the M3 is the hands down choice. However, if you want to save 20+ grand and get an incredible, beast of a car … then buy a POV, and add the Dinan stage-3. You will shock your friends, scare your mother in-law, and beat up on young punks that challenge you in inferior street rods.

I really don’t think any part of the video is realistic. Now if Boris Said or Hans Stuck were driving and those results happened, I’d be in 100% belief. The E92 M3 takes some. It’s not always the power. It’s also about the aerodynamics and the build quality of the engine. Just look at a 3800lb GT-R with 520hp that muscles its way around tracks faster then most… Granted, in a straight line it’s not as fast once you get to 100 or so mph.

Which would you rather have, a 335i or an E90/92/93 M3? Which will be worth more in 30 years? And which will be better with more mods? Just because the 335i is cheaper to mod doesn’t make it the wiser choice.

I’ll take the M3 and build it up as I go…

First of all, a factory model 335i has more punchy low-end torgue than a current model M3. You feel this at a about 1800 RPMs going up a hill in a low gear, as you press the gas. And yes, you can tell a significant difference.

I’ve seen the video and I think it’s pretty honest until they get to the drag race at the end. Put me in a stage-3, well tuned, 335i with a stick, and I’m confident that I could beat a currant model M3 in a 1/4 mile.

Also, you can buy a very nicely equipped POV 335i, and add the Stage 3, and be out of the door for less than $46,000.

But as for the video, they obviously weren’t pushing either car… You’re right, if you look at the numbers an M3 should and could be doing a 12.5s 1/4 with the right driver. The problem I think most people have when trying to drive the BMW’s and ///M cars fast is that the gearing is so long to shift. Most people are used to quick short shifting. You have to be dialed in with BMW’s to get quick shifting.

I don’t know about the 335i winning. The difference is that if you drive each you will notice the 335 will get slower and slower after a lot of laps. The M3 will hold up better due to its F1 inspired engine. The wet sump oiling system is great for that car. The 3.0L I6 is fantastic! But it’s no ///M car fantastic. The suspension and chassis, even modded from Dinan, still won’t hold up to the same rigorous driving compared to the M3.

Now the M3 may be a different animal altogether but with a good driver the M3 should lose everytime. I’m talking mainly on the drag strip here and not a track. It is sad that they didn’t get even remotely close to the M3’s stock time. The M3 does a mid-12 1/4 mile stock, they barely even managed a low 13.

Get somebody in there that truely knows how to drive and the outcomes might be different.

I love the M3, always been an owner and fan of them since E36 but a 335i with slightly less power but gobs more torque and lighter weight, it should win everytime.

Jon and Mark,

You are both right on the money. I wish some of the guys from one of my car clubs in FL felt the same way. They thought the video was awesome and they wanted the 335i instead…

As far as Dinan and the M3 goes, sometime late this year or early 2009, Dinan will have a stroker engine for the M3 (remember, the M3 engine is the same engine in the M5/M6…just minus two cylinders!!)….thus, the R&D that Dinan put into the S1-S3 kits for the M6/M6 will soon be available on the M3 far quicker than it was available for the two other M cars…how about an M3 with Dinan’s S3 stroker kit that makes over 500bhp??? This will include suspension upgrades, bigger brakes, cold air intakes, new software, HF throttle bodies, etc…..an M3 Dinan S3 car will likely blow most anything off the road…..MUHAHAHAHAHAHA

Cheers,

You both have great comments. I personally couldn’t agree with you guys more. It’s obvious that WebRidesTV doesn’t know what they’re doing. Every video that I’ve ever seen from them is not well thought out and meaningless test results…

Then again, that would ruin the whole pretense of their comparison. So maybe they DID know, and just didn’t want to admit it b/c it would nullify their little comparo.

Perfect answer. That is exactly what I was trying to say. You should have written the article hahaha. Thank you for the perfect comment.

Again, not to slight Steve Dinan, but for the same price, I’ll take a room full of German Motorsport engineers’ mods versus his.

At this point Dinan only does Chassis Tuning for the new M3. Sorry.

Nico,

The different parts do make a great difference. Another thing, there are certain pieces of the new M3 that are just updated over the E46 M3. Just goes to show how good the older model was too… So, it seems that you understand what I mean about comparing the M3 to the Dinan 335?

I love the 335i, it’s just that when you go to buy an M3, you don’t look and think, “hmm. I wonder if I could mod a 335 to be the same level as the M3 for less?” Haha.