So are these cars really all that great, our school message board the wolf web is full of people that literally swing on the nuts of these cars, and worship them, and never shut up about them. examples: "yeh i meant straightline/bigger hp type speed. the M3 is clearly a better track machine " "well, just for the sake of argument: car and driver found the 3-series to be one of the top 10 cars of the year, every year, for the past 15 years straight.maybe there's some substance behind all of the conversation you hear?" "the m3 stock feels fine, and is leaps and bounds better than a mustang or camaro that they have gotten to handle well" "A 'well prepared' Bmw is leaps and bounds more comfortable than a 'well prepared' Mustang." "if the m3 is not that great of a car - where do you rank the mustang at? the m3 isn't the end-all-be-all car - but sitting next to a mustang it is it's superior in just about every way" "M3's are so hot, the ford mustang is a disaster" "Yeah, but the thing is, BMWs are more about precision/handling, crispness and all that comes with having a well engineered chasis/suspension, etc. You can't really make a Mustang handle like an M3, and you certainly can't make one have as good a ride to handling tradeoff as an M3..." "you are paying premium for brand which carries heritage in racing, engineering, automotive excellence in just about every aspect." "But there are also other factors, forexample someone may need a higher level of craftsmanship, better response/drivability, durability and longetivity, in short, quality from an accessory for a BMW to be satisfied than the average Ford owner... Kind of like what they wanted from the car to begin with eh?" There is even a 5 page thread soley about M3s, basically im tired of hearing about m3s, if this gives you any indication of what its like over there. what does everyone else think about m3s?
I think they are nice and would make a nice dd. but you could make a mustang out handle and outperform an M3 without a doubt. I'm not going to tell people that the mustang is the best car out there and nothing can come close. I love mustangs but I also understand that it is not the only decent car on the road. those spoiled ass kids need to get their heads out of there asses. every car has its ups and downs. hell I bet you half of them don't even know how to change the spark plugs in there cars. And I can only imagine how any replacement parts are putting a damper in their parents wallets.
This guy used to race a Mustang LX... http://www.brazeauracing.com/home.htm He said the stock M3 suspension was better than his race modded LX suspension... Here is his old Mustang site... http://www.brazeauracing.com/mustang/
I don't know how anyone rationally compares Mustangs and M3s. That's like comparing Kentucky bourbon to single malt Scotch. Ya they are kinda the same in essence. But different in more ways that similar. And that's not a crack on either ends of those analogies. Here's the differences I see that make the comparison kinda silly. An M3 costs at least twice as much as a Mustang. A Mustang is classic American muscle. An M3 looks like something your grandpa might drive. IMHO. Don't get me wrong, they are very nice cars. But saying how they are better than Mustangs is just silly.
where to start mostly the kids that adore the M3 are the kids that mod hondas and then get a ride in an M and wet there pants. my take--driven a million and 2--they are very good touring cars. they handle well over undulating roads and have good top end power. can a torque arm/phb stang put the hurtin on one at the track? without a doubt. M3's don't pull amazing G's on the skid pad, i think a lightning is equal in that department. this can be somewhat misleading as those numbers are taken from a flat smooth surface--not what these cars are made to excell at. again they are glorious on regular crappy roads. as for the engine---if you like revving to the moon and ventalating your block on a routine basis then by all means it is the best. ride quality---much worse than my stang with a pro-kit drop and tockico shocks/struts. peeing blood worse--similar to a 350z i prolly hear more crap than anyone on here does about how the M3 is blessed by god and the mustang is junk--all day every day. just ask them how thier rod bearings are doing and mention your stang was never recalled for a major engine issue.
there great my inlaw has one but i still cant compare it to my stang its a big yuppy car as were my stang is tougher. and drop 30 grand on a ten thousand dollar mustang and we will compare. huh
http://www.grandamerican.com/ Tell them to watch Grand Am Cup racing. Mustang, M3, Porsche 996, GTO, and 350Z in the SAME class racing. And... "gasp" the M3's and Porsches lose to the Mustangs sometimes. It would blow their minds. The GTO's and 350Z's don't seem to be winning too often. One nice thing about it is the Mustangs are still using the straight axle suspension and are still competitive with the mighty M3.
Oh right, my general opinion on BMW M3. Looks like crap. Expensive luxury car... boring. I don't care about luxury. Spoiled/stuck up owners it seems. Even the people who don't even own them but worship them are.
In general I'd love to have a BMW if I had the money to buy and maintain it. My roommate had an 02 325i and at ~30k mile he had to have a brake job which was about ~$600+. The girl he was dating (the cover of the Penn State calender...amazing) drove an M3 and she talked a lot of **** about how fast it was. Well Ford fun.
They have their place. Still , the bumper sticker on my BMW (04') says, "I'd rather be driving my Ford." I'm not kidding either.
M3's are nice, but they are not in the same price class as the mustang. $$$ for $$$ the mustang is a HARD perf. car to beat. I like the sedan M3's, too bad they quit making them what 6-7 model years ago . comparing a 25k$ car to a 45-50(?)k$ car realy is not a apple to apple comparo.
the m3 is a very nice vehicle...especially the new one. They are expensive, but the one editor from MM&FF did run a 12.9 with his stock....that is inpressive.
