Deciding between E92 M3 and F30/F32

[NSE92M3]

I'm in the market for a new car. I was initially set on an E92 M3, but because my commute is 80 miles round trip, I'm thinking it might make more sense to go for a 335/435 instead. I wasn't previously really worried about MPG as my last car got 13 MPG, but I'm now in a situation where I can fix this. I'm just afraid I won't be excited to wake up on Saturday mornings and drive along PCH like I would if I had that glorious S65 in the M3. Has anyone gone through a similar thought process? I'm also not sure if I can wait until the 435's start rolling out so I might have to go with the 335.

[TTG]

Whatever you do don't get a 335 right now. Either get the M3 or wait for the 435...... Performance wise, 335 vs 435 appears to be equals.

But if gas mileage is your main concern, then 435 would be a way to go.

[NSE92M3]

Originally Posted by TTG

Whatever you do don't get a 335 right now. Either get the M3 or wait for the 435...... Performance wise, 335 vs 435 appears to be equals.

But if gas mileage is your main concern, then 435 would be a way to go.

Just to clarify, I was talking bout the new 335 sedan, not the E92 335.

[Peahi]

80 miles round trip with super unleaded gas is gonna add up quick...and even more so if you have stop and go. Add gas spikes...oh brother.

On the other hand, the enjoyment of the S65...priceless. I would hate driving a 335 if I knew I was gonna buy an M3. You would feel regret instantaneously. There are a lot of M3s in the bay area, and each time you will see one driving around, you will feel remorse.

[NA V8]

If gas mileage is incredibly important then I guess the 335 makes sense. However, I recently traded a '13 335i w/ 7K miles for a '11 E92 M3 and am so glad that I did! There is no comparison when it comes to the driving experience. IMO the N55 engine isn't exciting and suffers from turbo lag. And the $1300 that I spent for the M-Performance Power Kit did not make a dramatic improvement.

[NA V8]

Originally Posted by Peahi

80 miles round trip with super unleaded gas is gonna add up quick...and even more so if you have stop and go. Add gas spikes...oh brother.

On the other hand, the enjoyment of the S65...priceless. I would hate driving a 335 if I knew I was gonna buy an M3. You would feel regret instantaneously. There are a lot of M3s in the bay area, and each time you will see one driving around, you will feel remorse.

[NSE92M3]

Hmm. Can anyone who's good at math try to play around with the numbers?

I wonder how much the MPG difference will actually cost me per year. I figure about 1,500 miles a month (since I'll take the company shuttle sometimes)

[TTG]

Originally Posted by NSE92M3

Just to clarify, I was talking bout the new 335 sedan, not the E92 335.

I see.... Even though, I love the M3 between gas and tires for the type of commute you do, I would go with 335.

I did have fun driving my 335 for sure.

[Denk]

If you can swing it, get the e92 M3. Sure it makes more sense not to but life is short.

[Longboarder]

I got 18-19 MPG average with my n54 335 and I'm getting 16-17 MPG in my M3.

Both cars modded and driven aggressively. The MPG difference isn't that much in that regard.

Now, if I actually cared about gas mileage (i don't care at all), I could get 25-30 in the 335 by driving slow. The best I can do in the M3 is about 20.

[Transfer]

There's about a $0.10 per mile difference fuel cost between a F30 335i and E92 M3 so $8 a day to you on your commute (estimate). You'll also get something like 100 miles less per tank of fuel with the M3 which means more refueling. If you can swing that, get a used M3 no question. Then when the new M3/M4 comes out and we learn that it has marginally better MPG (like 25 hwy or something), wait for the LCI and trade the V8 M3. Trust all of us, you want to experience this engine for at least a few years in your life.

What were you driving that gets 13 mpg?

Fuel estimates for fun:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find....32573&id=32311

[davesaddiction]

So, using the CarBuzz app search, and the following criteria:

sedan
$35-85k
gas engine
dual clutch or manual
200-500+ horsepower
RWD or AWD
25-35 mpg

I net exactly ZERO results, and I has a sad...

Glad I've got mine, I don't have a crazy long commute, and I can deal with the gas bill.

Is your 80 miles pretty much all highway? If so, get the M3, no question. I get 15 on my commute, but low 20s on highway trips.

[valeram]

Get the one you like. You will not regret your decision. It looks like you prefer the M3 but decided against it because of gas mileage. So you might as well get the diesel if that is your criteria.

[NSE92M3]

Originally Posted by Transfer

There's about a $0.10 per mile difference fuel cost between a F30 335i and E92 M3 so $8 a day to you on your commute (estimate). You'll also get something like 100 miles less per tank of fuel with the M3 which means more refueling. If you can swing that, get a used M3 no question. Then when the new M3/M4 comes out and we learn that it has marginally better MPG (like 25 hwy or something), wait for the LCI and trade the V8 M3. Trust all of us, you want to experience this engine for at least a few years in your life.

What were you driving that gets 13 mpg?

Fuel estimates for fun:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find....32573&id=32311

Mercedes E55 AMG. That 5.5L Supercharged V8 was thirsty.

[NSE92M3]

Originally Posted by davesaddiction

So, using the CarBuzz app search, and the following criteria:

sedan
$35-85k
gas engine
dual clutch or manual
200-500+ horsepower
RWD or AWD
25-35 mpg

I net exactly ZERO results, and I has a sad...

Glad I've got mine, I don't have a crazy long commute, and I can deal with the gas bill.

Is your 80 miles pretty much all highway? If so, get the M3, no question. I get 15 on my commute, but low 20s on highway trips.

Yes, it's 95% highway. Although if I take the 101, it's 30 miles with traffic, so I take the 280 instead which is 40 miles with very little traffic.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Longboarder

I got 18-19 MPG average with my n54 335 and I'm getting 16-17 MPG in my M3.

Both cars modded and driven aggressively. The MPG difference isn't that much in that regard.

Now, if I actually cared about gas mileage (i don't care at all), I could get 25-30 in the 335 by driving slow. The best I can do in the M3 is about 20.

I was just about to post something similar. I averaged 19-20 mpg during mixed driving in the M3 when I drove conservatively.

[tjsabec]

The M3 is a very expensive car to maintain even ignoring the MPG. Oil changes, air filters, tires, brakes... all very expensive. 18,000 miles a year and you are talking 2 $300 oil changes ($150 if you do it yourself) and close to $1400 in tires per year.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by tjsabec

The M3 is a very expensive car to maintain even ignoring the MPG. Oil changes, air filters, tires, brakes... all very expensive. 18,000 miles a year and you are talking 2 $300 oil changes ($150 if you do it yourself) and close to $1400 in tires per year.

Most of that is driver dependent. I traded my 11.5 M3 about 2 weeks ago for my X5, and I still had plenty of brake pad remaining (..the only reason they changed them was due to the car being CPO'd), and I can get 22-25,000 miles out of a set of OEM PS2's. The same applied to my '08 M3, and other M3's that I've owned. Too many variables!

[FVM3]

Reliability wise, dont go for 335i/435i.

[Longwong]

I do 100 miles daily with my m3 and love it! Gas mileage is actually good on the highway and I drive it hard. I average 16mpg for everything including highways and roads in a city. Not bad to me given my last inline 6 bimmer got 15.6 mpg average.

And the m3 is the perfect car to get if you drive a lot since who would not want to make an otherwise boring task absolutely fun! I think the opposite of others and think the m3 is an awesome daily driver that turns a monotonous task into a thrill. Can't beat that. I don't care about gas or mileage anyway even if it was worse. I waited until I had the means to own and m3 and drive it to the max.

[m3dude]

M3

[richardg]

I mean you could always buy an M3 secondhand. Use the savings to buy a mini or prius or something. If MPG is that important to you I don't think the 335i will save you enough to make it worth not having the M.