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Let me jump into this one with both feet. I used to be self proclaimed Bimmer man and have had several Bimmers in the past. Most recently '07 Z4 3.0si and a '04 E46 M3. I've owned E46 ZHP's, M Roadster, Z3 M, 330i, etc. Like I said I used to be a Bimmer man, but... and it's a big but not anymore. They've just gone mental like Porsche. I mean a fully loaded E92 335is is $65k+ and a new M3 $85k+??? Mental I tell you!

In any case, let's get back to the subject at hand. My most recent Z4 3.0si had it's entire head replaced twice under warrenty and the entire motor replaced once. After that I was done. I sold it after less than 2 yrs of ownership. The E46 M3 I had the engine blow up once and the engine replaced only to have the motor die again twice. Once on the fwy. I think it spent more time at the dealer than in my garage. After that I was done and had my buddy, who is a slick lawyer, have BMW America buy the car back.

But my impression of the E46 M3,which is probably my favorite Bimmer I've ever owned next to the E46 ZHP, is that it was really good. Handled great and the motor was really strong. The thing that killed it for me was the SMG II. I live in LA and traffic is a bitch. In stop n go traffic the tranny kicks like a mule. Also, the ride is really stiff. Like bruise your kidneys stiff. So it got really annoying on bad roads, which is pretty much all we get here in metro LA. One thing though, I did take it on the track a couple of times and then that's really when I began to appreciate how good the car was. The SMG II really came into it's own on the track and really made me feel like I was some race car driver. Unfortunately, I didn't take the car to the track as much as I'd have liked. Sometimes I miss the car, but I think the BRZ will fix that! :happy0180: