Hi,
I am thinking of buying 2-3 years old used either M3 or 540i, stick shift. I know
M3 handles better, cheaper and has higher gas mileage. But I don’t know if M3
is good for long trip or not. 540 is more luxury and more expensive.
M3 or 540 owners, please share what you think with us.
Thanks a lot
Shuran
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> –
> Dan Woodman
> dan<mapson>w…@gte.net
> Delete the ‘mapson’ to reply to me directly
> Shuran Wei wrote in message <62lnfd$j6…@lsi.lsil.com>…
> >Hi,
> >I am thinking of buying 2-3 years old used either M3 or 540i, stick shift.
> I know
> >M3 handles better, cheaper and has higher gas mileage. But I don’t know if
> M3
> >is good for long trip or not. 540 is more luxury and more expensive.
> >M3 or 540 owners, please share what you think with us.
> >Thanks a lot
> >Shuran
Having never driven an M3 or a 540i sport I can’t give you a driving opinion.
However, I have always loved the look of the 540i Sport MUCH more than a M3.
Everybody and his brother has an M3, there are WAY fewer 540i Sports’s. The
540i
is a very sedate and powerful car with no boy racer imagery. It is a GREAT
sleeper!
You can carry 3 in comfort and when you need the power I am sure it will be
there. I
am just not a fan of teh M3, unless it’s the 4 door M3… get the jist I like
FAST
sedans? he he….
Serg
—
Visit "Serg’s World ‘O’ Wheels"
at: http://www.swow.com
Comment by admin — December 31, 2009 @ 2:28 pm
I, too, struggled for a long time with this decision. My salesman obliged,
and thank God let me repeatedly drive both cars around. I almost bought the
97 540 stick, because I couldn’t test drive it at first. I would have needed
to order one to drive it, but then someone cancelled an order, allowing me
to drive one . It would have been a big mistake to buy one, not because it
is a bad car, but because the m3 is the better car. Let me put it this way.
imaging the best non BMW car in the world is a 5. then the 540 is a 10, the
540 stick is a 20, and the m3 is a 50. I have owned about 30 cars in my day,
including all makes, including lexus etc. The M3 is the best car in the
history of the world. It is fast, torquey, responsive, comfortable, quiet,
reliable, absolutly fault free (my lexus ls400 had 11 faults), small enough
to be fun, big enough for a family, runs like a rolex watch on wheels, looks
like a european kick boxer on steroids,
enough said .,
John.
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
Shuran Wei wrote in message <62lnfd$j6…@lsi.lsil.com>…
>Hi,
>I am thinking of buying 2-3 years old used either M3 or 540i, stick shift.
I know
>M3 handles better, cheaper and has higher gas mileage. But I don’t know if
M3
>is good for long trip or not. 540 is more luxury and more expensive.
>M3 or 540 owners, please share what you think with us.
>Thanks a lot
>Shuran
Comment by admin — December 31, 2009 @ 2:28 pm
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nos…@nowhere.net wrote:
> I, too, struggled for a long time with this decision. My salesman obliged,
> and thank God let me repeatedly drive both cars around. I almost bought the
> 97 540 stick, because I couldn’t test drive it at first. I would have needed
> to order one to drive it, but then someone cancelled an order, allowing me
> to drive one . It would have been a big mistake to buy one, not because it
> is a bad car, but because the m3 is the better car. Let me put it this way.
> imaging the best non BMW car in the world is a 5. then the 540 is a 10, the
> 540 stick is a 20, and the m3 is a 50. I have owned about 30 cars in my day,
> including all makes, including lexus etc. The M3 is the best car in the
> history of the world. It is fast, torquey, responsive, comfortable, quiet,
> reliable, absolutly fault free (my lexus ls400 had 11 faults), small enough
> to be fun, big enough for a family, runs like a rolex watch on wheels, looks
> like a european kick boxer on steroids,
> enough said .,
> John.
I agree….The 540 6-speed is a very fast car but does not have the M feel at
all. The M3 is a woderful car. I own an M5 ’93 and it is the best car I have
ever driven.
Let’s wait for the new M5! That should beat everything else!
Jean-Pierre
Comment by admin — December 31, 2009 @ 2:28 pm
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> > I, too, struggled for a long time with this decision. My salesman
obliged,
> > and thank God let me repeatedly drive both cars around. I almost bought
the
> > 97 540 stick, because I couldn’t test drive it at first. I would have
needed
> > to order one to drive it, but then someone cancelled an order, allowing
me
> > to drive one . It would have been a big mistake to buy one, not because
it
> > is a bad car, but because the m3 is the better car. Let me put it this
way.
> > imaging the best non BMW car in the world is a 5. then the 540 is a 10,
the
> > 540 stick is a 20, and the m3 is a 50. I have owned about 30 cars in my
day,
> > including all makes, including lexus etc. The M3 is the best car in the
> > history of the world. It is fast, torquey, responsive, comfortable,
quiet,
> > reliable, absolutly fault free (my lexus ls400 had 11 faults), small
enough
> > to be fun, big enough for a family, runs like a rolex watch on wheels,
looks
> > like a european kick boxer on steroids,
> > enough said .,
> > John.
> I agree….The 540 6-speed is a very fast car but does not have the M
feel at
> all. The M3 is a woderful car. I own an M5 ’93 and it is the best car I
have
> ever driven.
> Let’s wait for the new M5! That should beat everything else!
> Jean-Pierre
Gentleman:
As I have been contemplating a new BMW, could someone please tell me the
big differences between the M3 and M5. I’m surprised that one earlier post
stated that the M3 was big enough for a family. Does that mean its about
the same size as the 528/540? Does the M3/M5 come in two door only, or can
it be had with a four door? Thanks.
Terry
Comment by admin — December 31, 2009 @ 2:28 pm
Terry wrote:
> Gentleman:
> As I have been contemplating a new BMW, could someone please tell me the
> big differences between the M3 and M5. I’m surprised that one earlier post
> stated that the M3 was big enough for a family. Does that mean its about
> the same size as the 528/540? Does the M3/M5 come in two door only, or can
> it be had with a four door? Thanks.
> Terry
Terry- the "3" and "5" in the M3 and M5 respectively refer to the body
style, which is more or less the same as the standard 3 series or 5
series for that model year with a few cosmetic tweaks. (Don’t jump on
me guys- I’m only referring to the BODY, not the mechanicals!)
The M3 is available in either a 2-door or a 4-door, but the 5 series is
4-door only. Size-wise, go to any BMW dealer and sit in a 3-series and
a 5-series to see the size difference; the 5-series is both wider and
has significantly more rear legroom.
Cheers,
-Knute
Comment by admin — December 31, 2009 @ 2:28 pm
M3 is either available in 2 or 4 door it is classified as a
compact(43000-45000 out the door).
about the same size as a Honda civic
540 is larger, but not that much larger.
it only comes in a 4 door same thing as the 528, but with the bat-out-of
hell v8.(55,000)
the M5 won’t be here until 1999, and will be a 4 -door car that will be
ready to race the
apocalypse.(410+ hp, 400 lbs./ft and about 65,000-70,000)
mG
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Terry wrote in message <01bce21c$827700d0$86fef6ce@anspachstation>…
>As I have been contemplating a new BMW, could someone please tell me the
>big differences between the M3 and M5. I’m surprised that one earlier post
>stated that the M3 was big enough for a family. Does that mean its about
>the same size as the 528/540? Does the M3/M5 come in two door only, or can
>it be had with a four door? Thanks.
>Terry
Comment by admin — December 31, 2009 @ 2:28 pm
mG <Millen…@year2000.nut> wrote in article
<633lv7$…@dfw-ixnews12.ix.netcom.com>…
> M3 is either available in 2 or 4 door it is classified as a
> compact(43000-45000 out the door).
> about the same size as a Honda civic
> 540 is larger, but not that much larger.
> it only comes in a 4 door same thing as the 528, but with the bat-out-of
> hell v8.(55,000)
> the M5 won’t be here until 1999, and will be a 4 -door car that will be
> ready to race the
> apocalypse.(410+ hp, 400 lbs./ft and about 65,000-70,000)
Thanks to all who replied on the group and privately. I should have
realized that the numbers indicated the size of the car. Forgive me of my
ignorance! My local dealer doesn’t seem to have any new inventory on the
lot, much less an M3. Has there been a shortage in the production process
or is there just some kind of lull between the end of 97 and beginning of
98? Thanks
Terry
Comment by admin — December 31, 2009 @ 2:28 pm
Terry wrote in message <01bce21c$827700d0$86fef6ce@anspachstation>…
>Gentleman:
>As I have been contemplating a new BMW, could someone please tell me the
>big differences between the M3 and M5. I’m surprised that one earlier post
>stated that the M3 was big enough for a family.
M3 has 4 doors and can fit 4 people ok. 540 is somewhat bigger. Even tho the
540 has a bigger v8, the m3 is faster off the line because it is lighter.
The M3 It has a fantastic "M" feel to it that the 540 does not have yet. The
"M" feel has responsiveness in all control axes, with no annoying lag time
of accell, brakes, or turning. The 540 is somewhat smoother, and somewhat
bigger, but at the expense of the "M" feel.
Now, when the M5 comes out, my head is going to explode. I simply cannot
stand this much proper engineering on such a solid platform. And the specs
will have to be printed in the physics journals as a new field of human
endeaver, Of course I will have to buy one, …
John. reply to marcusjohn aaaaa ttttttt a o l d o t c o m.
(no-spam efforts in effect)
Comment by admin — December 31, 2009 @ 2:28 pm
The M3 is a little bigger than a civic, as I have owned both. More like an
accord.
Neil Schneider
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mG wrote in message <633lv7$…@dfw-ixnews12.ix.netcom.com>…
>M3 is either available in 2 or 4 door it is classified as a
>compact(43000-45000 out the door).
>about the same size as a Honda civic
>540 is larger, but not that much larger.
>it only comes in a 4 door same thing as the 528, but with the bat-out-of
>hell v8.(55,000)
>the M5 won’t be here until 1999, and will be a 4 -door car that will be
>ready to race the
>apocalypse.(410+ hp, 400 lbs./ft and about 65,000-70,000)
>mG
>Terry wrote in message <01bce21c$827700d0$86fef6ce@anspachstation>…
>>As I have been contemplating a new BMW, could someone please tell me the
>>big differences between the M3 and M5. I’m surprised that one earlier
post
>>stated that the M3 was big enough for a family. Does that mean its about
>>the same size as the 528/540? Does the M3/M5 come in two door only, or
can
>>it be had with a four door? Thanks.
>>Terry
Comment by admin — December 31, 2009 @ 2:28 pm