...I later found out he was only jogging while I was sprinting.

I was on a 4 lane state highway (460) last week getting gas when a friend of mine pulled up in his new M3 (black over black - very sweet). He had just had the first service done and was now ready to stretch the legs of his M3. So being the good friend, I let him borrow my Passport 8500. As we left the gas station, he left me like I wasn't even moving. I didn't have it all the way to the floor be he told me he didn't either. Either way, it wasn't surprising as that car has a good 1.5 sec on us to 60.

Anyway, as we were driving down the road, going about 70 or so in a 55, I decided to play with him a little. I dropped down to 3rd and blew by him (he let me). I dropped back down to 70, put it in 3rd and waited. Finally he started to run. As he got to within about 2 car lengths of me, I punched it. He easily passed me and got about 5 car lengths ahead of me when the gap stopped increasing by a drastic, rapidly growing amount. I was really surprised. I eventually slowed back down and he kept going. But I was feeling pretty good until he called me. He told me he never took in out of 5th, even as he passed me and kept gaining ground on me. I was going as hard as I could and he was just jogging along in 5th.

I need an M3

 

You and me both.

 

Add me to the M3 list too!

 

We all know that's true...

I love M3
M5 would be better ...

 

Me3..................hey wait a minute?!

 

x

 

What the heck, add me for the group buy!

 

NICE group buy on M3's! Add me to the list.

 

M3 or M5 it doesnt really matter, they are both kick a$$ cars!
Too bad i cant afford it, but we can always dream.

 

He's not one that's afraid to drive a car fast. He regularly drove his 911s into the 150s. He had already shown me what this M3 could do when we left the gas station -- it was like he had been shot out of a cannon. Also, he took off after I had already slowed down (after he had passed me in 5th). I was still going about 70 and I've never seen a car shrink into the distance so fast. He said he got up to 130 before he shut it down. It was amazing. To be in the car when you're doing that is one thing, but to see it from another car you get a different appreciation for the acceleration. But I do think he's still babying it a little. It only has 1200 miles on it. I'm waiting for him to show me what it can do while I'm behind the wheel. He let me take his Porsches for a spin so I would guess he'll eventually let me drive the M3.

 

add me in the m3 list.but i only like E36 model m3..not other reason. just love it.actually i was not attracted by the E46 M3.neither its engine.

 

Interesting attitude! Personally I like being able to smoke people without shifting out of fifth, especially when they are driving cars far less sporty than a TL and they think can run with an M. The extra torque is always there if I need it, but I rarely do...

 

Sweet... Add me to the list. Heck, I would even take a SMURF (Laguna) colored one.
Do the M3 owners get that free driving school in South Carolina, or is that just M5?
How long did your friend have to wait for delivery of his? With the rumors of how long the wait is, I would (if I had the $$) just get a Z06. Plenty of torque there, too.

 

I was about to put the money down and buy one........The wait is 3 years.........

 

Granted it's less practical than an M5 or even an M3, but why don't you guys consider the M Roadster or Coupe? They're both faster than the M3 and M5, will outhandle them, and are available with no waiting. They're less expensive, too!

 

me too

 

I love the performance of the M3 too....but....I need something that the FAMILY will fit in. Im 6'6" tall and when I put the front seat of the M3 where I want it to drive....FORGET about putting anyone behind me! M3 is just way too small....M5 would be ok but look at the price! Im very satisfied with my TL-S....BMW makes great cars, but they dont make anything that compares with the TL-S's performance and room for the price.

 

Oh well, back to reality. It was fun while it lasted.

 

Guys, guys,.. if you have an extra $20k lying around you can get an old M5 or M6 that is no slouch at all. In fact, from freeway speeds there are few cars that can humiliate them.

Most real //M nuts can't afford them either and wait four-six years and buy one used. I got a ride in an E39 M5 on the track and can honestly say if you want to outrun one IN ANYTHING you better be a much better driver than the other guy. He had R compounds on but other than that the car was stock and we were just flying. He was an instructor but that doesn't affect how well the car felt in the corners, how it braked and how it simply launches into warp speed at 100mph. Unbelievable for a car of its size and weight. Actually, my car is still pretty impressive for its day on the track. I have some mods but those //M boys know what they are doing. There was an E34 M5 (also an instructor) in front of us on the track and he just couldn't hold off his younger brother. He tried though (which was fun to watch).

Maybe when they drop into the $40k's.

 

Ill take one too....my cousins got a 540...hasnt had the need for 6th gear yet...i understand why he was just chillen in 5th...

God bless the M-series

 

my friend got his M3 the same time i got my TLS... i just change cars with him once in a while ... he pays for it and i still get to drive it....

 

Group buy!!!
Let's do it!!!

 

Yeah!
A group buy on M3s sounds good.
....
....
....
Uh, anybody got $50k to spot me.
I'm good for it....really!

 

I think your friend is full of it, the leaving it in 5th gear part anyway. since all TL-S' are automatic, they kick down when you nail it. While they are not the absolute fastest thing from a roll, there is no way he left it in 5th gear, and I will tell you why:

I raced my friend's IROC (runs in the mid 14's) with my Camaro (runs low 12's) from a 50 mph roll. Both cars kicked down into 2nd gear and took off. The Camaro of course pulled ahead, but not by as much as I figured, maybe 5 cars up to 100mph, but then it was all over, kept on going until about 130, where I was way ahead of him (maybe 30 or 40 cars). Since the cars had the same transmission and gearing, that is consistent. But if the car only kicked into 3rd gear, we probably would have been even until over 100mph. If my car stayed in OD, he definitely would have pulled on me past 100mph, eventually catching up way down the road. Now since this IROC is only 3 or 4 tenths faster than a TL-S, they are basically the same, so the TL-S would have lost by only a little more. Now comparing my Camaro to a M3 is interesting: 13.3 at 106 for the M3 and 12.3 at 114 for my Camaro, a 6 car race (in the 1/4 mile). Considering the M3 runs exactly in the middle between the Camaro and IROC, there is no way a M3, with the same torque (but more hp) than a TL-S pulled on you from that speed in 5th, no way, he's full of it. Especially when you consider the passing times for the TL-S are better than 90% of all cars with an auto trans, then he had to be working that gearbox to pull on you.

 

BTW Paul, an M3 has 262 lbs. of torque, as opposed to the TLS' 232, that's a considerable difference when you add an extra 73 HP into the mix.

 

ahhhh.. Bavarian Bliss.. tis a good thing..

 

one day after school me and my friends were in my TL going down francis Lewis blvd (for NY people) and we see a new blue M5 pull up to the light so i pulled right next to him sayin nice car then my friend screams "LIGHT EM UP!!" and he says i would but i just started the car ... we were all like AWW!! hehe dang that thing is Nice

 

The new M Roadster (with 315hp) might be faster than the M3 and M5 (actually, aren't they all about the same?) but isn't your M Roadster only 240hp? Those are much slower. Although I haven't driven a Roadster, I thought a common complaint was the handling was sometimes a little hairy and less confidence balanced than the M3. What do you think?

Either way, s soon as I can afford a 3rd car, the M Roadster is very high on my list. Just a bada$$ car!

 

My father in law had one, and it wasn't all that fast if you ask me. When did they upgrade to 315? I bet it's fast now with that kind of HP. With 315 hp handling does sound like it would be tough, but still fun. I wish they'd bring that Titanium color over here. I'd pick the M3 just because of the entire package. Passengers and still fast.

 

The M Roadster is 315 hp for the most current model year (whether it's 2001 or 2002, I don't know). It's the same engine that's in the new M3 but slightly de-tuned (I guess).

 

Yes, my M Roadster has 240 HP. As for much slower, they are both rated at 5.0 seconds for 0-60, which is a couple tenths faster than the M3 and M5. Believe me, I don't know where the extra 75 horses go, because I also expected to see much better numbers. Perhaps the new one has a higher top speed, but I haven't topped mine out yet...

I have not driven an M3, but I wouldn't be surprised if its handling is more "confidence balanced" than the roadster--the rear end of my car really does want to kick. In the hands of an experienced driver, however, I would suspect that confidence-inspiring handling probably translates into less raw potential.

 

Old bossom buddy old Pal.

So when you win the lottery you are going to buy me one aren'y you. :p

RUF

 

I thought the 315 hp Roadster ran 0-60 in the 4.7-4.8 range (recent MotorTrend tested the Roadster at 4.74. Previously tested the M3 and M5 at 4.7 and 4.8, respectively) while the 240 hp version was more like 5.3-5.5. ( Yeah, that's nit-picking but I can't help it.) Slower than the newer model but still quick as hell in my book.

Ruf, I'll buy ya 2 when I win the lottery, I promise.

 

M Roadster is awesome but S2K is even better for less. ( for those of us that don't mind RPM ) Nearly signed on one before I got my TL-S. My wife and (eventually) common sense prevailed...

 

Of course that's subjective...

We were actually in the market for an S2000 before we bought the M. At the time, Honda dealers were charging $5K to $10K over sticker and requiring huge deposits just to be on a waiting list. When your name came up and a car came in, whatever color it was, you had to take it or leave it and go back to the end of the list...

Now that I see S2000's on the road, I'm SOOOO glad we didn't get one. That's one car that looks better in the brochure than in person. My buddy test drove one last weekend and he said it felt like the thing was going to shake apart going over every little bump. And their reliability has not been up to Honda standards.

All in all, I'm glad I went for the Bimmer...

 

I test drove the S2000 and liked it but probably wouldn't get one. It's handling was razor sharp and had excellent feedback but you had to drive it like you stole it (really wind it out) to get anything special out of it. It was fun to run it up to 9000 rpm but I think that would get old after a while. I thought it felt very stable and solid but I thought the ride was just too hard. I'm going to try to test drive a new M Roadster this week -- I just can't hold out any longer, I must drive one!

 

I can tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly about the M Roadster, but I have to warn you that once you drive one, it's all over!!

 

Never race a car you know you can't beat.

 

Okay... so we can quite keep up with a M3... but has anyone every go up against a Lexus IS300? Or that new Nissan Maxima, ya know the one that's got 255hp?

 

I assume you meant "can't" right ?
Also, why would you call yourself IS300eater if you didn't know whether or not your car could beat one ? TL-S should beat a 5-speed IS300 on a straightline, although it might be close, on curves IS300 handles a little tighter.