hey guys i know these are two completly different leagues aand all... but if you have 1 choice which one would it be...

 

02 M3 No brainer, I love the TL but the M3 is just speechless

 

06 TL cuz of all its bells and whistles...the maintenance cost on the M scares me. now if you already have a nice daily driver and are just looking for a weekend racer, then maybe go for the M.

 

I couldn't agree more!

 

I have driven both the older style M3 and newer M3, as well as the M5, and there aren't many choices out there that really match the feel and performance of these cars, while still being somewhat practical. Mostly depends on what you want. If you're looking strictly for performance, then it's a no brainer. Even the older M3 (240 hp) feels much more powerful than my 04 TL due to the low end torque on the BMWs (Manual M3 vs Auto TL probably has something to do with it as well). If you are looking at bang-for-the-buck, low maintenance, years of troublefree pleasure, TL is definitely the way to go.

 

I thought this was an easy ass answer when I saw the title, but then I thought about maintenance costs and insurance (i.e. I remembered to be an adult about the situation. Dammit) and I agree with Warren803.

 

If you don't care about having 4 doors, don't have kids to haul around, and can handle German car maintenance costs, I would get the M3. I needed 4 doors so I spent 1-2 months looking for an E36 M3 with low miles + other requirements. I gave up. I then looked at the new E90 325i (slightly more than a TL if stripped) because I just wanted a reliable commuter car that could be a family car if needed and didn't want to spend more than 35K. Everything about the 325i fell short of the TL (value, interior, options, size) except for handling dynamics. If you want a practical sports car but don't want to spend the extra $$ on a Porsche, I would get an M3 or S4.

 

is the 02 under warranty? cause if its not then i would not do it. last car was a bmw and i had no warranty...the repair bills are insane. for things that i do not think should break so easily. performance wise the M3 wins hands down no one is gonna argue with that. but your ownership experience might be different.

 

2002 M3! I love my TL!, but that is no brainer, Go M3.... Depending on condition and miles...

 

Depends if youd rather drive your car, or visit it in the shop often

 

M3 = Ultimate driving machine
TL = Ultimate reliability

If I had spare cash for repairs, I would get the M3. I'm not rich, so I would buy the TL.

 

Warren, I had a chance to drive a 2002 BMW M3 while visiting a friend in Miami. It's an amazing car. Very fast with a lot of power on tap. Downshifting is really an option because it goes like hell in all the gears. When my friend and I reached our destination, I shook hands, said good bye and got back into my beloved 1991 Miata. My car felt like a shitbox the whole way home.

The 2006 TL is very nice and I love my 05 TL. I get a lot of comments on the tech features and styling and I love the way it drives, but it's no BMW M3.

If you're considering a second car and you're looking for sport with room for four, the M3 is an excellent choice. For me, the TL is my daily driver. It's pretty much bone stock except for some stereo mods and I'm happy with it that way. I'm spending my extra cash on turning my Miata into my summer weekend toy. Suspension mods and wheels are in. The turbocharger comes this summer. Headwork and exhaust next year.

 

I've own an 03 M3 and and 04 TL A-Spec. They are both great cars and are built for 2 different types of drivers. If you want to go fast all of the time, drift onto entrance ramps and do donuts in parking lots...get the M. If you want a competent car that has a lot of ammenities, fairly quick but extremely comfortable especially for long trips get the TL.

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-parts-sale-361/nec-15-lcd-new-box-126408/

 

A few questions here. What kind of money are you talking about for the M3? What about the condition of the car and its mechanics.. I mean real condition?

Personally after having co-owned a '96 328i with my wife, I'm not too impressed with German design and engineering (it had 15215 miles on it in December, 1999 when we bought it with complete reconditioning done - we have the documentation).

I'd go with the '06 TL (I assume since you're looking at an M3, a manual transmission is an absolute necessity). You'll have a brand new car with a full warranty, that handles quite well and accelerates very well.

The manual TL really grows on you. While I personally feel that there is no such thing as the "perfect car", just like there's no such thing as the perfect gun, cars like the TL come close to this definition. And there are some wonderful choices to be had in this area.

Go for the TL. I doubt you'll be sorry.

 

I had the SAME choice.

M3 VS TL I was looking into the 06 M3 VS 06 TL.

M3 is definately a better car. No question about that

However, I chose the TL simply because of the price and quality it has. M3 is fun to drive and it's performance outweighs the TL. However, the price being cheaper, I ended up choosing the TL.

If you're looking at the 01 M3 and prices are about the same, I'd still go with the TL because of what I've experienced from the TL has been nothing less than exceptional. (Not to mention not getting the 06 M3 saved me some money too)

Gluck with that.

 

Yep. In July '04, when I was in the market for a new car to replace my '02 Altima SE, I had willowed my choices down to five cars: the Cadillac CTS-V, the Z06 Corvette, the Ford Focus ZX4 ST, the Acura TL, and the M3 BMW. My final two were the CTS-V and the TL and, of course, I wound up with the TL. I still love the CTS-V and the Z06 (especially the new one), but I'm not sorry I went with the TL.

Incidently, some of the auto-bigots on this website took me to task because I dared consider a Ford, especially a Focus, in the same consideration as the TL. Well hell.. what do they know, anyway about what I like and don't like and what I can afford. I only hope my TL serves me as well as three of the four Fords I've owned (I still own a 2001 Ranger pickup which has been flawless and 100% reliable).

Anyway, the most important thing is what the buyer wants.. not what other people think. While it is certainly a good idea to solicit opinions, thoughts, and experiences, it is the buyer who really matters in this equation.

 

Oh for Pete's sake! You're right, apples and oranges! The question is do you want to drive a loaner or a TL????

 

I would never even give this a thought.. The M3 is one of the best cars on the road.. Performance and even sport/luxury wise.. It might have high maintaince costs but you gotta pay to play the game..

 

Pretty much what I was thinking. I've loved M3's since as long as I can remember but I've spent so much more time working on BMW's than Acura's I couldnt deal with the maintenance and reliability.