Well in my quest of getting a car I've ran across a few other alternatives than the expensive CL, during this quest I've ran across many lesser cars but this M3 was quite fun..... Well I need you're wise sage-like knowledge on this one since i know very little about BMWs.

Both A n B are 1998 M3 Sedans for $12,900, the differences follow:

Option A - 1998 M3 6MT (107k miles) w/ some Dinan package:
-Dinan Body Kit
-Dinan Exhaust
-Carbon Fiber (or kevlar??) CAI
-Carbon Fiber (or kevlar??) Strut Bar
-Random rims I didn't pay attn to but they're not bad (prolly Dinan?)
-Silver ext.
-White int.
^ Teh dinan package is a bit on the loud side, but I figure I can quiet it down, still sounds nice tho. Also this car pulled quite hard all the way up to 4th (yes omg I can handle teh 3 pedals now!! Even tho I still suxorz @ the manual so I know it goes 0-60 faster than 8 secs)

Option B - 1998 M3 6MT (88K miles) stock as hell
-Silver ext.
-Black int.
^ prolly slower than option A, I didn't drive this one.

Option C - 2003 CL-S6 w/ nav (58k miles) but..... $15,900
-I dream about this car day and night
-Creamed my pants when I saw it, also I didn't know how to drive stick back when I saw it.
-I think my butt dyno needs to be recalibrated cause the slushbox still pulled as hard or even harder than option A.

Where I need help:
Are the above bmws going to last as long as teh CL? (I plan on keeping the next car I get FOREVER)
Maintenence? (again i'm keeping the car forever)
Anything else I should know about teh M3 vs CL?

 

i picked C. because of the electrical problems that BMW's have. if you get a BMW get it when its brand new.

 

sorry for the typos in such, but I was in Instant Messenger mode when I posted it! Thanks for all of your opinions!!

 

The CL-S will probably be a lot more reliable than the other two choices... decade old high performance bimmers FTL unless you know it HASN't been ragged on to shit and it's been maintained properly.

Oh yeah and I read something about cracked sub frames... i'm not sure if it was on the E36 or E46 3 series but it's one of them...

 

E36 had those problems. There are kits that correct that flaw.

 

It's not a bad price for either BMW...I would check service records on both, especially the DINAN one, before you pull the trigger. We have a 95 E36 in the family, and she's still perfect as can be. But, the previous owner gave a new meaning to the word anal-we got a box of maintence and modification records for the car, along with every invoice for anything purchased. I would be leery of buying a BMW from anyone else, just from their electrical problems.

Just from your post, you talk about the CL-S differently...it seems your heart is set on that.

 

Well I cream my pants also when I saw the NSX, but it's not like I'm ever going to get that car...... The M3 was quite fun also it was a Sedan which will be easier on the insurance, i guess? maybe I'm wrong? Also a Sedan gives me the option to taxi around friends for gas money like I do now.

 

Are you thinking of getting an extended warranty? Because with all 3 of those cars being out of warranty, the CL is the best option because if you get electrical problems with the Bimmers you will be paying a lot out of pocket.

 

Reliability - CL
Cheaper to Maintain - CL
Newer - CL
Cheaper Mods - CL
Easier to Fix - CL

...anything else?

 

Dealer warranty for the Dinan to 150K, I have no idea about the other one, because I test drove it before he got a chance to fix it and WOW the thing lit up like a christmas tree, that lil scrolly screen was showing a sumfin wrong in about everywhere. The dealer said when it gets sold he'll fix all of the problems and I got till 150K of coverage for anything failing on me.

I don't mind spending a bit more for maintainence since i'm saving $3k w/ the BMW.

As for the other one? I unno, never saw it in person.

 

Dinan BMW things are great on paper but reliability is suspect... it's overpriced to get the "Stage" (whatever) badging, etc. AC Schnitzer is also another overpriced aftermarket BMW tuner. If I ever bought a BMW, I doubt I'd ever mod it with these parts.

I would be very leery of an older (9 yrs+) BMW (MB, Audi, VW) due to reliability issues. I can't justify spending high price for parts & labor. At least American cars are dirt cheap and most parts are relatively inexpensive (outside of electronics gremlins). And I do have a bias for Japanese cars being, on average, lower to maintain. Call me cheap and far too practical.

BTW, the CL-S is a totally different animal than the BMW you are cross-shopping for. I don't know if you'd be happy with that car compared to the BMW. I didn't vote in your poll.

 

Youre 17 there is no way you can afford the maintenance cost on a M3 right now.

 

yes, you forgot the most important part

 

Is that a Buick in your avatar?

 

Option C

If you want a true German performance car, don't "cheap out" on it. Get an affordable, reliable car now, then get a bimmer when the time is right. maybe after graduation? :o)

 

I say don't get any of them.

The M3's are old and probally beat up.
The CL's transmission will fall out 2 weeks after you buy it...

Save your pennies, get a beater and then look for something you want. You won't have to drive it every day since you'll have a beater.

Don't ever settle for something you don't really want. Take some time and get what you like.

 

1) He said 6spd.
2) If it WAS an auto, he would know by being on this forum that he can get it replaced free of charge (reports of 150k mile replacements). He would also know that only like 15-17% of all 2nd gen CL's are considered effected.

Ive had my tranny since 70k miles (currently at 139k) and it is solid as a rock. The ones that go through 3+ are definently in the minority.

I get tired of "Acura" enthusiast saying an Acura is crap because of a problem that is blown out of porportion. The reason that the majority of members here have trannys that have failed are because the first thing they did (including myself) went straight to the computer and looked for remedies. Sure enough A-CL.com showed up.

 

$3K to spend on maintenance for the BMW- is that like one brake job including new rotors, or maybe enough for a new clutch and brake job- pads only??
Get the CL-6 speed, esp. since it's probably faster than the M3 (1998 M3s had 240 hp, compared to 260 hp on the CLS), quieter inside (more liveable day-to-day), probably not beat on as long with fewer miles, and you won't be walking or taking the bus like you would be every time a sensor goes out on a BMW.

 

M3 is faster, M3 is more fun. CLS might be a little bit more reliable, but it all depends on what you want. The interior of the CLS > M3 but you won't get the road feel driving the CL-S that you would in the M3. When I test drove a 03 CL-S when I had the 540i, the CLS felt like a boat compared to the 4 door BMW. I felt disconnected from the road (but not as much as I did in the GS400)

But it all depends what your priorities are so only you can decide what's best for you.

 

your 17...wait til later to get a b-dub

 

Cl-s

 

Who are you?? and what have you done with the real eurosnob

But out of the choices given, I'd go with the CL too...

I've never really liked the E36... Love the E30 and E46 tho'...

 

If choice b is in very good shape and has a good maintenance record I would have trouble choosing between it and the CL6 speed. I just love the four door M3.

The sub frame issue was mostly for cars that had the rear suspension modified and then were tracked. The 98's are later in the production run and shouldn't have the electrical problems of early run cars. I wouldn't worry too much about that.

Thats only if the car has been maintained very well. A 10 year old car with 80k miles on it that has only had things replaced that were broken will have allot ready to go wrong with it, you may spend as much as the difference in price between it and the CL-s getting it perfect. And if it has modified and thrashed, well I would run away.

Right, so CL for me.

 

If you can't afford about 2k a year in maintnence and "oh shit this just broke" repairs, don't even bother with the BMW. They are not unreliable per se, but when they break the parts are not cheap.

 

silver E36

 

What board is this? Duh!

 

Whatever board it is, it just makes more sense to go with the CL.

 

CL-S FTW!

 

^ I don't know of any adults who can afford the cost of a BMW, when you guys said "Electronics" that rang off bells and past expierience of other ppl who I know that used to own a BMW but got rid of it due to the repair cost.

Yes indeed, it is THE BLADE!!! (three exclamation points, no more, no less)
-Translation: 1998 LeSabre performance package w/ allot of aftermarket GM replacement parts done in 04 (supposedly my 3800-II was special and they had to replace almost everything, whatever they did, it's butt dyno approved) riding on Yoko Aegis's w/ the stock rims.

And yes I do know about teh CL's Slushbox's glass-like attributes, which is why I'm no longer interested in them, the next car I do get, I'm keeping it for about 5-7 years. Thanks for reminding me I'm 17, just because I goto one of those rich schools doesn't mean I need to fall in line with the norm, which is +1 for the CL because for some reason they think Azn cars are teh suck, boy are they wrong (even tho Acura is made in Ohio, but it's azn inspired ), I really like sticking out, and that CL will def turn heads. Again thank you so so much, this forum has helped me out big time once again!!!!

 

Ramblings is pretty diverse-- take a look at some of the BMW threads here involving the new 335 and the Infiniti G35/37 threads, not to mention the GTO and Audi fans. I wouldn't be surprised if the votes for the 335 equaled those for the TL-S in some threads.
But like one of the other posters said, "Lease German, buy Japanese" is probably a good rule of thumb right now, given what I've seen with recent Mercedes models...

 

I agree - what makes this such a cool forum is that it is really about ALL cars, not just Acuras. But still.... I'm just sayin'.... Some of us are a little biased....