just a little fyi if anyone is car shopping....

i still have a few more rates to compare...

Compared to my current rate of 1443 (6 mos) at my age, with one speeding ticket and two at-fault accident going back the last 3 year, this is what the difference would be in insurance costs.

I, personally, think the rate for the m isn't really as high as i expected. Should that particular rate have a big impact on my choice? i think the difference with the price is justifiable, but i'm also getting hit both ends, since its also much more in a finance, but i dunno.

03 M3- 1841
04 TL- 1531
04 G35c- 1501
04 350z- 1466

 

Naaaaa, they are all in the same ball-park...

If you are going to spend that much on a car, dont let 300 bucks a year stop you from getting the ride that you want.

But yeah, they are still hign in my books. I pay 1230 bucka A YEAR for my 03 CL and my 1995 F-150.... 830 for the Acura and 400 for my truck..

 

M3 > all your other choices.

For a $300 difference insurance should no longer factor into your decision.

 

I can't believe the 350z is the cheapest, considering it is a sports car.

 

this is a 6 month policy. twice that is a year.

why the fuck is my insurance so high compared to you steve?

 

okok... maybe i've had some minor moving violations... but only like 2 or 3 more

and... maybe two not-at-fault accidents, non-chargables

 

Damn, I pay $900 a year with Maximum coverage.. I'm 26 without any major tickets..

 

ya live in the burgh......ain't nothing goin on.....

 

My Z is actually LESS to insure than my old CL... I couldn't believe it when I heard it, but I am definitely not complaining

 

Insurance from the major compaines is based on credit now. You have great credit, you get better rates. I have Progressive. I'm staying with them for the fact they are a major company. I had little no name compaines before & yes the rates were cheap, but so was the service & reliabilty of the company. I pay 1100/6 months, over 28, no tickets. I just added my Explorer & that is another $400 per 6 months.(just basic coverage) But I get a 2 car discount now so it drops to about $1400.

 

I have an insurance payment of 2654$ for 6 months, two forgiven MV points and one at fault accident.

I should shop around.

600$ a year for insurance, plus whatever the extra car payment is, it might seem worth it, but sometimes it won't, esp. when things go wrong.

 

If you go with the M3 or similar vehicle, don’t for get to factor in the cost of buying, maintaining and insuring something that will get you through the winter.

 

the m3 will prob be the most expensive to maintain

i am still paying only 900 per year for our camry and rl full coverage ins with 0 or 100 deductible

 

plus if you have this much trouble with cars and accidents i would hate to see something happen to an m3

 

if you can handlw the insurance and payment on the bimmer go for it, if not go for a 350z

tl has 2 doors too many

 

not for the first 3 years though, when maintenance is paid for...afterwards though youre fucked

but if you can afford over $1100/month for loan and/or 50-55k cash for a car, you should be able to affort the maintenance, given how incredible the car is

if you are actually thinking about an m3, have you thought about waiting until the v8 version comes out? Its an actual delima, because the first year e46 m3 had bugs and of course the smg problems...given that the new m3 may ONLY be offered in smg, maybe its best to buy one now..

but i dunno just my rambling opinion

also, what type of coverage are you getting and whats your deductible?

 

i think 0 for comp. and 100 or 250 for collision. the only thing i dont have on teh camry is collision, its just not worth it for a POS beater

 

i dont know what my thresholds are, but my comprehensive is a 250 deductable and my collision is 500.

i can swing the payments for an m3 no problem... but ive also been looking at houses.... an m3 payment+insurance+ a mortgage would maybe be tight....

i did get a promotion at work today, but i dont want that to be a reason to SPEND more... ya know?

i may just keep the CL until i get the house... unless the dealers give me a deal i cant refuse

 

The one good thing about M3s is they hold their value VERY WELL. Go look at the E36 M3s and how much they're getting for them, hell look at how much E30 M3s are going for. But if you plan to buy a house in the near future, the M3 is not the best idea. You may actually want to look at the TL as you'll want to lug big stuff around and buy stuff for the house, unless you plan on buying a beater truck or something.

 

That’s the smart way to go.
It’s much easier to qualify for a car loan with an existing Mortgage on the books then the other way around.
If you have a high auto loan it will hurt your chances for a good rate on a Mortgage.

 

 

I know several people who put 17s on their M3s with snows, gets them through the winter without an issue.


There are plenty of people who have RWD vehicles and get through the winter just fine without needing a 2nd vehicle.

Even S2ks with snow tires are not that bad in the snow.


But yes if you're going to buy a house at some point soon, don't get a real expensive car in the mean time.

 

my scion ownzzz u all :P

 

I made it through an entire Danbury CT winter with my Z on Blizzak's. It drives very well in the snow. Good snow tires are much more important that FWD vs RWD.

 

I know many BMW owners as well who simply put on some snow tires and drive their cars in the winter. Even the fastest guy at the autocross(BMW NJ Chapter), who has a modded E36 M3 4 door (full suspension, power mods, etc.) drives his car all year.

 

I looked at a Z a couple weeks ago...and because I figured the insurance would be hella high, so I did not even consider it...maybe I should look again....

 

Not where Yuppie lives......he'd be dead the first snow fall.

 

How is it so different than North Jersey or most of the Northeast? Tons of hills, tons of snow, what else is there that you get that the rest of the Northeast doesn't?

 

Nonsense, my cousin has an M3 and lives in PA (was referring to him actually) and he got snow tires for his car and it was fine.


If everybody in PA died at the first snow fall because of having RWD with snow tires......that would be a lot of dead people.

 

I didn’t say it was impossible, but driving an M3 in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey area in the winter is not something I would wish on anyone.
I’m sure he would be fine in 3-4 inches of snow, but add in a heavy accumulation and steep curvy roads and you’re gonna be sitting.
We discuss this to death every winter so it’s not worth going into it again.

And it’s one thing to subject a 30K Acura to the salt & slush, but if I had a 50K+ vehicle, I’d definitely have something else to use in the crap weather.

Shawn S

 

Same with my G....thing is sweet in the snow with Blizzaks.

 

How is northern CT any different? It's very hilly here and we get TONS of snow. This winter, one snow storm dropped 28 inches. Yes, I didn't drive that day, but I wouldn't be able to get anywhere with my Acura either that day.

 

where in PA?


funny thing.....i see 99.9% of RWD cars disappear as soon as winter rolls around..... in PA....

 

28 inches of snow eh? yea sorry i guess u didn't get the CLS SUV...........

 

it snows pretty bad here in the valley. when i was in north jersey i didnt see anything that bad.

didn't think about subjecting the m with salt, etc... that would be pretty bad huh? i dont see myself getting a beater since i already have the bike. i wont have room for an extra vehicle here unless i left it at my parents house... thats just too complicated...

i dunno... i still got lots to think about. i'm really leaning for the m... but i wanna go price out the z now.

OT... what are the different packages on the z? they are confusing and i dont know what to get or whats better.... that electric blue looks the best tho

 

What is the for?

The only point I was trying to make is that PA doesn't have the patent on bad snow storms. Northern CT gets hit pretty hard in the winter, but I managed to get by with my Z most of the time, just like I was able to get by with the CL.

 

There are 5 packages. I'll give you a quick rundown. All models come with the same engine and suspension. The only differences are equipment levels. All models come in all colors, except Touring which has Liquid Aluminum.

Base - ~$26k. Cheapest, but doesn't have many useful options like HID's, LSD, traction control, etc.

Enthusiast - ~$28k. This is the model I have. It's a very good value, but you give up a few things; It has HID's, LSD, Traction control, aluminum petals, auto dimming mirrors

Performance - ~$31k; Adds 18 inch rims, Stability control and optional Navi.

Touring - ~$32k; Adds Leather seats, bose stereo, seat heaters, electric seats, optional Navi

Performance - $34k; Adds Aero kit (available on all others as an option), lightweight 18" rims, and Brembo brakes; Doesn't have leather or Bose available.

 

28 inches of snow you'll get now where unless you have a lifted truck.....why you would say "i couldn't get throught it in my CLS" is beyond me.


Yuppie lives in an area with not the best roads and live in a Valley and then he commutes to work and to school in NJ. Snow, ice, sleet is a regular combination PA rarely just gets 1 form.


Sure...weigh down the M3 with like 500lbs of salt etc., and you might be ok but even still do you want to be taking the risk in such an expensive car?

 

And you always have the chance that some dipshit with bald tires on a 1985 Chevy Caprice will go sliding into you at a stop sign or back into you on a hill.
I’ve had quite a few close calls myself with other drivers in the snow.

 

I guess I made a bad point. I was just trying to show that we get some pretty mean snowfall up here during the winter too, and RWD + Blizzak's served me pretty well through most of it.