Why an M3?
Buying a BMW M3 is no small investment to put it in nicer terms. In general, a car is always a depreciating asset. The M3 fits into this category as well. The truth is, the M3 is not a good investment. However, it does give you things stocks and property investments won't give you: the fun of driving. It is a beast and is a fantastic vehicle to drive, whether to work or through the canyons.
I started looking at brand new sports sedans around the fall of 2015. I had the money and decided that if I was going to buy something for me to enjoy in the long run, it would definitely have to be new. There were so many cars to choose from that it seemed overwhelming. The biggest contenders were Audi, BMW, Lexus, Maserati, Mercedes and Porsche. I didn't consider the Ford Mustang or Chevy Camaro simply because I wanted a sports car with hints of luxury. Don't get me wrong, they seem like a great bang for the buck, but I personally wanted to have all the latest and greatest safety and luxury features I could get my hands on. My budget limit was around 100k as I never owned a sports car before and didn't want to spend too much money on something might be fun for a few days but not practical in the long run. As a general rule of thumb, I wanted something under the 4sec 0-60mi sprint, 4 doors for practicality and lower insurance costs and a good lookin car!
With this in mind, I set off on my great journey to find the perfect sports sedan. The following were what I was looking at for the different brands.
I started looking at brand new sports sedans around the fall of 2015. I had the money and decided that if I was going to buy something for me to enjoy in the long run, it would definitely have to be new. There were so many cars to choose from that it seemed overwhelming. The biggest contenders were Audi, BMW, Lexus, Maserati, Mercedes and Porsche. I didn't consider the Ford Mustang or Chevy Camaro simply because I wanted a sports car with hints of luxury. Don't get me wrong, they seem like a great bang for the buck, but I personally wanted to have all the latest and greatest safety and luxury features I could get my hands on. My budget limit was around 100k as I never owned a sports car before and didn't want to spend too much money on something might be fun for a few days but not practical in the long run. As a general rule of thumb, I wanted something under the 4sec 0-60mi sprint, 4 doors for practicality and lower insurance costs and a good lookin car!
With this in mind, I set off on my great journey to find the perfect sports sedan. The following were what I was looking at for the different brands.
AudiS4
A6 
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BMW335i
340i M3 
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JaguarF-Type
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With more than 10 different cars to compare, it was definitely a hard choice but I think the BMW M3 was the overall winner in my books. I only went to go test drive the Audi and the BMW vehicles as the others were ruled out for one reason or another before my final choices. The other vehicles I simply went to go see in person or just did some research online.
The Jaguar F-Type was a serious contender for me. The base price was higher than I would have liked but the horsepower, torque and 0-60 times were phenomenal. The exhaust note was pretty good and they are harder to find on the roads than the other vehicles making it seem more exclusive. The interior seems outdated and it only came in a two door which was unfortunate since I was leaning towards a 4 door sedan.
Lexus F Sport models were the only vehicles from the brand that I considered. The RCF and the GSF are both extremely heavy cars and even with the addition HP that the naturally aspirated engines had, I didn't think that they would accelerate fast enough for me. In day to day driving, the acceleration but not the top speed is what you are going to experience so acceleration was a bigger priority to me. The heavier chassis also meant that handling would be slightly compromised as well. Lexus is known for its softer suspension so that wasn't especially desirable either. I decided to move on to other brands in search of the perfect sports sedan.
Next up was Maserati. They sound great and they look aggressive and unique. The vehicles however look like a big fish from the front, suitable I suppose for the trident. On a more serious note, the 0-60 sprint was not fast enough for me but the deal breaker was the reliability. They simply are not great vehicles to put lots of miles on. I want a vehicle that I could take anywhere and everywhere so that I can enjoy the ride. Another downside is the fact that their deprecation per year is off the charts high.
Mercedes had some good contenders. The C63 AMG S is generally considered the M3's most serious competitor. It has over 500 HP and accelerates nicely. The downside was that it's base price was closer to 90k and with the options I wanted, it was going to put me over the limit of what I was willing to spend. The car looks good and can definitely hold its own but for this type of money fully loaded, other sports cars come into light such as the 911 Carrera S or the Cayman GT4 which can be arguably better. The CLA45 AMG didn't have the amply headroom in the back and wasn't a great lookin car. The vehicle had average acceleration but considering its not all that bad.
Porsches obviously has more prestige over Mercedes or BMW but are the vehicles worth that much money? For me, I think the higher tiered Porsches are a good bang for the buck such as the GT4 or the Turbo S but the Cayman and Cayman S, not so much in my book. The Caymans are mid-engined vehicles so there are no backseats whatsoever. The front trunk space is severely limited. And optioned out, they can easily be built with 20k or more in options. Porsche is known for its high profit margins and I didn't think it would be wise to spend my money there. They might handle better than the BMW but didn't seem like the most practical models. And their 0-60 times weren't impressive even taking into consideration that Porsche generally understates their those times for their vehicles.
Having a rear wheel driven vehicle is amazing because one can do massive drifts in it and its the pinnacle of a sports car. Audi doesn't do rear wheel drive cars so that was a major downside. The A6 had a great interior but the infotainment system seemed outdated in its look. The car simply didn't accelerate fast enough for me. The S4 was more suitable for me with its 4.4 sec 0-60 but I felt that I could handle it at its limits a little too soon. The car wasn't mind boggling but it was a small fast vehicle that inspires confidence with its awd system. It was very stable at higher speeds so I didn't rule it out immediately.
The BMW 335i didn't seem all that spectacular for a sports car. It was surely a fast driving sedan but lacked the essentials to make it track ready out of the box. The 340i was a little faster but with it fully optioned out to go to the track or to even make it look nice, the price was pushing into the base price range of the BMW M3. The BMW M3 in my eyes looked the best out of the bunch, but it definitely needed to live up to its reputation. It accelerated fast enough to throw me back into my seat and it was a blast to drive.
In the end, I had to choose from the Audi S4, BMW M3, Mercedes C63 AMG S, Jaguar F-Type and Cayman S. These cars are some of the best on the market. It came down to price, practicality and driving experience. The S4 is one mean car, but the lack in horsepower and acceleration made me move away from this choice. The price is the lowest out of all the rest which is a plus but it didn't have some of the features that I wanted such as HUD or blind spot monitoring. The Mercedes had every I wanted but for the base price, I could've gotten a fully loaded M3 so that was voted out. The Jaguar F-Type simply cost too much like the Mercedes and it only came in a two door version. The Cayman S has limited storage with a decent but not exception acceleration. After some long and thoughtful considerations, I think it came down to the BMW M3. The price was right even fully loaded. I thought the design was great, although with some reservations, but I believe it was the right choice.
I just want to mention that all the above cars are fantastic in their own and unique ways and no one car is perfect, not even the BMW M3. All of the cars have their merits and flaws. My intention is not to bash any of these cars except simply, to give some reasoning behind my decisions. Keeping in mind what I wanted out of my vehicle, the M3 did reign in as the winner. However, these are just my opinions and reasons as to why I decided to purchase the M3. It might be right for some while it might not for others. The perfect car to me might be different from yours, so with that in mind, the perfect car is one that makes you happy.
The Jaguar F-Type was a serious contender for me. The base price was higher than I would have liked but the horsepower, torque and 0-60 times were phenomenal. The exhaust note was pretty good and they are harder to find on the roads than the other vehicles making it seem more exclusive. The interior seems outdated and it only came in a two door which was unfortunate since I was leaning towards a 4 door sedan.
Lexus F Sport models were the only vehicles from the brand that I considered. The RCF and the GSF are both extremely heavy cars and even with the addition HP that the naturally aspirated engines had, I didn't think that they would accelerate fast enough for me. In day to day driving, the acceleration but not the top speed is what you are going to experience so acceleration was a bigger priority to me. The heavier chassis also meant that handling would be slightly compromised as well. Lexus is known for its softer suspension so that wasn't especially desirable either. I decided to move on to other brands in search of the perfect sports sedan.
Next up was Maserati. They sound great and they look aggressive and unique. The vehicles however look like a big fish from the front, suitable I suppose for the trident. On a more serious note, the 0-60 sprint was not fast enough for me but the deal breaker was the reliability. They simply are not great vehicles to put lots of miles on. I want a vehicle that I could take anywhere and everywhere so that I can enjoy the ride. Another downside is the fact that their deprecation per year is off the charts high.
Mercedes had some good contenders. The C63 AMG S is generally considered the M3's most serious competitor. It has over 500 HP and accelerates nicely. The downside was that it's base price was closer to 90k and with the options I wanted, it was going to put me over the limit of what I was willing to spend. The car looks good and can definitely hold its own but for this type of money fully loaded, other sports cars come into light such as the 911 Carrera S or the Cayman GT4 which can be arguably better. The CLA45 AMG didn't have the amply headroom in the back and wasn't a great lookin car. The vehicle had average acceleration but considering its not all that bad.
Porsches obviously has more prestige over Mercedes or BMW but are the vehicles worth that much money? For me, I think the higher tiered Porsches are a good bang for the buck such as the GT4 or the Turbo S but the Cayman and Cayman S, not so much in my book. The Caymans are mid-engined vehicles so there are no backseats whatsoever. The front trunk space is severely limited. And optioned out, they can easily be built with 20k or more in options. Porsche is known for its high profit margins and I didn't think it would be wise to spend my money there. They might handle better than the BMW but didn't seem like the most practical models. And their 0-60 times weren't impressive even taking into consideration that Porsche generally understates their those times for their vehicles.
Having a rear wheel driven vehicle is amazing because one can do massive drifts in it and its the pinnacle of a sports car. Audi doesn't do rear wheel drive cars so that was a major downside. The A6 had a great interior but the infotainment system seemed outdated in its look. The car simply didn't accelerate fast enough for me. The S4 was more suitable for me with its 4.4 sec 0-60 but I felt that I could handle it at its limits a little too soon. The car wasn't mind boggling but it was a small fast vehicle that inspires confidence with its awd system. It was very stable at higher speeds so I didn't rule it out immediately.
The BMW 335i didn't seem all that spectacular for a sports car. It was surely a fast driving sedan but lacked the essentials to make it track ready out of the box. The 340i was a little faster but with it fully optioned out to go to the track or to even make it look nice, the price was pushing into the base price range of the BMW M3. The BMW M3 in my eyes looked the best out of the bunch, but it definitely needed to live up to its reputation. It accelerated fast enough to throw me back into my seat and it was a blast to drive.
In the end, I had to choose from the Audi S4, BMW M3, Mercedes C63 AMG S, Jaguar F-Type and Cayman S. These cars are some of the best on the market. It came down to price, practicality and driving experience. The S4 is one mean car, but the lack in horsepower and acceleration made me move away from this choice. The price is the lowest out of all the rest which is a plus but it didn't have some of the features that I wanted such as HUD or blind spot monitoring. The Mercedes had every I wanted but for the base price, I could've gotten a fully loaded M3 so that was voted out. The Jaguar F-Type simply cost too much like the Mercedes and it only came in a two door version. The Cayman S has limited storage with a decent but not exception acceleration. After some long and thoughtful considerations, I think it came down to the BMW M3. The price was right even fully loaded. I thought the design was great, although with some reservations, but I believe it was the right choice.
I just want to mention that all the above cars are fantastic in their own and unique ways and no one car is perfect, not even the BMW M3. All of the cars have their merits and flaws. My intention is not to bash any of these cars except simply, to give some reasoning behind my decisions. Keeping in mind what I wanted out of my vehicle, the M3 did reign in as the winner. However, these are just my opinions and reasons as to why I decided to purchase the M3. It might be right for some while it might not for others. The perfect car to me might be different from yours, so with that in mind, the perfect car is one that makes you happy.