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Why Shouldnt I Buy a 335 vert instead of an e46 M3 vert ?

11K views 65 replies 24 participants last post by  DR-JEKL 
#1 ·
Im reading more and more issues popping up with some of the older M3's now, and its got me thinking that buying another one isnt such a good idea.

Whats everyones thoughts ?

Heres what I have so far

Sound - M wins easy, though i am not sure how the 335 would sound with a nice exhaust, bear in mind I love the rasp of the M

Power - i dont think the 335 will ever match the M for that snap neck acceleration of the s54, but i have no doubt it could easily be faster and more powerful (just prob wont feel that way ?)

Interior - Im guessing newer is better ?

Maintenance - I know what i would be up for with the M, what are the major things to worry about with the 335 ?

roof - I think i prefer the ragtop, the boot is bigger and the back seats are bigger, I am also worried about the possibility of leaks and bigger issues with the hardtop ?

Drive - I cant imagine a non M being a better or nicer drive than an M ? could always throw some susp parts at it ?

I cant see too much that would want me to go for the 335, and yet for some reason ( i think common sense ? ) I seem to be leaning that way ?

I will be driving a couple today ( thats the other thing, there is soo many more to chose from!) to see what I think, whats everyone ones opinions ?

Thanks for the help guys :woot:
 
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#2 ·
I have owned a E93 335 as my personal car. I can help you out a little bit.

Im reading more and more issues popping up with some of the older M3's now, and its got me thinking that buying another one isnt such a good idea.

Whats everyones thoughts ?

Heres what I have so far

Sound - M wins easy, though i am not sure how the 335 would sound with a nice exhaust, bear in mind I love the rasp of the M Stock 335 exhaust with golf tee mod, AR design catless downpipes are insane sounding, also has a nice fart on gear change.

Power - i dont think the 335 will ever match the M for that snap neck acceleration of the s54, but i have no doubt it could easily be faster and more powerful (just prob wont feel that way ?) I don't know 320 RWKW feels pretty good! and a lot quicker.

Interior - Im guessing newer is better ? Yes and no. I love the Idrive but for me I think the E46 was cleaner, E9X has too much going on

Maintenance - I know what i would be up for with the M, what are the major things to worry about with the 335 ? HPFP, valuetronic solenoids are the main ones.

roof - I think i prefer the ragtop, the boot is bigger and the back seats are bigger, I am also worried about the possibility of leaks and bigger issues with the hardtop ? boot is a lot bigger in a E93 (with the roof up) Also the back seats are alot nicer to sit in, try it out. I never had a problem with my roof and I put it up and down all the time

Drive - I cant imagine a non M being a better or nicer drive than an M ? could always throw some susp parts at it ? Stock is boring/under steering. Go a set of V3's and some H&R sway bars. it transforms the car.

I cant see too much that would want me to go for the 335, and yet for some reason ( i think common sense ? ) I seem to be leaning that way ? it is a nice car to drive everyday, yet still you have handling/power

I will be driving a couple today ( thats the other thing, there is soo many more to chose from!) to see what I think, whats everyone ones opinions ?

Thanks for the help guys :woot:
 
#6 · (Edited)
Sound - M wins easy, though i am not sure how the 335 would sound with a nice exhaust, bear in mind I love the rasp of the M I got catless dp, resonated midpipe (catless) and BMW performance exhaust and it sounds pretty good - you can get the rasp of the M as well I didn't like it that's why I had to change my exhaust setup

Power - i dont think the 335 will ever match the M for that snap neck acceleration of the s54, but i have no doubt it could easily be faster and more powerful (just prob wont feel that way ?) IMO power delivery of a N54 is more brutale then the S54, especially when you are FBO + Meth!

Interior - Im guessing newer is better ? definitely looks better

Maintenance - I know what i would be up for with the M, what are the major things to worry about with the 335 ? HPFP mostly which can be DIY very easily, maintenance is pretty cheap (I change my oil every 5000km and spark plug every 30,000km)

Drive - I cant imagine a non M being a better or nicer drive than an M ? could always throw some susp parts at it ? a M3 would always have better handling from factory but you can definitely make your 335i a lot better
I can help you as well since i got the same engine.

ps. you can give me a holla if you want to try my car - not quite the same but should give you a taste of the power and sound of the N54?
 
#8 ·
No one is more qualified to answer this question than Stephen himself. I suggest going for a test drive, get a feel for the power delivery/interior space etc. Personally, I think out of the box the M3 is a more rounded package and ticks all the boxes, but the e92 could push itself onto the same stage with a few tweaks. It's a question of if you want to go down the modding route or not.

Also... you have to ask yourself... is it really an M?
 
#9 ·
335 with KW coilovers, LSD diff, ECU tune, exhaust, intercooler, BOV, AP Brake upgrade will be lots quicker and feel 10x better than stock and will also be leaps and bounds ahead of a stock M3. Doesn't cost that much to do on a 335 either.

335 feels good stock to me too but it at least needs coilovers and LSD as minimum.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the replies guys. Particularly Stephen and Raiha

I drove a very nice one today ( saw 2 others that where smoking out the oil cap! that where pigs ) , it does seem very tame , i can feel the power there and its smooth, but nothing like the M screaming away above 5000 , the exhaust note was actually quite nice, Raiha I would be very interested to know how I could get one to have rasp ?

Stephen thanks for the comments, I dont think the boot is as big as the e46 ? it didnt look that way and its def not when the roof is stowed. To the best of your knowledge would the mods ( tuning etc) void the warranty ? No leaks from the roof ? Is your front a stock with a lip or is it the M front bar ? Does the catless dump give performance or is it just sound ? Sounded a little hollow for my liking if that makes any sense ?

Raiha what mods do you have ? I would love to go for a spin sometime to see what yours is like !

Dwayne, your bang on the money about the age, its not just that though, its finding one in the colour combo i want in good cond for reasonable price, it gets harder and harder the older they get. Also i dont really want to get a car that I will want to sell, given ill be prob $4k out of pocket on stamp duty, plus the financing costs etc ... Thats not to say it wont happen anyway given my past history!

Peter, Ive only had the 1 e46 M , 2 other e46s but not M's, my other M was e36.

If i got the 335, i can see myself throwing 5 - 10k at it pretty quickly to get it up to what I would want ...

Last question, is it worth looking at a DCT ? The auto seemed a bit soft ?
 
#12 ·
Raiha I would be very interested to know how I could get one to have rasp ?

Raiha what mods do you have ? I would love to go for a spin sometime to see what yours is like !

Last question, is it worth looking at a DCT ? The auto seemed a bit soft ?
Hey mate catless dump pipe with bmw performance exhaust is your best for the raspy/m3-esque sound, people either love it or they hate it. Personally I hate rasp so I didn't like it :)

my mod list is as follow

COBB AP (Flash Tune)
AR Design Catless Dump pipes
Custom Catless + Resonated midpipes
BMW performance exhaust axleback
Evolution Racewerks FMIC
Evolution Racewerks Charge pipe
Tial Q BOV
BMS Intake
BMS Oil Catch Can
BMS Methanol Injection Kit

KW V1 Coilover
E93 M3 Front Sway Bar

The rest is all cosmetic or doesn't affect performance :)

Are you coming to Araluen at the end of the month so I can take you for a drive then if so.

Depending on how much you want to mod your car the DCT will not be able to handle as much power as the auto box. From what I read anyway so I could be wrong.

The AT is good for Full Bolt On + Meth (what I have), once you go upgraded turbo is only a matter of time before it starts slipping and you need upgraded transmission.

Also do you know whether you want to get a N54 or N55? N54 is more mod friendly then the N55 :)
 
#15 · (Edited)
Some helpful feedback here. I am in the market for either a 335 or e92 M.

Just some questions on the 335 - how much hp can the auto handle? Also the lsd, does the housing need to be shimmed? Or are there direct bolt on ones? These cars dont have subframe issues? Even with high hp?

I cant seem to find some good manual examples. 335's for sale used are mainly auto's.

Reason why e92 M is there is that for just a little more outlay I get the M + small ci V8 and diff.

Either car will be modified. I can't handle stock cars.

Really got to be attending more meets and speak to the owners of these cars. Thanks to some e90 guys for letting me ask these questions and showing me around theirs. Appreciate it!
 
#16 ·
AT boxes are good to around 300ish KW at the wheel (FBO + Meth). Once you get upgraded twins 350ish KW at the wheel thats when you need to start thinking about upgrading.

Depending on the year of the 335i you either need to replace your whole diff (cause is welded) or you just need to replace the LSD. I am not too familiar which year are which as I only know the AT 135i are all direct bolt on :)

Read up on Shiv single turbo progression at e90post to see how well the stock motor can handle big power (650RWHP ++) with his single turbo conversion
 
#18 ·
I have a m3 and my mom owns a 335 vert. I like both of them, mines a stick, hers is an automatic. both are stock. m3 is definitely more brutal and harsh. sometimes im just tired of the car and how harsh it is. i love the interior of e46 better, on the outside im leaning more towords e90. its not necessarily better looking, but its just modern. m3 gets more looks because theres not as many of them driving around just yet, but i can see more of them driving around now then just a year ago. sound wise i dont like the rasp. its unique bit lets be honest, car sounds like chainsaw at WOT. an exhaust might fix that, but its going to blens it with other cars, 335 sounds good from factory. gas consumption is about the same around town so its not an issue. in conclusion if youre willing to spend money, you can make both of them much better over the factory. its cheaper to get 50 hp out of the already fi engine though. personally for me its pointless to switch to 335 as i will not gain anything. if i was in the market id be looking for 335. either way you cant go wrong with those two. if youre be daily driving them youll appreciate the civilized 335, if youll track/autocross M3 is ready for it out of the box.
 
#37 ·
e93 335i all day!!!!! i love ours. its insane. and it does have awesome acceleration, with very little lag due to twin scroll set up. as others have said, ecu ref lash, turbo back exhaust, BBK, coil overs, sway bars. will beat the M3 in every way
 
#45 ·
I'm not trying to say Worx is wrong because the vast majority of people I know have shared his sentiments, but I have had nothing but a fantastic experience with aftermarket dealer warranties. I have had over $4000 of work done on my 330i just under statutory warranty and it wasn't a hassle at all. Also had a dodgy dealer warranty on a Mitsubishi 380 and the warranty was paid for over about six months of Bitsaremissing repairs :p

I think if you're considering the 335i you won't be happy with the M3. I think it's a car that you need to want exclusively because its so much more than go, stop and turn. Personally I would M3 it because of the raspy NA engine and E46 chassis. Not a fan of the E93 at all. HOWEVER, I honestly think in the grand scheme of things an E93 is probably a better car... especially with a bit of gear on it.
Mind you, I would suspect in a couple of years an E93 may become a maintenance pig...
 
#47 ·
In General WORX is spot on the money, the usual aftermarket warranty costs the dealer about $149 for 3 years and is essentially not worth the paper its written on, not that it wont cover a small amount of repair, but more because it specifies where the repair is done, hence controlling the cost (ie inflating so the recoup) and also stipulates 6 monthly servicing, hence it is basically snake oil.

The Allianz warranty is very different. It costs at the very least about $1850 (this is cost price and near impossible to get) for 3 years and normally retails around the $3k mark. Dealers don't chuck it in for free like the other warranties and it was originally introduced for Land Rovers ( LR RR RRS ) and if you read the feedback on the oz land rover forums you will hear alot of good feedback. They have pretty stringent requirements on what cars are covered and what the condition and mileage needs to be, but once your covered, its basically a factory warranty with all its requirements as per the factory requirements.

It is essentially an insurance policy, not so much an aftermarket warranty.

Have to admit, 320rwkw would be alot of fun under foot again ...
 
#52 ·
SOLVING YOUR DILEMA: Get the e93 335d M hardtop convertible. However, I would still advise you to stick with the e46 m3 naturally aspirated engine over the 335's turbos... I noticed quite an annoying few seconds of constantly waiting for the turbos to kick in. HPFP on 335's were a pain the ass & BMW hasn't done a good job of fixing it either... my buddy's M5 has been planted waiting for a fix on the HPFP system. Also, weight issue on the hardtop 335... once the hardtop comes down... a lot more of the weight has been distributed unevenly to the back end of the car.

IMHO, I enjoy the raspiness of my M3 using CAI... the 335i OE mufflers didn't make much sound at all (and paying $4K for a quality sound & at most ~32hp is the worst waste of $$$ ever. If you spend the money and get a quality Supercharger on the e46 M3... no 335 M or no M can match it...

Please excuse if someone has already mentioned these in the previous posts.
 
#53 ·
IMHO, I enjoy the raspiness of my M3 using CAI... the 335i OE mufflers didn't make much sound at all (and paying $4K for a quality sound & at most ~32hp .

Bullshit. unplug the flap and put down pipes on. That is all you need for it to make noise. or just unplug the flap.
 
#59 · (Edited)
hahah i will see if i can make it to the cruise - is at 4 PM right?

Calling an automatic 135 a beast!? :rofl:

Didnt realise it was Auto Rai.....
is my daily driver :(

Just pray the road doesnt have any corners lol.

A stock 335 is the worst car if you ever have to turn a corner fast. It floats, body rolls, understeers and with no LSD makes it a terrible cornering experience. Its def nice to cruise and drag S15's and put M3 parts on to pretend but thats about it...
with every right corner there will be a left corner somewhere so if you keep going straight you will get back on the road!

ps. have you seen the new evolve blower for the S65 looks freaking sweet :) really want a S65 now !
 
#65 ·
In for conclusion.... Oz, what did you end up doing?

This same dilemma has been on my mind lately what with the price and perceived value of E46s dropping lately. I'm not a huge fan of the E9x, but the coupe and vert do look better than the sedan.

I've always wanted an E46 M3 but the E9x 335 is a very compelling though different proposition.
 
#66 ·
I was contemplating an E46 M, but I ended up buying a N54 E92.

The M imo will hold its value better (A $50k e46 m vs a $50k E92 in 4 years time the m will be worth more) but in the end the newer N54 and the ease of gaining more power from the N54 is what made me go with the 335i.
 
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