M3 V8 or RS4 V8
 

Read various threads and reviews which always lean towards the M3.

Tempted to bite the bullet and treat myseld to one of these, but just can't decide which one.

M3 V8 is the better drivers car, newer technology and build and quicker, but RS4 is still a cracking looking motor, AWD and better soundtrack, and slightly cheaper to buy than the M3, and possibly less toys to go wrong.

Running costs are similar, and suspect depreciation would be similar on both.

Both I hope would be still be worth 10-12K in 4 years time, with neither throwing up any serious bills during a 4 year period.

I've got to the point quick is quick enough so the power and handling are both going to be enough to put a smile on my face.

Which would you have if you were me ?.

M3 all the way, A lot more comfort and who doesnt like a bit of arse end action!

Rob, M3 all the way. Drive both and you'll see :-)

difficult one.
I think the rs4 is a little more grown up and not so in your face.
But tech in beemer is on another level.
they have a couple of nice ones at chandlers i saw last weekend.

i may be off to bigmotors bmw warehouse tomoz I'll let you know if they have any.

Rs4 no choice for me im afraid..looks alot better and need 4 wheels driving this sort of power

:agreed: although the m3 will be quicker on track

If it were me, I'd go with the M3. What about an E46 CSL, option or not?

Ive been in both recently before buying fugly. Looks, interior & sound go to the RS4. The rest is all M3 :twisted:

Rs4 estate for me there s to many m3 s out there!!

Mates RS4 Avant was lovely, sadly it has now been put to rest but he is after another. What a fantastic noise although the Miltek had a drone around 2k.. Prefer the looks to it rather than the M3

I work for BMW and drive M3s almost on a daily basis and can tell you, that in my opinion the M3 is by far the better car. We have had this year alone 4 RS4s traded in, and each 1 was for an M3. Don't get me wrong the RS4 is a great car to drive and looks stunning, but it does feel very heavy and not as sharp as the M3, given the choice it would be the BMW. Take a test drive and see for yourself.

rs4 :worthy:

RS4 Avant for me... but then I like quick estates... ;)

I agree with Munk on the 4wd point too.

That said, I haven't driven the latest M3, only the straight six, so I can't give a fair appraisal!

rs4 Avant here also.........

RS4 is a much better looking car, but after driving both I did love the M3

You know its going to be 1 of each at some point anyway...:smile:

There is a black rs4 up at chertsey that looks tidy. spotted iy yesterday when trawling around looking for a later A4 or bmw touring.

http://www.weybridgevehicles.co.uk.m...arkwood.co.uk/

I think its a case of driving both Rob. Its a bit like the impreza/Evo argument. Personally, I prefer the understated looks, interior and sound of the RS4, having said that, I havent driven either so cant say for sure.
One I have driven though is the Lexus IS F V8. Now that was a nice car, sounded awesome, same performance as the others, rarer than the others and probably more reliable. Worth a drive at the same time I would say.

Adrian lives 2 minutes from there

Having just viewed a 2007 and 2008 BMW 325i SE and 320D M-Sport (both touring estates) , my 2005 S-line Audi A4 appeared better spec'd and better screwed together. Despite being a few years older.
So I won't be jumping in a beemer any time soon.
Was quite shocked at how much cheaper they felt.

Hopefully looking at a 08 m3 tmz in perfect spec so will see. I have no illusion it will feel very nice. Just got to get straight and accept in my own head I would be looking at about 3k a year in depreciation, £1400 for a set of rubber, and same again for a set of disk and pads, and 20mpg on a good day, and will need servicing by BMW or Indy. So need to be thinking along the lines of a min of 4.5k a year plus petrol, tax and insurance just to keep it on the road...

When you start to do the sums there is allot to be said for scoobs and Evo,s

I,m also considering a less budget busting e46 m3. But there are so many dogs out there, and decent ones are creeping up in price to the point the newer V8 starts to make more sense.

That surprises me tbh, but I suppose when you compare very old examples of both makes the Audi,s seem to hold up better. Whether that be run of the mill like for like of same age.. Or the higher end b5 RS4 which are still looking fresh, still going strong with rocket ship miles, don't have any issues unlike its counterpart e46 m3' which have lots of issues now from vanos, chassis, smg, rust, with allot of them looking tired.

I wouldn't call an E90/91 that old though.

Agreed. The 'old' was in context to say a 1980',1990, 2000's. BMW,s of that age are looking very tired but audis of same age that i have seen are looking allot fresher. Basically audis seem to wear with age and mileage better than BMW.

easy enough to sort BMW brake/service parts for you if required............

or Audi for that matter

thats made me feel a lot better spending 5k+ this year on mine and that was mainly engine work!

Your right the quality side of things has to go to the Audi. Cant really fault the interior of the RS4. Big smile on face = M3 :twisted:

RS4 all the way awesome does everything ticks all the boxes

Well did you drive the bloody thing Rob ? :martyn:

You're an agent of BMW: of course you'd say that! ;)

One of the bosses at work had an RS4 and traded it in for an M3: he really rated the M3 over the RS4.

I vastly prefer the look of the RS4: but then I haven't driven either! :D

No Nige, despite all the advice (thanks all) - Basically bottled it/come to my senses and will continue to be a scrooge and stick with the trusty classic for the time being, which costs the same as a set of tyres on the M3 yet TBH still puts a smile on my face.

If I drove the M3, I know I would be smitten, I've been in my mates ones so know how capable they are. I have yet to borrow the keys to my brothers RS4 cab, but when I do I will be in position to give an informed view on both.

As well as running costs, you also have to factor the worry of picking up dinks, dents, scratches, or a potential big bill from what would be an everyday car, that I would be concerned where I take it or where I park it, that won’t get the same reception that a tidy scoob would get…. And had to start to ask myself, would I be happier paying allot of money to have what effectively becomes a liability.

I’m currently fortunate enough to be able to afford to get one if I really wanted, but I’m too much of a car enthusiast and tight arse, to have one without constantly thinking this ain’t half costing me allot for the pleasure and worry of owning it.

So although I do fancy some German quality. I’m now thinking a cheaper E46 M3 that will just get used and abused and self serviced, a Hawk STI for the right money ;), A forged Hatch STI ;), an Evo , or more likely a toy of some sort for the weekends, that won’t cost the earth to run that will have good residual value should I ever need to sell it again. Something like that blue TVR I sold would have been perfect, sadly you couldn’t get one for even double the price what I sold my one for at the time 

Sometimes you have to go through the process fully, to make you think, and thankfully this time I’ve done that before actually buying it…

I went through exactly the same thing when I bought my Forester. Toyed with the idea of a RS4 Avant. It proved to be the right decision, since I had some other large expenses come in to play, which due to having been sensible I could deal with.

Had I bought the RS4 I would have either been eating beans everyday (or every other day with nothing on the inbetween days!) or had to sell it and take the hit that way.

Sometimes head has to rule heart!

The Hawk or the Hatch can be yours for the right money Rob :wink: