[zosyn]

Buying a used M3 is a gamble. If you are getting one try to get one that is dealer certified with a warranty. I drove ours very hard every day. I flew off the banking at Streets of Willow at 98mph, hit a tire barrier, wife ripped the front bumper off when it caught a parking barrier, field mice chewed thru the wiring harness, it was overheated. When we traded that car in to BMW it was in bad shape. They cleaned it up and sold it the next week for $40K to some poor sole that doesn't know what it has been thru.

My M3 had overheating issues both on the track and in the hot summer weather here. They eat tires, I averaged 5-7K miles per set and that was with the wife daily driving the car.

I really like the SMG tranny. It is as close to a race sequential as you can get.

I traded the M3 for a Z4M Coupe. I think the M3 had a better trans, and was more solidly put together. The Mcoupe is lighter, has better brakes, and the engine is more reliable with a different sump and better cooling. The Mcoupe is a better handling car and has better aerodynamics.

However I think the new Cayman S with PDK will have me going back to Porsche soon.