gansan

There are TWO entries for the M3. The CSL version at 1.28 is a super lightweight, carbon fiber-clad "Integra Type R" kind of car. The other M3 is not.

silver1.3

the Neon SRT4 is the fastest car in the world :p

Reaper Man

you don't hang around NASIOC OT do you?

The E46 M3 is probably my ultimate "attainable" car. I love those things. so hot

silver1.3

I might if i knew what the hell NASIOC OT meant :D

JeRKy 8 Owner

JeUp - Personally Iwould have gotten the M3 in eitherof these 3 colors - dark gray - light blue - or mustard yellow. Itlooks nice in black but probablytoo much of a pain in the assto keep it clean all the time. Hopefullysomeone on this forum that livesnear you will let you drive their Rx8 next year whenthey get it turbocharged.

93rdcurrent

You should see the Carbon Black. It is the charcoal metallic fleck black with a blue hue... very sexxy!

BMW Man

I regards to my parents cars... My dad has a '04 760i V12 and an '03 Alpina Roadster (automatic Z8). My mom's got a '03 X5 4.4i. As you can see, they don't like stick shifts and that is why I had to get a automatic RX-8. I won the battle of getting a manual with my M3, because it was $2,500 more and my dad was already over the limit of what he would let me spend.
Coming from a family that has only driven BMW's for the last 10 years, my parents buy them for a these reasons. Performance, style, image, Quality, and most importantly SAFETY. BMW's are the safest-built cars in the world (X5 was best SUV EVER tested and 7,5,3 were all best picks from IIHS), and the the best-built cars in the world - hands down. Mercedes is too cheesy for my parent's image, and the last reason he buys BMW's, is becuase he manufactures the interior trim for all BMW's (wood, aluminum, etc.
The reason I bought the M3 is because A.) my dad said I had to get a BMW so we didn't have to deal with ignorant service people (our BMW dealer knows us by name and is very up-scale). B.) We don't buy american cars becuase IMO they are junk. C.) My dad won't buy a used car becuase he is not a mechanic and doesn't want me working on a car if something goes wrong (besides my mod's). So that left me with a Z4 or a M3 or E46 325ci/330ci and I picked the M3 because the Z4 is impracticle in the winter and the M3 is wicked fast.

BMW man

AKS4

Its the OT of Nabisco. :D

BMW Man

It will be interesting to see their next results, becuase I believe the Stig past away earlier this fall.

93rdcurrent

What a rough life... I wish my dad would finance an M3 for me. Don't worry I'm not flaming just a little jealous is all.

canaryrx8

iTrader: (3)

I don't agree with the notion we just make "cars" here, there's a lot of "cars" from the past (and present sorta') that are pretty remarkable and they are not European. But hey, thanks for trying to answer. I kinda' figured it had something to do with exclusivity or snob factor or something similar to your post and so maybe that answers my question.

93rdcurrent

Go test drive a 330i, M3 or M5, an S4 or RSX and tell me if you think that any American cars in the price category come close. I have to say that the Bavarians have the auto thing down in a way that both the Japanese and American manufacturers can only dream about. I love my RX-8 don't get me wrong but it is no M3. Even if I port it next summer and add either nitrous or turbo it still isn't going to be as exciting to drive as those M series engines. That's why the M series V-12 is such a hot engine. Add to that all the refinement in the BMWs and Audis and well... what is there to complain about if you can afford it? You get more in the Bavarian autos for the dollar than you do otherwise if you are looking for the driving experience. Hell I would trade my seat warmers for my wife's in here 325xi any day of the week... what with three settings and they actually heat up within about 45 seconds compared to my 15 minute seat warmers. My cup warmer in the center console heats up faster than my seat warmers!!!

BMW Man

That brings back memories of me answering my cell phone after it was sitting in my cup holder console for like 30 minutes when driving, ouch! My cell is metal and it got pretty hot from the heat box of the cup holders that were in the RX8.

JeRKy 8 Owner

93rdcurrent its very naive of you toassume that an F/I Rx8 wontbe as exciting to drive as an M-series engine. Especially when we havebetter handling. After F/I well not onlyhave a car w/great handling car -- itll be fast too

IcemanVKO

I'm sorry what is F/I?

BMW Man

Forced Injection

G-ReX

Do you mean forced induction (ie turbo/supercharged)?

canaryrx8

iTrader: (3)

okay, tell me which Bavarian manufacturer makes a car for 20 grand that can do 0-60 in 5 seconds and is also pretty prevalent in SCCA races to boot? If the "Bavarian auto makers have this thing down pat" or whatever, why don't we go ask a few VW owners about that one as from what I have read and heard, their quality seems to be in serious question. Why is it so expensive to have BMW/Mercedes cars serviced, is that a sign of them having things down pat? ever try buying a part for one? I can see it now "yeah, I need to buy some parts so can you guys finance or do you have 90 days same as cash?" My main point is there are a lot of options out there for the money you spend on an Audi/BMW, sure if you have the cash and want to waste it go right ahead, more power to you. I won't take the time to list all the alternatives, but they are out there, and they are not nearly as bad as you make them sound. Anyone watch the races on Speed this year where the RX8 team handed the BMW team its *** on a plate in only their first year of racing? Yup, Bavarian auto makers have things down pat alright

IcemanVKO

That Video is soo great!!! Now everyone I know wants an RX8!

93rdcurrent

Careful now... I have owned several "alternatives" and an E36 M3, a '99 Audi A4 quattro sport, and my wife currently drives an '04 325xi. Sure we paid just as much for her 325xi as I did for my nearly loaded RX-8 but she has leather, seat warmers (that actually work), a cup holder not a cup warmer, AWD, a quiet ride (not filled with rattles and squeaks), I could go on but why. Don't get me wrong I love my 8 as I stated before but I will say again... if you have the money then the Bavarians are the way to go. I decided to get the RX-8 instead of an '04 M3 because of the cost as well but I still give the M3 its' due respect. And in the world of Supercars the M3 may be the bottom in price range but it competes very well for the amount you pay. A little modding goes a long way and the M3 is very close to the RX-8 in handling and unless you race professionally I doubt you would be able to know the difference.

As far as features go look at the options you get with the Audis & BMWs. Most of those options aren't even an option for us... like trip computers that tell you your current mpg and the average (bet Mazda won't make that option available for the RX-8), programmable security features for when you have no choice but to park in an undesirable area, etc., etc. You want to pay extra for an MP3 player? BMWs and Audis come stock with CD players that play MP3s. Oh and did I mention the free full-size spare tires? And buy a new BMW and all your maintenance is free for 4 years or 50k miles and that includes wiper fluid/blades and other normal wear parts. Mazda could learn a thing or two about customer service from BMW as well. I never had to argue with my service writer about a thing with the Bimmers. Mazda service writers love to argue.

93rdcurrent

I understand F/I very well and have purchased from a favorite in the industry (Turbonetics) who made my Stage II upgrade on my 575 hp MR2. There is just something to be said for a car that has massive torque in the lower rpm range. Right off the gun my M3 would move and when I say move I mean it would dig its' claws into the road and roar while leaping forward. I loved that car. But no turbo creates that same feeling and it is the same problem with the RX-8 in my opinion. It gets its' hp and torque high up in the rpm range and though you can adjust a turbo you don't want it to loose its' breath too early on either. I will choose to do some kind of F/I or another alternative to add what are missing ponies to my car but I will still get a new M3 and make the RX-8 my project car because I feel that it is missing in that area.