shigginsrx8

Hey all,

I am soon going to be graduating from school and looking for my first car. I have managed to save up about $50K CDN. I have planned on getting a 8 since they came out.

Here is my problem. I have a freind with a white/red 2003 M3 SMG with 28,000 km on it. He has recently been offered a job down in florida and doesnt want to take his car with him so he is looking to sell. He has said he will sell to me for $60K. I've been looking on autotrader and the going price seems to be around high 60's to low 70's. So i would be saving about $8K.

I would have the balance of the warranty, and I know he doesnt abuse the car in anyway.

What are your thoughts. Im seriously considering doing this. I have driven the car, and its amazing. But I also love the 8. If you were in my shoes, what would you do??



here is a pick. Not his car, but a white one so you can see the evil that tempts me.

DreRX8

I love the 8--but I think if I were you and I had the cash for it I'd go with the SMG. The RX8 is only going to get better, so down the line you may trade it in on a Mazdaspeed. Also remember that the M3 SMG is in another performance bracket than the RX8.

shelleys_man_06

Get an E30 M3. Those are the best .

Don Vito

This shouldnt be asked, you know the M3 is the one to get, even though its used.....

Magic8

How long you want to keep the car?

Long time - go with the 8

Short time - go with M3

Maintenance cost and insurance cost would be a factor in my decision. M3's have high maintenance and insurance costs in the states.

Racer Rick

As a multiple BMW and M3 owner I could and would recommend either. The M3 is a higher perf. vehicle than the 8 but it comes at a price (wait till you get to the major scheduled inspections- you won't believe that service could cost so much!!). The 8 offers performance almost at the level of the M3 but is much less costly.

jonnyb

maintenance for the M3 will only be alot if you cant do it yourself which is bad because if you are buying a sports car you should at least know something about it.

WHealy

I just test drove one of these last week. While the tourque is fun, I still prefer driving my "8". Not what I had expected. I would recommend driving the "3" and an "8" on the same day and decide for yourself. Also drove a vet that night. Lots of engine, but still doesn't compare to the "8". Again, not what I expected, but I really like my "8".

m477

It depends, have you gone to Mazda dealers to discuss what kind of price they would give you on an 8 that has the options you want?

shigginsrx8

yeah, i have looked into it. I could step into an '04 8 with all my options for about 48 K w/TX. Since I want an '05 it would be about 50K w/TX. This versus the M3 for 60k w/TX.

As for the maintenace. I am pretty confident I could do most, if not all the work the car would need. We have a shop and lift in our barn. Im not too sure what the warranty would think of this though. I really dont want to drive a car without a warranty.

Thanks for all the opinions though, keep them coming.

HiTMaNN

hmm my sis has the smg its good but the middle console is so plain looking but go for the 3 its a cool car

shelleys_man_06

Don't listen to them shigginsRX8. I'm telling you to get the E30 M3, if you can find one. The only thing good about the E46 is the engine, the transmission, and the suspension. Now, imagine if you can get all that good stuff into an even cooler car, the E30 M3 :D...Oh wait, get the E46 then :o.

shelleys_man_06

Gross. SMG? Better off finding a 6-speed...

GooOnYou

Buy the M3, sell it to someone for 68-70k and make an 8-10k profit, then buy the RX-8 and use the money for mods. :D

Seenitall

My inclination would be to go for the M3. I came to the RX8 from a 1999 BMW 3 series. Was considering a new 330i Sport, but decided on an 8-same performance-$15K cdn less I have driven an M3 with manual-way faster than an 8. Also the resale value is rock solid. I sold my 5 year old 3 for 65% of what I paid for it.
As long as you are reasonably close to a BMW dealer-go for it.

Ike

As long as you can afford the onscene maintenance costs go for the M3. We're talking a couple grand for some things that seem pretty minor. If I recalll just changing the oil on an M3 is in the hundreds, but I don't think they need changes as often.

IZoomZoomI

Have you ever test drove a smg equipped m3 before? It is every bit just as fast as the manual transmission m3. The smg acts exactly like a manual just without a clutch and can shift just as aggressive and fast as an experience driver can.

Ike

You're still better off with a 6 speed if you want to track it or just like rowing through the gears.

shigginsrx8

Thanks for all the replies,

Your probably right about the 6 speed, when i drove the smg I thought it was a lot of fun, neat little gadget. My buddy had european software installed and the smg easter egg for it is pretty fun. I think the smg might be good for my commute.

Anyone ever use smg on the track??

Racer Rick

The one area where the 8 beats the E46 is weight; if you've driven them back to back you'll know what it feels like. At more than 3500# the E46 M3 is just too heavy. Look back to the E30 M3 and you have a nimble performer at less than 3000#......

Ike

There's an old best motoring video that has the M3 SMG and an AMG Mercedes in it and you can really tell they're just a little tougher to drive smoothly and keep on the track. Perhaps someone else can supply you with a link.

Racer Rick

I've driven both the E46 6speed and SMG on the track. The SMG works beautifully on-track....in-fact that's where its at its best; hard accel. upshifts and hard-braking downshifts. Its less smooth on the street.

shigginsrx8

Thanks for all the advice.

I borrowed the car today and took it too my local mazda dealer. I drove the 8 then took the dealer in the m3. Its a hard decision, and i know it should be easier. The 8 drives so well, handles great and fits me like a glove. I do wish there was a little more torque, but I love wringing the engine out, amazingly addictive. The dealer seemed to have a good time in the m3 though. We put her though her paces on some back roads, its certainly a different beast. I was very impressed (again) with the smg, i like it a lot. And the automatic 5000k clutch drop is a blast.

Keep your advice coming, I need it.

Ike

If you really think you can afford the maintenance on the M3 just go for it, you only live once. You'll be able to pick up an RX-8 used for under 20k USD in a year or two or maybe a mazda speed will be available. You're really not going to take much of a hit on the M3 if you decide to sell it in a couple years, whereas the RX-8 you will.