On Aug 26, 3:05*pm, "John Carrier" <j...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Horses for courses. *Performance wise there isn't THAT much of a difference
> between the two, but the M3 will be a lot more nimble, more a sports car,
> than the M5. *Both will require significantly more maintenance than their
> more mundane siblings. *Everything from oil to tires will be changed more
> often and at greater expense.
>
> The 335Ci is a pretty nice compromise and offers enough thrust for 99% of
> real world driving situations. *Crank up the boost (enlarge the oil cooler
> when you do) and it can be quite a beast.
>
> R / John
>
> "daz" <dnich...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:0e52b80d-0a4c-4411-b10d-b3201d448354@a3g2000prm.googlegroups.com...
> Hi,
>
> I recently posted asking if the M5 was worth the extra over other
> higher end 5 series and I know that I won't be happy with my next BMW
> unless it has the M badge on it. *However now I'm not so sure about
> the pros and cons of M5 v M3.
>
> Of course the M3 is still holding it's value at around £42k and the M5
> has dropped a lot for a few year old car they're around £35k, so on
> that front the M5 probably won't lose much more and the M3 might do.
>
Agree, BMW V8s can be pretty pricey to maintain. For example, the last
generation M5, E39 model, eats tires for breakfast, (expect to replace
every 20-25K!), clutches for lunch, (some people have had to replaced
the clutch at 25K! Ouch!!!), and expect to replace small things like
the vanos. Also, don't forget to use the BMW-specific 10-60 grade oil
which sells at BMW dealers for like $14/qt. After all, a replacement
engine is only around $21K.

Of course, you know that the BMW V10 found in the E60 M5 is even more
expensive....

> The M3 would be slightly cheaper to insure and probably better on
> fuel, so is it a good option over the M5?
>
I like the E90 M3. Probably the question is do you need the extra room
of the M5? Good Luck!