As the title said, did you have another car you had in mind?

As far as pricing goes, performance, daily driven?...

Did any of you go from a E46 M3 to a C32? Or before you got your C32 did you have the M3 in mind?

I'm having a hard time of deciding between these two beautiful cars, they're both great as performance wise. But they're both neck and neck to each of its own.

I have to think ahead, last far as what i'm going to be using the car for. It's going to be daily driven here and there, on sunday's or any other day that my dad isn't around i'll have to take FIVE adult's to work. So seating can be a little problem in the M3, Or i can just take my dad's 4runner.

I considered a 2004 Corvette Convertible but I didn't know my Mercedes dealership had a C32 availble for purchase. Once I found out they had one available that a buyer reserved but then backed out, I jumped at the chance.

You see way more Corvette's compared to C32's out here. I think their are less then 5 C32's in the greater St. Louis area.

You see a C32 as much (or less) then you see a Viper. I like having a car that noone else has.

I was considering a 330ci ( which I am so glad I diddnt get), than the e46 m3, and then while all that considering I stumbled into the local mb dealership and fell in love with one of the two c32s in the showroom!

sold my 2001 S4 to buy the 2003 C32.

Was also looking at the 2001 MB E55 & CLK55. the E55 drove too much like a barge. The CLK55 is only a two door, with a stupid motorized seat for access to the rear seats.

I considered the 540i, but I wanted a better HP/weight ratio .

The 330i, did not have enough HP.

The M3 & M5 does not have a real automatic.

Looked at the 2004 S4, but the 2003 C32 was already depreciated.

Also looked at a 2001 Jaguar XKR & a 2004 G35. The Jaguar was too big and flashy. The G35 did not have enough HP.

The 2004 GTO trunk was a joke and the backseat was worse than the CLK55.

Looked at a 2001 911, but luggage space and back seat space is minimal.

The Mustang MachI is too flashy (needs a blower too).

The corvette is only a two seater.

The TT DSG is cute, but only a two seater and not enough HP.

The M45, looks like Kmart inside. Real cheesy looking, too much fancy junk.

If I had wanted a manual shift car, I may have pursued the m3.

WOW, Don looks like you had a lot of thinking to do!

I looked at the 2004 S4 and M3 before I got my C32..

I didnt get the M3 because it was only 2 doors and the fact that i already had a 330xi so wanted to try something diffrent but, i think as far as looks goes the M3 looks the best out of the group.

Then it was down to the S4 and C32 let me tell you this was very hard. THe S4 is awsome it looks nice and it had a 6 speed+ allwheel drive. The reason i picked the C32 was because the S4 dosnt have a real navi and its hard to get one with options you want. Also the C32 had a supercharged 6 thats faster vs the V8 which eats up gas like nothing else.. But a plus side for the S4 is that the car just sounds awsome!!! Hopefully a new exhaust on the C32 can fix this thou..

good luck, but its not like you can really go wrong with the m3, c32, or S4 all the cars a great..

I was tired of my Lexus GS400 and had ordered a Lexus SC430 and BMW M3... both were taking forever to arrive... I found a C32 on the MB lot, took it for a ride, and that was it....

my lease is up in about a year, and it will be between the S4, M3, C55.... M5 and E55 would be nice, but I'm not sure I want to spend that much.....

i was considering (in order):

E46 M3
Corvette Z06
CLK55 (w208)
E36 M3
350z (tie with E36 M3)
Boxster S


i am very happy with my choice. i believe, however, i would have been just as happy with a Z06. LG headers + Borla Stingers ....enough said. well, they are two totally different cars. you always want what you can't have. on second thought, i'm very very very happy with the C32. only problem is the dang C55...why does AMG have to do this after only 2 years of introduction of the C32!!!

I had a 2003 E46 M3 that was totalled and then I decided to replace it with a 2002 C32. What a mistake. This car is a POS. I wish I had my M3 back again.

Don't do it, buy a Acura TL.


-K

I have an SLK32 not a C32 but figured I would chime in.

I was considering the following:

CLK55
M Roadster
M Coupe
Corvette Z06
WRX STI
Evo VIII

I have been very happy with my purchase so far. I am not happy right now with the car shifting early out of first. But once that is solved I will be very happy again.

it really depends what you're looking to get out of the car overall. most people who have a C32 now once thought of getting an E46 M3, and vice versa. can't go wrong with either, just depends what best suits your personality and what you are trying to achieve with the car. for me, i chose the C32 in part because i wanted something rare. many of my friends have E46 M3's and they're no doubt fabulous cars (albeit they have been proven to be slightly slower than the C32 ), but theirs are so nice. i wanted something different...and you don't see many C32's on the road which is what i like. the E46 M3 does have more presence and panache i will admit.

kushal, honestly, i can see why some people are disappointed with the C32 / M3. i don't think, however, that the C32 is a POS. neither are bad cars; but rather, one being better than the other is determined by the individual. it's not like the STI vs. EVO - the differences b/t C32 and M3 are much more different, and therefore there's more room for dispute. there are those who had M3's and bought C32's instead, and those who had C32's and bought M3's instead. i believe those who had M3 had different expectations of the C32 as it is often pitted as the "direct competitor". i can see more disappointed C32 owners than M3 owners (who would rather have the other), just because the C32 and M3 are marketed for the luxury sports-car segment. M3's we all know are very sporty considering its luxury: i mean, semi dry-sump-lubrication, over 100hp/liter, individual throttle bodies, factory widebody, power-bulge hood, etc - all sporty. this does not mean that the C32 is a bad car at all. yes, it is less sporty than the M3, but it was not designed to be an exact head-to-head competitor. while i respect your opinion, i don't agree with you that the C32 is a POS. and personally, and almost everyone i bet would agree, the C32 is a far better car than the Acura TL.

so overall, i'm very happy with my choice. what i plan to do with the car is suitable to me. i could go either way if i had to do it again, honestly it would be quite hard if i were pressed to choose b/t E46 M3 and C32 again. i so strongly considered both these cars, it was literally which car deal i could find first in my area - as long as it was black

it's interesting to see the wide price and/or car-personality spectrum that we all considered.

ACURA TL???? are u serious?

Here we go again!

considered these when switching from my 2000 328Ci:

C320
330i
E46 M3
X-type 3.0
A4 3.0
S4

BUT the main choice was between the C32 and the M3. Went w/ the C32 for more praticality and because the M3 is basically the same in style as my 328Ci, so I wanted some change.

Nissan 350Z / C 43 AMG or E 55 (W210)

but then my company gave me a great offer getting a new C32 that I couldnt refuse..

White '72 Eldorado with bullhorns on the hood
VW Thing convertible in neon green
Aztek lowered, with hydraulics
The MuttCuts van from Dumb and Dumber

Vomit, now that's a PIMP ride baby! Should have went for that!

?>??

I understand these differences between the M3 and C32, but these are not the complaints that I have between the two cars.

In general it is my opinion that German car manufacturers are getting far to comfortable with their status as the ultimate auto engineers. This arrogance has resulted in a trend of electronic engineering, comfort, ergonomics, and most of all reliabilty going down the tubes. Now my M3 was also a German car, but there was still thought placed in simple luxury comforts you would expect from a ~50K vehicle. And I never had any problems with reliability. I also have two friends who own M3's and they also have had very good luck with reliability.

Bring on the C32..... This in my opinion is the bottom of the line for Mercedes. How they can get away with selling this car in 2003 for ~55K is beyond me. The only reson I bought this car was for the engine, and was willing to pay ~35K for that (which is all i paid, 17K miles). But even after such a great deal, I now understand why you don't see these cars on the road. There is no thought put into the build quality or electronics, I could creat a better NAV with a bloody etch-a-sketch. The seats are nice, but why doesn't my passengers floor mat attach to the floor? Dual Zone climate control???? HAHAHAHA..... I've had a bad CD player, a purge valve replaced, cracked rotor, heated seat replaced, the paint on the shift knob started peeling off (after 17K miles!!), the car shudders badly at ~37 mph, there's no place to put my coins, the materials used on the interior seem cheap to me, the glove box when opened always hits my passengers knees.

The list goes on. You may think I'm complaining about little things. But this is not a true "drivers" car, where these things could be excused. It's a luxury car where these characteristics are what set it apart.

Mercedes..... Good luck. You're going to need it.

As far as the TL goes. For the price, it's a wonderful car. And I bet you'll almost never see the service garage for unscheduled visits.

I considered a Lexus IS300, GS430, BMW 330i Sedan, M5, E500, E320, Escalade, GMC Denali. I love my C32!!! Exepensive but Fast!!

bought an M3.. couldn't afford the insurance so got my money back from the dealer and got teh C32

Wow they gave you your money back?? I thought once you buy a car there's no cool off period. That was nice of them.

kushal - i can understand your point of view. i do see that people are saying Mercedes quality is going downhill a bit, and that they're becoming "cheapified". i guess you had a bad experience with the c32, for me, so far, it's been great. the dual zone climate control i will admit is kinda bogus. but other than that...not much to complain about. m3's are fabulous cars i ride in my friends' m3's all the time and they do have a certain sense of build quality to the materials. heck, even my family's 530i does. but for me, my C32 experience sounds like it is different from yours. yes, TL's a good car, and Japanese cars are reliable. from a specifications standpoint the TL is a good car. but i just think that those interested in the C32 or M3 are not going to go for an Acura TL. not to say that it's a bad car, just a different audience.

btw, what color is your m3? any mods? manual or smg? thanks.

Hey 99e36m3

You're right. Everyone's experiences with cars will vary. I guess mine so far as not been as good as I had hoped. I do like the C32, and enjoy driving it, but my expectations were much higher going into the deal. I got the car after it had taken its biggest deprecation hit, so over the next 1.5-2 years it won't reduce in price that much. So from a financial standpoint it was a good deal. I will probably sell the car right before it's warranty expires.

Anyway, my M3 was Carbon Black with the Cinammon leather, fully loaded with SMG. The SMG was a blast. I was a die hard 6spd man before the SMG and decided to take a risk after test driving it only twice. It's not hard to drive and being smooth doesn't take long to learn (many people complain, but do they remember the first time they drove a standard??). But to really get good (meaning being able to be smooth at 8K RPM) it took me about 8K miles. Then it became second nature, just like driving a 6spd.

Has anyone driven the new BMW 6 yet?

In january when i purchased my car i was considering the

S4 manual - (but why buy an Audi when you can get a Benz for teh same price, not to mention performance wise)

M3 convertible - (same price as my C32 will be after i MOD it)

so i got the C32, and i dont regret it for a second...