like i sqaid, both cars are AMAZING!

they just have 2 different personalities

they are like 2 fighters

the M3 is well rounded, calm, compossed, collected.....(boxer)

the C63 is wild, loud, aggressive, (slugger)

it really comes down to which car style you prefer

I realize the M3 is a better handling car but not by much. I owned the 2 former M3's and just sold my 330i ZHP so I am very familiar with the evolution of these BMWs. Quite frankly, the E46 was a huge improvement over the E36 but only in the power department...the steering feel was worse on the E46 and because the E46 was so much heavier it was not nearly as agile as the E36. I have driven the new M3 (granted not on a track) but enough to get a good feel for the car. My analysis is that it is a great car however, with a jump to a V8 it is underpowered and not what I expected. You have to constantly be on the throttle and push it above 6000rpms regularly to reach the joy of driving this car. I have not driven the C63 but after reading all the reviews (Top Gear, Fifth Gear and Edmunds among others) I want the C63. Most picked the M3 as a winner (R&T picked C63) based on pure track performance but many of them said they would rather own the C63.

Both cars are amazing and it is great to fret over such a choice versus other life choices. To each his own though, I still love the new M3 but not as much as the C63.

Last Emperor - Mine has held up well, but it's not a daily driver. A friend of mine wore pretty badly and was exchanged for the leather M3 wheel.

SuperCover - Well put. Each car is great and it's really a matter of trying them both and seeing which you like better. Do just take the magazines/television as the motivating factor for anything.

Personally, I like the C63's looks over the M3 sedan; and thus I'd only consider the M3 coupe, which when compared to the C63, I think looks 'slightly' better (IMO). And if I were to buy one today I'd really want to go with the C63 (the grunt, 4-door factor), but I'm simply FORCED to go with the M3 Coupe because paddles just don't do it for me.... it's gotta be the 6-speed manual

But it's great that we all disagree, because we get to discuss them, enjoy them and race them.


Tee_Tz.

One is more power and other is handling so i'll call it a draw. But, for now i've decided to go with the M3 because of the DCT. If the C63 has the Dsg type tranny or the black series coming soon that would be a different story.

I never own a dual clutch tranny and just wanted one of these at the moment. Didn't have any luck finding any GT-R at reasonable price and the Evo seem too weak on power.

I test drove the e92 M3, sure handle very agile...but I dont need it for daily use, and I wont take my car to race track every month...that's why I choose the C63 over the M3, just my 2 cents

I agree with most above, but to clarify one thing in tee_tz's thread, I'm pretty sure that Top Gear did not pick the M3. They compared the M3 to the C63 and the Audi RS4. In the end, they didn't pick a winner, but simply said that they were "all brilliant". It was clear from what they portrayed and/or edited, that the BMW was the better track car and the MB was the more aggressive straight liner.

I just had the chance to drive an E93 M3 equipped with DCT. Wow, that transmission is incredible for sure.

I posted this chart on the M3 board... I'm not winning many friends over there.

I agree DCT is really trick, I loved it too... but I think once the novelty wears off, how is its usability in the real world? Not to mention its reliability. Do you really need that many settings on shift speed? Do you really want to have to program launch control every time you want to take off quickly? Do you want to have to program your steering feel every time you drive the car? Do you want to adjust the throttle response as well? How about the suspension feel? There are just too many electronic interfaces on the new M3. It's complex and there are many who are having problems with the car already. The engine, the tranny, the EDC suspension, even the high-end stereo has freaked out on several cars. WTH, BMW can't even get a stereo right? They are slipping in quality IMO. OTOH, MB has risen to the top in quality.

Me... after waiting 3 years for the M3, I bought the C63... kind of on a gut feeling. I am SO glad I did. It's a far superior car unless you want a little better balance for the track. But how many people will track a $70K 3700-4000lb car with regularity.

The C63 is faster, less complex (it even has a dipstick), has better features (that actually work) and is already proving more reliable than the M3. HELL. YEAH.

i saw a black M3 convertible today. i was driving in town and saw it on my rear view mirror. i was on the left lane and it was on the right lane slowly passing me by. when it was behind me it sounded so ugly. it was much like an electric engine. i couldnt believe my ears. i told my wife" hey look at the new m3" and the first thing she told me was it sounds like a electric car. when it passed us by I could hear the exhaust note, it was definitely much better but not much appealing. it wasnt wot but right after it passed us by it quickly accelarated and i figured it was like near half throatl.

C63 sounds musical even at idle. i am sure there are many reasons to buy a new m3 but i can say the not enough appealing sound, body styling(i found it not much different than a regular 3 series) could be two of the reason why i would not buy a m3.

i love how w224 looks and C63 looks even better, great sound. i like bmw having many more options available for the US market tho. you can even get distronic on m3. c63 cant get a rearview camera or memory seats. i know many of you will say why do you need a rearview backup camera. but even cheap cars have keyless-go, parktronic, backup camera. when a friend tell me even my corolla have keyless go ur 60+k merc doesnt have it, its a big embaressment imo.
but still lack of options is not an enough reason to not to buy this car. 451hp and great look make up for them

imo tell ur dad to buy a C63

if he can afford a C63 he should be able to pay for the gas. if he is greedy cheap, i can tell you from my experience. i have a corolla for daily commute it gets like 34-35mpg and my C280 gets 26-27mpg. i commute 63 miles each way everyday, corolla has terrible seats (impossible to properly adjust)and after 2-3 hour driving everyday my back and my neck hurts badly. no back and neck pain and great sleep everyday is priceless comparing to 8-9 miles saving per gallon. my money goes into different areas right now but when i am ready to buy a new car i am never going to opt for a gas saving but uncomfy car. if he cant afford paying too much for gas, thats another story and as others stated he shouldnt be looking at c63

I have a Corolla too. But my XRS has pretty comfortable seats because the seat custion is pretty soft.. You should definitely try this out and upgrade the front seats. Corolla parts shouldn't be that expensive, I think

I've had a modded M3 since 2003, and I was also on the wait list for the new V8 M3 for over 3 years... I'm getting a '09 C63... already on order.

The M3 isn't going anywhwre, I know I'll have another one.. but for now I want a muscle-car! And because I'm not a kid, I need a 4-door, luxury muscle car

Black on Black baby... and ya know I'll have to mod it up a bit just for giggles

modded 335i is faster than an M3 in a straight line and has loads of torque down low. same reason why one would prefer the c63. only difference is the 335i gets good gas mileage, even modded. i hear too much emphasis on track performance from people who have never set foot on a track. i've been racing for 10 years at a rate 2-3 times a month and rarely do I ever see a brand spankin new BMW, usually only decade old models. it wasn't until recently that i saw some used e46 m3's come out for 2 laps covered up in blue painters tape, then retire for the day.

Modding a 335 to get the m3 straightline performance costs nearly as much if not more than just getting an m3 to begin with. and not to mention that there is no warranty. either way, the c63 is more brutal, the m3 more relaxed carver.

I have read all those rags, and seen the videoes. Im pissed off that these guys give all these great reasons the C63 is superior, then at the last second
they change their vote. Based soley on the fact that professional drivers made slightly faster lap times on a course few of us, money on not, will drive on. I can say whole heartedly I punch the gas on my lowely C32 every stoplight just to have that stupid grin om my face. I wrote every one those writers the similiar responses as well.

How does a few thousand dollars equate to the price of an M3 or more? Now if you wanted to spend the big bucks on Dinan stuff, you'll still fall under what it costs to get an M3 AND that would include a warranty from Dinan. Regardless, you'd still have a factory warranty covering any problems not caused by your mods. It is illegal for them to completely deny warranty.

Yes, a stock C63 is probably a better straight line choice, but a modded 335i would be as fast/ faster and definitely cheaper. The M3 is slower than both and also pretty highly tuned in stock form, so i doubt you could extract any significant power without big bucks. So, my money would sooner go to a modded 335i than an M3. Don't get me wrong, I still prefer the C63, but I can't have misinformation being spread around.

I drive an '06 E55 and the lease is up soon....recently in for a recalled fuel filter replacement and got a C300 to drive as a loaner....The interior is CRAP!!! I really like the C63 but the interior is a real turn off - How about the NEW cts-v for the same money!!

The CTS with the ZR-1 engine kinda interest me. I'll wait for the official specs

show me the data for a few thousand dollar modded 335 beating an m3. it's a nice car no doubt, but in multiple car magazines, even a 10k Dinan modded car doesn't beat the m3. what you are saying is misinformation, and who cares if you can mod a 335i to beat an m3 in a straight line, you can do the same with a civic or a lancer evo. why are you on a c63 board extolling the virtues of a 335i when the poster asked about an m3 vs a c63? that's usually left for the trolls on the m3post boards.

http://www.vishnutuning.com/main.htm

It'll cost about $3000. Vishnu all the way . I ran their setup back in 2003 with my evo and ran 12.7 in the quarter. Would have gone faster if my clutch would have held. The engine out powered the clutch unfortunally

Thinking of responding, but being in a C63 Forum, hmmm...

I will say this: you don't have to be on the track to appreciate better handling. Driving on the highway, go around a bend at say 75MPH with a M5 and then with a E55. You'll see the difference of near 50/50 balancing and better, stiffer suspension. With the bimmer, you just feel "safer"

The same is applicable to the M3 versus the C63. That is why in the cones, the M3 out paces the C63.

BUT ANYWAY, you are not buying the cars to drive really fast in a straight line nor go cornering and cornering and cornering, so just buy what you like and enjoy what you have. Not trying to take away from either car. Enjoy!

Ohhh and on a final note, at a BMW meet in New York a guy with a 335i (Coupe) Vishnu chip tried to race the M3. Let's just say this -- in my first post I said "Not even close. Not even close at all."


Tee_Tz.

if you really are concern about how much gas you can save with the two different cars
i will tell you
both don't save you any gas and will burn you gas so fast
get a prius, camry or something

Here's a thought, get someone in a Prius and race it around a track as fast as you can, followed by a new M3. The M3 will keep up with it very easily.

Guess what? The M3 is more economical than the Prius........

Fact...as seen on the current series of Top Gear!!!

M.

What's up Hans, nice to see you here. In regards to the C63's mileage, i honestly don't think it should matter if your buying this type of car with this kind of performance. All of the other competitions aren't that much better anyway, if any at all.

Here's an idea.

Tell your father to buy the C63. Then convince him that you're a good boy and have him get you the M3. That way you'll never have to second guess yourself ever again...

I'm working on getting the C63 for me & the M3 for the wife (to replace the X5 (lease is up in Nov). I still have to convince her I'm a good boy though lol.

WTF?Is this a real topic or did I miss the joke somewhere???? Is somebody that is shopping for an M3 or C63 really concerned about the gas milage difference between the two? Lets put this into perspective. The M3 is rated at 20mpg highway and the C63 is rated at 19. If you dad drives 15,000 miles per year he is going to burn 750 gallons of fuel in the M3 and 789 gallons of fuel in the C63 for a difference of 39 gallons of fuel. Multiply that whopping 39 gallons of fuel by $4.50 (current price of premium 93 octane in my area) and you come up with $175.50, if your dad is that worried about fuel milage or fuel costs maybe he should not be looking at either car, let him know that Kia's have come a long way in both their styling and dependability.

Just when you though you heard it all......