BMW E92 M3 Review - Better Than E46/BRZ/GR86 for $30K? 

DCT Tune is 100% needed Varun!

Can you describe where the noise is coming from and what it sounds like?

A couple years ago I remember reading one diligent owner's 'cost to own' spreadsheet for his e92 M3 and it was eye watering. If I remember right, he could have bought a GR86 and had money to spare after a few years of ownership.

i own both an e46 and e90 m3 for a few years now and its not so bad.

I’ve owned my e92 for a better part of 3 years and I feel it’s all subjective, I’ve done all major maintenance requirements rod bearings and valve covers. I haven’t had any issues with throttle actuator’s yet, but other than that routine oil changes every 5k miles and it’s been great owning this car. Now I have done a fair amount of modifications to the car and that’s the bulk of my expenses which I don’t count towards the cost of ownership. This one of those cars that I consider as one of the greats to own. Properly set up it’s a blast to drive and even better when some weight is shed off. Fenton did a review of my car early on so you can view that and see the list of mods.

@@Gh0stE92M3 True. It could of been my car. For what it's worth I had a 2008 (heard the first year cars had a few gremlins) and I owned it from 2015-2021. I had no real issues the first 3 years I owed it -(I also took care of all the standard maintenance stuff with these cars you mentioned) but unfortunately the last few years of ownership I kept chasing random intermittent engine limp mode issues that different shops could never diagnose probably. These problems never went away. It was a frustrating end to an otherwise great experience.

Weird cuz my E90 was pretty cheap to own (aside from the obvious fuel consumption).

Agree with all your points!

Great point Anthony, and this is a big part of why I love the E92 so much. The first time I got in the car I immediately realized it's the most luxurious car I've owned. That's not saying much since I haven't had an actual luxury car, but the materials, the fit/finish, the comfort of the seats, the sound system are all a great place to be. But as soon as you press the "M" button it comes to life and you can power oversteer through corners and rev the car past 8000. Truly a dual duty car.

hows the e92 been since rod bearings are done? should i sell my mk7

Totally. Use of the car matters a lot also. Modern cars can be used daily, wanting to daily an old BMW leads to disappointment and stress.

Doesn’t it feel a bit sloppy from a handling perspective? Curious to hear your thoughts as an owner

@@genetheemoji4731 I went from an E90 M3 dct to an ss 1le and now own a 991 and have lots of experience with the E46 platform. Performance wise it's no comparison, the ss 1le is way more locked down and conposed and will easily out run any m car f80 included even on a tight backroad. On a dry warm day it has so much grip it would rather just power out of a corner putting all 455lbft down to the ground than go sideways like an m car. Every form of vehicle dynamics on road or on track the ss 1le will basically be superior. The place where it lacks is the character. I didn't like the lt1 + the annoyingly long 3rd and 4th gear ratios. It's got really good electric steering feel but it's not as good as hydraulic by a good margin. It's less practical with the rear seats being really small, overall wide width and and bad visibility. And things like the audio system and little things like the fact the seat reclines only like 30 degrees, the interior lights that cannot be turned off at night, paint quality and the overall fit and finish just aren't as good as the BMWs. I loved my ss 1le at the track and I enjoyed owning it for 2 years, overall simply an amazing car. But I think I enjoyed a different flavor more. On a personal note a close friend had a c7 z51 which I liked better in every way. It performed just as well on track with cheaper consumables, accelerated faster with lighter weight and shorter gearing and overall kind of slightly soured the 1le experience for me.

@@memememine1 nice feedback, how do you like your 991 in comparison?

@@parkman8595 Its so close to being perfect. It's just that the gears are too long.

I'm doing a modified 128i vs BRZ video soon!

Because when you have a engine like the S65 that revs to 8300RPM redline, pay to play. Some people want more money in their pocket and want some type of sports car which brings you the BRZ. Some want that close to race inspired DNA and don't mind spending a little extra which brings you the S65 engine in the E92 M3. So you have to choose what you want more. Personally, if I could afford I'd get the E92 M3 but if I couldn't, I would not mind the BRZ.

Is the E46 really that much cheaper than the e92 after the subframe reinforcement? Just wondering.

@@memememine1 yes, if it's mainly your track car and you are going to the track often the difference in consumables is going to be well defined. Higher fuel consumption and bigger tyres are going to make the main difference.

@@8cylinders257 Right, what are you talking about is the reason why a lot of people "settle down" for an S2000 instead of going for a more expensive car. It provides that incredible compromise of feeling and performing similarly to a racecar without the running costs of 6-8 cylinders cars. Of course straight line performance is not the same but sensations are top notch.

@@TMRDAM A slightly tuned 330CI won't feel anywhere near a stock 86 (even a 1st gen). Of course the engine is faster than the old 86 and it sounds waaay better but everything else is gonna suffer a lot on mountain driving. I have 330ci on BC racing, upgraded brakes, Uhp tires, short shifter,and street\track alignment but it still feels floaty, heavy and slow in turn in, in direction changes and on mixed\tight corners. As said above in order to achive a good street setup on a 330ci you have to spend at least 5\6k€ (lo scrivo in euro che siamo italiani noi) and alter the whole car with an limited slip diff with shorter ratio, tons of bushing and adjustable arms, z3 steering rack, brakes, sway bars,reinforces and weight reduction. Unfortunately in stock or slightly modifed form the non M E46 it feels so sluggish and heavy

I've driven various modified E92's on the channel before, but always down for more

I agree also would have that great e46 steering. Plus the engine certainly isn't worse than the new brz. I've mostly driven zhps but that m54 is a sweet motor.

@@memememine1 The ZHP is fantastic. My brother has one and it handles great while still having a nice ride and comfortable seats.

Not really. 700lbs less weight, lower center of gravity, quicker steering rack, and a short wheelbase make the BRZ feel significantly more sharp and tossable. Plus the BRZ is quicker as well.

I reviewed an E46 330Ci ZHP a few years ago. Great car, but could still use another 30hp and/or 300 lbs less weight.

I have a street\daily 330Ci on coilover, UHP tires and upgraded brakes and drove a older 86\frs for some time. In my opinion they feel almost completely different, the bmw is a heavy,long wheelbase and comfort oriented car, Of course the engine feel faster and sounds 100x better than the (1gen) 86 but it lacks so much in handling. Steering and turn in, in the 86 it's way way quicker and sharper and the car is much more nimble. You have to remove at least 300lbs of weight in the E46 and swap a lot of parts (bushings, sway bars, steering rack in some cases,LSD,etc) to reach at least a decent level of fun and sharpness. We're talking at least 5-6k$ in budget and you're ending up with a stripped interior car.

Interesting. I should have tried it in non-M mode. I also heard that a tune will dramatically improve the DCT.

For point #1, that must be disruptive to the driving where the weight of steering, rate of weight transfer, and rate of throttle response are incongruent. One says more now while the other one is saying wait wait.

Didn't know this! I had a feeling the E46 and E92 were much closer in weight than E46/BRZ

@@Zygrene Pretty close but the E92 M3 is said to be around 70kg-80kg heavier than the E46 M3. Because generally the same standards apply to the E46 M3 regarding the advertised curb weight is including driver, fuel and luggage.

This Saturday!

@@Zygrene my guy!

Interesting idea. Thumbs up this comment if you want to see this!

😭

BMW doesn’t make v6 turbos

Whatever you said is worthless as soon as you mentioned v6 turbos.

@@SloeEs thank you

instagram.com/varuns.vrooms

Yeah, I bought it on a no reserve auction. Had its fair share of issues, but I figured as much going in. The car was a great starting point to build it how I want given the low cost of entry.

This Saturday!

I have put 100k miles on 2 different e92 m3s. They were both extremely reliable. More reliable than any toyota or honda I owned. The people who call the car unreliable have never actually owned it and are keyboard warriors/haters.

Let me know if you figure it out please

yes.

I reviewed a 1M a few years ago. Amazing car, but somehow driving the E46 feels more natural to me.

e46 or e92

New car tech with new car warranty

If you can only the M3 used you can't afford to repair it

I put around 40 trackdays between the 2 2022 BRZs I had in around 8 months. Knowing I had a full warranty is a big part of why I bought the BRZ as a track car.

Most nowdays sell with rod bearings and actuators serviced for 30k which are the real main services to complete. Now if youre compairing 30k new vs used then any used car in comparison would need some sort of servicing at some point vs new

@@vlad23i "Now if youre compairing 30k new vs used then any used car in comparison would need some sort of servicing at some point vs new" Sure, I guess the concern is that the BMW E92 M3 is almost an exotic car with maintenance costs not far off a Ferrari or Porsche. Which is obviously not going to be the case with a humble Subaru BRZ that is closely related to the humble Subaru Impreza!

@@TassieLorenzo i own both the e90m3 and e92m3 and i can tell you i havent spent anywhere close to porsche/ferrari money to service and maintain them, not sure where people are getting these assumptions from for the e9xM3 chassis. Yeah there are lemons out there but can be applied to any car brand out there

Sigh...

@@Zygrene you know it’s true 😁