M3 purchase ???

Go read the current Motor Trend. They love the thing with the competition pack.

You could live with it in the winter but you probably wouldn't enjoy it. If possible get any kind of beater for the winter. Whatever is in your budget. It also makes Spring so nice to look forward to. I just put away my 740i and rolled out the M5.

But even if you don't want a winter car - get the car you want and drive the hell out of it! Just be careful in bad weather.

Have fun.

What's "winter" where you live? Here in Southern California it'd be no problem, unless you lived in the mountains and then the thing would be in your garage and you'd be driving some little front-driver you picked up for

500 bucks. ;-)

If the M3 is the car you want then that's the car you should get.

Jeff

All input is

"Julie" wrote in news:3I14e.893094$8l.449204@pd7tw1no:

How about this one?

At the time, I sent email to the author asking whether he thought the M3 would make a suitable daily driver. He assured me it would.

Kevin

Julie,

The engine defect was (supposedly) a supplier problem and was "fixed" some years back. A new car would be unaffected.

What I would worry about is the rough ride of the M3. I have a 2003 330i zhp and before I bought it I toyed with getting an M3. The zhp suspension/tires are a little softer than the M3. I am glad I did not get an M3 as the zhp is plenty rough riding enough, thank you. If you have very smooth roads where you live or you are tolerant of buck-board rides, the M3 will not be a problem. I live in Michigan so the roads have plenty of bumps and I don't care for a buck-board ride (went through that plenty in my LT1/ZO6 Corvette years). Wish the zhp were smoother riding.

As for winter use, if you get a lot of snow, the lack of ground clearance will stop you no matter how good snow tires you put on and you WILL need snow tires with any amount of snow fall. The car is so low that more than a few inches of snow turns it into a snow plow.

The latest Car & Driver has a long-term review of a 911 with 4WD. The thing was useless in snow until they put snow tires on and then it worked fine. Expect worse with a summer tires equipped M3.