[nyqueenz]

Depends on how bad you want that M/// I would just wait till the right time to buy one.. I'm pretty sure a deal would come your way pretty soon.. I wouldn't worry about mileages so much unless you plan on "not" keeping the car or trading it off later. To me BMW even with higher mileages all drive the same, as long as the upkeep is well maintained the car would last you many years..

so just wait it out till the time is right and find yourself a nice m to pick up.

[Toby22]

yea for someone looking into an e46 m3, a g35 coupe is a great substitute. Of course its not an M, but with the money you save you can put it towards a TT build, volk/work wheels, and suspension. They go for so cheap now, and looks amazing!

350z and s2k if you dont need backseats

[m3vert7590]

i used to have a 350z with cams, supercharger nismo wheels , etc. great car for the money and if ur after performance than i would go with the 350z/g35 coupe ... for a few grand they can be very fast . and they are realy nice car, but i still cant compare to an e46 m3 . the m3 is much more solid and the inline 6 is super smooth. if ur on a budget and dont wanna spend mucch on maintanance i would say go for the g35

[m3vert7590]

i spent 2500 bucks on a supercharger and made 400whp RELIABLY out of my 350z.

[nyqueenz]

Next best thing besides my M// BTW Toby22 your Z was lookin sweet in that sig pic.

[rexxin]

I didn't like my s2k all that much.. NO torque.. none

[wyskass]

Originally Posted by lucky_doggg7

The next best thing to an M3 that is not a BMW at all would be a Honda S2000 with the F22C motor with a Hondata ECU reflash. These cars are pure handlers, if you can get used to driving it fast, like you hate it - heh heh. I auto-x with a few friends who have these cars and they are pretty quick around the course and since it's a Honda, it'll be low maintenance.

Agree 100%.
S2000 follows the same engineering philosophy, of high revs and maxed out tuning.
I liked my Miata, but the S2000 is like a smaller, racier alternative to an M3 Vert.
Had to go with 4 seats though.

[mzeed]

7 or 8 years ago, I switched cars with a co-worker who leased a s2k....I had an 02MZ3 that was 3 years old. We both agreed that the Honda was junk......and he realized how much better a BMW was in steering and suspension....even one with 50K on the odometer. Simply need to keep the s2ki near redline where the roadster was a monster at 6K amd above but still balsy enough at 2.5K rpms.

[CJPatel]

Picked up a 335i M-Sport, and I'm loving it thus far. Its a hair slower and less agressive track setup, but updated, and more comfortable. This fits my driving needs a lot better. happy with my choice.

[|sland|2oots]

S2000 gets my vote as well. Having owned both, I can say the S2000 is just a blast to drive with the top down. A 8-9k redline (depending on which year u get), RWD, one of the best 6spd transmissions and u have a great alternative to the M3. Car is gorgeous too. Oh yeah, no Vanos/subframe issues.