Sell Tacoma for BMW M3? KEEPING TACOMA

Get both. Life is short.

 

Prick

 

Sold my 335i for a truck, I used the bmw to commute to school but quickly realized I needed something I can get off of the pavement in. 335i with a couple grand in mods will smoke a stock m3, although the e90 m3s are something special to look at. I would definitely own another bmw, that german engineering is pretty amazing, and if you work on your own cars they aren't too costly to maintain.

 

I had a derivative of the E46 M3, the E85 Z4M. It's the same engine. These M cars go up in value which is the crazy part...I don't know about the M3, but Z3/Z4 M do hold their value. As others have mentioned, you have to worry about the VANOS... The engine is a bit Jekyll and hyde. Below 3500 RPM, it's rather mundane a only a bit slower than the 3.0SI. Above that it's a torque monster respective to itself...but it comes alive and will have you smile ear to ear even though it's not a 500 HP+ machine. At least the Z4M was for me. The issue is that you really can't go anywhere fast that is safe...so unless you track the car or go remote...driving in the city is a limited.

Next is the maintenance... valve jobs if I remember is $1200+ and brake jobs are $2000. Oil change is $300....parts for oil job is $100+. Most BMW that I have been in are a hoot to drive... it's well planted and can sometimes track the road which can be annoying since driving straight is a pain at time... the alignment can be finicky is what I am getting at.

The seats are very comfortable for long drives and hugs you well... I'm probably telling you something you already know...but if you don't maintenance is very costly in sports cars. Most cars drop about 50% in 2 years from new. The exception are the rare M cars... 135M cost more now than new or same price as it was new which is crazy. M3 is not that rare of a car though compared to the Z4 and 135.

Good luck finding a clean taken care of M3... Older BMW are costly to fix because parts are so darn expensive. Leasing or buying a used newer BMW makes more sense since it's mostly covered all parts. Just remember the maintenance cost before you get an M car.

 

E90 M3 6 spd FTW nothing like revving that V8 to 8k rpm

But what do I know...

 

Man that looks so good.. This is hopefully someday I can creat something similar to this..

 

This. I have a 335i msport E93 and it is SO different from my Taco. I enjoy both but there's no overlap beyond the basic transportation aspect. VASTLY different in what they provide and in how I drive them.

Think through what you use the Taco for and think thru how you'd used the Bimmer. If you can't swing both go with whichever best does what you *need* to do followed by what you want to do.

 

The older M cars (S52 and S54 engines) are pretty easy until you get to the in-depth stuff. I rebuilt the entire cooling system on my coupe which had the M54 ($600), very similar to the S54 engine. Brakes are even easier, if you can do the front brakes of a Tacoma you can do all 4 on a BMW (from that era) bought new performance pads/rotors for a few hundred and did the work myself. I did my own oil changes for <$50. I was quoted $2000 for basic suspension replacement, they said it was an all day job and they may have had to keep it overnight... it took me 6 hours and I used better parts.

Bottom line... if you can do your own work it's not nearly as expensive as everyone thinks.

 

Only you can make this decision!

 

I traded a 550i for a Tacoma DCSB. The 550i was a sexy beast, but the Taco is just so much more useful. BMWs can be lots of fun though. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

Now I want a BMW again...

 

well, I guess I'm just going to have to have both.. Fuck me and fuck my wallet.

 

I sold my S4 about 6 months after buying the Tacoma. The car was silly fast but it was a maintenance whore. After pulling the motor twice in a year I was ready to move on.

Personally, I wouldn't buy an older German car unless I had another vehicle to drive.

 

You do not have real world problems if your car of choice for driving to school is a M3. Enjoy the car you have and finish your education.

 

How do you do $50 oil changes unless you don't care about the OEM oil (German Castrol). It's design for long life...parts alone are $100+ closer to $130 now with filter. Parts for rotors and pads on Z4M was about $1200 for all four... Even aftermarket was about similar price if you wanted track level brakes. I think the older german cars are much easier to work with... when you get to VANOS and then all the computer back up parts that have sensors that supposed to protect the engine...fail and become a hazard to the engine...it's a nightmare to debug unless you have all the OBD tools and their software and training. Respect that you did all your repairs though.

 

Haha 1st world problems.. At least I only have 6 months until freedom.

 

Do what makes you happy. They are fun vehicles and cost can add up if neglected. I used to work at an independent BMW Shop for 6 years and owned 3. Two E30's with an M50 and S52 Swaps. Sold them and got an E46 330I and swapped in an S54, engine to drivetrain and suspension. Sold the e46 and got my 3rd gen Taco and a 2016 BMW S1000RR. I love the truck cause i can toss anything in the bed and have fun. I don't have to worry about speed bumps or driving over pot holes and finding the smoothest route to my destination. The motorcycle, well i take that to the track when i need a rush.

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That e46 is one of the greatest things I've ever seen.

 

Whatever floats your boat. I guess it comes down to: Would you rather drift in dirt, go anywhere and in any condition? Or would you rather go a bit faster only on pavement or asphalt and pay more to upgrade shit and maintain it?