[goj]

Originally Posted by beemerlover13

Yeah I'm definitely gonna do the g20 now.. I almost signed for an f30 msport this week though lol

I love my f30 lol but I will be upgrading when the g20 lci comes out

[zhp4life]

Originally Posted by beemerlover13

Supposedly it was bought from a collector in NY. I saw the carfax and it had all services done and recalls.. I'm still a little leery buying sight unseen..

that 38k miles ZHP was a really nice car, you won't be able to find with that kinda mileage.... I also missed it. looks like it went to NC.

however a true collector always keep the car factory original, there was some mod made to it...

https://www.avaziauto.com/2003_BMW_3...D_22342441.veh

[MmmmmM2]

Very interesting comparison.

[Fuller]

Originally Posted by beemerlover13

Yeah I'm definitely gonna do the g20 now.. I almost signed for an f30 msport this week though lol

Good choice. The e46 sounds tempting with so few original miles, but at this point I see it more as a weekend or novelty car, not your daily driver. For your daily driver go with the g20. If you really want the e46, you could consider a more economical, new daily driver to free up the money you'll need to purchase and maintain the e46.

[scoale]

Originally Posted by beemerlover13

So my lease is coming up soon and I've found a good deal on a one-owner 2003 E46 330i ZHP with 38k original miles in Imola Red! But I am also liking the 2019 G20 330i M Sport besides the rear end and non-manual.

Just curious what other's think I should do.

Have you driven both? How important is new tech and a warranty? Is this a daily?

I've owned a lot of cool cars and the ZHP is the one I owned the longest and still regret selling. All of the traits that built the brand are present. Also a very easy car to work on.

[wknddrivr]

Go with the E46.

I have a G30 5 and E36 M3. Whenever I drive the E36 I never miss any of the “features” from the G30. Whenever I drive the G30 I miss how the E36 drives. The only thing I wish the E36 had is better seats...that’s really the only thing I prefer about my 5 series.

You’re buying a car not a video game. Get the one you enjoy driving the most.

[Fuller]

Originally Posted by ssquared

Go with the E46.

I have a G30 5 and E36 M3. Whenever I drive the E36 I never miss any of the "features" from the G30. Whenever I drive the G30 I miss how the E36 drives. The only thing I wish the E36 had is better seats...that's really the only thing I prefer about my 5 series.

You're buying a car not a video game. Get the one you enjoy driving the most.

You mean your e36 m3 drives much different than your new 5 series? Strange....

[Hank Moody]

That seems really high to me, even with the low miles.

Originally Posted by beemerlover13

They're asking 23k for it.. but has 38k original miles..I dunno if I wanna spend that kinda money on a 15 year old car..

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by Hank Moody

That seems really high to me, even with the low miles.

No way I'd pay $23k for an old E46 that isn't even an M3, even with ZHP, thats rediculous, especially with its short lifetime left and high maintenance cost. I love the E46, but its way too old, expensive to maintain and your better off finding one on craigslist and putting some money into it, or just spend $25k on a miata for the weekends or some other newer sports car.

[wknddrivr]

Originally Posted by Fuller

You mean your e36 m3 drives much different than your new 5 series? Strange....

My point was that the OP shouldn’t worry too much about missing the tech, the driving experience makes up for it.

The E36 and my E90 are much better than the G30. G30 steering is numb and the throttle response is sluggish. The chassis is incredible and very capable but there’s very little emotion or feel in driving it, it’s just bland. I got it only for the comfort seats because my back is messed up.

The G20 is definitely a step in the right direction and improvement over the crappy driving dynamics of the F30 but it’s still no e90, e46 or e36. Id be happy driving the older more engaging car and giving up the tech.

The M2 is the only BMW that’s out currently that actually drives like a BMW. If you like how a BMW drives then the E46 is the better car. The G20 is better than the F30 but still rather boring to drive. Hopefully the new M3 will be more engaging.

[Fuller]

Originally Posted by ssquared

My point was that the OP shouldn’t worry too much about missing the tech, the driving experience makes up for it.

The E36 and my E90 are much better than the G30. G30 steering is numb and the throttle response is sluggish. The chassis is incredible and very capable but there’s very little emotion or feel in driving it, it’s just bland. I got it only for the comfort seats because my back is messed up.

The G20 is definitely a step in the right direction and improvement over the crappy driving dynamics of the F30 but it’s still no e90, e46 or e36. Id be happy driving the older more engaging car and giving up the tech.

The M2 is the only BMW that’s out currently that actually drives like a BMW. If you like how a BMW drives then the E46 is the better car. The G20 is better than the F30 but still rather boring to drive. Hopefully the new M3 will be more engaging.

He seems to be debating either an e46 (3 series, not m3) vs a g20 as his dd. It leads me to believe one or the other. You obviously have a modern 5 series in addition to your e36, and I assume that's for a reason. If all you had to rely on was your old e36 day in day out, your opinion might be different, regardless of how rewarding it is to drive. Old cars are charming and all, but they depreciate for a reason. The cars that don't are not daily drivers.

[wknddrivr]

Originally Posted by Fuller

He seems to be debating either an e46 (3 series, not m3) vs a g20 as his dd. It leads me to believe one or the other. You obviously have a modern 5 series in addition to your e36, and I assume that's for a reason. If all you had to rely on was your old e36 day in day out, your opinion might be different, regardless of how rewarding it is to drive. Old cars are charming and all, but they depreciate for a reason. The cars that don't are not daily drivers.

Fair point and yes, the reason I have the G30 is because it and the 7 series with multicontour seats were the only BMWs that had seats that agreed with my back. My other options with good seats were a Volvo S90, Mercedes E, and Nissan Altima. At the time the M2 comp wasn’t out yet and the seats in the OG weren’t amazing and the F80 comp didn’t have the right amount of lumbar support for me. Porsche has great seats but it was too low for me to get into with my condition.

I was daily driving the E36 and taking it on many 5-6hr road trips until my back was injured. Now the car is basically a fun drive once a week car until I’m recovered from my back surgery.

Whether I’ll be able to get back to daily driving it? No idea. If not, I’ll probably go to the M2 comp after the G30 since the seats were improved over the OG M2. I’m also anxiously awaiting the new G80 M3 and hoping BMW doesn’t screw us out of the manual.

I really like the direction BMW went with the G20 over the F30, but I still prefer how the older generations feel and that I could get them with manual transmissions without having to go to an M model.

[clee1982]

your g30 530 throttle feels sluggish (I have g30 540 and in sports mode it's linear and instant, no kick just smooth)?

I mean compare to G20 330 I can imagine the weight make g30 530 feel sluggish, but would really be surprised if your E36 has better throttle response (more of a feel than actual torque figure I imagine?)

[wknddrivr]

Originally Posted by clee1982

your g30 530 throttle feels sluggish (I have g30 540 and in sports mode it's linear and instant, no kick just smooth)?

I mean compare to G20 330 I can imagine the weight make g30 530 feel sluggish, but would really be surprised if your E36 has better throttle response (more of a feel than actual torque figure I imagine?)

Yes there’s a bit of delay with the throttle in the g30. It has nothing to do with torque or speed or how fast the 0-60 time is, it’s just the delay from when your foot hits the accelerator until the engine responds to your input.

With sport mode the delay reduced significantly but still blatantly obvious. Every G30 I have driven has a delayed response compared to the E36. The 540i is even worse than the 530 for some reason (although the 540 is better at pretty much everything else the 530i has it beat on throttle response)

It doesn’t surprise me much because my e90 had a bit of delay as well as every e46 m3 I’ve driven. I think it’s due to the drive by wire on the newer cars. E36 is cable driven throttle so there’s no filter between you and the engine. The e46/e90/g30 all have a bit of a lag

I know a few e46 m3 owners who went so far as to replace the drive by wire system with an old school cable throttle

[nik14]

Originally Posted by bimmer_335

Pick it up and put it in the garage. It will pay for a new M3 one day.

now don't ask me when that day will come... but it will.

Originally Posted by beemerlover13

So my lease is coming up soon and I've found a good deal on a one-owner 2003 E46 330i ZHP with 38k original miles in Imola Red! But I am also liking the 2019 G20 330i M Sport besides the rear end and non-manual.

Just curious what other's think I should do.

Interesting. I faced a similar dilemma. I bought a RWD E46 in 2003 and kept it for 8 years. I loved that car. I then traded that in and got a E90
in 2011. I soon regretted that. The E90
was heavy and did not have the agility of the E46. Then in 2014, I ended up trading that E90 in and leasing an F30. At the end of the lease I went searching for another RWD E46 and got it. The car was exceptionally maintained and had only 51k miles. In the last 2 years I have not had any issue ( I did do a proactive cooling system refresh though) and and have put 33k miles on the car and it has performed beautifully. When I first went to test drive the G20, I thought my E46 was a better car and was not interested in changing. My wife recently took delivery of a G01, however, and I really grew to like many of the bells and whistles ( much more than my F30 had). And after a couple more test drives of the G20, that too grew on me and I ordered one and will take delivery in June. I plan on selling the E46 to a friend. This E46 is still a great car, but I don't have the emotional connection I did to the first one. Plus, that one was beautiful, Orient Blue and Natural Brown/Black.

[G80indy]

Calling all e46 owners.....
Regarding the temptations for new cars' -->bells and whistles.
Specifically being able to stream music take calls and use waze, through your audio system.
Update your car for less than $30. !!!
This little gem saved me tens of thousands for a newer car.... It breathed new life into my young 330i sport! Look into this, and do yourself a solid!
You're welcome.