Category: Affordable Sports 
Price Range: £50,725 to £50,725
Performance, handling, quality, styling, practicality, value retention
Pricey, not quite as much fun as the original 1986 M3, slightly too vulgar for some. CSL very expensive; SMG transmission flawed; Convertible has less rear room and smaller boot
One of the great performance cars, and so easy to live with
An M3 must be very cautiously bought when used, because it may well have had a hard life. Look for evidence via scuffed alloy wheels, well-worn tyres and accident damage - and reject anything with a dubious history or without the correct paperwork. But never mind that this car is based on a Coupe that can be had for almost half the money - the M3 is very well assembled from fine quality materials, and has proved durable and largely trouble-free in use. The Convertible's fabric roof, which comes with a glass rear window, is multi-layered, of high quality and seals well. The SMG sequential gearbox can get through clutches quite fast, however.
Latest Readers' Drives About the BMW 3-Series Coupe
wrote on 21 09 2007