legacy or m3?

hey guys ive been watching this board for some time now and im looking to get a car in about a year so im doing my research now. i have a question that i want your guys opinions on as fellow car guys if you could get either a 2006 legacy gt limited 5eat with navi with about 20k miles or so, or a 2002 bmw m3 with smg and navi with about 40k miles for the same price(around $23k) which would you get? i love what the legacy has to offer but the m3 is my dream car.

legacy

pros:

awd

turbo

easy to mod

4 doors

nice looks

reliable and will last forever

cons:

not as flashy

not a m3

auto tranny instead of smg

need to mod to make fast

m3

pros:

lots of power

no real need to mod

sexy looking car

prestige

smg tranny

high end interior

cons:

reliablity? ive heard some bad things about bmw

rwd

two doors

maintianance costs

im just not really sure if i was buying right now which i would go for the legacy would cost more to mod it to be fast and look good, but the m3 will cost more in maintainance. if it helps i will be married by then bt no kids for a couple years.

thanks for the help and go easy on me:icon_cool

you've listed a bunch of pros and cons, but what is most important to you? do you want 4 door or 2? do you want RWD or AWD? Sure, there's "prestige" with owning an M3, but I'd rather keep my money in my pocket instead of giving it to the mechanic.

I almost dropped the cash down for a 2001 audi avant s4 before I got the legacy, but than I thought about the reliability factor.

And just how fast do you really need the car anyways?

M3.....unless winter weather is a priority.

It will hold its value better, so if you wish to try out the LGT, you can flip the M3, and then pickup the LGT for even less:icon_bigg .

If, by your name, you are from the Lake Tahoe area, I would really get the Legacy. In a RWD M3 you are going to be fishtailing all over the place when the snow hits.

If you aren't from the Tahoe area (or other snow-laden area), then I'd go with the M3. The simple fact that you even mentione prestige as a pro, means it is more the car for you.

My friend Josh has a 2006 M3. It is a nice car.

For the amount of money he spent on it you can make a LGT a faster flashier car and still have cash in yoru pocket. As far as accelaration goes our modded LGT out accelerates his M3 up to about 60. Over 90 MPH we are screwed though. The LGT is not made to move at those speeds.

Drivign back on the Autobahn from Kaiserlautern to Mannheim at 2 AM I was able to cruise along at 140 MPH in the M3. The ride was smooth and comnfortable. It would not have been that nice a ride at those speeds in the LGT.

For the amount of money he spent on it you can make a LGT a faster flashier car and still have cash in yoru pocket. As far as accelaration goes our modded LGT out accelerates his M3 up to about 60. Over 90 MPH we are screwed though. The LGT is not made to move at those speeds.

For the amount of money you spent on the LGT, I could make a Ford Festiva be faster and flashier and still have cash in my pocket.

hey guys ive been watching this board for some time now and im looking to get a car in about a year so im doing my research now. i have a question that i want your guys opinions on as fellow car guys if you could get either a 2006 legacy gt limited 5eat with navi with about 20k miles or so, or a 2002 bmw m3 with smg and navi with about 40k miles for the same price(around $23k) which would you get? i love what the legacy has to offer but the m3 is my dream car.

 

im just not really sure if i was buying right now which i would go for the legacy would cost more to mod it to be fast and look good, but the m3 will cost more in maintainance. if it helps i will be married by then bt no kids for a couple years.

thanks for the help and go easy on me:icon_cool

The way I see it, since the M3 is your dream car and if you rarely see snow, then get it is obvious you should get it. However, if you do live where it snows and you cannot afford a cheap fwd/awd beater, then get the LGT.

For the amount of money you spent on the LGT, I could make a Ford Festiva be faster and flashier and still have cash in my pocket.

Doubt it.

The way I see it, since the M3 is your dream car and if you rarely see snow, then get it is obvious you should get it.

I agree.

Doubt it.

Festiva with an LS1/T56 and a Ford 9" rear end. Who cares about turning.

My analogy still stands, you shouldn't be comparing cars by doing the whole "I save X amount of money by buying the cheaper car and if I throw that money into mods, I will be faster than the more expensive car"

Then again, I'm glad I didnt buy that Veyron. Now I can take the 1.4 million I saved and throw it back into the 2.5i and have the faster car.

add this to cons of the M3: too common, too many ppl drive one, every tool, his sister, mother and gf drives one, at least in the cities i've been in, the number of non-performance owners out there have ruined the car for me.

Ed

2002 M3 with SMG and 40k in mileage? I wonder how much you might end up paying in maintenance costs down the road...

2005+ M3, no question - get that (if you can afford it). Otherwise LGT baby...

If you dont have a comfortable margin of living and putting down 23k on a car is going to be a big investment then you should probably get the LGT for increased reliability/ lower maintenance costs. I made the same analysis when picking cars and realized I could afford the inital cost but knew down the road in at about 75k miles everything would go to hell.

I know nothing about the M3's maintenance costs, but for what the Subie dealers are charging at the 30k miles intervals, I'd seriously mull over even the LGT. Personally I did the fluids myself but most owners aren't going that route, so they gotta pay. Subie ain't cheap, although it may be lower.

hey guys ive been watching this board for some time now and im looking to get a car in about a year so im doing my research now. i have a question that i want your guys opinions on as fellow car guys if you could get either a 2006 legacy gt limited 5eat with navi with about 20k miles or so, or a 2002 bmw m3 with smg and navi with about 40k miles for the same price(around $23k) which would you get? i love what the legacy has to offer but the m3 is my dream car.

legacy

pros:

awd

turbo

easy to mod

4 doors

nice looks

reliable and will last forever

 

cons:

not as flashy

not a m3

auto tranny instead of smg

need to mod to make fast

 

m3

pros:

lots of power

no real need to mod

sexy looking car

prestige

smg tranny

high end interior

 

cons:

reliablity? ive heard some bad things about bmw

rwd

two doors

maintianance costs

 

im just not really sure if i was buying right now which i would go for the legacy would cost more to mod it to be fast and look good, but the m3 will cost more in maintainance. if it helps i will be married by then bt no kids for a couple years.

thanks for the help and go easy on me:icon_cool

M3's are nice cars. Thats a good dream car.

HOWEVER, looking at a used BMW is a bad idea. People beat the shit out of those cars from my experience. IF you live by any kind of snow, you'll regret RWD real fast. In my opinion, getting a used BMW would take a lot of the special away from the car. I say get the '06LGT and start saving for a brand new M3 in a few years. That way you can have your cake and eat it too.

23k for an '02 m3?

Repo?

Maybe 33k

My last car was a 2003 M3. Due to the engine failures of early production cars, I would not buy an '02 model (even with BMWNA bumping the warranty to 100K for the lubricated parts and doing a 'service action'). More info on the failures:

http://yoy.com/yoy/auto/m3_failwhat.shtml

http://members.roadfly.com/jason/m3engines.htm

The other issue you face with the M3 is a high maintenance cost; and if the SMG fails, it will be $$$ to repair.

It is a fun car to drive but I would recommend a newer model.

hey guys ive been watching this board for some time now and im looking to get a car in about a year so im doing my research now. i have a question that i want your guys opinions on as fellow car guys if you could get either a 2006 legacy gt limited 5eat with navi with about 20k miles or so, or a 2002 bmw m3 with smg and navi with about 40k miles for the same price(around $23k) which would you get? i love what the legacy has to offer but the m3 is my dream car.

legacy

pros:

awd

turbo

easy to mod

4 doors

nice looks

reliable and will last forever

 

cons:

not as flashy

not a m3

auto tranny instead of smg

need to mod to make fast

 

m3

pros:

lots of power

no real need to mod

sexy looking car

prestige

smg tranny

high end interior

 

cons:

reliablity? ive heard some bad things about bmw

rwd

two doors

maintianance costs

 

im just not really sure if i was buying right now which i would go for the legacy would cost more to mod it to be fast and look good, but the m3 will cost more in maintainance. if it helps i will be married by then bt no kids for a couple years.

thanks for the help and go easy on me:icon_cool

You said it yourself, the M3 is your dream car, get that.

m3 hands down. I'm sorry but this is one the LGT has no chance in hell at winning. I'd sacrifice anything to be able to own an m3 and if you've driven it you know why already.

All im wondering: how the hell is it only $23k?!? The closest 2002 m3 price iIve been able to find is above $30k with double the miles. I know cars are overpriced where I live but... damn.

I know nothing about the M3's maintenance costs, but for what the Subie dealers are charging at the 30k miles intervals, I'd seriously mull over even the LGT. Personally I did the fluids myself but most owners aren't going that route, so they gotta pay. Subie ain't cheap, although it may be lower.

30K mile service (Inspection 1 for M3) runs $1600 for the s54 at Bay Area dealers. Indy shops will do it for 7 or 8hundo.

Oh.. so that's where I went wrong

Even if I was single I may have a 4 door car....05 M5......

2 Door.....06 supercharged vette;)

Well @ least my wagon can run with one of them....

I've owned lots of German cars, including a BMW. In general, great road feel, great ergonomics, EXPEN$IVE repairs and maintenance. Every time you write the check, you'll ask if it's worth it. You'll rationalize that it is, until a certain point when you can't take it anymore. Exactly when that point comes often depends on how lucky you are. My Legacy with AWD and manual transmission comes pretty close to the road feel, but admittedly, the ergonomics are not quite "German" enough for me. Still, the (thus far) 8,000 absolutely trouble free miles have me firmly in it's camp at this point. A BMW will definitely and decisively win a few rounds in the fight, but the overall match will go to the Subaru.