They buy her...keep her fully stock...keep the miles down.

But still keep the MINI as your daily driver. If you believe it will be a classic, then you need to keep it accordingly.

 

Skip the M3 and buy a used 335i. The 335i is only a hair slower than the E92 M3 and probably handles better because of lower weight. I have a 335i coupe. I drove a new M3 and can honestly say the 335i was easier to drive, handle etc. and got a tad better mileage. If you can keep the Mini and go for the M3, Do it.

 

E46M3 is a luxo box.

Drive a E30 M3 and you will understand. E36 is a great car too, also the hatch is a very fun and different car, altho i have yet to drive M3 hatch.

 

R56 S 2668 lbs
E30 M3 2895 lbs +227 9%
E36 M3 3175 lbs +507 19%
E46 M3 3415 lbs +747 28%
E92 M3 3704 lbs +1036 39%

 

To make sense of this posting, tazio, how about including the power to weight ratios. The fact that the E92 M3 weighs half a ton more than the Mini proves nothing.

 

M3's often sell with "market addition" cost.
That's a rip off.

If your desire is to be noticed, both will do it for you.

Go with the R56 and mac it out with your personal style.
It'll still be a fraction of the M3 cost.
A year from now, you'll still have good residual value if you want the M3.

 

Weight is a performance killer all around, in braking, cornering, acceleration, handling. Power can not fix all of those.

 

Just like bhatch says, power/weight matters in acceleration, but all the power in the world will not help change the -ve effects of inertial mass in transient handling, braking, response to steering input, and driving feel. Steady-state cornering g's do not equal handling, a mistake often made by bench racers. Put simply: weight is the sports car antichrist. Those that debate this have been too long away from lightweight sports cars.

 

One of the minor reasons I choose the MINI was insurance cost. It was cheap compared to other 'performance' small cars I was interested in.

How does that M3 stack up?

My MINI is far fast enough for me (no track racing), although RWD would be nice.

 

I couldn't agree more re more weight less cornering ability. However, one must also take into consideration the contact patch of the tire, the tire compound and the suspension bias/setup. A NASCAR car can hit close to 200MPH, if not more, on those oval corners. And those things weigh close to 4000 pounds. There are way to many variables to consider. One thing is for sure. Two identical cars with identical suspension setups and identical tires but with one of the cars weighted down with let's say 500 lbs, somewhere close to the center of mass, the lighter car will always outrun the latter in corners and acceleration.

 

If you are into going fast around large ovals (nothing wrong with that) then an E92 M3 would definitely be a better choice than a Mini. That's not really what I am into, though.

Never shared a track with an E92, but I can tell you that an R53 Mini with JCWesque power can easily outpace an E46 M3. You'll lose a little to them on the straights, but you will be doing major damage to them everywhere else. Good times.

 

In fact, it can only fix one. And that one is relatively unimportant, imo.

 

Amen, brother goat.

 

You have omitted another very important part of the equation, the driver. I tend to disagree with you. ALL other things being equal, except the cars of course, I'd put my money on the more powerful car with a greater HP to weight ratio. There is no doubt in my mind that a Mini is quick on the corners. I drive one every day and it is like a go kart. But my 335i, albeit heavier by about 1000 lbs, also handles like it's on rails. This is debate that no one can win.

 

No one who believes that power-to-weight is the ultimate metric of performance, that is.

 

You obviously have not paid close attention to what I have in the past posted. I do NOT bellieve power to weight is the metric of performance. Read my earlier postings.

 

 

I would suggest you go ahead and test drive the E46 and then come back and tell us what you think...numbers don't mean anything...luxo box...give me a break...it's not an Escalade.

 

Falsely accused, sir! I never called the E46 a "luxo box". That was Bhatch.

I called it a "bloated luxo-barge." Which is much more accurate.

 

Your right, i was totally wrong on that one.

It is more a bloated luxo-barge then a luxo-box...i was completely off the mark on that one.

It is a good street car

 

Thanks, Bhatch. It takes a lot of guts to admit you're wrong.

 

I'd had an E46 M3 for almost 3 years when I bought my first R53 MINI back in late 2005. It was my first reminder in years of ever heavier/more powerful cars that weight is the enemy as many others have stated. I think one of the major reasons people think of their MINI's as excellent handlers is because of the weight factor making transitions so easy. You could hustle the M3 around but were always aware of its heft. A while later I got a Cayman S and the MINI had to go. 2900ish lbs, same power/weight ratio as the M3, AND mid-engine/rwd make for a very easy car to drive fast on the track or auto-X. Now the lease on my "other" car, an Audi A3 was close enough to being up, and I replaced it with an R56 MINI. Everyone's circumstances are different, but no way would I have returned to another E46 and the new V8 M3 is way too bloated to even consider. I would say keep your MINI but owning a fast car with sounds like God's own chorus might be worth doing at least once in your life.