2008 M3 vs. 2009 335i:  Should You Pay Almost Twice As Much For The BMW M3?

"Torque Affair" (torqueaffair) 11/01/2015 at 13:14 • Filed to: BMW M3, BMW 335

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I’ve wanted an E92 M3 for so long that as soon as I purchased my 2009 335i, I immediately wondered if I had made a mistake. I have never liked the boring, uninspiring looks of the 335i but I found driving it so much fun that I couldn’t pass it up when I found it on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . But as it turns out, I couldn’t help but compare it to my friend Alex’s !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that he bought earlier this year, and as we all know: comparison is the death of joy.

I just like the way the M3 looks so much better. Of course, there is much more to admire about the M3 than just looks – it is, after all, one of the most revered sports cars ever built.

But here was my question. Alex paid roughly $31K for his whereas I paid only $17.5K for the 335i. That’s almost half! So what I was really interested in finding out is if his M3 was worth $14K more than my used 335i?

Or to put it another way, I wanted to convince myself that it was ok to have opted for the 335i instead of the M3.

So I called Alex and asked him to join me for some driving and comparing.

Me: Hey man, let’s drive.

Alex: Sorry, can’t – got plans with my girlfriend.

Me: What? You’re picking your girlfriend over me? I can’t believe you’d rather hang out with her than go drive with me? What’s wrong with you?

And so this went on for a while until we finally got a chance to meet up.

Now, before we dive into this intelligent and scientific comparison that mainly focuses around my personal feelings on the matter, keep in mind that we’re comparing the cars exactly how we bought them. Sure, with modifications you could totally change the comparison, but for the purposes of this writeup, we are only looking at these cars for what they are.

$31K 2008 M3 w/ 59K miles vs. a $17.5K 2009 335i w/ 53K miles (both are manuals because we wouldn’t have them any other way)

Looks

I love the bulging looks of the M3: it is the muscular, roid-pumped version of the skinnier 335i. Even after washing and waxing my 335i over and over again, hoping that somehow the looks would grow on me, I still don’t find the 335i to be all that attractive.

Looking at the 335i puts me to sleep . . zzzzz. The M3 on the other hand...now that’s more like it!

The M3 is already off to a good start and gets a point here.

335i-0, M3-1

Interior

The interior is largely the same for both cars, except the M3 doesn’t let you forget that you’re in an M-car. Besides the M-badging in multiple places along with an M-button, the steering wheel in the M3 is much thicker. The big difference here is that the iDrive in my car looks and functions better – but that’s because my car is a year newer and has the upgraded version.

If you don’t notice the M-logos and don’t pay attention to the steering wheel, you wouldn’t know which car you were sitting in.

By the way, the seatbelt extenders in both cars are equally useless. You may get the belt handed to you but that will happen only about .00001% of the time.

I will say that when you do get the belt handed to you, you will feel true happiness since you can hardly believe that it actually worked.

I won’t give either car a point here because I will only award points if one of the two cars clearly excels in a specific category.

335i-0, M3-1

Wheels

My 335i has terrible stock wheels – I hate them. I don’t particularly like the wheels on Alex’s car either but I do like the variety of factory wheels that come with the E9x M3. Because the M3 has flared out wheel wells and fenders, bigger wheels look and fit better on the M3 than they do on the 335i.

Sure, the wheels could be easily changed on the 335i, but remember, we are just comparing the cars for how we bought them. I won’t be keeping the 335i for long anyway so there’s no point in changing anything – I’d just rather complain about them.

Besides the 335i stock wheels being ugly, there is an additional problem. They come with runflats which result in two things: a harsher ride and no traction. This means that I spend quite a bit of time sliding around on the road whenever I push the 335i…even just a tiny bit, like, accidentally pushing in the accelerator a little more as I’m adjusting my seating position.

On a separate note, when I do engage in some spirited driving with the 335i, I feel like I must be the only one. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 335i driven aggressively since they’re mostly being driven by older folks who should’ve spent $10K less on the 328i instead. What they really should be driving, though, is an Accord.

The M3 also has really nice looking giant, drilled rotors to go along with the big wheels. The M3 gets a point here.

335i-0, M3-2

Power

When I was searching for a car to buy, I was only casually interested in a 335i but when I came across the one that I now own, not only was it a 6-speed manual but it also had a Dinan tune on it.

I was curious about how much more power a Dinan tune would add and drove it to find out. I was surprised by what I experienced. Apparently, the turbos on these cars are quite strong and so the upgraded tune bumped up the stock power output from 300 hp, 300 lb-ft of torque to roughly 350 hp, 370 lb-ft of torque. That made a pretty significant difference and things really got exciting beyond 3000 rpms – the car pulled much harder than I was expecting.

So you see, I had no choice but to buy the car.

Alex’s M3 doesn’t feel quite as fast off the line (it has 295 lb-ft of torque) but once it gets going and you keep the revs high, the car is pretty fast. Alex did like how much useable power my car had at lower rpms which from a daily driving perspective is the better of two alternatives.

Given that one car has more torque and the other has more horsepower, I think they balance each other out so I’ll keep the score the same in this category.

335i-0, M3-2

Sound

I’m going to deduct a point here from the 335i. The 335i stock exhaust is so muted that you can barely hear anything below 5K rpms and at 6-7k rpm there’s a straining noise emanating from the engine that doesn’t sound good at all. The M3 V8 on the other hand sounds delightful which comparatively makes the 335i sound even worse!

Here are some clips of us driving.

335i- (-1), M3-3

Number Of Tailpipes

The M3 has twice as many exhaust pipes as the 335i so it clearly wins in this category.

335i- (-1), M3-4

Handling And Overall Driving Experience

Obviously the M3 has better handling, but that is mostly discernible on a track. Driving around town, you won’t notice much of a difference unless you want to take turns super fast and turn on a dime.

I’m quite impressed with the 335i handling. It’s not an M3 but it’s so much better than just about every other used car you could buy for under $20K. For normal driving, the M3 handling will only feel noticeably different if you want to take a turn at 55 mph instead of 50 mph with the 335i.

The M3 is more stable during cornering with less body roll but I’m perfectly fine taking it easier in the 335i than in the M3. The 335i still handles superbly and because it’s so good, I’ll only give the M3 a half a point here because although it is clearly superior at the track, for regular day-to-day driving, you’ll be very satisfied with the handling prowess of a 335i.

Yes, folks, the steering on the 335i is just that good.

335i- (-1) M3-4.5

Ride

Unfortunately, the runflat tires mean that the 335i has a relatively stiff ride along with the M-sport suspension. So does the M3 because it has a track-tuned suspension although you do have different ride settings like “sport”, “normal” and “comfort”. But then again, with better tires, I’m sure the 335i would have a noticeably better ride.

Both cars are great on smooth roads; you just don’t want to be tackling bumpy roads for too long in either car.

Overall, I would say the ride is roughly the same – so no points to either car here.

335i- (-1), M3-4.5

Mileage

Alex has been averaging 17 mpg, while I’ve been averaging 19.5 mpg.

Woohoo! About time the 335i got some points. Back to zero.

335i-0, M3-4.5

Track Days

We didn’t do this test but we all know that the M3 will undoubtedly kick the 335i’s butt on a race track. A stock 335i wouldn’t be able to keep up with an M3 unless you turned it into an M3 with modifications which some people have done. But why?? You’re so much better off spending your money on an M3 instead.

335i-0, M3-5.5

Maintenance Costs

This should come as no surprise; M3 parts are expensive – really expensive . Alex already had to have the front brakes and rotors replaced and it cost him $1100. Repairs on the 335i aren’t cheap either, but it certainly wouldn’t cost as much as the M3.

Go 335i!

335i-1, M3-5.5

Purchase Price

My used 335i is so much cheaper than Alex’s M3 that the 335i should get at least 2 points, maybe even 3.

Alright, alright.. 2.5 it is.

And this brings us to the final score.

335i-3.5, M3-5.5

So, according to my comparison, the M3 does beat out a 335i, but keep in mind that this is the souped up version of the 335i and not the regular one.

So, Should You Get An M3 Over A 335i?

It depends. Hah, that’s the answer you love to hear don’t you?

Be decisive, dammit!

Ok, so here’s the deal. If any of the categories, where the M3 has the edge over the 335i, is important to you like its appearance, exhaust note, or the ability take turns at a 20% higher rate of speed, then buy the M3. However, if none of those things are all that important to you and you actually care about how you spend your money, then a 335i is a no-brainer.

A used E92 335i is an incredibly good value – if you can find one with an upgraded tune then I guarantee that you’ll enjoy it. A stock 335i would still be pretty good but it’s so easy to bump up the power on these things with a simple tune that you should go for it.

It’s tough to find a better car than the 335i for the money.

So what will I do? You’re probably thinking: do what you want, I don’t give a crap . Well, I’ll tell you anyway. I will definitely own an M3 at some point – it could be my next car, or maybe the car after that – who knows. But there’s definitely something special about the M3 that a 335i will never be and I need to own one to truly experience it.

Alex thinks I’m crazy, but there’s so much to love about the M3 that I feel like it’s worth the extra money. Hell, I might just buy his!

He doesn’t want his that bad anyway.

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!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is about exploring my fascination with cars; I’m always on the lookout for things that interest me in the car world.

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PS9 > Torque Affair 11/01/2015 at 13:35

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You forgot to mention that the E92M3 gets [+10] over the 335 when in the US. Because V8.

Too many M's > PS9 11/01/2015 at 14:50

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8-ITBs of tr00f

Too many M's > Torque Affair 11/01/2015 at 14:58

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I’ve tried many times to love the 335i and it definitely is a fantastic DD. But for me there is too much to make it a weapon on track vs the stock M3. That means most to me and I'll take the M-car tax any day.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Torque Affair 11/01/2015 at 15:23

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dinan is a conservative tuner. 335i’s are capable of well over 400hp with more aggressive tunes. I’d say a 335i with an aggressive tune, some good rubber and upgraded brakes would give an E9X M3 a very good run for it's money

Vicente Esteve > Torque Affair 11/01/2015 at 15:40

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I know what I want

Torque Affair > Vicente Esteve 11/01/2015 at 15:57

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Do it!!

Torque Affair > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 11/01/2015 at 15:57

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Yeah good point. Although, I wonder if the aggressive tunes would shorten the life of the turbos..

Torque Affair > Too many M's 11/01/2015 at 15:58

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I’ll definitely be taking the M3 to the track whenever I buy one.

Vicente Esteve > Torque Affair 11/01/2015 at 16:37

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A couple issues that keep me from doing it:

1. Money

2. There are exactly 3 manual E90 M3’s for sale in Mexico. Two of which are the sedans which I vastly prefer to the coupes. 1 of those sedans is in IMO, the worst color for the E90 M3 (silver).

3. This exists, and it would be extremely difficult for me not to be persuaded by it:

Torque Affair > Vicente Esteve 11/01/2015 at 16:39

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If only the C63 came in manual...

Vicente Esteve > Torque Affair 11/01/2015 at 16:47

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I

KNOW

Chargingstar - E92 M3 pilot > Torque Affair 11/01/2015 at 18:17

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Thanks for the fun read. Life is too short to settle for something that doesn’t pull at your heart strings - except when that thing takes you out of the realm of financial responsibility/stability. The 335 is a fun daily/driver track tool with lots of available mod/tune support. The M3 is and was designed to be as close to a street legal race car as possible.

I drive my M3 everyday, snow tires in the winter and Pilot Super Sports for the other three seasons. It’s my daily, my track car and is comfortable and spirited enough for both. I picked it up after reluctantly giving up my ZCP E46 M3 (It had the SMG which I knew was a timebomb having just hit 120k miles) and hit 70k miles last month.

Short version - if it makes financial sense get what you want. Cars are being deballed as we speak with the shift towards greener/cleaner emissions, and despite how track capable the new M cars are I’ve grown out of my turbo car phase back when I drove Evo’s and STi’s. There’s just something that resonates with a naturally aspirated V8 (or V6 in the case of the E46 M3) that never fails to put a smile on my face.

Find what you love about the 335 and focus on that, and if your dream is to own a M3 keep working to achieve that goal.

Torque Affair > Chargingstar - E92 M3 pilot 11/01/2015 at 18:58

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Thanks for the compliment! I love the red M3s - don’t see too many of those.

fasternfaster > Torque Affair 11/01/2015 at 21:04

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I owned a 2007 335i sedan for 2 years, because it made sense. I loved it, but with time I realized that the m3 is the better car and the $15k difference was worth it. I sold my 335i for 27k and bought a 2008 M3 for 46k. I had a borland exhaust on the 335i and it sounded louder and droned. But the massager sounds way better although quieter. Also the ride in the morning is better. It’s not the tires it’s the adaptive shocks. I didn’t think the twin turbo had any lag issues until I drove the m3. I do miss the torque, but I get to heel toe and hear the v8 sing. Both cars also have their own reliability issues. 335i gave me many limp modes with the high pressure fuel pump. The m3 has been solid, but if you read the forums there are scary pictures of failed rod bearings. In the end though I can’t think of a better car with 4 doors for any money.

911e46z06 > Torque Affair 11/01/2015 at 21:34

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A buddy of mine had a 335. I don’t remember specifically what mods he had, but it wasn’t anything crazy. Chip, full exhaust, intake, and maybe some other bolt-on type stuff. But that thing would absolutely walk M3s.

Torque Affair > fasternfaster 11/01/2015 at 23:03

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Great input, thanks for sharing!

Torque Affair > 911e46z06 11/01/2015 at 23:07

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Yeah, I can believe that.

Tripper > Torque Affair 11/13/2015 at 10:53

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Yes.

needMORv8 now with more V8 > Torque Affair 11/13/2015 at 10:58

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Really good writeup! Time to sound like a jerk though. WHY DO PEOPLE PUT ALLSEASONS ON PERFORMANCE CARS!? The DWS has crappy soft sidewalls and squirmy treads....

Torque Affair > needMORv8 now with more V8 11/13/2015 at 11:00

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Thanks! Hah, great question on the tires! Who knows!?

catalyst1489 > Torque Affair 11/13/2015 at 11:24

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17 mpg? How?

I get 15.5 overall, mayyybe 17 on the highway. Worth it.

Built BMW Tough > Torque Affair 11/13/2015 at 12:16

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Stock M wheels are better.

SoManyBlueCars > Torque Affair 11/13/2015 at 13:19

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Get the M3 dude, it’s very worth it. I’ve had mine 6 years and still can’t imagine selling it.

Torque Affair > SoManyBlueCars 11/13/2015 at 14:03

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I love those wheels! Yeah, I’m sure I’ll own one at some point.

EtrnL_Frost > Torque Affair 11/13/2015 at 14:06

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I can recognize that Conti DWS pattern from a mile away. Such good chicago tire. mmmm.

Saracen > Torque Affair 11/13/2015 at 15:52

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How long have you had the 335i?

I ask because while M3 maintenance is more expensive, the S65 + manual gearbox combo is one of the most robust drivetrains BMW has built in a long time. No turbos, no direct injection. 2008’s have issues with spun bearings, but I believe for 2009 that was fixed. Wearables on the M3 will be more expensive (and it sounds like your friend went to a dealer for the front brakes), but it is more reliable than the 335i. DCT cars get dinged for transmission problems.

The 335i has direct injection and right off the bat that means it will have periodic walnut shell blastings in its future to clean out carbon. 335i’s also have a propensity for bad high pressure fuel pumps, turbo issues, boost control solenoid issues, waste gate issues and the always popular VANOS issues. Yeah, wearables might be cheaper, but your issues will be more frequent and more expensive.

My co-worker who BARELY drives his ‘07 335i- he averages 5k per year but drives it pretty hard - has had most of these issues. Dealer said he sure wasn’t the only one.

I have a friend who used to own an M3 coupe until she plowed into a Prius...averaged 20k miles per year on it. No problems except that she was averaging 16mpg.

From personal experience, I’ve driven 335i’s and M3’s a couple of times...I liked the 335i, but I have nothing but lust for the M3. That alone to me, makes any car worth the extra cost.

DrScientist > Chargingstar - E92 M3 pilot 11/13/2015 at 16:01

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straight 6 in the e46. and all 6 cylinder bmws for that matter.

and there is little argument that a straight 6 sounds much better than a v6.

Torque Affair > Saracen 11/13/2015 at 17:13

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Yeah, I know a guy besides Alex that has owned the M3 for the past 3 years and has no issues. I’ll definitely own one soon.

RobG-ADV > Torque Affair 11/13/2015 at 18:09

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I’ve always been a fan of sleepers. Sure the M3 looks cooler in a lot of ways, but the 335i can be MADE to be just as good or better. Yes, that involves mods, but at least the option is there. Remove all the badges and mod it up (and I mean more than a simple Dinan tune) and go have fun. With some nice wheels (but not too flashy) most people will think it’s an M3.

Ultimately for HALF the price of the M3, hell yeah the 335i is the better choice.

emanresu > Torque Affair 11/14/2015 at 00:02

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Solution: warranty!

Chargingstar - E92 M3 pilot > DrScientist 11/14/2015 at 10:19

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Inline 6 exactly - thanks for straightening me out :)

Syfon > Torque Affair 11/16/2015 at 00:42

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The E9x M3 is completely different in every way to the non-M E9x models. I own an E46 M3, and it has not one damn thing in common with the non-M E46 models; the drivetrain, the suspension. Everything that actually makes a difference to the way the car drives, handles, etc is different.

TulsaMtnBiker (OkieRising) > Torque Affair 11/20/2015 at 09:21

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A while back, I had an e92 335 6spd. Thought it would be a good substitute for the M3 I lusted after. No. Not at all. Regretted the purchase, while a nice car, it wasn’t a substitute for the car I was in love with. Sold it after a few months of ownership and saved up for the real deal.

TR3 > Chargingstar - E92 M3 pilot 11/20/2015 at 10:41

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I have a E46 M3 and am looking to switch to the E46 330Ci. It depends on how you drive in YOUR life and what is important to you.

Torque Affair > TulsaMtnBiker (OkieRising) 11/20/2015 at 12:55

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That’s awesome - I’m looking forward to owning an M3 at some point..

TulsaMtnBiker (OkieRising) > Torque Affair 11/20/2015 at 14:50

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Granted I skipped ahead to the M4, but I’m going to return to the e9x M3

Unitedmoviemaker > Torque Affair 11/20/2015 at 16:28

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I like how this car looks in black (and also really like this picture, I want it as my pc background), but it would be insanely impractical where I reside.

icyhot > Torque Affair 11/22/2015 at 17:58

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It isn’t necessarily the life of the turbos to be concerned about, it is everything else. So many things will start going wrong which is why I got rid of my 335 for an m3.

I was only running the stage 1 cobb tune and no bolts ons. But tuning just exacerbates issues like misfires, injectors, fuel pump issues, boost leaks and chasing them. My car was not running well for the past 15k and no shop could figure it out. I was not willing to spend thousands in repairs to chase the possible culprit, only to have another issue pop up weeks or months later. I had the 335 from brand new to 86k, and as repair bills started creeping up I just put the future repair bill money towards a CPO m3.