BMW M3

Was passed by a brand-new M3 yesterday

(not this one, but like it)

then passed by a 2nd gen with nice rims

(not this one, but like it)

and it reminded me that my life is just a little bit more depressing, having never owned or driven one. Man I love the M3.

I'm a BMWCCA member and have had four BMWs (admittedly, three of them were "Grandpa's hammer" parts of the lineage of what was arguably one 2002). The upshot here is that I like BMWs a lot.

It dawned on me yesterday that I don't know whether we've had one, two, or three generations since the E46; they just haven't made enough of an impression to notice.

Amazing cars, I'm sure, and I would strike all manner of terrible bargains to do a track day in the latest M3, but the later BMWs all seem to have taken on the same sort of "melted slabs" look as recent Camrys.

That said, the photo of the latest M3 above is pretty crisp. Wait, is it still an M3 if the latest two-door is now a four-series?

EDIT: Okay, so it's been E90 ever since the E46 went away, and now we're getting F30 (or F3x) cars. I think it's an improvement, though the M3 looks a lot better than the base cars...

I'm not impressed with BMWs post e46. The classics are so much more flavorful.

Yes, I believe the 2-dr is technically an M4... but I'm sure it'll take years for people to change... and the Germans will never understand why...

I've drive 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Gen M3s.........all were fantastic.

I really wish I had the coin for a DCT M3.

M3 is 4 door. M4 is 2 door.

Been dailying this one

Its much faster than the e46 M3 convertible and the dual clutch is way better than the SMG on the e46 ... But there is something about e46 M3s that make them an awesome car. I think my next car is going to be an e46 M3 coupe.

That is secksay!

In reply to Slippery:

That is one beautiful car.

I still wish they had made an E46 M3/4/5.

Given BMW's trend toward increasingly soft, fat cars, I present A Brief History (in Quotes) of the Venerable BMW 3 Series //M:

1987 E30 M3—"Wow this car is fantastic, a homologated racing machine I can buy from my local dealer!"

1995 E36 M3—"It’s lost some finesse, but it pulls much harder now and has so much grip!"

2001 E46 M3—"So, so fast! And look how nice the interior is!"

2007 E92 M3—"So much style, so much technology! My golf buddies are so jealous!"

2015 FU M4—"Can you believe BMW used to race these cars? Who would tear up such a plush, luxurious automobile?"

pinchvalve wrote: Was passed by a brand-new M3 yesterday (not this one, but like it)

Man that looks good! Looks like BMW's just about got the last traces of awful Bangle styling out of their system. Only thing I don't like is that the front splitter setup reminds me of this:

I'd like a "full beard" splitter.