Selling my 98 NSX for 02 M3

[AaronR]

I have both

I have a 94 NSX and an E46 M3 and there is no question, the M3 is waaaaaaaaay faster, but I would not give up my NSX for it. I love the power but the M3 does not give you the race car feel that the NSX does, especially under track-like conditions. We take the M3 on any and all long trips becuase it is way more comfortable, has cargo room and draws much less attention, has a nav, etc. The NSX is used more as a toy, where the M3 is a regular car (neither see rain or snow) I do love both cars, and would buy both again in 1 second, no question. It just really depends on what you need, I could see the M3 being a better choice if you can only have 1 car. If you have any specific comparison questions, let me know.

PS- The M3 was in the dealer for 8 seperate warranty claims last year, the NSX zero non mod-adding visits to anyone.

Aaron

 

[NSX/MR2]

Wow, and i have not lost to a stock M3 yet. You must know that like all cars, some NSX, in stock form are faster than other NSXes. I could screech the tires on my car in 2nd gear anytime I want to, try to do that in your M3 (mabe you can, maybe you can't.) You must have a weaker NSX compare to some's.

 

[elixer]

i too have been in E46 M3s numerous occasions, 6sps and SMGs, and i found them to be a bit more torqier but NOT any faster. I guess it really depends on how you would define 'faster.' Off the line, M3 might be little quicker but NSX will catch up in no time and some. Again, like most of us stated, these are two very diff. cars. apples and oranges again. both behave much differently.
I find M3 to be more like sedan than a sports car. Whenever i'm in M3, i'm always in wrong gear for some reason. M3's torque seems to die rather quickly as RMP creeps up as NSX will get much stronger after 6500. So i find myself shifting much more in M3s than the X.

i think the issue here is not to compare these two cars side by side since they are so very different but wheather you are willing to give up the exotic and sport, race car feel of NSX for more practical 'sedan,' as Aaron stated.

 

[ak]

must be that big wing creating too much drag

 

[sjs]

I haven't read any of the other responses so forgive me if this has all been said, but I think you bought the NSX for the wrong reasons and are much better off with the “over weight, over priced, and over here” M3. No offense to you, but your own stated priorities clearly indicate that you are in the wrong car.

 

[2slow2speed]

To me the 330xi, or ci for that matter, isn't all that different from the M3 interior.

If you say you went from a 330ci to an NSX, and then say that you prefer the M3 interior, I don't know why you didn't stick with the 330 to begin with, or make the leap straight to an M3.

Seriously, all the 3 series interior layouts are pretty much the same.

Yep, the interiors are almost identical with the exception of the steering wheel, the oil temperature gauge and the addition of the sport button. Everything else is the *same*. All the extra $$s went into the engine, trans, brakes, suspension. From the reviews overseas even the M3 CSL leaves people wanting in regards to performance..

Ken

 

[NSXLuvr]

here is a review of a E46 M3 by the owner after 80k miles

LINK

 

[NSXLuvr]

Re: I have both

I have a 94 NSX and an E46 M3 and there is no question, the M3 is waaaaaaaaay faster

I find that hard to believe, but then again I have a 98. I would think the M3(262 lb-ft) with more torque would feel quicker, but the 94 NSX(with I/H/E) should be able to catch up by 60-70.

 

[charleysung]

Thank you again for all of your input. All this info is very helpful. I have scheduled a test drive this weekend of a 2003 M3 and someone else's NSX. I think that will help my decision. I will report back with my findings.

 

[AaronR]

Wow, and i have not lost to a stock M3 yet. You must know that like all cars, some NSX, in stock form are faster than other NSXes. I could screech the tires on my car in 2nd gear anytime I want to, try to do that in your M3 (mabe you can, maybe you can't.) You must have a weaker NSX compare to some's.

Funny you say my NSX must be weaker than usual, what if my M3 is just stronger than usual

Seriously, I take no offense to any of the statements.

I have run with many other NSX's plenty of time and my NSX (25,000 mile car with Taitec JGTC) is as strong as any of the like-equipt cars I have driven and driven with.

I should qualify when I say it is way faster I am talking on the street not the track, and I am talking about 0-60 and 0-100 type of stuff. Meet at 60 mph on the highway and the answer changes slightly.

Sj228 from this forum has the same 2 cars I do and if he finds this post I am sure he would agree with me.

Aaron

 

[NSX/MR2]

I am also talking about the 1/4th and 1/8th, which I run quite a bit down here in San Diego. The cars are so evenly match that it will come down to whether you have a stronger stock car (versus others,) and whther you are a good driver or not. Both the blue and black E46 M3 had too much torque coming out of the starting line. They went sideway and i beat them easily.

 

[nsxpowered]

I have a SMG 2003, and it is fast and very very heavy, however it's not faster then a NSX 3.2liter. It'll probably nudge the 3.0s. It'll beat a Supra TT auto hands down for sure. I'm talking about all stock. I average 18mpg on the M3 and I don't really like the city driving of the SMG. Shifts very slow in normal driving, but shifts fast if you race it. Nice interior quality compared to the NSX. If the NSX interior bothers you, maybe you should make the switch. It's not much different from the 330ci.

 

[Meeyatch1]

NSX. Mmmm.....

 

[Meeyatch1]

...I have run with many other NSX's plenty of time and my NSX (25,000 mile car with Taitec JGTC) is as strong as any of the like-equipt cars I have driven and driven with...

Aaron

But my Integra will still whoop you, right Aaron.

 

[khiroshima]

Re: I have both

I have a 94 NSX and an E46 M3 . . .

PS- The M3 was in the dealer for 8 seperate warranty claims last year, the NSX zero non mod-adding visits to anyone.

Aaron

This is a great comment. I no longer have an NSX (for a while now), but now run in a 2001 M5, wonderful car, but I have to agree with Aaron's comment whole heartedly!

I just took my car into the dealer for a "Service Engine Soon" light, bad cam sensor and the day after I got it back . . . the light is on AGAIN. I've taken the car in numerous times for various issues and it leaves me thinking about my NSX days. My '91 was only in the shop for clutch, brakes . . . hmmm, that's it. Yep, wear items. Never had an idiot light go off, or had mysterious power loss, etc. So if build quality is in issue, take this into account.

For me, I had no issue buying a '91 with no warranty. With the M5, I wouldn't touch it without one. JMO Kevin

 

[NSX/MR2]

For a car that is so awesome and expensive, the reliability of the NSX is astounding.

 

[G-man]

I am contemplating selling my 98 NSX for a 2002 M3.
Anyone make the mover from NSX to M3 or vice versa?

Charley,
All I can say to you buddy is DON'T DO IT! The entire string of my last 10-15 cars is in another post somewhere, but I have had losts of cars between my original 2000 NSX and my newly aquired 2000 NSX. I think it was 10 cars, including 2 of the 2002 BMW M3s both Coupe and Convertible. Let me just save you the time and money and trouble and beg you not to do it.

M3 Lies you tell yourself:
Sure, the hp numbers show 333. Sure the coupe has a big sunroof and the convertible is even better, the top comes all the way off with it. Sure it is big and heavy and doors go thud when you close them. Sure, they are available with 19" euro spec wheels (I had those, they are nice). Ok, so you can "run the numbers" and figure on paper that the M3 beats the NSX hands down... but it is just a lie. While it may be cliche', it is still true. "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts"

Sure, my kids did love the ride in the M3, but I don't take them with me everywhere I go and when we do go, my wife likes to go too, so we usually take the 2001 Acura MDX (highly recommended). Anyway, I digress... I fought the feeling for over 3 years and spent $495,000 on other cars before buying another NSX. Now, the voices in my head are quieter these days... however, I am about to take my first hit of the "go fast crack pipe" so my virgin NSX isn't going to be a virgin for long. This time, it will be like passing the head cheerleader around the frat house! But, at least the voices are quiet for now.

Seriously, call me direct if you want (540) 951-4300 and let me talk you out of it!

Gordon Miller

 

[mlambert890]

I don't know about anyone else, but for me, community goes a long way too. One thing I love about the NSX is the sense of community that you get from NSX Prime!

Look at how open minded most of the responses are. Plenty of people are going neutral or even telling you to get the M3.

Now go to ANY BMW forum and post the same question. All you will see is people slamming the NSX offhand without knowing anything about it. Wholesale insults and the usual rote garbage. I'd be shocked if anyone was even NEUTRAL on this question on a BMW forum.

That says a lot about the quality of owner comparison to me. And if the NSX attracts a higher quality of owner, well.... What does that tell you?

I'll tell you another thing... I also had a 98 NSX that was a little shakey, but I NEVER took that as indicative of the NSX in general. It's a used car; you don't know where its been, to be honest.

When I traded the 98 for a brand new 03 (off the dealer floor), the difference was staggering. Suddenly the NSX seemed a LOT more comparable to my 01 BMW 330xi (also bought new), and is actually MORE solid.

I've put a lot of wheel time into the E46 M3 also, and it's a great car that's a lot of fun. But choosing it over an NSX due to build quality issues means there's something wrong with your NSX.

That's the problem with the state of the NSX today. The car is largely being represented by increasingly older and older examples that have changed hands multiple times and are going for "a steal".

Take any new, or pristinely maintained older example, and the difference is night and day. Lud has always said this, but you get what you pay for...

 

[Paul]

I have raced the same STOCK 2002 6-spd M3 several times from all different speeds but always from a roll.

1st Race – My 91 NSX has 3.0 motor, stock 5-spd, CT exhaust.
We take off from a 20 mph roll and stay side by side till about 40 mph. (If I remember both cars shifted at about 40.) The M3 then started to pull on me. He put about 2 car lengths on my NSX rather quickly. This happened b/c of the way the 5-spd is geared. Once I got out of the “2nd gear hole” he was not able to pull away from me but I was not able to catch up. We let off around 140 and he was still about 2 car lengths ahead.

2nd Race – My 91 NSX has 3.0 motor, stock 6-spd, CT exhaust/headers/intake.
We take off from a 20 mph roll. I get a little bit ahead by the top of 1st then I shift to second and I steadily pull away. I then shift to 3rd and keep pulling. I let off around 100 b/c I knew there was not way for him to catch up.

IMO I think a STOCK 6-spd M3 will beat a STOCK 5-spd NSX but I feel the STOCK 97+ NSX will beat a STOCK 6-spd NSX

Just my .02

 

[PHOEN$X]

Guys, good effort but I think he's made up his mind.

Charley, good luck in your future endeavors!

 

[mlambert890]

Guys, good effort but I think he's made up his mind.

Charley, good luck in your future endeavors!

Haha! good point; didn't notice that! Good luck to ya Charley... In the choice between an NSX and an 02 M3, there are NO losers; both are fine automobiles that anyone would consider themselves more than lucky to own.

 

[nsxchi-town]

yes he has and is way over the market price on a nsx-t with those miles and with the car haveing things put on and taken off..
it might be awhile before it sell..then again it might not....

 

[mlambert890]

PLUS! I hear that car rattles like a son of a B! /duck

 

[NSXBOX]

I have had E36M3 Euro's modded, E46M3( for a while) and loaner R33 and R34GTRs for a day or two. All of them are quicker than my NSX but who cares ! The feeling of driving an NSX and sitting in one beats all of them . Also, I'm glad I had all those first before I had an NSX cos I'd never have appreciated how good the car is cos in 99' I nearly privately imported a Type S from Japan.

 

[mul1gan]

re

good luck charlie..

Let me know if you have any goodies for sale.