Why The BMW E92 M3 Is A Flawed Car, But You Need To Buy One Anyway (Review)

So, @adamivell agreed to lend me his pride and joy, his E92 M3 for a review. It has been an age since I drove a standard M3 - my own car being a heavily modified track biased supercharged one. Just how different is it, and should I have just bought a standard car in the first place?

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[TurninTrackOut]

Right after this model they really started throwing the 'M' badge on everything and lost it's prestige. When I was growing up the 'M' was one of the highest achievements as a car enthusiast.

[venom]

I feel like we need to sit down and have a chat about your shirts one of these days. 😂

[robreeves]

I've owned one for over four years now and I definitely agree with a lot of your points. They are a bit compromised as standard but when fettled they can be totally transformed as you discovered with your E92 track car.

Other than getting the rod bearings replaced, there's really not a lot that goes wrong on these. Other than maintenance, I've only spent about £1, 500 max on things that have gone wrong over the years. Including the throttle actuators, faulty fan belts and a faulty thermostat. It's had loads of track days under its belt and things are going to need replacing on the horizon but I love my E90 and I can't see myself selling it anytime soon not when 997 GT3s and Exige Sport 380s cost X times more...

[ncturnalgamer]

in case anyone was wondering, the value of these is going up like a rocket. I bought a 30k milage comp pack for £21, 000 and just sold it for £27, 000 6 months later.

[DriftaBob]

Just to chime in about your B7 RS4 vs E92 M3 comment, I've owned both simultaneously now for about 3 and a half years and they are top notch cars to own and drive. If someone put a gun to my head and made me decide which is the best, I'd have to say the RS4 is the better road car...but nothing fills me with as much joy as the M3 when it's trying best to kill me. Two true legends of the car world.

[Freedom]

Great review as usual. I agree with your comment that how a car makes you feel is more important than just comparing cold statistics. Driving my E46 M3, 6 speed manual convertible, just makes me feel so alive & happy with the world, particularly when the roof is down, better able to hear that wonderful straight six engine through a Scorpion exhaust.

[mlowiesvlog]

Because of the high rev 8000RPM, NA V8 engine and manual, I bought it right away without doing a test drive at the dealership back in 2012, almost 8 years ownership without any issues, recently done the rod bearings and it’s bulletproof now!

[Kcham]

I got mine 2 weeks ago, I absolutely love it. Been in love with them for 4 years now. Exceeded all my expectations

[davidd]

Nice timing. Just bought an LCI E90 manual yesterday.

I personally prefer the shape of the E90, I think it has better proportions.

Without a modified exhaust they are very quiet, so I think that and coilovers are a must.

Can’t wait to put some miles on it!

[SquadronLeadr]

Always welcome to drive my stock (apart from decat/remap) E90 for chassis comparison (18s, manual, no EDC). :)

[augustortiz]

I have owned mine for 3 years now, and I absolutely love it, aside from the painfully bad gas consumption I really cant recommend this car enough.

[adamivell]

Thank you for the review mate! Glad you liked it :D

[willismoody]

The EDC makes a world of a difference in my opinion.

[pt]

What I love about the older M3 cars is that they were more understated. With increasing cost the manufactures feel the need to outwardly differentiate the car by making it look more gareish.

[ZaccheusMukahiwa]

There's few cars new and old that sound better than the E92 M3! I don't care that its not the fastest car on the roads these days. The driving experience behind the wheel of E92 M3 is hard to beat or replicate!

[fracereview-mynotepad]

Great review. I have an E90 M3 and I still think it's the best looking car in the world. Most of the time all I do is look at it because the fuel economy is so bad 😅

[PB-wjeg]

I'm really glad I've got EDC on mine. Comfort mode is noticeable better for general cruising

[kbkyt]

Owned a manual with EDC E92 M3, from new, fourteen years now and all I can say is - it’s a keeper! Love it!

[davidvandord]

We've just bought a E93 M3 in the same color white with HMS exhaust a lovely summer vehicle

[SquadronLeadr]

All the negative posts about reliability you would think people are being paid for it. Quite bitter.

It is a very reliable car. Rod bearings? Treat them right and they will never fail (99% do not fail). £1500 to do them once if you feel the need to put your mind at ease (as we don't know how previous owners have treated them) and they will last the life of the vehicle. To anyone who argues with that: no car should be ragged from cold start. Simple. And how many other naturally aspirated engines can you name, with such impressive specific output? That level of engineering requires fine tolerances and the right treatment (WARM IT UP and then swim in 8k revs to your heart's content).

Where else are you going to find the same for the money? Yes, innumerable characterless turbos. Okay, some are better than others. But still. People need to appreciate what "thoroughbred" means. This car shares only around 15% of its parts with a non M E9x. That is real dedication to the cause.

The last true (NA) M car and one of the greatest engines ever made.