[Year's_End]

Originally Posted by DrivenByE30

The question is: why would any lady need to haul around town going grocery shop in a 500hp sedan??
.... and drive at 10 below speed limit !?

That's the buyer's choice. Most cars these days are so damn capable that the performance variant is elected by passion rather than necessity (which admittedly has usually been the case). It still bothers me to see a trophy wife babying a supersedan/supercar, but that's just how things roll when said products are introduced to the public.

Originally Posted by Neph

+100

the manual trans offers a relationship btwn driver and car which a soulless automatic/DCT/manumatic can NEVER touch.

the addition of unnecessary technology simply offers another layer of barriers between driver and car.

unfortunately, the rulemaking beuracrats and marketing/focus group leaders all the same transmission with all the same tech goodies - guess which ones?

Many manumatics aren't 'soulless', and I can attest from an objective point of view seeing as I've sample many transmissions from both camps. My first manual-equipped car I learned on was a 300Z (followed by a 300ZX). The clutch was unassisted, and the gate was hard to shift with...that doesn't mean that all the 6MTs on sale today—what with their featherweight clutches and lightweight gear actions—aren't soulless, despite their ease of operation.

Originally Posted by Sumithb13

I am honestly thinking about canceling my F30 order and getting myself an E46 M3 after watching this. That's always been my favorite car but I needed a daily driver and decided on getting the M3 after I paid the F30 off. Now, I'm having second thoughts...

I'm sure you'll find nothing wrong with the F30, with maybe some impartiality towards the steering.

Originally Posted by Jonjt

I'll have to wait until I get home to watch this but, I just wanted to add my 2 cents.

I've got an 09 335i now and, I find myself missing all the things a cheaper 06 e46 M3 would have provided me more than I miss the increased power and speed. I want to add an LSD, M3 suspension links, sway bars and struts way more than I want a tune. A 20k e46 M3 woulda given me that, for quite a bit less. O well........

Hard to compare a more hardcore M car to a plebeian 335i.

Originally Posted by mikeokimster

I am surprised nobody mentioned the introduction of electric steering vs the conventional power steering setup

This is a subject of huge debate that I love to discuss. A lot of people don't understand that EPS is a different version of assisted steering; many people think that there's virtually no relation to the rack and pinion. It's an entirely different, yet familiar source of steering boost. The chassis it's put into will largely determine its overall effectiveness, much like a hydraulic rack.

Originally Posted by Imola.ZHP

e46 ftw

If something ever happens to my e46, I would replace it with.......... Another e46...

I would expect no less, and neither should anyone else, if they knew who you were on this forum.