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The Smoking Tire: E46 M3 vs Fiesta ST

5259 Views 20 Replies 15 Participants Last post by  b17drvr, 
Noah
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McRib 1s Back
That was a nice video and hard to argue with any of the points made on both sides. Who doesn't like an E46 M3?!

A few standout comments: "The M3 isn't a $22K car, it's a $50K car beat down to $22K!". That's the reason I don't own one; I don't want to deal with BMW issues (or any "old car issues"). Also, "D-Bags drive them" (along with enthusiasts). :) Oh yeah, the inline six motor sounds fabulous -- and I love revving it.

A lot of technology has come along since 2003, and the FiST embodies it. I don't mind that people sneer at this car, we get to fly under the radar of conspicuous consumption! Good times.
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audiphile
Just came here to post this review. Loved it. I have an M3 also, and I agree with the Matt Farah completely about both these cars.
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reddog99
Great video! I had a grin on my face the whole time. :happy:

Did I see a non-functional left brake light???
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MLKN
Funny because I had a friend with a garaged M3 he never drove and I considered it. Went with Fiesta for a lease.
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M
"There's an MR2! First gen." Made me laugh.

Also, funny how neither car has CA plates but they're clearly on Angeles Crest Hwy.
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chalituna
McRib 1s Back said:
That was a nice video and hard to argue with any of the points made on both sides. Who doesn't like an E46 M3?!

A few standout comments: "The M3 isn't a $22K car, it's a $50K car beat down to $22K!". That's the reason I don't own one; I don't want to deal with BMW issues (or any "old car issues"). Also, "D-Bags drive them" (along with enthusiasts). :) Oh yeah, the inline six motor sounds fabulous -- and I love revving it.

A lot of technology has come along since 2003, and the FiST embodies it. I don't mind that people sneer at this car, we get to fly under the radar of conspicuous consumption! Good times.
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I live in Glendale and I hate BMW's and Merc's more than ever cause of the drivers
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McRib 1s Back
chalituna said:
I live in Glendale and I hate BMW's and Merc's more than ever cause of the drivers
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I hear you, we all do! :)

Disclosure time -- I've owned both BMW and MBs that I truly loved. When driving them, I never escaped the thought that I was being sized up as an a$$ just because of my ride! I hated it.

So, my ex-GF has my BMW 135 (w/Dinan stuff!) and I sold my MB SLK 55 AMG (truly just awesome and underrated in a big way).

Someone actually tried to pick a fight with me when I was just cruising along in my SLK along the coast. It was crazy. I was doing nothing wrong and being rather sedate in my cruise -- but the guy made it clear that my car meant I was a jerk. Fun. :(
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kamakazee
McRib 1s Back said:
I hear you, we all do! :)

Disclosure time -- I've owned both BMW and MBs that I truly loved. When driving them, I never escaped the thought that I was being sized up as an a$$ just because of my ride! I hated it.

So, my ex-GF has my BMW 135 (w/Dinan stuff!) and I sold my MB SLK 55 AMG (truly just awesome and underrated in a big way).

Someone actually tried to pick a fight with me when I was just cruising along in my SLK along the coast. It was crazy. I was doing nothing wrong and being rather sedate in my cruise -- but the guy made it clear that my car meant I was a jerk. Fun. :(
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It sounds like you are one of the few exceptions of a bmw owner and thank you for that. I've actually considered a 2004 E46 M3 before I purchased my ST. Bmw cars are amazing though temperamental and expensive to maintain. After reading up on VANOS issues and cracking subframes I turned the other way. Damn glad I did. Just today, I was cut off twice on the way to work on the 55 freeway, one driving a 7 series, the other driving a 5 series. Keep in mind traffic was cruising an average of 35mph but these assclowns think they're saving time weaving in and out of traffic. I don't think they understand the concept of using turn signals either. Even if space is tight but you really have to be in front of me, I'll back off if you use your indicators… but no, like clock work they swoop in and sometimes slam on their brakes. Sorry, I realize that this has become more of a rant. Anyhow, it's sad that these type of drivers have left a negative stigma on these luxury brands.
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jimlau
Thanks for posting this! My friend has a 2001 M3 and we've talked about making a video response/remake to this. He arguing the points of his car, and me the points of the Fiesta ST! Not that there's really one winner, but to really compare the two by people who spent their own money on one or the other.

Are there any specific points you'd bring up if you were doing this comparison? Maybe they'll make their way into a new video.
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Cligedy
jimlau said:
Thanks for posting this! My friend has a 2001 M3 and we've talked about making a video response/remake to this. He arguing the points of his car, and me the points of the Fiesta ST! Not that there's really one winner, but to really compare the two by people who spent their own money on one or the other.

Are there any specific points you'd bring up if you were doing this comparison? Maybe they'll make their way into a new video.
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Better yet, drive each other's cars, then compare.
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MLKN
I think cost of ownership (repairs, maint) would be useful.
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jimlau
Cligedy said:
Better yet, drive each other's cars, then compare.
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Oh yes, we'll be driving them. And likely comparing performance with lap timing and data logging!
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djdennehy
I owned a 2002 BMW 325 Ci, so not exactly a M3 but still a great and fun BMW coupe. Loved that car very much and in many ways, miss it dearly. But the cost of ownership was just too much, and living within the city the car become a target. One night the grille and hood both got kicked in, another night the sides of the car were keyed, the next night someone backed into it... I traded it in to simple stop it from being the punching bag of Pittsburgh.

BMW makes some very fun cars, but sadly in the real world they can be difficult to enjoy. Hopefully the Fiesta has a better future in store for it!
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BlackBird
I like the E46 M3; I'll probably wind up with one to compliment my Fiesta ST. But man, oh man. The pure butthurt in the video comments from the BMW fanboys is hilarious. Nevermind that it seems none of them have driven the Fiesta ST (or likely even breathed near an M3 either).
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Kap
BlackBird said:
...But man, oh man. The pure butthurt in the video comments from the BMW fanboys is hilarious...
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Seriously! I haven't read the comments since the video aired, but I remember rolling my eyes at their cries of sacrilege. They didn't seem to get that the comparison was based on price, not on class of car. It was simply about, "What can $25K get you new as opposed to used?"

The ST was not built to compete with the M3. It's a performance variant of an economy car, as opposed to a performance luxury car, with a drastically different price range and target demographic. The simple fact that it does compare favorably with regards to driving dynamics is a testament to the ST, rather than a shot against the M3, but the fanboys couldn't see that. They were too busy getting their panties in a bunch. :p
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djdennehy
The e46 M3 is seen to the BMW faithful as the epitome for what a performance BMW should be, and as a former e46 owner, I can relate they are awesome cars. I think the fanboys get upset because over the years and with significant strides by Ford, all of a sudden a new Fiesta and a used M3 find themselves at the same price point, and have similar performance. Obviously the M3 is much more of a purpose built sportscar, in my opinion rear wheel drive is always better than front wheel, but the idea that a Fiesta could be in the same conversation as a performance benchmark car (M3) is pretty incredible. To be honest, you would have to look back to 2002 and the first new MINI to find a similar front wheel drive car that shook up the performance world (I am thinking the MINI Cooper S JCW version...drove several and they were monsters). Not to say that the SRT-4 didn't make some inroads, but their build quality and reliability were never much to write home about...and I really cannot think of any other modern front wheel drive cars that have had such a major impact as the FiST.
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G
I think the smoking tire is going to do a tuned fiesta st VS something video. Maybe a new WRX


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M
It's kinda funny, I work at a shop that specializes in M3s, especially E46s, and drive a FiST. I bought an E36 a few weeks ago to build into a track car, though.

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Kap
djdennehy said:
The e46 M3 is seen to the BMW faithful as the epitome for what a performance BMW should be...
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I really appreciate the honest feedback and perspective, djdennehy, especially coming from a former M3 owner. I love driving my FiST, and if (for whatever reason) I needed to replace it tomorrow, I'd get another FiST in a heartbeat, with no hesitation. It's not the fastest, most prestigious, or "best" car available, but for me, it checks off nearly all of the boxes of what I personally want in a car. It's inexpensive, sporty yet practical, economical, and holy crap is it FUN! However, I've never owned or driven an M3, nor am I likely to, so I'm certainly no authority to compare which car is "better", but so many of those butthurt BMW fans bashed the FiST simply because it wasn't their beloved BMW, and that kind of elitist fanaticism is so self-limiting. It's so refreshing to see that you're open-minded, and I commend you for that. I have no doubts that the M3 is an amazing car, and can't say a negative thing about it (other than the potential repair and maintenance costs of a 10-year-old M3 would scare me), but I think the FiST is an awesome bargain for what you get, and when it comes to new cars, I'd be hard-pressed to name one that would give you this many smiles per dollar. :)
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