Re: M3 Delay - Bad News for E46 (archive)

First of all... the M5. It's a limited production car. That's one of the reasons people want it. Make more of them, and all of a sudden some people say the car's too common and don't want it any more.

Personally, I'm _surprised_ at the availability of the M5. I was at probably the smalled BMW dealers in NA to have an M5, and it was sitting on the lot for MSRP and I could have driven it away for that. Wow.

But like you, I'm on the wait list for the new M3. Yes, the delays suck. Yes, we wish we knew what's going on. But I don't try to read too much into it.

One guy is claiming the new M3 is being delayed to fix significant issues that will take some time to resolve, and then says that within 2 years there will be an almost totaly new M3 offered. That doesn't make sense to me. If power or weight were the issues, they would not prevent you from shipping the car. Why would you delay yourself from shipping if you're plans are to deliver a very much revised version in 2 years? Just get it out the door, and start working on your next version to make sure you get it right next time, would seem more logical than spending more time on the current version you feel is inferior, leaving less time to get the job done right for this "new" version. Instead of just one car you feel is "inferior" you've now committed yourself to making two cars that are "inferior".

Personally, I don't think I'd be disappointed with a 320HP, heavier, older E46 M3 as long as it was reliable and any problems could be resolved with a minimum of visits. Look at the E36 guys, they really love their cars, and not only do they hesitate to consider an E46, they even pause to consider if a newer E36 is really what they want. The only common complaint I've heard is US vs Euro M3, and even then, many US owners would still rather have their downgraded US M3 rather than anything else they see available from any other manufacturer.

Like you said, regardless of what's going on, perhaps the wait is a good thing, even if it is driving some of us bonkers. Fact is, we're just jealous of those lucky bastards who are already driving E36 and E39s while they "wait". Ha!

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