Iceddragon

Earl is right, other than the 135i seems pointless to drive because you have a 335 now so it's basically a lateral move other than interior space. I drove @bluE92 's M3 before I made the decision to buy one myself. And if you can find a decent stock example of an E46 M3 that'd be good to test drive. 
The discussion we should be having is "do i want a true driver's car or do I want a run-of-the-mill pedestrian BMW that goes fast in a straight line?" Because that is the difference between an ///M and a 335/135. And it's not even worth talking about interior because the quality of E9x M3 vs. 335/135 is miles apart. It's so much better in the M3 that it isn't even worth discussing.
I have owned 2 135i cars and love them but there is no way anyone in their right mind can drive one and then drive an M3 and not realize the staggering difference in handling, control, and overall confidence of the chassis. On cruises with friends and our local BMW group I found myself having to manage throttle a lot on the 135i going around turns - there's just so much torque and the car wants to push into understeer a bit unless you upgrade the control arms to the ones from the M3. You have a 335 now so it would be utterly pointless to go to a 135i. 
The M3 is a pure joy to drive in comparison - I can basically go flat out on throttle around turns and shit never gets weird. I also drove @bluE92 's M3 last night - we traded cars for a jaunt and he has an ESS 550 kit on his and I will say that even with the increased power in that kit, I do not think it really detracts from the drivability of the car because it isn't 'too much' power but actually feels more like how the m3 should have come from the factory. It's still very linear delivery due to the supercharger, whereas the 135i is an on/off switch with the turbo. So if you feel like the stock M3 is lacking power, you can always get a used ESS 550 kit for like $4500 or so and have a properly strong M3 without compromising much. 
The E46 M3 is indeed a different beast and is the most "raw" driving experience of the 3 cars we are talking about here. I drove @dastuz's E46 when it was stock before he jallopied it. The engine is very raspy, and it doesn't rev as high as the V8. The E9x M3 is going to give you a much nicer interior and features, a V8, and on the street I guarantee you will not notice any difference in driving capability between an E46 M3 and an E9x M3. You need to go to the track to see that. But what you will feel on the street in the E46 is a more connected driving feel. The E9x M3 just has a bit more cushion in it. Think of the E46 M3 as a 40/60 luxury/performance split, and the E9x M3 as a 60/40 lux/perf split. 
Bottom line is - my next track car will almost surely be an E46 M3, but in the year 2017, for something that qualifies as a "summer daily", the E9x M3 is a no-brainer by comparison.

As someone who came from two 135i's, my latter one with ridiculous power, I can tell you the M3 is superior in every way other than straight-line power, which you will not miss at all. Do it. Buy it. Do it now.
Rod bearing issue is wildly over-stated on the E9x M3, however, it gets that because the cost of repair on a failed engine is astronomical at around $25k. If you look at the production numbers, and if you go to the track regularly like me and have seen literally hundreds of E9x M3s over the years running hot laps all day and never spinning bearings, you will quickly realize that there just aren't that many of them that grenade. That said (somewhat ironically) there are some performance shops on the M3 forums who will tell you that nearly every car with failed bearings they have seen were due to track cars that do a lot of high RPM downshifting which puts a lot of stress on the bearings. 
People have done exhaustive research tearing down these motors, collecting data from people who have reported failed rod bearings, and it appears that less than 1% of cars have the issue. Some people have had bearings changed at over 100k with 0 wear. Other look horrible at 30k. There's a LOT of anecdotal conclusions that we could make about it. But there just is not concrete evidence that is empirical in any way, and I doubt there ever will be. So that said.....
I bought my M3 in utterly pristine condition as several forum members here can attest to when they saw it in person after I drove it back from Virginia. 50k miles original owner, a female enthusiast who drives at VIR, in her 50's who did the proper break-in over the first 1200 miles, and kept the car in like-new condition stored on a checkered tile, sealed garage floor, and that is no exaggeration. Like-new to the point that it's worth it for me to be paying my detailer to come to my house on a regular schedule twice per month all summer long to upkeep the car. That is who you want to buy a car from. If you buy one, get it from someone with money who is also an enthusiast, and preferably a 1-owner with maintenance history. This is a car that the average repair cost is very high based on parts cost alone. You do not compromise when buying a car like this, unless you're a poor schmuck who shouldn't be buying one in the first place because you found the cheapest, $26k m3 you could with 100k miles, and then come on M3 forums asking if you should be concerned about rod bearings (yes this happens on a weekly basis). 
I believe if you want to buy the car, you should educate yourself and if you are afraid of things like rod bearing failures, you shouldn't be buying this car. If you can financially deal with the possibility of the engine grenading outside of warranty, then buy it and do like I do which is drive the absolute shit out of it and rev it out all the time listening to glorious V8 noises and killing the environment and dropping gears next to Toyota Prius drivers.
If you can swing it, best bet is to buy a pristine example, and either get a warranty and proactively change rod bearings for $2500 after warranty expires, or buy without warranty and just pay $2500 for new rod bearings right away, and read up on how to change throttle actuators DIY (which is very easy by the way, I've changed them out for other people who own these cars). 

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/6097640320.html

I really like the wheels, it is hard for my brain to get used to a style like that on an E92, but I like it

Seconding what snap and patsbimmer1 said, (in my opinion at least) the problem is that WCEC, whether the people who started it like it or not, has become associated with the people that take the fun out of car meets and give 'car people' a bad name. These are typically people that neglect all maintenance, cut the springs, chop off the muffler, black out all the lights so they work less, and then show up to car meets in their safety hazards blowing vape clouds in people's faces, swearing, talking sh!t, interrupting announcers, and just generally acting (and driving) like assholes. 
Don't worry though, here (from my experience at least) you are innocent until proven guilty haha
 
 
 
The new wheels look good!

Yeah, I totally get what you guys are saying. And honestly, I agree. This is an interesting point of discussion (and maybe this isn't the place for it), but I associate myself with BMW clubs a lot more than WCEC. I have not even been to a show of theirs yet. Alex is a good friend of mine, and it isn't just because of cars. Certainly not because he runs a car club. 
In my opinion, WCEC is what happens when the car culture appeals to people of an age where cars can not financially be a proper hobby for them. Mix in the internet and a bunch of ignorant people, and you get a room full of problems and arguments.
That being said, Alex has a vision that goes beyond that. It should be a place where car enthusiasts can gather and discuss things, its just filled with idiots at times. But the vision is there, I agree with it, and as his friend I support him in trying to make it happen.
I am a proud BMW owner/driver first and a LONG time BMW fan way before I met him or any of you. The sticker doesn't make those people actual enthusiasts, and it certainly doesn't automatically make me a millennial douchebag.

Hello friends. It's been a while and car season is starting and I just put new wheels on and I'm a little excited so I wanted to share my new look with you guys. 
Can't wait to meet up this year and have some fun!

Friends and those interested in BMW's are always welcome. Asshat WCEC bro's are not. 

I bought matching wheels for my daily... tires should be here today. Obligatory teaser picture:

So here is where all of the little pieces of timing chain guide went... that's pretty f@cking terrifying. Really hoping this screen and the oil filter have done their jobs lol.

To me, the M brand is still aspirational.  If I had the money to choose between my current car and an equal year/mileage M3 I would choose the M3 all day long and it's got nothing to do with the engine designation starting with an S.  I don't think this "waters down" the M brand any further, nobody would accuse an R8 of being watered down even though the 4.2 is based on the A8 engine.
BMW can go ahead and base their motorsport engines on their more peasant cars.  I think it's great that they can take an N55 and do some magic then we have the new M2 engine!  The guys that are complaining that their $70k+ M car doesn't have a bespoke engine is the same bag of dicks that only own it as a status symbol anyways.

Just saw this and wanted to say this is why I look forward to more meets with you guys. You were by far the friendliest group I met up with last year, the WI car scene needs more of that.
 
On another note, this came up on my phone today. Are they really going for this much now?
http://www.bmwblog.com/2017/01/28/sale-stunning-2003-bmw-m3-csl/

http://blog.caranddriver.com/move-over-autopilot-bmw-unveils-autonomous-5-series-prototype/
I was not expecting BMW to be this far along with autonomous technology/so close to releasing an actual production model. Looks like they should be hitting lots within 5 years.

 

 
 
 
Why this is stupid:

1) It's not. So long as the programming is done right with enough redundancies and safety nets (and protection against whatever hackers could possibly do) it is no doubt that the roads will be much safer with autonomous vehicles.  In Wisconsin, we hover somewhere around 500 traffic fatalities per year and 110,000 total accidents resulting in roughly 28,000 (reported) injuries.  Of the accidents in WI per year, 5,000 are alcohol related and 18,000 are deer related and 0 are related to deer under the influence of controlled substances. We stand to have a better chance of not dying or being injured in a given year with autonomous cars
2) Okay so it IS stupid to have an Autonomous gasoline powered BMW premium car. You buy a BMW for the driving dynamics, if you don't, you should be buying a Lexus or Cadillac instead. The premium people pay to buy and maintain well engineered high performing cars is wasted now that we can stream Sister Wives and fog up the whole place with our vapes.  A comfortable car with snooze-worthy driving dynamics, better yet, an electric car, would be preferable. I can understand applying the technology to a good selling "normal" car but this technology fits better with something lower cost and "A to B" like an i3.
3) Cheap, Fast, Reliable, Safe,  pick..... 2?   The trouble with old cars is they aren't very safe and with higher mileage comes higher maintenance requirements. The trouble with new cars is they are expensive, especially if you want to get something that you REALLY enjoy driving. We are left with a sea of undesireable cars in the $25,000 and under price point (NEW), a vast expanse of high mileage used and abused "pre-owned" cars out of warranty that will dime and quarter us to death when the cats fail, airbag lights go on, or just need a new $80 sensor to be installed @ 12 hours shop labor because the car was packaged such that you have to remove the engine even to do an oil change.  Hyperbole, yes.  We spend so much time in cars. We should at least get to enjoy driving them, or be able to watch Sister Wives.
 
Important bit of information for the reader: My dream car is a Tesla Model S.
 
 

Had to make a stop at the hardware store for some new wiper blades halfway home from work on Friday, couldn't see a damn thing. The cracked windshield really rips apart wipers. Anyone have any good recommendations for a windshield replacement? It's about time I did that... 
 
Also, went cruising around in the storm for a solid 2.5 hours last night, this car is unbelievably fun in the snow. Got some pictures last night too, really like these two:


 

Looks like there's enough lanes for both cars to go at the same time. If not, assert dominance via burnout

width has nothing to do with AWD, traction control or any other systems. its the rolling diameter that needs to be kept in check. as long as you keep the overall diameter identical or very nearly identical front to back, you will have no problems. with only 1/2" wider rears you can still run the same tire sizes front and back and its absolutely a non-issue. i'm sure there is also a stock tire setup that has wider rear tires that is also usable.

You're fucked.  Unless you go fully custom theres no way to control apps via the cars controls.

Phone is Nexus 6P.
No iDrive, just the normal sound system with bluetooth but I can't get it to play music through that. To be fair, I haven't messed with that part of it too much, I'll look into that.
Not sure if all of you meant to post that twice, but yes I have a CD changer lol

Phone is Nexus 6P.
No iDrive, just the normal sound system with bluetooth but I can't get it to play music through that. To be fair, I haven't messed with that part of it too much, I'll look into that.
Not sure if all of you meant to post that twice, but yes I have a CD changer lol

Hi everyone,
I met a bunch of you at the cruise earlier in the month but thought I'd say hi to everyone.
My name is Lars, I'm in La Crosse which is full of Honda's and Subaru's which makes me sad, and is why I drove 3 hours to come meet and drive with you guys.
I currently have an 06 330xi that is new to me as of September and I'm completely smitten with (pictures below). Before that I had a black 03 325i which had a lot of character but even more flaws that I didn't know about until after I bought it. It was my first car and while I feel like I made a bad financial decision with it, I still love it and miss it some days. 
I'm from Germany originally where my BMW fandom started when my Dad had what must have been an E30, and my mom brought home a brand new E46 many years ago. We didn't have much money usually, so those cars left quite the impression on me. 
Fast forward to 2011 and my Step dad leased a brand new 328i, which eventually became the car I learned to drive in, and is probably why I pursued an E90 as soon as I had an excuse to do so.
 
Enough about me, pics below (I just put white LED's in today after the drivers side bulb died on me).

The only thing that sucked about yesterday (other than the unfortunate circumstances for Dave and Mitch) was not having enough time to talk to everyone. I was able to see a few cars and some of us were able to catch up at LMT after the cruise, but overall I still feel like I missed at least as many people/cars as I have fingers to count. I met some new faces like Joe but everything was really brief. 
I told Snapsby that for the next cruise, I'm gonna help plan the route a bit further north where some of my other friends and I cruise as the roads are less busy, and there are places to stop for photos/chat in the middle of that route. 

My pics are up on the Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/WiBimmers/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1252437421444255
I'll upload them on the photos section here as well (which will be untouched by facebook's rapey-esque compression quality)
Thanks to @i_love_cars for trusting me to not drop my camera out of his M3 at undisclosed speeds. Results weren't too bad.

I'm either first here or in the wrong place...
Someone come talk to me if they see a blue E90 please

shut up shut up shut up you're gonna jinx it

My first cruise with you guys, I'll definitely try to make it out there from La Crosse