I don't really see the point in these souped up rep-mobile variants of the 3 series to be honest.
You get near enough M car levels of cost, when things go wrong, but without the proper performance kit of the real deal. No M-diff or uprated brakes etc. It might be great in a straight line on the way to sell curtain rings in Milton Keynes - but sooner or later you are going to get hassled by a porker to see who is the king of the road, and you are left red faced.
I'd be more inclined to get a nice sensible diesel and save up for a day when you can rock up in something more special.
What a bizarre thing to say.
The M3 is quite obviously a better car than either the 330i or a 335i if we remove cost from the equation. It looks better, it's faster, it's more special and it's more focused. But of course we cannot remove cost from the equation because cost is an inherent part of everyones decision making process.
The E92 offers the ability to have a great performing all round package without being a drain on your finances or forcing you to compromise in other areas.
The 330i/335i are fantastic all round, every day cars. They tick so many boxes. They'll do 35mpg+ on a run, they are reasonably cheap to service, they are comfortable, they handle nicely for the sort of car they are, they offer performance which is frankly fantastic for the costs involved in owning them and, provided you purchase a new enough one, you can cover them with a fully comprehensive warranty for just £500 a year.
The reason why I've chosen an E92 330i/335i as my next car despite the fact that for the same money as a 3 year old E92 you can buy an Audi RS4, a Mercedes E55 AMG, a 996 Porsche 911 or an E46 M3 is quite simple - lack of hassle and ease of affordability. An older performance car quickly becomes a drain on your finances, whereas the 'souped up rep-mobile' variants with a warranty simply don't.
Whilst at the same time enjoying a luxury interior, bags of kit, good handling, 0-60 in under 6 seconds, whats not to like?
Put simply, it's the 'sensible' performance coupe.
You see plenty of 335i's on the outside lane of the motorway showing off their (impressive, admittedly) straight line performance. It doesnt matter what marque you are in, sooner or later you are gonna get someone in one of Stuttgart's finest asking you to move over
You do? I hardly ever see them, which is a constant source of frustration becuase the fact there are not many around (There are less than 2000 pre LCI 335i M Sport's registered in the United Kingdom, I suspect Porsche probably sell more 911's in a year!) is making a complete nightmare to find a nice one to buy. I'm not even sure what your point is here. Don't buy a 335i because one day a Porsche might pull up behind you?
Once I've bought one I'll often be finding 320d's asking me to move over, let alone 911's, because when I'm on the Motorway, I've got the cruise set to 70.