2004 BMW 3-Series

BMW M3 provides the best of both worlds, the massive power of a sports car as well as the comfort of a luxury car.

0-60 is dealt with in a mere 5.2 seconds which leaves most cars behind in your rear-view mirror. The car comes with a large variety of accessories including SMG (paddleshift sequential gearbox), launch control, tv, sat nav, cruise control etc.

If you are purchasing one second-hand try to find one with the most accessories possible as it will help to retain its resale value. It's also worth finding ones that have a BMW service history, essential is to make sure it had its first run in service at the right time.

Be warned, this is not an economical car, average 22mpg, although if driving a lot of motorways you will get 30mpg. Also, you need to use high octane 97 unleaded fuel , so this also adds to the running expense. Parts and servicing can be expensive if taking the car to a BMW garage and if you use the car to its full potential, expect to wear out the tyres pretty quickly.

Also, this is insurance group 20 so you will pay a high premium to insure this car, make sure you shop around for quotes as I received quotes ranging from 1000s to 100s, a big difference.

SMG gearboxes are reliable but can occasionally break. I had an instance where the car would not change from gear 1 to neutral. The car requires you to park in gear 1 and then start the car in neutral, so I could not start the car! This was fixed for $5, from some research all that needed changing was a salmon pink relay which I was easily able to change myself in the engine bay (and I am not a mechanic).

You will also want to check if purchasing second hand when the bushes were replaced, because of the power of the car the rear bushes on the suspension tend to need replacing, if you notice a looseness in the steering or slight knocking the bushes may need replacing in the front or rear.

It's possible to fit an iPod into the boot and control it from the main onboard computer, this is fitted easily and replaces the connections for the built in multi-CD changer in the boot.

This car is a powerful rear-wheel drive car, if the road is slightly damp and you put your foot down you will find you get lots of wheel spin and possibly drift, luckily the ESP helps to keep the car under control in these conditions, but it can be a twitchy car which demands to be driven with the respect that it can turn round and bite you if you are not careful with the accelerator pedal.

This car is not recommended for new drivers, you need some experience to make sure you can handle the car.

If you are thinking of purchasing a BMW M3 make sure you can afford the running costs, you will love driving the car and the noise of the engine, but you need the spare cash to keep enjoying the fun.