doesn't matter what you get, both are fantastic cars. speed isn't the issue with the m3, it was the situation. explain how half the retards on you tube live after the **** they pull. physics and luck. the problem you have lies in the fact that they are used. WHO used them? you may find a car with low miles, but that's because the owner worked close to home and had1/4 mile track near his house. you need to look at history and talk to the owner. and you said you're 17, don't be stupid and go alone because you've owned a few cars. i'm twice your age, buy new cars, and i still bring at least a friend if not a few and my dad when possible for a reality check. when someone isn't putting money on the line, they ask some crazy yet rational questionsthat you find you want answered. as for performance, screw straight line. it's all about handling inan audi quattro. put it like this...a quick 0-60mphtime may befun for a while, but in the long run being able to take turns confidently at 60mph+ will keep you in front of the pack.

 

haha audi FTW man dont get me wrong e36 m3 is a great car but with just a chip you'll walk all over one and hang with the e46
also s4 handles better and for traction there is no equal too quattro lol but hey i might be biased owning one lol

 

Well the M3 handles like a dream and sticks to the road like crazy. just to put it out there in 1997 (yeah 1997, which was a while ago) it was the best handling car at any price. but times have changed and im sure the audi handles better.
About the taking a friend thing, yeah i usually take a few friends and your right, in past experiences in buying my last 2 cars a few of my friends have asked things i would have never thought about asking and helped me out in my buying experience. my parents usually put a little input here and there, but they don't really know anything about newer cars, they ask dumb questions and didnt know that my old A4 had 3k into it and thought it wasnt any faster than stock...
And the S4 i found with low miles is around my area, so i know there arent very many tracks nearby except a few. but the reason its low mileage is because the motor and turbo's were replaced, i dunno why yet, i'm still waiting for an Email back from the owner

 

Forget E36. I was having fun with a white E46 on I89 not 3 weeks ago. and he was by no means pulling away from me. and I had a full car as well. we came up on him no problem took off at about 130 and stopped at about 150+ no problem at all. (No one is on VT highways after 10:00pm so it was a great time.

 

Haha nice, well i'm going to look at the S4 with a low mileage motor and turbos on sunday. So we'll see how it goes

 

im around you age too, what year s4 are you going to be looking for?

 

Haha not a 2007, its a 2000 with an 01.5 engine with 53k miles
Why do i keep seeing these cars running 14.8's stock at the track? Why is that so high? i can get a 13.8 with my stock m3 which has no turbos and 10 less horsepower?
i wanted to sell my M3 to get an S4 cause i thought they were as fast if not faster than my M3. Persuade me into buying one before 6:30 tonight thats when im going to look at the one i want. HELP!

 

AWD Donuts are the best.

And not to mention everyone has a BMW in my neck of the woods. So who wants to fit in? Not me. Plus the Nogaro blue with Blue Alcantara inserts puts me over the edge. I love having a four door sleeper.

 

1. In my opinion the s4 is a much more practical car, and the interior is more comfortable.
2. Depending on the color you may be flying kind of under the radar as far as cops go. Poliece know what an m3 is.

Also that 1/4 mile is pretty far off. Bone stock your looking at sub 14's. I believe the fastest stock is something like a 13.6. You should be able to do a 13.8 in a manual.

An m3, even your model is a great car. BMW has allways put alot into the m3 models so im sure yours corners like railcar and has plenty of GO. But put on an exhaust and a chip (which isnt really that expensive) and your S will trounce your old bimmer. And lets be honest your chances of buying a car wiht a new ECU in it allready are fairly good. The car only gets faster and a TTv6 is alot easier to get power from than your old M.

While the M is nice, your better off comparing the s4 to an E46. While the BMW was BUILT for handeling the s4 should be comperable. And like i said it only gets better. Add suspension, stickey rubber, and say a rear sway bar and OH BABY! In my personal opinion the s4 is what you want to get. Its newer and probably a more comfortable ride.

AWD donuts are AMAZING.

The s4 IS faster than your M3. And it is alot easier to make even faster.

 

im liking the input!
well i didnt go to see the car tonight cause its really nasty out and there werechances of freezingice on the roads..and the guy didnt want to slop up his car, which is what i like to hear. so im going on thursday i think.
the main reason i want to get an S4 is to upgrade safety and comfort, my old audi (2002) was way more comfortable than the luxury package seats in my M3, i cant go long without my lower back hurting, and im only 17!
and safety is a big concern to me, yeah i drive fast and whatnot, and yeah im 17 but im not retarded like most other kids my age who you hear about wrapping themselves around trees. ive been driving and racing cars since i was 10. after i got in my last accident in my old audi where i hit a car going 35 head on, and she was going 35, i bounced off her and nailed a tree on the drivers side, and i came out of it without a scratch (minus a burn on my thumb from the airbag) i really want something safe. my car now only has 2 airbags, and weighs about 2900 pounds, so if i get hit at a high rate of speed, im like dead. and i was reading that thread about the DP and catback for 275?? what kind of increases would you gain out of those, without a chip? cause if i end up with this S4, that's the first thing id get and wait to get a chip for my birthday or graduation, maybe sooner if i make enough money and buy it myself. oh, and abotu flying under the radar with cops, my audi got me 2 tickets, and my bmw has gotten me none, its pretty stealthy cause its black with black rims and a silver lip, and the S4 is yellow with gunmetal rims. although my m3 looks like a straight up track car its crazy, i havent gotten any tickets yet hah