Economies of maintaining a gtv6 or BMW M3

[dannyp]

I have a 1982 GTV6 with a 3.0 liter engine as well as a 1995 BMW M3. Both need a little work...one more than the other. Let's just say I get both working, which would you all think would be more enjoyable as a daily driver? I live in Texas so it gets pretty hot in the summer. Has any of you been in the same situation before? What was the maintenance between the two like?

Thanks,
Danny

[AR4me]

As much as I love Alfas, for a daily driver I would pick the E36 M3 over the GTV6. Why not keep both? M3 for 4 days a week, and the GTV6 for when you need to spice it up a bit.
Jes

[oldschooleuros]

I love alfas too, as much as anyone, but comming from a very extensive BMW background, I will throw my opinion in.
The E36 M is still regarded by many as the worlds finest sports coupe under 250k dollars. Powerful s50/2 motor, and handling that is still on par with any car. Good looks, but not too much to attract cops, and the legendary reliability and toughness that made the E36 M an instant classic. I would dd the M.

[josiechris]

Is the issue that you have to sell one in order to keep the other? If you plan to keep both, what sort of work do both cars need? All things being equal, and if the repairs did not break the bank, I would probably pick the M3 as my daily driver and would save the GTV6 for weekends, long drives, or for touring. That's where that car really shines IMO. Currently, I use my E30 325 with over 200k miles on it as a daily driver and it is rock solid. Man, that is one well built car I have to say. I used to drive my GTV6 daily, and it was pretty tough on cold mornings going up gently through the gears with a long line of minivans right on my back bumper!

[RAGs]

Sure they are both quite edible separately, BUT you can’t beat the combination. These two cars have quite different personalities and I believe that as drivers they could complement each other. Imagine the comfort of the M along with the unique driver’s intimacy of the GTV6; the reliability of a newer car along with the exclusivity of the Alfa.

I agree with the others; use the M for daily and save the Alfa for the weekends. In terms of maintenance, the M parts will cost more but probably require fewer checkups.

If still undecided, I’ll be the first to offer to “baby-sit” your M while you ponder …

[JOEBMW]

well, i dont know if i would the best person to ask this question but i would keep the m3. put some money into it and make 500hp!!

[TCL]

I owned a 99 M3 coupe. I would rate it far superior to the GTV-6 as a daily driver in terms of smoothness, comfort, accelaration, braking, handling, shift linkage, and steering feel. That said, I find the GTV-6 to be better for fun drives. It's more elemental due to the greater NVH and you can keep you foot into longer before risking your license.

I can't compare the reliability since I bought the M3 new and sold it before it was old enough to have any issues. Both GTV-6s I've owned were over 20 years old when I acquired them.

[Grant]

Steering feel! I dunno about that one. I drove an E36 and thought the car was quite dull.

[TCL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grant Steering feel! I dunno about that one. I drove an E36 and thought the car was quite dull.

[karmat]

Drive the GTV6 every day and sell the BMW. Use the spare cash from the BMW to give the GTV6 some love and use the rest to buy a cheap-o car with working AC for those hot days. The GTV6 can be miserable on a hot humid day in the sun. Otherwise, no contest IMHO.

Karl

[91spiderNV]

The BMW will impress your mom or wife, the Alfa will impress your new girlfriend. Used to live in Houston, TX. I'd use the car with the most reliable A/C as the daily driver, probably the beemer, and you can still get parts at Euro prices.

[fast-alfa75]

Driven both, work on both. Both good cars. M3: refined, subtle, neighbor next door recognizes what it is. Alfa: best sounding engine. Period. Neighbor doesn't know what is, but it remindes him of this insane woman he dated many years ago, yet still thinks about innapropriatly on a daily basis. Sound familiar, anyone?

Prep the Alfa, and it will be everything the BMW is, without looking like the Joneses, and make you feel funny inside like that insane girlfriend you once had...that you can't seem to fully forget about...after all these years.

[Devilspeed]

I used my GTV-6 as a daily driver for about year and a half. I just love driving that car anywhere and if I lived in CA or in a warmer/drier climate I would keep it as my dd. Since I live in the NY/NJ/CT tri-state area, it's not practical though. Nobody looks where they are going, there are illegals all over the place with no license and no insurance, and the traffic is insane. I hate sitting in rush hour traffic on a hot day watching the temp gauge and listening to my fans click on and off. Summers without AC are definitely not too desireable but even with the sweat dripping off my face I'm still smiling sitting in my Alfa. I could fix the AC but part of me would just hate to burden that beautiful engine with it. I have to agree with Chris that the GTV-6 isn't too happy on a cold morning as well, especially below freezing. Of course it warms up eventually and feels great in the cold once warm but you do have to shift a bit slow in the lower gears and people will ride your bumper as most commuters drive automatics and think of their cars as "disposable".

I've never owned an M3 but have driven a few. It's a wonderful car no question, but it really depends on what you want ultimately. I just love Alfa and my heart is in vintage racing so driving my GTV-6 gives me a certain pleasure and excitement of 'roughing it' that an M3 just can't deliver. I'll read a book about Fangio or Nuvolari and then take a ride in the GTV-6 through the country and daydream about racing in a P3. The question is: what do YOU like better? When I drive the GTV-6, guys pull up next to me with their thumbs up. One time this guy driving a brand new M3 pulled up next to me and said, "That is a BEAUTIFUL car!!" Ferraris honk at me. A lot of the tuner kids out there really like it too. It's unique, it's got style, it's something you don't see everyday and I really enjoy the compliments when I'm cruising around on a weekend.

Neither car is 'cheap' to maintain and both are as reliable as you make them so I don't think it can really be thought about in terms of economics. It's about which car you can't stand to leave in the garage when it's time to go to work. It's about which car is an extension of your personality. That said, IMO if the Alfa is that car for you, I would take Karl's advice. Sell the M3, put the money into making the Alfa rock solid and buy something cheap to take you back and forth to work. I didn't buy my Alfa because I could afford to maintain it. I bought it because I had to have it. What happened when the Alfa broke and I didn't have any other car? I took the bus and saved my pennies until I could afford to pick it up from my mechanic. It's not about being practical, it's about driving the car you have to drive.

[Zunige]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fast-alfa75 Driven both, work on both. Both good cars. M3: refined, subtle, neighbor next door recognizes what it is. Alfa: best sounding engine. Period. Neighbor doesn't know what is, but it remindes him of this insane woman he dated many years ago, yet still thinks about innapropriatly on a daily basis. Sound familiar, anyone? Prep the Alfa, and it will be everything the BMW is, without looking like the Joneses, and make you feel funny inside like that insane girlfriend you once had...that you can't seem to fully forget about...after all these years.