2002 BMW M3 review from North America

No problems as of yet.

This car has it all.

I waited for the right color combo or I would have bought a 2001.

I traveled 800 miles for this car and every mile home made me realize how great my descision was.

You have to feel pity on someone who spent 70K for a Porsche when you come up behind him, drop a gear and watch him in the rearview.

Overall I think BMW has finally got perfection in a bottle. I don't know how they improve their cars the way they do, but the M3 is the essence of driving. My other toy is a Ferrari 348 which up until now I thought was a great car for the money, but now the M3 has stolen my heart and the Ferrari sits in the garage. The M3 even does well in inclement weather (enough said for the other).

The sport package is a must, who wants woodgrain interior in a sports car? I eliminated the heated seats to save weight and the backup radar is silly. I haven't used the nav system but hear it's neat.

This car takes a beating and then gives you one. Handles better than on rails and keeps you honest at 140+.

The tires are different sizes so plan on replacing all four about every 20K if you drive easy and they aren't cheap. BMW lists the M3's times slightly slower than the M5, but I have kept up with many an M5 so I think it's done so not to put a shadow on the big brother.

For the 55K I dont think you can find a car that combines all the greatness of the M3.