A brand new BMW M3 starts at around 70 grand in the US, and once you’ve fitted all your performance options and one or two conveniences, you can easily come close to paying $100,000 for one. But if all you care about is an M3 and don’t care about it being fresh out of the showroom, you can spend less. Like, way less.

Throttle House found the cheapest M3 it could and put it up against the latest version of the car to see how the two stack up. That’s right, a $23,000 CAD ($18,400 USD) E90 M3 with 240,000 km (150,000 miles) on the odometer is going up against BMW’s latest and (almost) greatest.

Although the G80 represented here is the latest M3, it’s not the Competition model. That means it makes just 473 hp, not the 503 of the higher trim. Despite having two fewer cylinders than the E90’s 4.0-liter V8, it still makes a healthy 60 horses more than the older, 414 hp model.

See Also: Should You Consider Buying A Used BMW E92 M3?

Things aren’t quite that simple, though. Two factors complicate the comparison. First, there’s torque. The G80’s turbocharged mill makes a lot of the stuff. Whereas the E90 delivers a reasonable 295 lb-ft of torque, the twin-turbo inline-six makes 406 lb-ft of twisting power.

The naturally aspirated V8 does have its own charms, though. Although it’s not quite as twisty as the newer model, it makes its peak power at 8,300 RPM.

“The biggest difference between natural aspiration and turbocharged engines is the throttle pedal becomes addictive,” says host James Engelsman running through the E90’s revs. “Like, yes the new one pulls, but there’s a dopamine hit when you do that. More so than on the new one.”

So there’s something to love no matter which you’re in. Even if you don’t like the new M3’s grille, its quality as a tire-destroying highway crusher is beyond dispute. On the other hand, the older model’s naturally aspirated, high-reving V8 is quite addictive on its own, plus it comes with a great soundtrack.