t-minus 6mo... going back to a family car...

[nicknaz]

base model (cloth seats, no moonroof) F80 M3 with DCT and passive suspension

Put in deposit today for euro delivery order, late March pick up, so that it will get back to the US around when Z4 lease ends in May

loss of top down driving
gain of track performance

[Nkc]

I find it unbelievable that the m3 comes in cloth seat.

[Crazykoh]

Glad you'll get into something that will suit you more. I thought you were gonna go with one of the new corvettes though. Can't fault either of these vehicles. I'm sure the m3 will be great and European delivery will be awesome. Take pics and post for us. I can hardly wait to do that some day.

[nicknaz]

I changed my mind from the C7 Z51 when I read that it would overheat in hot weather at the track (which is all the time in socal in the summer) without mods to the cooling system

I also thought the C7 would be cheaper and faster than the M3, but they are actually similar in both price and performance.

[jparnes1]

Euro delivery is a great experience. I hope you plan a nice trip while you're there.

[BMWZ4RIDER]

Great Car.
Enjoy the European experience.

To BMW
Love the M3 but BMW's large kehonie's for selling a world class super sedan for $80 large then stripping out the resale value options- no leather, bmoon roof, adaptive suspension. Wow.

[BMWZ4RIDER]

Great Car.
Enjoy the European experience.

To BMW
Love the M3 but BMW's large kehonie's for selling a world class super sedan for $80 large then stripping out the resale value options- no leather, bmoon roof, adaptive suspension. Wow.

[nicknaz]

It's more like a $60k car. At $80k I would have gone c7 z06.

On the upside, no moonroof means CF roof. Passive suspension is setup to be roughy between sport and sport+ on the adaptive suspension. Apparently the head of BMW M prefers the passive suspension. (Helps me rationalize my stripped out spec!)

I am trying to get the dates to line up with a public driving day at Spa and the Ring. Will probably need to do non car stuff as well to keep the peace with MRS...

[CedarZ4]

Good choice, Nick

The moonroof is actually a free option on the M3 so I wouldn't say it was BMW cutting corners as much as it is giving buyers their own personal choice. Like Nick mentioned, no moonroof means CF roof, and I know many people over at the E92 side actually opt out of sunroof for this very reason. Besides, cloth seat durability is unmatched, and I believe the cloth seats are part leather as well, it's just not merino. So in reality, there isn't much difference.

What's your color combo? Austin yellow I hope but then again, I'm biased.

[nicknaz]

Cedar, I went with Alpine white and the cloth only comes in black. The cloth is going to be awesome. Less sliding around the seats.

It's a four door family car shape, so I'm going to own that and have a 4 dr family car color combo.

[jannisa]

Good times coming and an excellent choice all over. I 'm happy for you.

[VMRWheels]

Congrats!

[Asbjorn]

Congratulations! Man it is a long wait though...

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by Asbjorn

Congratulations! Man it is a long wait though...

Thanks! The wait was my choice so it wouldn't be winter when I took delivery.

EDIT: The Z4 has really grown on me after I stopped taking it to the track and I'm not in any rush to give it up.

[TheFoz]

I'm not terribly surprised the M3 won over the C7 (Still too new and all the issues I see cropping up scare me away every time I get close) but I'm surprised you didn't do the used 997.1 turbo path since I see a tempting one at porsche san diego for $74k with all the options....

Or maybe I'll just go get a prius and help fill the world with more smugness.

[Hujan]

Great choice, Nick! Congrats on the new car.

Contrary to a lot of the posts on this thread, "stripper" M3s are highly sought after. F80 is the better of the two new M cars, IMO. Carbon roof is a must have. Cloth seats save a little weight and look cool. And you can't go wrong with Alpine White. I think you're going to be very happy with that car.

[Lambobimmer]

Congrats on the new car. I am going to consider going American when I decide to make a change in a couple of years. GT350 or C7

However, I have my Z4 exactly like I want it and I have been very happy with this car.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by TheFoz

I'm surprised you didn't do the used 997.1 turbo path since I see a tempting one at porsche san diego for $74k

Haha, I think we are all cross shopping the same cars!

This was an easy one for me because I decided at the start my limit was $65k and that I'd pay cash. Therefore, stripped f80 was feasible, 997.1 TT was infeasible.

I could rationalize it every which way but that's the root of it !

On the used market the really tempting in budget Porsche for me were 987.2 cayman R and 996 GT3

[jts1981]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

base model (cloth seats, no moonroof) F80 M3 with DCT and passive suspension

Put in deposit today for euro delivery order, late March pick up, so that it will get back to the US around when Z4 lease ends in May

loss of top down driving
gain of track performance

Congrats man!

[RobC2]

Great choice! Congrats!