Torn...

[M3Monkey///]

I'm about to jump into my first m3... I've got a budget of about 50k.
What to do? I like the idea of getting a 2011 with dct, competition package, fully loaded. I like the idea of going stock, however, after reading up on this forum for a couple of months, I'm intrigued by all the cool mods by you guys...given my situation, what would you do?
Buy a 2011, fairly low miles, mostly stock or go after a model between 2008-2010 that May have some existing cool mods? Any pros or cons to the early model year 2008...any significant difference between 2009-2010?
I'm not very hands on and would likely not do too much on my own in terms of aftermarket???but you can never tell...

[BrewRifle]

You should be able to score a low miles clean 2011 for under 50k and have plenty left over for whatever mods you want to do less a supercharger.

[///M Power-Belgium]

With 50K budget the choise is big to find the perfect ///M3 !
Take your time , best advice is "check always VIN nr (report) first" !

[///WeissBisBlau]

I would get the nicer 2011, but that's just me. I plan to enjoy mine stock for awhile before even attempting any modding on mine. Sounds like you're kind of like me on that.

[Sinful]

I would go a clean OEM 2011 and then add modification overtime if you dare.
This engine is performance ready and is sensitive. It also is very expensive to repair and modifications are what BMW loves to void your warranty.
Thats my .02 cents.

[iansanderson]

If ZCP is important to you, then definitely find an '11.

If it isn't, I'll throw my .02 in here:

I specifically wanted an '08 because of (in order of importance):

-the cost savings: non ZCP M3's all have pretty much identical powertrains and suspension throughout the series. Besides some engineering differences (crank bearing tolerances, clutch, etc.) all M3's have the same engine, transmission and suspension. I do hate my old nav system, but a stack of 10,000 dollar bills looks more interesting than a newer iDrive interface I could have got on an '09+.

Options: They are pretty much the same throughout the entire series run so matter what year. Same audio, same PDC, same extended leather, etc. The car I found has every option except sunshades. While I would have liked the sunshades, they weren't a deal killer for me.

-Not that intrigued by LCI: The only thing that was impulsed on my car are its taillights, so again, spending the extra money for squinty tail lights with larger wave guide running lights wasn't worth it to me.

-Mod/maintenance freedom: Again, with the money saved on an older model, I can afford the $1200+ front and rear brake job coming up, $1000 set of tires and if you're into it, aftermarket stuff.

[mxa121]

You can get a great car for ~40k.
Then you have 10k for mods, assuming you are buying outright.
If you are financing, then definitely get the car you want. Mods up front aren't great if you don't know what stock feels like. In addition, finding the right group of options means you won't need to spend additional coin to get it "right".

[LarThaL]

Originally Posted by M3monkey!8

I'm about to jump into my first m3... I've got a budget of about 50k.
What to do? I like the idea of getting a 2011 with dct, competition package, fully loaded. I like the idea of going stock, however, after reading up on this forum for a couple of months, I'm intrigued by all the cool mods by you guys...given my situation, what would you do?
Buy a 2011, fairly low miles, mostly stock or go after a model between 2008-2010 that May have some existing cool mods? Any pros or cons to the early model year 2008...any significant difference between 2009-2010?
I'm not very hands on and would likely not do too much on my own in terms of aftermarket???but you can never tell...

The question to ask is this: Do you plan on doing any serious track time?

If yes, go for a car that has a more track ready suspension, brakes, wheels/tires. Or, get an older stripper car and build it yourself.

If not, get a car with the competition package and call it a day.

In the end, the stock vehicle will definitely hold its value more if that is a consideration also.

[Ludey]

I've always liked waiting on the performance mods. This way, you'll truly appreciate the $$ spent on them because you get the comparison from stock. It also gives you more data to work with when making mod-buying decisions.. i.e. "It's too quiet for me, I really want this thing to be louder - I think I'll do exhaust stuff first"

However, you've seen them a lot, so I like doing the complete opposite on styling mods... i.e. get them first. This, to me, actually makes those first few months a little bit more enjoyable. You know, that time you get before the "newness" (new to me) excitement wears off. So, do your visual mods early on.

That said, I would think really long and hard about what options you want. Take me for example... I jumped the gun and bought an M3 without ZCP and tech package. After having it for a bit, I quickly learned that those mods are very important to me. I sold it and got a newer one with the exact option build-out I wanted... which ended up costing me in the end. but

Also, I personally do not like buying a car that is already modded. It could just be me, but in general, I put cars that have been modded into a category of "probably-been-beat-on-fairly-substantially-by-the-previous-owner" bucket.

So, to answer to your question. If it was me, I would get a bone stock, low miles '11. If you're patient, you should be able to get one around your budget. I'd do cosmetic mods right away. Then, while enjoying your new M, start deciding and saving for additional performance mods. JMO