Should I? 2011 E90 M3 12k km Straight Trade -> New 2011 CTS-V Wagon 6MT

[Rich_Jenkins]

I love this thread.

[JulieDriving]

Originally Posted by Veritable

Opulent Blue Metallic with Satin Black wheels and yellow Brembo calipers please! I bet you I wouldn't see one on the street, EVER. Whereas, when I came into work a couple days ago, the public lot had 4x E9x M3s... one AW/FR E92 right in front of me, my co-worker's AW/Blk E92, a wrapped blue E92, and mine. Ugh.

Besides, even if I DO see one, I bet you it's 6AT. We have 5 local dealers authorized to sell Cadillacs, and throughout MY2012 they had ZERO 6MTs in stock.

You sound like you really want it. Then get it. It's not ugly IMO.

However, one more counterpoint? Are you sure 15K is not worth it for what you want? This is a rare and special car. It would look so damn good in a dark color. It might be even sought after by enthusiasts later if you want to sell it. But a 6MT wagon may prove to be more difficult to resell... I dunno, just a guess...

At any rate, I think you should get what you really want, who cares what anyone thinks. But make it's truly what you really want.

[adc]

My first question to you - did you test drive it ? If not, don't sign over the dotted line just yet. Take it for a loong spin, on your favorite "test track", and drive the wheels off of it. If it wows you more than the M3, then there really isn't any decision to make.

If it doesn't excite you as much as the sauerkraut sedan, then go home happy.

[sycd]

Yikes! E90 looks so much better, more special now also since it's the last V8 M3 sedan.

The american dealerships have to discount the hell out of this type of car just to move them off their lot. I can't imagine the depreciation on this thing. It doesn't even seem to be the car you want, since you'd rather have the sedan.

It looks like you are trying hard to justify buying something you don't really want. Don't buy a car to prove others wrong or because it it heavily discounted, buy what you really want.

My USD $0.02, but feel free to ignore :-)

[Chachi112]

I personally would never buy a car off the show room floor

[Sandye90m3]

German > American all day, just cause. I feel like the Cadillac interior is really fake. But then again I haven't been in a Cadillac for the past 3 years so maybe it changed.

[Veritable]

Originally Posted by JulieDriving

However, one more counterpoint? Are you sure 15K is not worth it for what you want? This is a rare and special car. It would look so damn good in a dark color. It might be even sought after by enthusiasts later if you want to sell it. But a 6MT wagon may prove to be more difficult to resell... I dunno, just a guess...

I priced out a factory ordered car, accounting for current incentives out here, added a normal-sized discount (a bit less than what I normally get with BMWs, but should be reasonable), then worked out my monthly payments. $100 more per month not accounting for the insurance / registration savings and I'd have to go back onto a 5 years loan. That's $16640 more over the next 5 years compared to the BMW.

For that money, why don't I look at F10 M5s instead? It's a more expensive car but I'm sure BMW will give me a better deal AND a better trade-in so.

Whereas this wagon will cost me $1040 LESS over the next 4 years, still not accounting for insurance.

As for Wagon vs. Sedan vs. Coupe, Coupe is out (even though they also have one, same price) because if I'm looking for a 2+2 I should just get an R35 GT-R instead. Sedan, none to be had, except for that +$16640 deal above. It also seems that the entire automotive press falls head over heels in love with the 6MT Wagon, calling it the coolest car on Earth.

And yet, it's exceedingly rare (definitely fewer of these in the entire world than SLS AMGs), and despite all the praise nobody bought one

Originally Posted by adc

My first question to you - did you test drive it ? If not, don't sign over the dotted line just yet. Take it for a loong spin, on your favorite "test track", and drive the wheels off of it. If it wows you more than the M3, then there really isn't any decision to make.

If it doesn't excite you as much as the sauerkraut sedan, then go home happy.

There are some 6AT MY2012s locally, so I can get a test drive easier with that. However, by all accounts the 6AT is rubbish and will likely ruin the test drive for me. This car is the only 6MT available on the lot since last August, and the only reason why I'm even looking at it is BECAUSE nobody ever touched it.

The dealership was very accomodating (weird for GM) and themselves offered to let me take it for a spin, provided that I do make the commitment to buy it and get all the paperwork squared away... except the final signature. So the purchase is still subject to test drive, and I decide to sign or not sign until I get back. Their offer; I didn't even bring it up.

Still, I didn't get the chance to go that far because as you can see in the OP, I couldn't even make that commitment to buy.... Kinda wondering if I should just go FAH and try.

[swanson]

Originally Posted by Sandye90m3

German > American all day, just cause. I feel like the Cadillac interior is really fake. But then again I haven't been in a Cadillac for the past 3 years so maybe it changed.

Said like a real fanboi

[Singletrack]

Originally Posted by CAPSGOD

Typical $hitsburgh BMW driver.

Oh, you so sad about what other people think of your ugly car?

Why do you even care?

Insecure much?

[Sandye90m3]

Originally Posted by swanson

Said like a real fanboi

ahhaha

[virjose]

Do it! The CTS-V is a monster, a different league than the M3. Te wagon is super sexy too

[swanson]

[swanson]

Originally Posted by Veritable

I brought my parents over to live in my house so they can retire and not having to pay household expenses. In exchange I get a couple more hands to help out around the house (including house / cat sitting when I'm away on road trips) and I save quite a bit on food by eating at home.

I know it's my house, my car, my expenses, my money; but we're living under the same roof so I wanted it to be a family decision, y'dig? Just that it's gotten to a point that I'm thinking of just going for it and stop trying to convince them.

I'm 31, btw, thanks for asking.



If you can slap an ESS-575 kit onto your M3, without spending a dime, and get a fresh 5 years powertrain warranty to boot, would you do it? That is how I'm kinda viewing the situation here.

Downside is, you have to drive a Cadillac. I know, terrible....



Julie is my CTS-V therapist The only reason why I'm considering it is because I wouldn't have to spend any extra money. I just don't think my "dream car" is worth essentially $15k more; why don't I just mod the M instead?

Opulent Blue Metallic with Satin Black wheels and yellow Brembo calipers please! I bet you I wouldn't see one on the street, EVER. Whereas, when I came into work a couple days ago, the public lot had 4x E9x M3s... one AW/FR E92 right in front of me, my co-worker's AW/Blk E92, a wrapped blue E92, and mine. Ugh.

Besides, even if I DO see one, I bet you it's 6AT. We have 5 local dealers authorized to sell Cadillacs, and throughout MY2012 they had ZERO 6MTs in stock.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...aff=national#0

[1Sleeper]

I love wagons but I bet you can do better on price. Realistically, how big do you really think the target market is for possible buyers of a 6mt high horsepower Cadlillac Wagon? Which is also why it will probably be difficult to unload when you are ready to move on. For the right price, its worth it to make some compromises (color, wagon vs sedan etc), I dont think what they are offering is the right price. One man's opinion.

[alms211]

Irrespective of the car's performance, I could never get past it's looks. Never in a million years would I trade an M3 for that car. Never.

[Veritable]

Originally Posted by swanson

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...aff=national#0

Canada, sir, I'm in Canada. I KNOW there are no 6MT anything within 1000mi of where I am. Perhaps even across the whole country....

[swanson]

Originally Posted by Veritable

Canada, sir, I'm in Canada. I KNOW there are no 6MT anything within 1000mi of where I am. Perhaps even across the whole country....

I KNOW! I KNOW! I didnt put the link for you as a lead, I put it there just to show you. I didnt know whether or not you ever saw one.

[scheherazade]

V Wagon just says : business in back, party in front.

And it comes off confident as hell.
Most 'my car is better than your car' dudes would feel butthurt driving a wagon - but you'd be like the guy with nothing to prove.



But yeah, a test drive is mandatory.

As much as I respect vettes, I don't feel them.

They're very good cars. I just didn't 'connect' with the C6 for a variety of [personal preference] reasons.
(And no, it wasn't because of the 'interior' - friggin' whiners...)

I used to consider getting one, and I wouldn't have known that I'm just not a vette guy if I hadn't rented one and had a nice long chance to evaluate for myself.



That said, the V is a good looking car - for a wagon.
But isn't that good looking.

Performance wise, I can't help but see it as an obese vette - which car for car, I'd prefer the vette.
But for a family car, the V is a lot less compromise than practically any other wagon in existence...

-scheherazade

[Singletrack]

Originally Posted by scheherazade

V Wagon just says : business in back, party in front.

I agree...just like a mullet....err wait a tick.

[Darth One]

Originally Posted by scheherazade

V Wagon just says : business in back, party in front.

judging from my observations of friends who drove their parents' wagons or SUV's in our high school days, I'd say the party usually occurs in the back of wagons, not the front

[M3PO]

Two things:

1) Why do you care how many M3's there are in your area? What matters is if you like the car or not. Those are just potential buddies/enthusiasts you haven't met yet. Mod your M3 and make it YOUR M3 and no one else will have YOUR M3 in your area.

2) If you make a thread like this, to get opinions from people you don't know who own M3's, it's clear that you shouldn't get the car.

[Veritable]

Originally Posted by M3PO

1) Why do you care how many M3's there are in your area? What matters is if you like the car or not. Those are just potential buddies/enthusiasts you haven't met yet. Mod your M3 and make it YOUR M3 and no one else will have YOUR M3 in your area.

That is true. Strange thing to complain about. It's just that it seemed like most of our over-abundance of E92 M3s are driven by young Chinese guys in university or even high school. To them, the M3 is simply "that most expensive 2-doors BMW." Their parents, buying SUVs, end up with X5Ms because it's "the most expensive BMW SUV." Not a good start, eh.

I'm not that young now, but I'm a Chinese guy, so I get "that look" from others sometimes....

As for meeting enthusiasts, I'm a card-carrying member of the BMW Car Club of BC, going onto my 5th year. I'm set on that front.

Originally Posted by M3PO

2) If you make a thread like this, to get opinions from people you don't know who own M3's, it's clear that you shouldn't get the car.

I actually appreciated many of the comments posted in reply, because I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought both cars CAN be compared to each other. Perhaps some have even gone onto the extended CTS-V test drives that GM offered down in the US.

Finally, maybe this thread is a sanity check, to make sure that I'm not a total idiot to even contemplate such a move. Looks like, maybe no nuthouse for me just yet....