... and what some folks had to say about it ... I'm glad I got back into my M3 after two Z4's ~grin~ I knew too what I was missing
Thought I share with you fellows what I picked up on my iPhone while waiting at the hospital to pick someone up.
2009 BMW M3: Parting Shots
Another one bites the dust. That's right, our 2009 BMW M3 sedan is gone. We didn't quite make 20,000 miles, but the 19,000 we did manage were good ones.
A fine car that represented the M3 thing better than a coupe, since the whole point of the M3 is combining street civility with speed. After all, anyone can build a race car and put license plates on it. That said, BMW's new Getrag-built dual-clutch automated manual transmission would have better suited the nature of a four-door sedan than this car's six-speed manual.
Michael Jordan, Executive Editor
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Although I like it a lot, unless you're nads to the wall, this thing is a chore. Not my fav daily driver and I actually prefer the (egads!) Audi S5.
Al Austria, Vehicle Evaluation Engineer
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It's quite rare for me to be repeatedly enamored with a long-term vehicle throughout our one-year loans, yet every time I drove the M3 it wasn't just a transportation process, it was a celebratory event.
Karl Brauer, Editor-at-Large
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My parting thoughts: I like the idea of having a useful backseat in a fun car, but it seems you can't quite have it both ways: Our M3 sedan felt a little too big on tight back roads. It was a joy on the open highway, though, where I would always hope I'd enough space to let the 4.0-liter V8 rip. I'll never forget the way it howls at high rpm, which sort of atones for the nasty sounds it makes at idle.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor
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Say what you will Nurburgring laps times. Quote price-versus-quarter-mile performance. Complain about badge snobbery all you want. Until you've actually driven a BMW M3, this generation--any generation--you will never understand why people praise this car with emotional evidence and not statistical glurge.
It is because of cars like the BMW M3 that I chose this career.
The BMW M3 was not designed, engineered, or equipped to a budget--at least not in the ways one could see, feel, or measure.
When all other sport sedans go to sleep in their garages, they dream of being M3s.
Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor
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In lieu of sending in his parting shot, Riswick simply drooled. Then wept upon hearing the M3 was gone. It wasn't pretty.
Mike Magrath for the barely functional James Riswick, Automotive Editor
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Fun to the tenth degree. I wish I could hold it in my cold embrace forever. WC
Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor
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That car is one I would own without hesitation. It's everything I want: fast, comfortable, utilitarian...and it looks better as a sedan. But I don't want red leather.
Josh Jacquot, Senior Road Test Editor
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I've seen plenty of cars come and go through the long-term program, but none of them had me running the numbers as often as this M3. It wasn't the fastest, most luxurious or even the best looking, yet every time I drove it, I wanted to keep it.
Ed Hellwig, Lead Senior Editor
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Unlike the same trait in humans, the M3's Jekyll und Hyde nature was quite endearing to me. An easy going friend when I had to negotiate L.A.'s notorious traffic, the M3 morphed into the life of the party when open canyon roads tempted us.
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor
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Without a doubt the BMW M3 sedan is a car I would buy with my own hard earned money.
Scott Oldham, Editor-In-Chief
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Even my memories of those red seats make me recoil. But, man, was it ever a great car to drive. There are only a handful of cars in our long-term fleet that I'd consider worth my own money. This is one of them.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager
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The BMW M3 was always the car I hated when I read car magazines as a kid. It didn't make sense compared to the Vettes and Mustangs that had V8s and cost half the price. Now I'm driving everything on the road instead of reading about it, that all makes sense: The M3, even with a V8, is damn-near perfect for an enthusiast's toy.
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant
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Sent from my iPhone