M3 non Comp, Manual, RWD owners opinion?

[Tallest]

Guys, thinking about the base car, non comp, RWD, manual. If you have this (and Im not really choosey about spec, just not black car) - would you say its been a good experience or do you wish youd have gone for the automatic and xdrive cars instead? I head mixed things said about RWD and manual cars, people complain its rubbery gearbox and not what one would expect buying it, plus its not livable as much as a daily with this much power and with a manual.

Would love your take, if it is a car that youd keep or novelty of manual gear changes wore off fast, and car isnt as well setup as comps (and xdrive models).

[Frostynorth]

Mines a base with leather seats and premium stereo. For the e9x the competition isn’t that special, imo.

Don’t regret the manual, it’s simpler and has less to go wrong. Though the shifter/clutch feel isn’t great. Sometimes the DCT would be nice, though I don’t drive it enough for this to matter.

RWD is tons of fun, has a lot of power but the modern turbo cars are much faster. Still has no problem getting you in cuffs as the numbers get big quickly.

If I could swing having two sport cars, would definitely be a forever car.

[Thumbie]

I've loved the car. I truly have. I've dumped so much money into it to get it where I want it to be (which isn't anything special, just a lot of big-ticket maintenance items). But! My experience is biased. Someone used to Toyotas (in terms of maintenance costs) would probably hate it. It's very impractical, but it can be very practical when I need it to be.

If you're looking for one, I wouldn't let the specs limit your search too much. DCT vs manual, color, and maybe coupe vs sedan if you care. For the rest, I'd focus more on the maintenance history. A clean 100k mile car with strong service history is a much safer buy than a 50k mile car with no history. FYI "base" models with no sunroof or iDrive screen actually fetch a higher value these days "because it weighs a little less". Up to you if that matters. I personally enjoy my sunroof.

The auto is not really an auto. I've driven them and they are really fun and engaging. Personally prefer manual since I've always driven manual, and yes the shifter is not the best feeling... but it's totally fine. The DCT is really snappy and has more of a race car feel than the manual. Also, the power this motor makes is very user-friendly to manage. It's all way up in the RPM range, so driving thru town it is pretty tame. Also, the DCT has been proven to be very reliable and trouble free on most of these cars.

Also these were never available with xDrive, at least in the US. If having AWD is important, than an M3 is not the car for you.

Originally Posted by Frostynorth

For the e9x the competition isn’t that special, imo.

This is pretty true IMO. Mild aftermarket suspension and a tune and you can make the non-comp be better than the comp. I would argue it is not a limiting factor when looking for an e9X.

[Bigtriece]

Originally Posted by Tallest

Guys, thinking about the base car, non comp, RWD, manual. If you have this (and Im not really choosey about spec, just not black car) - would you say its been a good experience or do you wish youd have gone for the automatic and xdrive cars instead? I head mixed things said about RWD and manual cars, people complain its rubbery gearbox and not what one would expect buying it, plus its not livable as much as a daily with this much power and with a manual.

Would love your take, if it is a car that youd keep or novelty of manual gear changes wore off fast, and car isnt as well setup as comps (and xdrive models).

I think you are in the wrong forum. E9x never had an Xdrive or an Auto

[Atombyte]

I ordered mine new w/o comp and with the 6MT and still have it 13 years later. Agree the comp doesn’t bring much to the table for this generation and I prefer a real manual. I’ve never thought the shifter to be lacking at all. Power delivery is pretty tame below 5k RPM, so it’s not some monster that will bite you when you’re tooling around town.

[Tallest]

Everybody, Ive made a wrong forum post as it should have gone to G8x.

And yeah, the E90x M3 is an amazing amazing car. Id be afraid to daily it but I have considered it few times, I guess realiability and finding a good one has held me back.

[Thumbie]

Nah, you're in the right spot. Get an e9X. Join us, become one of us.

[Lucky1]

Originally Posted by Thumbie

Nah, you're in the right spot. Get an e9X. Join us, become one of us.

[darren p.]

One of us! One of us!

[Atombyte]

Originally Posted by Tallest

Everybody, Ive made a wrong forum post as it should have gone to G8x.

And yeah, the E90x M3 is an amazing amazing car. Id be afraid to daily it but I have considered it few times, I guess realiability and finding a good one has held me back.

IDK why you'd be afraid to daily it other than the massive fuel bill. In 13 years, mine has had 1 issue with a sensor on the brake booster that sent it into limp mode, but a sensor can go bad on any car. It's been one of the most reliable cars I've had. Finding a good one may be a little challenging, but there's quite a few out there. They also look WAY better than a G8x.

[Tallest]

Originally Posted by Atombyte

IDK why you'd be afraid to daily it other than the massive fuel bill. In 13 years, mine has had 1 issue with a sensor on the brake booster that sent it into limp mode, but a sensor can go bad on any car. It's been one of the most reliable cars I've had. Finding a good one may be a little challenging, but there's quite a few out there. They also look WAY better than a G8x.

Im a low mileage per year guy, so i dont care that much about fuel bill here. The rod bearings etc things do put me off.

A manual E90 M3 would be dream car. I dont doubt the platform is reliable I had an E90 from new for 5 years with one sensor failure and another one for 2 years without any issues. But nice to hear yours is reliable, whats the mileage? Manual or auto?

BTW G8x costs today like E9x M3 with manual (in Europe). F8x is the old M3 and cheapest used. Im sure people will discover love for F8x M3 in 10 years time.

[nawktrebor]

Originally Posted by Atombyte

I ordered mine new w/o comp and with the 6MT and still have it 13 years later. Agree the comp doesn’t bring much to the table for this generation and I prefer a real manual. I’ve never thought the shifter to be lacking at all. Power delivery is pretty tame below 5k RPM, so it’s not some monster that will bite you when you’re tooling around town.

This is exactly like me and my thoughts, except I ordered mine new in late 2008 (MY2009, Single Hump), there was no Comp at the time, and still have the car 17+ years later. I never considered selling and getting a car with Comp when it became available.