'08 M3 or '08 M Coupe???

[DarkstarZero]

ack! I'm freaking out!

ohkay, so I'm a leaser - I plan on leasing the M3 for abouts $1,000/month which on my salary is perfectly doable and livable but not a necessarily financially sound decision. Although, that never stopped me before with my last 2 M3's

For the last 2 years I've been in LOVE with the M Coupe and always wanted it but never went for it because I knew the M3 would be just a few grand more and thats the car I really want. But now - BMW is offering lease superdeals where I could get the M coupe for not $900/month, but $559!! That's pretty much half the payment of what the M3 would be!

Now I'm completely torn, do I go for the deal and the amazing (sexy) M coupe for half the price, saving tons of money. Or do I wait, pay double, and get the ultra fast, completely heavenly, more practical M3 that I've always wanted?

I need help, I can't decide!

[DarkstarZero]

As if the lease offer wasn't good enough - BMW is also offering $3,500 cash to dealer for the M coupe which I've confirmed can be tacked on to the lease deal, lowering the payment even more.

[///MArdor]

I would hate myself if I didn't choose the M3. I have always wanted an M3 and I have waited for a couple years to get the new style. You can always find something cheaper but is it comparable? Will it satisfy your lust? For me there is no alternative (then onto a porsche (998?) next )

[jaiman]

get the M coupe for 3 years, save some money and pick up the m3 after its mid cycle refresh.

[Los Angeles]

M3 FTW.

[Jimmyz]

I found a new M6 for 1100 a month for 30 months with zero down... I am considering in, and you may want to as well.

[DarkstarZero]

Originally Posted by Jimmyz

I found a new M6 for 1100 a month for 30 months with zero down... I am considering in, and you may want to as well.

Negative. I'm not a fan of the M6, it's got to be the biggest and fattest coupe in the world. It doesn't fit my personality at all. M3 or M coupe is where it's at. M5 if I had a family.

[drvai]

Depends on your personality. Some people are close minded and when they get something in their head.... that's it.

If you are more flexible, then buy the coupe. Go and test drive it. It's more "radical" than the M3 and it's a nice car. Just go and try it.

[Ray33]

I lived with the M Roadster for 18 months. Great car, great fun...but there is no midway with it. The car is full on all the time every day, on every journey. If that is something you can live with then go with the M Coupe.

[e46e92love]

Save your money, the M3 isn't going anywhere and will be around in a fw years when the super cheap M coupe lease is up. The money you save will allow you to go on vacations and save more. Then when the lease is up and a few raises later you get the 2010-2011 e92 M3

[mkoesel]

Just keep in mind that the Z4 will be replaced for MY10 (so next year) and thus the Z4 M will be gone too and replaced sometime following, probably relatively closely. In other words you are buying near the end of the model cycle, which is a big part of the reason for the discount. Nothing wrong with that per se, just something to note. Even if the new Z4 M is not out for a while, the new Z4 will likely make your car look "old" (just like every model change does for every car), especially since the Z4 M does not differ greatly aesthetically from the regular Z4 (as opposed to the M3 vs. 3 series for example).

[Hans Delbruck]

You absolutely have to drive the M Coupe before you buy it.

It is alot like the M3 you already have, only..... not nearly as good, IMO.

I bought one of the first Z4MCs... had it shipped in from out of state, without a test drive of course (i wanted it very badly and they were "hard to get" LOL) and my first thoughts after I actually got behind the wheel were "what a strange little car." Not something good to think when you've just dropped full MSRP. I sold it 9 months later, just before they started piling up on dealer lots, thank gawd. The worst car-buying decision I've ever made. I just did not like driving it. It looked VERY cool though, which is why I bought it.

All BMWs are good cars, it's just that BMW is better at sport sedans/coupes than "sports cars" ....

So my answer is no... don't buy the M Coupe.

[Hans Delbruck]

Originally Posted by Ray33

I lived with the M Roadster for 18 months. Great car, great fun...but there is no midway with it. The car is full on all the time every day, on every journey. If that is something you can live with then go with the M Coupe.

Nicely put. The car really has to be driven hard to be fun. So if you want to appear to be racing from stoplight to stoplight all the time and getting 8mpg, this is the car for you. Burnouts are easy too.

Damn I sound like an old man or something.

M Coupe pluses: Looks, Steering, it's rare

M Coupe minuses: Engine (it just didn't fit this car well IMO) brakes, transmission, suspension ... yuck.

[John]

m3

[murellus]

m3 unless you want a car built for the track fulltime. the zmc is just balls out all the time.

[gasman]

M coupe is a great car...but more suited for a woman. Very feminine car IMO.

[vm]

Because BMW is giving the same money factors for a 24 month lease why not take the Mcoupe for two years and then wait for more availabilty of the M3 two years from now. That way you save the typical first year problems of most cars and drive something that you have wanted for a while. Besides you wont be able to have an M3 in your hands for a few months anyway.

[DarkstarZero]

what about lease trader? I don't know if anyone's looked at this but I suspect if i just had to get out of a m coupe lease for the m3 that with such a low lease payment, it'd trade pretty quickly.

I did test drive one over a year ago. I'm a young guy, hard suspension never bothered me, I thought the e46 was comfortable. As for transmission, I think it feels good - the gear shifts are powerful. It does feel odd sitting on the rear axle when the car turns it's not like you're turning with the car so much as just rotating in place. It is, without a doubt, completely different and really fun.

But you all are right, when you're not going fast, there's not much gadgetry to keep you entertained. And you can't really relax either... on the flip side though, I definitely would be saving enough money to take it to the track every month and go on more vacations.

My rep is going to runs some numbers for me and see what the out the door cost is, if it's super cheap - I'm going for it. If it's like $6,000 down $650/month - no deal.

[DarkstarZero]

The numbers are in...
$559/month for bare bones M coupe, 10,000miles/year, $6,000 due up front.
$665/month for fully loaded, 15,000miles/year, $6,500 due up front.
Now I asked what if I only pay taxes, tags, title up front...
$780/month for fully loaded, 15,000miles/year, $4135 due up front.
Then I asked what if I pay nothing up front...
$852/month for fully loaded, 15,000miles/year. $0 due up front.

This doesn't seem like a deal at all, like Hawkeye is only putting down $1,700 and getting $750/month. Maybe I should just wait for the M3 because I'm not getting a bare bones and when I didn't put the $2,500 down it shot up $120/month which is a total of $4,320 over the term.

I'm expecting the new M3 to come in at $1,000/month for loaded, 15,000m/y, and $5,000 up front (inc taxes).

[Pancho]

M3 all the way!!! The M looks like Darth Vader.

[lucid]

Life is short. You are young only once. Anything can happen at any time. Live in the moment if you can afford it, and buy the car that you really want as opposed to buying another car and thinking about the car that you really want to buy.

[Voltigeur]

Originally Posted by jaiman

get the M coupe for 3 years, save some money and pick up the m3 after its mid cycle refresh.

That is the most rational choice. So, for the poster is it worth the +$500-600 / mth + additional insurance + depreciation differential ... (??) Do you have a better purpose for the difference? (child's college fund etc)

It's 2 years ...