E92 M3 irreplaceable?

[imserious]

Had the M3 for several years now and daydream about what?s next, but I come up empty.

There is simply no other car past or present that is a better all in one car. In red my M3 still feels exotic. Still excited when I rev the hell out of it. Still have fun heel toeing around town. Still does all daily duties without breaking a sweat. I think I would regret it if I sold it. Kind of like every s2000 owner in the world. It?s just that good (to me).

So I think my next car has to be a fun car. If so I can?t spend too much. Older s2000, NSX, cayman, 911 or just a vintage 70s car. Anything current that itches the scratch is too much for a fun car, maybe the new miata. Anyone else in the same boat?

[Longboarder]

You are correct, it is unfortunately irreplaceable at the current pricepoint.

[HadesM3]

GT350 is an overall performance upgrade and still very reasonably priced..

[Transfer]

N55 M2 is fun and you can get one under 50k easily now. M2 comp may be fun too but price is too high and you get that nasty sounding twin turbo. Overall though I would agree you're not going to find much if anything out there.

[Montaver]

There are plenty of cars with great driving experiences you could replace it with. Entirely depends what you want from a car and what your budget is. As an all round experience the e9x is very hard to beat given its good at basically everything. If practicality isn't a concern there more focused sports car platforms out there.

[cmo_93]

I was in a similar boat for a while...From a purely fun perspective since I didn't need any of the all around practicality, I went with a 981 Cayman GTS and I love it.

Stock for stock the CGTS blows it away in overall drivers experience (handling is no contest) and feel which the only plus for the M3 being the high redline. Also my M3 was tuned with exhaust so it was faster straight line and sounded a lot louder (not necessarily better just louder).

That being said, with the price difference from my e92 to the CGTS, I could have modded my M3 up a lot more and MAYBE gotten as much of an experience. But I was left with the nagging worry of rod bearings...

[Golddots]

I have an e90, but it cannot be replaced.

I've considered e36 m3, civic type r, evo, sti, golf r, gti.

I prefer a rwd, all motor car, relatively lightweight for size, with LSD that is practical as well. The only cars that can match on paper are an older is300(too slow) and a e36 sedan but those are hard to find a nice example of and also a little slow.
The overall experience is unmatched especially with the v8. I came from a c5 z06 so the v8 helped with the adjustment.

other cars are too heavy to autocross well(cts v, isf)

There really are no substitutes for an all motor practical car that can dance and has decent power. It is old enough that it "blends", but it can do track days/autox also. A true dual purpose vehicle.

I plan on driving my e90 for a very long time.

[New2Roundel]

Tough question. There are cars that are more comfy, more torquey, and more involving to drive. But there aren't many cars that combine all of that in the way our cars do. So if you want that balance in a different car, I'm not really sure it's out there. Perhaps a regular 997 carrera would work, but the practicality is compromised---though you get generally better mileage, if that's at all a consideration.

If you want a more engaging experience, you really need to start looking at dedicated sports cars. A cayman is a great option, but being a 2-seater it's not for everyone.

[imserious]

Originally Posted by Transfer

N55 M2 is fun and you can get one under 50k easily now. M2 comp may be fun too but price is too high and you get that nasty sounding twin turbo. Overall though I would agree you're not going to find much if anything out there.

I’m really interested in the M2C. Really nice package, fast and fun.

But less practical. And will I miss the v8 + manual and classy look? I think so.

To own both feels redundant. If I never had the e92 M3 the M2C would clearly be my top choice. The most interesting current offering from BMW.

[imserious]

Originally Posted by cmo_93

I was in a similar boat for a while...From a purely fun perspective since I didn't need any of the all around practicality, I went with a 981 Cayman GTS and I love it.

Stock for stock the CGTS blows it away in overall drivers experience (handling is no contest) and feel which the only plus for the M3 being the high redline. Also my M3 was tuned with exhaust so it was faster straight line and sounded a lot louder (not necessarily better just louder).

That being said, with the price difference from my e92 to the CGTS, I could have modded my M3 up a lot more and MAYBE gotten as much of an experience. But I was left with the nagging worry of rod bearings...

I think the answer for me is as much manual cayman S I can afford as a second car. Maybe even boxster for a truly different experience.

[Not Sure]

Originally Posted by imserious

I’m really interested in the M2C. Really nice package, fast and fun.

But less practical. And will I miss the v8 + manual and classy look? I think so.

To own both feels redundant. If I never had the e92 M3 the M2C would clearly be my top choice. The most interesting current offering from BMW.

have you driven an M2? my impressions of the OG M2: a reasonably quick car with sharp handling, but steering feel, throttle response, and sound (especially in the cabin) are very, very digital and unsatisfying.

[imserious]

Originally Posted by Not Sure

have you driven an M2? my impressions of the OG M2: a reasonably quick car with sharp handling, but steering feel, throttle response, and sound (especially in the cabin) are very, very digital and unsatisfying.

I have not. Haven’t considered it seriously enough to go for a test drive.

That’s too bad. I don’t like digital feels unless I’m going 100% electric.

[nevin]

I’m not going to bore you on all the info and don’t really feel like leaving a long review but you can always PM me and I’ll send you more info on each car and let you know what you will be missing or not missing from the e9x M3.

I’ve had a 2005 M5 (worst car ever), 2 X5s, 2015 stingray, 2017 Z06, 2011 1M, 2016 M3, 2018 Jeep Trackhawk, and 3 e92 M3s. I’ve had other vehicles as well but they aren’t as relavent.

For the past month I’ve been trying to keep myself away from ordering an M2 Competition because I HATED the 2016 M3. For some reason I think i’m going to find it more pleasurable then the current M3/4 but deep down I know that nothing is going to beat any of the e92s I’ve had. The only car I feel you will find as enjoyable for the price is another e9x. I’m also looking at a few V8 Vantage’s and am hoping that it will give me what I miss from the e92s If I end up with one.

***Edit*** I also day dream about what is next in the realm of the e92 for the price range up to $100k. The body is starting to look dated but I’m not feeling the styling of many of the new cars in my price range these days either. IDK what to do...V8 Vantage and mod it to give it more power may be my only answer.

[Ezio]

Originally Posted by nevin

I’m not going to bore you on all the info and don’t really feel like leaving a long review but you can always PM me and I’ll send you more info on each car and let you know what you will be missing or not missing from the e9x M3.

I’ve had a 2005 M5 (worst car ever), 2 X5s, 2015 stingray, 2017 Z06, 2011 1M, 2016 M3, 2018 Jeep Trackhawk, and 3 e92 M3s. I’ve had other vehicles as well but they aren’t as relavent.

For the past month I’ve been trying to keep myself away from ordering an M2 Competition because I HATED the 2016 M3. For some reason I think i’m going to find it more pleasurable then the current M3/4 but deep down I know that nothing is going to beat any of the e92s I’ve had. The only car I feel you will find as enjoyable for the price is another e9x. I’m also looking at a few V8 Vantage’s and am hoping that it will give me what I miss from the e92s If I end up with one.

***Edit*** I also day dream about what is next in the realm of the e92 for the price range up to $100k. The body is starting to look dated but I’m not feeling the styling of many of the new cars in my price range these days either. IDK what to do...V8 Vantage and mod it to give it more power may be my only answer.

If you are talking about the old V8 vantage not the brand new model. I have a lot of seat time behind the wheel of a 2015 V8 Vantage my friend bought new years ago. Its little harder to see out of compared to the E92. But overall its pretty awesome, i would pick it over the E92 M3.

[Green SVT]

Originally Posted by Golddots

I have an e90, but it cannot be replaced.

I've considered e36 m3, civic type r, evo, sti, golf r, gti.

I prefer a rwd, all motor car, relatively lightweight for size, with LSD that is practical as well. The only cars that can match on paper are an older is300(too slow) and a e36 sedan but those are hard to find a nice example of and also a little slow.
The overall experience is unmatched especially with the v8. I came from a c5 z06 so the v8 helped with the adjustment.

other cars are too heavy to autocross well(cts v, isf)

There really are no substitutes for an all motor practical car that can dance and has decent power. It is old enough that it "blends", but it can do track days/autox also. A true dual purpose vehicle.

I plan on driving my e90 for a very long time.

I'm not sure any car is truly irreplaceable, but for most of us, one or two get under our skin. My 36M is like that. It's a charming, truly engaging car. And the fact that it is slow today just adds to that. I'm wanting to add an e90 to my e36 sedan as they should make a wonderful pair for long term ownership. My C55 AMG just isn't cutting it in that regard.

[Darth One]

I replaced mine when it started having recurring major problems that I didn't want to deal with anymore. Replaced it with an M4 GTS that's better in every way on paper but not necessarily emotionally.

Honestly I think the lifetime keeper is not the E9x, but the E46 M3. I just bought one last week with the intention of doing just that

[imserious]

Originally Posted by Darth One

I replaced mine when it started having recurring major problems that I didn't want to deal with anymore. Replaced it with an M4 GTS that's better in every way on paper but not necessarily emotionally.

Honestly I think the lifetime keeper is not the E9x, but the E46 M3. I just bought one last week with the intention of doing just that

Don’t disagree on the E46 M3. If I had a desirable color combo in manual I would keep for the long term.

I can’t deal with all the silvers and convertible E46 M3s out there. Hope you didn’t get either.

[Darth One]

Originally Posted by imserious

Don't disagree on the E46 M3. If I had a desirable color combo in manual I would keep for the long term.

I can't deal with all the silvers and convertible E46 M3s out there. Hope you didn't get either.

Couldn't agree with you more on the color combos. I got LSB! Very happy with it.

I still may keep the M4 GTS - it's an amazing performance machine - but i feel like if i did sell it, i would not regret it later.

[imserious]

LSB is THE color to get on the E46. Congrats.

[quiksi]

haha, former S2K owner here and I'm wishing I had the space to pick up another one to go along with the M3

[Scrippy]

Originally Posted by ZombieM3

GT350 is an overall performance upgrade and still very reasonably priced..

The interior is wretched though.

[quiksi]

if I ever replace my E90, it's probably 911 or nothing