Longterm owners feelings these days

[Sideways91]

Originally Posted by VR1

I’m interested to hear what you like about the e92 compared to tbe R8. I’ve driven a 2015 V10 and find myself browsing listings to eventually add as a second car to the garage.

The M3 just feels more raw and connected to the road. I find the handling to be more nimble and it just feels like a smaller (narrower) car that's more tossable. I'm more confident taking high speed twisties in the M3 than the R8. I also think the power output of the M3 is about perfect for public streets where I have more opportunities to drive the car closer to its limits.

Where the R8 shines is when you have more open road to really stretch the legs of the V10. You have to really wind it out to get the most out of the powerband but you find yourself at dangerous speeds very quickly so more often than not you're short shifting and to me that's not as fun as winding out the S65 at redline.

That being said, driving the R8 is definitely more of an 'event'. I have a Larini exhaust on mine and the high pitch exotic wail of the V10 sounds incredible and turns heads everywhere. The R8 definitely garners more attention which is sometimes undesirable when you just want to go for a spirited drive.

This is also subjective, but I just find overall the M3 is more comfortable and has better visibility (to be expected compared to a supercar), and a control layout that's more driver-focused - maneuvering through iDrive is far superior to Audi's product.

At the end of the day they're both fantastic cars and offer very different driving experiences and I'm fortunate to own both.

[motorsport_marc]

Originally Posted by Scrippy

That color is amazing!

Originally Posted by Helmsman

That colour!!!

It's Santorini Blue.

In the sun light it comes out as a light blue. But in the evenings, like the pictures, it's more of a ''Royal Blue''

[timothy2001]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Looks the business mate! You run standard non modded back box to the plenum?

Standard box with a Dinan intake and thanks!! Installed the intake years ago and added the plenum about a year ago.

[Redd]

Originally Posted by amrazM

I love my M3 but i think ive reached an impasse where I feel like ive just modified it way too much and lost some usability out of it.

Yeah I'm kinda at that stage too where if I go one more mod further I may ruin the car. Which mod was the one you think was just too much? I've got Cobra Nogaro buckets sitting in my store room right now but I'm thinking it may be that one mod too much as I still daily my M3.

[smokinjoe64]

Originally Posted by Redd

Yeah I'm kinda at that stage too where if I go one more mod further I may ruin the car. Which mod was the one you think was just too much? I've got Cobra Nogaro buckets sitting in my store room right now but I'm thinking it may be that one mod too much as I still daily my M3.

Relate fully...Factory ordered my 1st e92 M3 Nov 2008, delivered Mar 2009.

By end 2010, max'd out multiple, then available AM upgrades...you name it [performance, appearance, light tracking/autocross].
Spent ~$40K, did ~68K mls in 4yrs. Sold 2011...it kinda mutated too far.

The epiphany...really why?
Factory ordered a 2012 with platform knowledge/appreciation [6MT], although not 'perfect',unique for all the reasons y'all know.

Likely one of very few left...a safe pleasurable 'bareback ride'

Philosophy/approach, doin' OE+...retain form/function/heritage with a bit of 'hot sauce' along the way.

That said, adding Brembo BBK + AutoSolutions SSK this month to keep things spicy

[SC1]

Original E90 owner, picked up from the Welt in 2010. 140+k miles now. Had to change out the engine at 100k miles due to scored cylinder. Sure it's not perfect... a few times it would throw faults at cold start up. But otherwise, would try to hold on to this car as long as possible.

[Scrippy]

Originally Posted by SC1

Original E90 owner, picked up from the Welt in 2010. 140+k miles now. Had to change out the engine at 100k miles due to scored cylinder. Sure it's not perfect... a few times it would throw faults at cold start up. But otherwise, would try to hold on to this car as long as possible.

Badass! Sorry to hear about the scored cylinder. On that note what were your oil change intervals in miles/kilometers on that scored S65? Just curious, I always did mine at 5,000/8046.

[MPG_LOL]

Got my M3 in 2015 with 56K, now she's pushing 125K and retired from daily duty.
It's still a very special car, with select handling mods it keeps up with very high level P-cars and has a mechanical feel missing from the new stuff. I've toyed with getting rid of it, part of my hesitation is the 'sunk cost fallacy' - knowing that I have dumped thousands on it in maintenance and mods that won't be recovered, while the cars that interest me would be at least double the price and not double the fun. It still looks amazing, sounds and drives incredible. For daily use, there are for sure better options given the terrible fuel economy and lack of modern features.

[Scrippy]

Originally Posted by MPG_LOL

Got my M3 in 2015 with 56K, now she's pushing 125K and retired from daily duty.
It's still a very special car, with select handling mods it keeps up with very high level P-cars and has a mechanical feel missing from the new stuff. I've toyed with getting rid of it, part of my hesitation is the 'sunk cost fallacy' - knowing that I have dumped thousands on it in maintenance and mods that won't be recovered, while the cars that interest me would be at least double the price and not double the fun. It still looks amazing, sounds and drives incredible. For daily use, there are for sure better options given the terrible fuel economy and lack of modern features.

Well said! I don’t have much Porsche experience or knowledge but I also think E92 M’s can handle very well amongst its peers of old and new.

[leemik]

I bought my first e92 m3 in 2009 and put 38K miles on it before I traded it in for my 2nd e92 m3 in 2013, now at 60K miles.. Grand total of 98K miles on both cars since 2009.

Some electronic gremlins on the 2009 but the 2013 has been solid (knock on wood).. I have 3 cars now and don't put a lot of miles on the m3 anymore.. Positives: still a good looking car and still breaks necks, holding it's value well .. The sound of the V8 + aftermarket exhaust is exhilarating. I also think the CIC iDrive has held up well and still looks modern. I love having actual buttons and knobs vs touchscreen. The most common question I get is what year and model BMW is that?

negatives: The car's suspension is stiff. It drives rough on the horrible roads in my area. Maybe I'm getting older now or something but I feel like I prefer something softer these days. Car is also fairly slow next to most modern day cars and SUVs now.

--mike

[SC1]

Originally Posted by Scrippy

Badass! Sorry to hear about the scored cylinder. On that note what were your oil change intervals in miles/kilometers on that scored S65? Just curious, I always did mine at 5,000/8046.

I'm going to sheepishly admit it was about 10k mi/oil change.

[Davisca455]

It’s the best car I’ve ever owned.
Excellent on long road trips.
Super fun on track.
Does everything a car should do, accelerates well, stops well and turns well.

A throttle cable and a dipstick would be on the Do-Over List though…

[neilum]

Originally Posted by Redd

Had my 2010 M3 since 2015. 8 years now. Love it more than Day 1. Test drove my friends 991.2 GT3RS the other day. Amazing car. Got back into my M3 and tbh it's 80-90% of the 3RS (my car's got everything and the kitchen sink). Would I love to own a 3RS? Hell yeah. But I was honestly surprised how entertaining my M3 was even after a drive in the 3RS.

I was a long time M3 owner and moved onto a 718 Gt4.


[IMG][/IMG]


It is in a different league performance wise but the E9x is still very fun for a street car.

What is cool about the E9x M3 is that reasonable speeds are still fun and pushing the car a bit. In the Porsche Gt world cornering speeds and general enthusiast driving that push the M3 kind of hard are barely scratching the surface.

So below 5/10 an E9x is more fun, but above it any modern GT Porsche is on a different planet in terms of dynamics, capabilities and just being insanely rewarding.


Out of all the other cars I've moved on from the S2000 and E9x are the only two cars that I truly miss driving, with the E9x topping the list. Maybe one day I will get an E9x again as a simple exhaust and a nice aftermarket coilover transform the car into a very engaging car full of character that is fast enough to be entertaining.

[Theodore2]

Originally Posted by SC1

I'm going to sheepishly admit it was about 10k mi/oil change.

Did your driving involve a lot of short trips where the vehicle wasn't able to warm up to normal operating temperature (where fuel is most able to seep past the piston rings into the oil)?

[Golddots]

Been daily driving my e90 6mt for a decade now. 117k miles with no plans to change. Financially it makes no sense when it does everything I want. Cars I’d consider to replace it only seat 2 or 4. I really need all three seats in the back.

[Three Pedal Steve]

Original owner of a 2013 e92 M3 here. After ten years and 128,000 miles, I feel the car is still special every time I crank it up. We just completed a 5,800-mile road trip through fourteen states on the way to five national parks and seven national monuments. Traveling on back roads, the trip took twenty-five days, and we lived out of the M3.
My buddy has a 2019 Boxster GTS and it is a wonderful car that I would consider if I had to replace the M3. But I cannot imagine taking it on an extended road trip. Versatility is what makes our M3's great.

[SC1]

Originally Posted by Theodore2

Did your driving involve a lot of short trips where the vehicle wasn't able to warm up to normal operating temperature (where fuel is most able to seep past the piston rings into the oil)?

No, I would consider my driving mostly on the freeway, almost never in stop and go traffic, with commutes of about 15 miles each way. I just kind of did the same interval oil maintenance as my prior BMW while I had for a lot longer and more miles but I guess I didn't fare well this time.

I was told the the fuel injector was stuck open that scored the cylinder. Now I have a Carbahn engine rebuild. It is still a great car.

[darren p.]

Originally Posted by SC1

Now I have a Carbahn engine rebuild. It is still a great car.

Too bad, 10k mile intervals was pushing it in my opinion but I guess you live and learn, right?

Is it just a factory rebuild or did you step up to anything nice?



I'm fairly new to this platform, put 20k miles on my daily '08 E90 SGM since buying it in December '20 for $18k, it just turned 150,000 miles. Spent a lot of time wrenching and making it my own (there were 7 previous owners, some questionable, lol). Its a great car, easy to work on and the S65 is still a gem. I honestly think its a timeless design, like the E39 M5. My goal is to make it as good as possible for track and street with more emphasis on street for now and when the motor lets go, I'll likely go the stroker route. Its a lifer along with my B5 and my MkII.

My buddy up there with the Cayman is trying to push me to the P cars but I just don't see the point right now. I'm busy enough with all my cars and I'm not ready financially to cross that bridge so I try not to pay attention...maybe one day. Not easy to find a replacement for these cars that won't break the bank!

[OldenburgerM3]

Similar feelings here... original owner from September 2011 with 85000 on the clock. Can't find a replacement car that I really want as much as what I already have. Perfect buttons everywhere, no touch screen nonsense, bluetooth audio and nav. What more does one need? I would like Android Auto since BMW stopped updating my nav maps.
I recently drove several new cars including the new M3 comp at a dealer event and was left unimpressed since I would lose a lot of buttons and functions by switching to a modern car. I understand I'd get used to it, but my six shortcut buttons will be replaced by four (I think) shortcut buttons on the touchscreen that would take three actions instead of one. Just an example.
I love the V8 and manual transmission. I would like to do one more manual but the pool keeps shrinking. My biggest problem is that I can't just go and get a new M car since the new front is not going to work for me. If I spend that much money on a car I must love the looks.

[SC1]

Originally Posted by OldenburgerM3

Similar feelings here... original owner from September 2011 with 85000 on the clock. Can't find a replacement car that I really want as much as what I already have. Perfect buttons everywhere, no touch screen nonsense, bluetooth audio and nav. What more does one need? I would like Android Auto since BMW stopped updating my nav maps.
I recently drove several new cars including the new M3 comp at a dealer event and was left unimpressed since I would lose a lot of buttons and functions by switching to a modern car. I understand I'd get used to it, but my six shortcut buttons will be replaced by four (I think) shortcut buttons on the touchscreen that would take three actions instead of one. Just an example.
I love the V8 and manual transmission. I would like to do one more manual but the pool keeps shrinking. My biggest problem is that I can't just go and get a new M car since the new front is not going to work for me. If I spend that much money on a car I must love the looks.

I paid for a ZZ-2 Android Auto install along with a rear camera in the stock trunk lid. They definitely give the car a bit of an update and integrates seamlessly too.

[Sandye90m3]

I've owned mine since new in 2009. So 14+ years of ownership, 10 track days and 167k miles. It's showing it's age a bit over the past 6 months I replaced:
- Power Steering Rack
- DSC Module & Footwell Module
- Steering pump x 2 (Caused my leaky Power Steering Rack but didn't know, when it happened the 2nd time I replaced my rack)

Now I have the O2 sensors going out, I'm still on the original which obviously it's time to replace.

[Law]

Late to the party but happy to see a recent thread that celebrates the many years of ownership & commitment to the platform.

I'm at 10 years of ownership this year with my 2011.5 E90, originally purchased in August 2013.

All the things that make the E9x M3 formula so special are disappearing from the automotive world with each passing day.
The fact that the theatric experiences and level of engagement are still being compared to supercars & modern Porsche GT-cars some 15 odd years after the E9x M3's its initial debut is evidence that this era was a high water mark for BMW M.

A 8400 RPM naturally aspirated engine paired with a manual transmission or DCT and rear-wheel drive, balanced handling, in a usable package that's well-built is a one-of-a-kind formula. That's before we get to details like the ITBs and induction noise, the M3 nameplate's pedigree and the S65's connection to motorsport. What a car.
Sadly, this combination will never be produced or replicated again, but it's also the reason many of us gladly hold onto our E9x M3s and are in no hurry to replace them.