And procrastinating at work.
I have an e92 335i lease coming due next April which will put me into a bt of a no mans land as far as new cars (esp BMWs are concerned). Ideally, i'd like the next gen 2 series gran coupe, but I doubt we'll see that before the 2016 MY. But regardless, i want something smaller. There a are few new cars that fit my goldilocks criteria of RWD, small but not too small. A Subary BRZ would be interesting, but probably not quite practical or comfortable enough for example. A used cayman would be expensive, not practical enough and a somewhat scary propostion maintencae wise. Almost halfway tempted to give teh Focus St or mk 7 GTI a shot despite fwd and electric steering. I'd like a 1M coupe, but they're too expensive, so:
-I could buy an e46 M3
Pros:
-NEver owned an M car
-Looks great
-pretty cheap to buy now
-Great engine/ quick throttle response
-LSD
-Slighly more practical/spacious
Cons:
_i've owned an e46 before so even though this would be an M, it would sort of feel like been ther edone that
-NOt sure i want the hassles of now dealing with what is now going to be atleast an 8-9 year old car
-Notchy manual or crappy SMG
-Lack of modern creature comforts/ electroncis that i've now become used to w/ my 335
-Squeaks and rattles that are inevitabe on an 8-10 year old high performnce car (esp en e46)
-Finding the right car that hasn't been molested and/or getting very unlucky with repairs after i buy it. Less peace of mind.
-135i or is
Pros:
-quite sure there will be great lease deals next year given final production year. If I had to palce a bet, December will be interesting. And they sometimes throw in extras for free during the final model run. My guess is that I might be able to do a 0 down lease with European delivery in the mid to high 3s. Almost a no brainer at that point.
-Have been intrigued by this car for a while
-Modern electroncis/ woudln't be a setp down from 335 in terms of features. I happen to have grown very fond of idrive and decent builtin nav for example.
-decent manual and great DCT options
-keep the n55 turbo engine i'm accusotmed to
-Very similar perforamcne to an e46 m3/ thoguh different feel
-New car/warranty/etc
-Ability to lease (variety of reasons why i prefer)
_ability to do Europena delivery-which both me and my wife agree was an amazing experience.
-hydraulic steering (compared to pretty much any other new car)
-Great size for driving-- and a welcome change from the huge e92
Great "stock" exhaust sound w/ the is
Cons
-Still don't love the interior or exterrior styling and my wife really dislikes it. But in space gray w/ M sport and that nice terracotta interior it's pretty damn nice i gotta say. e82 seems very sensitive to wheel choice and color.
-Would feel a bit strange to be getting a new car that is in its last year
-DOn't like the way the n55 engine idles; very harsh and rough-- but htat's a characterisit of direct injection for the most part.
-Tight backseat
-Bouncy highway ride? Have heard this from various places due to short wheelbase, runflats, and soft suspension setup but haven't driving enough to form opinino
-Tuned for ots of understeer from the factory though I hear swapping in the m3 front sway bar is a quick and cheap fix. Could probably also pickup a used set of OEM front wheels to gain a square setup.
-Lame con: dealing with the constant derision from several friends and colleagues who drive M3s and have openly made fun of the 1. Bunch of arrogant pricks, but still irritating.
Another thing I consider is ditcing my lease now and getting a final year e92 M3 but there are so many big cons with that as far as cost, and the abysmal range and fuel econ plus it's the same size as my 335 which seems too big
I suppose a hybrid approach would be to buy say a 2011 135i and spend a few thousand on some key upgrades (M3 suspension pieces, non runflats, lightweight wheels, etc).
-
I have an e92 335i lease coming due next April which will put me into a bt of a no mans land as far as new cars (esp BMWs are concerned). Ideally, i'd like the next gen 2 series gran coupe, but I doubt we'll see that before the 2016 MY. But regardless, i want something smaller. There a are few new cars that fit my goldilocks criteria of RWD, small but not too small. A Subary BRZ would be interesting, but probably not quite practical or comfortable enough for example. A used cayman would be expensive, not practical enough and a somewhat scary propostion maintencae wise. Almost halfway tempted to give teh Focus St or mk 7 GTI a shot despite fwd and electric steering. I'd like a 1M coupe, but they're too expensive, so:
-I could buy an e46 M3
Pros:
-NEver owned an M car
-Looks great
-pretty cheap to buy now
-Great engine/ quick throttle response
-LSD
-Slighly more practical/spacious
Cons:
_i've owned an e46 before so even though this would be an M, it would sort of feel like been ther edone that
-NOt sure i want the hassles of now dealing with what is now going to be atleast an 8-9 year old car
-Notchy manual or crappy SMG
-Lack of modern creature comforts/ electroncis that i've now become used to w/ my 335
-Squeaks and rattles that are inevitabe on an 8-10 year old high performnce car (esp en e46)
-Finding the right car that hasn't been molested and/or getting very unlucky with repairs after i buy it. Less peace of mind.
-135i or is
Pros:
-quite sure there will be great lease deals next year given final production year. If I had to palce a bet, December will be interesting. And they sometimes throw in extras for free during the final model run. My guess is that I might be able to do a 0 down lease with European delivery in the mid to high 3s. Almost a no brainer at that point.
-Have been intrigued by this car for a while
-Modern electroncis/ woudln't be a setp down from 335 in terms of features. I happen to have grown very fond of idrive and decent builtin nav for example.
-decent manual and great DCT options
-keep the n55 turbo engine i'm accusotmed to
-Very similar perforamcne to an e46 m3/ thoguh different feel
-New car/warranty/etc
-Ability to lease (variety of reasons why i prefer)
_ability to do Europena delivery-which both me and my wife agree was an amazing experience.
-hydraulic steering (compared to pretty much any other new car)
-Great size for driving-- and a welcome change from the huge e92
Great "stock" exhaust sound w/ the is
Cons
-Still don't love the interior or exterrior styling and my wife really dislikes it. But in space gray w/ M sport and that nice terracotta interior it's pretty damn nice i gotta say. e82 seems very sensitive to wheel choice and color.
-Would feel a bit strange to be getting a new car that is in its last year
-DOn't like the way the n55 engine idles; very harsh and rough-- but htat's a characterisit of direct injection for the most part.
-Tight backseat
-Bouncy highway ride? Have heard this from various places due to short wheelbase, runflats, and soft suspension setup but haven't driving enough to form opinino
-Tuned for ots of understeer from the factory though I hear swapping in the m3 front sway bar is a quick and cheap fix. Could probably also pickup a used set of OEM front wheels to gain a square setup.
-Lame con: dealing with the constant derision from several friends and colleagues who drive M3s and have openly made fun of the 1. Bunch of arrogant pricks, but still irritating.
Another thing I consider is ditcing my lease now and getting a final year e92 M3 but there are so many big cons with that as far as cost, and the abysmal range and fuel econ plus it's the same size as my 335 which seems too big
I suppose a hybrid approach would be to buy say a 2011 135i and spend a few thousand on some key upgrades (M3 suspension pieces, non runflats, lightweight wheels, etc).
-