Originally Posted by bri1042
Two years ago this morning, I woke up to a no-plans Sunday and went for a drive in my M2C, a car I loved but had issues with. My SO couldn't come along as he was studying for an advanced nursing certification. I stopped for coffee and browsed my local dealership's website. I was surprised to find that they had two new G8x's on the site with actual pictures (so not in transit).
I emailed my sales human on a whim, not expecting a response, and he called back before my coffee was half consumed to tell me that the Green car was actually available as the person who was going to buy it backed out.
I had no intention of actually selling my M2C that morning and buying the most controversial-nosed car BMW had ever produced (up to that point...). I did not expect to actually like the way the car looked overall. Plus, it was green. I'd never considered buying a green car in the past. We had no reviews of the car yet and no idea if it was actually good to drive. And I had a TON of audio equipment in the M2. It was not ready to hand over to anyone.
I finished my coffee, let me SO know that I wouldn't be home right away, and drove over to the dealership. Just to look. Just to see that crazy nose in person.
When I got there, my sales human left me alone to look at it and think. I had him figure out what they'd give me for the M2C, still with no expectations of a transaction actually occurring. The car market hadn't gone nuts yet. Used car prices were up a bit, but the crazy markups hadn't taken over the world yet.
I was floored by the way the car looked when I saw it. I couldn't say if I liked the front end or not when I saw it, but it certainly made an impression. The rest of the car was gorgeous, and the green color was stunning. The spec on the car wasn't quite right based on what I'd done on the configurator. Aluminum hex interior instead of carbon fiber. No full leather and the interior was black (which is easy but not what I was thinking). No carbon seats, either. It was a HEA car, and missing blind spot monitoring, which I'd never had but sort of wanted. But it had the parking and exec packs...the important bits. The seats were wonderful to sit in, and when my hand dropped onto the 6MT shifter, it had me. I sat for a moment or two and went to tell my sales human that I wanted it.
We worked out the deal. No markup and the purchase price of my M2C was acceptable. The deal would have been very different six months later, probably with a markup but more money for the M2. I'm actually terrible at negotiating on cars, so I probably got screwed a bit...but I've come to accept that when I buy cars. I leased it mostly because while I was sure I wanted it, I also didn't feel a lot of confidence that I'd finally found the right BMW for me after 3 cars that I initially loved and then ended up disappointed with before I hit the two year mark.
I had to leave it there for 3 days due to the embargo and drove my M2C that I no longer owned home to remove my audio equipment. I spent a couple more days with it, wondering if I'd made a horrible mistake.
Two years and 12,558 miles went by so fast.
I have been entirely satisfied with my Frog. It has been an utter joy to drive, even in heavy rain. I haven't done any mods other than buying a set of 963M wheels for summer and putting PS4 AS's on my 826s for the rainy half of the year. It hasn't really felt like it needed anything. I can't lower it as I wouldn't be able to get up my driveway. Sometimes I want to alter the audio system, but I haven't as I was able to properly balance the HK audio for the driver's seat and adjust the sound enough to call it OK. Zero warranty issues. I had one recall for the seatbelts.
I've posted in other threads about the Manual transmission. I still don't think it's as good as the Honda 5MTs and 6MTs that I spent decades driving, but none of those transmissions were dealing with even half the power this engine pushes through its drivetrain. I'm deeply thankful that the initial stiffness of the stick has worked itself out. When the car is warmed up, this 6MT is a joy. My reflexes have adjusted to the CDV and the other quirks of the system. In warranty, I won't alter it.
Overall balance and usability as an "only car" solution has been nearly perfect. Where the M2C couldn't quite fit adults in the back and the trunk wasn't quite big enough, my M3 has done everything I've asked of it without an issue. I've had at least as much fun in this car as any other car I've had, even with the rose-colored glasses I always have on when I remember my Integra GS-R.
In a year, I have to deal with the mistake I made choosing to lease the car instead of buying it. My residual isn't high, so it won't be a big deal however I go about it. This is the big difference between how the M3 has made me feel vs. my last 4 BMW's at two years. The first one was only in my possession for 7 months, so it doesn't count. The other three, when I hit two years, I knew I wasn't going to keep them long term. With this car, the question isn't if I'm going to keep it, it's just the annoyance of having to deal with the lease buy-out. I don't think there's another car out there that I want more than the one I have. I do not know of any car other than the CT4 BW that could fill this car's shoes. Something significant will have to occur for me to let go of this car. I adore my frog and I'm thrilled that I finally found a BMW that exceeded my expectations instead of fell short over time.
If I have one regret with my car, it's what the G8x (and some subsequent models) have done to the BMW community. The split that they caused. How clear it became that how a car drives is less important than a silly nose to some folk. I guess I knew that it was all about status and looks to some people in the car community, but I don't think I realized how many folk don't put the drive first and everything else second. I respect that stance, folk should get what they want out of an expensive purchase and if how it looks is why they buy it, that becomes entirely valid. Silly to wish that we could all respect each other more and not be so mean, but the G8x has been the wedge that broke this community. I don't regret being on the side of this argument that I'm on, I just regret that there are sides at all.
Here's to year 3 and all the fun drives to come!
Attaching the first pic I took of her.
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