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      10-26-2021, 12:57 PM   #23
carsforlife12
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No regrets at all. Everyday I drive it I smile. As others have said, not the best but it's still a manual, it's pretty dang great and it's a blast to drive. Highly recommend the manual!
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      10-26-2021, 01:06 PM   #24
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      10-26-2021, 01:23 PM   #25
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I have my moments.

I think it's very obvious that this car was built around the ZF8 and the manual is a bit of an afterthought. I admit I get a little jealous sometimes looking at the performance figures coming out of the automatic cars, and I can imagine how much of a blast this car would be with lightning fast shifts and more advantageous gearing.

But there are days where I'm shifting through the gears and everything feels right. Crisp shifts, perfect clutch engagement, I feel in tune with the car. It's not every day I feel like that, but when I do, it makes having the manual worth it to me.

I briefly toyed with putting an order in for a G80 xDrive, but after a really nice drive over the weekend I decided I'm going to stick with what I've got.

To add, my car before this was a GT350, with a far more engaging clutch and gear shift. It's taken a bit to get used to the feel of the M3. I suppose I need to look into the CDV delete.
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      10-26-2021, 01:24 PM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by voyagergab View Post
I’d say if you like manuals enjoy while you can.
I have no regrets. The shifter in my g82 is actually a lot better compared to my previous f87 m2.
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Originally Posted by carsforlife12 View Post
No regrets at all. Everyday I drive it I smile. As others have said, not the best but it's still a manual, it's pretty dang great and it's a blast to drive. Highly recommend the manual!
No regrets for me. Like voyagergab I too came from an M2. Instant regret buying that car... the OP is coming from an F22 I believe, so he'll be familiar with the gearbox and shifter and the annoying CDV. For me, really, it's been a matter of training my left leg and right foot to shift a bit differently to get that 1-2 shift smoother. I'm good about 50% of the time now (up from 0%) and I just love the car. The only time I regret any manual is when I'm stuck in bumper-to-bumper stop & crawl traffic, which fortunately for me is rather rare.

I drove my wife's M240ix for the weekend a few weeks ago when she was out of town, and it's a great little car but by my third trip in it, I was soooooooooooo bored. Where's my clutch?

As for the comment earlier about manuals not selling... I believe that they are a tougher sell when the cars are new, but when they get a few years on them and prices drop enough for younger enthusiasts to be able to get them, you'll find that a manual M car gets quite a premium and is easier to sell.
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      10-26-2021, 01:36 PM   #27
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The only reason I purchased one is because of the manual. If there had only been the auto, I probably would have passed. Also no regrets! Love driving it.
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      10-26-2021, 03:49 PM   #28
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Zero regrets, I wouldn't have it any other way
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      10-26-2021, 04:05 PM   #29
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Of course no regrets. Main reason I went with an M3 is because no other BMW manual options with 4 doors (well I also really wanted an M3, but the manual sealed the argument).
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      10-26-2021, 04:23 PM   #30
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      10-26-2021, 06:10 PM   #31
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Thanks again, folks.

Just stumbled upon this well-written story about the joys of rowing the gears on the G80 on some great driving roads...

https://www.roadandtrack.com/reviews...reatest-roads/
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      10-26-2021, 06:39 PM   #32
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No regrets at all, it's a blast to drive every time I get in mine.
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      10-26-2021, 07:22 PM   #33
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Zero regrets.

I’d been seduced by having the fastest possible car and opting for automatics for about the last 7 years. I’ve been chasing performance stats in street cars and not really getting why none of the cars were really scratching the itch for me.

Then I drove a manual again and it clicked…in normal day to day driving, powerful, fast shifting automatic (including DCT, DSG, PDK) cars are too much for public roads. Even the 6MT is more car than public roads allow, but I get an extra layer of engagement that was missing with an auto trans.

Like a few have already said, if I were tracking the car, the Comp would have been the logical choice. For MY purposes the 6MT was the only choice.
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      10-26-2021, 07:41 PM   #34
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None. I was already leaning towards the 6MT and have opted for them all my life.

I saw this video with the lead for transmission development at BMW M GmbH and he says "I'd take the manual every time". Here's a guy who leads the development of and knows both transmissions in and out and is giving the manual gearbox a huge endorsement.

There was no doubt in my mind after that and I have 0 regrets.

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      10-26-2021, 07:43 PM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gfit View Post
I think the reason these threads turn into a shit show is that most can't give their reasons for their selection without belittling the other side. For example, if you chose manual, you have a "slow" car and are stuck in the past. If you choose auto, you are "boring" and like to race from stoplights. For the majority, neither is true.
Don't forget these threads give whoever makes them reassurance about the purchase they made. So if they get 90% of pro (auto or manual according to thread title), then they feel better about their purchase. Almost like, "gathering your army to support you" type of thing lol.

There is no right or wrong. You choose what YOU like, it's your money after all.

But since i already started to make this post, i'll finish it. I didn't get the manual but i do understand why most will. It's probably the last time you'll get that opportunity.

After 20+ years of driving manual, this wasn't the car i was going to experiment with in owning as a manual. If i wanted to go yeah go manual save the manuals! I'd start a project car and LS swap an S2000 or something.

I picked the "boring" comp.
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      10-26-2021, 07:54 PM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BGM-M3COMP View Post
Don't forget these threads give whoever makes them reassurance about the purchase they made. So if they get 90% of pro (auto or manual according to thread title), then they feel better about their purchase. Almost like, "gathering your army to support you" type of thing lol.

There is no right or wrong. You choose what YOU like, it's your money after all.

But since i already started to make this post, i'll finish it. I didn't get the manual but i do understand why most will. It's probably the last time you'll get that opportunity.

After 20+ years of driving manual, this wasn't the car i was going to experiment with in owning as a manual. If i wanted to go yeah go manual save the manuals! I'd start a project car and LS swap an S2000 or something.

I picked the "boring" comp.
I picked the manual because I was afraid the ZF8 would be a let down after owning a 991.2 in PDK and finding the ZF8 in my M5 Competition to be so lackluster and lazy to say the least.
At the same time, I have a 718 GT4 which probably has the best manual on the market and one of the best ever put in a car, and while the manual in my G80 isnt bad, its a far cry from the GT4.
At the same time, I keep hearing the ZF in the G8x Comp is a step up over the ZF in the M5 so I am looking to order an Xdrive and nearly ended up buying an Xdrive Comp to have both at the same time (and eventually sell what I liked least) but backed out at the last minute.
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      10-26-2021, 08:30 PM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mzcp View Post
No regret for me but really miss the handbrake. It feels weird driving MT without one.
Haha dude do you know how many times I reached for the hand brake when I first got it? And keep in mind I hadn't owned a manual for about 2 years.

Old habits.
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      10-26-2021, 08:35 PM   #38
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I wrote my thoughts here after break-in:

https://machineswithsouls.com/2021/0...eak-in-review/

But they echo most everyone else: I'm glad to have it, it's great. But it's like every other BMW stick from the last 10 years.

Now, I did drive a Comp over about 500 miles before I got the stick, and that too is an amazing car. About the only criticism I can level at the ZF is that it feels a bit like the best 3 Series, as oppose to an M3. Having a stick helps that distinction a bit.
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      10-26-2021, 09:26 PM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chickenbandit View Post
The only reason I purchased one is because of the manual. If there had only been the auto, I probably would have passed. Also no regrets! Love driving it.
Exactly. I’d be driving x5M or X3M. The only reason to get M3 is for MT
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      10-26-2021, 11:58 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NightWriter View Post
According to a recent informal poll here, about 40% of the owners here opted for the Base/6MT, which I'm sure is a higher take rate than is averaged across all G80/82 sales. Good job, enthusiasts! #savethemanuals

I will be placing an order at some point (sooner or later), and am struggling to make a decision on this option. I've owned a couple of manual BMW's in the past (E39 530i, F23 M240i), and have enjoyed them tremendously. I still struggled to get a consistently smooth 1-2 upshift on the 240, and occasionally I'd miss a gear, but in general they provided a wonderful level of driver involvement and control. So, I'm definitely leaning towards selecting the Base model for these reasons, as well as the fact that it may well be the last (new) manual car I can buy*.

That said... this will be my first M car, and I'm buying it because it's a high performance vehicle. I don't plan to track it (at least not on any regular basis), so I'm trying to gauge whether the Base output will be "sufficient," or whether I'll be left wanting more. "Sufficient" in this context meaning it still puts a stupid grin on my face when I hammer it. I owned an F30 340i xDrive with the ZF 8AT, and that engine (rated at 320hp/320tq) felt amazing at first, but inevitably lost some of the wow factor over time. (I realize this happens no matter what you buy, alas...)

So: I'm curious to hear from 6MT owners: Any regrets with your choice? Either with respect to shift/clutch quality, or with the lower hp/tq output?

Thanks in advance!

* Interestingly, even back in 2001, when I placed my order for the 530i 6MT, the dealer had no manual 5-series available to test-drive, and was so nervous about potentially being saddled with one should I bail out, that they asked for a double-sized non-refundable deposit. So I've been hearing the "no one buys manuals anymore" shtick for a while now...
I ordered a F82 with a manual and thought it was a ton of fun when i was in a "spirited" driving mood. On off days, it felt like a drag driving the car as the manual doesn't really lend itself to treating it like a civic. The car is designed to haul ass.
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      10-27-2021, 12:05 AM   #41
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My local dealer here in Los Angeles has been listing a manual M3 for the past month or so. But i guess they're either charging way too much or there is no demand.
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      10-27-2021, 12:06 AM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MTM3 View Post
Exactly. I’d be driving x5M or X3M. The only reason to get M3 is for MT
Thats the only reason?
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      10-27-2021, 02:20 AM   #43
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Not At All! The manual in this gen is much better than the e46 and e92M3's Ive experienced, when driving hard its on point, when cruising around its butter smooth. It changes feel depending on how hard or calm you're driving the car. Well done BMW, I'd buy it again if I were ordering today.
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      10-27-2021, 04:23 AM   #44
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Thats the only reason?

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