[Amsgarage]

Hey guys this is a repost from what I posted on the M5 forum, I have a situation I'm facing and would like other peoples opinions, I have a M5 on order and it probably won't be in my hands for 6+ more months minimum, I love the m8 and am sure I will love the M5 since it's the same power plant but more comfortable, I haven't ever gotten a chance to drive the new m3 and have no idea what it's like, but now I've found an in stock M3 comp rwd with specs that I'd love to have but it has a 10K markup, my question is what do the M5 owners that have driven the new M3 before think about it in comparison, and what do the new M3 owners that have driven the m5 think in comparison? Would it be a smart choice to pay 10K over msrp for the M3 just to get it right now, or should I keep on waiting for the M5 that I have "got at msrp"?
spoiler alert, the m3 won, and a couple of months later now I'm looking to possibly get the updated ID8 m3 or if the price is right then a M8 coupe since the m3 is almost too much fun?
Thanks for all of the answers!

[MavRick]

i think Vic55 might be of some help. he doesnt have an M5 but he does have an M8GC Comp and an M3C so he can maybe point you in the right direction...

[LuvMyE92]

Since there are not many of us who have owned both an F90 M5 and a G8x M3/M4, maybe you could tell us more about what you want, perhaps by telling us what you like and dislike about your current cars?

I have an opinion, having driven the M5C at the BMWPC and owning an M4 for 9 months. The wife gave me permission (in that she said "you should buy one of these") for the M5, but I still prefer the M4. If I had to replace it, I would get the M3, since I do like 4 doors, over the M5. Even if the price was the same, I'd still get the M3. It's that good.

[Vic55]

Originally Posted by MavRick

i think Vic55 might be of some help. he doesnt have an M5 but he does have an M8GC Comp and an M3C so he can maybe point you in the right direction...

Thanks for the tag

I actually had the F90 First Edition before my F93.

My thoughts:

F90 is larger luxo sedan that is rapid from a dig and roll. Its faster out of the box than the G8X X drive but not by much- it will trap quite a bit higher mph at the roll level.

The F90 steering is more muted and artificial in feel- its clearly not as good as the G8X in this regard and this is a huge deal for me personally. The G8X is so much more point and shoot.

The chassis/damper set up on the F90 is ok but it has less undulation enduring and shows its yaw in harder turns and bigger bends while the G8X chassis set up is my favorite M design out of the 12 M's Ive had. The car is almost, I say almost, at a 911 level of swallowing up the rough patches and keeping the tires planted.

The exhaust of the S63tu is better than the S58 out of the box but modifications can occur here for sure.

Interior creature comfort choice normally would be afforded to the F90 but the G80 has a great design and excellent luxury feel while maintaining a feel of sportiness.

I honestly love the G80 because of the flared rear fenders, the exhaust and diffuser appearance along with the side lines. Hell I love the front of the car too including the grille. Thats its defining piece IMHO whereas the F90 can fall into the 5 series gap.

My needs for the space are not there so the G80 is my choice but the F90 is no slouch as well... Im just really loving how the G80 drives, turns, and the S58 while not sounding as good- rocks the rpms and its a rev machine.

[jmg]

I've tracked the F90 M5 (non-competition) and while it's crazy fast and excellent cruiser, it wasn't as sharp as the F80 which I did laps back-to-back with the M5. I'm guessing the G80 will be similar in comparison. It's just smaller and lighter with the driving characteristics that come along with it. Great car, but not what I was personally looking for.

[Amsgarage]

Originally Posted by LuvMyE92

Since there are not many of us who have owned both an F90 M5 and a G8x M3/M4, maybe you could tell us more about what you want, perhaps by telling us what you like and dislike about your current cars?

I have an opinion, having driven the M5C at the BMWPC and owning an M4 for 9 months. The wife gave me permission (in that she said "you should buy one of these") for the M5, but I still prefer the M4. If I had to replace it, I would get the M3, since I do like 4 doors, over the M5. Even if the price was the same, I'd still get the M3. It's that good.

Thank you for the info! The fact that you would still get the 3 even if they cost the same stands out a lot to me, the 3 must be really really really good then, another question I have for the 3/4 owners is do the cars get recognized a lot? I might be on the opposite side of everyone else here but I really like how lowkey the m5 is, if you don't get a crazy spec and do crazy mods it looks like a simple sedan and dosnt get attention, does the new m3 get too much attention or is it just as any other regular car? I loveddd how the m8 unless you knew what it was, that it just blended into the crowd!

[Amsgarage]

Originally Posted by jmg

I've tracked the F90 M5 (non-competition) and while it's crazy fast and excellent cruiser, it wasn't as sharp as the F80 which I did laps back-to-back with the M5. I'm guessing the G80 will be similar in comparison. It's just smaller and lighter with the driving characteristics that come along with it. Great car, but not what I was personally looking for.

Thank you so much for the reply, my thing is that I probably won't be driving crazy, and never going to experience the full potential of either cars, how is the daily driveability of the new m3? I know it won't be m5 level of comfy but is it really good even with the competition model?

[luckduck369]

I had a 2019 F90 M5 and now a 2022 G80 M3. The reason that I switched was the M5 is too big for my everyday needs. Where I live has tight parking spaces. So M3 makes my life a lot easier, and the manual transmission is a huge bonus.

In terms of driving, I like the M5 better. Much more planted and the power feels endless. The car is heavy, and feels like a tank while driving it. But it’s also nimble when needed. Build quality wise, the M5 is in a different league. With full leather and all bells and whistles on the M3, it still feels cheap.

I have tracked both cars, by myself and at M schools. I think for track driving, I like the M5 better. M3 is good for autocross type of situation.

Hope this helps. Of course this is all subjective. Just my 2 cents.

[Amsgarage]

Originally Posted by Vic55

Thanks for the tag

I actually had the F90 First Edition before my F93.

My thoughts:

F90 is larger luxo sedan that is rapid from a dig and roll. Its faster out of the box than the G8X X drive but not by much- it will trap quite a bit higher mph at the roll level.

The F90 steering is more muted and artificial in feel- its clearly not as good as the G8X in this regard and this is a huge deal for me personally. The G8X is so much more point and shoot.

The chassis/damper set up on the F90 is ok but it has less undulation enduring and shows its yaw in harder turns and bigger bends while the G8X chassis set up is my favorite M design out of the 12 M's Ive had. The car is almost, I say almost, at a 911 level of swallowing up the rough patches and keeping the tires planted.

The exhaust of the S63tu is better than the S58 out of the box but modifications can occur here for sure.

Interior creature comfort choice normally would be afforded to the F90 but the G80 has a great design and excellent luxury feel while maintaining a feel of sportiness.

I honestly love the G80 because of the flared rear fenders, the exhaust and diffuser appearance along with the side lines. Hell I love the front of the car too including the grille. Thats its defining piece IMHO whereas the F90 can fall into the 5 series gap.

My needs for the space are not there so the G80 is my choice but the F90 is no slouch as well... Im just really loving how the G80 drives, turns, and the S58 while not sounding as good- rocks the rpms and its a rev machine.

Thank you so much for the reply! All of these great things about the m3s are making me fall more on the m3 side, my question now would be that would it be worth it to just go ahead and pay the 10k markup for the m3? Since even with the markup I'd still be paying almost 30k less than the m5

[Vic55]

Originally Posted by Abelsgarage

Thank you so much for the reply! All of these great things about the m3s are making me fall more on the m3 side, my question now would be that would it be worth it to just go ahead and pay the 10k markup for the m3? Since even with the markup I'd still be paying almost 30k less than the m5

The market is nuts now but maybe you can negotiate that down to 5k??

Oh btw I had a G80 RWD Comp too and it was equally as fun as the X drive but it wont out launch it.

This G80 X is my favorite of all my M's except my E39 M5 20 years ago. That says volumes.

I have the M8 GC Comp and its the widest BMW ever made and its a true GT cruiser that crushes on the freeway but its not as fun to drive as the G80 X.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Abelsgarage

Thank you so much for the reply! All of these great things about the m3s are making me fall more on the m3 side, my question now would be that would it be worth it to just go ahead and pay the 10k markup for the m3? Since even with the markup I'd still be paying almost 30k less than the m5

I would shop around. I ordered my M4 for MSRP with 2% added to interest, which is <$2k when all is said and done.

[2022M4COMP]

Originally Posted by luckduck369

I had a 2019 F90 M5 and now a 2022 G80 M3. The reason that I switched was the M5 is too big for my everyday needs. Where I live has tight parking spaces. So M3 makes my life a lot easier, and the manual transmission is a huge bonus.

In terms of driving, I like the M5 better. Much more planted and the power feels endless. The car is heavy, and feels like a tank while driving it. But it’s also nimble when needed. Build quality wise, the M5 is in a different league. With full leather and all bells and whistles on the M3, it still feels cheap.

I have tracked both cars, by myself and at M schools. I think for track driving, I like the M5 better. M3 is good for autocross type of situation.

Hope this helps. Of course this is all subjective. Just my 2 cents.

Can you say what exactly makes it feel cheap ?

[KnightedBMW]

I had an F80, then an M550, now a G80.

Although not an M5, the M550 was no slouch. It was fast and luxurious. Obviously an M5 has everything ratcheted up as the M550 isn’t a true M car but just from a size standpoint, I don’t see myself with an M5 over am M3.

I had the M550 for 3 years and it felt huge to me till the day I got rid of it. It was also boring, even with the speed. The M5 is a different breed but I’ve seen many say that it’s also sort of dull/boring.

If you’re trying to fly under the radar however, a G80 isn’t going to help. Maybe in a muted color, but they are still relatively rare to see depending on your location.

$10k over is steep though!

[zambarossa]

Originally Posted by 2022M4COMP

Can you say what exactly makes it feel cheap ?

My guess is that comment is relative. I am sure some would find the M5 cheep compared to the M760Li. I've test driven the M5 and the M760Li, and yes you could see the difference in opulence between them and compared to the G8x. Would I consider personally the G8x cheap? No. But then it all depends on what you expect and what you compare it to.

The M5 was crazy fast and handled amazingly well for its size and weight. But practically I think it is too big for most people, but if you want that much power in a 4 door sedan with handling to match the best, hard to beat it. You get what you pay for.

[smaglik]

M3 = Manual Transmission Available
M5 = No Manual Transmission Available

That was all I needed to make a choice.

[LuvMyE92]

Originally Posted by Abelsgarage

... does the new m3 get too much attention or is it just as any other regular car?

I think the grill is the biggest attention grabber, and of course all of the other M additions help make it stand out.

"Too much" is relative. I get a lot of compliments on it. Partly due to the color, and partly d/t how it looks overall. I have heard some guys mumble about the snout, and yes, only a mother can love it, but we (most of us) have gotten used to it and (some of us) even appreciate how it makes the car unique.

I'd suggest that color is the biggest determination on how much attention you get.

As for the comment above about how "cheap" the interior is...

There was a lot of that kind of commentary on the M2 board. I'll suggest that aside from obvious cost cutting to make these cars affordable, as an owner of a B7 (arguably the most opulent BMW possible) I can say that it is fabulous having leather covering everything, and not that cheap Dakota stuff you get in a 320i, but not appropriate for a sports/performance car like an M3.

But more importantly, there would be nothing special about the 7 or 8 series if they had the same level of interior appointments as an X1.

And no, I don't think my M4 interior is "cheap". I think it's very nice, and although not an M5, neither is it a 430i.

[Amsgarage]

Thank you all for the opinions and help, ended up going for the m3, I'm a very impatient person and by what everyone is saying it seems you can't go wrong with either of them so I picked the one that's gonna be accessible to me the quickest. I will drop some pictures as soon as I take delivery!

[///MeraldCity_G82]

So I had the G80 M3 Comp RWD and ended up selling it because I got a pretty good offer for it. I recently bought an M550i because I was getting sick of not having a car. It is not the same as an M5, but I can give some feedback as an M550i isn't too far off an M5 besides the suspension.

At first I loved the M550i, it was more luxurious, interior build quality is definitely better than the M3. The seat comfort all the way down to how plush the ride is despite having a adaptive suspension on run flats. It is a very fast car but it has no soul, feels numb and boring. You can definitely feel the heft of the car when cornering fast or slow. Steering on the M3 felt more better and that is not saying much as the M3 steering is not great itself. Don't get me wrong, the car is just as fast as my RWD G80, but it didn't feel as fast.

I put in an order for an M3 Comp xDrive, I am 12th in line so it won't be a while, probably an LCI model. So there is your answer if I were in your shoes.

[KnightedBMW]

Originally Posted by BSM_G808

So I had the G80 M3 Comp RWD and ended up selling it because I got a pretty good offer for it. I recently bought an M550i because I was getting sick of not having a car. It is not the same as an M5, but I can give some feedback as an M550i isn't too far off an M5 besides the suspension.

At first I loved the M550i, it was more luxurious, interior build quality is definitely better than the M3. The seat comfort all the way down to how plush the ride is despite having a adaptive suspension on run flats. It is a very fast car but it has no soul and feels boring. You can definitely feel the heft of the car when cornering fast or slow. Steering on the M3 felt more better and that is not saying much as the M3 steering is not great itself.

I put in an order for an M3 Comp xDrive, I am 12th in line so it won't be a while, probably an LCI model. So there is your answer if I were in your shoes.

Ar stated above, I echo your M550 sentiments. Good call going back to the G80.

[BGM-M3COMP]

Originally Posted by luckduck369

I had a 2019 F90 M5 and now a 2022 G80 M3. The reason that I switched was the M5 is too big for my everyday needs. Where I live has tight parking spaces. So M3 makes my life a lot easier, and the manual transmission is a huge bonus.

In terms of driving, I like the M5 better. Much more planted and the power feels endless. The car is heavy, and feels like a tank while driving it. But it’s also nimble when needed. Build quality wise, the M5 is in a different league. With full leather and all bells and whistles on the M3, it still feels cheap.

I have tracked both cars, by myself and at M schools. I think for track driving, I like the M5 better. M3 is good for autocross type of situation.

Hope this helps. Of course this is all subjective. Just my 2 cents.

Great comparison.

Don't forget how amazing the V8 sounds over the S58. I know the S58 is probably more potent, more durable, more reliable etc etc. It still doesn't sound as good as the V8. Hell it still doesn't even sound as good as the N55?

[ROBERT1183]

The M5 is an awesome car. It sounds awesome but its too big for me. I prefer the M3 over the M5. I also love the manual so the M3 obviously wins in that department. I would suggest driving both cars before making a decision.

[Salespunk]

Good choice on the M3. I had an F90 and now have a G80, they are very different cars.

With the F90 you feel like a Master of the Universe cruising around. Interior is excellent and there are not many cars that can keep up with it in a straight line. It is excellent in the corners for its size and I enjoyed owning it. BTW I had the MPE on it and the sound was insane. I sold it because it simply felt too big for my needs and it was too insulated a driving experience for me. Also, at every speed the F90 felt like I was only using 10-15% of its capabilities. That comes back to that insulated feeling. As an executive shuttle to and from the office, there are not many better rides available.

G80 is much more of a drivers car. It encourages you to be a hooligan which may or may not be a good thing depending on how much self restraint you have. It feels more involved and every time I drive it it feels like an event. Although the interior is not "quite" as luxurious a place to be as the F90, it is still very nice. When it comes to looks it is no contest IMO. The G80 is a MUCH more purposeful design with the flared fenders and front end. I have people literally hanging out their windows to look at the car, give me thumbs up, etc. It gets a lot of attention and definitely doesn't fly under the radar like the M5. As a kid of the 80's who grew up wanting the original E30 M3 and other widen crazy DTM/Rally cars, I love the look.

Overall no bad decisions here, just depends on what you want. There is a reason they make both.