[T1M3LESS]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Cat’s out of the bag - ///M back.

After a lot of back and forth, I finally pulled the trigger on a G80 M3 CS. It’s a 2024 in BSM with the Gold Bronze 827M Wheels. For me, it was a big leap of faith as I haven’t really driven a G80… and the grille.. the very controversial grille. I don’t love it, I don’t hate it. I think it’s ok to move on since there’s so much more to the car than the kidney grille. The interior is gorgeous and bucket seats are phenomenal - they’re actually very comfortable for driving.. getting in and out? That is something I will have to get used to. After a couple hundred miles of driving so far, I can definitely tell that this car is more than capable especially compared to the F80. What a machine. Can’t wait to push this car post break-in!

Little bit of background about myself - I’ve owned an F30, 2 F80s, G05 X5 and a G07 X7 m60 as our family haulers. Safe to say, I have a soft spot for BMWs, especially M cars. More recently, I also owned a 992 C2S, which I absolutely love - it’s such a well balanced sports car.

BUT Why did I move on from a 992? It was certainly a tough call as I truthfully did not see myself getting a G80… but a lot of people I know kept raving about the G80 and how good the car is. And with the CS being ‘special,’ that really got me intrigued. When the opportunity to purchase an M3 CS presented itself, I went for it. As Jim Rohn once said, “Life is a collection of experiences…” I think it was time to experience driving something new.

I’m looking forward to this fun new project.

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JULY 2023 UPDATE - OEM+

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Here are some stock pics for now:



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[BzsBimmer]

Welcome back. I followed your F80 build so there’s no doubt this one will also go nuclear shortly 😁

[T1M3LESS]

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

Welcome back. I followed your F80 build so there’s no doubt this one will also go nuclear shortly 😁

Thank you! That was such a fun build. I appreciate that!

[M3nmotion18]

Congrat! Stealth PPF? whatever you do, your build will be awesome like F80.

[willyp]

Congrats, hope you enjoy!

[RowanBuds]

Congrats Nick! Big change there, curious to know if the more useful back seats were a big factor in the change or not.

Really loved your 911 spec/mods and obviously your F80's were both spectacular -
I'm sure you'll love it, and cannot wait to see how you make this one unique. Planning to keep the red as accent color, or not tipping your hand on that yet?

Now, can you give me some advance notice when you make the F-car move eventually, as I that means I should be a year or two behind if past results are any indication of future performance! Hope to see ya at SMC soon.

[T1M3LESS]

Originally Posted by willyp

Congrats, hope you enjoy!

Thank you so much!

Originally Posted by M3nmotion18

Congrat! Stealth PPF? whatever you do, your build will be awesome like F80.

Thank you!

I’m so torn whether to do stealth/satin this round..

I had it on the F80, but at the same time I did gloss on my 992.

This being a CS, might make more sense to keep it closer to OEM, but at the same time, that stealth finish just looks so good.

[T1M3LESS]

Originally Posted by RowanBuds

Congrats Nick! Big change there, curious to know if the more useful back seats were a big factor in the change or not.

Really loved your 911 spec/mods and obviously your F80's were both spectacular -
I'm sure you'll love it, and cannot wait to see how you make this one unique. Planning to keep the red as accent color, or not tipping your hand on that yet?

Now, can you give me some advance notice when you make the F-car move eventually, as I that means I should be a year or two behind if past results are any indication of future performance! Hope to see ya at SMC soon.

Thanks Dave!

Big change indeed as I never intended on getting a G80… the opportunity just presented itself when a dealer reached out regarding the availability of the CS..

I think the practicality of a sedan pushed me over the line, especially with our experience last spring with kids’ sports. The X7 clearly addresses that but still hard to juggle since we still find ourselves using 2 cars since some of the games overlap + carpooling. A 4-door performance car is hard to beat, which is really the main appeal of the M3 for me.

So far so good.. really impressed with it.. although my left foot falls asleep LOL.. missing that manual transmission already haha. To be fair - the transmission is smooth and the shifts are quick. Still need to reassess post break in.

Hmmm… still not sold on the red accent on grille.. i know it’s CS but I might swap that to a Vorstiener grille.. I don’t mind the other red accents on the car.

First order of business is the PPF.. stealth or glossy… then KW HAS, spacers and maybe mid-pipe. I’ll go from there LOL.

I think I’ll get back into a 911 after this… maybe a manual Targa GTS if a GT3 is still unattainable at a ‘reasonable’ price.

Hope you’ve been well!

[RowanBuds]

I had the feeling that some practicality concerns played into it, especially seeing it was a 2pedal version. I am sure you'll love it. Nothing but great feedback on the platform from all of those I know who've changed into one.

Things are alright here, loving my smaller car to the moon. First three pedal car and rekindled my N/A love. Can't stop driving it, I'm nearing 6k miles on it already..

I have been eyeing up a 992 GT car as part of a transaction where I'd turn the 718 in as a pre-trade. But - I'm falling so in love with the mid-engine chassis, for the $ involved, I don't think when push came to shove I'd decide to make the swap. Time will tell, I still have an unhealthy lust for something with double the cylinder count coming from Maranello.

Originally Posted by T1M3LESS

Thanks Dave!

Big change indeed as I never intended on getting a G80… the opportunity just presented itself when a dealer reached out regarding the availability of the CS..

I think the practicality of a sedan pushed me over the line, especially with our experience last spring with kids’ sports. The X7 clearly addresses that but still hard to juggle since we still find ourselves using 2 cars since some of the games overlap + carpooling. A 4-door performance car is hard to beat, which is really the main appeal of the M3 for me.

So far so good.. really impressed with it.. although my left foot falls asleep LOL.. missing that manual transmission already haha. To be fair - the transmission is smooth and the shifts are quick. Still need to reassess post break in.

Hmmm… still not sold on the red accent on grille.. i know it’s CS but I might swap that to a Vorstiener grille.. I don’t mind the other red accents on the car.

First order of business is the PPF.. stealth or glossy… then KW HAS, spacers and maybe mid-pipe. I’ll go from there LOL.

I think I’ll get back into a 911 after this… maybe a manual Targa GTS if a GT3 is still unattainable at a ‘reasonable’ price.

Hope you’ve been well!

[Blindside_137]

F80 and 911 were killer. Congrats! Def wrap it stealth!

[T1M3LESS]

Originally Posted by Blindside_137

F80 and 911 were killer. Congrats! Def wrap it stealth!

Thank you! Almost inclined to go stealth again.

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by T1M3LESS

Thank you! Almost inclined to go stealth again.

Do it! At least that was my plan with my CS, same color as yours. I backed out so it’s be good to see what it would’ve looked like 👍🏼

[T1M3LESS]

Definitely warming up to the front-end

[chris3g]

the red trim on the grille just peels off if you decide you would prefer it without, no need to swap the whole thing out.

[pizza240]

Love this car and your reasons for switching from the Porsche. I've also been through a number of new Porsches and gravitated back to M cars.

I vote gloss though. Stealth black cars are a dime a dozen where I live, and 'more OEM' is always admirable in my opinion, especially on something special like this CS.

[T1M3LESS]

Originally Posted by chris3g

the red trim on the grille just peels off if you decide you would prefer it without, no need to swap the whole thing out.

Oh thanks for that info! That’s definitely another option.

Originally Posted by pizza240

Love this car and your reasons for switching from the Porsche. I've also been through a number of new Porsches and gravitated back to M cars.

I vote gloss though. Stealth black cars are a dime a dozen where I live, and 'more OEM' is always admirable in my opinion, especially on something special like this CS.

Thanks!
It doesn’t hurt to trying something new, right? I’ve really shied away from the G8x.. but this one drew me back. Hopefully it lives up to the potential!

I have the exact, same arguement for keeping it glossy. Special car, closer to OEM.

[jm490]

Beautiful car! Almost the same spec I traded my F90 in for but I decided against it for other reasons (mainly because my previous 991.1 GT3 killed most “sports” cars feeling for me)

I do believe the G80 especially the CS is just an awesome car. Can you comment on the steering feel at all yet compared to the 992 C2S? That was my main gripe with the G80 series. Other than that it’s just perfect and this CS looks so sinister.

I have to agree that I’d keep it gloss for this CS just cause it’s special as is and the stealth almost takes away from that just imo but I don’t think either decision is wrong it’s a bad ass looking car either way.

I am definitely interested in hearing your take on the total package of the car as compared to the 992 after you get some good time behind the wheel after break in. If you could write up what you think that would be awesome. Just the mere fact that they are comparable says so much about how far bmw has come recently. Some stuff is controversial but hey that’s what keeps the people talking.

Congratulations!!! Again and again, and enjoy every minute!

[Powerbeast]

Welcome back to the family brother. She’s gorgeous.

[T1M3LESS]

Originally Posted by jm490

Beautiful car! Almost the same spec I traded my F90 in for but I decided against it for other reasons (mainly because my previous 991.1 GT3 killed most “sports” cars feeling for me)

I do believe the G80 especially the CS is just an awesome car. Can you comment on the steering feel at all yet compared to the 992 C2S? That was my main gripe with the G80 series. Other than that it’s just perfect and this CS looks so sinister.

I have to agree that I’d keep it gloss for this CS just cause it’s special as is and the stealth almost takes away from that just imo but I don’t think either decision is wrong it’s a bad ass looking car either way.

I am definitely interested in hearing your take on the total package of the car as compared to the 992 after you get some good time behind the wheel after break in. If you could write up what you think that would be awesome. Just the mere fact that they are comparable says so much about how far bmw has come recently. Some stuff is controversial but hey that’s what keeps the people talking.

Congratulations!!! Again and again, and enjoy every minute!

Thank you!

I hear you, it’s hard to top a GT3… that driver’s car will forever be your baseline now.

I’ve had this discussion (992 C2S vs G80 CS) on another thread with other forum members as well so I will copy bits and pieces from that…

For starters, the 992 C2S is a phenomenal car. It was my first 911 and I feel very fortunate to have driven that car for two years - it’s just such a well-balanced sports car. It does everything right - it has adequate power, handles perfectly, and the steering is top-notch. And I think that somewhat answers your first question… it’s really hard to beat the handling and steering feel of a 911. It’s not that the CS is worse but rather the 911 is just that good. I’m sure I’ll have an update once get more seat time (and lowered the car .

Nonetheless, I’m actually impressed with the CS so far even though I’ve only driven it for a couple hundred miles. Even during the break-in period, I could feel the power while keeping the revs under 4K. It is a fast car. It definitely feels faster than my tuned 992. Suspension feels great too, just the right balance of firmness and comfort. I’ve heard some people say that the recalibrated adaptive dampers on the CS are probably one of the best that BMW has made.

As far as the looks, that’ll take getting used to, especially coming from a 911. LOL. There are no bad angles on the timeless silhouette of a 911. Period. While I never loved the looks of the G80, I don’t hate it. I’m sure the car will look vastly different lowered along with spacers on the OEM wheels but it does look bold and aggressive.

The interior though… WOW. In my opinion, it’s one of the things I, unequivocally, love about this car. The interior is gorgeous and I am in love with the bucket seats. Didn’t think I would like them but I am amazed at the build quality and how comfortable they are for driving. Carbon fiber overload mixed with the red accents make a good pairing.

I’m definitely looking forward to getting more seat time and pushing the car post break-in!

[T1M3LESS]

Originally Posted by Powerbeast

Welcome back to the family brother. She’s gorgeous.

Thanks brother! Your G80 looks gorgeous as well! Also looking forward to your CSL!

[MJBO]

Originally Posted by T1M3LESS

I have the exact, same arguement for keeping it glossy. Special car, closer to OEM.

Stealth PPF looks just like a factory frozen if done right

[T1M3LESS]

Originally Posted by MJBO

Stealth PPF looks just like a factory frozen if done right

Agreed! Your car looks amazing! Love the photos too.

Yeah, I had XPEL Stealth on my BSM F80 as well (BUILD THREAD) and definitely accentuates the lines of the M3!