[BackOnBlack]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

The M3CS is my only car and multi-purpose vehicle. I have put 8,900 miles on it with ~500 miles of track miles. I'll share some thoughts on the car and how it is holding up to this mix usage. I imagine most of my comments are equally applicable to all variants of the M3, not just the CS.

Spoiler: The M3 CS has been superb, and exceeded my expectations.

Ownership:

It has been easy to live with through all of the seasons. It is a fun car to drive through town, back roads and certainly at the track. I used it for grocery shopping, hauling people, carrying luggage, for business and personal purposes. Nothing has gone wrong and there are no rattles or unwanted noises inside the cabin. I have been in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the tech helps tremendously while waiting for traffic to open up.

It is docile and comfortable when needed, and a monster when the occasion presents itself. I find the steering and brakes to be much more communicative than some reviewers state. I have no issues sensing what the car is doing, although I have to admit that it took me a couple of autoxes and track days to understand and interpret the signals. After 8 track days and 4 autoxes, I feel I am very much in-tune with the car.

I am good with the compromises inherent to the CS. Not having cup holders, for example, hasn't been an issue, I just use a Yeti and put it in the cup holder of the door. Not having an arm rest hasn't been an issue either for me, even though I have had 2+ hour drives.

I have not run into a situation in which I thought another vehicle would be better. The only two negatives I can mention are that it attracts more attention than I prefer, even though I specifically picked the black car, it screams “come get me.” Thankfully, the police have left me alone thus far even though I do not have a front plate.

And, because it is BSM color, I had to wash and detail the exterior more often than I normally do. I learned how to enjoy doing this 3-4 hours of work. Once it is pristine clean, it just looks like a stunner.

Cost of Ownership:

Total costs to date add up to $9,940 for the last 15 months. This includes all maintenance, parts, labor, insurance and track/autox fees. Does not include fuel, or monthly car payments.

Consumables and Damages:

To be on the safer side, I had three engine oil changes thus far, the rear differential oil was changes during break-in service, used Pagid RSL29 track pads (now back to original), and consumed two the front tires, which I replaced with lightly used ones.



Front brake pads; RSL29 pads on the right, and original pads on the left:

As careful as I was, I did damage part of the front spoiler. Thankfully, it is one of the smaller pieces that can be replaced separately, but it is still going to cost quite a bit.

Also, sustained a small dent on the front radiator, which does not require any intervention at this time:

Final thoughts:

The car is not a luxury cruiser; thankfully! It is taught, but not uncomfortable or hard core. The shock and spring tuning is just right for this car. The body roll is minimal, while road compliance is more than acceptable. The PS4S tires are really good on the road, dry or wet, and do okay on track, but they heat up a bit too fast. They are nearly perfect for autoxing though.

As a driver, I enjoyed every time I got into the car, and passengers never felt they should have been in another. I had a long drive with my little helper, a.k.a. wife, and we had a great time pacing through farm roads, mountains and villages, listening to music of choice, conversing on many fun and serious topics, stopping by farmers markets along the way. We had a great time in the car.

Next to Do:

Few items to take care of during winter are (1) replace the front spoiler piece, (2) track tires, (3) a new set of RSL29 pads, (4) rebuild the calipers, (5) new alignment, (6) engine and transmission oil changes.

I have no other wants or needs from a car, maybe just a tad less attention. Perfect vehicle, money well spent and a long-termer for sure. I hope you all enjoy yours even more than me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[OGOverkill]

Glad there is a fellow CS driver driving like i do! Kids, groceries, parking lots, snow and rain. Mine sees it all and I love it every day! Also, BSM FTW!

[Lupeskew]

Great write up and well done! I'm so happy to read these posts with folks actually driving their car and enjoying it year round. Beautiful car and enjoy it in good health!

[LuckyL]

What a dawwwggg dailying that car. Love the commitment 🫡🚀

[Evinrude1975]

Love to see you have been driving and enjoying your M3 CS. I had one for a year and it was an amazing car. The front spoiler is to exposed and it wouls requires a front camera to reduce the risk to damage it. It would have been fantastic to get a touring version, here in NA as well.

[AudiDad]

Great to read your thoughts op, by chance do you have any interior shots ?

[Tallest]

On older 911s we always try to cover the radiator intakes with some mesh. Most modern 911s have that standard. And yet im blown away to see BMW have these massive nostrils wide open to rock chips etc. Not a smart move by BMW. Glad you are ok with the issue you encountered, and I suppose the opening is pretty high up to be a serious issue (on 911s it is very low).

[Vic55]

Excellent Sir. I feel similar about my CS's.

[pr0gi]

This makes me regret even more that I didn’t wait for the M3 Touring and instead got the X3 M40i. Great write-up! That's exactly how I always imagined living with the G8x.

[tsbrown]

Originally Posted by OGOverkill

Glad there is a fellow CS driver driving like i do! Kids, groceries, parking lots, snow and rain. Mine sees it all and I love it every day! Also, BSM FTW!

While I haven’t had an M3 since my E90 from 2010-2016, it was my daily and track car in one, year round like yours. Used to refer to it as my ultimate do everything machine, because it could.

OP, great to see your write up and that you’re enjoying the car.

[BimmerSkippy]

Great write up and spot on. These cars are so versatile and do everything. I daily my m3cx and have 18k miles in 18 months of ownership. If only we could get the wagon in the us then it would also be the ultimate utility vehicle as well!

[G30M]

can't believe i'm saying this but very cool looking car, the nose actually complements the car in this shot and lighting!

[M340I///M]

Great write up! Excited to read that someone is actually daily driving there M3 cs. Had I owned a CS I would be doing the same thing.

[alfaromeo75mb]

Did you just change the oil/fluids after each track day? Seems like a lot…depending how hard you pound on it on the track.
I’ve only tracked the M4 comp, and pushed it pretty hard, but don’t find myself sitting at redline very often…

[moriluvatar]

I really appreciate the context you provide with this review and talk with specific details about use. Very helpful reference.

[F80DK]

Nice write up! I drove 2,000 miles during a lease month back in June 2023. Since, the car has been stored. I also drive a 2018 M3C, lowered on KW springs. The F80 has very hard ride quality, but the build quality is fantastic. However, the G80CS just puts the power down much more controlled. Its a beast! Mind you, german Sport Auto measured 583 or so hp instead of the listed 550. Never tracked it though, but those yellow DRL just turn heads! Mine is mat white and looks m e a n with black alloys. Build quality is like a panzer, no complains. This summer my son and I went to Nürburgring and met up with “Niels” and his tuned G80C: almost 800 hp via a retune and new exhaust from new. Now 30k miles in less than a year and absolutely bulletproof. Niels gave us a short test drive with 1/4 mile burn out on the street and in full control. Niels likes to remove his licence plates and go burn down the empty streets at night time in Cologne. Police cars no chance of interception…. Crazy mods, crazy man

[playswcars]

Your feelings seem to mirror mine. The CS is a beast in every sense of the word.

[collin kurtcher]

Originally Posted by BackOnBlack

The M3CS is my only car and multi-purpose vehicle. I have put 8,900 miles on it with ~500 miles of track miles. I'll share some thoughts on the car and how it is holding up to this mix usage. I imagine most of my comments are equally applicable to all variants of the M3, not just the CS.

Spoiler: The M3 CS has been superb, and exceeded my expectations.

Ownership:

It has been easy to live with through all of the seasons. It is a fun car to drive through town, back roads and certainly at the track. I used it for grocery shopping, hauling people, carrying luggage, for business and personal purposes. Nothing has gone wrong and there are no rattles or unwanted noises inside the cabin. I have been in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the tech helps tremendously while waiting for traffic to open up.

It is docile and comfortable when needed, and a monster when the occasion presents itself. I find the steering and brakes to be much more communicative than some reviewers state. I have no issues sensing what the car is doing, although I have to admit that it took me a couple of autoxes and track days to understand and interpret the signals. After 8 track days and 4 autoxes, I feel I am very much in-tune with the car.

I am good with the compromises inherent to the CS. Not having cup holders, for example, hasn't been an issue, I just use a Yeti and put it in the cup holder of the door. Not having an arm rest hasn't been an issue either for me, even though I have had 2+ hour drives.

I have not run into a situation in which I thought another vehicle [...]

Wow that so great to read about your car , it good having the experience of each car of BMW on how it work, it's a tour world baby, let's drive ......

[buckybadger]

Originally Posted by BackOnBlack

The M3CS is my only car and multi-purpose vehicle. I have put 8,900 miles on it with ~500 miles of track miles. I'll share some thoughts on the car and how it is holding up to this mix usage. I imagine most of my comments are equally applicable to all variants of the M3, not just the CS.

Spoiler: The M3 CS has been superb, and exceeded my expectations.

Ownership:

It has been easy to live with through all of the seasons. It is a fun car to drive through town, back roads and certainly at the track. I used it for grocery shopping, hauling people, carrying luggage, for business and personal purposes. Nothing has gone wrong and there are no rattles or unwanted noises inside the cabin. I have been in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the tech helps tremendously while waiting for traffic to open up.

It is docile and comfortable when needed, and a monster when the occasion presents itself. I find the steering and brakes to be much more communicative than some reviewers state. I have no issues sensing what the car is doing, although I have to admit that it took me a couple of autoxes and track days to understand and interpret the signals. After 8 track days and 4 autoxes, I feel I am very much in-tune with the car.

I am good with the compromises inherent to the CS. Not having cup holders, for example, hasn't been an issue, I just use a Yeti and put it in the cup holder of the door. Not having an arm rest hasn't been an issue either for me, even though I have had 2+ hour drives.

I have not run into a situation in which I thought another vehicle [...]

Did you put PPF on your car?
Nice write up.

[2020_M2CS]

Great write up. Why do you have plans to rebuild the calipers?

[anthemavm]

Also seems the M3CS is holding its price on the Used market.

[M6-Coupe]

Nice write up!
I assume you had another G80/82 Competition or Competition xDrive before your M3CS.
If this is correct assumption and you had the same sit time on that car, how you compare M3CS with that car?