After going through several BMWs in mid-late 2000s, I have been a happy Audi driver for the last decade.
The last BMW I owned was a 2008 e92 335i - and even thought it was a great car, it was plagued with issues. IN 24 months of ownership It's been in the shop 12 times one way or another.
Fast forward to today - I've stuck to Audis for my daily drivers and been a happy customer of a 2013 S4, 2014 A6, 2016 RS7 and currently a 2019 SQ5. Recently I decided to look around the BMW pool again - and test drove the m340i. I'm looking to replace the SQ5 and get back to a sedan for a year or two - and we already have the current S4 in the family (wifes car).
The M340i was a great drive overall - but now I have a few questions lingering in the back of my mind before I pull the trigger.
1. I drove the fixed suspension car and definitely would like the one with adaptive suspension. Looking at current dealers inventory across the country - it is VERY hard to find one specd with it, especially with some of the other options I would want. I'm surprised more cars do not come optioned with that, as more S4s then not have that, in one of the packages, available on dealer lot cars.
2. Can someone point me in the right direction of how to go about adding the 'M performance' exterior kit that was on the tester that I drove? Very small chance that I will find the SPEC I want, to already have that on there. Probably only a half dozen or so cars I saw in the US have that on there currently (autotrader.com)
I believe the car absolutely needs that - and makes a world of a difference having a few carbon fiber add ons to make complete the front and back of this car. I know that what I see on the dealer cars are 'port installed' options - does anybody know what that package costs being port installed, vs going and putting this together after?
3. I'm looking to buy this car outright, as I typically switch out my dailies anywhere from a few months to 1-2 years. I don't want to be stuck with a lease , etc. What kind of a discount can I currently expect? The majority of the dealer lot cars had MSRPs in the LOW 60s, and the dealer HINTED at giving me $10K off. I see USED examples currently in the low 50s ballpark as well - does this sound correct to you? Gonna pick up a brand new one then if they are close to same price.
4. I've seen mixed reviews on this - but how is this car as a road tripper / highway cruiser? Majority of my time is spent on the freeway and I want to make sure it is not tiring, stable, quiet and a good work horse on the interstate. I do take 5-6 road trips a year as well.
5. Considering I live in Phoenix (AZ) - I'm looking at the RWD model. Anybody get the RWD and regret it? This car will almost never see snow. Maybe occasional monsoon rain out here.
6. Are these things still plagued with problems? The past decade of audi ownership has given me STELLAR reliability with all the audis I owned. I don't want to be a slave to the dealer, and be constantly annoyed with minor issues popping up on my daily driver.
7. One of my favorite/best daily drivers I've owned is the B8.5 2013 S4. Anybody here had one of those in the past and can compare it to the m340i? The ironic part is after looking it up - both of these cars are dead on with exterior dimensions - which I'd say was probably the sweet spot where I would like a sport sedan to be at.
8. If there are any members thinking of parting with theirs and you have the adaptive suspension, please PM me.
I'm sure I will have additional questions pop up as I make my decision but I did get excited for a BMW sports sedan after driving this latest iteration.
Attaching the link to the car with the M Performance Kit I have referenced. This includes front lip/splitter, M side decal and Carbon rear spoiler. Where can I source all of these parts and what will it cost me?
https://www.bmwnorthscottsdale.com/i...5u7c08lfh62346