Quote:
Originally Posted by wknddrivr
M2 Competition.
The M340 has a great chassis and a great interior, but if I'm going to be forced to give up a manual transmission, I at least want decent steering feel. With the M2 Comp at least I can get the 6mt.
I am very interested in the new M3/4, but if it looks anything like the concept, styling kills it.
I'll argue that the E39 doesn't feel dated if the suspension is in good shape. Even low mileage E39 M5s can feel dated because the bushings and stuff wear pretty quickly on them. They're basically completely shot at 80k miles max. Even at lower mileage, there is play in a lot of the components because of the age of the rubber. If you drive one that has had the shocks replaced along with all control arm/suspension parts and steering center link, it feels far from dated. Given the current BMW lineup, I'd rather spend a few thousand every 80k miles to refresh the suspension on the M5 than to buy anything new unless the new M3/M4 has a smaller grill than what we've been seeing.
From a tech perspective, yeah the E39 M5 nav system sucks, but there's a bluebus adapter shipping now that basically gives full bluetooth control with the steering wheel controls and stock mic and bluetooth audio with excellent quality and all controlled through the stock nav so nothing looks aftermarket. For $50 worth of parts and about an hour of work you can add wireless charging so the only features my E39 is missing that my G30has are the heads up display, traffic updates, and comfort access. Of those, I think I miss the Heads Up Display the most...really amazing feature.
I'm also not a huge fan of the sound of the M340 or the M2 comp, but that has been beaten to death and I won't go there.
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Saying you are now moving to an M2 competition and away from sedans, well, I rest my case. There is no better contemporary sports sedan on the market than the M340.
If you are going to give up the utility and comfort of a proper sedan, why not get into the Porsche Cayman GT4? The manual transmission in the Porsche embarrasses the M2 manual, and the car weighs just 2900 pounds. With the engine behind you that car is in a completely different world than the M2.
Price is close too. Drive one and let me know your thoughts.