How are the new M3/M4 owners getting along

[Mermaid]

Zyp said:

teamHOLDENracing said:

How is your cost to upgrade £50k?

Was wondering that.

Can't be many £10k E92's around.

An ultra high spec M3/M4 can be close to £70k, and very high mileage 2007 E92 can be £20k.

[Zyp]

£65k gets a nice spec.
Anything else is just fripperies.

And I didn't realise E92's were that cheap!

[Mermaid]

Zyp said:

£65k gets a nice spec.
Anything else is just fripperies.

And I didn't realise E92's were that cheap!

Ceramics will push the bill up.

The early E92's will probably settle at £15k, here's a decent one without galactic mileage at £18.5k

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...

[Patrick Bateman]

The bottom of the e9x market seems to have been stuck at that for ages.

[Roo3Stuart]

I have just had a 24 hour test drive in a M4. I have to say I really liked it - it was incredibly quick, handled really well and just inspired confidence - very easy to drive quickly. No obvious turbo lag and just piled on the speed as soon as you put your foot down. The gear box was a work of art and really helped give the car a Jekyll and Hyde personality. In auto it just rolled along like an everyday 3 series, in manual it was smashing you in the back on each change.

Now the noise. I was expecting it to be awful but I have to say I quite liked it. It sounds a bit ropey at start up and low speeds (when you first pull away you find yourself looking around and wondering what the noise is until you realise it is the car) but has a very purposeful noise under load and it didn't intrude when I did my usual 50 mile commute.

I also managed 32 mpg on my commute which seemed quite good, and I think it would make a great daily driver as a car that can do everything. I didn't really expect to want one (I don't really know why not) but I'm now thinking seriously of ordering one. Fantastic car.

PS also loved the seats and particularly the illuminated M bagdes!

[Cheib]

Zyp said:

I think the colours are a bit poor to be honest, but on the 3 the YMB is the best of a bad bunch.

Pretty standard for the colours to be an issue! In fact why are the colours so often blue and yellow? Can't remember what they were fro the E92 but

E36. Dakar Yellow and Estoril Blue
E46 Phoenix Yellow and Laguna Seca Blue
And now
Austin Yellow and Yas Marina Blue

The two E46 launch colours were both quietly dropped, Estoril is just the best and Dakar despite having latterly got more popular was at the time so popular that my local dealer insisted on a £2k deposit if a car was ordered in it.

[spunko2010]

No love for the Austin Yellow! I think it's quite stunning in the photos, nobody on here seems to have one? Would need to see it in the flesh I think myself.

http://www.bmwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/image22-...

@Roo3Stuart, did you have to ask for a 24 hour test drive, or do you somehow qualify?

[jackwood]

I do like the YMB and on an M4 as a weekend car it would be what I would choose. However as a daily driver for attending meetings in and using as business wheels it's just too loud.

Can anyone tell me if the black wheel option is a solid black wheel or is a 2-tone design?

[Zyp]

From what I've seen the black is just the centre of the spokes with the rest ferric grey.

[The JM]

jackwood said:

Which is exactly what I want one for. I know I'd get fed up of filling up an E90 twice a week too.

Anyone got any realworld range figures for these yet?

Short trips around home around 26 mpg, 500 miles in a day on mainly motorway making progress 33.4 mpg, which is nearly double my old V10 M5 at the same speeds. 6:00am blast over exmoor still only 18 mpg but about 1mm of rear tires!

[Roo3Stuart]

spunko2010 said:

@Roo3Stuart, did you have to ask for a 24 hour test drive, or do you somehow qualify?

I know the MD and am a good customer otherwise it would have been a standard accompanied test drive which is fine but you get to know a car much better with a decent drive, particularly a car like this with lots of adjustability.

[Cheib]

spunko2010 said:

No love for the Austin Yellow! I think it's quite stunning in the photos, nobody on here seems to have one? Would need to see it in the flesh I think myself.

http://www.bmwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/image22-...

@Roo3Stuart, did you have to ask for a 24 hour test drive, or do you somehow qualify?

BMW Park Lane have an Austin Yellow car in the showroom...saw it when I drove past this morning. Looked from a fleeting glimpse to be pretty similar to Phoenix Yellow to me.

[jimmsy]

Elms Cambridge have two AY cars, one plated for test drives, one in the showroom (both M4s). I hated it in the pictures, but I really like it in person.

[MGR]

spunko2010 said:

No love for the Austin Yellow! I think it's quite stunning in the photos, nobody on here seems to have one? Would need to see it in the flesh I think myself.

http://www.bmwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/image22-...

@Roo3Stuart, did you have to ask for a 24 hour test drive, or do you somehow qualify?

I'm a fan of the yellow BMs - I've owned 2 phoenix yellow cars - an M3 and a Z3M. Most people hated it, I loved it.

[JMBMWM5]

PPPPPP said:

That looks great, my M6 GC CP will be in Sakhir Red leather.

[TheHound]

RE colours, no one mentions Sahkir orange but I personally think this colour is by far the best option either M3 or M4 and if and when i decide to go for the new M3, this is the colour I'll be looking for.

[spunko2010]

TheHound said:

RE colours, no one mentions Sahkir orange but I personally think this colour is by far the best option either M3 or M4 and if and when i decide to go for the new M3, this is the colour I'll be looking for.

There is someone on here with a SO M4, can't recall their username but it does look pretty special.

Moonstone might be interesting, I've seen a few M5s in that and it does look different.

[Zyp]

Mrs Zyp wanted her M3 in Sakhir.
So off we went to look at one at a dealer miles away from us.

Anyway, she didn't like it - thought, as it was described as orange, it'd actually be orange like my Burnt Orange Exige, and it isn't.
She muttered something about trade descriptions....

It isn't very orange at all, and in fact Ford do a very similar colour on the Focus.

[dufflecoat]

I too am colour confused

Saw a YSB M4 on black wheels today, awful
Saw a Austin Yellow M4 on black at the weekend, looked terrible

At the moment it's Mineral grey and black M3, I'm holding out for to see Moonstone on black or Silverstone on silver

Good job I'm not ready to buy one yet. A few months to decide.

Behind Mineral this is nice.....

[Zyp]

Just a little too...safe?

My personal opinion - YMB looks good on the 3 as does black, but neither suit the 4.
Austin looks good on the 4 not on the 3.

Grey or silver - should look ok on either but a bit drab.