Hankering for a M3 Touring
Discussion
Folks, I have an itch to scratch and it’s a M car and the M3 Touring would fit my needs.
Last BM was a F31 340 that was faultless for 6 years, so I have a soft spot for the brand
My Defender is 2 years old, has 83% of its original value, so now feels a good time.
I have many question?
Reliability, running cost, servicing etc and what options are the ones to have and to steer clear of, not worth the price.
Looking at 6 month old one, a fair few about. Fancy a green one.
Advice recommendations etc gratefully received.
Last BM was a F31 340 that was faultless for 6 years, so I have a soft spot for the brand
My Defender is 2 years old, has 83% of its original value, so now feels a good time.
I have many question?
Reliability, running cost, servicing etc and what options are the ones to have and to steer clear of, not worth the price.
Looking at 6 month old one, a fair few about. Fancy a green one.
Advice recommendations etc gratefully received.
SteBrown91 said:
For the discounts available I would be buying new.
There’s little value in sub year old examples other than instant availability.
Base car before options can be had for less than 74k
Yes agreed. Drive the Deal or Tony Lewis would be the place to go. You are looking at 6 months though for an individual car in a nice green. Not a fan of the IOM green myself.There’s little value in sub year old examples other than instant availability.
Base car before options can be had for less than 74k
I have a G80 M3 and options are a personal preference. You'll want the Tech Pack as a minimum though.
For me, I would also have the Carbon interior and the Full leather.
Ran one for 6 months and it's certainly an appealing car. The IOM green got much more attention than I thought it would and was much more intense than I anticipated (just ordered it from the configurator, sight unseen).
Some thoughts:
+ Wonderful grip and handling in the dry
+ Acceleration as expected and works strongly till 125mph, petering out slowly after (you are pushing a lot of car through the air); will get you to 186mph if you have the M driver's package and this is doable if you live in a country allowing you to drive at those speeds
+ In the dry it will have good braking stability also at high speeds
+ Seats are amongst the more comfortable ones available from BMW
+ You can actually fit two growing children in the back reasonably comfortably and the boot is the largest it has been in a 3 series
- In spite of AWD it is not nearly as all weather unflappable as some competitors
- In the wet much twitchier at motorway speeds than other cars with similar power outputs I am used to; admittedly more of an issue if you will drive it in places like Germany, where the motorway speeds are generally higher
- Acquaplaning at lower speeds than something like an E63, even running same tire model
- I never felt it shrink around me on narrower, mountain roads - it didn't feel 'smaller' than the E63S Estate we used at the same time - if the road is narrow this will limit the comfort levels much more than with something like a C43, which feels narrower and with more options for setting a line
- No ability to order a larger fuel tank, meaning that the range is limited, in case your driving is more spirited.
Would I get it again? Given that it is one of the last of its kind, quite possibly. Hope this helps!
Some thoughts:
+ Wonderful grip and handling in the dry
+ Acceleration as expected and works strongly till 125mph, petering out slowly after (you are pushing a lot of car through the air); will get you to 186mph if you have the M driver's package and this is doable if you live in a country allowing you to drive at those speeds
+ In the dry it will have good braking stability also at high speeds
+ Seats are amongst the more comfortable ones available from BMW
+ You can actually fit two growing children in the back reasonably comfortably and the boot is the largest it has been in a 3 series
- In spite of AWD it is not nearly as all weather unflappable as some competitors
- In the wet much twitchier at motorway speeds than other cars with similar power outputs I am used to; admittedly more of an issue if you will drive it in places like Germany, where the motorway speeds are generally higher
- Acquaplaning at lower speeds than something like an E63, even running same tire model
- I never felt it shrink around me on narrower, mountain roads - it didn't feel 'smaller' than the E63S Estate we used at the same time - if the road is narrow this will limit the comfort levels much more than with something like a C43, which feels narrower and with more options for setting a line
- No ability to order a larger fuel tank, meaning that the range is limited, in case your driving is more spirited.
Would I get it again? Given that it is one of the last of its kind, quite possibly. Hope this helps!
I'm on my 2nd G8x M3, first a saloon and now the Touring.
IOM green - gets appreciative nods everywhere.
Running costs about what i expected - insurance not too bad considering value, approx £800/year.
Fuel - day to day short trips about 22mpg, 26 mph monthly average, seen 32mpg on a gentle motorway run.
Hugely practical - mega boot for tip runs, dogs get easily in the back - a dog net divider is even included.
On a recent track day it was superb. Standard Michelin PS4s tyres were superb and coped with track use without disintegrating.
Standard brakes hauled in down from 140-145mph at Thuxton without issue. Great fun around track in 4WD sport mode. I did around 20 laps that day without missing a beat and smile of face factor is huge.
Not sure about comments above about wet weather performance - certainly on the Michelins it has been superb for me, no hint of aquaplaning. When these wear down i'll got to Conti SC7's which i had on the M3 saloon, they have even better wet and cold weather performance.
Couldn't think of a better all round car with a performance twist in the tale.
Re Purchasing - you'll get car better deals off a new one ( trade in, finance rate, dealer incentives, and money off of list ) vs 6 month old one. They want to sell new cars and financially they will make it worth your while.
So Get new, don't go (too) mad with options - enjoy it.
Happy to refer you to a friendly main dealer or can have a ride in mine if you want a go. (hamps/berks border)
IOM green - gets appreciative nods everywhere.
Running costs about what i expected - insurance not too bad considering value, approx £800/year.
Fuel - day to day short trips about 22mpg, 26 mph monthly average, seen 32mpg on a gentle motorway run.
Hugely practical - mega boot for tip runs, dogs get easily in the back - a dog net divider is even included.
On a recent track day it was superb. Standard Michelin PS4s tyres were superb and coped with track use without disintegrating.
Standard brakes hauled in down from 140-145mph at Thuxton without issue. Great fun around track in 4WD sport mode. I did around 20 laps that day without missing a beat and smile of face factor is huge.
Not sure about comments above about wet weather performance - certainly on the Michelins it has been superb for me, no hint of aquaplaning. When these wear down i'll got to Conti SC7's which i had on the M3 saloon, they have even better wet and cold weather performance.
Couldn't think of a better all round car with a performance twist in the tale.
Re Purchasing - you'll get car better deals off a new one ( trade in, finance rate, dealer incentives, and money off of list ) vs 6 month old one. They want to sell new cars and financially they will make it worth your while.
So Get new, don't go (too) mad with options - enjoy it.
Maybe I should have been clearer on the country and use profile. The car was primarily driven in Germany, with an unlimited Autobahn as part of my daily commute.
On the PS4s tires it was unbelievably twitchy in the rain at speeds around 95-100mph, where I would easily do 130 in an E63S on the same tires (same day, 20 minutes later) and that one felt rock solid. At lower speeds or country roads the BMW was generally fine.
On the PS4s tires it was unbelievably twitchy in the rain at speeds around 95-100mph, where I would easily do 130 in an E63S on the same tires (same day, 20 minutes later) and that one felt rock solid. At lower speeds or country roads the BMW was generally fine.
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