RE: BMW M3 Competition (F80) | Spotted

RE: BMW M3 Competition (F80) | Spotted

Tuesday 2nd March 2021

BMW M3 Competition (F80) | Spotted

New M3 Comp look a bit pricey? This one's less than the price of a Golf R



After the new BMW M3 and M4's most discussed feature - nobody needs reminding of that by now - the biggest talking point has to be the price. Because while this is the most powerful and apparently the most capable M3 yet, it's also the most expensive, kicking off at £75k. With a fuller options list than ever, too, it is possible to specify a £100,000 BMW M4 Competition. Which, even for the well-heeled, is a significant amount of cash.

To some, it's simply too much to countenance spending on a flagship 3 Series - but those people shouldn't be so hasty. We all like to imagine M3s as £40k purchases like the E46 was back in the day, but the fact is they've always been quite expensive cars. In 2010, PH tested a Competition Packed E90; it's as-tested price was £60,935, or £79,900 in 2020 adjusted for inflation. More recently, the last F80 M3 Competition we drove was specced up from a standard list price of £60,355 to £76,295. And get this: the M3 CSL's £58,455 asking price in 2003, the one that caused such outrage, is the equivalent of £94,500 in today's money. No wonder people were cross.

Clearly, then, the notion of a pricey M3 is not new. Handily for this story, though, neither is idea that the M3 sheds a chunk of that value with use. The days of great M3s plummeting to £5k look unlikely to return, though it is going to be possible to pick up relative bargains a few years after first registration - as this car ably proves.


It's an F80 M3, but most notably an M3 Competition, the option pack that proved so popular from its 2016 launch that BMW UK isn't offering non-Comp versions of the new car here at all. All things considered it was a fairly a modest update - 19 more horsepower, some tweaks to the suspension and new wheels - but the Competition corrected a few of the standard car's wayward tendencies while retaining its likeable angry streak. The CS was better still when it came along, but not by a margin commensurate with the premium asked. If you want an F80 M3, you want a Competition Package.

That's why it was our choice as the super saloon to buy at £35k, even though the majority were a bit more than that towards the end of 2020. This DCT example just sneaks in under budget, though, at £34,911, thanks to a chunky 63k recorded mileage - it's rare to see Comps over 40,000 miles just yet. Still, it presents well given that use - shiny steering wheel aside - with the Sakhir Merino leather not showing undue signs of wear and the wheels seemingly free from kerb damage. It looks like this M3 has been used for a lot of motorway journeys, given the condition, and the one MOT test it's had so far was passed without advisories. The services have all been with BMW main agents, too.

Consequently, if the bank balance can't stomach a new M3, then this one at less than half the cost should be a more than adequate substitute. Not only do you get the bragging rights of a DCT transmission denied to the new car, you can also be very smug about how much less the old M3 weighs than the new one, which ought to have some advantages across the board. And, let's be honest here, this is one of the best looking M3s there's ever been, and that's not something that could be said about the current car just yet. Whether the drive can atone for that remains to be seen...


SPECIFICATION | BMW M3 COMPETITION PACKAGE (F80)

Engine: 2,979cc, twin-turbo straight six
Transmission: 7-speed dual clutch auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 450@7,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 406@1,850rpm
MPG: 34 (NEDC)
CO2: 194g/km (NEDC)
Recorded mileage: 63,373
First registered: 2014
Price new: £60,355 (before options)
Yours for: £34,991

See the original advert here.




Author
Discussion

Midgster

Original Poster:

568 posts

233 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
Lets say this car with options cost £65k, that works out at cost of only £360 per month and it's done 10k miles per year.

howardhughes

980 posts

203 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
Absolutely love these. They do a flat blue version, but cant remember the name.confused Looks stunning thoughcool

hungry_hog

2,187 posts

187 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
ZCP was a bit tor rich for my blood but love my "vanilla" version



Edited by hungry_hog on Tuesday 2nd March 19:30

Reciprocating mass

6,029 posts

240 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
I’m normally a 3 door fan but these look so much better than the m4 especially from the rear view

peteob

37 posts

168 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
Midgster said:
Lets say this car with options cost £65k, that works out at cost of only £360 per month and it's done 10k miles per year.
The age of the car here is wrong, looks like it’s a late 2016 model, not in 2014. Depreciation (assuming £65k list) would probably be around £600 per month.

stuart100

447 posts

56 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
peteob said:
Midgster said:
Lets say this car with options cost £65k, that works out at cost of only £360 per month and it's done 10k miles per year.
The age of the car here is wrong, looks like it’s a late 2016 model, not in 2014. Depreciation (assuming £65k list) would probably be around £600 per month.
It was registered in May 2017.

hungry_hog

2,187 posts

187 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
Reciprocating mass said:
I’m normally a 3 door fan but these look so much better than the m4 especially from the rear view
as Shakira sang the hips don't lie!

Twinair

642 posts

141 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
Can’t remember exactly, but you could get a pretty good chunk off the list on one of these. Looked at one when considering my M2C. Went with the M2C in the end, liked the smaller size. So used on one of these after 3 years you should be able to get good value under £40k

Court_S

12,764 posts

176 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
I really like the F80 M3. It looks better than the M4 to my eyes. The Comp wheels suit the M3/4 more than they did the M2.

One of these is very much on my radar in a year or two’s time. Hopefully Comps will have come down to £30k by then if not I’ll settle for a standard one, especially in Yas Marina Blue with white leather.

Aiminghigh123

2,720 posts

68 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
I really like this M3. One of the best looking M3s to me. Love the engine sound of the e90 but the look from the front didn’t do it for me. To me f80 looks good from any angle.

Marc H

207 posts

153 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
Steering wheel doesn't look worn shiny to me....

peteob

37 posts

168 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
stuart100 said:
peteob said:
Midgster said:
Lets say this car with options cost £65k, that works out at cost of only £360 per month and it's done 10k miles per year.
The age of the car here is wrong, looks like it’s a late 2016 model, not in 2014. Depreciation (assuming £65k list) would probably be around £600 per month.
It was registered in May 2017.
So that’s even more - about £650 per month then.

martin mrt

3,768 posts

200 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
I really like the look of the F80 M3, the M4 does nothing for me. I felt the same about the E92 I preferred and chose an E90 M3 over the 3dr Coupe

What I don’t like about the F80 Competition is the overly hard suspension, as a daily around where I live the constant pothole dodging in order to keep my spine intact would get tiresome very quickly. That is one of my only gripes with them.

Stark contrast to the E90 which I found very comfortable with DRC (I’m sure that’s the correct term) suspension.

Other than that these are cracking cars, and they just look “right”





Edited by martin mrt on Tuesday 2nd March 19:39

stuart100

447 posts

56 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
peteob said:
stuart100 said:
peteob said:
Midgster said:
Lets say this car with options cost £65k, that works out at cost of only £360 per month and it's done 10k miles per year.
The age of the car here is wrong, looks like it’s a late 2016 model, not in 2014. Depreciation (assuming £65k list) would probably be around £600 per month.
It was registered in May 2017.
So that’s even more - about £650 per month then.
Yes £650 if you take the £65k starting point. The text above mentions £76k with options so perhaps more than the £650 where people paid more.


Edited by stuart100 on Tuesday 2nd March 19:50


Edited by stuart100 on Tuesday 2nd March 19:51

Midgster

Original Poster:

568 posts

233 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
stuart100 said:
peteob said:
stuart100 said:
peteob said:
Midgster said:
Lets say this car with options cost £65k, that works out at cost of only £360 per month and it's done 10k miles per year.
The age of the car here is wrong, looks like it’s a late 2016 model, not in 2014. Depreciation (assuming £65k list) would probably be around £600 per month.
It was registered in May 2017.
So that’s even more - about £650 per month then.
Yes £650 if you take the £65k starting point. The text above mentions £76k with options so perhaps more than the £650 where people paid more.


Edited by stuart100 on Tuesday 2nd March 19:50


Edited by stuart100 on Tuesday 2nd March 19:51
Yeah, my mistake, I just worked it out from the article that said first registered 2014....the fact the number plate is 17 I completely missed rofl

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
Don't take list as an indicator of what was actually paid, there were very large discounts available (as with most BMWs). I paid £56k or thereabouts for my optioned new factory order M4CP (remember, stupidly the M4 cost more than the M3) in November 2018.

They're great cars and a real (serious) performance bargain.

Andrew-396pl

28 posts

65 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
I run one as my daily driver. Its a fantastic mix of comfortable commuter car and at the press of a button - a noisy handful that puts a smile on your face. These are easily modded to 515hp and really get a wiggle on.
Mine had 28 grand off list price as a pre reg.

Julian Thompson

2,489 posts

237 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
Yeah ISTR my 2017 M3 comp manual being about £56k but I bought it knowing that:

A) it was a rare thing

And

B) it wouldn’t be long until GPF’s were along to spoil the party.

Hence, my 4000 mile car is still with me and will never be sold. Just fabulous.



Edited by Julian Thompson on Tuesday 2nd March 20:53

Augustus Windsock

3,340 posts

154 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
Some may think that the mileage accrued in 3 years is hefty at circa 20k per annum but I’m guess a lot of that will have been ‘motorway mileage’.
Personally I prefer the saloon iteration of these, the proportions are just right, but the coupe just doesn’t do it for me. The convertible looks fine in my eyes as long as the roof is downin fact I was only looking at a ‘30 Jahre’ last week but just couldn’t live with the Matt paint finish)
The thought of an M3 Comp sat on my drive with a cheeky little remap courtesy of Litchfield certainly tickles my tonsils (but may I ask any owners on here if they require the ‘crank hub fix’ or if it’s only certain engine codes that ‘may’ require it?)

fantheman80

1,412 posts

48 months

Tuesday 2nd March 2021
quotequote all
Andrew-396pl said:
I run one as my daily driver. Its a fantastic mix of comfortable commuter car and at the press of a button - a noisy handful that puts a smile on your face. These are easily modded to 515hp and really get a wiggle on.
Mine had 28 grand off list price as a pre reg.
That is stunning well played sir.

And 28k off???? Feeeeeck me!!!!!