[///M-er-gized]

My M3 lease is expiring soon. I really want the new M3 but it won't be out for another year or two.

Thinking about getting an M2 Competition to fill the void between now and then.

Did anyone else go from an M3 to M2? Any insight?

To be honest, I never really considered such a move until I brought my car into the shop for some work. They gave me a 230xi convertible as a loaner car. I still can't believe how much I liked it, so now I am thinking about the M2 Competition.

[2PUTT]

one thing to consider is timing. will your replacement M2C be available when your lease is done?

[billspreston]

Someone had asked me this question earlier today in another thread here: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...505539&page=15

Quoted below:

Originally Posted by billspreston

I'm coming from a '16 6MT "Civic" M3 comparing against a '19 DCT M2C so it's not an ideal comparison. A recent knee surgery forced me into an automatic, but I do really like the DCT.

The summary is as you might expect - the M2C is more fun to drive while the M3 is more convenient and livable. It's frustrating that we have to make compromises when getting into a smaller more sporty model, but that's the reality with car manufacturers. And to be fair, the F80 is over $16k more MSRP when similarly spec'd so the additionally provided amenities are certainly justified.

M2C Negatives:

• No Carbon Fiber Roof - Really miss the style and contrast of the carbon fiber roof. I gladly would have paid to have this optioned from the factory on the M2C.
• Juvenile exhaust burbles - I strongly dislike the drawn-out exhaust overrun "burbles" on the M2C.
• Stiff suspension - The M2C is quite stiff and bordering on my tolerance level for a daily driver. The F80 with adaptive suspension was much more civilized.
• Exterior style - Not really a negative as there are a lot of things I really like about the M2C exterior style, but the F80 design just feels a bit more cohesive and mean overall. The bland rear end of the M2C is a let down in comparison to the aggressive front.
• Interior leather quality - The leather quality is quite poor on the M2C in comparison to the F80. The M2C Dakota leather is thick & saggy and has a matte texture with a grippy feeling. The F80 Merino leather is thinner and has a satin texture with a nice smooth supple feeling. It's also frustrating to only have 2 black leather options on the M2C.
• Stretched tires - Not a fan of the stretched tire look and surprised to see it from the factory on the the M2C. I'll be looking to swap in some meatier 255/275 tires soon.
• No HUD - I miss the HUD from the F80 mostly for the digital speedometer. You can get similar functionality with the digital speedo on the M2C cluster display, but it's just not the same. I'll learn to live without this over time I'm sure.
• No Permanent Oil Temp Gauge - There is no permanent oil temp gauge on the the M2C. This is pretty frustrating because it's another cluster display option so I find myself constantly battling between the digital speedo and oil temp gauge in the cluster display slot.
• No trunk kick open - Another small convenience, but I definitely miss it on the M2C.

M2C Positives:

• Handling - Wow, the M2C handles significantly better than the F80 and is just simply more fun to drive. It has a very direct turn-in followed with a back end that comes around really nicely. The weights of these cars are very close so I'm pleasantly surprised with how much more agile the M2C feels.
• Electronic Steering - The M2C steering is a bit light in comparison to the F80 so I'm driving in the Sport Plus steering mode at all times to compensate. That aside, the overall steering feel is much better and less artificial feeling in the M2C.
• Power delivery - Power delivery is very smooth and linear. I'm rarely breaking traction in the M2C where I used to break traction quite often in the F80. There is less drama and the power is easier to put down. I don't feel slower in the M2C at all, despite the detuned motor.
• 788M Wheels - The 788Ms seem to be polarizing, but I love them. Big upgrade for me aesthetically over the 437Ms from the F80, but I'm a sucker for mesh style wheels.
• Exhaust Note - The overall exhaust note is much nicer than my non-ZCP F80. A pleasant surprise, except for the annoying burbles!
• Physical size - Somewhat obvious, but the M2C is smaller than I expected IRL and fits better in parking spots and my cramped garage. The turning radius is also much tighter. I rarely have rear seat passengers so the smaller size and lack of 4 doors isn't an issue.
• Brakes - The brakes are very strong on the M2C. So much so that it's taking a bit of getting used to compared to the F80. The front rotors are massive and the gray colored calipers are much nicer looking than the blue colored calipers that always seemed a bit out of place on the F80.

[///M-er-gized]

Thanks. That is a lot of good information. I really appreciate you taking the time and energy to post that.

I just saw that residuals for an M2C are 48% for 10K miles. Shocking! I can't believe that.

I didn't want a 5 but after crunching the numbers, I basically could get a much better deal on a nicely loaded 540.

I'm not buying. I'm leasing. Last time I paid cash for a car, I sold $30k worth of stock to do so. Several years later that stock would have been worth $120k had I held onto it. Never making that mistake again.

Makes zero sense to lease an M2C. The numbers are terrible. Too bad, because I was quite enthusiastic about doing so.

[doughboy]

I went from an M6GC to an M2C(6MT), so a real leap...

Best choice I made in years both drive and enjoyment wise and the numbers worked out well too. UK M2C residuals are around 50% but after 4 years / 32kmiles not 10K!

My M6 was a bargain lease deal, but the M2C is a financed purchase. No UK cheap lease deals on 6MT M2C only DCT....

I looked at a 540i too, a bit more money than the M2C here but I just couldn't face time in a wafty luxo-barge.

[jdub486]

All valid points above. I will say that the Dakota leather feels a bit softer and better than Dakota leather I had in previous BMW’s including my current daily e90 335D. But it’s not as smooth or soft as merino or Novillo. M2C doesn’t have blind spot monitoring and the overall interior materials quality is a notch below the m4 which is already a notch below the Audi and MBZ. Dakota leather is FAR more durable though. My e92 m3 fox red novillo bolster looked very worn by 30k miles. The m2C feels more agile and direct than the m3/m4 and feels significantly smaller on the road. The carbon fiber roof is missing and the other big gripe is the lack of color options inside and out.

[CosmosMpower]

I have both, they are great cars. The M2 won't do if you need the room or luxury of the M3. If you don't and you care more about the driving experience then it's a lot of fun.

[COChris]

Another option: Pick up a 2018 M2 for a massive discount and sell it when the new M3 arrives.

[aerokubectl]

Originally Posted by ///M-er-gized

Makes zero sense to lease an M2C. The numbers are terrible. Too bad, because I was quite enthusiastic about doing so.

Here's how leasing it makes sense over buying a M2C:
- Risk is offloaded onto BMW if you intend to keep the car.
- A write off when you have your own business.

Here's how buying a M2C makes sense:
- You can't use any of the lease as a write off
- You aren't comfortable with a monthly payment and want to part with your money immediately.

If you're looking to just try a car out for 3 years and return it, the residuals are pretty bad and yeah this car is not as nice of a deal.

Your statement about stocks is a neat anecdote. If you can turn 30k into 120k af any point, mind being my advisor? I'll pay you a nice commission if you can get me 400% returns .

Life isn't always about making profit on everything, especially cars. If you go into the mindset of "I could invest this money and make more money instead" with EVERYTHING, well shit man, idk why you're leasing at all and not just driving a 2k Honda Civic.

I personally decided to lease to offload the risk and use my money to invest instead of buying outright even though I have enough money in the bank/investments to buy the car outright. The way things are going, I'll buy the car at the end of the lease as I'm really enjoying it, but if I don't or if I crash it, then that's BMWs problem. Either way I get my business write off.

Food for thought