This is going to be a tough one for me to hide from. By all accounts I've come across, this is the best "drivers-car" M ever. Surely one of my kids will opt for a trade school, or take some other path rather than a University.... right?

I mean, I'm just so used to seeing the modern stuff having something wrong. Only available in an automatic, for instance. And then, I'm like, free to not desire it. But this. This seems truly something special. And at a price that while not cheap, is vaguely imaginable to be possible -- like in the range of what many in my area pay for Giagantor-Deisel-pickups.

Anyway, I'm day dreaming of it. I know many will say that Euro cars are expensive to maintain. That's not really been my experience. I've always bought used order variants a generation behind current. Or in the case of my current 1998 E430, several generations behind. Obviously an M car won't be the cheapest to operate. But it'd be a summer fun car.

I had been tossing around the idea of a new Miata for quite a while. All I do is work for the most part, so driving is (aside from the gym) the only fun thing I do. And this seems more amazing, and yet more practice (four seats). "Practical".... wow. My Internal-justification-engine is running full throttle!

Get ready to spend some dolladollabillz.

That's a beautiful car, love the two door version. You only live once. That was my justification to buy a C7Z06.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
this is the best "drivers-car" M ever....Only available in an automatic,

Go get a Porsche Cayman/718.

I leased an m235 for 3 years and it was both flawless and amazing to drive. Not enough superlatives to describe how much I enjoyed driving that car every day. But I needed an adult sized back seat so I moved on. Go for it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
this is the best "drivers-car" M ever....Only available in an automatic,

Go get a Porsche Cayman/718.

Cause we all know how “practical” they are. I tried to drive a late model boater the other day and my size 13 feet barely fit peddle compartment.

quote:

Originally posted by Dusty78:
Cause we all know how “practical” they are. I tried to drive a late model boater the other day and my size 13 feet barely fit peddle compartment.

I quoted the "best 'drivers-car'" section, and highlighted the lack of a manual transmission. A sports car, or sporty car, will almost never be practical. If you want practicality, there are dozens of models available.

If you want a "best driver's car", then a front engine sedan with an automatic transmission isn't exactly hitting the spot, when for the same price you can get a very good, mid-engined, manual transmission "driver's car".

That’s a great car. In my opinion the M2 is one of the most exciting vehicles to come from BMW in a while. To me it carries on the spirit of the first M3 better than the current bloated thing wearing M3 badges. It’s the platform Toyota SHOULD HAVE USED for their “Supra”.

quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:

quote:

Originally posted by Dusty78:
Cause we all know how “practical” they are. I tried to drive a late model boater the other day and my size 13 feet barely fit peddle compartment.

I quoted the "best 'drivers-car'" section, and highlighted the lack of a manual transmission. A sports car, or sporty car, will almost never be practical. If you want practicality, there are dozens of models available.

If you want a "best driver's car", then a front engine sedan with an automatic transmission isn't exactly hitting the spot, when for the same price you can get a very good, mid-engined, manual transmission "driver's car".

For clarity, the M2 Comp is absolutely available with a manual.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:

For clarity, the M2 Comp is absolutely available with a manual.

Ah, that changes things quite a bit! In that case, I retract what I stated above. If this is more of spiritual successor to the classic M3, then it should be a fantastic vehicle.

Keep us updated, OP!

Love Doug's reviews! Drove an M5 in Germany, German specs, no limiter. Amazing how quickly you can get between places driving 120... Go for it!

quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:

For clarity, the M2 Comp is absolutely available with a manual.

Ah, that changes things quite a bit! In that case, I retract what I stated above. If this is more of spiritual successor to the classic M3, then it should be a fantastic vehicle.

Keep us updated, OP!

Not at al trying to bash the Porsche, as I love it. The M2 MSRP is much cheaper than the Caymen and is being hailed as performing as well. I cut to the comparison in this link for brevity, but this guys full review is really nice if you've time.

quote:

Originally posted by Doc H.:
Love Doug's reviews! Drove an M5 in Germany, German specs, no limiter. Amazing how quickly you can get between places driving 120... Go for it!

It'd be costly, but I'm even toying with leasing it ONLY because I want to not worry about it like it's some sort of heirloom. It'd be cool to not put it away in the winter, but rather drive it in the salt and filth, and in three years, just trade it back. But the fear is, what have they got in three years. Some hybrid probably. Imagine that? And with an auto, right? Almost for sure.

I drove the M2, M3, and M4 at the M performance driving school and owned a current generation M3 for a while. The M2 Comp fixes one of the biggest problems, being under powered compared to the other two. The other issue is the weight. It weighs almost as much as the M3/4 despite being a good deal smaller. It is a fun car to toss around, but is too much of a compromise for my needs. I would rather have the practicality of a sedan since I have two children or go completely the other way and double down on the sport side with a Corvette or Porsche and supplement it with a daily driver. For a one car, no kids solution though, I could see the M2 being perfect.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:

quote:

Originally posted by Doc H.:
Love Doug's reviews! Drove an M5 in Germany, German specs, no limiter. Amazing how quickly you can get between places driving 120... Go for it!

It'd be costly, but I'm even toying with leasing it ONLY because I want to not worry about it like it's some sort of heirloom. It'd be cool to not put it away in the winter, but rather drive it in the salt and filth, and in three years, just trade it back. But the fear is, what have they got in three years. Some hybrid probably. Imagine that? And with an auto, right? Almost for sure.

Also, not sure if you have gotten some numbers, but the M2 leases horribly. Better to buy that one for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
this is the best "drivers-car" M ever....Only available in an automatic,

Go get a Porsche Cayman/718.

I've got to agree. Although you can get the M2 in a manual transmission, I'd still take the Porsche. I love mid engines especially in adverse driving conditions like rain, slush, and snow. None of my Porsche's have ever been garage queens. They get driven all year and they do very well with the correct tires. That is my opinion, not a slam on BMW. R0gue, if the M2 is in your budget, go for it. You only live once.

An M2 would be fun. I rented an M3 for a day and ran it up to 158mph on the autobahn in September, that was fun!

I drove an M2 about a year ago. i liked it, but they then announced the Comp, I was going to wait. But ended up with a CPO M5 for the same money, back seat I can use, ocean of power.

*because of my up bringing, I have an aversion to coupes.

I'd love to get one of the BMW M cars but one thing I can't get past is the lack of seat ventilation in a car that costs nearly a 100K. How can they not include that in every car at that price point? Is it even available. I've been shopping this type of car for a couple of years now and haven't found a single BMW with cooled seats.

I've got cooled seats.