Discussion
I am thinking about a CSL. Prices looking as if they have bottomed out.
There are a couple for a few quid over £40k.
One question though - just HOW bad are the Cup tyres. Are they REALLY going to kill me in the wet/cold and are there any chances that if I went out in the wet or get caught in a downpour and stuffed it that my insurers would get ar5ey and not pay?
Thanks
Bennno. With the frequency of which you change your cars, what have you got to lose? Get stuck in. These cars are pretty much as quick as a GT3 around a track, at these prices they are a steal. A new standard M3 isn't much cheaper. Give it a go, or at least get a drive or passenger run in one before righting off the idea.
DAZ
DAZ
The M3 appeals to wider range of buyers, it's more comfy, has more kit, cruise, sat nav, aircon , good seats, it;'s still v fast, good fun and it's far more practical day today.
The CSL is really quite basic, some don't have aircon, the front seats are buckets and have fixed backs (I found them quite uncomfy) and make getting in and out the back a pain, no cruise, no sat nav, stiffer ride than the M3, having said that they are a scream round a track and will leave a normal M3 well behind.
An M3 can be a great only or main car, but for me a CSL would have to be a 2nd or third car for fun and track (and what a track car
)
Most owners seem to have two sets of wheels and keep the cups for track and summer.
Try www.bm3w.co.uk, they have a dedicated M3CSL section with many of the UK's csls owners contributing.
The CSL is really quite basic, some don't have aircon, the front seats are buckets and have fixed backs (I found them quite uncomfy) and make getting in and out the back a pain, no cruise, no sat nav, stiffer ride than the M3, having said that they are a scream round a track and will leave a normal M3 well behind.
An M3 can be a great only or main car, but for me a CSL would have to be a 2nd or third car for fun and track (and what a track car
) Most owners seem to have two sets of wheels and keep the cups for track and summer.
Try www.bm3w.co.uk, they have a dedicated M3CSL section with many of the UK's csls owners contributing.
330Clubsport said:
I am thinking about a CSL. Prices looking as if they have bottomed out.
There are a couple for a few quid over £40k.
One question though - just HOW bad are the Cup tyres. Are they REALLY going to kill me in the wet/cold and are there any chances that if I went out in the wet or get caught in a downpour and stuffed it that my insurers would get ar5ey and not pay?
Thanks
The Cups are not bad at all. Just give them some respect on greasy surfaces. Rain is fine, standing water on a motorway can be an issue, but no more so than if you had worn tyres of any other pattern. I feel safer on Cups than I ever did with Conti's.
The cold doesn't really play a part in normal road conditions - it's only really on track that you'll ever need the levels of grip that warm cups can afford, and only really on track that you come unstuck if you don't warm them up sufficiently. Dealers were offering a set of M3 19"'s with PS1's for £500 when I bought my CSL in May. Personally I can't be bothered with the faff of changing wheels so just stick to cups and use a different car if the weather dictates.
Cups are road legal tyres approved for the vehicle. I cannot see insurers wriggling out of a claim against the manufacturers recommended tyre fitment.
>> Edited by juliann on Friday 10th December 17:18
The supply of new CSLs has virtually dried up now. These cars are what has caused the slump in second hand values as dealers were selling them for sub £50k in some instances (I paid £61K - grrrr).
Once all those cars have washed through the market it will settle down, so now is quite a good time to bargain for a second hand one. £40K buys one hell of a car. Spend a few thousand doing some upgrades and they circulate Spa as fast as GT3RSs and can be used everyday. Avoid the really low spec ones without radios and aircon though.
The cups are fine in almost all conditions except standing water, and then they can be a real handfull. Get in the lorry ruts at 70 mph in rain and you will have some entertainment. Ford Kas passing you with aplomb....
Michelin have written a letter to MOT testers and insurance companies about the tyres and how to measure the thread depth properly. Keep it handy if you get stopped by an over zealous BiB. A copy of this is available on BM3W (a very good M3 and CSL site)
There are mods available for the seats if people don't like the driving position and there are many mods available to tailor the car to your liking.
Many have problems with the PAS and almost all blow the PAS resevoir caps off, which is a pain as they are impossible to get to due to the carbon airbox getting in the way. Premature clutch wear is also a problem and can be noticed by slurred changes in the higher gears.
For the price of a loaded 330ci you could be driving a 7K mile 1 year old CSL...and the depreciation is not going to continue. A dead cat bounce is likely!
It is a real visceral thrill to drive one, makes going fast easy and rewarding, and has the best engine ever made full stop (IMHO).
What are you waiting for?
Once all those cars have washed through the market it will settle down, so now is quite a good time to bargain for a second hand one. £40K buys one hell of a car. Spend a few thousand doing some upgrades and they circulate Spa as fast as GT3RSs and can be used everyday. Avoid the really low spec ones without radios and aircon though.
The cups are fine in almost all conditions except standing water, and then they can be a real handfull. Get in the lorry ruts at 70 mph in rain and you will have some entertainment. Ford Kas passing you with aplomb....
Michelin have written a letter to MOT testers and insurance companies about the tyres and how to measure the thread depth properly. Keep it handy if you get stopped by an over zealous BiB. A copy of this is available on BM3W (a very good M3 and CSL site)
There are mods available for the seats if people don't like the driving position and there are many mods available to tailor the car to your liking.
Many have problems with the PAS and almost all blow the PAS resevoir caps off, which is a pain as they are impossible to get to due to the carbon airbox getting in the way. Premature clutch wear is also a problem and can be noticed by slurred changes in the higher gears.
For the price of a loaded 330ci you could be driving a 7K mile 1 year old CSL...and the depreciation is not going to continue. A dead cat bounce is likely!
It is a real visceral thrill to drive one, makes going fast easy and rewarding, and has the best engine ever made full stop (IMHO).
What are you waiting for?
I picked one up a few weeks ago, awesome car. It is very technically advanced, I would fully recommend it. Use mine very day no problem - got a spare set of 19" M alloys with Sports on them for the winter months, but even they can struggle putting the power down especially in these recent weather conditions. The dealers are keen to sell so arrange a test drive and I promise you won't regret it.
One has just appeared in the PH classifieds:
www.pistonheads.com/sales/detail.asp?i=32964&s=273
DAZ
>> Edited by dazren on Sunday 12th December 16:01
www.pistonheads.com/sales/detail.asp?i=32964&s=273
DAZ
>> Edited by dazren on Sunday 12th December 16:01
time to start hassling my bro to get one! 
I currently have a boxster, take it to an independent garage for repairs. They manage a car club (GT3's, Lambos, GT Conti's..everything)
Head mecanic was telling me they were selling the CSL for £40k (bought £62k one yr earlier) because no-one ever takes it out - said they only go for the 'bling' cars. However he told me they took the CSL on donnington a few weeks ago and a few race drivers had ago, it destroyed a porsche GT3 - he said if he had £40k there was no other car he would buy other than the CSL (he is ex stratstones)
fansastic car, wish I was rich/better off so I could buy it myself (currently considering a basic M3)
Head mecanic was telling me they were selling the CSL for £40k (bought £62k one yr earlier) because no-one ever takes it out - said they only go for the 'bling' cars. However he told me they took the CSL on donnington a few weeks ago and a few race drivers had ago, it destroyed a porsche GT3 - he said if he had £40k there was no other car he would buy other than the CSL (he is ex stratstones)
fansastic car, wish I was rich/better off so I could buy it myself (currently considering a basic M3)
R&D by any chance ?
Had a look at their CSL at my last service but they were talking mid 40's (two months ago) with no aircon and no Xenons. The car had been tracked quite a bit too and had needed a new set of brakes fitted to it. Quicker than a 360 round a track, it's quicker than my old 355 in a straight line too.
www.kudosglobal.com
Had a look at their CSL at my last service but they were talking mid 40's (two months ago) with no aircon and no Xenons. The car had been tracked quite a bit too and had needed a new set of brakes fitted to it. Quicker than a 360 round a track, it's quicker than my old 355 in a straight line too.
www.kudosglobal.com
m12_nathan said:
and they circulate Spa as fast as GT3RSs
Only if you do what is now know as "a Blade" and add together your best corners from a multitude of laps on your DL1 and claim that as your lap time
Behave!
Seriously though, I'm not sure if it's been posted on PH before, there was a test performed by a Swedish Magazine that took a well know Touring Car driver to the Nurburgring and compared a GT3 RS with an ACS modified CSL. The CSL lapped some 6-10 seconds faster than the GT3RS which surprised the testers because the GT3RS felt faster. The main things altered on the CSL were the usual, suspension adjusted for -3 degrees camber, better breathing exhaust and proper 6-pot brakes. So essentially the CSL was given similar capabilities (adjustable suspension, brakes) as the GT3RS but gained it's advantage via better chassis balance.
m12_nathan said:
and they circulate Spa as fast as GT3RSs
Only if you do what is now know as "a Blade" and add together your best corners from a multitude of laps on your DL1 and claim that as your lap time
I went to Spa in October and there were about 7 or eight UK registered GT3RSs there (Blade was washing his hair that day and couldn't come...
) My car was faster than all of them except one and that was mildly modded and was on slicks. My car is slighly modded (brakes, camber, exhaust, suspension), but it is only about 3 seconds faster than a stock car at Spa.
As DoctorD says, the CSL is amazing because it is so fast, and yet does not necessarily feel that rapid at the helm. Surely a sign of an excellent chassis package?
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