£28-30k

[jasonrobertking]

Hi guys

My next car has to be another m car

I’ve got around £28-30k to spend , not interested in finance so my budget is quite strict.

I’m interested in :-

Og m2

F80 m3

Or m4

What’s the best car for my budget ?

Only use the car at weekends and the odd days for work at the moment due to Covid .

Any advice would be great guys thanks

[Smuler]

I had slightly higher budget last year.

M4 Comp.
Great driving position
Nice looking car
Strong engine
But felt big and disconnected compared to my E46 and the seats don’t have (adjustable) lumbar support : caused me back pain.

OG M2
Seats even with lumbar support (it’s an option) not supportive enough. Woeful without it !
Interior felt low rent
But it was fun , more playful than the M4 , and like the 4 a big power upgrade from E46.

After trying a manual , I had a back to back drive in a M2 Competition. Massively better and after which I could never take 2nd best. I won’t detail here as it’s out of your budget

If I was still in the market and limited to your 3 choices I’d therefore get a 2016 built or later non competition M4 (not the M3 but only because it’s not worth the premium that relative scarcity incurs ) as the seats have adjustable lumbar and are immense
There’s a pretty strong narrative that the issues raised with the earlier cars (2014-15) were righted on non competitions too by 2016.

[AliMc99]

Can’t comment on OG M2 but owned 2016 M4 from new until last year. Seats were great (but non-comp) so had lumbar. Agree with the OP- looks great, nice interior but felt a bit big and disconnected- but much better balanced than a 2014 launch model I test drove. Think M3’s look even nicer but command a premium secondhand .
Friend has a M2 Comp (manual) which I’ve driven about 200 miles which drives much better than my M4 (I’ve also test driven a DCT) so If I were you and try and stretch to one of those. Only downside is interior isn’t as plush with cheap nasty leather and there the exterior colour choices are limited and fairly uninspiring

[finmac]

Had a Very high spec manual 2014 M4 as my daily for last couple of years. My 6th M car and best by a mile. Fast, economical, cheap road tax, handled well.... all in a great daily driver. I’d have another no problem, for the money nothing much comes close. As good as the DCT is, I’d suggest trying the manual, adds That extra level of driver involvement.

[jasonrobertking]

Thanks guys

I’ve just made an enquiry on an m2 comp dct

Didn’t realise they’re doing 2.9% finance which puts the car at £397 per month , didn’t want finance but it’ll have 2 years warranty so sort of makes ( man maths) sense🙂

[nickfrog]

jasonrobertking said:

Thanks guys

I’ve just made an enquiry on an m2 comp dct

Didn’t realise they’re doing 2.9% finance which puts the car at £397 per month , didn’t want finance but it’ll have 2 years warranty so sort of makes ( man maths) sense??

I guess there is a bit of a deposit in there somewhere. I am budgeting £250 depreciation per month plus extended warranty when my AUC warranty runs out on the M2.

I think in effect your budget has crept up quite a lot which is fine if you're getting a Comp.

But make sure you appreciate what you're getting over the OG. Not a lot IME. Nicer seats with similar support, a front brace on an already very pointy front end and an engine that is more powerful yet doesn't sound as good. And another 55kg.

Edited by nickfrog on Friday 7th August 12:36

[currypuff]

I recently (3 months ago) purchased a '17 M2 LCI manual for under 30K. I have zero experience with a M2C, M3 or M4, so can't comment on them.

On the road, included spirited driving, the car is extremely rewarding and the selling point for the LCI over M2C for me, for the sound. IMHO it sounds better than since it doens't have those OPF filters.
On the track (Bedford), it didn't pull as hard as the cars with a S55 engine, but it wasn't a slouch in any way (you could feel it run out of puff on the higher revs and boost kicking in can be felt as opposed to a linear delivery).

I recently did a 5 hr trip from Wales to London, including some very nice twisty roads and a lot of motorway driving (only a fuel stop). My car doesn't have lumbar support, but adjusting the seating for twisty roads to a more relaxed position for the motorway helped, plus by the end of the drive, i didn't get out o the car a broken man!

if I had to do it again, I'd go down the LCI route again, and possibly spend the savings on the front brace + some decent suspension.

[Smuler]

jasonrobertking said:

Thanks guys

I’ve just made an enquiry on an m2 comp dct

Didn’t realise they’re doing 2.9% finance which puts the car at £397 per month , didn’t want finance but it’ll have 2 years warranty so sort of makes ( man maths) sense??

Great
The seats really make a difference.
S55 Engine is much stronger.
Car feels more hunkered down , more of a proper M car.
Sound , isn’t much worse as no turbo sounds that good if you’ve had N/a.