2011 BMW E92 M3 - 'Daily' Driver
Discussion
Seems like a good time to make a thread on this seeing as I've owned it over 3 weeks and have already managed to put something like 1300 miles on it- despite my justification for buying a 4.0 V8 being that my personal mileage was likely to decrease... 
After 4 very happy and enjoyable years with an E82 125i Coupe I was starting to properly get the bug to move on to something else. I'd had a great time with that car but had got everything I wanted out of owning it (including a very fun trip over to the Nurburgring), and was struggling to see the value for money in putting any more money into it (and I had put a fair bit into it...) when I knew I'd still have the itch for something else. So reluctantly I made plans to move it on, and I'm pleased to say it went to a fellow PHer- much easier to let go of a car you still like when you know it's gone to a good home!
So onto the replacement... if you'd asked me when I bought the 125i what my ideal next car would be, I would've unequivocally stated an E9x M3- I've wanted one since I watched that Top Gear episode as a young lad where it trounced the RS4 and C63. However I'd since read a few scare stories about them, and nearly every objective measure pointed towards the (now similarly priced) F82 M4 being a much better prospect, and that was the car I nearly went shopping for last summer. Obviously you've read the title of the thread and have worked out I didn't go down that route- for a few reasons I decided to postpone the car hunt, over which time I had a few good drives in the 125i which made me sure I'd miss the sound and feeling of a bigger N/A engine too much, and I was starting to see E9x M3 values creep up. So really, it increasingly felt like 'now or never' for an E92, and also that I'd regret not taking the plunge, even if only for a short while.
I'd resolved to start properly looking in the new year and as if by fate, on New Year's Eve the car I ended up buying went up on AutoTrader. It was pretty much my ideal spec- but unfortunately it was in Glasgow, and I live in Bristol, so I spent a few days convincing myself I didn't want it before I bit the bullet and rang the seller. Doubly unfortunately, speaking to him backed up my suspicions from the advert that it was a good example, had been very well looked after during his 7 year(!) ownership and he was very forthcoming with any information. After a fair bit of back and forth, we agreed a deal based on the car being as described, and I booked a return flight to Glasgow, with the return as a contingency and the full intention of driving home in an M3.
Obligatory travel photo.
Unfortunately conflicting schedules meant the 'viewing' couldn't take place for another 10 days or so, which felt like forever. However soon enough, and with the help of an 0430 Uber to Bristol Airport I found myself boarding the 0705 Easyjet flight to Glasgow. I needn't have worried, as the car was exactly as described, the seller was fantastic to deal with (thanks Mark if you ever read this!) and the deal was done. The only hiccup was the fact that he'd put the original reg plates back on the car with some sticky pads, which had lost their stickiness after a few years sat in the garage and the rear plate had fallen off that morning. Normally the test drive requiring a stop at Halfords to fix something would put me off buying a car but I made an exception in this case...
Had to take some quick photos while I stopped at Costco for some super unleaded- it had half a tank in already (which was much appreciated) but even with a full tank a fuel stop was inevitable, and the less I had to put in on the motorway the better. Then it was time to head south- which was a pretty incredible drive even with the horrendous weather.
Couldn't resist a photo with the 1 Series before its new owner collected it. What surprised me is how big the size difference between the two actually is!)
So onto the car itself- it's a 2011 DCT with the Competition Pack, in Mineral White over extended black Novillo leather. All the options I wanted- an upgraded stereo, USB music (a godsend after 4 years of loading MP3's onto the hard drive of my 125i) and heated seats, plus a few nice and quite rare extras like DAB radio and automatic high beams. It's completely standard bar an aftermarket front undertray (the OEM ones are apparently crap) and a 'modstock' style mod to the rear backbox to let a bit of extra noise out, which is very well judged I think. I bought it on 79k miles, and it's had most of the big jobs done including the throttle actuators (replaced with the lifetime warrantied ones from rebuild.org), rod bearings at 65k, DCT and diff services and quite a few other common failure points.
It unfortunately didn't come with the old bearings but in the photos they seem like they were in pretty decent shape which gives me confidence the engine has lived a pretty happy life- it also doesn't seem to use a drop of oil.
Visiting a mate in Wales seemed like a good excuse to take it on some nice roads around the Brecons...
So plans going forwards? I put 'daily' in inverted commas as this is my only car so meets the definition of a daily in that regard, but really I work from home 3/4 days a week and any business travel outside of the office I get rental cars for- so while I won't be doing crazy miles it will get used in all sorts of conditions. I do intend to get the injectors replaced soon as they do seem to be the latest big killer of these engines, and although some people reckon it's scaremongering I think the weight off my mind is worth the cost of doing them. I'm also toying with the idea of some brake upgrades (pads, fluid, braided lines, possibly front calipers) as the standard brakes on these don't really live up to the capabilities of the rest of the car in my opinion.
Oh, and a 2,000 mile trip in July down to the Alps, over to Munich, up through Germany for a couple of nights at the Nurburgring (the big motivation for sorting brakes) and then home.
After 4 very happy and enjoyable years with an E82 125i Coupe I was starting to properly get the bug to move on to something else. I'd had a great time with that car but had got everything I wanted out of owning it (including a very fun trip over to the Nurburgring), and was struggling to see the value for money in putting any more money into it (and I had put a fair bit into it...) when I knew I'd still have the itch for something else. So reluctantly I made plans to move it on, and I'm pleased to say it went to a fellow PHer- much easier to let go of a car you still like when you know it's gone to a good home!
So onto the replacement... if you'd asked me when I bought the 125i what my ideal next car would be, I would've unequivocally stated an E9x M3- I've wanted one since I watched that Top Gear episode as a young lad where it trounced the RS4 and C63. However I'd since read a few scare stories about them, and nearly every objective measure pointed towards the (now similarly priced) F82 M4 being a much better prospect, and that was the car I nearly went shopping for last summer. Obviously you've read the title of the thread and have worked out I didn't go down that route- for a few reasons I decided to postpone the car hunt, over which time I had a few good drives in the 125i which made me sure I'd miss the sound and feeling of a bigger N/A engine too much, and I was starting to see E9x M3 values creep up. So really, it increasingly felt like 'now or never' for an E92, and also that I'd regret not taking the plunge, even if only for a short while.
I'd resolved to start properly looking in the new year and as if by fate, on New Year's Eve the car I ended up buying went up on AutoTrader. It was pretty much my ideal spec- but unfortunately it was in Glasgow, and I live in Bristol, so I spent a few days convincing myself I didn't want it before I bit the bullet and rang the seller. Doubly unfortunately, speaking to him backed up my suspicions from the advert that it was a good example, had been very well looked after during his 7 year(!) ownership and he was very forthcoming with any information. After a fair bit of back and forth, we agreed a deal based on the car being as described, and I booked a return flight to Glasgow, with the return as a contingency and the full intention of driving home in an M3.
Obligatory travel photo.
Unfortunately conflicting schedules meant the 'viewing' couldn't take place for another 10 days or so, which felt like forever. However soon enough, and with the help of an 0430 Uber to Bristol Airport I found myself boarding the 0705 Easyjet flight to Glasgow. I needn't have worried, as the car was exactly as described, the seller was fantastic to deal with (thanks Mark if you ever read this!) and the deal was done. The only hiccup was the fact that he'd put the original reg plates back on the car with some sticky pads, which had lost their stickiness after a few years sat in the garage and the rear plate had fallen off that morning. Normally the test drive requiring a stop at Halfords to fix something would put me off buying a car but I made an exception in this case...
Had to take some quick photos while I stopped at Costco for some super unleaded- it had half a tank in already (which was much appreciated) but even with a full tank a fuel stop was inevitable, and the less I had to put in on the motorway the better. Then it was time to head south- which was a pretty incredible drive even with the horrendous weather.
Couldn't resist a photo with the 1 Series before its new owner collected it. What surprised me is how big the size difference between the two actually is!)
So onto the car itself- it's a 2011 DCT with the Competition Pack, in Mineral White over extended black Novillo leather. All the options I wanted- an upgraded stereo, USB music (a godsend after 4 years of loading MP3's onto the hard drive of my 125i) and heated seats, plus a few nice and quite rare extras like DAB radio and automatic high beams. It's completely standard bar an aftermarket front undertray (the OEM ones are apparently crap) and a 'modstock' style mod to the rear backbox to let a bit of extra noise out, which is very well judged I think. I bought it on 79k miles, and it's had most of the big jobs done including the throttle actuators (replaced with the lifetime warrantied ones from rebuild.org), rod bearings at 65k, DCT and diff services and quite a few other common failure points.
It unfortunately didn't come with the old bearings but in the photos they seem like they were in pretty decent shape which gives me confidence the engine has lived a pretty happy life- it also doesn't seem to use a drop of oil.
Visiting a mate in Wales seemed like a good excuse to take it on some nice roads around the Brecons...
So plans going forwards? I put 'daily' in inverted commas as this is my only car so meets the definition of a daily in that regard, but really I work from home 3/4 days a week and any business travel outside of the office I get rental cars for- so while I won't be doing crazy miles it will get used in all sorts of conditions. I do intend to get the injectors replaced soon as they do seem to be the latest big killer of these engines, and although some people reckon it's scaremongering I think the weight off my mind is worth the cost of doing them. I'm also toying with the idea of some brake upgrades (pads, fluid, braided lines, possibly front calipers) as the standard brakes on these don't really live up to the capabilities of the rest of the car in my opinion.
Oh, and a 2,000 mile trip in July down to the Alps, over to Munich, up through Germany for a couple of nights at the Nurburgring (the big motivation for sorting brakes) and then home.
Edited by Sofa on Tuesday 17th February 22:08
Very nice example, you basically have my cars twin!
The front undertrays are indeed terrible so be glad yours has already been taken care of as that's one less job to do!
I would recommend pads and braided lines for the brakes before you go doing anything as expensive as calipers and then see if you feel like it still needs more.
The front undertrays are indeed terrible so be glad yours has already been taken care of as that's one less job to do!
I would recommend pads and braided lines for the brakes before you go doing anything as expensive as calipers and then see if you feel like it still needs more.
Had one of these as a daily (also in white) and I loved it. Had a decent exhaust which really amplified that lovely engine note. I've an F82 M4 now which probably has a bit more grunt thanks to the turbos but it does lack the noise and some of the nice n/a feel of that great engine in the E92. Would quite happily go back to an E92 some day.
Looks very nice. I own almost identical spec car, had it a couple years now and use it as a daily but only Apr-Sep.
End of this year I’m getting the plastic Vanos caps replaced with the NRW ones, and might go mad and put NRW VALVE covers on too.
Are you on original dampers? One of my rears failed in 2024, and one of the fronts last year, at 60,000 miles ish.
End of this year I’m getting the plastic Vanos caps replaced with the NRW ones, and might go mad and put NRW VALVE covers on too.
Are you on original dampers? One of my rears failed in 2024, and one of the fronts last year, at 60,000 miles ish.
Looks really good, well done OP on a great purchase. I have a 2012 E92 Comp DCT, and I love it, although it's on SORN at the moment.
I agree about the brakes. What I did was get the Brembo 4 pot kit from FreakyParts, paired it with Performance Friction Z-rated pads and had HEL braided lines fitted, with a fluid change of course. Total cost of the hardware was around £1100 I think. I mean, if you want the ultimate stoppers then you're looking at Alcons, but they're much more money and are overkill on the road in my opinion. I'm more than happy with the FreakyParts Brembo package.
Watch out for the rear calipers, they often seize, but you can get a refurb kit from Frentech for under £50 which will sort them.
These are great cars, IMHO, and cracking value. An M car with a V8 naturally aspirated engine is a lovely thing, and the E92 in particular looks, I think, beautiful. Great to drive, sounds epic, and as much power as you need for British roads. All for considerably less than £30k. VED is a pain, but the insurance on mine is cheap (under £200) and my average of 22 mpg is acceptable. Enjoy!
I agree about the brakes. What I did was get the Brembo 4 pot kit from FreakyParts, paired it with Performance Friction Z-rated pads and had HEL braided lines fitted, with a fluid change of course. Total cost of the hardware was around £1100 I think. I mean, if you want the ultimate stoppers then you're looking at Alcons, but they're much more money and are overkill on the road in my opinion. I'm more than happy with the FreakyParts Brembo package.
Watch out for the rear calipers, they often seize, but you can get a refurb kit from Frentech for under £50 which will sort them.
These are great cars, IMHO, and cracking value. An M car with a V8 naturally aspirated engine is a lovely thing, and the E92 in particular looks, I think, beautiful. Great to drive, sounds epic, and as much power as you need for British roads. All for considerably less than £30k. VED is a pain, but the insurance on mine is cheap (under £200) and my average of 22 mpg is acceptable. Enjoy!
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