Test drove E92 M3, M4, M235i and Mustang. Found my next car!
 

Hello all,

As you may know, I have been searching for a replacement for my Z (new job in high traffic area and must get rid of the 6MT). For awhile I was considering that I should have a 4 door car, but now is the time I can be purely impractical since I am not anticipating children for another 4 years (wife is in vet school). However accidents happen, so it needed to at least be a 2+2 for car seat in the back, but the wifey has her little SUV so it would work out.

So the cars I drove, lets start with the worst and go towards the best:

2015 Mustang EcoBoost Premium with Performance Pack
I almost fell asleep behind the wheel it was so boring. I mean WOW this car will put anyone with insomnia to sleep. After about 45 seconds of test driving I asked the dealer the quickest way to make a u turn back to the dealership. The 2013 base Boxster I drove for a week last month felt sooo much faster and more exhilarating. I wouldn't touch this car with a 10 ft pole.

2015 Mustang GT Premium
Who knew 430hp could feel so slow! There was nothing eventful about this car. The auto trans was so slow, felt like the paddles were using dial up connection to communicate with the trans. There was no smile or 'oh ****' exhilaration when flooring it on a long sweeping turn. I'm sure its very capable, but it just wasn't a joyful occasion. I also don't like the oversized hood and overall ergonomics of the car, although it is a league above the last gen. I'm just personally not a fan of any Ford interiors. Even if I got an even trade on my Z, I know I would be far happier in my Z. If you are a true Z fan but want to step away from the Z I do not think this is the car for you. If you're a mustang guy then you couldn't be happier.

2015 BMW M235i xDrive
They didn't have RWD available. This car is such a treat to drive! Very tossable and entertaining. Everything about it, the sounds (you really will not be bothered by the electronic sound enhancement), the handling, oh man just everything about it. I went for an extended test drive for about 30 minutes, and it was just a hoot. If you like Z's, you will love this car. This is an evolution of what the ideal Z (with the right mods) feels like. Its sublime and cannot imagine an owner who is not satisfied, until the M2 comes out.

2015 BMW M4
Of course I would wait to buy this used, I wanted to see if I should hold off on a car purchase until more of these used ones came out. This car is great, but not all I hoped it to be. It is very capable, but some part of me feels like it is not a coherent package. Idk what to say about this car really, I need to drive it more. The sounds are interesting, not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Very confidence inspiring, you never feel like you have to tame it. It is very livable and would make for a great DD, I just don't know its as special as a certain other M car...

2012 BMW M3 Competition Package
Second time test driving an M3, but first time in a coupe and with competition package. **** I love this car. It just feels so special, that V8 is hand built from God himself. You really feel like you have to tame this car, and give it a lot of respect. It does not give you a lot of confidence and is a bit of a white knuckle experience, which is why I absolutely love it. Not many cars are built like this anymore. It feels like you're horseback riding a lion, whereas the M4 feels like a stallion and the M235i is a baby stallion, the Mustang GT is a donkey and the Ecoboost is a little pony. When I test drove the M3 last time against the GLA 45 and Audi S4, only the M3 kept replaying in my head. Same thing this time around. I just cannot get it out of my head!

So now a different search begins. Finding a pristine 2012/2013 E92 M3 with competition, sound and premium package with a DCT. And boy am I excited.

Oh and comparing the E92 M3 to the 911. I cannot imagine such different approaches to creating such amazing sports cars. They are SOOO different. The 911 is of course far more capable. In fact when I drive it, I honestly sometimes feel like I have some sort of invincibility mode activated. Its that amazing and composed, it will simply do what you ask it and you can just put your faith in the car and it will take you through a magical journey around a turn. The M3 is huge change from this, and frankly a change I wouldn't mind. Of course it cannot substitute the 911, which I plan on keeping forever, unless I can one day get a GT3... But its a huge change of pace. The M4 is more along the same line as the 911, but worse. It would be like a sports team investing all their assets to have two amazing players who have the same position. Better to expand your portfolio and have an entirely different car.

Sometimes I don't want to feel like I have invincibility mode engaged (although the feeling of putting your faith in a car and just holding on - on closed roads - is quite adrenaline inducing). Also, from how I see it, an E92 M3 seems a lot less douchy than a 911. I would never want to show up to work in a 911, but an M3 is a different story.

Well done and thanks for the great report! You need your own magazine :) Enjoy the search for the M3. Sometimes thats more fun than the owning part lol!

Fun reading this

I would flip that, here in DC all the douches seem to drive a M3 or some variant of the 3 Series. The 911 (which I also have 07 C4S) is driven by more mature older guys like me. Go try my previous car a 2Gen CTS-V, it can and will easily kill an M3 (did it many times...same for a S4) and easily run with a 911 turbo. It has 4 doors too. The tech is a bit 2009 or so though. Decent one can be had for 38K or so....and they seem to be rising in value too. Go try one just for fun.

I definitely know the CTS V is more than capable. Unfortunately, I do not like the style..

After more than a month of searching like crazy (back when I did my first round of test drives) I think I found the one.

2012 BMW M3 Coupe For Sale in Riverside, CA - CarGurus

Attached is the spec sheet. Unfortunately it has a moon roof.. But I think I can live with that since I love the interior. No wear on the seats at all!

Dealer was going to sell it to a sister company in Newport for the list price at the end of the month, and were not willing to negotiate at all unless I financed with them, all I got them down to was $45,500. Car has a year left on bumper to bumper warranty and unlimited maintenance until 100K miles or 2018.

Going to put in a refundable deposit tomorrow and sell the Z over the weekend. I'm getting both excited and nervous, and honestly I just cannot wait!

Would love to know your thoughts on the car guys.

The e92 M3 CP is an excellent choice! What a car!

One thing to note about the Mustang... the automatic (which you drove) is not available with the Performance Package which includes all of the necessary performance features outside of the engine like dampers, tires, steering/traction/stability calibration, etc. What you drove is basically the "cruiser" version of the car.

There is a massive difference between the non PP and PP Mustangs, much like with the previous generation. I would certainly not be happy with a non-PP car.

Nice reviews....I would get a c7 vette over any of those but thats just me

Dang I love the M3 always been my dream car.

I absolutely know what you mean. The main thing for me with the PP is the better gearing. The poor gearing in the non PP was the reason for that 430hp feeling slow. Also, Ford is not known for their auto trans so that took away from some of the feeling as well. The mustang was a very comfortable place to be in though. Seats were great and cooled my butt to sub zero temperatures lol. Apple Carplay and new sync system next year will certainly be a welcome addition too.

Your '16 is gonna be amazing. Premier trim, sync 3, PP manual. I know you're gonna love it!

Man oh man i love M3s, especially in white! If i was to trade in my Z, this would be a solid replacement. I know very little about these cars, so the only thing i would be looking into would be reliability, altough i assume you might have done that already. :tiphat:

Ya I was very concerned about reliability. Fortunately the S65 engine is truly amazing. Got international engine of the year award consecutively from 2008-2012 for V8's. I'm also gonna take it in to a indie BMW shop to check everything and get anything fixed under bumper to bumper warranty. Not to mention sending in oil for analysis.

Have you looked at the GLA 45 AMG? The reviews are pretty great!!

45,500 is not a bad price for that car at all. honestly i'd jump if it's what you want and condition is good. clean retail on that is about 50k. at the auction they are right around the 45k mark give or take which is the price I would go for.

this was the figures for that or close to the same: last 2 weeks.

Prices High: $48,000
Low: $37,000
Average: $41,999


Average Odometer: 35,269
# of Vehicles: 14

there's 3 up soon with your choice in options all going for 43-47 based on mileage.

again if that's it i'd jump for 45k
as for the moon roof I wouldn't worry. the E46 I just sold a few months back had one and it's actually nice when just cruising around.

I have indeed! I posted my very positive impressions here when I test drove it:
http://www.the370z.com/other-vehicle...-macan-s4.html

It was very fun to drive and really thought it was going to be my next car. It really was a toss up between the M3 and GLA, but with the options I wanted on the GLA, I felt like it wasn't that good of a buy. I do see myself getting a used GLA after the M3 though, especially since at that time I will probably have a kid.