Interested in purchasing F8X M Car

So we've got 2 incomes again and it's time to save for a legit car. No tuners, no cars with "potential", just raw, unbridled performance right out of the box. Tuner/muscle build later.

I'm pretty set on an M car with the S55. My ideal situation would be an M4 vert in manual, but those are... difficult to find. Part of me wants the manual to row gears with a 3rd pedal, but the dct offers SO MUCH more performance.

I like to plan these big purchases ahead because things can change. Also, while M cars didn't get hit real hard with the recent price hike in used cars, there's still a bit of a premium on them. I will wait until that levels off a bit. Hopefully 2023 as this shortage is expected to ease up then.

I was on bimmerpost looking at stuff, but I would like to get some opinions from others on the the M stuff. I know the crank hub can be a relatively rare issue on the S55 and the charge pipes, but I don't have an issue getting a Precision Dynamics one-piece hub installed and charge pipes are easy.

I'm not so much concerned about cost of ownership, but just how life with an M car is. Does it REALLY bring as much performance as people say it does? How does it make you feel? Would you have gotten a Maserati, Benz, Audi, Jag or Tesla?

 

Ferrari or nothing

 

Can you spot me?

 

I might be able to spot you for an oil change when it needs it

 

What’s your budget? What is you definition of performance and the vehicle’s purpose? (Straight line power, track, autox, drift, etc)

For me, I want a factory track beast that’s very involving to drive and a manual. Only 1 car fits that bill, the GT4 I have on order.

 

I've had my F82 for just shy of 4 years (2016 bought in 2018). Like you, I went between the 6spd and the DCT and ultimately went with the DCT as I felt it matched the car much better. Sure, there is nothing like rowing gears (hence why I recently traded my Tundra in for a brand new STI), but for an F8X, the DCT is perfect. I was lucky to be shopping when I was as there were plenty of options to test drive locally. As far as those other brands you listed, none compares to the performance oriented feel of an M car, even with the F8X being very electronic compared to past M cars. The advertised HP numbers from BMW are very underrated I think. I plan on the crankhub upgrade in the future myself, but I've been stage 1 tuned for about 20k miles now and have had no issues. A lot of people who blew their crankhub don't typically describe their driving habits and throttle control.. The F8X platform is like having three cars in one 1. Track car 2. Cross country road trip vehicle 3. Daily driver if needed. Hope this helps! Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions

 

I think I'd like to do 50k-ish. I would like a pre-owned or certified. It will be used as a weekend driver when I'm not off-roading the Tundra and the occasional mountain road and track car. I would like a 2+2 or full 5 seater as we have a dog (everything will be covered and a net will be between the back seat and front seats). My days of hardcore track/autox/time attack are over I think, but that doesn't mean I won't do it occasionally. It's to be executive performance vehicle with a bit of utility. I will be keeping my truck, so for trips that demand the utmost utility, the truck will be used. I will look at Porsche again, but I didn't really like anything other than Panamera.

Thank you! I guess I will have to drive them, but how would you describe the feeling of "matched the car better" in regards to the DCT. I know the DCT in these cars are very different from the standard automatic with paddles.
I did some research on the crank hub and I do feel like repeated heavy shock loading of aggressive downshifts and high horsepower contribute a lot to backing that bolt out. Would you do F8X again if given the opportunity?

 

I am the original owner of a 6mt E90 M3, have driven an F82 on several occasions both DCT and manual, and very much agree the DCT is the better transmission for that car. The car is so fast that the manual became more irritating than engaging, like it was hampering the car in some way (it was).

If I were to buy a BMW today, I’d seriously consider a new M340i, or anything else with the B58 over an F8x unless you’re planning to track it frequently. Also, because the G8x is fugly.

 

Thank you for your input. That's greatly appreciated. Been doing some more research and it does seem like the vast majority are recommending the DCT over the manual, as, like you said, the manual becomes tedious with how hard and violently it accelerates. The manual is just leaving too much on the table (not to mention the aggressive detune on the engine). Going without the S55 would open the door to an M440i vert. Which is... more reasonable, but doesn't fit my want for balls out performance. Do the 340 and 440 come with the DCT or paddle-shifted automatic?

 

All of the 40i, as well as current M cars are using the ZF8 automatic. It’s excellent, you don’t lose much shift speed vs the M-DCT and gain comfort as well as durability for higher HP (keep in mind Hellcats and F90 M5s use this transmission). Don’t forget about the A90 Supra too.

 

I'll give it some thought. Still leaning towards an S55 because 470hp.

 

BMW HP numbers have been garbage since the first TT motors came out. A Dinan tune on the B58 gets you like 460hp with nothing else. Normally I’d be all about the “S” motors too but people seem to like the base motor a lot this time around.

 

I'll probably have to go drive a few. There's not much available right now due to the season and the supply issues, so that might have to wait.