Owning an F80 M3: One Man's Dream Car

"Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark" (arischwartz)
12/22/2015 at 18:04 • Filed to: bmw, deutschebag, m3

Prior links here:

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So, uhh... yeah. I totally got caught up with work and forgot to post about the arrival. Getting the car straight from the factory is pretty unreal because you realize it is literally your car. Nobody else has ever even considered buying it. This is your car.

And oh boy was it my car. 100% what I wanted:

Even the wrappings were intact! It was amazing. After months of waiting, it was fantastic to finally be picking up my toy.

(UNF.)

(Surprise, an OC douchebag is also a Deutschebag!)

(Screw front plates. BRING ON THE TICKETS.)

In short, this car is amazing. Everything everyone says is true. It’s fun, it’s comfortable, it’s decently economical (21 MPG average with lots of spirited driving), and it occasionally turns heads. The exhaust note isn’t as nice as others in its class (C63 S, looking at you), but it’s also $10k more.

I love this car. Love, love, love it. It’s a great daily driver, it feels solid, it drives almost as well as (or better than) most of the sports cars I’ve driven, and for the same price as a Stingray I get a functional back seat. Should be pretty easy to say “yes,” right?

Well, after 2500 miles, there are a few things that aren’t perfect...

Now for the review:

Exterior

9/10: The exterior on this car is pretty damn nice. BMW obviously knows what its design language is supposed to be on the 3-Series in general, and the M3 is the epitome of it all. My only complaints are that the hood bulge seems to be for show only, and the stock wheels are atrocious. Upgrade the wheels as a minimum for this car.

The LED headlights are pretty whizbang and cool, but I honestly stuck with the standard HIDs with LED DRLs. For $3k more, I dunno how much utility gain I’d get relative to dollars spent. Some people say if you reprogram the computers you can get some fantastic European-style adaptive lighting, but even then, the HIDs are great already.

Also, I can’t get over how some pieces of plastic are creaky. But that’s part of life these days on cars. :-/

Interior

8/10: Let’s be honest: BMWs aren’t the best interiors in Germany. Relative to the price paid, they may even be the worst now. But that’s a relative comparison to MB, Audi, and Porsche. In this range and type of car, the only real competition is the C63 AMG, and that car is $10k more if you want it to be comparable in terms of performance.

But the C63’s interior is much, much nicer.

Regardless, the F80’s interior is nice, very well-designed for the driver’s sake, and comfortable. It’s very... Bavarian. Outside of some neat touches like little LED lights that cast interior lighting on the door trim, this car is focused on driving. The seats are much better than the F30’s, the leather is better than the Dakota leather in the F30, and the overall feel of the materials is pretty good. But it just can’t hang with the C63, which is why I give it an 8/10. It’s better than 80% of what’s out there, but there’s definitely some better options if you care about a plush interior.

However, on the whole, this is a pretty nice place to be when you’re driving.

Performance

9/10: Again, this is relative. Acceleration? Check. Transmission? Check (even if the M3 clunk is still present...) Steering? Check...ish. Yeah, yeah, it’s not as direct as the old BMWs, but it’s accurate, and most importantly, feels sharp. It’s just not going to “feel” like what you remember old E3x steering felt like.

However, the car is a hoot to drive. It’s not as direct and lively as my old MX-5, and it definitely isn’t a well-equipped 911, but it’s fun. Very fun.

Practicality

8/10: This is about as practical as a fun sports sedan gets outside of an E-Class Wagon. Good trunk, comfortable front and back seats.

But let’s be honest here: this is not a car you are going to take up to the snow, it’s not a car you want to drive to Yosemite and camp in, and it’s definitely not the car you want the kid in (but you will anyway.) Also, if you get the carbon fiber roof, you lose the mounting points for the roof rack. Boo.

Overall Experience

9/10: It’s hard to dislike this car as an overall package. In fact, it’s one of the easiest cars to love, period. It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s luxurious, it’s stylish, it sounds fun, and the second people hear “M3”, they go, “woah.” It’s a car that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

I love it. Simply put. I know I’d enjoy driving a 911 more, and I know there are more practical sedans for my family, but overall as a package, this car is amazing.

BMW may not be what everyone wants them to be, but for me they’re exactly what I needed at this point in my life. Bravo to them.

DISCUSSION (34)

Vicente Esteve > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/22/2015 at 18:20

Excellent color combo, lovely lovely car.

Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark > Vicente Esteve
12/22/2015 at 18:21

Thanks! After having a sapphire black show-all-the-dirt metallic F30, I was done with black.

So I went with slightly not-black.

Go me!

Nerd-Vol > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/22/2015 at 18:25

I’m happy for you.

B_dol > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/22/2015 at 18:26

Beautifully spec’d car, congratulations!

How is the shifting feel? I’m not sure if the M3 shares the same mechanism/gear selector as the 228i, but I find the shift throw slightly longer than desired.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/22/2015 at 18:40

Congrats! Fast sedans are the best. Non car people usually don’t give them a second glance. I love that interior color too. I hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of it, and that it stays out of the shop!

E92M3 > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/22/2015 at 18:40

Congratulations! Lovely car.

Vicente Esteve > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/22/2015 at 18:46

I seriously don’t know which color i’d pick an F30 M3. I want to say Sakhir orange, but red interior is a must and it would class with the exterior.

AM3R shamefully returns > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/22/2015 at 18:58

Great taste in color combo! Looks super sharp. Any ideas what wheels you want?

Saracen > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/22/2015 at 19:36

Kinja'd!!!

red seats, CF trim and a proper gearbox. Perfect M3.

Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark > Saracen
12/22/2015 at 19:42

Yeah, the DCT, no matter how fast it is, is just not as fun.

Plus, when the clutch wears, it’s not a $15-20k replacement of an entire damned transmission. It’s just a new clutch. Win-win!

Saracen > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/22/2015 at 19:44

I will never, ever be convinced that a flappy paddle gearbox is better for any car that does not live its life on a racetrack.

And yeah, maintenance for those DCT’s/PDK’s/DSG/etc are always crazy..

Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark > B_dol
12/22/2015 at 19:44

It’s a bit long compared to my old MX-5 for sure, but it’s not too bad. Sometimes the tranny/clutch can be a bit “clunky” (literally they clunk) but otherwise it’s fun.

Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark > Noah - Now with more boost.
12/22/2015 at 19:45

Yeah, I’m hopeful that it stays out of the shop too, but so far so good! Honestly, it’s been pretty rock solid so far, and most people I talk to have very few problems with theirs. But in any case, here’s to 4ish years of warranty! ;-)

Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark > E92M3
12/22/2015 at 19:45

Thank you. It comes from great lineage.

Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark > Vicente Esteve
12/22/2015 at 19:46

I went with the grey mostly because I can park it in the lot at work and not draw too much attention.

Only other color I considered was the darker blue exterior with the nice brown interior, but I had a hard time giving up my red interior. :-D

Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark > AM3R shamefully returns
12/22/2015 at 19:46

Oh, I went with these:

Kinja'd!!!

Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark > Saracen
12/22/2015 at 19:48

Yeah. I mean, yeah, I lose a few tenths of a second at a standstill. So what? I gain hours of enjoyment being in control of the car.

I do sometimes miss the auto when I’m sitting on the 405 heading home from work, but whatever.

d15b > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/22/2015 at 19:50

Nice car. Don’t park like a douche-bag and things will be A-okay!

Saracen > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/22/2015 at 20:07

Yep, same here, totally worth the hassle to battle the 805.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/22/2015 at 20:10

Those warranties are priceless. I’ll keep an eye out for a “new wheels” post! There’s nothing hotter than brand new German metal sitting on brand new aftermarket wheels.

Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark > Noah - Now with more boost.
12/22/2015 at 20:21

Kinja'd!!!

Oh, I actually decided to keep the wheels I got. It was an upgrade over the stock uglies:

Kinja'd!!!

Noah - Now with more boost. > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/22/2015 at 20:40

Oh yeah that’s way better! Those larger split 5 spokes are sweet, I’ve seen them in person. I like the way the flat portion of the spokes highlights the wheel’s concavity. Sometimes I wonder if BMW makes certain options hideous on purpose for the $$$ - the base wheels are abominable enough to be winter wheels! Tiny AND hideous. That organic design language just doesn’t fit.

pjhusa > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/22/2015 at 20:55

jet black ftw!

Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark > Noah - Now with more boost.
12/22/2015 at 21:05

Yeah, I sorta figured that they made those stock as an easy way to make an extra thousand... :-/

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/23/2015 at 00:26

Great car, and I love that red/carbon interior.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/23/2015 at 02:42

Kinja'd!!!

Proud.

CALUSA > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/23/2015 at 05:48

Love the in- and exterior! Are you going to change something about it?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/23/2015 at 10:48

Kinja'd!!!

Well done.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/23/2015 at 10:49

Congrats. Love my E90.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/23/2015 at 10:51

Involvement uber alles. Hard to beat a perfectly rev-matched downshift...

Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
12/23/2015 at 13:03

Just gotta set the throttle response to “Sport Super Duper Plus” and turn off the automated rev-matching...

Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark > CALUSA
12/23/2015 at 13:07

Eventually I’d like to, yeah. But I have a baby on the way, so for now I’m shopping for back seat covers... :-P

I’d like to eventually re-do the exhaust at least. But hey, I’m happy to have the thing for now. :-D

CALUSA > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
12/23/2015 at 13:31

Hahaha that’s a smart move, congratulations!

Exhaust sounds like a good plan!

pizzaman09 > Ari Schwartz: Dark Lord of the Snark
01/01/2019 at 20:57

Very nice new M3! It’s awesome to see people order their dream cars just as they want.

I just purchased my dream M3, a 1999 in an awesome white over beige color scheme.