Last post on the journey back
The E92M experience:
Pros:
It’s an M: Great balance of refinement and motorsport
S65: loved this engine sound and performance in M mode with all the nannies turned off.
Interior: Beautiful interior space. Found myself going out to the garage just to sit in the car and enjoy the environment; The aroma of new leather, aggressive adjustable side bolsters hugging, carbon leather trim, led lighting, M stitching… a few of the things that really drew me in. A very comfortable car with a nice balance of motorsport influence.
Exterior: The alpine white with competition package is the best IMO for the E92M. A clean motorsport look that shows off all the M augmented features without going over the top.
I-drive: I freaking loved this feature. Some much great tech and control in the palm of your hands. I know there is a lot of mixed opinion on this, but loved the I-drive control.
Driving: Mellow and comfortable with M off and nannies on. Aggressive and fun with M mode on and nannies off
Quality Family Time: Best part of owning this car. My Wife Daughter and I could all enjoy the car together. Great car on the track and a great car for driving the family to the beach! Not to many cars work well in both categories
CONS:
Drives “Big:” Though, stable, powerful and fun, the car always felt big to me. I know these are capable cars, but it felt like I was pushing/pulling a heavy vehicle around. Not the light and nimble feel I was getting from the Z4MC and the Z06
Like The Car Stock: For me this car was a perfect Jekyll/Hyde touring and track duty car. Personally, the more modified an e9XM is, the less appealing I find it. Aside from front lip, wheels & suspension, this was not a car I wanted to modify. Anything beyond that starts to take away from what I like about the competition package E92M. This was a problem because, my plan was to start a business based around modifying cars. I needed to have a car that inspired me to modify like crazy and create a decent show piece.
Overall, I really enjoyed the E92M. I tried convincing my wife that we should get rid of her Tahoe and keep the M3. She liked the idea, but in the end it was just too small for her. Cars I was excited about driving and modifying for the business included E86M, E46M, F8XM, Exige S, GTR. Of these, the E46M and the E86M left the most budget for modifying. I had a strong leaning toward the E46M due to availability of parts and computer tuning support.
In the end the car that still inspired me the most was the E86M. After several years of ownership the looks and driving characteristics of these little monsters still puts a huge smile on my face.
Picked one up locally & have been going after it ever since. I still have breakfast in the morning with the car (It’s become a tradition with Z4MC). Every time I spend time on the car, several new exciting ideas for modification/improvement flood my mind. To top it off & just as rewarding as the car itself in many ways, I am back in the ZPOST community!