Quote:
Originally Posted by mjposner
Unlike the poor nearly 30 lost soul thinking of giving it all away and going for a long walk, this 50+ is still on the crass materialism train and finds the Z4M a bit too small. My lower back in particular can suffer after my 22 mile commute.
So test drove 2008 M3 Convertible with the DCT and I was blown away. I had an M5 with SMG and it was far superior to drive.
I have owned an E46 Coupe and Convertible (which seemed fat and slow) and this car, despite weighing almost 1,000 pounds more than the Z4M, was lightening fast.
So...long walk... or buy M3
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With DCT, even the heavier vert moves a bit faster than the Z4M. The coupe is faster yet (200 lbs lighter).
The E92x M3 was the most comfortable car I've owned. Especially if it has EDC (which has 3 suspension modes). I pretty much left it in "normal" mode since that adjusts on the fly to conditions, but cruising on the highway in "comfort" mode is really nice. You can pretty much drive it for 8-10 hours (a very long drive) and not feel beat up or tired at the end of the day.
A few things to consider with this car:
If it's an 08 with DCT, make sure it has the latest DCT software. There was lots of lag (no power for several seconds, other issues as well) with the earlier versions of DCT software. This isn't the transmission itself, it's a software issue. There is a thread that describes the issues/fix on this over at M3 Post about it. The final software update summer of 2010 fixed all of these issues and with that the DCT is awesome.
The Idrive in the 09s is light years better than that in the 08s. The 08 Idrive is light years ahead of what's in the Z4, but still, if I had to choose a MY I'd go with the 09.
I highly recommend EDC. Especially with 19s. While w/o it the ride is way more comfortable than the Z4M, if you're going to get an M3 you might as well get EDC. If you start missing the stiffer ride of the Z4M, just pop it into "sport" mode!
I'd strongly encourage getting the DCT if you're buying the E93. It increases the acceleration significantly over the MT, and that eliminates some of the weight penalty with the hardtop vert. With an MT, it's not slow, but more comparable with the car you have now.
Some of the early 08s had some bearing issues. Was it an official issue? No, but there were several posters that had this problem. That shouldn't affect the DCT (that came out later in that MY).