[Scrutineer]

Good day, everyone. Greetings from Chicagoland. Just reaching out to introduce myself and ask the first of what may be many questions. I'm not locked in yet, but I've really zeroed in on an M2 to replace my Audi S5. This forum has been a great help, so many thanks to all who contribute here.

I'm not on the fence about the M2 - it's more about whether it's time to move on from the S5. I bought it early in the pandemic for about 20% off sticker, at 0% for 72 months (remember those days???)! It's a 2019 and I'm just coming up on 25K miles. It's all good and I've sunk a modest amount of time and money into it - nothing related to performance, just cosmetics and a subwoofer and amp in the back. A winter set. But I'm about six months out of warranty and don't really love being bare like that. This is the longest I've held a car in a while, and so yes, I'm a little itchy for something new.

On the other hand, financially it's not necessarily a good call to walk away from Audi's free money in favor of the 5% - 6% I might find with an M2. In my head, that's moderated a little by the considerable equity I have in the Audi, and then more so by any "deal" I can get on an M2. I've found a promising discount on a '25 ($5K off sticker), and if I don't move quickly it may disappear. But of course I'd also be immediately buying a winter set for the M2, which is likely no less than $1000 if I get lucky with a private deal for a used set, and maybe as much as $3K if not. Anyway, that's all knocking around in my head.

In the meantime, here are some questions:

1. What about a 2024 M2? I understand the power bump and other smaller changes. If I could find what seemed like an outrageous deal on a '24, I'd be tempted to do it. But that means buying a car that's been sitting for a long time. What's the conventional wisdom around here on this topic? Full warranty and all, but am I just asking for trouble?

2. How urgent would winter tires be? Lots of people focus on whether there's snow on the ground and that's valid, but incomplete. My understanding it it's really the fact that summer-only tires turn into hockey pucks below around 40F, and therefore you may not be able to stop very well. Worse, the manufacturers say you may just crack them if operating when it's too cold. For example, would I need to flatbed it home and park it until I have winters sorted out? For that matter, do dealers even let you test drive when it's too cold for the tires?

3. Does a car already sitting on a lot get tariffed? Assuming Trump does tariff cars imported from Mexico, I assume cars that have already been imported are safe. Does anyone know for sure or have a different view?

4. Skyscraper versus Brooklyn? Objectively, which is darker?

5. Anything else you'd share with someone in my position? Happy for all thoughts and feedback, for which I thank you in advance.

[///MoT]

First off, welcome from another "newbie" here. I just bought my 2025 M2 about 2-1/2 weeks ago, coming from a 2019 VW Golf R that had a Stage 1 ECU/TCU tune.

The only one of your questions I can answer with any amount of certainty is #4: Skyscraper is definitely darker. My car is Skyscraper, and I compared it with another car on the lot that was Brooklyn.

I'm sure others will chime in with answers to your other questions.

Hope it all works out for you! I got 6% off MSRP on my M2, and got a more than generous trade-in value for my Golf R, so I'm very happy with the financial aspect of the deal.

Good luck with your decision!


-Tom

[Tag]

1. There aren't many '24s sitting around but you might still find a handful. I think it's a waste of time to get into the minutia regarding how long it's been sitting, etc. Better to weight the fact that the '24 (if you can find one that you like) can be had for less since it's the previous model year, but on the flipside you miss out on all the updates MY25 got and when you sell it later it will be one model year older and you'll get less for it.

2. Summer tires lose traction and become dangerous to drive below 45F. Either get winter wheel/tires or don't drive it in the cold.

3. No.

4. They're two different colors. BG is a light gray while SG is more like a silver but is darker compared to BG. Search for comparisons of the two colors, you should be able to find side by side pics.

5. Audi .

[M2M3M3]

2. I have been driving BMW's on summer performance tires all winter for many years. Temps down to 20's. Zero issues with traction or compound cracking. Just don't drive stupid or in the snow.

[Bimmer Frank]

Originally Posted by M2M3M3

2. I have been driving BMW's on summer performance tires all winter for many years. Temps down to 20's. Zero issues with traction or compound cracking. Just don't drive stupid or in the snow.

Driving summer tires in winter is not good advice. All tire manufacturers will warn against this because summer tires lose a significant amount of traction and can be damaged in the cold. A simple google of this question will prove this out.

[curtdragon]

Don't listen to anyone who says it's OK to drive on summers below 40° especially a high power rwd car.

But why worry? Five year old car and you put 5k per year? You might as well buy a beater for the winter instead of a winter setup.

Also unless you get an allocation now or buy one off the lot you're not getting it until March the earliest so with how little you drive you can get away with waiting on the winter setup.

The decision to buy is on you. You probably can get a bank loan for less than what BMW will offer or maybe they'll match.

I also left Audi (B8.5 S4) as the excitement isn't there anymore. Ironically I probably will buy an S5 sportback to daily after I get the M2.

Can't help on the color as black white and gray are no for me.

I'm in the Nashville area and plan on garaging mine next winter and using my grand Cherokee. It doesn't snow a lot but it does ice. I had a turbo BRZ and had winters on. I bought it in March and it snowed literally the next day. I slid around two lights and promptly turned into the tire shop to put some all seasons on.

[M_Power Rob]

I left a 2018 B9 S5 stage 2 tuned to go to a G87 M2...while my S5 had over 560wtq on an awd car, the M2 is a true upgraded. If tuning the M2, it blows the S5 away.

[Mr. Hankey]

Originally Posted by M2M3M3

2. I have been driving BMW's on summer performance tires all winter for many years. Temps down to 20's. Zero issues with traction or compound cracking. Just don't drive stupid or in the snow.

24-27 degrees F is where they get REALLY sketchy, although they are objectively "sketchy" below 45 degrees like Tag mentioned above, just really sketchy at 24 degrees DRY ROADS....in Chicago just get winters...buy a summer set for lightness, use the stock heavier rims for your winters...

I also agree that you'd want the upgrades on a '25 and unlikely to find a '24 with some insane deal (but if you do )...so if you order one, you'd have it for summer and have time to figure out a winter setup (there will be many in the classifieds section here come spring and summer)...What's your interest burdeon going to be on the thing compared to your Audi....$2K? In general though fixing the usual things on a car (short of engine, entire wiring harness or tranny issues) will be way cheaper than depreciation you'll experience on a new car, so even out of warranty its still way cheaper (in general) to drive what you have....just being Devil's advocate here. I've come to the realization that I just wanted one, it will always have residual value, and didn't need to make myself feel guilty about just pulling the trigger. If you can afford it, no guilt. If your kids are starving or looking for loose change in the couch cushions because of it, then yes, guilt.

[Scrutineer]

Thanks to everyone so far for the thoughtful feedback.

To be clear, I’m a big advocate of winters. The summers for my Audi are (sadly) hanging in the garage right now. I’m just thinking about the nitty gritty of possibly - in the upcoming last two weeks of the month/quarter/year - buying the ‘25 from the dealer who seems motivated, when temps will be in the 30s at best and I’m unlikely to have winters sorted out yet. Seems like if it comes to it, I could drive home in super-granny limp mode (SGLM) and just keep tons of stopping distance ahead of me. Despite the warnings, I’ve yet to hear an account of actually cracking the compound in the cold. So that’s one issue and then the other is how a test drive goes when there are summers on the car in the lot but it’s too cold for them. Just curious whether anyone’s been in that spot before.

[And I recognize there’s a separate question about whether the dealer will allow a test drive at all, regardless of weather, to keep miles off the car. There’s a separate thread on this point and it seems common for a dealer to refuse. I see their side of it, but when it comes down to sale or no sale, I’ll be shocked if they wouldn’t let me put 2 miles on it. Oh, and I checked - there are none near me on Turo.]

On the question of a ‘24, there are a fair number around. I take the point about not trying to game the number of days it’s been sitting outside somewhere and instead focusing on the upgrades and resale. It may be a moot point because I’m not at all seeing the motivation to deal on ‘24s that I thought I would have. No point going down that road unless it’s a unique build (the ones around here aren’t) or an impressive discount (not yet).

I’m more about being opportunistic and seizing on a motivated offer than I am about ordering one just for me. I don’t have the patience for that, but I sure do appreciate the chance to have such a special car built just for you!

[curtdragon]

As I said unless it's on the lot and they're giving you a deal on it you're going to be ordering. Even if you order and had a production date of today you're looking at end of Feb as the earliest. But realistically you'd have the car around spring.

I'm not sure why the other dude was having issues but unless it's sold I don't see why they wouldn't let you drive the M2. Could be low volume stores.

[wjones14]

Originally Posted by Scrutineer

On the other hand, financially it's not necessarily a good call to walk away from Audi's free money in favor of the 5% - 6% I might find with an M2. In my head, that's moderated a little by the considerable equity I have in the Audi, and then more so by any "deal" I can get on an M2. I've found a promising discount on a '25 ($5K off sticker), and if I don't move quickly it may disappear. But of course I'd also be immediately buying a winter set for the M2, which is likely no less than $1000 if I get lucky with a private deal for a used set, and maybe as much as $3K if not. Anyway, that's all knocking around in my head.

2. How urgent would winter tires be? Lots of people focus on whether there's snow on the ground and that's valid, but incomplete. My understanding it it's really the fact that summer-only tires turn into hockey pucks below around 40F, and therefore you may not be able to stop very well. Worse, the manufacturers say you may just crack them if operating when it's too cold. For example, would I need to flatbed it home and park it until I have winters sorted out? For that matter, do dealers even let you test drive when it's too cold for the tires?

I think you're a bit too optimistic on the price of a winter wheel/tire set, at least if you're thinking about BMW OEM wheels. I got my 2025 M2 in September and was looking for a used winter set on the forum classifieds daily even before mine was delivered. The cheapest set I saw over 3 months of looking was $2500 for a set of 829M 19" wheels with a 275/35-19 square tire setup. The package retails new for about $4K. Some dealerships offer a 10% discount, which comes to $3570. There is also an 826M winter wheel/tire package with the same size 19" and 20" staggered wheels and tires as stock. This set is the same forged wheels that are stock on the M3/M4 cars, about 10 lbs. lighter each than the 829M wheels if that matters to you. The 826M set is priced about $500 more than the 829M set.

I got the 829M set a few weeks ago from BMW of Stratham NH. Out the door price was $3570. Wheels, tires, TPMS, and center caps, mounted and balanced. I mounted them in my garage a few days after Thanksgiving and will leave them on until the first of April.

In a few years the used winter sets will come down in price as folks trade in their cars, but for now, the G87 has only been out since 2023, so the supply is not there yet.

I had a 2021 F87 M2 before the G87, and I can say that the OEM Michelin summer tires start to get cold and slick when it's below 50 degrees, and they get slicker the colder it gets. Obviously, the tread is not designed for snow either.

PS - I posted some pics of the 829M wheels in another thread here: https://g87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...postcount=4049

[curtdragon]

Originally Posted by wjones14

I think you're a bit too optimistic on the price of a winter wheel/tire set, at least if you're thinking about BMW OEM wheels. I got my 2025 M2 in September and was looking for a used winter set on the forum classifieds daily even before mine was delivered. The cheapest set I saw over 3 months of looking was $2500 for a set of 829M 19" wheels with a 275/35-19 square tire setup. The package retails new for about $4K. Some dealerships offer a 10% discount, which comes to $3570. There is also an 826M winter wheel/tire package with the same size 19" and 20" staggered wheels and tires as stock. This set is the same forged wheels that are stock on the M3/M4 cars, about 10 lbs. lighter each than the 829M wheels if that matters to you. The 826M set is priced about $500 more than the 829M set.

I got the 829M set a few weeks ago from BMW of Stratham NH. Out the door price was $3570. Wheels, tires, TPMS, and center caps, mounted and balanced. I mounted them in my garage a few days after Thanksgiving and will leave them on until the first of April.

In a few years the used winter sets will come down in price as folks trade in their cars, but for now, the G87 has only been out since 2023, so the supply is not there yet.

I had a 2021 F87 M2 before the G87, and I can say that the OEM Michelin summer tires start to get cold and slick when it's below 50 degrees, and they get slicker the colder it gets. Obviously, the tread is not designed for snow either.

Is the set you got staggered or square?

[wjones14]

Originally Posted by curtdragon

Is the set you got staggered or square?

The tires on the 829M set are square 275/35-19. The wheels are 9x19 and 9.5x19.

Not sure why the wheels are staggered widths. You can't rotate them if you want to keep the wider wheels in the rear. Well, I guess you could rotate them left to right, since they don't seem to be directional.