Thinking to pick up an early-build M3, what should I be aware of?

[M2withACC]

Hey folks!

I am thinking to pick up this beautiful 2014.Feb build with 7,400 miles M3 fully loaded except ceramic. Is there anything I should be aware of? I had no problem with my last M3 which was a 2014.July build but I only had the car for a few months. What exactly are the changes to the LCi?

1. tail lights ( easy to retrofit?)
2. more chrome accents in the interior & ambience lighting
3. updated iDrive
4. any mechanical changes?

p.s If I am in the market to buy a new M3/M4 I will definitely get the ZCP. 19 more HP, 20" wheels, cooler seats, seat belts, tweaks in the suspension, black accents on exterior and lastly what exactly is the difference between the none ZCP exhaust vs ZCP exhaust? just the flaps or valves?

any inputs would be greatly appreciated!

[Apollo_1092]

Originally Posted by europeankar

Hey folks!

I am thinking to pick up this beautiful 2014.Feb build with 7,400 miles M3 fully loaded except ceramic. Is there anything I should be aware of? I had no problem with my last M3 which was a 2014.July build but I only had the car for a few months. What exactly are the changes to the LCi?

1. tail lights ( easy to retrofit?)
2. more chrome accents in the interior & ambience lighting
3. updated iDrive
4. any mechanical changes?

p.s If I am in the market to buy a new M3/M4 I will definitely get the ZCP. 19 more HP, 20" wheels, cooler seats, seat belts, tweaks in the suspension, black accents on exterior and lastly what exactly is the difference between the none ZCP exhaust vs ZCP exhaust? just the flaps or valves?

any inputs would be greatly appreciated!

Did you get the years wrong on your post? A little confused.

1. I think the retrofitting of the tail lights is more of a pain than it is worth ($$).
2. The chrome accents aren't to bad, I like them.
3. iDrive is the same, but the hardware is different and you get 4G connectivity for the apps. The 2017 models are getting 5.0
4. Mechanical I believe is the same.

If you're in the market, and the pricing isn't much different I'd say just go for the new ZCP M3. I absolutely love it, and continue to fall more in love every day that I drive it.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by Apollo_1092

Did you get the years wrong on your post? A little confused.

Nothing wrong with the years he gave - the F8x started production in early 2014. Here in the US it is known as MY2015, but elsewhere they don't refer to cars by model year.

[Apollo_1092]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

Nothing wrong with the years he gave - the F8x started production in early 2014. Here in the US it is known as MY2015, but elsewhere they don't refer to cars by model year.

Today I learned. Thanks!

[bdoooh]

I have an early build, I took delivery in June 2014. No problems here with 26k miles.

[Vigilant]

21,000 miles of mixed city and highway driving.
Not an issue with October 2014 build.

[dkhm3]

August 2014 build, over 19k miles. 0 issues.

knock on wood.

[IB M]

Subscribed as I've been looking as well. Interesting that used M4s are cheaper than used M3s when it is opposite for the sticker price of the new cars.

[Nothing]

Originally Posted by IB M

Subscribed as I've been looking as well. Interesting that used M4s are cheaper than used M3s when it is opposite for the sticker price of the new cars.

There are fewer M3s produced and fewer for sale.

[Carl L]

Zero issues with my M3 delivered to me Sept 2014. Great car.