New Member - call me crazy, but .....

[anucci]

I am selling my 2007 e60 M5 6mt and buying a 2011 dct M3.
My daughter started college this year, my 16 year old son will be driving in a couple of months and I will have just my 14 year old son to cart around.

The M5 is probably the best "all around" car I have ever owned, and I have owned some great cars (e36 m3, audi s4, e46 m3, mb c55) and I miss driving a smaller sports car.

I have a 2007 track prepped Porsche Cayman S that I drive on the track and have tracked a Lotus Elise a couple of years before the Cayman.

And finally, at the tender young age of 47 I have to have left hip replacement surgery, so using a clutch will soon be out of the question while in rehab. I went and test drove a dct M3 last weekend and I was sold. I figure that this will be the last of the great M na engines so this M3 will be a keeper for a long while to come.

Great forum, I have been lurking here for a while. Hopefully I'll be able to contribute.

[immiketoo]

You're crazy!

[Paddy]

CrazyBut


Welcome!

[spyderco10]

why crazy? you could have done worse

[xquisit]

Crazy Lucky@!

[Projectile]

Why not get a 911? Your 14 yr old could squish into the backseat no?

[davedave]

you are crazy..haha.

few ppl call u crazy already

[3s-a-charm]

Not crazy. Driving home today again I was validating how much I love my M3 with DTC. I get to shift and make the car behave just as my previous cars with MT had but I don't have to move my feet around all the time. I have big feet so the constant clutch movements with big shoes was sometimes unenjoyable.

You might never want to go back... but I might be crazy too!

[NoM3ForMe]

Originally Posted by 3s-a-charm

Not crazy. Driving home today again I was validating how much I love my M3 with DCT. I get to shift and make the car behave just as my previous cars with MT had but I don't have to move my feet around all the time. I have big feet so the constant clutch movements with big shoes was sometimes unenjoyable.

You might never want to go back... but I might be crazy too!

Fixed.

Congrats OP.

[M-Tuned]

congrats! I wish I'll have those kinda money to play these kinda "toys" when I hit late 40s.

[kcdude24]

You're not crazy. I sold my 08M5 and am waiting on a 2011 E92M3. I've owned a e46 M3 coupe and vert, a Z4M and M5 in that order. I keep kicking myself for not keeping the first E46. The cars are just different...period. As sweet as the M5 is....it is still a large 4 door.

I found the M5 sitting in the garage a lot for nice days so the supposed practicality factor went out the window the day I got it home....probably should have just bought that 911 to get it out of my system because it would have sat there just as much and I never really needed those extra doors/backseats. So I have a different perspective in looking at the current M3. I am going to have this as a DD. I will put miles on it. It will get a few rock chips. I will swap to winter tires etc...and I will enjoy it every day....and as a side bonus I can get back in to the occassional track day. That is something I never would have considered after selling my first E46 M3 coupe. To each his own....buy it and drive it.

[anucci]

Originally Posted by kcdude24

You're not crazy. I sold my 08M5 and am waiting on a 2011 E92M3. I've owned a e46 M3 coupe and vert, a Z4M and M5 in that order. I keep kicking myself for not keeping the first E46. The cars are just different...period. As sweet as the M5 is....it is still a large 4 door.

I found the M5 sitting in the garage a lot for nice days so the supposed practicality factor went out the window the day I got it home....probably should have just bought that 911 to get it out of my system because it would have sat there just as much and I never really needed those extra doors/backseats. So I have a different perspective in looking at the current M3. I am going to have this as a DD. I will put miles on it. It will get a few rock chips. I will swap to winter tires etc...and I will enjoy it every day....and as a side bonus I can get back in to the occassional track day. That is something I never would have considered after selling my first E46 M3 coupe. To each his own....buy it and drive it.

Thanks, this actually makes me feel a whole lot better. It's not an easy decision, that's for sure. After driving the Cayman on the track, the M5 feels like an SUV. I just want a smaller, more nimble version of the M5, and the M3 seems to fit the bill.

[3s-a-charm]

Originally Posted by NoM3ForMe

Fixed.

Congrats OP.

Thanks! LOL!

[Optherion]

I wish my R8 was DCT.

[JasonCSU]

Originally Posted by Optherion

I wish my R8 was DCT.

That's a car I definitely wouldn't want a DCT unless it was going to be a dedicated track car. There's just something that makes a gated metal shifter so satisfying.

[saeedg48]

...not crazy. Sorry to say but the M5/M6 are overrated and will soon become out dated after the F10zz come out. The M3 w/ the DCT gearbox is amazing. I'm sure when you test drove it they only let you touch 4 or 5 K RPM but the car only comes alive @ the peak 8.4K... Just wait till you own it, mod for mod it'll be amazing

[Optherion]

Originally Posted by JasonCSU

That's a car I definitely wouldn't want a DCT unless it was going to be a dedicated track car. There's just something that makes a gated metal shifter so satisfying.

lol satisfying for the first 5 minutes yes, on the track, I wouldnt want it. Everyone is different. Ive been spoiled by the Ferrari and wish the R8 was paddle.

[sikoskul]

Sorry to hear about your surgery, but enjoy the DCT and welcome.

[immiketoo]

The Cayman is VERY impressive around the track. Not terribly good looking though...I got my M because it's the best allrounder. Groceries and TVs fit and it is fast on the track. The Cayman rips on the track, but that gallon of milk is a stumper.

[anucci]

Originally Posted by immiketoo

The Cayman is VERY impressive around the track. Not terribly good looking though...I got my M because it's the best allrounder. Groceries and TVs fit and it is fast on the track. The Cayman rips on the track, but that gallon of milk is a stumper.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I happen to think the Cayman is a fantastic looking car and has lots of storage (well, lots compared to a 911).

[John Tanglewood]

LOL. You just GAVE UP one of the best NA engines BMW will ever make. If you don't need the space however, awesome choice!

[immiketoo]

Originally Posted by anucci

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I happen to think the Cayman is a fantastic looking car and has lots of storage (well, lots compared to a 911).

They aren't bad, but they seem a bit spartan to me. I agree about the storage compared to a 911, but compared to an M3, it's not much. A bunch of my friends have tricked about their Caymans for racing and they look great in race trim.