Traded my F80 in for an S5 convertible

[omaralt]

so after a lot of soul searching and thinking i ended up trading in for the s5 cabriolet prestige. gray on magma red. beautiful car. i really had to be honest with myself and realize having a sports car isn't what i need. i want to need an M3. but with my commute and drive i never utilize it to it's potential. now i have a convertible! even though it's in the 40's here in FL i'm loving the top down. either way the tech blows BMW away (virtual cockpit is amazing) but still getting used to the other stuff

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by omaralt

so after a lot of soul searching and thinking i ended up trading in for the s5 cabriolet prestige. gray on magma red. beautiful car. i really had to be honest with myself and realize having a sports car isn't what i need. i want to need an M3. but with my commute and drive i never utilize it to it's potential. now i have a convertible!

You don't need a sports car, so you traded in your sport sedan for a less practical convertible?

To, me it's sounds roughly like saying:

"I was living in a 6000 sq. ft. house in Scarsdale, but then realized I didn't need this giant flat in NYC after all. So I decided to buy a nice big beach house in Jersey."

Just saying.

Did you test drive an M4 convertible, by the way?

[omaralt]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

You don't need a sports car, so you traded in your sport sedan for a less practical convertible?

To, me it's sounds roughly like saying:

"I was living in a 6000 sq. ft. house in Scarsdale, but then realized I didn't need this giant flat in NYC after all. So I decided to buy a nice big beach house in Jersey."

Just saying.

Did you test drive an M4 convertible, by the way?

i dont think you're following my logic. i'm not looking for something more practical. just was looking for what i value more. having a drop top in FL will give me more happiness than having 400+ HP and never being able to utilize it. what i came to the realization is that i dont care for 400HP and stiff suspension. my drive to work is one that i can barely go over 50mph and has traffic. in the one year i owned the M3 i barely had the opportunity to push it anywhere near it's limit. so i dont need a car thats focus is greatly skewed towards the sporty side.

i did consider the M4 but i was very impressed by the interior of the audi. and honestly after owning a 2011 535, 2013 550i, 2014 435i, and 2017 M3 i was ready for a change. i usually switch cars after a year or so so i'll probably be back to BMW in a year or so. want to see how the new 3/4 series looks.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by omaralt

i dont think you're following my logic.

I promise I tried. I think part of the disconnect here is your use of the term sports car. None of the cars we've discussed - the S5 Sportback, the S5 Convertible, the M3, nor the M4 Convertible are sports cars. They are performance cars, sure. But not all performance cars are sports cars. I am not particularly passionate about the english language and grammar by the way - so I'm not being pedantic here. I just think that when you are trying to solicit advice, words really matter, thats all. Cheers on that.

i'm not looking for something more practical. just was looking for what i value more. having a drop top in FL will give me more happiness than having 400+ HP and never being able to utilize it. what i came to the realization is that i dont care for 400HP and stiff suspension. my drive to work is one that i can barely go over 50mph and has traffic. in the one year i owned the M3 i barely had the opportunity to push it anywhere near it's limit. so i dont need a car thats focus is greatly skewed towards the sporty side.

Sure, that's totally fair, but I wonder if you furthermore looked at the A5 convertible? My logic here is that if you don't need 425hp, you probably don't need 365hp either. Heck, you might not even need 250hp, but you can't get the A5 with less power than that.

It's just too bad you didn't realize you didn't need a sedan until after you bought the M3 though. Could have been driving a convertible all this time.

i did consider the M4 but i was very impressed by the interior of the audi. and honestly after owning a 2011 535, 2012 550i, 2014 435i, and 2017 M3 i was ready for a change. i usually switch cars after a year or so so i'll probably be back to BMW in a year or so. want to see how the new 3/4 series looks.

Since you lease, I suppose switching cars like that - if you can get them to buy you out with no increase in payment from what you would have otherwise paid - is reasonable. That seems like it would be difficult to sustain since residuals are calculated over the (typically three year) lease period, not just one year. But then I am often surprised by the economics at play when vehicle ownership changes hands considering that these things often lose 25% of their value in the first year. Still, if you are getting great lease payments trade after trade, switch after switch, it seems like someone must be bleeding money somewhere. I guess as long as its the guys taking your cars and not you, what do you care right?

Anyway, enjoy the car. I've owned a number of convertibles (before I needed a more practical four-door car) and they are pretty fun in the nice weather.

[NHman]

Originally Posted by omaralt

so after a lot of soul searching and thinking i ended up trading in for the s5 cabriolet prestige. gray on magma red. beautiful car. i really had to be honest with myself and realize having a sports car isn't what i need. i want to need an M3. but with my commute and drive i never utilize it to it's potential. now i have a convertible! even though it's in the 40's here in FL i'm loving the top down. either way the tech blows BMW away (virtual cockpit is amazing) but still getting used to the other stuff

Congrats on your new purchase of the S5 cab and good choice of the color combo of Daytona Grey w/ Magma Red. I really is a good DD. Understated exterior design and well executed interior.

I had been an owner of a 2016 M4 ZCP w/ MT and had a JGC as a DD. As I didn't drive my M4 enough (4k in nearly two years), I decided to simply my relatively small car collection and sold both vehicles and ordered a 2018 S4 Prestige w/ 19" rims. I've had it since last August. Does it replicate the performance for the M4, no. But I knew that going into it. I must take exception to your statement "either way the tech blows BMW away". Yes the VC is nice but to be honest, I now find it a bit of a gimmick. I leave mine on the sport view 100% of the time. Google Maps is nice but you need to pay Audi $600 per year to continue this service. Otherwise the trial period ends after the first 6 months. BMW's iDrive system, I find, easier to use. In what areas does the S5/S4 excel in technology compared to the current generation M4/M3? I would like to hear your perspective.

I am now considering another fun car but will not be considering the current generation M3/M4. While capable, it didn't provide me with the visceral experience. Oddly enough I am now considering the GT350. It's not the car that concerns me. Rather it's the dealer network.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by omaralt

just was looking for what i value more. having a drop top in FL will give me more happiness than having 400+ HP and never being able to utilize it.

what i came to the realization is that i dont care for 400HP and stiff suspension.

so i dont need a car thats focus is greatly skewed towards the sporty side.

Good decision making OP. Way to go being honest with yourself and pursuing what makes you happy.

Would never make those same trade offs with my own money, but I completely understand focusing on what you personally value.

[ZoneLaps]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Good decision making OP. Way to go being honest with yourself and pursuing what makes you happy.

Would never make those same trade offs with my own money, but I completely understand focusing on what you personally value.

I also hope that he is happy. I tried to make a similar decision last September and ended up losing $15k when I realized that I couldn't make it work and traded back into an M. But it sounds like he has thought through this quite a bit, so let's hope he wasn't just as impulsive as I was.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by isaywhateveryo

I also hope that he is happy. I tried to make a similar decision last September and ended up losing $15k when I realized that I couldn't make it work and traded back into an M. But it sounds like he has thought through this quite a bit, so let's hope he wasn't just as impulsive as I was.

Hope so too. My personal worst case scenario is pressing the throttle in a $$ new car and thinking "wtf where is the power"

I guess I could always open the roof or listen to the stereo or touch the leather dashboard afterwards to make myself feel better

[alex2364]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

Sure, that's totally fair, but I wonder if you furthermore looked at the A5 convertible? My logic here is that if you don't need 425hp, you probably don't need 365hp either. Heck, you might not even need 250hp, but you can't get the A5 with less power than that.

No one needs any Audi or BMW. Anything nicer than a Honda Civic is a want.

[omaralt]

Beautiful car. But I'll definitely be back in a bmw soon

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by alex2364

No one needs any Audi or BMW. Anything nicer than a Honda Civic is a want.

Right, hence my comment was appropriate in direct response to his statement that "i want to need an M3. but with my commute and drive i never utilize it to it's potential". Going from an M3 to and S5 does virtually nothing to address the lack of need and not being able to use the full potential. Technically neither would an A5, but he wanted the convertible, and as I mentioned, you can't get any less than the 252hp turbo four in the US.

I should add that I am not passing judgement. We all do some degree of rationalization when it comes to purchasing these luxury machines and one man's is as good as the next. For my part, I tend to think along the lines of going for the most extreme example I can afford, or getting the cheapest thing that will do. So indeed, if I could no longer justify the M3, something along the lines of the Civic (or more likely, a small SUV) is probably what it would be. In Florida, a convertible would be a great car to have, and with the dwindling of choices, there isn't much below an A5 out there - just muscle cars, subcompacts, and two seaters really.

[nicknaz]

^ you can use a lot more of the a5/s5 on public roads than f80.

I loved that I had to actually think about whether full throttle was appropriate in f80, but for the more casual user, the power on oversteer ability of m3 was probably more a drawback than an advantage

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

^ you can use a lot more of the a5/s5 on public roads than f80.

More of what's under the hood maybe, yeah. But it isn't always about power. See his post here:

http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...1&postcount=38

for a firsthand account of that.

Sort of plays into my philosophy - either go all the way, or just forget it and get an appliance.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

Sort of plays into my philosophy - either go all the way, or just forget it and get an appliance.

I agree.

Putting that into 3er terms, I think the best choices are 330 (appliance) or m3 (all the way) and in Audi terms it's A5 (appliance) or RS5 (all the way).

But isn't even an f80/f82 a bit of an appliance. It's still a 4 seats sedan based car

J/k

Sort of

[omaralt]

it really depends on what you value; which for me, is dynamic. i'm still trying to hang out to my youth and insist that sport is #1, but i'm realizing it's not anymore. so while the S5 gives up a LOT when it comes to performance, IMO, the interior is a much nicer place to be. the quilted leather seats. the digital cockpit. the massage seats, etc

now as to why i didnt get the A5 cab, i did consider it. but you dont get the special quilted seats as you do on the S5. so visually it's not as nice and the seats aren't as supportive

now compare the two interiors. not on the same level. now i'm sure the new 3/4 series will up the game but audis have always been known for their interiors

[cotmfk]

I'm so sorry for your loss.



Joking...


S5 is a nice car as well. Hope you enjoy it!

[Habber]

I'm dreading the day I realize that I don't need an M3....

[REDEV217342]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

More of what's under the hood maybe, yeah. But it isn't always about power. See his post here:

http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...1&postcount=38

for a firsthand account of that.

Sort of plays into my philosophy - either go all the way, or just forget it and get an appliance.

Why do you care so much about what someone else buys or finds interesting or of value? The guy wanted an Audi droptop. He got one.

[FirstF80InSpace]

I agree with OP that Audi interiors are nicer in general. I came from an S4 and the fit and finish was much nicer than my current M3.

[Darth One]

where are you in FL? i personally find the weather here in South FL to be brutal on convertible owners 10 out of 12 months.

although you made reference to it being in the 40's in your OP so i'm gonna guess you're further north...

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by REDEV217342

Why do you care so much about what someone else buys or finds interesting or of value? The guy wanted an Audi droptop. He got one.

Thanks for the reply. It's nice that we can share our opinions about these things with others right? It's a forum, and that's what it is for - registering opinions. Someone starts a thread about something, and others chime in. How about that? Pretty nifty I think.

I appreciate your very specific, laser-honed interest in me personally and my opinion as opposed to anyone else's for example. But I'll decline engaging in an off topic personal discussion at this time. The thread is about a vehicle purchase, and that's exactly what my reply addressed. Feel free to add your reply about that topic too if you wish.

Edit: Thanks again for keeping it on topic.

[REDEV217342]

Originally Posted by omaralt

so after a lot of soul searching and thinking i ended up trading in for the s5 cabriolet prestige. gray on magma red. beautiful car. i really had to be honest with myself and realize having a sports car isn't what i need. i want to need an M3. but with my commute and drive i never utilize it to it's potential. now i have a convertible! even though it's in the 40's here in FL i'm loving the top down. either way the tech blows BMW away (virtual cockpit is amazing) but still getting used to the other stuff

Enjoy the S5. It looks fantastic...nice color combo. No need to feel compelled to substantiate your rationale for purchasing. Buy and drive what you like.

I have found the older I get, my car choices/interests change as well. I am presently looking at perhaps buying a Jaguar F Type S when I thought for sure I wanted a GT350.