340i owner debating upgrade to M3C

[2011ninja]

Finance is your call...

M340 vs F80M3 no comparison.

An M340 can keep up with an M3; sure ...

The difference is an M3 does it effortlessly and you don't feel like your beating on the car.

When I'm cruising at 80 and hit the gas it's like I'm pulling off from 40 mph.

I have the OEM 18's so the ride is butter for me.

I've done several road trips 3 hours+ and the wife falls asleep no problem and I'm rolling!!! No sense of the speed at all.

I don't see me driving anything else...

Next will be G80 Pure!

[Suds]

Yep, get the M if it isn’t a financial push, but be ready for road noise.
I’ve had to explain the loud cabin noise to friends, but it does depend on tire choice.

[EricVR4]

Originally Posted by HPD15M3

My fiancé runs the CareNow urgent care on Yale/11th so I’m over there a lot too. Definitely will be looking out for you from now on.

Small world

Originally Posted by Dave 90TT

Broken nose aside, how is your friend liking the G80 compared to the F80?

Thinking about doing the switch myself from my F82 to a G82, although I might get the xDrive version, living in Colorado.

Not to hijack OP's thread too much but my friend loves it. The looks obviously take some getting used to, but he said it's still a ton of fun to drive. He said it's a less "raw" version of the F80 in that you don't have all of the jerkiness of the DCT, and it definitely feels heavier, and he also said the suspension is slightly softer to him (he has the Comp) so overall everything just feels a little more muted. His is Isle of Man Green on black leather (no carbon seats). Interior build quality is much nicer than the F80 too.

I'm going to meet up with him at some point to check it out and test drive it. I'm curious to see the differences as well (and see that damn thing in person because I still can't get past the styling )

[deeldoo]

Originally Posted by 2011ninja

Finance is your call...

M340 vs F80M3 no comparison.

An M340 can keep up with an M3; sure ...

The difference is an M3 does it effortlessly and you don't feel like your beating on the car.

When I'm cruising at 80 and hit the gas it's like I'm pulling off from 40 mph.

I have the OEM 18's so the ride is butter for me.

I've done several road trips 3 hours+ and the wife falls asleep no problem and I'm rolling!!! No sense of the speed at all.

I don't see me driving anything else...

Next will be G80 Pure!

M340 can't keep up with an M3, maybe from a dig if it's x-drive.

Definitely not highway speeds and definitely not in the twists.

The M3/M4 aren't liveable for everyone though to be fair, they are noisy and stiff

[Mandi90TT]

Originally Posted by EricVR4

Small world


Not to hijack OP's thread too much but my friend loves it. The looks obviously take some getting used to, but he said it's still a ton of fun to drive. He said it's a less "raw" version of the F80 in that you don't have all of the jerkiness of the DCT, and it definitely feels heavier, and he also said the suspension is slightly softer to him (he has the Comp) so overall everything just feels a little more muted. His is Isle of Man Green on black leather (no carbon seats). Interior build quality is much nicer than the F80 too.

I'm going to meet up with him at some point to check it out and test drive it. I'm curious to see the differences as well (and see that damn thing in person because I still can't get past the styling )

Thanks, that makes sense.

[buster84]

Originally Posted by EricVR4

Edit: I would also consider the market right now though. COVID made the car market super weird and prices have kind of shot up a bit. I'd be hesitant to buy any car at the moment with the assumption/expectation that the car I'm buying will probably be worth 5-10% less once the market corrects itself. All cars depreciate obviously, but right now they're artificially inflated a bit. My brother is going through the same thing right now switching from his X5 (50i) to an X5M.

I have a feeling this used car market is here to stay. The problem isnt that prices are inflated its the fact that used cars are in higher demand because people decided not to buy new. This means that their will be less new cars on the road, less leased new cars which in turn will trickle down over the next 10 years and keep prices the way they are.

As for the whole bmw/M car price increases my best guess is that the G80's grills are just to hard to swallow and its causing people to look at the f80s instead, plus the m3 base price went up. I wasnt sure what direction I was going to guy when buying my m4, but after seeing the new 2021 models I was like ewww and never looked back. This means that if bmw happens to sell even less m3's or m4s in the newer model our m3's/4's will depreshaite even slower until bmw wises up and replaces that front bumper the same way that the 2020 camaro did after hearing the backlash.

As for the ops question. Why not just get a basic M3 and upgrade that over the compeition. At least then you can save some $$ and it wont exactly be double the price of your 340i.

[PK1]

I had a 2016 340i and then got a 2018 M3 comp which I still have, both 6MT.

Everything that everyone has already said: not the same car at all from a performance perspective so less of a comparison there. From the perspective of livability for a daily, the M3 is definitely louder. I found the fake engine sound (ASD) obnoxious so I deactivated it but there is also a lot more road and tire noise in the M3C than the 340i. I find the suspension in the M3C to be very compliant, better than the sport suspension I had in my 340i, but you would definitely feel the roads in Houston with the low profile tires on the competition package.

Overall I'd take the M3 over the 340i any day, but I live in Dallas and the roads are pretty good. I've lived in other places where roads are not good and it would be less fun to drive an M3C in those places. Also, one bad pothole and you'd realize that those ZCP rims are pretty expensive...

[sna66]

Originally Posted by 2011ninja

When I'm cruising at 80 and hit the gas it's like I'm pulling off from 40 mph.

this ... I never drove a car where I'm going 80+, step on the gas and it takes off like a rocket, M cars hit different

[Nativetexan]

Originally Posted by sna66

this ... I never drove a car where I'm going 80+, step on the gas and it takes off like a rocket, M cars hit different

Punch it going 80 and you’re at 120+ REAL QUICK. never had a car pull like this one at highway speeds.

M3 comp is rough, my back aches a bit after a couple hours, but it’s worth it.

Previous car was a 335is with a dinan tune. I thought that car was awesome. It was way more comfortable.

M is better though. I can’t go back now to non M ever I think...

[GP0256]

I currently own an F30 MSport 335 with power upgrades and an F82 M4. The 2 cars are light years apart in the way they perform. For every day drivability and being in traffic, I would keep your 340. If you want something that is much more potent, only wants to go fast and takes the fun factor way past 10, get an F8x. They are both comfortable to drive but the F82 I have takes more input, especially on longer trips. The DCT in the F82 is so awesome compared to the 8 speed auto in my F30 335. They both handle well and drive nice but even with power mods on the 335, the M4 just has so much more power on tap. Hope this helps

[Randy Johnson]

Don't by an M3. Crank hub issues.

[Mandi90TT]

Originally Posted by Randy Johnson

Don't by an M3. Crank hub issues.

You have approximately zero idea what you're talking about.

[2011ninja]

Originally Posted by Dave 90TT

You have approximately zero idea what you're talking about.

Don't take the bait…

[Mtnclimber]

For the Houston guys on the thread, I’m moving to Houston next week I’ll be by the River Oaks shipping center. Are there any BMW enthusiast get togethers in the area? Looking to find some ways to meet people with similar interests, just bought a 340 a few weeks ago.

[ABenLauda]

Originally Posted by Mtnclimber

For the Houston guys on the thread, I’m moving to Houston next week I’ll be by the River Oaks shipping center. Are there any BMW enthusiast get togethers in the area? Looking to find some ways to meet people with similar interests, just bought a 340 a few weeks ago.

Try asking in the Regional > Southwest page too.

[rmanm4]

Life is short!
You only have one life to live!
Live it at its fullest even when you just driving!
A ///M is a ///M is a ///M!
Go get a /M.
Period!