F82 M4 Worth the Extra Money over E92 M3?

[Arcades]

Originally Posted by mictang

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and inputs, i read them all and they are greatly appreciated.


Your above comments caught my attention so I want to respond and also maybe give others some reference.

I actually have a F11 5 series and a regular E90 so I knew the new chassis has so much better interior, If i simply had the money to spend and no to care I probably would just get the F82 for the better interior alone.

So yes I knew very well the F82 is an overall better car and what I wasn’t so sure about is if I should pay 40% more for it. It’s more of a personal judgement(preference) rather than factual debate so I don’t see why this would lead to a “shouting match”.

I guess what i really wanted to hear was from people with real-world experience on both cars shedding some light on things that aren’t obvious like the power delivery, interior, maintenance costs, etc.

Moving on...

Preference is exactly what it is, preference. Why do some people choose the AMG C63S over the F80/F82? Because of AMG's V8. Why would someone else choose the Audi RS5 B9 over the F80/F82? Because of the Sportback, interior design of the Audi and the GT feel of the new RS5. That is what you need to ask yourself. What are you looking for because everyone here has a personal opinion that might not align yours.

Facts on the E92 M3 and it's S65 engine are extremely well known at this point. That car has been out since 2007. Everything that can be known about that car is more or less known about it. There is no way an NA V8 would have the early torque feel of a Twin Turbo I6. That is literally engineering, the only way you can bypass it is to just Supercharge the S65. That is why the Turbo is there for the S55, for the torque. You have about 100+ more lbs-ft of torque between the two cars.

Performance cars like these are purely preference at this point. Here is some advice (Not trying to be douchy), write down a list of what you are looking for in a car. Then see which one of these cars checks the most off of your list, then you have your answer. I would also never take "engine modding" or "ecu tuning" into account because at that point you aren't comparing properly. The F82 is just a faster car if you do the same amount of stuff to the E92.

Some would still choose the E92 M3 purely for the high revveing V8, while others would choose the TT I6 because of the brute force feel of the early torque. If you are looking for a 911 down the line, then I'd just say wait and get the 911 instead of going in between. Save yourself the $ and get the Porsche later.

[WESTCOASTTRADING]

Originally Posted by Arcades

Preference is exactly what it is, preference. Why do some people choose the AMG C63S over the F80/F82? Because of AMG's V8. Why would someone else choose the Audi RS5 B9 over the F80/F82? Because of the Sportback, interior design of the Audi and the GT feel of the new RS5. That is what you need to ask yourself. What are you looking for because everyone here has a personal opinion that might not align yours.

Facts on the E92 M3 and it's S65 engine are extremely well known at this point. That car has been out since 2007. Everything that can be known about that car is more or less known about it. There is no way an NA V8 would have the early torque feel of a Twin Turbo I6. That is literally engineering, the only way you can bypass it is to just Supercharge the S65. That is why the Turbo is there for the S55, for the torque. You have about 100+ more lbs-ft of torque between the two cars.

Performance cars like these are purely preference at this point. Here is some advice (Not trying to be douchy), write down a list of what you are looking for in a car. Then see which one of these cars checks the most off of your list, then you have your answer. I would also never take "engine modding" or "ecu tuning" into account because at that point you aren't comparing properly. The F82 is just a faster car if you do the same amount of stuff to the E92.

Some would still choose the E92 M3 purely for the high revveing V8, while others would choose the TT I6 because of the brute force feel of the early torque. If you are looking for a 911 down the line, then I'd just say wait and get the 911 instead of going in between. Save yourself the $ and get the Porsche later.

Well said

[Obioban]

If you like torque, get the f8X. If you like a revvy NA engine, get the e9X.

I'd get the e9X over the F8X every time. Torque is boring.

[Keca10]

This is great advice. I like the idea of making a list and ranking what’s important.

At the end just drive the cars and look what you fall in love with.
This is an emotional based purchase - no one buys a sports car for logical reasons.

Originally Posted by Arcades

Preference is exactly what it is, preference. Why do some people choose the AMG C63S over the F80/F82? Because of AMG's V8. Why would someone else choose the Audi RS5 B9 over the F80/F82? Because of the Sportback, interior design of the Audi and the GT feel of the new RS5. That is what you need to ask yourself. What are you looking for because everyone here has a personal opinion that might not align yours.

Facts on the E92 M3 and it's S65 engine are extremely well known at this point. That car has been out since 2007. Everything that can be known about that car is more or less known about it. There is no way an NA V8 would have the early torque feel of a Twin Turbo I6. That is literally engineering, the only way you can bypass it is to just Supercharge the S65. That is why the Turbo is there for the S55, for the torque. You have about 100+ more lbs-ft of torque between the two cars.

Performance cars like these are purely preference at this point. Here is some advice (Not trying to be douchy), write down a list of what you are looking for in a car. Then see which one of these cars checks the most off of your list, then you have your answer. I would also never take "engine modding" or "ecu tuning" into account because at that point you aren't comparing properly. The F82 is just a faster car if you do the same amount of stuff to the E92.

Some would still choose the E92 M3 purely for the high revveing V8, while others would choose the TT I6 because of the brute force feel of the early torque. If you are looking for a 911 down the line, then I'd just say wait and get the 911 instead of going in between. Save yourself the $ and get the Porsche later.

[Humdizzle]

Yup make a list and decide what's important.

I was dead set on an e92, but after driving an F80. and realizing that I already had a more powerful, higher revving, better sounding,V8 in the garage.... the f80 choice was clear because it was better in every other way. And the amount of depreciation I would face on the used F80 wasn't that bad. Of course not as solid as e92 comp prices.

I would say that modding should be taken into account. The E92 isn't going to get much faster without some serious money on your end. like $5000-6000+ supercharger install on your end for 500whp.

You can achieve the same goal in the F80 with a $600 tune and no hardware changes. in a car that's already the same weight if not a bit lighter.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by mictang

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and inputs, i read them all and they are greatly appreciated.



Your above comments caught my attention so I want to respond and also maybe give others some reference.

I actually have a F11 5 series and a regular E90 so I knew the new chassis has so much better interior, If i simply had the money to spend and no to care I probably would just get the F82 for the better interior alone.

So yes I knew very well the F82 is an overall better car and what I wasn’t so sure about is if I should pay 40% more for it. It’s more of a personal judgement(preference) rather than factual debate so I don’t see why this would lead to a “shouting match”.

I guess what i really wanted to hear was from people with real-world experience on both cars shedding some light on things that aren’t obvious like the power delivery, interior, maintenance costs, etc.

Moving on...





I noticed the lack of low end torque when i drove the M3, it didn’t feel like a 420hp car, but it kicked nicely after 7000 or so rpm with this surge in power. So I would say you guys are both right, S55 would “feel” much faster and in reality faster but not huge difference.


Oh and for those who might be in similar shoes like me, I just want to mention I don’t have to pay as much more in repair and maintenance costs for the E92 as labor is cheap in my region anyways. With my experience owning the regular E90 I am prepared for somewhat often nuisances here and there.

I have the money to pay for the extra gas, tax, and insurance (again insurance is minor difference in my region so check those info from where you live before you buy) too just wasn’t sure about coughing up the extra cash for the car itself, no one should buy a used performance car spending all of the budget I just want to add.


I am searching for the E92 quite extensively now and it does seem to be a good time to buy them as the last few recent year low mileage examples are fading away and price has somewhat bottomed out, the F82’s price is quite stiff in my area due to it being such a nice car.

Dont be mistaken, the F82 is leaps and bounds faster than an E92...

[sna66]

Originally Posted by pikkagtr

I disagree
The tq monster s55 will feel dramatically faster on the street where most likely the car will be driven ie mid-range
On the track the e92 is much better where you can rev it out
Try passing a van going up a hill in 4th at 2500 in the e92

Exactly... the "fun" usable power in the f8x on the street is more accessible than on the e9x

[EricSMG]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

Dont be mistaken, the F82 is leaps and bounds faster than an E92...

x1000

I've owned both cars and the F8X is mind-blowingly faster in the real world. No contest at all. One of the few times "night and day" is actually appropriate. Yes, it is laggy/slow below 3krpm but from that point on it's a ROCKET all the way to redline. Just 1/4 throttle will put football fields on normal traffic, in pretty much any gear. Conversely, the E9XM needs to be revved into the middle-upper tach JUST to keep up with normal traffic. HUGE, HUGE difference.

It's also much, much more precise in the handling department, has a crazy rigid chassis and looks 10 times better on a bad day.

There has never been such a big step "up" between generations (I've owned all save for E30M). Each model has its strenghts and weaknesses (from a driving standpoint, purely) but the F8X package is bonkers thrilling to drive and extremely well rounded.

I'll that said, I'm considering getting back into the E9XM from my current E46M and so I'm struggling with the same challenge as OP. The challenge is that used F8X ZCP cars are now ~$50K. It's hard to justify a $35K E92 M3 when for 15k more you can get a vastly superior machine.

ONE IMPORTANT CAVEAT TO BE FAIR: The E9XM is actually the the most thrilling of all models IF totally unleashed. Meaning, if you REALLY hammer on it and keep the motor at/near redline consistently then it blows all of the others out of the water. The problem, here, is that this is not realistic aside from track usage, in which case it might be the least thrilling model. If I were going to use my car primarily as a track machine I'd pick the E9XM no question. A true jekyll and hyde machine, for what that's worth.

Originally Posted by Obioban

If you like torque, get the f8X. If you like a revvy NA engine, get the e9X.

I'd get the e9X over the F8X every time. Torque is boring.

Except for when it's lacking. You and I both struggle with the E9XM for exactly this reason - it lacks urgency below 7krpm and thus is not exciting to drive. It NEEDS more torque in the midrange - not F8X levels, but more without question.

[gtr2M3]

Echoing what many have already said, and just recently trading in my E92 for an F82, I’ll say that the F82 is sooooo much better IMO

The only thing I didn’t like about the E92 was that you HAD to rev the crap out of it to make it move.. F82, not so much

With that said, the exhaust note of the F82 might not be as sweet but I hope to work on that soon