2011 E92 M3 or 2017-2018 F80 M3?

[chromepantz]

Hi all, I’m currently in the market looking for a new daily (in LA) and am looking for the best deal. I love both of these cars and would appreciate your help in making my decision! I drive about 12,000 miles per year.


Car 1: 2011 E92 M3 from CarMax. Currently 61k Miles. Will be purchasing MaxCare warranty with this vehicle

This car is fully loaded with comp pkg, tech pkg, cold weather pkg, and premium package 2.

Cost of Car: $33,000 (After-tax)
Cost of Warranty: $4,400 ($300 deductible)
Total: $37,400

Warranty is good for up to 4 years/125k miles (64k miles left.)

*Other Warranty Options: $500 deductible for $3,800; $150 deductible for $5,200; $50 deductible for $6,300.
Is the $300 deductible the way to go?

**Also, do you guys think the S65 engine in E92 will last until 125k? I’d love if I can get an engine replacement from CarMax and possibly sell the car for a good price haha (probably not too realistic?)


Car 2: 2017/8 F80 M3. Preferably looking for a CPO. Looking for low miles (0-15,000)

Must haves: Executive Package, Competition Package, Lighting Package (included in executive for 2018 I believe)
Nice to have: Driver’s Assistance

Cost of Car: $55-60,000 (pre-tax)
Factory warranty good for 4 yrs / 50k (5 years with CPO.)

*not sure about accuracy of price for this car, please correct me if too low/high

Which option would you guys go with? I’ve attached some quick maths below. Thanks for the help!

PS: I’m really worried about owning these cars out of warranty, but I haven’t heard too many problems for the F8x M3 (please correct me if mistaken) so I’d be willing to possibly keep the F8x after warranty expires.

[j2dad5389]

If you like living at the gas pump (13-15mpg) and having the fear of rod bearings failing, then the e92 is for you!

all jokes aside, F8x all the way. Best M platform bmw has produced to date. Extremely reliable, and never fails to put a smile on my face every time I get behind the wheel.

[2011zx10R]

Originally Posted by chromepantz

Hi all, I’m currently in the market looking for a new daily (in LA) and am looking for the best deal. I love both of these cars and would appreciate your help in making my decision! I drive about 12,000 miles per year.


Car 1: 2011 E92 M3 from CarMax. Currently 61k Miles. Will be purchasing MaxCare warranty with this vehicle

This car is fully loaded with comp pkg, tech pkg, cold weather pkg, and premium package 2.

Cost of Car: $33,000 (After-tax)
Cost of Warranty: $4,400 ($300 deductible)
Total: $37,400

Warranty is good for up to 4 years/125k miles (64k miles left.)

*Other Warranty Options: $500 deductible for $3,800; $150 deductible for $5,200; $50 deductible for $6,300.
Is the $300 deductible the way to go?

**Also, do you guys think the S65 engine in E92 will last until 125k? I’d love if I can get an engine replacement from CarMax and possibly sell the car for a good price haha (probably not too realistic?)


Car 2: 2017/8 F80 M3. Preferably looking for a CPO. Looking for low miles (0-15,000)

Must haves: Executive Package, Competition Package, Lighting Package (included in executive for 2018 I believe)
Nice to have: Driver’s Assistance

Cost of Car: $55-60,000 (pre-tax)
Factory warranty good for 4 yrs / 50k (5 years with CPO.)

*not sure about accuracy of price for this car, please correct me if too low/high

Which option would you guys go with? I’ve attached some quick maths below. Thanks for the help!

PS: I’m really worried about owning these cars out of warranty, but I haven’t heard too many problems for the F8x M3 (please correct me if mistaken) so I’d be willing to possibly keep the F8x after warranty expires.

That's to much math

Get a brand new Gti

[chromepantz]

Haha, my logic was that the MaxCare warranty would take care of me for those rod bearing and throttle actuator failures

As for the MPG, I averaged 11.8 on my w205 c63s.. I wasn't expecting that LOL rip. I appreciate the response though, for sure still looking for good deals on the 17/18 m3

[chromepantz]

Originally Posted by 2011zx10R

That's to much math

Get a brand new Gti

haha I'm not too familiar with golfs, don't dig the looks as much as an M

[RoundelM3]

F80 all day, every day. E92 was great, F80 much better.

[gatorfast]

I love the e92 M3 but $33k sounds expensive. While that it low mileage for a 2011 car, you can get a 2015 f80 with similar mileage for a similar price.

[Rbc44]

I have owned and daily driven both cars. In my opinion the f80 is just a better car all around.

[Mandi90TT]

E92 sounds better. In every other way, F8x is light years beyond the E9x

[nicknaz]

Personally, I wouldn’t count on a third party warranty to handle rod bearings. It will get ugly if they fail and your get accused of abusing the car and insurance co tells you to pound sand.

Who knows what kind of fix will be authorized as well. Lol if you think you’ll get a brand new crate engine paid for.

Go into e9xM ownership expecting to refresh the RBs and check to make sure there isn’t already any scoring. My understanding is by the time you hear rod knock the block is toast.

For a street only car, I’d consider e90M due to the great sounds.

As for F80, I’d pick whichever has NO moonroof and ideally 6MT

[No.401_Speed]

The E92 M3 may be a future classic but the price sounds high for an '11. I watched a 2009 M3 sell at Barrett Jackson a month or so ago (similar to the one at the link below) and it went for $22,500. Very clean car, reasonable mileage and the price seemed about right. I know guys that own them and they have had no rod bearing or crank bearing issues, but it is a risk with the S65 engine.

If you like two-doors, wouldn't you consider the M4 over an M3? I was in your position last year and tried to balance the pros/cons of E92 versus F82 and the M4 won hands down (I already own an E92 328i XDrive so I was looking for something newer). If you go for the naturally aspirated V8 you'll miss the low RPM torque of the S55 six.

Suggest you test drive both before making your decision. They are different beasts.

https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Even...-BMW-M3-235384

[elinstylez]

The e92 is a great car, but the f80 is a far better daily. Better tech, fuel economy, room, and performance. If you're worried about warranty the f80s are still covered by the dealer.

[AO08BAS]

As someone who has had two of each manuals and DCTs thrown in for good measure. I would echo what everyone else is saying here and go with the F8X

It's a huge leap forward in terms of ride quality,power,tech etc a step up in everything apart from the sound. Get the CP and the pops and crackles will keep you entertained enough that you won't miss the V8 much seeing as you never had in the first place.

[2011zx10R]

Originally Posted by chromepantz

Haha, my logic was that the MaxCare warranty would take care of me for those rod bearing and throttle actuator failures

As for the MPG, I averaged 11.8 on my w205 c63s.. I wasn't expecting that LOL rip. I appreciate the response though, for sure still looking for good deals on the 17/18 m3

Originally Posted by chromepantz

Haha, my logic was that the MaxCare warranty would take care of me for those rod bearing and throttle actuator failures

As for the MPG, I averaged 11.8 on my w205 c63s.. I wasn't expecting that LOL rip. I appreciate the response though, for sure still looking for good deals on the 17/18 m3

What happened to the c63s?

[Humdizzle]

f80 is the better car

e92 comp pack is a better place to put your money. e92 prices are holding solid, especially a comp pack. 2017 M3 still has alot of depreciation left in it.

[DanMpower]

Originally Posted by j2dad5389

If you like living at the gas pump (13-15mpg) and having the fear of rod bearings failing, then the e92 is for you!

all jokes aside, F8x all the way. Best M platform bmw has produced to date. Extremely reliable, and never fails to put a smile on my face every time I get behind the wheel.

As the owner of 2 E92 M3s and an F80 M3, I agree with this post.

If you can swing it, definitely own both if you can. Both amazing cars but the E92 feels dated, slow and not as sharp as the F80.

I feel my F80 gives me more smiles per mile than my E92, also I find myself reaching for the keys to my F80 9 out of 10 times.

[NashvegasR]

I had a 2009 & then a 2013 E92 Comp and now a 2016 M4.

I hate to say it... as I was a big big E92 fan but I agree with everyone else, the newer one is better and more smile-inducing on a daily basis, also better to live with, less clunky, more power, better brakes, better interior IMO and a bit meaner looking.

[uniqueMR]

F80

[ByeFelicia]

Originally Posted by ZeCP

It's a huge leap forward in terms of ride quality,power,tech etc a step up in everything apart from the sound. Get the CP and the pops and crackles will keep you entertained enough that you won't miss the V8 much seeing as you never had in the first place.

Very true as i've had an e92 as well. After about a month you will forget about the sound anyhow.

[canukgtp]

Having owned both...yes the sound of the E92 is beautiful...but as everyone is saying, the F80 is just a better package for everything else...plus I'm one of those weirdos who really likes the dirty sound of the straight 6.

Good luck with the decision and shopping!

[cotmfk]

Originally Posted by chromepantz

Haha, my logic was that the MaxCare warranty would take care of me for those rod bearing and throttle actuator failures

As for the MPG, I averaged 11.8 on my w205 c63s.. I wasn't expecting that LOL rip. I appreciate the response though, for sure still looking for good deals on the 17/18 m3

If you have a C63 now, then I think the answer is F8x. The E92 will not have enough torque for you.

[WestCoastBias]

I was in a similar place a few months ago, and went for the F80. I was coming from Mustangs, and the E9x lack of torque killed if for me as well as the fear of rod bearings and maintenance. I don't trust non-OEM warranties. A friend of mine had a 2010 E92 go, and he had to sue his warranty company to cover it. Another acquaintance fell victim to the 996 IMS issue and had to sue his warranty to cover it. Both companies found social media posts of track days to try and weasel out. Both ultimately did get their fixes paid for, but it's a lot of stress, time and expense.

That said, the E9x does sound extremely good (the noise is the ONLY thing I miss about my Mustang), and there's apparently a preemptive fix for the rod bearings you can budget for. Also, as others have mentioned, the E9x is probably near the bottom of the depreciation curve, so if you subscribe to the whole it's not how much the car costs, but how much it's going to lose ethos, the E9x is probably the better bet. However, the F80 is nicer in every conceivable way outside of the noise it makes.