[Reesnat]

It’s been over a year now since I’ve owned this beauty and thought its time to post an update. I must confess, I underestimated how much visibility this thread will get, this is not what I originally intended, but nevertheless, glad many of you enjoyed it.

Let me try and answer some of the questions you may have:

What have I done with the car in the one year since I got it?

Mostly cosmetic, got the OVRMs, rear spoiler wrapped in black and rear red reflector changed.

I think it looks badass now and after a year, even better than the way it rolled out the showroom, will let some pics do the talking







Rear red reflector delete done recently:

Before:



After:



How many KMs have I done in a year?

Nearly 9000 kms on odo now.

Where do I drive it?

This isn’t my daily, its largely my weekend treat and usually when I take it out I end up doing 100-200 kms at a time as I drive it on the outskirts/highways for the most part. Going out on long breakfast runs with my wife on Sunday has become a common thing for us. I wake up early on most days, and sometimes I would just take it out for a drive around town early in the morning when the roads are not too busy with the windows slightly down to enjoy the sound and experience.

If I had a chance to go back a year, would I buy it again?

Absolutely yes. This car has brought me a lot of joy and pushes me to work harder at work and keep my passion alive. Every time I enter this car and start it, its an occasion! Every time I walk past it, can’t help but stop and get another look. I know of the threads here asking if it's worth buying premium cars in India, and this is a personal question and will vary for all, but if you truly live to drive, then hell yes!

[klondikebar]

Originally Posted by Reesnat

Hey buddy, I can totally relate to what you're going through, I went through the exact same phase of total obsession for a month before I buckled and got it.

COVID has complicated things for a lot of people and I can totally understand the apprehension, end of the day you have to decide if the luxury is worth it for you.

For me personally, its been fantastic so far, learning the limits of what the car can do and improving my skills along the way. The engadgement this car offers is something you wont find in many other cars, that much I can assure you. This is a lot more than straight line speed (that ofcourse it can do as well).

I've just crossed 7k kms today, another post with the update coming up shortly. If you get the BSI+ you wont have to worry about cost of maintenance, I'll address this too in my update post.

I know the BMW guys pretty well by now and if you need any inputs or help, feel free to DM me and I'll do my best to help out.

All the best to you and I hope you are able to make your dream a reality soon.

Hey @Reesnat, thank you for this message! I have been pondering this for a while and I think I want to make the plunge. Especially after your most recent post, I think I am going to make the huge stretch and try and get this in my life. In fact, I might even be test driving one this weekend. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to DM you yet since I'm a new member. I'd like to ask you some questions about ownership and the purchase process and what to watch out for (this is a gently used 2nd hand car). Would you be able to talk about this? I'll be grateful to you forever :-)

[Reesnat]

Originally Posted by klondikebar

Hey @Reesnat, thank you for this message! I have been pondering this for a while and I think I want to make the plunge. Especially after your most recent post, I think I am going to make the huge stretch and try and get this in my life. In fact, I might even be test driving one this weekend. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to DM you yet since I'm a new member. I'd like to ask you some questions about ownership and the purchase process and what to watch out for (this is a gently used 2nd hand car). Would you be able to talk about this? I'll be grateful to you forever :-)

Hi, sure happy to help a fellow enthusiast as best I can. I just sent you an email via TBHP with my number.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by klondikebar

what to watch out for (this is a gently used 2nd hand car)

Just be sure that this car was bought brand new and not via BMW auctions. They had sold a large number of M2 cars via an auction which were mostly used on track and otherwise. Though BMW does take care of these cars and get everything checked under 360 before sales but you should be aware and your purchase price should be dependent on this.

How do you find out of it was an auction track car - check the first date of first inspection(PDI service) from the car drive or via a dealer and the date of invoice/ registration. If there's a delay, it means it was in use. Mostly, BMW India does not register the cars and these are shown as First owner car.

If that's not the case, it will be still a good idea to pay some money and get a thorough inspection done at the dealership. Buy an extended warranty and you should be good.

[Reesnat]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Just be sure that this car was bought brand new and not via BMW auctions. They had sold a large number of M2 cars via an auction which were mostly used on track and otherwise. Though BMW does take care of these cars and get everything checked under 360 before sales but you should be aware and your purchase price should be dependent on this.

How do you find out of it was an auction track car - check the first date of first inspection(PDI service) from the car drive or via a dealer and the date of invoice/ registration. If there's a delay, it means it was in use. Mostly, BMW India does not register the cars and these are shown as First owner car.

If that's not the case, it will be still a good idea to pay some money and get a thorough inspection done at the dealership. Buy an extended warranty and you should be good.

These are great pointers, thanks for sharing!

One aspect that I want to add is about running away from cars that are used a lot and only look for ‘lightly used’. The key aspect that I would care about is not if the car was used on track or not if it was driven hard, I would try to judge from the owner how well the car has been cared for. These cars are meant to be driven hard, and they will last, provided, they are maintained responsibly.

I would pick a car that has higher mileage but has an owner that has taken care of the car well and is really passionate about it vs A car with low mileage but an owner that doesn’t seem like one that’s deeply passionate about the car and probably not taken the effort to really get to know the car and care for it. Usually one close inspection of the car will sort of give this away...

Judging the above is obviously a tricky one, and will come down to your assessment of the owner. You buy the owner, not the car in these cases

Good luck!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by klondikebar

I'd like to ask you some questions about ownership and the purchase process and what to watch out for (this is a gently used 2nd hand car). Would you be able to talk about this? I'll be grateful to you forever :-)

Originally Posted by Reesnat

Hi, sure happy to help a fellow enthusiast as best I can. I just sent you an email via TBHP with my number.

A 1-on-1 offline conversation will help 1 person, in this case klondikebar. On the other hand, if you gents discuss the Q&A on the forum, it will help thousands of readers (even international readers are coming to this thread).

Hence, in the spirit of sharing information on this forum, please continue the Q&A on the thread itself. Thanks for the support & understanding .

[androdev]

Originally Posted by klondikebar

Hey @Reesnat, thank you for this message! I have been pondering this for a while and I think I want to make the plunge. Especially after your most recent post, I think I am going to make the huge stretch and try and get this in my life. In fact, I might even be test driving one this weekend. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to DM you yet since I'm a new member. I'd like to ask you some questions about ownership and the purchase process and what to watch out for (this is a gently used 2nd hand car). Would you be able to talk about this? I'll be grateful to you forever :-)

@klondikebar, buying a car of this segment requires decent working capital, not just the initial investment. It's easy to plan for and absorb the one-time initial cost. Subsequent ownership costs can be overwhelming. I hope you have given it due thought and considered worst/avg/best case scenarios for the next few years that you plan to own a car in this segment. Best case scenario itself would be insurance+service+tires, etc. of 3L+ per year.

I don't fully agree with @Reesnat post about higher mileage and I would avoid them no matter how good the car has been looked after. There are exceptions but German cars routinely require new parts once they cross 60K km or so. Some technologies you need to be particularly be weary of: dual clutch transmissions and fancy suspensions. They are amazing but high risk items. Apart from that most German cars also require water pump, fuel pump, ac compressor, mounts, etc. - but these are medium risk. And then you have issues related to sensor/electrical bugs - these would be low risk. High mileage sports cars in India will rattle like there is no tomorrow.

Specifically within BMW, as you probably know, DCT is being discontinued. There are two way to look at it: it's the last great opportunity to enjoy DCT in a BMW and be ready to pay if something goes wrong. Or consider cars with ZF transmission. Not as amazing as DCT but bulletproof reliable.

Low mileage with clean and complete service history directly from a helpful enthusiast owner would be my choice even if it means a long wait and paying extra. Or buy a new car within budget.

[Reesnat]

Originally Posted by androdev

I don't fully agree with @Reesnat post about higher mileage and I would avoid them no matter how good the car has been looked after. There are exceptions but German cars routinely require new parts once they cross 60K km or so. Some technologies you need to be particularly be weary of: dual clutch transmissions and fancy suspensions. They are amazing but high risk items. Apart from that most German cars also require water pump, fuel pump, ac compressor, mounts, etc. - but these are medium risk. And then you have issues related to sensor/electrical bugs - these would be low risk. High mileage sports cars in India will rattle like there is no tomorrow.

Specifically within BMW, as you probably know, DCT is being discontinued. There are two way to look at it: it's the last great opportunity to enjoy DCT in a BMW and be ready to pay if something goes wrong. Or consider cars with ZF transmission. Not as amazing as DCT but bulletproof reliable.

Low mileage with clean and complete service history directly from a helpful enthusiast owner would be my choice even if it means a long wait and paying extra. Or buy a new car within budget.

What you are saying is academically correct, but practically there is more to it. Let me tell you where this comes from, my experience having driven with a lot of vRS230/245 and sports car owners (BMW/Porsche/AMGs) on various drives.

I have seen owners drive the car full tilt in the city and on highways bouncing off the limiter all the time with no respect for the engine/gearbox/chassis saying this is how to drive them 'hard', honestly, I cringe feeling bad for the car at times. Then there are owners who do drive the car hard but are not the signal to signal kick down to redline all the time and bouncing off the limiter types, but do drive the car to redline on an open stretch/highway/race track.

I can assure you the boy racer types will have 3x the wear and tear on the whole car vs the one who drives a bit more sensibly. The amount of stress the car will see with these 'in the city' boy racers is a lot. So yes, based on my experience I would try and dig past the mileage as the only criteria. If most of these are highway miles then the wear is significantly less.

On the DCT - the F80 generation DCT is truly the last great BMW sports gearbox and has been bullet proof so far across the world. The ZF doesn't nearly offer the same engagement, but is still a good gearbox for a torque converter. Companies are moving to torque converters for cost reasons, space reasons and the ability for torque converters to hold more torque than DCTs. This is a bean counter decision.

On TBHP seems like DCT is a bad word, which is unfortunate. Cant apply that logic to all DCTs in all cars.

Nowadays getting a BSI+ inclusive + BSI repair package for 6 years is a safe, clear visibility on your costs of maintenance no matter how hard you drive.

[showboat]

Resnaat,

Fantastic thread and fantastic garage. Keep updating it, its a great resource for many people.

Wanted to pick your brain on the upcoming M340i. It's not a proper M car of course, but the engine and setup are pretty amazing from all the global reviews and my friends who have it or have driven it.

If you had to have a 1 car garage, would the M340i be the one? It won't handle like your M2 (honestly nothing will at the price point, except the 718 Cayman), but it'll be 90% of the performance. It should have as much space as a VRS, and work as a decent family car (small boot though) for long trips.

Planning on replacing our X5 later this year or early next and really wanted a sedan, so the only thing I could think of was the M340i.

[Reesnat]

Originally Posted by showboat

Resnaat,

Fantastic thread and fantastic garage. Keep updating it, its a great resource for many people.

Wanted to pick your brain on the upcoming M340i. It's not a proper M car of course, but the engine and setup are pretty amazing from all the global reviews and my friends who have it or have driven it.

If you had to have a 1 car garage, would the M340i be the one? It won't handle like your M2 (honestly nothing will at the price point, except the 718 Cayman), but it'll be 90% of the performance. It should have as much space as a VRS, and work as a decent family car (small boot though) for long trips.

Planning on replacing our X5 later this year or early next and really wanted a sedan, so the only thing I could think of was the M340i.

Thanks, glad it is of help to others.

On the 340i - Drove it last week. As expected the engine and gearbox is fantastic and so is the steering feel and driving dynamics for a car of its size/class. My concerns were the stiffer M Sport suspension which was throwing people in the backseat around at high speeds on highway undulations and joints and felt unsettled if roads weren't perfect, and you were pushing it.

Right after that, I got into my vRS245 which is running a APR Stage 1 map and a KW Street Comfort suspension. I found the vRS to have much better comfort and stability at high speeds. Not to say it provided a sharper driving experience, it just seemed to provide a more pliant driving experience that is more suited for our Indian Highways and as a family car. Purely from a performance car experience under ideal conditions (perfect roads), the 340i is in a different league.

So to answer your Q on the 340i if I had to pick one car - Yes the 340i offers the best engine/gearbox and driving dynamics of any car with 4 doors under 1Cr. The M2C is a different driving experience altogether. BUT, the MSport Suspension and MSport seats left me concerned about comfort and high-speed stability on undulating roads (which is basically everywhere in India). And that boot is a massive compromise after getting used to the vRS boot, so practicality is a big hit. So I came away wondering is the 530D a more practical option for India if you wanted one car to do it all?

Under 50L the vRS + Stage 1 tune + suspension upgrade is the best bang for buck and only the 530D offers a better package on all fronts - Driving Dynamics, Comfort, Space.

340i could be the 1 car if you had to pick one, but if you were coming from a vRS or if you were coming from a 5 series car, prepare yourself for compromises on comfort and space.

[deepakc]

Hello Reesnat,

Loved reading your experiences with the M2C.

One question - how is it dealing with BMW with your BSI packages considering that you take your car to the track? Do they have any riders about acknowledging replacements for parts which may break down due to track day driving experiences?

[Reesnat]

Originally Posted by deepakc

Hello Reesnat,

Loved reading your experiences with the M2C.

One question - how is it dealing with BMW with your BSI packages considering that you take your car to the track? Do they have any riders about acknowledging replacements for parts which may break down due to track day driving experiences?

No rider that I know of but some sort of reasonable logic will prevail. In my case, I've been to the track 3 times with the car in the year of which 2 days were light and wasn't out on the track too much. So in total, I would have done about 100-120kms on the track in the year. I've clocked 9100 km as of today, would it be fair for BMW to give me grief with BSI for that? Almost 99% of my driving is on highways/street.

On the first day out on track and in my excitement I forgot to give the brakes enough cooldown time between laps on one of the sessions and managed to get a couple of heat scars which caused vibrations, the service center took care of it. But what if I went back to them the next month with burnt pads and brakes? ofcourse they would throw a fit. So some logic needs to be applied. I of course learnt my lesson and have been very careful since.

Just as you need to be sensible with your street driving (further to my post above on redlight shenanigans) and how you respect the car, you need to be even more sensible if you do a track day. Dont do more than 5-6 laps at a time (if its a smallish circuit like MMRT), do a sighting lap, a couple of hard laps and a cooldown lap, give the car a break and let it cooldown for 15-20 mins before you go out again. This way you do not overcook the oils in the car or the brakes and all is good.

[Reesnat]

The best kind of Sunday mornings for me are when I get to take the M2C out and truly enjoy it. Today was one of those Sundays - an ECR drive with some vRS buddies.

Taking the car out in the morning from our apartment complex and the sunlight hitting it head-on is a beautiful sight with this color and shows off the duality of the color when seen in sunlight/shade:




We drove to the boathouse halfway to Pondicherry from Mahabalipuram. More than the ECR stretch until Mahabalipuram (which has speed cams now), it's the smaller two-lane roads from Mahabalipuram to Pondy that are most enjoyable with its twisty roads. You get to truly experience and enjoy all aspects of the car. The gearbox, sharp, engaging dynamics all are a treat, its like a go-kart. You can even feel the rear end step out every now and then when you floor it hard, before traction control quickly steps in.




Also, I drove a part of this stretch during my test drive of the 340i here last month so could compare the two closely. Surprisingly the M2C didnt feel that much stiffer than the 340i, but what really stood out was that it was reasonably comfortable, pliant, and far more stable even across uneven surfaces. Whereas the 340i would get very unsettled and twitchy to drive on the same roads - this instability of the 340i is the biggest Achilles heel for an otherwise fantastic car. The added weight and XDrive are probably to blame. I would highly recommend getting rid of the run-flats for new 340i owners, those don't work on this car in our conditions.

[Philomath55]

Hey Reesnat,
This is an amazing piece of machine that you got here!
I have seen your car a few times and I must say that the Hockenheim silver looks outstanding in person and it is hands down the best colour on an M2.
Wishing you many more miles with the car.

[Reesnat]

Originally Posted by Philomath55

Hey Reesnat,
This is an amazing piece of machine that you got here!
I have seen your car a few times and I must say that the Hockenheim silver looks outstanding in person and it is hands down the best colour on an M2.
Wishing you many more miles with the car.

Thank you! Feel free to wave or stop me next time you see me