Why I sold my BMW M3 even though it was a great overall package

It was only 4 months old and met most of my expectations across categories.

BHPian vj123 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Here is a quick update, and long story short, I sold my M3 a few months ago.

I owned it for 4 months with 4200 miles on the odo and it was a great overall package. It met most of my expectations across categories (looks, performance, practicality) which I would expect from a BMW or an M vehicle but was lacking the overall driving character. I felt the vehicle was too refined for my liking and this was solidified as I spent more time with the vehicle.

Not sure if having DCT in this platform would have added more drama to the whole driving experience. Most people choose this platform for the manual gearbox. Would I have been happier with a manual? Maybe. I drove manuals for the most part of my life but I gave it up last decade due to health issues, so manual was not an option for me. Adding an exhaust might have improved the drama. I have had AWE exhausts on several vehicles in the past and could have bought one but it wasn't going to resolve the issue.

Based on my experience, G80 M3 is an amazing grand tourer and a perfect daily driver (this vehicle was not my DD). I am sure that BMW developed the G8x platform this way for a reason - to cater for a wider audience and attract new customers before the M platforms became a hybrid. There is a poll in the Bimmerpost forum where 60% of the respondents say G8x is their first M vehicle and I think they have achieved their target.

After listing the vehicle for sale, I reached out to several physical & online dealers and received some solid offers. The highest offer was from a local exotic car dealer and the second best offer was from Carvana. I slept on the numbers for a week and ended up selling it to the local dealer. I almost got back what I paid for the vehicle (selling price + sales tax). Looking back, I am glad that I sold the vehicle at the right time. With layoffs and Fed increasing rates, the US auto market has softened quite a bit after I sold my vehicle this fall. I see similar vehicles sitting in dealer inventory for months even after significant price drops and I might have lost a significant amount of money had I waited for another month.

I am not in a hurry to get a replacement but might want a vehicle which might be more raw and has better driving character. There are very few new vehicle options in the market which fulfill those criteria and I am not sure how things are going to pan out in the coming months.

Here's what BHPian Reesnat had to say about the matter:

These cars are proven to be highly capable and quick but they do lack that hooligan charm of the earlier cars. I would think that for many this refinement is a plus, though I can totally understand your point of view.

Just surprised that this aspect was enough to make you let go of the car.

S58 is a bomb engine when on song, but does have low-down turbo lag which the S55 didn’t, and no getting around missing that DCT smack and crispness.

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