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since the last thread went into a financial discussion, just thought I would add some more about the M3 - since we all like cars here.

car requires a 1200 miles oil change (diff and engine), that's happening on Wednesday, cost is 325 inc vat or 150 if I supply oil (90 quid from opie for 10 litre). Car takes 8.8 litres but prices ranged from 430 inc vat down to the 325 (all in Surrey).

Some things I noticed that is surprising is that the bmw finish isn't as good as the Audi - for example you can see seam welds on the underneath of the boot lid and the paint is as if its not lacquered under the bonnet or boot lid - minor but surprising. Also some rubber trim around the carbon roof doesn't seem great but that could just be my car. Alloys are a nightmare to keep clean but then so is a white car in this weather.

When the car starts up it sounds ace - very lumpy like a race car. I am totally happy with the noise the car makes - its more high pitched than the RS - it definitely turns heads and I haven't gone above 5k yet.

In the wet - wow big difference - you really got to tread lightly when putting down the power - so different to the RS.

I have taken the M3 on some roads I knew well from the RS and the M3 is definitely different - I would say the front feels more pointed and the rear seems to follow the front round the bends (or into ditches).

Early days so far but looking forward to being able to give full beans next week.

Dunc

I'll be in the office next week, so make sure you have the keys handy

I'll have to check my boot/bonnet.
Still haven't driven my car in serious wetness - we seem to be having a mini-drought where I live!

Be carful out there don't want to read you have ended up in a ditch.
Interesting info about the finish though i would have thought all the German car s would have had a similar fit and finish.

Stay safe

Dunc, did you get a saloon or a coupe?If te latter it doesn't surprise me that the nose is more direct because you are carrying less weight and lower centre of gravity.

Glad to see you are enjoying but the Litmus test will be when it really gets wet or worse still, snow (if it ever happens)

Coupe - and yes I dont want to write that i have ended up in a ditch either

ill take a picture of the weld marks

I noticed yesterday how thin BMW paint was. Was doing a friend a favour by flattening out some scratches with my DA on their rear bumper where someone had clipped them in a car park and the paint / lacquer is thin and even a cut pad on low speed with Mez Power Finish generated huge amounts of heat. If I wasn't careful I could have easily taken the paint off. Just shows how rock hard Audi paint / lacquer is.

Very surprised.

P_G wrote:Dunc, did you get a saloon or a coupe?If te latter it doesn't surprise me that the nose is more direct because you are carrying less weight and lower centre of gravity.

Glad to see you are enjoying but the Litmus test will be when it really gets wet or worse still, snow (if it ever happens)

He's got a carbon roof, only the coupe has this

I had a 2011 saloon in january, kept it until August then gave it back.
To be totally frank it just did nothing for me, it was fast...ish but didnt feel mega quick, handling, hated the constant interuption from traction control on anything other than smooth road and it just did not give me that grin that my previous RS4 or C4S gave me. Sometimes its not just about performance its about the sum of the parts. The paint finish is an absolute joke.
I had a manual non edc car and ride was somewhere in between SS+ and SS, the damping was good but not as good as an RS4 with DRC. I always remember my SS+ RS4 being incredibly firm but it would always absorb most bumps with confidence.

Paint is defo not as good on the BMW. IIRC, BMW = 80-90 microns thick, Audi = 110-120.

Agree that the full fat DSC mode is a bit keen (probably a good thing in the wet though). In the dry I find the semi-skimmed DSC is about right.

Thanks for posting all the M3 stuff - it's very interesting! Just curious, on a superficial level, do you think the M3 gets more attention favourable or otherwise?

Have to say the new m5 is looking very tempting depending what Audi announce at Geneva

Especially if the rumours are true that you'll soon be able to specify S Drive or X Drive on ALL BMW's, so a 4WD M5 would be very tempting indeed

stuwd wrote:Thanks for posting all the M3 stuff - it's very interesting! Just curious, on a superficial level, do you think the M3 gets more attention favourable or otherwise?

I got far more attention (the good sort) in my RS4.
In my RS4 grown up blokes would pull alongside and give you the thumbs up.
In my C4S grown up blokes would have a sneaky look but deliberatley look away.
In my M3 grown up blokes wouldnt give it a second look.

It would be great if they make a 4wd M car other than X6 or X5.