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5 months ago a friend wanted out of his 2020 GT4 manual. I was in a base 981 and his price was fair so I jumped at it, paid cash, sold my 981 to the local dealer for a fair price (more than I paid). It was always a dream of mine to own a GT car and I was not disappointed. I absolutely loved that car, truly amazing. 5 months later I get a very good offer (more than I paid including tax) and took it. I will miss it. I do not enjoy tracking my cars (too fussy about keeping it pristine), it's purely a canyon carver on the weekend for me, so I felt that in that way it wasn't the perfect fit for me. It was a thrill to own and the fact that it only cost me gas is a huge bonus. I will probably get back into a 718 GTS 4.0 at some point, probably more suited to my weekend canyons mission, but won't feel as special.
Meanwhile I bought a 2021 BMW M2 manual trans, 405 hp/406 torque. I realize I will get s**t here for admitting that, but it's a very fun car, works well as a weekend canyons carver, and it was slightly more than half what the GT4 sold for. I've had a E46 M3 and an E36 M3 back in the day, but it's been a long time. I feel like the M2 is the spiritual successor to my E46 M3.
I had a 17' M2 with around 20,000 euros worth of mods before I got my GT4 so I'm a little jealous I miss this car
However you want to justify it in order to feel good about your purchase. Not even close, IMO, from someone who put 150k miles plus on E46 M3s. Although it’s probably better on track because the E46 M3 was trash.
Thought the same exact thing when I test drove it a while back. Too much *** play for me.
Is the CS any better?
Yes, but not in the "*** play" category unfortunately (lol). But that's not to say that the Competition is a bad car in any way. Nor is the CS worth the cost of entry over a Comp (or a 718 GTS). And some (including the aforementioned Chris Harris) would argue that the *** play is one of the biggest draws to the M2 platform.
I had an opportunity to grab a low-mileage CS for less than $100k a couple months ago, and ultimately passed. The steering and suspension was great, but the engine and everything else was too much BMW for me. Owners of BMW who have moved to Porsche will understand.
(I should also note that the PPF on this car was HORRID, peeling so bad it whistled from the driver's side mirror so would need to be addressed. Gave me a bad vibe about the car as a whole. Also it wasn't an ideal color combo; white with black wheels. I would have probably bought it if either of these issues were negated.)
It's interesting to see that the CS has actually skyrocketed in value since then. They are flying off showroom floors well north of $100k. But I can't justify it, personally. A 718 GTS can currently be had for a $30k discount, and IMO is a better car. An M2 Comp is also incredibly compelling because you can still get them around $50-60k.
Or you could get an M2 with a more exotic-looking shell, two less seats and a Toyota badge for about the same 50-60k... also very compelling.
The CS just isn't a good buy right now, as you're already paying the projected value that's seen in the m135i. The market may cool a bit when the new M2 arrives. Maybe not... but for the ~$120k these things are going for now in good mileage/spec, it's just not worth it unless you're a huge BMW fanboy IMHO....
Last edited by manifold danger; 05-11-2022 at 02:39 PM.
05-10-2022 | 10:09 AM
