Great choice among the different cars you considered. What I can’t believe is how you held out not telling us for so long since you put the deposit down last October. I would’ve spilled the beans long time ago.

 

Not much driving in traffic, now that I no longer commute. Lots of shorter errand-runs, some mid-distance drives to games and long-distance to tournaments. I do have about 185,000 miles behind a clutch, between my Dakota pickup and E46, of course I was younger and more limber then. If the 335d had been available with a manual, I absolutely would have went that route when I got it.

Yeah, I knew the grille wouldn't be universally loved. The more I've seen it since launch, the more I really do like the aggressiveness of it. The only part I'm not 100% enamored with is the gloss black slats, so I'll probably be replacing the insert at some point with a CF one, in either the GT style:



or the CSL style:



Just WAY more than I'm comfortable spending. When I was looking at the 718s, a highly-equipped Spyder was in the 115-120k range (MSRP), which was already well past where I wanted to be. A 911 S Cabrio with a manual optioned the way I'd like it is $170k. The T is slightly cheaper, but not available as a convertible.

Surprisingly enough, I CAN get into a Miata--or at least I could at the last auto show I went to, probably in 2019 or 2020 (Chicago had traditionally been in February, so 2020s show would have been about a month before the world ended). My hair was firmly in the roof and it was way too tight to be comfortable for long, but I could actually operate the controls. Contrast that with the F-Type and 370Z at the same show, where I couldn't sit all the way down into the seat before I ran out of legroom.

Nope, I considered it but couldn't justify the $8500 basically to avoid brake dust.

It was probably Chalk, which is very popular on Porsches:

 

The manual is rated at 473hp vs. 503 for the competition, but the engines are mechanically identical. The only difference is 3psi on the factory boost target. That is easy enough to address. And no money shifts here! As noted in the post above, I've got around 185k miles on manuals without issue, so I'm not worried.

Oh believe me, I thought about it many times! I even dropped a couple of hints here and there, particularly in the general car conversation thread, when talking about the surprisingly difficult decision to NOT option the Moonroof. There were some very good guesses thrown around, and I'm going to say yours was the best overall, since I very nearly did get the M4 Convertible, and the C8 HTC had been the running plan for several years.

I originally planned to spill the beans when it went to status 112 (Scheduled for Production), but life got in the way, so when that opportunity had passed, I decided to just wait until right before it actually hit the assembly line. That seemed especially prudent once supply chain issues started pushing many MT cars out ~4 weeks from their original build week (but thankfully not mine!) last month.

 

I hear that!
In my older age I have no desire for a manual or shifting gears anymore, I'm tired. lol

Give me easy. haha

Yes sir, that's like the one I saw.
Chalk is a good description for this color. IMO

Have no idea what kind of money we're looking at here on the Porsche..
Guessing near $100k like your new ride.

 

Totally makes sense. And you'd actually get the faster car, especially if you went xDrive, which is Auto-only. I'm chasing after the engagement, and am willing to accept less ultimate performance to get it.

.....not exactly. A base 911 with Chalk paint, those Syder RS wheels, and zero other options starts at $125k. I'm going to guess the one in the picture is a Carrera 4S, as that's one of the most popular trims. That with an extremely light walk down the options list--basically adding power and leather to the base seats, plus the premium package with the base lights and stereo, and no other options--comes to $157k. Would be $181k the way I'd spec it, which is well-equipped but by no means totally pimped out. Almost exactly double my M3 spec.

 

Congrats! As soon as you deviated from the C8, described your wishlist and showed some flexibility with the roof, I was yelling M3 6MT at my tablet!!
I picked up an Integra 6MT a few months ago as a more practical 6MT but continue to internally debate if I should pull the trigger on an M3 manual (Portimao/Tartufo with moonroof) before they go away for good. If only BMW would make the M340 in stick, I'd already have one. My hesitation is the M3 might be too extreme for my drive into Philadelphia for work.

Our local dealer was at MSRP but with about a year long waitlist on the M3 6MT, with no cars to test drive prior to order. Let us know how you like it once it arrives.

 

I don't know what would be too extreme about it. It rides very well in Comfort, and has deeper gearing (turns 3,000 rpm at 80mph in 6th) than it needs to given the amount of torque on tap, so it's incredibly easy to drive at low speeds too. If you're worried about potholes, just stick with the free 824M wheels (18 front/19 rear) rather than one of the optional 19 front/20 rear sets. Great, classy color combo BTW. Also consider Frozen Portimao, which is incredibly striking.

Waits are getting shorter and shorter. Mine will turn out to be just under 6 months from deposit to build completion, so ~7 months to delivery. I'm seeing some folks now get allocations within a month or two of their deposit. Brokers are also an option if you wanted one quickly. You'd pay a nominal broker fee of $4-500, but would likely be able to secure an MSRP allocation on the same day. That was definitely NOT the case last fall. I was ok waiting because I don't actually need the car until summer, because that's when mine will get stolen.

I definitely got lucky by being able to test drive before ordering, that is definitely not the norm. Makes it far easier to deal with the fact that I probably won't like the shifter at all when I first get it. Every single review complains about how stiff and rubbery it is, but I didn't get any of that in the one I drove that had 20k miles. It's not quite as amazing as yours (I haven't driven an Integra, but the CTRs gearbox is pretty much perfect, so I can extrapolate ), but is very, very good. I was able to confirm with many owners that it starts off crappy and loosens up significantly once you put about 3-5k miles on.

 

Thanks for the additional info. My concerns are ride quality and rim protection from the awful Philly streets. I would by default have to go with the 18/19 combo, despite the design being one of the weaker BMW ones.
I love the Acura/Honda six speeds, but don't count out BMW. The one in my 2016 328i was almost as good as the TSX I also had at the time. They definitely do need to wear in a little.
I can't wait to hear your thoughts after you get some miles on it. Congrats again!!

 

Oh for sure, I've put 158k miles on a 5-speed E46, and I like I said, the used G80 I drove had a pretty great shifter.

And today's update, looks like they're running a little bit ahead of schedule:


(note: all Individual colors show up in "My Garage" as something resembling Brooklyn Grey. Everything else is accurate)

 

Congrats and good progress ^^^^ on the build! Subscribed for more updates.

 

Congrats! I love the side profile of 3, 5 and 7 sedans, especially the 3 Series.

 

I don't believer the OP bought a G80 but I will go back and read again in case I missed something.

I don't believe I have seen one of these.
New thread?
Hint, Hint, lol

I worry about rust up in those cold areas too cuz I hear they salt the streets.
Who cares on a beater but this car is a beauty!

*^^ Ditto!!!

 

Congrats, beautiful car and think the CF grille pieces you are adding will be a nice improvement

 

G80 is the chassis code for the newest M3, not a Genesis G80. For example the previous generation M3 was the F80. My X7 is called a G07. It gets confusing trying to keep track. Porsche and Mercedes are the same way.

 

I totally did. G80 M3 Sedan. The alternatives were a G82 (coupe) or G83 (convertible) M4. There's a G81 M3 Touring (Wagon) in Europe, but it isn't coming here.

They salt the hell out of the streets out here in Chicagoland, and my E90 has held up fine. Of course there's some rust on suspension components and the like, but the body is still in good shape. The E46 that preceded it was similar, but it spent nearly its entire life outside. By the time I traded it at 12 years/158k miles, it had some rust bubbles on the edges of the rear fenders. This one will be garaged, and not driven super frequently in crappy weather, so it should do great.

And thank you!

TY!