[Apologies in advance for the length]

Time for a new car that is! As some of you may know, we tend to keep our cars about 12 years--so we replace one roughly every 6. My 2011 335d is already there from an age perspective, though we bought it as a demo in 2012. Perhaps more importantly, my son is turning 16 this summer, and has had designs on it for at least 6 or 7 years. So I need something new regardless, and have been planning for several years.

Obviously some things have changed during those years, not least of which being I went from a 1.5-2.5 hour daily commute to likely never having one again in my life. So what I need out of a car is now totally different, and honestly I could get by without one if I needed to. Other than the whole being a car enthusiast thing, that is. That doesn't really work. In this scenario, practicality becomes more of a "nice to have" than a requirement, which opens up the market significantly. However, fit limits this back down a bit, as I'm 6'4" and shall we say, "not athletic". I'm also nothing if not overanalytical, so this was a long, drawn-out process, some of which I'll detail here. Jump ahead 13 paragraphs if you don't care and just want to see the final result.

[Begin blather]

For the past several years, the obvious choice has been a C8 Corvette. I've always loved the Corvette in general, and dreamed about a mid-engine version since the Corvette Indy concept in the 1990s. I don't know what made me start to shy back away from it, but I suspect part of the problem is how enamored I became with the Z06, and since I didn't get in line soon enough, there's no way I can get one before they end production. That somehow took the shine off the base Stingray, I think. I did go and check out some used ones, and while I do fit, my hair brushes the roof on the convertible (when it's up, of course ) and visibility isn't great as a result. That reminded me of the C7 Z06 convertible I rented 2 years ago, where I had similar visibility issues and got windburn on my forehead when the top was down.

So I took a step back, and just started to think about, what do I want in this car?
Fun
RWD-based (AWD ok but not necessarily desirable)
Manual Transmission
Convertible

Though I'm in no way opposed to EVs and my recent rental of a Polestar 2 would probably have me leaning towards one if I were still commuting, my thought is this: For the remainder of my days aboveground, I will always be able to buy an EV. Additionally, for the forseeable future, an EV bought 3 years from now (much less 12!) will always be significantly better than one bought today. But the door is rapidly closing on the availability of truly great ICE cars. So I may as well have one last hurrah.

So what did I look at? In no particular order:

CT4V-Blackwing and especially CT5-V Blackwing, the latter having the same LT4 that I so adored in the C7 Z06 I rented. The roof doesn't come off, but these hit my other points, and harken back to the E39 M5 I lusted after for many years. CT4 is very cramped and difficult to get in/out of, so it got crossed off. The CT5 was still quite viable, but 3 things eliminated it. First, I discovered my wife's irrational hatred of the Cadillac brand, and I just don't want to have those conversations for the next dozen years. Second, it became somewhat unobtanium. Production was halted several times, lead times became insanely long, and GM stopped even taking orders for a while. Third, the price, which as I would equip it was towards the upper end of what I wanted to spend, increased by roughly $11k for 2023--$7k base, and $4k for the carbon packages (which were also frequently on constraint). Well I guess there was a fourth reason too: When I finally managed to get us to a local Cadillac dealer (we had been to another on vacation) to check out a non-Blackwing and understand availability, it was the worst pre-sales dealership experience either of us has ever had in our life.

Next on the list was the exact opposite end of the spectrum--the 718 Boxter GTS 4.0/Spyder. Surprisingly enough, I actually fit just fine in these, and my wife and I are both in love with the styling (especially the Spyder). Resale is also insane, so reaching a bit past our comfort zone seemed like a reasonable option. However, reality has a way of slapping you in the face, and several inquiries essentially led me to the conclusion that I could not under any circumstances get a Spyder allocation before production ends, and while it might be possible to get one for a GTS 4.0 in ~2 years, I'd be looking at a minimum $25k ADM. That made them a no-go, and while the lower four-cylinder trims are gettable, I don't want one. They drive well, but sound like tractors.

I briefly toyed with the idea of a Mustang or Camaro convertible, but aside from not being nearly as refined as I'd like, both had dealbrakers. Convertible would be non-negotiable with these. I don't particularly want the Mustang's MT-82, but the Tremec in the Mach 1 and upcoming Dark Horse are coupe-only. Camaro has that sweet, sweet LT4 in the ZL1, but neither of us really love it, and visibility is atrocious.

Last summer something amazing happened...There was a very credible rumor that thanks to the Supra getting a manual, the Z4 M40i was getting one too, with deliveries starting last month (March 2023). My local dealer had a used one (with the auto, obviously), so I went to check it out. Despite being a pretty small car and related to the Supra (which I can't even get into), I fit great, was super comfortable, and getting in/out was easy. It ticks literally all the boxes, and to boot costs at least $20k less than anything else I was looking at. Plus the B58 is super tunable and has excellent aftermarket support. I really thought I had a winner!

Then I put the roof up, and it became a Supra. Some seriously painful contortions were required to get out through the low upper door opening. To add insult to injury, the rumor wound up being confirmed, but with a March of 2024 start of production for the 6MT variant.

The LC500 was in the running for a while. It's gorgeous and makes those glorious V8 noises. But it's more of a grand tourer, and you can't get the handling package with the convertible. I gradually lost interest. The BMW M8 kinda fits in here too. Gorgeous and wickedly fast. But just bigger and heavier than I want.

Lots of things were rejected because I just don't fit. The aforementioned Supra is on here, as is its competitor the Nissan Z. Likewise with the F-type.

[End blather]

So where'd I end up after all of that?

All throughout this process, the "old familiar" G8X M3/M4 were always in the wings. I've been driving a 3-series for 23 years now--had an E46 before the E90, and I've wanted an M3 since that E46. Collectively, the M3/M4 have everything I'm looking for, though no one model ticks every box. But as I went through the process, these became steadily more attractive to me, both figuratively and literally.

Last summer, I had a chance to check out an M4 convertible that the buyer was thinking about backing out on, which was actually damn close to how I would spec one for myself. I couldn't drive it, but the SA gave me more access than he should have to a customer "sold" order, and I really liked what I found. Crazy comfortable, great visibility, easy to get in and out of, and made some pretty good noises. I was pretty much decided, then and there.

Which of course led to the next several months of hand-wringing, trying to decide if I wanted a convertible or clutch pedal more. I was leaning fairly heavily towards the droptop, which is only available as a Competition xDrive with the ZF 8-speed AT. By chance, in October one of my local dealers got a used G80 M3, so I went for a test drive, and that sealed it. The manual is just too much fun to pass up. I went inside, put a build together, and made my deposit.

The 2nd-to-last thing to decide was between the M3 and M4, since the base (non-Competition) of both comes with the 6MT. No longer needing practicality tilted the scales in the M4s favor, but I love the "hips" on the M3 more, so I wound up going that way. They're also much rarer, which appeals to me. The final big decision was the roof. I absolutely adore my moonroof, and open it anytime the weather permits. But the (standard) carbon fiber roof is super sexy and special, so I wound up sticking with it. This will be the first vehicle our family has owned this millennium with a solid, fixed roof.

So what's the spec?

2023 BMW M3 Base (6MT)
Individual Grigio Telesto Pearl (Lamboroghini color)
Kyalami Orange Full Leather
Parking Assistance Package
Executive Package
M Drive Professional
19"/20" M Double-spoke bi-color wheels, style 825M, w/perf non run-flat tires (19x9.5, 275/35 R19 front and 20x10.5, 285/30 R20 rear)
M Shadowline Lights
Front ventilated seats
Carbon Fiber trim
Icon Adaptive LED Headlights with Laserlight
Drive Recorder
Wireless Device Charging
Personal eSIM 5G
M Carbon Exterior Package

Pretty much fully loaded, with the exception of the Carbon Bucket seats, which are absolutely sweet but I stand zero chance of fitting in comfortably and Carbon Ceramic Brakes, which I kind of wanted for the no-dust factor, but couldn't justify the $8500 pricetag on.

Here are a couple of stolen pictures of a fellow Bimmerpost member who has a build very similar to mine:








His is a competition (8AT) with black 826M wheels and Black seats vs. my Base 6MT with Bi-color 825Ms with Orange seats, but most of the other visual stuff is the same. I really wanted a color that wasn't super hey-look-at-me, but was still rare enough that I'd likely never see another one in person. When I placed my order, I was only aware of 3 others in existence, two M3s and an M4 convertible. Of course, since then I've seen at least 5 more people order it, probably based on the same pictures that initially attracted me.

Timeline so far:
Deposit placed 10/22/22
Allocation received 2/4/23
Individual color approved 2/7/23
Build week 15 assigned 3/24/23
Production begins 3/28/23 (really just means a VIN has been assigned and it's got a specific production slot)

It should start assembly the end of next week, and be done on the 12th. That likely means a late May or early June delivery.

 

Sweet! Congrats! The build and delivery time is going to seem like forever, but no doubt it will all be well worth the wait!

 

Congrats! Looks really sweet! The 6MT will make it a blast!

 

Excellent! Congrats! Can't wait to hear more about it!

How tall are you? I don't think I've ever not been able to fit into a car. My only issue is that I'm not that tall (5'10") but have long legs (36" inseam), so I need to slide the driver's seat way back, but the steering wheel also needs to telescope back enough to deal with my short arms.

 

Awesome choice on an awesome car!! Congrats!

 

I'm 6'4" with a 34 inseam. So close to your leg issues, but then 8 more inches of torso on top of that

 

hell to the yes. congrats!

my only question is how much traffic do you have to drive in. when i had my stick sedan in atlanta that i'd moved with me from PA, it didn't last long, just couldn't do it.
then i made the move to a gs400 (hello!).
i did get a miata stick as a fun spare car in '07, and that was an absolute joy to drive, for relatively short distances though, and where i live no in FL didn't have much traffic at all back then (more now).

anyway, love the car, well except the beaver grill but black on gray makes it less noticeable.

 

I’ve been seeing these for some reasons lately and thought they look good despite the large grille. It must have grown on me because I didn’t like it at first. Anyway I didn’t read the whole post just skimmed through to the specs and images! Very nice. Congrats!

 

Congrats!!! I definitely keep trying to figure out what should be my last new manual transmission to try to keep as a "forever" type car. We cycled through and fixed up an E46 M3 Convertible and E93 M3 Convertible the past few summers and absolutely loved them.

Currently no MT in the stable but still have a placeholder for one when the time is right. Have been hoping to find a Honda Dealer that won't mark up a Civic Type R, but still doesn't tug the heart like a nice RWD torquey beast.

 

I’m not a big fan of the styling on the G8x cars but I’m sure the performance will be great.

Unless I missed it - is there a reason you didn’t get the new 911?
They have enough room inside and can be had in coupe or convertible.

 

Congratulations., and best of luck with it.

Based on that criteria, and to save money at a reasonable price, I was going to recommend a new Miata...few cars of any type are more fun to drive, and connects the driver to the road, if you are not a speed freak. The manual top-up/down procedure is also ingeniously quick and simple. That is, until I saw that you were 6' 4" with a 34" inseam. I figured that would put the brakes on a Miata...you probably couldn't fit into one. I'm 6' 2", 280 lbs, and, because there is just no place for the bottom of the seat to move back very far because of the compartment right behind the seat for the drop-top, I have to drive even the latest Miata with my two big legs splayed around the sides of the steering wheel so my left foot can press the clutch pedal.

Bitkahuna had an older-generation Miata, and was able to fit into it at 6' 3", but he is thinner than I am.

 

Congrats!! I seriously looked at a g8x bummer as well, but at 95k, couldn't see myself doing spending that much at the time!

Are you going to get the carbon ceramic brakes package? It's a good deal at only $8k...

 

I've always been a Cadillac fan but I never pulled the trigger and bought one.

These cement colors are growing on me a little.
I saw a new Porsche the other day that looked almost this exact color except maybe a little lighter.

Ditto!
You have good taste my friend!
SWEEEEET!

The grill, hmmm, yeah me too. lol
But I could learn to love it if the car is as awesome as it looks.

 

Congrats. Nice colour. Nice style.

 

Like @bitkahuna mentioned, I grew up driving manuals and always loved them, but moved to auto after getting married. Had the urge to go back to a manual in 2018, not many options (I was looking for an inexpensive commuter at the time) so picked up a 10th gen Civic Si for under $25k. Realized daily driving a manual was more nostalgia than fun, sold it a year later.

For your situation you described it seems perfect! That turbocharged 3.0 (503 HP?) will be fun to wind out. Just avoid the "money shift" and you'll be fine 😜