I’m thinking about it. The buyout is $39k or so with taxes. My only worry is the warranty. I only have 30k miles on it, but I’ve owned an out of warranty BMW in the past and it was a money pit. I’d definitely want to find a decent extended warranty or some kind of BMW CPO program.
GR86 is a RWD alternative
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As long as your not in CA
You are good
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The BRZ/86 is a different driving experience. They’ll tell you it’s all about the driving experience blah blah blah, but it’s a BIG step down from the M340i in terms of power on demand, interior experience, noise/refinement. In car entertainment is unrefined, it’s tight, noisy, and underpowered compared to the M340i. I thought it would be fine and had one order during peak insanity, I kept it for 3 months. The back seat and trunk space is pretty useless compared to the 2-series.
Feel free to ask any specific questions. Coming from a M340i, I don’t think you’d be happy,
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Not a lease but what about the Tesla M3 Performance? I’m not big Tesla fan but if you qualify for the $7500, it’s a bargain at the new reduced pricing
Some excellent suggestions in this thread
I had considered that. The only thing I’d really miss is the noise. I love the sound of a good exhaust.
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Be ready to be disappointed by the Elantra. Consider the price point you’re moving from and what goes into these cars. The Elantra may be 90% performance of a Civic Type R at a significantly reduced price, but it’s even the CTR isn’t as on the same level as the cars you’ve had experience with. There’s going to be that je ne sais quois missing.
If you were always in the sub 40k segment I would say Elantra N is a great choice, but that’s not the case here.
Closest you’ll get in this segment is likely a Supra 3.0 which at that point just get the M240. Very much pay to play here.
The GR86 would be a better choice from dynamics perspective.
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I have one and absolutely love it - but I bought it and did not lease it. If you’re looking to lease a WRX is the way to go.
The interior aside from the seats, infotainment, and gauge cluster are decidedly hyundai, but the powertrain is just lovely and the dual clutch transmission is the best I’ve ever experienced (better than the one my GTI had).
Edit to add: this is going to be nothing like an M340 - it’s a turbo 4 cylinder that can sound a lot like a boy racer. If you’re cross shopping GLI, WRX, etc I think this wins. But it’s going to be a bit of shock coming from a BMW if you’re not prepared…
Happy to answer any questions.
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Thanks for the information. My CLA45 AMG had a 4 cylinder as well, and sounded a little “boy racer.” That didn’t really bother me. I do tend to drive the BMW pretty hard. I’m still impressed with what Hyundai was able to do with what is essentially an econobox. The fact that it has an LSD, Pilot 4S tires, brakes that don’t fade after a lap, and some great seats is really amazing to me for the price. You may be right about being a bit of a shock though.
I’m glad you are enjoying it. I really need to see if I can get an extended test drive. That’s a great color by the way.
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At $34k it’s an absolute slam dunk for all the reasons you just outlined. The interior is a perfectly pleasant place to spend time - it’s just a lot of hard scratchy plastic. I noticed it the first day or two and now I just ignore it. Too much fun to drive to notice anymore.
Also, with the adjustable exhaust and mode configurations you can dial it back. I typically drive in sport mode (not N mode) for day to day, except for eco mode on the highway and in gridlock.
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Seems like a great car I’d even love to own one but to go from a M340i is such a downgrade.
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I’d go 3.0 Supra over the m240 at that price point.
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You see, I would do the opposite. The only reason to pick the Supra would be to get the manual option.
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I’d do it for the looks and MT. What say you?
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I’m 6’5” so I can’t comfortably drive it. My vote is M240 for the same money.
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Did you end up picking anything up?
Been very curious about these too and while i’ve watched some videos its always interesting to get additional perspectives, especially if someone decided to buy one.
Not yet. I’m trying to get my wife’s lease squared away first, and then I’m going to hopefully be able to get something.
I am in the same boat. I have a $65K M340 I got at 12% off. I also have only driven 15K miles in 3 years. I am paying $670 a month. I am almost certainly going to buy it. I see no other option that will get me anything close to my car.
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That b58 ain’t no joke 
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