Im wondering what would be considered solid discounts on a BMW M2, or M3? I’ve been looking at these 2 cars (in addition to an M-light car):
2024 M2 - MSRP $68794 - Discount $4104 (5.9%)
2025 M3 Comp - $98495 - Discount $4000 (4%)
The M-light is the best deal, but a real M-car would be pretty amazing!
what numbers are you getting for m lights? Seen people posting close to a grand for m340i
~6-8% is appropriate on an M340i.
If you’re considering a 340i you should really test drive an i4 M50.
Better car, better deal IMO
Thanks for the suggestion, but not for me. Plus, we (my wife) already have an i4 35. My commute is short enough, but I vastly prefer my 22 M340i to the 24 baby i4.
Im interested in this as well.
Looking at both, think i’d like the m3 more.
seems like the car would be worth a decent amount more than they set the residual at. I’m gonna shoot for 2-4% off MSRP.
Would you want another 340?
I have already worked with a broker and there is a great deal on an M340xi. But the call of the M-car is tempting. Honestly, I love my current M340i and wouldn’t mind another, though the M3 Comp Xdrive is my true object of desire.
If you can afford it, get it.
IDK what is the point of wasting 3 years and $32-36,000 on a 340i lease if you can get an M3.
Exactly this. I have never regretted splurging on the exact car I wanted. I have however always regretted those times I settled on the car or spec I wanted just to get a deal. Wife’s car or family hauler, compromises are okay, but it sounds like you already have that covered and should get exactly what you want.
How is the suspension on the M3 nowadays as a daily driver? I can’t remember if it was considered overly stiff or not. I know that is one of the biggest drawbacks on the X3M, but completely different vehicle.
While I could “technically” afford the payments on an M3, I just can’t justify a $1,400 monthly payment—especially when getting it lower requires putting $15k down, not the best plan on a lease. My current car is $799, and the most I’ve ever spent was $850 on my 981 Boxster, or the wifes 2020 X5. I could see stretching to $1,000, but beyond that is outside my comfort zone right now.
My wife’s cars are much simpler. She wants a black-on-black BMW with a moonroof—currently in an i4, previously an X5. We also picked up a Tiguan last year because we needed something practical for the dog, bikes, road trips, etc., and it was the best deal at the time. But for me, driving matters, so my car choices are much tougher.
As for suspension, speaking based on driving a new M2 recently, the current generation of adaptive systems are excellent. They give you the best of all worlds, relatively speaking. An M3 won’t ride like a 7-Series, but for a sports sedan, the ride quality should be fairly impressive.
Not the most comfortable (speaking of a 2024 M3 Comp xDrive). Drives like a go-cart and handles like a dream, but after about 45-60 min of driving, you really start to feel the discomfort (at least for me). Same rough feeling I got when I had the X3M. I thought the M3 would be a great daily, and perhaps it is for shorter commutes, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a daily with long commutes.
Full M car was a dream of mine too and I wanted to have a manual car again so I took delivery of a G87 in June 2023. I got to drive it for about a year before selling it. While it felt special in many ways, if I were to do it again, I would buy an M-lite model instead as a daily driver. Full M cars are pretty hardcore performance models so while not too loud for DD duty, they do ride pretty stiff. Plus you cannot even touch the limits of the car in public roads, which I only got to appreciate in the couple of track days I got to do.
IMO when a hackable lease doesn’t exist: buy your aspirational car when you’re ready to buy/finance it. In the meantime don’t waste money on other unhacked cars like a $32,000+ TCO on a 340i.
And these are just rebadged M-sport packaged cars; they are not M anything. Light, medium, heavy? No
E90 and F30 335i were like sub $600 cars. A nonsensical M340i badge on the trunk doesn’t make its value higher.
Interesting. Have you also driven the current M2? While I have driven the M3, I found the M2 pretty comfortable on the comfort settings, and comparable to my 22 M340i. I actually expected it to have more of an “edge”. I think the M2 would be a good daily.
I could put up to $25k down on a purchase, which still leaves a $69k balance on a Comp AWD. On a base M3, it’s closer to $50k to finance.
I completely understand your point, but I still think the M340 is an excellent car. While it’s more of an M-Sport package than an “M3-lite,” it drives very well. My ‘22 has been completely reliable over the past three years, offers plenty of speed, great MPG, and handles great for a sedan of its size. Value is definitely subjective— sure not the value of something like a $125k i7 for $800/mo, or a $500/mo EQS
Honest question, what’s typically considered a “hacked lease”? Right now, I can get an M340 for over 10% off MSRP, with base MF and a $1k incentive. I’ve also have an M2 at nearly 6% off with base MF available.
G87 is the current gen, I had taken delivery of the first one in my state. I had a 330e before (so admittedly not the M340i but still a G20) and it was noticeably a softer ride. To me the main issue was that I wasn’t even close to touching the limits of the car when used as a daily so you cannot really enjoy what the car is capable of and in return you sacrifice some ride comfort and ground clearance and pay significantly more for the car too. Again it is a great car and I loved owning it, but it wasn’t the right choice for a commuter for me.
Just because you get a good deal doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good lease. You just have to run the numbers.
For example, if I took your M2 deal on a lease I’d be at $1100/month sign and drive. I’d spend $38,500 to drive the car for 3 years, after which I’d either just give it back, or if I kept it I’d still owe the RV of $39k.
Compare that to a finance, where I’d be at $1283/month sign and drive. I’d pay $6500 more in payments over that term, but after 3 years I’d only owe $27k and in another 2 years it would be fully paid off.
Good deal, but bad lease compared to just financing it.
Gotcha, I misread your post. Honestly, even the limits of an M340 are above what yo can use on the street.