od_man99
New member
Greetings Gentlemen,
Long time since I've posted here. I thought I'd share with you my thoughts on my newest purchase.
Back Story
I've had a few sports cars in the last 4 years, including a 2010 Carrera 4S, a 2011 Carrera 4, 2013 BMW M3 and a 335xi M pack.
I've enjoyed driving all of the above, but I thought I'd write a comprehensive report on my M4 right after I stored her for Winter.
The Car
A couple of weeks ago, I got a phone call from my friend George over at BMW Canbec, he told me about a used (18000km) BMW M4 that they had in stock. George wanted to off-load it before the winter and I've been a client of his for a while. I had been in the market for a RWD sport cars for a while, The M4 he had in stock was pretty much all I was looking for:
DCT
Executive Package
Premium Package
I know, I originally wanted a manual as well, but after having test drove a few DCTs, I decided to go with the flow and jump on the bandwagon.
How it drives
Let's face it, it would be easy for me to come on here and tell you this car is fantastic, wonderful, that I love the DCT and that the twin turbo is really so much better than my old V8 E92 M3. But the fact of the matter is that it's much more complicated than that. I've put 2000km on the car, and here is what I think:
Starting off, just for those who aren't familiar with the M4, it's basically the M3 Coupe of elder years, with a muted (in sound) inline 6 twin turbo making somewhere near 410hp and 425lb*ft of torque. I'll start off with the sound. My M3 was one of the best sounding cars I've ever owned. I had done the OEM bypass modification on the exhaust and the sound was pure bliss. I would drive around with my brother downtown and the echo + the high pitched V8 sound would be simply phenomenal. How does it compare to the M4.
Well, the M4 sounds different. One of the first mods I did was to unplug that stupid stereo enhanced exhaust sound module in the trunk. It took me about 10 minutes for anyone wondering to do it. Granted I haven't had the chance to drive the car with the windows open yet, the exhaust note is far superior to what the reviews on other forums seem to indicate. I love the backfire and burbles that it makes. I will be doing a downpipe upgrade along with the JB4 upgrade. The car is loud, much louder than my 335xI with downpipes and JB4.
Okay, now the driving. It's important to note, that I love tracking, I've been going to Sanair for the last 3-4 years and have put the majority of my cars on the Napi track and the Sanair one. I've been St-Eutache as few times as well. My driving skills are what I would describe as very fair in comparison to let's say DarkestFenix on this forum or Senna/Lewis Hamilton like in comparison to the average Quebec driver doing 70km/h in the left lane on the 20. This car has torque, like a boat ton of it, like hold on to the steering wheel while this thing attempts to break into the hipper time travel dimension type of torque. It's instantaneous. Note that I drive the car in M mode set to absolutely no assists, which means it's constantly trying to steer me into a wall. It's worthy to say though that I'm on SotoZero winter tires and getting the car to go sideways is about as easy as willing it. Performance wise, this is the funnest and probably most outrageous of cars I've owned (except maybe for a swapped 2001 RSTi I had). The balance is tremendous and the DCT shifts in a way that makes you feel as though you're somewhat of a God behind the wheel. Speaking of Turbo's, there is virtually no Lag, none. I don't think I've ever felt anything like it, it's pretty phenomenal. In terms of performance and fun factor, I have to say, the car is overwhelming.
So, Od_man99, do you regret buying the DCT.
I'm suppose to say Yes, I'm suppose to tell you that every waking moment I think about it, but the answer is no really. I don't regret getting the DCT, would the manual be a funner overall car? Would the manual put more smiles per miles on the clock? Maybe, but I haven't gotten that gut wrenching feeling that I've made a mistake... Yet... it's only been 2000 km.
Is the DCT fun? Absolutely, I can't wait to whip it around a track and see how it holds up. I think the only negative part of the DCT, up until not is that the Paddles move with the wheel, forcing me to shift with the shifter, not cool BMW. Another draw back is in auto mode, the car is clunky and you constantly hear the noise from the transmission guessing what you're about to do next (something it's very good at).
Okay, that said, the car isn't perfect. I have to say, the drive quality on a car that was originally listed at 101 000$ is pretty disappointing to say the least. It's as if, before I bought this car, I had somewhat forgotten that we lived in a third world country. Driving it around Longueuil is an absolute nightmare, I'm constantly bouncing around and wincing. I'm not an old guy either (or at least I try to convince myself, I'm 30). I never expected it to be this bad, every godamn bump resonates into my spine and vibrates my soul. It's ridiculous. I'm not sure if this is just a Quebec thing, when I drove it in Ontario, it was much smoother, but then again that was mostly highway. I'll let you guys comment on this.
Another negative draw back. This thing draws a lot of attention. I'm a landlord and a pretty calm guy, but I'm brown none the less. I've had a neighbor call the cops on me already for idling my car after pulling it out of the garage. I've also had the fast and furious tail gathers and the I'm going to brake check you on the highway because you're a douchebag situations. One of the reasons I went with the M4 is the look. it's pretty close to a 440i, but that hasn't stopped people from giving me the stink eye or the occasional thumbs up. I think this applies to any semi-nice car in this crab mentally province.
The worst thing about this car.
I bought this as a daily driver, yes, I know, I should of known better. The M3 E92 was very manageable in winter, it had very little torque and when there was a lot of snow, I'd just use the WRX or my fiance's Saab, well the fiance is no more and the WRX was sold after the second headgasket change. I drove the M4 about 4 meters out of my driveway after the first storm and ended up backing it back up into my garage. Luckily, I still have a friends new Corolla parked in my drive way for 8 months (he's overseas and insists I drive his car). I was very disappointed, this isn't a very good winter car for Quebec. The torque and extremely low clearance makes it a very tough drive, doable, but not worth the hassle. So much for winter tires....
Note that I drove my Carrera 4s all year long and it handle exemplary, although that winter was a very mild one.
Overall
I'm falling for her. I mean, I initially chose her because of how she looked in white but I'm falling in love for the way she makes me feel. LOL
In all seriousness, this car is a very nice addition to the ones I've owned, a wonderful machine, built with purpose and definitely worth the 54000$ I paid for it.
I really need to those Downpipes put in along with the JB4 before spring comes around and review it again after I've put 10-15000km on it.
TL Dr: Good car, ride quality is shit, handles very well, attracts a lot of attention, people hate me even more.
Long time since I've posted here. I thought I'd share with you my thoughts on my newest purchase.
Back Story
I've had a few sports cars in the last 4 years, including a 2010 Carrera 4S, a 2011 Carrera 4, 2013 BMW M3 and a 335xi M pack.
I've enjoyed driving all of the above, but I thought I'd write a comprehensive report on my M4 right after I stored her for Winter.
The Car
A couple of weeks ago, I got a phone call from my friend George over at BMW Canbec, he told me about a used (18000km) BMW M4 that they had in stock. George wanted to off-load it before the winter and I've been a client of his for a while. I had been in the market for a RWD sport cars for a while, The M4 he had in stock was pretty much all I was looking for:
DCT
Executive Package
Premium Package
I know, I originally wanted a manual as well, but after having test drove a few DCTs, I decided to go with the flow and jump on the bandwagon.
How it drives
Let's face it, it would be easy for me to come on here and tell you this car is fantastic, wonderful, that I love the DCT and that the twin turbo is really so much better than my old V8 E92 M3. But the fact of the matter is that it's much more complicated than that. I've put 2000km on the car, and here is what I think:
Starting off, just for those who aren't familiar with the M4, it's basically the M3 Coupe of elder years, with a muted (in sound) inline 6 twin turbo making somewhere near 410hp and 425lb*ft of torque. I'll start off with the sound. My M3 was one of the best sounding cars I've ever owned. I had done the OEM bypass modification on the exhaust and the sound was pure bliss. I would drive around with my brother downtown and the echo + the high pitched V8 sound would be simply phenomenal. How does it compare to the M4.
Well, the M4 sounds different. One of the first mods I did was to unplug that stupid stereo enhanced exhaust sound module in the trunk. It took me about 10 minutes for anyone wondering to do it. Granted I haven't had the chance to drive the car with the windows open yet, the exhaust note is far superior to what the reviews on other forums seem to indicate. I love the backfire and burbles that it makes. I will be doing a downpipe upgrade along with the JB4 upgrade. The car is loud, much louder than my 335xI with downpipes and JB4.
Okay, now the driving. It's important to note, that I love tracking, I've been going to Sanair for the last 3-4 years and have put the majority of my cars on the Napi track and the Sanair one. I've been St-Eutache as few times as well. My driving skills are what I would describe as very fair in comparison to let's say DarkestFenix on this forum or Senna/Lewis Hamilton like in comparison to the average Quebec driver doing 70km/h in the left lane on the 20. This car has torque, like a boat ton of it, like hold on to the steering wheel while this thing attempts to break into the hipper time travel dimension type of torque. It's instantaneous. Note that I drive the car in M mode set to absolutely no assists, which means it's constantly trying to steer me into a wall. It's worthy to say though that I'm on SotoZero winter tires and getting the car to go sideways is about as easy as willing it. Performance wise, this is the funnest and probably most outrageous of cars I've owned (except maybe for a swapped 2001 RSTi I had). The balance is tremendous and the DCT shifts in a way that makes you feel as though you're somewhat of a God behind the wheel. Speaking of Turbo's, there is virtually no Lag, none. I don't think I've ever felt anything like it, it's pretty phenomenal. In terms of performance and fun factor, I have to say, the car is overwhelming.
So, Od_man99, do you regret buying the DCT.
I'm suppose to say Yes, I'm suppose to tell you that every waking moment I think about it, but the answer is no really. I don't regret getting the DCT, would the manual be a funner overall car? Would the manual put more smiles per miles on the clock? Maybe, but I haven't gotten that gut wrenching feeling that I've made a mistake... Yet... it's only been 2000 km.
Is the DCT fun? Absolutely, I can't wait to whip it around a track and see how it holds up. I think the only negative part of the DCT, up until not is that the Paddles move with the wheel, forcing me to shift with the shifter, not cool BMW. Another draw back is in auto mode, the car is clunky and you constantly hear the noise from the transmission guessing what you're about to do next (something it's very good at).
Okay, that said, the car isn't perfect. I have to say, the drive quality on a car that was originally listed at 101 000$ is pretty disappointing to say the least. It's as if, before I bought this car, I had somewhat forgotten that we lived in a third world country. Driving it around Longueuil is an absolute nightmare, I'm constantly bouncing around and wincing. I'm not an old guy either (or at least I try to convince myself, I'm 30). I never expected it to be this bad, every godamn bump resonates into my spine and vibrates my soul. It's ridiculous. I'm not sure if this is just a Quebec thing, when I drove it in Ontario, it was much smoother, but then again that was mostly highway. I'll let you guys comment on this.
Another negative draw back. This thing draws a lot of attention. I'm a landlord and a pretty calm guy, but I'm brown none the less. I've had a neighbor call the cops on me already for idling my car after pulling it out of the garage. I've also had the fast and furious tail gathers and the I'm going to brake check you on the highway because you're a douchebag situations. One of the reasons I went with the M4 is the look. it's pretty close to a 440i, but that hasn't stopped people from giving me the stink eye or the occasional thumbs up. I think this applies to any semi-nice car in this crab mentally province.
The worst thing about this car.
I bought this as a daily driver, yes, I know, I should of known better. The M3 E92 was very manageable in winter, it had very little torque and when there was a lot of snow, I'd just use the WRX or my fiance's Saab, well the fiance is no more and the WRX was sold after the second headgasket change. I drove the M4 about 4 meters out of my driveway after the first storm and ended up backing it back up into my garage. Luckily, I still have a friends new Corolla parked in my drive way for 8 months (he's overseas and insists I drive his car). I was very disappointed, this isn't a very good winter car for Quebec. The torque and extremely low clearance makes it a very tough drive, doable, but not worth the hassle. So much for winter tires....
Note that I drove my Carrera 4s all year long and it handle exemplary, although that winter was a very mild one.
Overall
I'm falling for her. I mean, I initially chose her because of how she looked in white but I'm falling in love for the way she makes me feel. LOL
In all seriousness, this car is a very nice addition to the ones I've owned, a wonderful machine, built with purpose and definitely worth the 54000$ I paid for it.
I really need to those Downpipes put in along with the JB4 before spring comes around and review it again after I've put 10-15000km on it.
TL Dr: Good car, ride quality is shit, handles very well, attracts a lot of attention, people hate me even more.
