[bernstem]

I have owned a 235 and now an M2. I have driven the M3/4 enough. There is no comparison between an M2 and 235/240. The M2 feels completely different in every way that matters to someone looking for a driver's car. The only place they are even reasonably close is straight line speed, but the throttle response and turbo lag are so much better in the M2 they don't even feel like the same car in a straight line. The M2 is much closer to the M3/4 than to the 240 so if you want to know what the M2 drives like, use an M3/4 for reference, not a 240. The M2 feels like a noticeably slower, but slightly lighter, smaller and more responsive M3/4 with a clearly more budget interior.

Honestly (and in my opinion - of course), anyone saying a 240 is 99% of an M2 is either justifying their purchase, does not prioritize handling, responsiveness and feel nearly enough or thinks straight line speed is the only thing that defines a car.

[stefan]

m240 is like, 85% of an M2 for 60% of the cost. However, on resale, they will absolutely plummet while the M2 seems to hold value well. From a net cost of ownership perspective alone, the M2 makes more sense.

[Dirtboy]

Originally Posted by caman

I traded a auto M235i for a man M2. Waited about a year for the M2. No regrets.

M235i was a great car but the M2 is in different league in terms of handling, power delivery and overall performance.

M2 is best vehicle I've owned.

I'm going through that process right now. I love the way my M235i handles, but I was looking for more. I was sold on the M2 when I got to drive one at the M Track Days back in July. Just put an order in for a MY18 M2 and it's expected to be delivered some time in November. Can't wait!

[M2-007]

Thanks again for pointing out all the PROs and CONs between the M2 and M240i, including the price I should be paying. Using all the data you had provided I have decided to go with the M........

If I use common sense and buy the M240i I would save quite a bit of money and can have the car immediately. But it doesn't have the sexy "hips" and the mean looking front bumper with 2 fangs sticking out ready for battle. At the end of the day it all comes down to this.... Which car will give me the most smiles while driving the car?

From watching the M240i & M2 comparison Youtube video, the driver said a lot of good things about the M240i but never once he mentioned the word "Bloody" until he started driving the M2... That bloody exhaust noise... Bloody hell...It feels like somebody kicked you in the back... Every time he stepped on the gas his face changed ... The noise The drama The smiles.....

It is clear what I really wanted is the "Ultimate Drama Driving Machine" so it has to be the M2 !!!

I went to the Irvine BMW in CA (15 min from my house) and talked to the GM directly. I told him members on this forum told me there should be more than 1 dealers in the states willing to sell the M2 at MSRP. I may have to spend time calling them and pay $800 to transport the car. If you can meet or beat this I will buy the M2 from you right now. 20 minutes later, he came out with some papers in his hand. If you buy it today sign here.

2018 M2 for $700 over MSRP, 3.31% financing, and your M2 will arrive in April 2018.

I signed it !!!

[True Story]

Originally Posted by M2-007

Thanks again for pointing out all the PROs and CONs between the M2 and M240i, including the price I should be paying. Using all the data you had provided I have decided to go with the M........

If I use common sense and buy the M240i I would save quite a bit of money and can have the car immediately. But it doesn't have the sexy "hips" and the mean looking front bumper with 2 fangs sticking out ready for battle. At the end of the day it all comes down to this.... Which car will give me the most smiles while driving the car?

From watching the M240i & M2 comparison Youtube video, the driver said a lot of good things about the M240i but never once he mentioned the word "Bloody" until he started driving the M2... That bloody exhaust noise... Bloody hell...It feels like somebody kicked you in the back... Every time he stepped on the gas his face changed ... The noise The drama The smiles.....

It is clear that I really wanted is the "Ultimate Drama Driving Machine" so it has to be the M2 !!!

I went to the Irvine BMW in CA (15 min from my house) and talk to the GM directly. I told him members on this forum told me there should be more than 1 dealers in the states willing to sell the M2 at MSRP. I may have to spend time calling them and pay $800 to transport the car. If you can meet or beat this I will buy the M2 from you right now. 20 minutes later, he came out with some papers in his hand. If you buy it today sign here.

2018 M2 for $700 over MSRP, 3.31% financing, and your M2 will arrive in April 2018.

I signed it !!!

Im an Irvine resident too. This is awesome to hear, I will probably go to that dealership as well when I am ready to buy mine 1st quarter of 2018.

[jjclyde]

Originally Posted by M2-007

I went to the Irvine BMW in CA (15 min from my house) and talk to the GM directly. I told him members on this forum told me there should be more than 1 dealers in the states willing to sell the M2 at MSRP. I may have to spend time calling them and pay $800 to transport the car. If you can meet or beat this I will buy the M2 from you right now. 20 minutes later, he came out with some papers in his hand. If you buy it today sign here.

2018 M2 for $700 over MSRP, 3.31% financing, and your M2 will arrive in April 2018.

I signed it !!!

Congrats - IMO you absolutely made the right choice! But ...

Maybe too late ... if you want a 2018 LCI AW, DCT, Exec, CarPlay - you can get it today at BMW of Beverly Hills. They had 2 on the lot (unbelievably), 1 LBB, 1 AW. As reported on another thread here on the forum earlier today - somebody on this forum just bought the LBB one. But the AW one looks like it's still there. And as far as I can tell, it's going for MSRP (actually a hilarious $4 below MSRP).

I have no affiliation with them - just sharing.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by M2-007

Thanks again for pointing out all the PROs and CONs between the M2 and M240i, including the price I should be paying. Using all the data you had provided I have decided to go with the M........
If I use common sense and buy the M240i I would save quite a bit of money and can have the car immediately. But it doesn't have the sexy "hips" and the mean looking front bumper with 2 fangs sticking out ready for battle. At the end of the day it all comes down to this.... Which car will give me the most smiles while driving the car?
From watching the M240i & M2 comparison Youtube video, the driver said a lot of good things about the M240i but never once he mentioned the word "Bloody" until he started driving the M2... That bloody exhaust noise... Bloody hell...It feels like somebody kicked you in the back... Every time he stepped on the gas his face changed ... The noise The drama The smiles.....

It is clear that I really wanted is the "Ultimate Drama Driving Machine" so it has to be the M2 !!!
I went to the Irvine BMW in CA (15 min from my house) and talk to the GM directly. I told him members on this forum told me there should be more than 1 dealers in the states willing to sell the M2 at MSRP. I may have to spend time calling them and pay $800 to transport the car. If you can meet or beat this I will buy the M2 from you right now. 20 minutes later, he came out with some papers in his hand. If you buy it today sign here.
2018 M2 for $700 over MSRP, 3.31% financing, and your M2 will arrive in April 2018.
I signed it !!!

Given the initial $5,000 mark-up: so asking your question in this forum and reading the comments saved you $4,300 ? Seems like it was worth asking the question.

Anyway, I think you could have gotten it MSRP if you had used the 'walk away' negotiation technique. It sways a lot of sellers.

[M2-007]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Given the initial $5,000 mark-up: so asking your question in this forum and reading the comments saved you $4,300 ? Seems like it was worth asking the question.

Anyway, I think you could have gotten it MSRP if you had used the 'walk away' negotiation technique. It sways a lot of sellers.

I am horrible at price negotiation at car dealers. On my last car purchase, it took over 4 hours haggling over $500 on the Acura TL Type-S. At the end, they beat me with their relentless "mental draining" tactics and tired me out. I never want to go through that experience again so this time I went in with my own stress free strategy.

I requested to talk to the GM directly and said this to the GM:

"I am looking to buy a BMW M2. I learned from other M2 owners that at this point in time I should have no problem finding dealers selling M2 for MSRP. I may have to find one from out of state and willing to do it if necessary. So your $5000 over MSRP is very unreasonable. I am asking you to give me a final price that you are willing to sell. If I think it is fair and reasonable I will buy it today. If not I will thank you for your time and leave." I spoke very slowly with a very serious tone. And I was serious.

So when the GM came out with his offer, I thought it was fair and reasonable so I signed it.

[drexplode]

Originally Posted by M2-007

I am horrible at price negotiation at car dealers. On my last car purchase, it took over 4 hours haggling over $500 on the Acura TL Type-S. At the end, they beat me with their relentless "mental draining" tactics and tired me out. I never want to go through that experience again so this time I went in with my own stress free strategy.

I requested to talk to the GM directly and said this to the GM:

"I am looking to buy a BMW M2. I learned from other M2 owners that at this point in time I should have no problem finding dealers selling M2 for MSRP. I may have find one from out of state and willing to do it if necessary. So your $5000 over MSRP is very unreasonable. I am asking you to give me a final price that you are willing to sell. If I think it is fair and reasonable I will buy it today. If not I will thank you for your time and leave." I spoke very slowly with a very serious tone. And I was serious.

So when the GM came out with his offer, I thought it was fair and reasonable so I signed it.

Congrats on the purchase! Don't sweat it. As long as you are happy with the decision then the rest is history. Next step is to collect a production number from said dealer for said car. If April 2018 is true then you should receive a production number around Dec/Jan based on my experience.

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Just so you guys know.....I am in NC and went to a SC dealer 2nd week in Aug and told them I wanted to order one but only would at MSRP. I am a repeat customer. They said allocations come out beginning of month and to wait and see if they get one, no one was on a waiting list at this time. They got an allocation and it went into production 1 week later. ETA per the system is a completion date of Aug 19th and PCD aprox Nov 1

[stefan]

Originally Posted by M2-007

Thank you much for all your feedback and recommendations. With your info I am now 100% sure which one I should buy.

Wonder what answers you'd get if you posted on the m235/m240 board..

[Tag]

Originally Posted by stefan

Wonder what answers you'd get if you posted on the m235/m240 board..

Something along the lines of...

"It's not worth it, it doesn't have a B58, not enough colors, wish I had one".

[pruettfan]

The no manual on the Supra isn't a done deal yet so it your in love with the idea of that car I would not give up just yet. Not so sure about the Japanese reliability statement as most of the key components of that car are coming from BMW although I don't find BMWs to be unreliable these days.

Between the M240, M235 or M2 all are great choices. If I were in the market for the M240 I would pass and just find one of the many excellent low milage lease return M235s out there that can be had for the low 30's. I think they represent an excellent value and you can probably enjoy that car for a couple of years and get out without getting hurt too bad on depreciation. The M2 is a different beast absolutely, I believe the lighting lap on Car and Driver just found the M240 to be about 2-3 seconds a lap slower than the M2 at VIR so if your looking for flat out performance the M2 is the way to go. Nobody should be paying over MSRP for an M2 these days, the supply is still tight and I suspect will remain so for the duration as BMW has figured out how to protect the values on these cars but there are far more dealers willing to sell at MSRP than those demanding market premiums. If you want an M2 you pretty much have to order one, the vast majority of the cars advertised are not really cars if you make the call. Having said that you can find a newly used M2 fairly easily with low miles for around MSRP or lower, many have xpel on them and other things that would cost you some cash. Just saw a very nice one on Rennlist last night that was a great deal.

Either way you will likely be happy. I think the M2 is well worth the extra work and bucks given all of its attributes and that wonderful rear diff.

[Bluenose-2er]

Don't listen to the second guessers here. They don't know for sure whether your dealer would have gone any lower. Maybe, or maybe not. And you have the convenience of buying from your local dealer. You did great... and are now looking forward to an awesome car. Congrats!

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Originally Posted by pruettfan

The no manual on the Supra isn't a done deal yet so it your in love with the idea of that car I would not give up just yet. Not so sure about the Japanese reliability statement as most of the key components of that car are coming from BMW although I don't find BMWs to be unreliable these days.

Between the M240, M235 or M2 all are great choices. If I were in the market for the M240 I would pass and just find one of the many excellent low milage lease return M235s out there that can be had for the low 30's. I think they represent an excellent value and you can probably enjoy that car for a couple of years and get out without getting hurt too bad on depreciation. The M2 is a different beast absolutely, I believe the lighting lap on Car and Driver just found the M240 to be about 2-3 seconds a lap slower than the M2 at VIR so if your looking for flat out performance the M2 is the way to go. Nobody should be paying over MSRP for an M2 these days, the supply is still tight and I suspect will remain so for the duration as BMW has figured out how to protect the values on these cars but there are far more dealers willing to sell at MSRP than those demanding market premiums. If you want an M2 you pretty much have to order one, the vast majority of the cars advertised are not really cars if you make the call. Having said that you can find a newly used M2 fairly easily with low miles for around MSRP or lower, many have xpel on them and other things that would cost you some cash. Just saw a very nice one on Rennlist last night that was a great deal.

Either way you will likely be happy. I think the M2 is well worth the extra work and bucks given all of its attributes and that wonderful rear diff.

Agreed.....From what I am told the highest demand is in Ca and that is where they are getting the most over msrp business. We all know if you want something bad enough......If you are ordering you can do the deal anywhere and have it delivered to the Performance Center

The biggest thing is the wait for an allocation to hit production or even finding an allocation but the internet is a glorious thing

[AngryBaby]

Congrats, OP. Welcome to the (best) club!

[VR-Tech]

Originally Posted by M2-007

Hello everyone,

I am new to this BMW forum. I am actually new to BMW period. I have never driven one nor sat in one. For some reason I always had the impression that BMW is very costly to maintain and it is built mainly for the rich. Since I belong to the American bottom 99% I never thought about getting a BMW.

While I was searching for a reliable but fun to drive sports car. The upcoming Toyota Supra Turbo seems to be a good candidate (German engineering with Toyota reliability). But it doesn't offer a manual transmission so I don't want it. During my google searches for a fun to drive sports cars the M2 kept showing up in my searches so it got my attention. All car reviews gave the M2 very high rating for it's performance including the highest reliability rating from Consumer Reports. I went to BMW dealers near my house to buy a M2, but the M240i got in the way. Which led me to this forum seeking for your advice.

The dealers near me have plenty of M240i in stock and they are willing to sell it to me $4000 below MSRP. They don't have a manual M2 in stock but willing to order one for $5000 over MSRP, and it will not arrive until summer next year. The base price of the M2 is about $10K more than the M240i. Factor in the M240i discount and the $5k over MSRP for the M2, the price difference is $19K between a M240i and a M2 for my situation. And most of the reviews I have seen said the M240i is as fast as the M2 and 99% as good as the M2. As a logical choice it should be a no brainer to pick the M240i. But something bothers me. If it is such a no brainer why do most people buy the M2??? There must be a reason but I couldn't figured it out using logic reasoning.

Could you share your reasoning why you bought the M2 instead of the M240i?

Thanks for sharing.

M240i, B58 engine, better top end performance, but...is not an M. after 3-4 years you would have lost more money in depreciation with the M240i. The M2 will hold its value better. Performance wise, the M2 is better if you are on the track for obvious reasons.

Or for the same price try find a use low miles 1M!

[greasypeanut]

another m2 in irvine! if you see a mg with a cracked windshield, give me a wave

[VR-Tech]

Originally Posted by strato58

Fun comparison and im not surprised the new engine is equally quick. The true test would be with a proper driver on a road course. I would suspect the m2 would walk away due to much better suspension

The M2 would be also quicker getting out of corners because it has more torque due to the overboost. Thins and the suspension will eventually gain of the m240i. The 240i higher top end performance is not enough to compensate on straight lines where the M2 is ahead

[OSee]

Originally Posted by greasypeanut

another m2 in irvine! if you see a mg with a cracked windshield, give me a wave

In Irvine frequently here. Should see me in a AW soon'ish

[M2-007]

Originally Posted by greasypeanut

another m2 in irvine! if you see a mg with a cracked windshield, give me a wave

You got it. I will wave and honk

But I don't remember seeing the "Cracked Windshield" option for the M2. I would have purchased it to get additional attention

[greasypeanut]

Originally Posted by M2-007

You got it. I will wave and honk

But I don't remember seeing the "Cracked Windshield" option for the M2. I would have purchased it to get additional attention

Ah yeah. It was a special edition option that was installed in Buttonwillow. The installer told me that it was one of a kind. Can't beat that exclusivity.