[Maynard]

Make it an M8, and tell the kid that the lack of a college fund was a carefully scripted move to help them build character in the work-world.

[joshdub]

My daughter has been riding in the back of my m2c since she was born. We started with the cybex aton 2 infant seat, which was very easy to fit baseless (base stayed in a different vehicle), and graduated to a nuna rava rear facing convertible at about 9 months. The nuna rava fits great and I keep it on the passenger side (so I can reach back when needed). I am 6'3 and can sit comfortably on the passenger side in front of the car seat.

Almost half of the miles I have on the car have been put on to get her to take a nap. The combination of the exhaust rumble and stiff suspension would knock her out when nothing else would.

Buy what you'd like, but for me the m2c has surprisingly been a perfect baby hauler.

[Philly_sweden]

Originally Posted by joshdub

My daughter has been riding in the back of my m2c since she was born. We started with the cybex aton 2 infant seat, which was very easy to fit baseless (base stayed in a different vehicle), and graduated to a nuna rava rear facing convertible at about 9 months. The nuna rava fits great and I keep it on the passenger side (so I can reach back when needed). I am 6'3 and can sit comfortably on the passenger side in front of the car seat.

Almost half of the miles I have on the car have been put on to get her to take a nap. The combination of the exhaust rumble and stiff suspension would knock her out when nothing else would.

Buy what you'd like, but for me the m2c has surprisingly been a perfect baby hauler.

I love that you use the car with your family !

[munja]

Originally Posted by joshdub

My daughter has been riding in the back of my m2c since she was born. We started with the cybex aton 2 infant seat, which was very easy to fit baseless (base stayed in a different vehicle), and graduated to a nuna rava rear facing convertible at about 9 months. The nuna rava fits great and I keep it on the passenger side (so I can reach back when needed). I am 6'3 and can sit comfortably on the passenger side in front of the car seat.

Almost half of the miles I have on the car have been put on to get her to take a nap. The combination of the exhaust rumble and stiff suspension would knock her out when nothing else would.

Buy what you'd like, but for me the m2c has surprisingly been a perfect baby hauler.

This is awesome! I can’t wait to finally get the seat and try it out.

[tokki]

Originally Posted by joshdub

My daughter has been riding in the back of my m2c since she was born. We started with the cybex aton 2 infant seat, which was very easy to fit baseless (base stayed in a different vehicle), and graduated to a nuna rava rear facing convertible at about 9 months. The nuna rava fits great and I keep it on the passenger side (so I can reach back when needed). I am 6'3 and can sit comfortably on the passenger side in front of the car seat.

Almost half of the miles I have on the car have been put on to get her to take a nap. The combination of the exhaust rumble and stiff suspension would knock her out when nothing else would.

Buy what you'd like, but for me the m2c has surprisingly been a perfect baby hauler.

You must have a really tolerant wife. Mine took one ride in the back and said no effing way. Its not about the space but more about the NVH.

[medphysdave]

Nuna Rava is a great car seat

[MCouper]

I was in your position 10 years ago when my son was born. I had an E46 330Ci Coupe and a Z4M Coupe, which ended up ultimately doing the track duty. I eventually found that the 2-door 330 was awful to get the kid in/out of on a regular basis and ended up with a 2013 335i, which was one of my all-time favorite cars.

The 335i was really wasn't a good foundation for HPDEs though. It was perfect for daily driving and family duty but needed a better suspension, an actual LSD, better brake pads and several cooling system upgrades in order to be a reliable and formidable track car. Making most of those changes actually made it a much worse daily driver/family car though. It really depends on how many track days you want to do each year and how much of a family car you need. The m340i is similar in that vain.

Of your planning to do 3+ HPDEs a year and you can swing it, I'd recommend getting an m340i or an X5 50e as a family car and then get a used GR86 or equivalent for a track car. I still have the Z4M Coupe for HPDEs and while it's awful to drive around town and the Hawk DCT60 brakes squeal like crazy, it's awesome on the track. I have an X5 45e for family stuff and also just got an M2 Comp that will eventually replace the Z4. The X5 PHEV is freaking amazing. I fill up the gas tank every 800-1100 miles, it runs almost always on electric when driving around town and it fits everything we need for weekend trips. The 50e has even more electric range.

If you're only looking to get a single car though, then the m340i is probably your best bet. 4-doors is a must for family stuff and if you're only doing 1-2 HPDE events a year, then it should be more than enough to have fun in. Once you start doing more and more track events, building more experience and getting faster on the track, then the stock m340i may not be enough. You'll at the very least need to switch to brake pads that handle 20-30 minute sessions. And those pads have a tendency to be really loud on the street.

[munja]

I finally got the seat and went on a test drive with my wife. Like few people already said its totally doable.

For the context im 6'2 and my wife is 5'4 and the seat is Nuna Pipa RX.
- My wife can sit behind me without a problem and she said for now we def dont need a new car
I can also sit behind her when she is driving. This was my first time sitting in the back seat and i was surprised how good it is. I had Golf R before and i think its comparable to it or other compact cars. it's a bit bumpier in the rear on the crappy roads.
- I think for up to 2h trips its going to be fine. I dont expect to drive more than that initially.
- I think its a bit pita to get the seat through the passenger doors but since im not driving much it will be ok.

This is huge relief to me knowing that i dont have to buy a new car right away. Tradeoffs are acceptable. M2 is so well designed, its hard to believe a car can be so good on track out of the box and a decent family car. I can imagine M3 being a lot better at this but you have to spend at least 70k and in my case i would prob get a fully loaded comp which is closer to 100k.

Few other interesting options I looked at:
- Giulia quadrifoglio -> They are a lot of fun and can be found cheaper than m3 (~60k for 2022), but Im scared about their reliability and depreciation.
- CT4-V Blackwing -> currently still researching this option. Its very interesting car and supposedly more fun than m3. There is one thats near me for sale, ill try to check it out over the weekend.

Im 99% keeping my m2 for another year. It has only 14k miles and I also have 0.9% financing on it so its kinda cheap to own given current market and rates.

I think if I decide to go with anything that doesn't feel special and fun to drive like m2 its going to be x5. Im losing fun part but at least i know i have all the comfort.

[medphysdave]

My wife has a x5e. It's awesome! I highly recommend. It's super comfortable, but damn am I not used to slowing it down after driving the M2.

[joshdub]

Originally Posted by tokki

You must have a really tolerant wife. Mine took one ride in the back and said no effing way. Its not about the space but more about the NVH.

Well we don't usually ride in the back but she's never mentioned anything and I haven't found it to be too uncomfortable. But we both have had a long history of loud, low, and stiff cars.

[DrChase]

Originally Posted by joshdub

My daughter has been riding in the back of my m2c since she was born. We started with the cybex aton 2 infant seat, which was very easy to fit baseless (base stayed in a different vehicle), and graduated to a nuna rava rear facing convertible at about 9 months. The nuna rava fits great and I keep it on the passenger side (so I can reach back when needed). I am 6'3 and can sit comfortably on the passenger side in front of the car seat.

Almost half of the miles I have on the car have been put on to get her to take a nap. The combination of the exhaust rumble and stiff suspension would knock her out when nothing else would.

Buy what you'd like, but for me the m2c has surprisingly been a perfect baby hauler.

Same here. M2C has been fitted with my daughter’s car seat since birth, right behind the driver seat (due to my being only 5’6”). I only remove the car seat for corner balancing and track events.

[DrChase]

Originally Posted by munja

I finally got the seat and went on a test drive with my wife. Like few people already said its totally doable.

For the context im 6'2 and my wife is 5'4 and the seat is Nuna Pipa RX.
- My wife can sit behind me without a problem and she said for now we def dont need a new car
I can also sit behind her when she is driving. This was my first time sitting in the back seat and i was surprised how good it is. I had Golf R before and i think its comparable to it or other compact cars. it's a bit bumpier in the rear on the crappy roads.
- I think for up to 2h trips its going to be fine. I dont expect to drive more than that initially.
- I think its a bit pita to get the seat through the passenger doors but since im not driving much it will be ok.

This is huge relief to me knowing that i dont have to buy a new car right away. Tradeoffs are acceptable. M2 is so well designed, its hard to believe a car can be so good on track out of the box and a decent family car. I can imagine M3 being a lot better at this but you have to spend at least 70k and in my case i would prob get a fully loaded comp which is closer to 100k.

Few other interesting options I looked at:
- Giulia quadrifoglio -> They are a lot of fun and can be found cheaper than m3 (~60k for 2022), but Im scared about their reliability and depreciation.
- CT4-V Blackwing -> currently still researching this option. Its very interesting car and supposedly more fun than m3. There is one thats near me for sale, ill try to check it out over the weekend.

Im 99% keeping my m2 for another year. It has only 14k miles and I also have 0.9% financing on it so its kinda cheap to own given current market and rates.

I think if I decide to go with anything that doesn't feel special and fun to drive like m2 its going to be x5. Im losing fun part but at least i know i have all the comfort.

FL5 Civic Type R is a renowned driver’s car. I’m trying to get an MSRP allocation in SoCal as an addition to my M2C. It’s also very practical and spacious. Quadrifoglio is a blast to drive on public roads due to the fast steering ratio and the rowdy TTV6. Still, they’re scarcely trackable due to brake by wire issues and electric issues. If you ever attend HPDEs, the QV might be contraindicated. CT4-V BW is a blast. It’s got decent character for a turbo six. The Tremec 6-speed box is a joy to row. It doesn’t hide its weight as well as the F87, but it’s well balanced fir a street-biased car. I’d consider CT4-V BW if I needed a well-mannered sedan.

[munja]

quick update after i drove m340 and almost drove giulia.

- m340: amazing car drives way better than i expected. I was close to buying it but then i drove my m2 home and was smiling entire time. Its hard to explain but m2 feels more alive and you just dont get that same sensation with m340. Im now 90% sure Im sticking with m2. This 10% is maybe used m3 if i find a good deal or used x3/5
- giulia quadrifoglio: it’s stunning inside and outside. Surprisingly alfa has more space in the back seat compared to m340. Alfa had carbon buckets which might be the reason. Its a bummer I couldn’t test drive it, they were waiting for some parts lol. This alfa with 3k mi and with still 36mo of warranty is same price as new m340. This could be a great option but i think i had a pretty clear sign to stick with bmw.

[Nicname]

I kept the M2C and picked up a X3 (its still on the small size but I also refuse to do the minivan life). I think you'll have a hard time fitting in a stroller (especially if it has a bassinet) and diaper bag + anything else in just the M2.

[jayee88]

Originally Posted by munja

I finally got the seat and went on a test drive with my wife. Like few people already said its totally doable.

For the context im 6'2 and my wife is 5'4 and the seat is Nuna Pipa RX.
- My wife can sit behind me without a problem and she said for now we def dont need a new car
I can also sit behind her when she is driving. This was my first time sitting in the back seat and i was surprised how good it is. I had Golf R before and i think its comparable to it or other compact cars. it's a bit bumpier in the rear on the crappy roads.
- I think for up to 2h trips its going to be fine. I dont expect to drive more than that initially.
- I think its a bit pita to get the seat through the passenger doors but since im not driving much it will be ok.

This is huge relief to me knowing that i dont have to buy a new car right away. Tradeoffs are acceptable. M2 is so well designed, its hard to believe a car can be so good on track out of the box and a decent family car. I can imagine M3 being a lot better at this but you have to spend at least 70k and in my case i would prob get a fully loaded comp which is closer to 100k.

Being the good uncle that I am, I occasionally drive my niece around... My sister also has a Nuna Pipa RX and it fits just like in your picture. Just be warned, the travel stroller that the Pipa RX can slot into just barely fits into my trunk with all the baby necessities and diaper bag stuffed into it. If you were to get a full sized stroller you might run into issues fitting it in your trunk.

[joshdub]

Fwiw I use a Cybex Melio carbon for a stroller. It folds up to nearly carry on size and is very lightweight. And as a bonus the thing is made out of matte carbon fiber. Fits well in the M2s trunk. You can probably get an adapter to click the nuna into it.

[Backroads Bimmer]

I will probably purchase a used x3m competition and keep my m2c. My other option is to trade the m2c for an m3 if I need more room with my kids. On paper the x3mc looks like a fun additional family vehicle and then I can turn my m2c into my track toy.

[allinon72]

Originally Posted by Backroads Bimmer

I will probably purchase a used x3m competition and keep my m2c. My other option is to trade the m2c for an m3 if I need more room with my kids. On paper the x3mc looks like a fun additional family vehicle and then I can turn my m2c into my track toy.

I traded my F80 M3 for an X3MC and learned to regret it. It’s just not a big enough vehicle to move the needle, not that much more usable storage space, the rear seating area is small (passenger still pushed up against the dashboard the same as M2 or M3). Yes it has 4 doors but the door openings are narrow. I had an early model so it was stiff and crashy over bumps which made road trips less than ideal. I would recommend jumping up to the X5M or M50i if you truly want a family vehicle.

The M2 is the perfect car for toddlers with forward facing car seats

[IcewaterPete]

Originally Posted by medphysdave

My wife has a x5e. It's awesome! I highly recommend. It's super comfortable, but damn am I not used to slowing it down after driving the M2.

LOL! That’s my problem too. Adjusting is very hard to any family hauler. My wife is always freaking out as I grind the monster to a stop.

[m2ss]

I opted not to have kids so I could keep the M2C.

Sometimes one has to make tough decisions in life...

[Philly_sweden]

Originally Posted by m2ss

I opted not to have kids so I could keep the M2C.

Sometimes one has to make tough decisions in life...

Yes it’s expensive to have both kids and fine cars. I have worked hard to get there.

2 kids and 3 cars (all paid for)

Did not buy the kids