[yopikari]

Hi Everyone!

My car finally arrived and is safe and sound at home. Driving it feels incredible and I'm glad I can say I own one of these amazing cars. It's a LBB, 6MT, exec, moonroof (not my perfect spec as I would have preferred it without a moonroof, but I'm surprised at how much headroom I still have even with the moonroof).

The Story:
I decided I wanted one of these cars after production ended, so my options were to buy used or find a cancelled allocation. And, after looking at the used prices for these cars it almost made no sense for me to buy used if I could somehow manage to find a new one. I called dealerships up and down the west coast trying to find a car with my heart set on a long beach blue car with a manual transmission. I miraculously found one at a dealer that was about an hour from me, and I think it was available given that this dealer wasn't officially open for business yet. I got in contact with them and they let me know the car was available and I decided to buy it. I asked them if I could apply for financing and if, for whatever reason the financing was denied, I let them know I would get the loan from my bank as I was pre-approved. They agreed, and I applied. After 3 days, they let me know the financing was denied and I would need to get the loan through my bank. I responded that I was ready with it, and I wanted to put the deposit down which was met with radio silence. The next day, I tried to follow up with the dealer and was told someone would get back to me. At about 8pm someone calls me letting me know they decided to sell the car to someone else. I was heartbroken and frustrated at that experience given that they promised they wouldn't "sell the car out from under me" (their words).

A few days later, lightning struck twice, and a forum member here mentioned they knew of an allocation available for (almost) the exact spec I was hunting on the east coast. I had my sights set on a slicktop car, but this was a small sacrifice to make. An alarm was set for 5:30am my time so I can call as soon as their doors opened to ask about putting down a deposit. Thankfully, they were willing to work with me, and I placed the deposit. This dealer was seriously amazing, and everyone there was pleasant to work with!

I learned that the registration process would be a little more involved but not impossible. And after a flight to the east coast to sign for the car, it was officially mine. Transport was also arranged and I had the sad experience of leaving the car behind to board my flight home and wait for the car to get delivered.

Shipping The Car:
The car arrived with one small paint chip on a door edge that I have no idea how it could have happened, and some slight damage to the front corner of the bumper where it looks like one of the ramps clipped the bumper and also clipped the PPF that was installed. I've never had a car shipped before, and I'm definitely a little bummed about the damage, but I am glad that nothing more serious occurred.

Driving Thoughts:
I've owned several BMWs, but never anything as new as this, so my main comparisons for this car will be a 2010 135i and an E46 M3.

- To no one's surprise, this car feels like it has a lot more to give than either of the other two cars. I still haven't passed 4k RPM in my driving, but it feels like this car has a lot more to give.

- I never thought how much I would miss the hydraulic rack in the 135i. The electric steering is nice and lightweight when you want it to be, but the feeling of being connected to the front wheels isn't there. I imagine this will be a small complaint, and since I am far from any driving expert, this is not enough to detract from an otherwise incredible car.

- Lastly, this car feels less "raw" than the E46 M3. Not sure how to better explain this part, but this isn't a bad thing, just the only word I can find to describe the experience. This car is still the closest I feel you can get to a modern day E46 M3 regardless, so I am very happy. Especially given that I love the E46 M3.

Planned Changes:
- The only change to the car I currently want to make would be to try and turn ASD off. This is something everyone here has mentioned, so I'll try and remove it and see how that changes the car.
- I would love to find a set of 763M wheels, but I think my wallet needs a break for a bit before I begin with any more expenditures.

Closing Thoughts:
Overall, I am incredibly happy to have the opportunity to own this car and I am excited for many more smiles per gallon from it. (Pictures of the car to come soon!)

[Foggins]

Congrats on the great pick up!!

[IcewaterPete]

Congrats and enjoy it!

[Moflow]

Awesome! Welcome to the club! Honestly, I love the moonroof in my car. You’re down in sunny California, but up here in Washington, it really helps get light into the extremely dark cabin on cloudy days. I bet you’ll eventually be happy you got the option, if you’re not tracking the car all the time, I don’t think the extra weight will be that noticeable.

[yopikari]

Originally Posted by Moflow

Awesome! Welcome to the club! Honestly, I love the moonroof in my car. You’re down in sunny California, but up here in Washington, it really helps get light into the extremely dark cabin on cloudy days. I bet you’ll eventually be happy you got the option, if you’re not tracking the car all the time, I don’t think the extra weight will be that noticeable.

I think I'd want to take this car to the track at least once to be able to experience it, and to go for the first time. I can freely admit that I am nowhere near the level of driving where I can notice a difference in weight in the car added by the sunroof. I am very glad that I have enough headroom with the sunroof which is good enough for me!

Funnily enough, the sunny days are what turned me off having a sunroof in all my prior cars. Every time I'd open it, I would feel like I'm broiling in the sun directly overhead.

[KevinC]

Congrats!! Perseverance pays off.

I hear you about the steering. While it's "not bad", if you have something far better to compare it to - like anything E46 or the 135i, then the difference is exacerbated. But once you're used to it and if you don't also own a hydraulic-rack-equipped car, it will no longer seem like a problem, or at least that's been my experience.

Wouldn't it be awesome if ZF or somebody else developed an aftermarket hydraulic steering rack for this and other M cars? Would no doubt be pricey and a complex conversion, but would be SO worth it.

[Moflow]

Originally Posted by yopikari

Funnily enough, the sunny days are what turned me off having a sunroof in all my prior cars. Every time I'd open it, I would feel like I'm broiling in the sun directly overhead.

Hah, yeah this is also true! The shade is currently closed on mine for the same reason. But for the other 9 months or so out of the year, it's shade open/sunroof closed so the light can get in, but not the cold air.

[chefczyk]

welcome! Love the sunroof!

[MeinZwei]

Congrats on a great find! I was in a similar position recently but unwilling to pay a market adjustment. Then I found a 2020 M2C with 2600 miles exactly as I had speced it on the BMW website and snatched it. Couldn't be happier! Many happy miles to you!!

[KevinM]

OP, first congratulations! An extraordinary sequence of events to be sure.

I'm not surprised by your comparison of the E46 M3 and the M2C. As the S54 engine is also in my Z4M coupe, I feel that is is about as raw as you can get, especially at almost 8K RPMs (outside of GT3s of course ).

The M2C makes up for this with real DD ability and low-down torque. Both are special, but I'll take the S55 over the S54 all day long for a DD, and the reverse for special drives.

I'm the odd man out regarding the steering. At least for a DD, I have no qualms regarding the M2C's electronic rack. My previous E39 530i's steering was my favorite, my Z4M's my second, and my E39 M5's my third...but honestly, day to day the M2Cs is pretty good.