[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Unicorn123

I will. Honestly, I am miserable with the 8 AT on my M235. I thought I would get used to it but after 40+ years of only driving manuals, both on the street and at driving events / competitively, I am still missing the feel of the manual. Although the ZF 8 speed is really quite good, I can tell I am not getting the most out of the car and really cannot get in sync with the autobox.... Might be a personal problem...LOL.

Agreed regarding approaching from the rear.... The more I think about it though, the less I care; based on what I have read, the driving experience will more than make up for it; I typically do not care much about what a car looks like, it is all about how it feels and performs. That is what sold me on the 2 Series; it is really a great car. I'll find a car (M3) to take out and if it is what I expect, I may break my tradition of keeping my car for at least 10 years and spring for it. Not getting any younger...

Based upon the always-glowing reviews of the 8-speed AT, I'm somewhat surprised at your reaction to living with it. In the end, however, these things are a matter of personal experiences, tastes, and desires. I've thought that if I was going for an M3 I'd choose the Competition model even though it comes only with the AT. This coming from a 50+ years manual transmission driver who continues to buy them for the greater level of driving engagement they offer.

The M3 Competition's race-oriented chairs, carbon brakes, and 10-step traction control system(!) make that model highly -worthy to me. I'd probably only track it once or twice, if that, so at my somewhat advanced age I do believe that sticking with the M240i I've put so much into is my best way forward. In my experience, and having used M-cars in this fashion, the best and highest use for an M3 of any recent vintage would be for 750-to-1,000-mile bursts across the American landscape. I sold my M635CSi when I could no longer use it for that purpose. Living with it in super-congested Bay Area traffic, including commuting to work, was making me cry.

I would have killed for TC in my E36 M3 race car, much less the (apparently) motorsport-level TC that it sounds like the Competition model has. I wonder when those characters at BMW Motorsport are going to get around to offering motorsport-level ABS in a street-going M-car? Gawd, it's enough to make an old guy wish he was 20 years younger!

I'm looking forward to your possible M3 review, as I suspect it will, as they say today, "resonate" with me and no doubt with many others here, too.