[Xavier Seynave]

I waved goodbye to my trusty FR-S two months ago and the M240 never made me look back.

I bought a NC MX-5 back in 2007 and it was a dream come true as it ticked all the right boxes: very light, two-seater, rear-wheel driven, balanced, well engineered, great gear box, and not sophisticated at all (the only driving assistance was the ABS). I changed for the FR-S in 2012 (first month of deliveries) after love at first sight. A bit heavier, it was also a bit more powerful, had the same gear box command, was not convertible (the MX-5 was quite the PITA in freeze-thaw season with many floodings of the boot and the cockpit) but had rear seats. I missed the claustrophobic feeling but in the end it was very practical as I could fold the rear seats and put my road bike inside the car. Both those cars are wonderful to drive but as the years go by, the lack of power gets increasingly bothering.

However I was not really looking to change but Toyota nicely invited me for a track day last summer. I was to drive my own FR-S, the new model-year one and the new Supra. The Supra was a blast (such is the gap with the FR-S) and smoothly took a place in the front row of the cars-I-would-fancy-one-day. The price tag is ridiculously high but it is a great car with a nice cockpit and great handling. That is when I started shortlisting car with similar specs.

I scanned very wide, from US muscle cars to the 370Z. My heart had a soft spot for the Stingray and the Cayman but the low-milage-used-car price of the former and the running fees of the latter were enough to douse my enthusiasm. Then I met a customer of my employer's who had a S3 and got curious about the entry levels of German premium brands. The search was quickly over since only the 2-series was a coupe. The specs of the M240 reminded me that the Supra is actually a BMW in the disguise of a geisha, and on top of it all the price tag for a manual one was way more affordable...

There is no BMW dealer closer than 100km from home, but one of them had a 17k km, full options x-drive M240 in the right colours ready to be tried out, so off I went. That was all I loved in the Supra in terms of driveability but without makeup! I put a deposit on the same evening and brought her home four days later.

It is still not a two-seater, but it has a lot of muscles to flex and does not get bullied at the red lights by F150s like the FR-S did. The expressions of the engine have a way to bring smiles and while the driving position is not as race-y as other dedicated coupes, it is sport-y enough to make it a driver car.

[PDM5]

I wanted a smallish coupe with newer tech, rwd, practical to take 3 people somewhere, comfortable enough for daily duty but capable of turning it up a notch when I wanted, and most importantly (and absolutely non-negotiable) was having a manual transmission. I was splitting daily driving duties between a Gen 1 CTS V and my X3 and wasn't really happy with either. The V wasn't really meant for the stop and go DC area traffic and while completely competent, the X3 was just boring. I've had "real" M cars in the past. Been there done that. So I wasn't chasing after badges or even looking to stay with BMW, but there was absolutely nothing else that fit the bill. I would have gotten a Daewoo if they made a car that fit my needs. Came close to a 981 Cayman and C7 Vette, but they were only two seaters and I just couldn't get over not being able to have back seats (which I've used multiple times in the 2 weeks I've owned the car with no complaints from the passengers). I switch cars every two years or so after getting tired with them, but I'm really hoping that is out the window as the car is just so good. I ended up picking up a CPO 2017 M240i slicktop and am very pleased.

[BimBimM2]

I love these types of threads man, this was a huge search for me. And by process of elimination I ended with the following hard requirements in mind:

- must look good with slim and trim proportions
- must have AWD, and not FWD biased AWD. I live in MN and I adore AWD launches
- must be a drop-top
- must not be a bloated queen
- must not break the damn bank since AWD M4s are on the horizon

I looked at the following:
- cayman s; no AWD but this was absolutely sublime
- m4 convertibles; no AWD and just... not all that given what the M240i delivers as a livable daily driver with AWD
- Mustangs GTs/Camaros with V8s; hated the bloat, and the ride, and how common they are, and how shitty they look
- Kia Stinger haha... no. It has an interesting shape but over-designed. Fun and funny car. Not for me.
- new Supra (had a 94TT manual way back), but couldn't test drive and the lack of AWD just put me off. Didn't bother with the M2 for the same reasons as well.
- GTR! Like the Cayman, this was lovely, but this just felt so... dated. Test drove twice.
- test drove the new z4 but hated the shape; the front is just ugly. The headlights are tragically pedestrian. At this point I was still a little open minded about the lack of AWD, and cross shopped this with the Cayman
- after test driving the GTR, went to RS3 and loved it. However seemed too laggy. And just not sharp enough. Something was missing and I believe it was the way the car just wouldn't feel sharp enough. Test drove an S5 and instantly hated how much of a boat the convertible felt versus how tight the coupe S5 feels. TTRS was another one, but I thought that for the money I could do better. However after driving the S5 I decided that I want AWD and convertible together, essentially eliminating cars like GTR, Cayman, RS3 etc. Damn the Mercs. There was the Jaguar F-Type but... no. Too expensive for the trims that came with AWD

So while I was sampling the above, I had not even considered an M240i as I thought it was just a "bloated 1er". Blame ignorance. However kept on reading about it and the wonders of the B58. Then test drove one, and that was it hah.

Back to M240i, I was going to place an order for a custom build with Coral interior and AW exterior, but ended up getting incredibly lucky because I found a brand new red int. and AW ext. LOADED 2018 M240i convertible out in Virginia. Negotiated nearly 33% off MSRP and signed the deal. Done. Couldn't be happier.

[4Hockey4]

Kids had stopped playing hockey (so increased $$$ lol) and we had bought a 01' 330ci vert last spring...so when wanting a manual RWD sports car, that narrowed my choices. MT was non negotiable. Drove the 4series and just wanting liking, buddy has 16' sweet M4, carboned out, that burnt orange color, manual, sweet ride.

I came out of muscle cars and had a 01 Mustang GT vert for years....

I like the smallness, and easy to handle RWD 2 series. Liked the 230i, simply wanted more.

Teaching boys how to drive, wife loving it too...I'll likely get used 2020 Comp in a year or 2, and she'll take the 16' 235i.

[KjPerry]

I have completely read through this thread.

i did a lot of looking around before I decided on the M235i.

Since it was going to be my daily and I live in Chicago, I need an AWD car. I wanted something on the higher end (Merc, Audi, or BMW) and wanted a coupe.

I stumbled upon the M235i as a performance AWD car. Everything I read said the M235i out performed CLA45 AMG and i just dont trust Audi. I have heard too many negative things from friend's personal experiences. I saw the RS3 and the car being as small as it is and a 4 door just looks funny to me.

At the time, I did'nt really plan on doing a lot of modifications to the ride, but now I'm hooked haha. I really lucked out for all the aftermarket products offered for the car.

Absolutely love the purchase and would do it again. Once I can afford two cars, I would like to get an M4 as the fun car.