[Edslittleworld]

I currently own a 2017 M240i (6MT) and am toying with purchasing a 2021 car early next year. I really like my car overall, but wonder if there's any real competition out there for an upgrade in a small peppy RWD coupe with a manual for under $60K. Cars i'm considering:

BMW M2 - A bit too pricey for me and not radically different from what i already own. Plus, no adaptive suspension.

CPO Cayman S - Probably my top pick, but are still pricey, rare and I don't really like hatchbacks.

Mustang/Camaro - Nice, but way too big and cavey inside.

WRX/STI - Had one and loved it...but too big, four doors and not as fast as my current car.

What else out there with a 6MT is worth considering for under $60K?

[Throttlesteer14]

Z4? Never mind, you want a coupe

[Lucky13]

Supra

[Edslittleworld]

Originally Posted by Lucky13

Supra

There's a 1995 with 22K miles on it for $75K on Autotrader. Otherwise, the new one has a DCT, so no go for me.

[BimBimM2]

Originally Posted by Edslittleworld

I currently own a 2017 M240i (6MT) and am toying with purchasing a 2021 car early next year. I really like my car overall, but wonder if there's any real competition out there for an upgrade in a small peppy RWD coupe with a manual for under $60K. Cars i'm considering:

BMW M2 - A bit too pricey for me and not radically different from what i already own. Plus, no adaptive suspension.

CPO Cayman S - Probably my top pick, but are still pricey, rare and I don't really like hatchbacks.

Mustang/Camaro - Nice, but way too big and cavey inside.

WRX/STI - Had one and loved it...but too big, four doors and not as fast as my current car.

What else out there with a 6MT is worth considering for under $60K?

If you can be flexible on the coupe requirements, the Kia Stinger is actually pretty amazing.

But no, no real competition. I wanted AWD and a convertible, in a small package... nothing like this exists with the exception of the M240xi

[keylime503]

I currently have a 6MT M240i and I'm deciding between a new M2C and a used 981 or 982 Cayman S/GTS as my next car. M2C would be fantastic but I'm concerned it'll be too similar to my M240i (it'd be nice to have a different interior to look at after all this time in F-gen BMWs). Porsche is the dream but it's really hard to find a manual 981 or 982 with the options I'm looking for. And once I do, they tend to be over 60k.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Edslittleworld

Do the M2/M240i cars have any real competition?

Not in my book – not directly, anyway.

M2 – after I'd put coilovers, camber plates, wheels & tires, studs & nuts, harnesses, etc. to get it ready for basic track and back road duty, the price/performance fell apart completely. The M240i I found, with its $10K-off MSRP price, made the M2 totally uncompetitive.

Cayman S – when my P-car friends share with me what they're spending on basic maintenance, we always laugh and move on to another subject (read: I'm just not in that bracket)

Camaro (1LE) – now that is a car I would love to take out; but only at the track, so it's another non-starter from the practical point of view.

In addition to the Cayman S, I also considered the Miata and the BRZ/86 for their lightness and enjoyable driving dynamics.

In the end, it was the combination of utility, price, baked-in goodness, and available upgrades that kept me returning to the F22. I would have been happy with a four-banger, but the six I was able to land has worked out just fine. It's a tank, but in the world of tanks, it's a good tank!

[B58togo]

Not a Mustang/Camaro fan, but the GT350 and ZL1 are seriously awesome. My car is faster in a straight line than the GT350, but damn, that Voodoo harmony is sublime. The ZL1 is an absolute animal with a pulley/tune, but that interior is questionable. I'd love to drive them both. Gotta give credit where it's due, and Ford and Chevy have come so far in the last decade. I mean, compare the S197 Mustang to the E46/E9X M3. Ford was a joke until 2011. It took Chevy until 2015-2016 to find its way with the 6th Gen Camaro, but now they're doing work.

[mattc1176]

I've always been a new car guy every 2-3 years just b/c I want something new and I went from a '15 235 to an '18 240 and will be keeping it for a while. I need 6MT as well and there is just nothing out there in the same price range that's better imho.

[Edslittleworld]

Originally Posted by B58togo

Not a Mustang/Camaro fan, but the GT350 and ZL1 are seriously awesome. My car is faster in a straight line than the GT350, but damn, that Voodoo harmony is sublime. The ZL1 is an absolute animal with a pulley/tune, but that interior is questionable. I'd love to drive them both. Gotta give credit where it's due, and Ford and Chevy have come so far in the last decade. I mean, compare the S197 Mustang to the E46/E9X M3. Ford was a joke until 2011. It took Chevy until 2015-2016 to find its way with the 6th Gen Camaro, but now they're doing work.

I've owned plenty of Mustangs...but like all the 'Murican perf cars, they're just too big. My 240 barely allows my other BMW (a R1200GS motorcycle) to fit in front of it in the garage. A "pony" car would be about a foot too long.

[TonM3]

Originally Posted by Edslittleworld

I currently own a 2017 M240i (6MT) and am toying with purchasing a 2021 car early next year. I really like my car overall, but wonder if there's any real competition out there for an upgrade in a small peppy RWD coupe with a manual for under $60K. Cars i'm considering:

BMW M2 - A bit too pricey for me and not radically different from what i already own. Plus, no adaptive suspension.

CPO Cayman S - Probably my top pick, but are still pricey, rare and I don't really like hatchbacks.

Mustang/Camaro - Nice, but way too big and cavey inside.

WRX/STI - Had one and loved it...but too big, four doors and not as fast as my current car.

What else out there with a 6MT is worth considering for under $60K?

I'm kind of glad there is no competition really. I'm not sure the market could sustain two cars like this and in the end both would faiil

[Moflow]

Ugh. Yup that's why I ended up in an M2c, though i totally get why you would feel reluctant coming from an M240i. Not really that NEW of a car.

There just isn't a lot of small, fast stuff with a M/T these days.

[230iZTR]

It does occupy a rather unique niche in the market for the time being, but I do think it has some pretty serious competition if you are a bit loose about what actually counts for purposes of comparison.

The Focus RS, Golf R, and Civic Type-R have rear doors to access seats that are comparable in size to the 2-series, and their very smart active differential systems are just as capable of RWD-like, easy-to-rotate dynamics as the 2er.

The BRZ and GT86 were not offered from the factory with powerful turbocharged engines, but the aftermarket have everything you'd need to make one into a supercar killer with off-the-shelf parts.

The Camaro 1LE and Mustang GT350 are about 11 inches longer, less than 2 inches wider, and weigh less than 200 lbs more. So they are "bigger" in a literal sense, but not so much that the vast majority of drivers would notice a night and day difference, especially when you include their more powerful engines and bigger tires in context.

The $60k cutoff for cost seems pretty arbitrary when you're discussing the typical demographic for a luxury sporty car purchase that won't be functioning as your primary vehicle. If you can afford a $60k M2, then a $70k Cayman S is not really that much of a stretch.

[morphomeman]

There are no RWD competitors with room for four.
As it happens, both the 2-series and the Golf GTI/R are up for model changes in 2022.
Maybe wait a year. The new GTI just got a very nice advanced review in Car and Driver and it has a strong price advantage over the 2'er.
Of course, since it is never a good idea to buy a brand new model in its first year, that puts you a year later to 2023.
Maybe by then, the economy will have recovered from COVID. Maybe not.

[chattanooga240]

Time to finally give in and realize the days of manual performance cars are going out the window. (we all have to evolve eventually)

Dual clutch stuff is just where it's at now.

[USA-RET]

When I was looking I did consider an Audi TTS. It was a nice car, but not as compelling fast the the M240i. The TT-RS could be an option also (but at a higher price point). The TT's are cars you don't see on the road often, so you won't be seeing yourself coming and going. The interiors are quite nice (better than the 2 series IMO). There is plenty of storage with the hatch and folding rear seats.

It may not tick all the boxes, but is worth a look. From a practicality stand point it trumps the Cayman (which was another car is considered before buying the M240i).

Honestly, I think the M240i is in a class by itself.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by chattanooga240

Time to finally give in and realize the days of manual performance cars are going out the window. (we all have to evolve eventually)

Dual clutch stuff is just where it's at now.

May as well just go straight from manual and fully evolve to an electric drivetrain - DCT is just an evolutionary dead-end along the route

[BimBimM2]

Originally Posted by aerobod

May as well just go straight from manual and fully evolve to an electric drivetrain - DCT is just an evolutionary dead-end along the route

This is the right answer!

[j2dad5389]

Subaru BRZ, Toyota 86

[chattanooga240]

Originally Posted by aerobod

May as well just go straight from manual and fully evolve to an electric drivetrain - DCT is just an evolutionary dead-end along the route

No skipping steps...

[MarkDemma]

BMW M2 - agree that the price difference between the M240i and the M2C doesn't justify the price difference, and its pretty stiff for a DD

CPO Cayman S - Hey if you can afford it YOLO

Mustang/Camaro - Different category for sure. If you are into muscle cars then why not.

WRX/STI - They are VERY long in the tooth right now. Expect a complete new model soon.

What else out there with a 6MT is worth considering for under $60K?

Supra?

With a 2017 2 series, if you got a new one right now it would be pretty much identical to your current car. May as well wait and see if the new G42 is any good or if they ^&$^*# it up as bad as the new 4.

[B58togo]

Originally Posted by j2dad5389

Subaru BRZ, Toyota 86

Not in the same league. Need to be able to run at least 12's straight off the showroom floor.