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2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum BMW 2 Series (F22) Forum 2 Series Pricing, Ordering, European Delivery E90 to M240 transition?

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      08-18-2020, 11:08 AM   #1
DavePatr
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E90 to M240 transition?

Has anyone made the transition from an E90 (in my case 2007 328xi) straight to an M240i? I’m on the verge of getting in line to place an order for a manual RWD version, but can’t get past the idea that I’ll regret trading this car in.

What I like (328): no screen on the dash, naturally aspirated, hydraulic steering, enough power when winding it out. It’s like a tank in all weather conditions. I bought it 10 years ago CPO, have cared for it well, and it’s in excellent condition (108k miles).
What I don’t like: clutch can be annoying/jerky in lower gears, heel toe downshifting can be tricky. (I have a manual 2014 Miata in which I don’t have these problems at all.)

I test drove a 2017 M240 in April, and although I didn’t disable auto rev matching to test heel toe, normal shifting was better. I’ve heard the steering is a weak point, but I honestly didn’t mind it and/or I’d probably stop noticing after a week. The M240 seemed closer to the Miata driving experience (even though I was driving 5/10 or whatever for the test drive) but more comfortable, albeit also more numb. The contemporaneous report to my wife (who wants me to just order it already), was “it’s a better car in every way”.

My motivation for buying would be to have two cars that I really look forward to driving -- I still *love* driving the miata every time after 2+ years -- to some extent the extra safety bells/whistles, plus Manual/RWD/6 cyl cars are an endangered species, and I'd like to have one that I've owned from new.

Feels like I've convinced myself by writing this out, but would really appreciate any perspective from anyone who's made this leap. Thanks.
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      08-18-2020, 11:22 AM   #2
BrettKA7
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I LOVE my M240i. It's by far the best car I've ever driven for the reasons you listed and more.

However, it seems like you are really attached to your E90 and it seems pretty trouble-free. The E9X gen still looks nice today. Whether you sell it now or you sell it later if/when it develops problems, it probably won't be a big financial difference and the LCI M240i still needs a good year to depreciate enough to get past the big initial drop.

If you like the steering, you'll love the M240i. It just seems like from your post you might love your E90 more.
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      08-18-2020, 12:04 PM   #3
DavePatr
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Thank you, it's that apparently universal enthusiasm for the car that led me to test drive one -- honestly at this point if I knew the 328 were going to someone who'd appreciate/take care of it, I'd place the order today. I know that's ridiculous.

It was the first 'performance' car I ever owned, and got me hooked on cars, but after buying the miata, the 328 now seems almost bland in comparison -- undoubtedly that's a function of time as well. Even though it's good enough, I'm actually leaning pretty hard in the direction of just deciding between Long Beach Blue or Estoril and going ahead. The more I think about it the closer I am to concluding that on balance it's a way better total package, and I'll always (hopefully) have the miata for the full unvarnished analog experience.
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      08-18-2020, 12:42 PM   #4
BrettKA7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DavePatr View Post
Thank you, it's that apparently universal enthusiasm for the car that led me to test drive one -- honestly at this point if I knew the 328 were going to someone who'd appreciate/take care of it, I'd place the order today. I know that's ridiculous.

It was the first 'performance' car I ever owned, and got me hooked on cars, but after buying the miata, the 328 now seems almost bland in comparison -- undoubtedly that's a function of time as well. Even though it's good enough, I'm actually leaning pretty hard in the direction of just deciding between Long Beach Blue or Estoril and going ahead. The more I think about it the closer I am to concluding that on balance it's a way better total package, and I'll always (hopefully) have the miata for the full unvarnished analog experience.
In that case, my two cents is Estoril Blue matches the M Sport design better than Long Beach Blue. I think LBB looks better on the M2.

My first car was one that I really loved despite it's flaws - a 1995 Acura Legend. I babied that car and it looked nearly showroom clean at 250k miles. It would definitely feel good to rehome your E90 with an enthusiast that will take good care of the car!
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      08-18-2020, 01:41 PM   #5
SevenEightOh
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I also had a 2007 328xi MT but 2016 M235i RWD MT.

Biggest gripe is in my mind the steering - The E90 steering felt perfect, whereas the my F22 has a dead center (though still better than loads of competitors).

My E90 also had no screen - but i personally enjoyed the addition

Added power is also pretty nice - B58 is worlds improved on N55 (or N52 in this case) so you'll get more out of it than mine.

Overall was extremely happy with purchase and don't really look back too much, car brings smiles to my face all the time after a couple years of ownership. So you can't go wrong with a m240.

The thing is though, Miata and F22 share some commonalities so you'll lose some of the utility of a sedan so not sure how much that will affect your decision making?
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      08-18-2020, 03:13 PM   #6
DavePatr
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Nice, thanks. ...Steering -- maybe I tested the only one that seemed not to have a dead center, I specifically paid attention to that on a straight 50mph road (also possible I don't know what I'm talking about). I'll do another test drive before signing, my dealer appears to have 4 on the way (automatics, AWD).

In terms of utility, my wife has a Pilot for hauling stuff, kids, etc and even in the 328 I'm in there alone or with one passenger 90% of the time, but definitely in the back of my mind.

(btw I meant to post this thread in general discussion, apologies)

Last edited by DavePatr; 08-18-2020 at 03:18 PM..
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