Quote:
Originally Posted by ASAP
Fantastic car... but there is a time and place for everything imho... I think in 2023, this car is a bit overrated. You can see this car is just really dated at this point... one sold recently at apparently $300K so unless you are some super hardcore collector, it'd be hard to even consider that. Given the prices... i just don't see how someone could choose this over the upcoming M2 for example... the SMG in this generation is trash, it doesn't even have a radio, ac was limited option and those buckets look awful to sit in... the build quality of this generation was also very poor.... Discount the S54 motor and lightweight and this car has very little to stand on... might as well just buy a manual E46 and remove some weight and save yourself a lot of money.
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I understand your point. For the price tag of $300k I would get a 992 GT3 Touring and call it a day. My preference, my taste, and my money. Reality is I can't afford more than one car at that level so I choose something modern. The CSL is only for collectors at this point, but the real point of the CSL is a nod to a time where BMW M wasn't scared to make a true sports car.
"i just don't see how someone could choose this over the upcoming M2 for example"
-No one is cross shopping these two cars. $70k vs. collector pricing. Two different buyers completely.
"the SMG in this generation is trash, it doesn't even have a radio, ac was limited option and those buckets look awful to sit in"
-SMG was trash and no one denies it. Not the journalist, not the enthusiasts, and not the keyboard warriors. No radio/ac/buckets are EXACTLY what enthusiasts and track junkies want out of these cars. It's all they've been asking for for years. E92 GTS and F82 GTS never matched the weight savings of the E46 CSL. G82 CSL matches the weight savings (haven't checked to see if anyone has actually taken it to a scale) but there's a 20 year gap between E46 and G82. Let that sink in. 20 years ago they were shaving off around 240lbs off an already "light" car. In today's standards it's almost pointless.
"the build quality of this generation was also very poor"
-No it really wasn't. E46 build quality was better than E9x and F3x. I've had all of them and spent countless hours in many between all of my friends. However that point is not even relevant. An E46 M3 CSL interior is outdated, but funny enough you can't even get a stripper spec M car any more. Power seats, nav, etc. are all standard. Obsessed Garage bought an 800 mile E92 M3 in a stripper spec for $120k I believe. Stripper specs always grab higher premiums in the market for M cars.
"Discount the S54 motor and lightweight and this car has very little to stand on"
-The E46 CSL stands on everything. It made the standard for M cars. Funny though because it's never been replicated.
"We want the old E46 CSL tricks applied to the new M4: even less sound deadening, an idiosyncratic intake note, zero embellishments, and no A/C or radio or lighted CSL badges in the headrests. Every component of a CSL should make sense when viewed through the uncompromising lens of the phrase “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” This CSL couldn’t clear that hallowed bar."
-Road & Track
"might as well just buy a manual E46 and remove some weight and save yourself a lot of money"
-I agree with this, but applied to more of the modern cars. You can code in a lot of the CS features. Put on a good pair of coilovers, better tires, tune/engine parts, and do your own weight savings on a standard M3 and have a track monster. No need to be paying for the M4 CSL at all with that logic. E46 CSL was ahead of its time. All the parts (Roof, wheels, diffuser, trunk, front bumper, interior bits) were the first of its kind. I always joke and say Vorsteiner's success was built off the CSL. I was heavily involved in the forums when the E9x M3 came out. All of the Vorsteiner CF parts were insanely in demand. Most mimicked the CSL parts such as the diffuser and bootlid design. Interesting how the CSL was the first M car with a CF roof and the E92 M3 was the first M3 to start having it as standard. You can get a 3 series with a CF roof now. The CSL paved the way for M.
Sorry for the essay and in no way am I attacking you or your points. I'm just stating why I believe (and many others) the importance of the E46 CSL. It's out of most our reach from a financial and logistical standpoint, yet it is the model that everyone always looks to for M performance.