Which is the better e90/92 M3? Loaded or stripper?

[GT3fan]

What do you guys think is the essence of today's modern m3? What is the ideal m3? Obviously, we have different opinions on what is ideal and curious what others think.

Is it a fully loaded m3 with idrive, Nav, sunroof, full leather, automated transmission, comfort access and all the bells and whistles?

Or is it a barebones and lightest possible 6mt m3 with none of the heavy options to get in the way of driving?

The car I bought is a moderately optioned e90 with speed cloth, zcp, Nav and sunroof. Personally, I hate the look of the double hump dash and regret not getting a car with idrive delete. I'm not a fan of the sunroof either, but eventually got over it.

If I could do it all over again I would have been more patient and waited for e90 with only zcp and 6mt. A stripper is my perfect m3.

With that said, the m3 is a relatively heavy car, so I doubt having a stripper would feel any different behind the wheel versus one fully loaded. For me having no idrive and sunroof would have been for aesthetics only when it comes to the m3.

What do you guys think?

[Ab28]

I was pondering the same thing recently.

My search started a while back. My criteria was somewhat particular.

E92
White/Black
6MT
No iDrive
Speedcloth--or leather if all else was good
Carbon roof

Couldn't really find one in this spec with low miles. I ended up with the most polarizing version from where i began.

E93 with 32k miles
Black/Bamboo Leather
DCT
Nav


The E93 just came into the picture at the right time and I don't regret it at all. Everyone loves a convertible and the sound it makes with aftermarket exhaust systems is incredible.

---
To answer the question directly, I do think a stripped out version is ideal. Less moving parts, no tech to age, just a simpler platform. Fully loaded cars are great when they are current.

As mentioned the car is heavy (in all forms) so maybe if you like leather you go for it. Not many cars have Speedcloth anyway.

The only thing that bugs me is the double hump dash. I rarely use the radio and my iPhone is my Nav. I've even spoken to my shop about changing the dash out for a single hump.

There is a white/black E92 currently listed in the classifieds that I would've bought had it been for sale when i was looking.

[m3power13]

Stripper!

I searched for a long long time to find my speed cloth, 6speed, no nav, no EDC, carbon roof E92. Only options I have are power and heated seats, both of which I could do without as well, but the others were a must.

[GT3fan]

Originally Posted by lat77

I was pondering the same thing recently.

My search started a while back. My criteria was somewhat particular.

E92
White/Black
6MT
No iDrive
Speedcloth--or leather if all else was good
Carbon roof

Couldn't really find one in this spec with low miles. I ended up with the most polarizing version from where i began.

E93 with 32k miles
Black/Bamboo Leather
DCT
Nav


The E93 just came into the picture at the right time and I don't regret it at all. Everyone loves a convertible and the sound it makes with aftermarket exhaust systems is incredible.

---
To answer the question directly, I do think a stripped out version is ideal. Less moving parts, no tech to age, just a simpler platform. Fully loaded cars are great when they are current.

As mentioned the car is heavy (in all forms) so maybe if you like leather you go for it. Not many cars have Speedcloth anyway.

The only thing that bugs me is the double hump dash. I rarely use the radio and my iPhone is my Nav. I've even spoken to my shop about changing the dash out for a single hump.

There is a white/black E92 currently listed in the classifieds that I would've bought had it been for sale when i was looking.

I imagine the music your e93 makes with the top down is glorious. I love the sound of my car with the windows down at full throttle and high revs!!!

I agree a stripper will probably age much better, since current tech gets outdated quickly and less things to fail in the future.

[Edward]

I was never bugged by the double hump and while I use my giant iphone as my only navigation device, I like to have a north facing map constantly running so I can glance at that to see upcoming streets etc.

I'm sure that in ten years that double hump will be stupid looking as all hell, but I will have moved on so who cares...

I think that this car is made to run with a DCT. I am not admittedly not a hardcore enough "purist" to blindly charge on that only a manual will do. In fact, I think that the best version of this car's drivetrain happens to be one mated to a DCT. There are other cars out there that work amazingly with a manual so I don't intend to start a transmission debate.

Leather is fine as is having premium sound and other bells and whistles. A hard deal breaker is if a coupe does not have a carbon roof. It's one of the most unique parts about this car after the bespoke S65 and aluminum suspension components etc.

The more you optimize an M3 for driving purpose/track usage, the less any of this starts to matter since you're making the car much more unfriendly for street use.

I think that the only truly collectible version of this car ever will be the CRT and the GTS. Unfortunately, a paint job or extra carbon pieces etc. won't ever make the car anymore special than the basic ZCP out there.

[cherry-m3]

Interlagos blue CF roof, dct, stripper would be perfect.

[jiggz]

I wanted basically every option available and immediately skipped over those that weren't fully loaded.

The only option I didn't care about was a moonroof. Not because I'm tall and need the headroom, not because I give a lick about very minimal weight savings, I just never use them and in my 2 E46's I had nothing but problems with them.

The M3 I bought has every available option for 2009 except extended leather.

[AAliVEE]

I never wanted a cheap-as-possible 320i with an V8, so for me, as fully loaded as i could find..
If the car should serve as a dedicated track-rat, there are a lot of other options to consider, but if M3 was the only one, i would probably bought a salvage-wreck, stripped it down to the bare metal and raced it..
But that is not why i got my M3..

[SYT_Shadow]

Time will show, as it always does, that the stripper models are the ones worth money in 10 years.

[vincE92M3]

Originally Posted by AAliVEE

I never wanted a cheap-as-possible 320i with an V8, so for me, as fully loaded as i could find..
If the car should serve as a dedicated track-rat, there are a lot of other options to consider, but if M3 was the only one, i would probably bought a salvage-wreck, stripped it down to the bare metal and raced it..
But that is not why i got my M3..

That's a bit of an exaggeration. A base M3 is far from a 320i with upgraded engine. A stripped down base model makes the e9x M3 that much more timeless. Especially when the latest 2013 is already looking dated from a tech standpoint.

[AAliVEE]

Originally Posted by vincE92M3

That's a bit of an exaggeration. A base M3 is far from a 320i with upgraded engine. A stripped down base model makes the e9x M3 that much more timeless. Especially when the latest 2013 is already looking dated from a tech standpoint.

Well i stated my opinion, everyone has one, but mine rocks my boat

[GT3fan]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

Time will show, as it always does, that the stripper models are the ones worth money in 10 years.

I agree this will be the case 5-10 years from now. Especially when BMW eventually caves in and only makes turbocharged DCT m3s with no 6mt option.

I will eventually sell my m3 after I stumble across that 6mt e90 zcp stripper I'm searching for.

[monterey]

I want every option available. I like luxury and power at the same time.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by monterey

I want every option available. I like luxury and power at the same time.

Member of this club. Close to every box ticked. Luxury saloon with performance when needed. Adds a few pounds which gives me another reason to stay in shape...😊

[m3power13]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

Time will show, as it always does, that the stripper models are the ones worth money in 10 years.

100% correct

[DSilk]

If I hear once more that all e9X M3s are heavy, so there is no real difference between the e92 and the e93, I am going to scream. Yes the coupes are heavier than they should be, at around 3,600 lbs, but the convertible weighs nearly 400 lbs. more than the already hefty coupe. That's over 10% heavier, and in my book that's a lot.

Does that make the convertible less desireable? It depends on what you want. For many people the joy of open air driving more than offsets the loss of performance and chassis rigidity. For others it doesn't. The best way to figure it out is to drive both the way you anticipate driving it once you own it and decide for yourself.

[Hujan]

Stripper. Hands down. Rationales:

(1) Less to go wrong/break

(2) They age better. Leather gets creased and cracked over time whereas cloth and vinyl are more durable. And nav screens that looked trick in 2013 will look like Atari in 2023.

If I could go back, the only option I would choose is DCT. I would have left everything else blank.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by Hujan

Stripper. Hands down. Rationales:

(1) Less to go wrong/break

(2) They age better. Leather gets creased and cracked over time whereas cloth and vinyl are more durable. And nav screens that looked trick in 2013 will look like Atari in 2023.

If I could go back, the only option I would choose is DCT. I would have left everything else blank.

They already look like atari. I've used the 2008 M3 nav system and it seems like pacman at an arcade. In 1980.

The 2012 in my X5 is at least usable, but if you use a 2015 you can immediately tell the difference. And now when I use the G30's, it makes the 2015 feel pretty slow as well

In the end, tech advances as such a fast rate that 10 year old tech looks like is was designed around the time dinosaurs roamed the earth.

The beautiful NA engine of the E9X will remain around the pinnacle for many years. I don't want the tech screwing that up

[StripperE92]

I was in the market and found a stripper about 1500 miles away from me at a BMW dealer. Exactly how I wanted it, under warranty and didn't hesitate to get it shipped.

2013 ZCP E92 Mineral White
27k miles
6 speed
no idrive
speed cloth/manual seats
carbon roof

No use in electric/memory seats I don't have 10 different seating positions. IPhone does all the navigation and my music plays just fine through the aux or usb cord.

[Hujan]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

They already look like atari. I've used the 2008 M3 nav system and it seems like pacman at an arcade. In 1980.

The 2012 in my X5 is at least usable, but if you use a 2015 you can immediately tell the difference. And now when I use the G30's, it makes the 2015 feel pretty slow as well

In the end, tech advances as such a fast rate that 10 year old tech looks like is was designed around the time dinosaurs roamed the earth.

The beautiful NA engine of the E9X will remain around the pinnacle for many years. I don't want the tech screwing that up

Exactly. And for these reasons history shows that, as time goes on, the more desirable cars are the stripper cars.

To each their own, but my general attitude now is that I'd prefer to buy my performance/sports cars and spec them with as few options as possible, but will lease my DD/luxury cars and spec them with as many options as possible.

[6ixSpd]

Which is "better?" The one you want.

/redundant thread.

[Yeru]

E90: probably fully loaded for passenger comfort, DCT

E92: ZCP stripper, 6MT