[JABCAT]

Originally Posted by FryCookOnVenus

Do I really want to deal with the poor gas mileage and high maintenance costs...

With just over 3k mi since end of Nov I'm averaging ~25 mpg, and maintenance is free for 3 years.

[mrdudley]

Originally Posted by two_three_two

ride is firm. gas mileage sucks. but god is it fun. .

The best summary. I daily my M2. It is a bit stiff on city roads, and gas mileage sucks especially in stop and go traffic. But it’s fun.

I do get funny looks doing the daycare drop off as I climb into the back seat to get my kid out of the car seat. But the car seat fits, so I tell my wife it’s clearly a family car.

[DSTR]

Originally Posted by mpfardresher

Wife is 5'3" and I am 5'9" and our son is a only child....so our family isn't growing anymore. Thought about the M3 but I see the M2 a better buy for the cost. Carbon roof is a good call

The M3 wont be doing anything the M2 cannot and it looks better since its coupe. Daily M2 is no issue for me. Rain, cold, heat no problem. No better way to start a driving day or afternoon.

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

I think it makes a great daily. But then again I don't have kids I have to load & unload in the back seat a few times a week. Overall, I think it could be done though & you're not sacrificing a whole lot. And for those that say it rides stiff, trying driving an F87 OG M2 for a few minutes. Then trying repeating that same comment again.

[DSTR]

Originally Posted by Kevin_The_Clean1

I think it makes a great daily. But then again I don't have kids I have to load & unload in the back seat a few times a week. Overall, I think it could be done though & you're not sacrificing a whole lot. And for those that say it rides stiff, trying driving an F87 OG M2 for a few minutes. Then trying repeating that same comment again.

This times 1gozillion lol. That was a tough riding machine. I loved my 17 M2 but it was far from a compliant ride

[Drhoyle]

Yup. Used daily. Have the standard seats and drive in standard mode for commute with stop/start etc. excellent car for it. Then at weekends I press the M1 button and it becomes a different beast!

[rogueGTI]

Originally Posted by Drhoyle

Yup. Used daily. Have the standard seats and drive in standard mode for commute with stop/start etc. excellent car for it. Then at weekends I press the M1 button and it becomes a different beast!

dont forget you also have to press the M sport button to change to Sports display! (additional step)

[baj_baj]

Great daily driver, I'm in the buckets with manual camp, always sport plus and MDM. Life is too short to not have fun all the time.

[JMcLellan]

Originally Posted by mpfardresher

JMcLellan - Being an accountant myself, I really appreciate the math break down. On average, i would say 5 days out of the week its me or one other person (son or wife) in the car. And if we go out to dinner or lunch as a family and i drive, we dont travel more more than 15 min and maybe worse case 30 minutes. If we do longer family trips to Santa Barbra or LA for a few days, its not longer then a few hours. But I was also looking at the M3 but I would be paying $12K to $15K more just for extra leg space in the back that wouldn't be for me. Yes that is a bit selfish but in general isn't a sports car kind of selfish. HAHA

I'm happy that we can relate on the math side of the decision making process!

It is selfish and you have to accept trade offs if the car is one of your primary vehicles. And you could say because of the sports car you are less likely to drive it far or pack it with people. Whereas with a larger vehicle you would be more likely to drive more and get more use out of it.

[AZG87]

Yup daily her. Other than when first warming up she's almost always in m2 button mode which for me is engine sport +, trans d3, traction at 4, suspension sport. If it's sloppy out or she's still cold, m1 is engine sport (just to open valves really) and all else efficient/comfort.

No kids or car seats. But it comfortably seats me plus work or gym bag lol.

[GOLFFRR]

I could easily rock a M2 as a dd. I would also say most owners are DD them.

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by mpfardresher

Really appreciate everyone's input. was also wondering what are peoples thoughts on Zandvoort Blue vs Brooklyn Grey? I like the BG but i see it more and more on other cars....ZB looks good and is much different from anything else currently on the road. But I have not seen it in person and am not sure if its a bit 'dainty'

Before my 2023 ZB M2 I had a 2022 230i in BG. Got only favorable comments regarding the BG color.

(My 2024 BMW 230i xDrive in Mineral White has received only favorable comments.)

And the ZB M2 has received favorable comments. Lots in fact. More than any other car I've owned.

I liked the BG color. I like the ZB color. But buy the color you favor the most.

[two_three_two]

Originally Posted by Geighty7

Seeing everyone’s height and weight stats lol. OP, I think you made your decision. Get the M2 if you already have an X3.

made me lol too. i can throw in my 1RM bench, squat, and clean as well if thats helpful in the decision making process

Originally Posted by FryCookOnVenus

I have this nagging voice in my head saying, "is this really the right car for the kind of driving I'll be doing 98% of the time? Do I really want to deal with the poor gas mileage and high maintenance costs for a car that is far more powerful than I need for most of my driving? Is almost 500hp worth the trade-off for a heavy car with below-average steering and shifter feel?"

Practicality isn't a concern for me since I have a bigger car for snow, trips to the mountains, etc. So, I keep thinking, "why not just buy a lightly used Cayman S for a similar price and have a better overall driving experience?" Sure, it doesn't have a backseat (don't care) and doesn't have as much power, but do I really need THAT MUCH POWER? Would a smaller, lighter Cayman that I can actually stomp on the gas be more fun to drive to work?? Hell, why not an Integra Type S??? Every journalist seems to adore that car, even if it lacks the luxury and prestige of an M-car.

I don't know. I'm just a tortured soul working through my feelings and my wife is sick of hearing me talk about it, so here I am, ranting like an indecisive lunatic.

in order of bold

1. you're looking at this backwards. drive the most exciting, fun car you can get away with for that 98% of the time. if you love driving, life is too short to do anything else
2. Yes.
3. if you can find one at MSRP, do it. really fun car. but for all practical purposes think about it as within a few grand as a base M2.
4. at a certain point the rubber needs to meet the road. jump in. more is lost to indecision than wrong decision. if you dont love the M2 you can always trade it

[jafo09]

no problem as a DD

my office is 2.5 hours away; sometimes I go there and back in a single day and while that sucks it is a great car to knock off the miles in. and i have the MT.

like OP i have an X3 M40i for deep winter driving - honestly, maybe 5 days in the winter when the M2 would have beached itself due to the depth of the snow. if that.

i have also stuffed my 6'3 son in the back seats. while he wasn't thrilled his head did not hit the roof and his legs weren't as cramped as you might think.

[digital]

Another vote for DD. I've only had mine for about 10 days, but it seems to be very easy to live with as long as you don't use the back seats all the time.

The small gas tank does create anxieties, but that's mostly psychological if you are not in the middle of nowhere. I plan to take a trip through Southern CA/NV/UT/AZ later this year, there should still be enough gas stations around.

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by digital

Another vote for DD. I've only had mine for about 10 days, but it seems to be very easy to live with as long as you don't use the back seats all the time.

The small gas tank does create anxieties, but that's mostly psychological if you are not in the middle of nowhere. I plan to take a trip through Southern CA/NV/UT/AZ later this year, there should still be enough gas stations around.

Have driven quite a bit in CA/NV/AZ/UT and other states west of the Mississippi.

Middle of nowhere describes quite a few stretches of highway in these states and in every state west of the Mississippi. Really middle of nowhere is where you are when you notice the car has 50 miles of range and the nearest station is >50 miles away...

Driving gas guzzler vehicles (the worst was the Hellcat with an 18.5 gallon fuel tank) or cars with small fuel tanks (my 2022 MINI Cooper S: 11.6 gallons folllowed by my 2022 BMW 230i: 13.7 gallons; of course the M2 has 200hp over the 230i but the same size fuel tank) my SOP was to not try to stretch out fuel stops but fuel up when a good station was available.

(As a general habit I avoided stations in some backwater location. Mainly the concern was stale fuel. All but one or two of my cars and all since 2001 require 91 octane and stations tucked away might not even carry 91 or if they do who knows how old it is...)

This does not mean I stop at every station that qualifies as good it just means when fueling up I *know* where my next fuel stop will be and it is within around 100 to 150 miles.

Also, my habit is before I set out from a town with a good station I fuel up. This is especially important when driving unfamiliar routes.

Must add the majority of my driving has been confined to interstates. I have put a tire on federal highways, state highways, but the worst experiences of my drives have happened off the freeway. Tire carcass on 50 highway outside of Strong City KS. Mule deer incident on 50 highway west of Ely NV. Pulled over by a Dalhart TX sheriff on 54 highway on my way down to Tucumcari NM.

Also, on the road (or at home) every time I fuel up I check the oil level. Underway I'll occasionally call up the tire pressure to check pressures. Running out of fuel or a flat tire are real downers...

[2045]

Very good daily for me. The stock ride is so much better than the previous M2 with stock suspension. overall it's tight, nimble, fast and comfy.

[abrandonment]

Originally Posted by mrdudley

The best summary. I daily my M2. It is a bit stiff on city roads, and gas mileage sucks especially in stop and go traffic. But it’s fun.

I do get funny looks doing the daycare drop off as I climb into the back seat to get my kid out of the car seat. But the car seat fits, so I tell my wife it’s clearly a family car.

Which seat do you like?

[Geighty7]

Originally Posted by abrandonment

Which seat do you like?

I have owned them both in the G87. I prefer buckets. It suits the car much better.

[mrdudley]

Originally Posted by abrandonment

Which seat do you like?

If you are taking about the front seats, I have the sport seats and I’m glad I went with them. While I personally would have liked buckets, there is no way it was going to fly with my wife, and if I wanted to drive this car regularly I needed to reduce friction haha. The sport seats are nice and they hold you pretty well.

If you are talking about the baby car seat, Nuna Rava fits in the back even rear facing.

[spridge]

Purchased my ‘24 on December 28th. Just hit 3,200 miles. It is an excellent daily driver.

[maguir2]

Any M car is the perfect daily driver!