[VegasG42]

Hello friends . I apologize if this topic has been beaten to death and asked about a million times. I didn't really see any pertinent threads in the first 6 pages.

I really am satisfied at how much car you get for $51k - xDrive.

Obviously I could load up the car with a bunch of options , but I'd end up with the same car, just $6k more expensive.

I don't plan on leaving the car bone stock, so I can always make upgrades in the future .

But what options - within a $1k - $2k window - are an absolute must have ?

[donnyfontaine]

Personally I like leather especially on a car this expensive. White is kind of bland so wouldn’t opt for white (unless you love white) just to save $600. Base wheel options are fine. Surround view parking is great, people with more expensive cars would pay over $2k for an option like this, $700 is a steal. Don’t bother with the H/K if music isn’t important. Premium package is nice, has a bunch of stuff you’d expect, but can’t say it’s must have.

If it’s just for you, id pick a color you like for both ext paint and seats, do surround view, and then pick 1 of remote start or ACC if you’d use them.

For resale, I’d do the above but add premium package.. not having a heated steering wheel, heated seats, adaptive headlights or a HUD will date the car when it comes time to sell it

[VegasG42]

Originally Posted by donnyfontaine

Personally I like leather especially on a car this expensive. White is kind of bland so wouldn’t opt for white (unless you love white) just to save $600. Base wheel options are fine. Surround view parking is great, people with more expensive cars would pay over $2k for an option like this, $700 is a steal. Don’t bother with the H/K if music isn’t important. Premium package is nice, has a bunch of stuff you’d expect, but can’t say it’s must have.

If it’s just for you, id pick a color you like for both ext paint and seats, do surround view, and then pick 1 of remote start or ACC if you’d use them.

For resale, I’d do the above but add premium package.. not having a heated steering wheel, heated seats, adaptive headlights or a HUD will date the car when it comes time to sell it

Thank you for your reply. White is by far the worst looking color for this car. So i am happily paying for Sapphire black.

I can live without the technology upgrades , and even though the 360 cams are cool, I am used to driving and parking a coupe of very similar proportions to the G42. And for resale value - I always keep vehicles for several years, and when i finally get rid of them , i just trade them in.

One thing I am confused about - the Shadowine package.
Does this upgrade the brakes in any performance way, or does it just change them from Blue to Red.

Also, does the sunroof come standard on every G42 (US Spec) ?

Other than that , I would need to add the garage door opener to the rear view mirror .

And if the key fob will do a remote start , i can do without the app remote start option

[Coconut]

I'd Harmon Kardon audio for $875 is very much worth it. The ZTK package is also worth it IMO (bigger front brakes, wider wheels, wider Michelin PS4S tires, oil cooler).

[donnyfontaine]

Shadow line is purely cosmetic. I know certain options “amortize” a little better over time based on demand, so premium would prob pay itself off. Your call. For remote start, if you don’t option it, the key fob doesn’t do the remote start to my knowledge, so it’s either fob + app, or neither

[Bandit009]

Originally Posted by VegasG42

Hello friends . I apologize if this topic has been beaten to death and asked about a million times. I didn't really see any pertinent threads in the first 6 pages.

I really am satisfied at how much car you get for $51k - xDrive.

Obviously I could load up the car with a bunch of options , but I'd end up with the same car, just $6k more expensive.

I don't plan on leaving the car bone stock, so I can always make upgrades in the future .

But what options - within a $1k - $2k window - are an absolute must have ?

Upgraded radio/sound system and the wheel/tire packagw which gives you summer performance tires and larger brakes. I am also a fan of the wireless chargering tray as I can use my phone to start the car. I almost never bring my key anywhere because of this feature.

[VegasG42]

Originally Posted by Coconut

I'd Harmon Kardon audio for $875 is very much worth it. The ZTK package is also worth it IMO (bigger front brakes, wider wheels, wider Michelin PS4S tires, oil cooler).

Bigger brakes are tempting .... I will very likely upgrade wheels and tires in the future .
And I don't really have plans to track the car.

Others have described the stock sound system as adequate . And I always add a subwoofer to the sound system

Thank you for the reply, i appreciate it

[VegasG42]

Originally Posted by donnyfontaine

Shadow line is purely cosmetic. I know certain options “amortize” a little better over time based on demand, so premium would prob pay itself off. Your call. For remote start, if you don’t option it, the key fob doesn’t do the remote start to my knowledge, so it’s either fob + app, or neither

Ah okay , remote start is only $300 , might as well get it . It's a nice way to warm your car up for a few minutes.

And for Shadowline - Every black G42 with Shadowline kind of seems like overkill on gloss black every where . Maybe the non-shadowline provides a nice contrast for the front bumper triangles on the black G42

[Coconut]

Unpopular opinion but I’m a big fan of the non-Shadowline accents. The satin cerium grey accents break up the otherwise drab sea of black that smooshes together the grill and grill surrounds, even more so on black cars.

[VegasG42]

Originally Posted by Coconut

Unpopular opinion but I’m a big fan of the non-Shadowline accents. The satin cerium grey accents break up the otherwise drab sea of black that smooshes together the grill and grill surrounds, even more so on black cars.

I'm starting to agree . The Shadowline seems to add tons of gloss black plastic, and it all just kind of blends together

[VegasG42]

Just saw some videos of Sensatec fake leather , and I don't think i could be happy with that . Looks pretty hard and the simulated leather texture doesn't look good

[ryo-]

keep in mind if you get the ZTK package (IMO it's worth the money even if you don't plan on tracking) that it includes and exposed oil cooler under the front undertray of your car. if you live in an area with decent roads it's fine but rocky roads might send rocks into the fins and damage it/cause a leak.

tbh, my mindset is that if I'm paying $50k+ for this car, I want all the options I can get. I am still bummed I wasn't able to get radar cruise due to the parts shortage when I ordered my car. the 360 camera is also really nice and I've used the auto parking in parallel parking situations multiple times. I don't use it in normal parking lots as I can back into spots faster than the auto parking lol

[Pentland]

Regarding colour; What is the best colour and why is it BSM? That is one of life’s big questions.
Keep in mind mineral while and alpine white are very different effects of white. MW is a fantastic colour, really pops in the sunlight.
If you are going for BSM, you’ll want the shadow line pack. There are some odd design angles on the car and that pack helps soften them.

Leather seats are a must. No idea why they are not standard in the US or why anyone would want fake leather.

The high performance tyre pack is a bargain if you want the non run flat tyres - which of course you do. I’m also led to believe that in the US you need that option to increase the top speed limit to 155mph from a cap of 130mph. Someone can pipe up if that’s wrong.

Lumbar support, again not sure why it’s not standard on the US cars is also one I’d have along with HK sound and wireless charging. Heated seats are needed in my country so I have them too.

I’d avoid surround view. I’ve had it before and it was of little use.

The final option to pick is a service pack.

[Aramis1919]

My M240i X-Drive is light with options.

Portimao blue paint £595

Adaptive dampers. £500

Pro Pack with larger wheels, tyres, and brakes. Surprisingly a zero cost option on my car.... £0.

[VegasG42]

Originally Posted by Pentland

Regarding colour; What is the best colour and why is it BSM? That is one of life’s big questions.
Keep in mind mineral while and alpine white are very different effects of white. MW is a fantastic colour, really pops in the sunlight.
If you are going for BSM, you’ll want the shadow line pack. There are some odd design angles on the car and that pack helps soften them.

Leather seats are a must. No idea why they are not standard in the US or why anyone would want fake leather.

The high performance tyre pack is a bargain if you want the non run flat tyres - which of course you do. I’m also led to believe that in the US you need that option to increase the top speed limit to 155mph from a cap of 130mph. Someone can pipe up if that’s wrong.

Lumbar support, again not sure why it’s not standard on the US cars is also one I’d have along with HK sound and wireless charging. Heated seats are needed in my country so I have them too.

I’d avoid surround view. I’ve had it before and it was of little use.

The final option to pick is a service pack.

So far the one thing I think I'll have to pay up for is real leather. Every time I see and feel the interior , I would be reminded of the fake leather

[Baldilocks73]

The Vernasca leather is the cheapest grade of leather you can get and doesn’t feel much different than the Sensatec. The Sensatec may even wear better.

The better stitching on the leatheR DOES makes it look more sporty but I hate the fact that in North America you can’t get Cognac leather.

[BlueLEDz]

Originally Posted by Bandit009

Upgraded radio/sound system and the wheel/tire packagw which gives you summer performance tires and larger brakes. I am also a fan of the wireless chargering tray as I can use my phone to start the car. I almost never bring my key anywhere because of this feature.

The digital car is standard or part of the premium package for the 2023. Don’t think it was part of the premium package but can’t say for sure if it’s a standard option.

I don’t have the wireless charger but can start my car with my phone or the digital key card they gave me when I picked up the car.

[jpcoop]

Originally Posted by VegasG42

So far the one thing I think I'll have to pay up for is real leather. Every time I see and feel the interior , I would be reminded of the fake leather

I think that’s funny because IMO if you’re on a budget the leather is quite possibly the worst option to take as far as value for money. It’s entirely cosmetic and doesn’t feel that amazing. I actually prefer the feel of the fake stuff. Only real reason I would go for the leather seats are the adjustable side bolsters. Mine is almost fully loaded and leather is one of the few things I skipped.

I would take any of the premium, parking, or HK sound options over that 100% of the time.

[Pentland]

Originally Posted by VegasG42

I really am satisfied at how much car you get for $51k - xDrive.

Obviously I could load up the car with a bunch of options , but I'd end up with the same car, just $6k more expensive.

I don't plan on leaving the car bone stock, so I can always make upgrades in the future .

But what options - within a $1k - $2k window - are an absolute must have ?

Reading this again, I’d buy a 2nd had car with the options you actually want.

Let’s face it, 6 months in, you’d have the same car $10k less.

[donnyfontaine]

Originally Posted by Pentland

Reading this again, I’d buy a 2nd had car with the options you actually want.

Let’s face it, 6 months in, you’d have the same car $10k less.

This definitely applies to civics and Camrys but don’t really know if it applies to anything that’s even slightly enthusiast where the engine/power is why it’s more expensive than the lower trim. Most people don’t drive these like they’re a Prius. Even if it only has 20k miles, you don’t know if it was actually broken in properly, or if the first buyer actually warmed it up before driving “sporty”, or if they were on top of maintenance, or just broadly beat the hell out of it knowing they were selling it shortly.

Plus at least within 500 miles of me, the best deal you can really get on a ‘22 M240 is $3-4k under MSRP with 10-15k miles. As recent as a few months I’ve seen some used ones going for basically MSRP

[danallxt]

no one can answer that for you. We all have different prefernces/priorities/wants etc. What is important to YOU to have?
For some music quality is a top priority, others not so much.

[Ricochet48]

Originally Posted by Coconut

Unpopular opinion but I’m a big fan of the non-Shadowline accents. The satin cerium grey accents break up the otherwise drab sea of black that smooshes together the grill and grill surrounds, even more so on black cars.

Agree. I just wish they allowed you to go red calipers without Shadowline. That was only allowed for the 2022 model it seems.