[speedmaster20d]

Hey guys
M3 lease is up thinking about buying another M3 or M2 for a change. I always liked the M2 but figured I needed 4 doors. yet ended using the SUV 90% of the time for family transport so it became a moot point.

few facts

- must choose carefully because with the hybridization and electrification this might my last M car after a decade of owning M's. I am not into hybrid beasts or electric sport cars. I may have to keep this car for as long as it runs....

- I can live with 4 doors or 2 doors. I don't like M4 (looks) so that's out

narrows it down to M2 or M3, I am happy with my M3 but I always wonder how the M2 would drive around the bends.... now this car is not that might lighter than the M3 but I am sure it handles well.

M2 concerns : assembled in Mexico. I am not convinced of the quality matching the German plant, dealer mentioned they don't offer custom colors on M2 yet as they aren't sure that factory can do it....again this might be the last car to keep until it dies. it might be too early but has anyone notices any issues with the G87 ? anything from minor rattles to panels not lining up perfectly etc. ? any QC issues.... ? paint issues ?


as configured M2 it comes to 80K with all options. I do want to carbon sport seats but it seems the only way to get them is with the carbon package is this correct? what else is in the carbon package besides the roof and the seats ?

appreciate any feedback


anything else I should know about.

[toprarnen]

This thread might be worth a look as you make a decision on a new M2:
https://g87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=2053111

It covers paint, engine upgrades, a CS model, potential LCI, etc.

[Geighty7]

Originally Posted by speedmaster20d

Hey guys
M3 lease is up thinking about buying another M3 or M2 for a change. I always liked the M2 but figured I needed 4 doors. yet ended using the SUV 90% of the time for family transport so it became a moot point.

few facts

- must choose carefully because with the hybridization and electrification this might my last M car after a decade of owning M's. I am not into hybrid beasts or electric sport cars. I may have to keep this car for as long as it runs....

- I can live with 4 doors or 2 doors. I don't like M4 (looks) so that's out

narrows it down to M2 or M3, I am happy with my M3 but I always wonder how the M2 would drive around the bends.... now this car is not that might lighter than the M3 but I am sure it handles well.

M2 concerns : assembled in Mexico. I am not convinced of the quality matching the German plant, dealer mentioned they don't offer custom colors on M2 yet as they aren't sure that factory can do it....again this might be the last car to keep until it dies. it might be too early but has anyone notices any issues with the G87 ? anything from minor rattles to panels not lining up perfectly etc. ? any QC issues.... ? paint issues ?


as configured M2 it comes to 80K with all options. I do want to carbon sport seats but it seems the only way to get them is with the carbon package is this correct? what else is in the carbon package besides the roof and the seats ?

appreciate any feedback


anything else I should know about.

Carbon pack- Buckets, cf roof, cf trim, M drivers package (no speed limiter at 155mph + m driving school)

More go-kart feeling than the M3, so a bit more nimble around turns. Both are heavy, but the short wheel base makes it quicker around auto-cross courses and tighter canyons. I just drove back to back today in Thermal at M Performance School.

Here’s my brutally honest take- if you want a manual, get the G87. That chassis will be the most fun in a manual along with the options. If you want an auto, get the M3 Comp X-Drive. The ZF8 is fun in the G87, but at full utilization, the M3 Comp X-Drive will take the cake.

A track ready, sporty car with buckets and a manual at half the price of a 911, you can not beat the G87 bang for buck.

I personally have a carbon pack manual, and after driving every M car, I made the right choice for my style of driving and what I want/need in a weekend sports car.

0 issues with SLP Mexico. BMW would not let quality slip on these things. Think of it as just “faster shipping”. Of course, there are always QA issues in every plant, including Germany. It just happens. I have not met a single G87 owner who regretted their decision or found detrimental QA concerns. I know about 9 in person G87’s at this point. All look fantastic.

[JABCAT]

I chose the M2 over the 3 because:

1. Won't use the back seat except in very rare instances.
2. Preferred the look of the coupe over the sedan.

I just hit 5k mi yesterday (Since Nov 28), and the car is rock solid. It has better fit & finish than my wife's '22 X3MC. No issues with any panels, paint, interior, etc.

I do prefer iDrive 7 to iDrive 8, and I don't like the climate controls in the screen vs actual buttons. I also don't like the new "auto" climate control feature vs being able to program at what temps your heated seats & steering wheel activate on my wife's.

I don't have the carbon pkg which is ok for me. I sat in the buckets & my thighs don't fit comfortably at all, and getting in & out would be a major pain. The standard sport seats are great & will hold you just fine for daily & spirited driving.

I also chose the auto because it's my daily. I've got a Callaway supercharged Z06/Z07 if I want to drive a hard top, manual 6-speed. The M2 is pretty close in the driving fun department to the Z at 1/2 the price. Sticker on mine was $68 & change, and I think it's a great value for what you get both in power/performance & features.

[akumachu]

I got the AT ZB last November and got just under 3k mile now.
No issue with any quality. As comparing to my 2015 F22 228 that was built in leipzig, the G87 paint is seems to be nicer, and quality is higher.

There were also some post and video about the mexico plant, and that factory has the newest machine and technology. I personally believe better technology and tool reduce human errors, thus I had no worries about quality.
Keep in mind the factory is doing the assembly of parts, so it is not like they are building every part from scratch at the plant. Newer and newer machine probably has higher precision to torque or weld thing into spec.

Also the fact that these are M cars, and don't think BMW would let the quality slip.

I daily mine with two car seats in the back for my young children, so it is fairly practical even without those extra doors. I always like small two doors car so I am biased.

Autocross season starts for me in a month so I can't say much like others on the driving dynamic for me. All I know is that this car is fast. And because of that I am going to try tracking this summer. This car deserves/needs more than just twist road or autocross.

[iifymbro]

don't have my M2 yet but I had a m340i before which is built in the same plant and it was rock solid (up until it got totaled rip). The plant in Mexico is state of the art, BMW sunk over a billion into it a few years ago and the cars coming out of it are really well made.

[JMcLellan]

I would not be concerned about plant quality in Mexico vs Germany. With the enhancements in technology and quality control systems in place that should not be a concern.

Like you, my family uses our SUV 90%+ of the time when needing a vehicle with 4 doors and the rare occasion all 4 of us get into the M2 it's comfy enough, with no complaints.

I absolutely love my M2 and feels like every day I notice something about it that makes me like it more. And the amount of people on the roads waving and giving a thumbs up is increasing. It really is a beautiful looking car. Performance wise the thing absolutely flies and feels planted to the road at all times. I came from a RWD 19' M240i fitted with an LSD and wider stickier tires and which the car had some pretty bad traction issues. This M2 whenever it encounters any wheel spin, any sliding, it just keeps moving the car forward. I am so impressed by the LSD, M traction control stuff with the car-- so much better than my previous car. I almost opted for an all wheel drive car based on my experience with the M240i but after test driving a G87 I felt much better about another RWD car.

The only annoying things I have experienced so far are:

- brake dust on the black wheels is a problem
- when you start the car with your non-primary key fob it will "login" under the guest profile
- waiting for the 1200 mile break-in period to be able to rip on the car is a painful wait

[xtougher]

I just got mine...less than 500 miles on it, so not sure if I can attest to too much at this time.

But this thread has an entire discussion on the overall quality and some people did bring up their questions about concerns of the Mexico plant. Seems the general consensus is that it is a NON-issue.

https://g87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=2013862

Came from a 4-door to this. My last 2 vehicles were 4-door vehicles because my wife required it...essentially never got used, so she conceded this time. LOL

I'm still in the break-in period, but man...it's already fun.

[M2siast]

The amount of Mexicans involved in touching your car to assemble it must be the exact same whether the car comes out of Germany or Mexico. So, your racist fears can be put to bed early.

[speedmaster20d]

Originally Posted by M2siast

The amount of Mexicans involved in touching your car to assemble it must be the exact same whether the car comes out of Germany or Mexico. So, your racist fears can be put to bed early.

if that was joke, it was bad taste, I am not laughing. Quality of manufacturing (industrial development and infrastructure) has nothing to do with race. quality of stuff coming from Japan was crap decades ago but now it is among the best.

The only racist thing I see is the phrase " amount of Mexicans" we don't use "amount" for counting people, maybe you need to spend your time working on your English a bit

[speedmaster20d]

thank you all for the great comments. If I go this direction I would definitely want to go for MY2025 with the added HP. Curious what the custom colors would look like, I think a saturated blue would work great on this car.

[M2siast]

Originally Posted by speedmaster20d

if that was joke, it was bad taste, I am not laughing. Quality of manufacturing (industrial development and infrastructure) has nothing to do with race. quality of stuff coming from Japan was crap decades ago but now it is among the best.

The only racist thing I see is the phrase " amount of Mexicans" we don't use "amount" for counting people, maybe you need to spend your time working on your English a bit

It was not a joke. And I’m saddened to hear your preoccupation with the race of assembly workers wasn’t a joke either.

BMW employs Mexicans in its plants in Germany.
And it does the same in Mexico proper.

BMW is a German company.
Not a Mexican one. Mexico does not have a car maker. Japan does.
A German company building cars in Mexico. The only change there was was the geographical location of the plant.

And that concerns you.

I’ll work on my English. Hopefully I can fix that. I wish the same for your mindset.

[speedmaster20d]

Originally Posted by M2siast

It was not a joke. And I’m saddened to hear your preoccupation with the race of assembly workers wasn’t a joke either.

BMW employs Mexicans in its plants in Germany.
And it does the same in Mexico proper.

BMW is a German company.
Not a Mexican one. Mexico does not have a car maker. Japan does.
A German company building cars in Mexico. The only change there was was the geographical location of the plant.

And that concerns you.

I’ll work on my English. Hopefully I can fix that. I wish the same for your mindset.

It seems you still do not understand the difference between race and infrastructure, I would have the same concern if the car was made in a new factory in Spain, every time a new factory opens for the first time in a new location there is chance of mishap. Mexico is a less developed country than Germany, that's a fact and you can cry about it all day long.
It seems like an immature comment made by a brainwashed woke who wants to randomly throw race at some irrelevant topic to show themselves off as a moral beacon? I do not care.

sorry everyone who provided great feedback, it takes one bad apple to spoil the conversation, was really enjoying all of your objective feedback, thanks again I appreciate it.

[M2siast]

Originally Posted by speedmaster20d

It seems you still do not understand the difference between race and infrastructure, I would have the same concern if the car was made in a new factory in Spain, every time a new factory opens for the first time in a new location there is chance of mishap. Mexico is a less developed country than Germany, that's a fact and you can cry about it all day long.
It seems like an immature comment made by brainwashed woke who wants to randomly throw race at some irrelevant topic to show themselves off as a moral beacon? I do not care.

You got it all figured out buddy. Good luck with your new car, hopefully it will smell like schnitzel, not tacos.

[aerobod]

Our G87 is the highest quality with no defects or issues so far, of the 6 new BMWs we have purchased. Our 2021 German built Macan has had the most issues of any new vehicle we have had in the past 20 years, averaging a check engine light each year of ownership so far.

[Smilodon]

Some of the folks on here need to go tour an actual car assembly facility. There are a *lot* of people, hand work and hand verification in a modern assembly line.

In fact, in a relatively "small" (in car plant terms) facility like BMW Spartanburg, that focuses on higher-end cars, there is even more hand work than some place like the Ford truck plant in Dearborn, which runs on a much larger scale.

As with Spartanburg when it first started up, there is always a concern about a new plant, regardless of location. From what I've seen, these places are under a microscope when they first start production and probably turn out a slightly better product at this time.

All that said, I'll admit I'm happy that the engine comes from a plant with some history. I'd rather get the 1000th engine off the line than the third. And there is a cache about a Jag coming from England or a BMW coming from Germany (because history not racism), but that isn't the reality of making cars these days.

Germany doesn't even want you to make anything gas-powered anymore! So much for my rose-colored glasses vision of a technician in coveralls testing my new BMW on the autobahn!

[two_three_two]

Jesus. everyone here needs to take a breath. wondering if a new factory's product is up to snuff regardless of location is a valid question- i remember my uncle having one of the first (he lives in SC) X cars out of the Spartanburg factory and it honestly was not that good in fit and finish. he ended up getting another a few years later that was much better. I can recall when those early X cars were met with disparaging comments such as "Bubba Makes Wheels".

to OP- no issues with my car in ~5k miles (Nov 28 pickup). i was wary for the first 1k miles honestly but its broken in really nicely, the primary controls all feel like second nature now. it can play GT or sports car equally well. the build quality overall has been superb, my main complaint is that they used some cheaper materials for the lower half of the door card, and i can't get a 360 degree camera optioned (which has nothing to do with the factory). my current plan is to buy another ///Mexican2 before they go out of production and make that a forever car (or keep this one if no new colors i like come out).

[Good 4 2 reasons]

I think sometimes the material cost cutting gets blamed on new factories in new locations.

My mk7 VW golf was manufactured in Mexico, but with generally higher quality interior components than the mk8 VW golf which moved production back to Germany.

My 2018 F15 X5 has some better interior materials than the ones used in my 2022 G42 m240.

Its much easier to judge interior materials versus assembly quality. Tesla's infamously have some of the most horrendous assembly quality that wouldn't happen to a Kia assembled in the early 2000's. They have factories in the United States and Germany.

I think the company's commitment to QA and materials is a far bigger concern than the location. I passed on ordering a mk8 Golf R in 2021 because I hated the material cost cutting on the interior even though they moved production back to Germany. I would put the assembly quality of my mexican produced mk7 Golf that I bought new for $17,500 in 2014 against any car manufactured in 2024.

[M2siast]

Originally Posted by Smilodon

Some of the folks on here need to go tour an actual car assembly facility. There are a *lot* of people, hand work and hand verification in a modern assembly line.

In fact, in a relatively "small" (in car plant terms) facility like BMW Spartanburg, that focuses on higher-end cars, there is even more hand work than some place like the Ford truck plant in Dearborn, which runs on a much larger scale.

As with Spartanburg when it first started up, there is always a concern about a new plant, regardless of location. From what I've seen, these places are under a microscope when they first start production and probably turn out a slightly better product at this time.

All that said, I'll admit I'm happy that the engine comes from a plant with some history. I'd rather get the 1000th engine off the line than the third. And there is a cache about a Jag coming from England or a BMW coming from Germany (because history not racism), but that isn't the reality of making cars these days.

Germany doesn't even want you to make anything gas-powered anymore! So much for my rose-colored glasses vision of a technician in coveralls testing my new BMW on the autobahn!

Originally Posted by two_three_two

Jesus. everyone here needs to take a breath. wondering if a new factory's product is up to snuff regardless of location is a valid question- i remember my uncle having one of the first (he lives in SC) X cars out of the Spartanburg factory and it honestly was not that good in fit and finish. he ended up getting another a few years later that was much better. I can recall when those early X cars were met with disparaging comments such as "Bubba Makes Wheels".

to OP- no issues with my car in ~5k miles (Nov 28 pickup). i was wary for the first 1k miles honestly but its broken in really nicely, the primary controls all feel like second nature now. it can play GT or sports car equally well. the build quality overall has been superb, my main complaint is that they used some cheaper materials for the lower half of the door card, and i can't get a 360 degree camera optioned (which has nothing to do with the factory). my current plan is to buy another ///Mexican2 before they go out of production and make that a forever car (or keep this one if no new colors i like come out).

- “Mexico is a less developed country”
- “there’s a cachet about a BMW made in Germany”

Setting aside this line of thinking to ask a serious question:

Since the SLP plant has been successfully producing high quality BMWs since 2019 (5 years now), how many more years does that plant need to be recognized as a BMW factory? Is it 10, 15, 30? What’s the magical number?

[speedmaster20d]

Originally Posted by Ravenseal

You're like the 900th person to make this dumb fucking question/comment. The robots that make the M2 in Mexico are just as German as the robots that make M cars in Germany and America. San Luis Potosi is BMW's newest plant.

I guess your parents did not teach you to be polite. no factory is 100% robotic.

[two_three_two]

It's the newest plant making a new model. its a valid question that everyone has given glowing answers to, so to obliquely answer your question: i trust it more than i trust a GM anything made in Canada (or anything made in Canada other than perhaps oil). stop looking for a reason to be mad.

[M2siast]

Originally Posted by two_three_two

It's the newest plant making a new model. its a valid question that everyone has given glowing answers to, so to obliquely answer your question: i trust it more than i trust a GM anything made in Canada (or anything made in Canada other than perhaps oil). stop looking for a reason to be mad.

I’m glad you didn’t quote me, because you obliquely and squarely did not answer my question. It seems like you are mad yourself we’re not mad, we just understand how plants work.