[e90yyc]

I used to work at a BMW dealership here in town so I’ve driven most of their cars, save for the newest M Cars and M340. During my time there I leased a 2017 340i xDrive with the MPPS option (M Perf 1 & 2). So exact same spec as you describe, except mine had the ZF8. Honestly, you will love the engine. It is sublime. I found the ZF box to be incredible and near-telepathic in its responses, but I had come off commuting downtown for years with a manual transmission Civic and was ready for a little break from rowing gears.

It was Alpine White on Coral Red and being me I had ordered every conceivable option minus smoker’s package haha. I won’t go into detail about the build because that doesn’t sound like the key piece here for you, but I will say it was nice having modern iDrive with internet connectivity and voice recognition that worked so damn well I rarely ever had to manually input an address.

As a whole I absolutely loved the car. I know this is beating a dead horse, but pretty much the one thing I didn’t like was the steering. I’m very curious what your thoughts are once you drive one! Good luck!

PS: If you do decide to sell your car eventually let me know, I may be interested. (I’m in the same city as you.)

[MGT81]

Originally Posted by e90yyc

I used to work at a BMW dealership here in town so I’ve driven most of their cars, save for the newest M Cars and M340. During my time there I leased a 2017 340i xDrive with the MPPS option (M Perf 1 & 2). So exact same spec as you describe, except mine had the ZF8. Honestly, you will love the engine. It is sublime. I found the ZF box to be incredible and near-telepathic in its responses, but I had come off commuting downtown for years with a manual transmission Civic and was ready for a little break from rowing gears.

It was Alpine White on Coral Red and being me I had ordered every conceivable option minus smoker’s package haha. I won’t go into detail about the build because that doesn’t sound like the key piece here for you, but I will say it was nice having modern iDrive with internet connectivity and voice recognition that worked so damn well I rarely ever had to manually input an address.

As a whole I absolutely loved the car. I know this is beating a dead horse, but pretty much the one thing I didn’t like was the steering. I’m very curious what your thoughts are once you drive one! Good luck!

PS: If you do decide to sell your car eventually let me know, I may be interested. (I’m in the same city as you.)

That’s good to know. Yes, the reason I’m looking at this F30 is that it’s basically a unicorn: 6 speed MT, M-Performance package I & II, Estoril Blue, B58 engine.

I’ll definitely let you know if I sell my E90. Would love for it to go to a good home. It’s been impeccably maintained at Vitek’s Autowerks and I’ve got a binder or every service record or bit of maintenance that’s ever been done to it.

[Jesda]

Probably go back to a Miata.

[mook1178]

I'm keeping my e92 n55 Manual, but when it is retired as my daily, in about a year, I will just get something automatic and economic fuel. When I get an itch to have a fun drive I will just fire up the e92.

[brettvin]

b58 or s4

[oVeRdOsE.]

4 doors, awd, manual are my main criteria too.

- unfortunately, for what a e90 can offer, aftermarket support, comfort, power, etc. Is pretty much in the top 3.

- golf R , even if you don't like it, what you've described can easily be fixed, you're not alone, so plenty of cheap aftermarket fix This car is incredible for the price.

- focus RS, well, least interesting choice imo, since not much support, open deck issues, etc.

- Audi A4 B9. They are rare, but they exist. A very nice car.

- 340, b58 with a tune, this car is mental ! Fragile 6mt, be careful.

- Mk7 sportwagon 4 motion. Wagon are nice. And IS20 turbo swap 300bhp is pretty cheap. You can finds low mileage OEM is20 for 200$cad (out from a gti under warranty, waste gate rod issues)

- S4 B8.5 3.0t. This supercharge noise is fun. Tune are cheap . Engine reliable.

- Cayenne v6 or GTS v8. iirc they stop making 6mt around 2013, not impossible to find one clean.

- previous gen forester (2018 i think), 6mt, awd.

- Go wild but old : B7 RS4, s60/V70R volvo, SpecB with jspec interior

[oVeRdOsE.]

Originally Posted by MGT81

If I could get one with an N54/55, 6 speed and AWD, I’d be all over it.

they exist, in e61 form. Saw one the other day, 120k km, 6mt, n54, with mpack. The guy was asking way too much, around 29k$ iirc, but hey, they made about 10 for the canadian market (mpack + 6mt)

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by E90Menace

I’m considering a Cayman...

This. For me the only car I would consider a worthwhile replacement would be a 981 cayman S.

[Team503]

Modern CTS-V - manual transmission, 600+hp beasts. They cost a pretty penny (you're in P-car territory at this point), but damn, man.

Thinking about a new 400Z when it comes out (TT V6, coupe, manual) or a used C7 Z06. Nothing much else makes the cut in the sub-50k range. I could get a used Cayman S, but it lacks so much power compared to what I'm used to, and they're NOT cheap to mod. Similarly, I could get an older 911, but then I'd have the same problems I have with the E92 and parts are pricier, though it is a nicer car. Newer 911s just cost too much these days.

I'd consider a TT-RS if I could test drive one, but the hubby vetoed anything without a back seat for the dog (he's 120lbs, the dog not the husband). That really should veto the Z, but I'll just keep the E92 for those days when needed.

[Efthreeoh]

If you want a manual sports sedan, the Cadillac ATS in 2016 -2018 guide could fit the bill if you can find one. They are as good of a drive as the E90.

[lookalikehuuh]

Originally Posted by MGT81

My main criteria are:
- Manual Transmission
- Turbo engine (4 or 6-cylinder) with at least 260 HP
- 4 doors
- AWD
- A nice interior and decent ride/noise (so not a WRX or Focus RS)

You are asking for a vehicle that is quickly a dying breed and very few probably ever existed that meet all of this criteria.

If it was me I would invest in getting my car back to 100% as it is still much cheaper than buying any other car that is even close to what you want above.

[oVeRdOsE.]

Originally Posted by lookalikehuuh

You are asking for a vehicle that is quickly a dying breed and very few probably ever existed that meet all of this criteria.

If it was me I would invest in getting my car back to 100% as it is still much cheaper than buying any other car that is even close to what you want above.

we need more people like him, but unfortunately they're gone, just like real car guys. sad, and too late to come back.

Anyway, soon enough we will have Elon's community car network. No more headache of owning and maintaining a car, and a car running 24/24 is way more efficient.

[MGT81]

Just drove the F30 340i xDrive 6 Speed.

Pros:

- That engine! It’s somehow both smoother and revvier than my N54. So refined that without the M Performance exhaust, it’d be too quiet.

- That exhaust! Sounds amazing in sport mode.
- More tech/toys, etc. Don’t really care as much but it’s nice I guess.

Cons:
- The driving position feels weird to me. Like it wasn’t designed with a manual in mind. Shift and parking brake sit a lot higher up in the middle. Both fall to hand perfectly in my E90.
- The interior, while having more stuff, feels cheaper to me in terms of build quality. The doors don’t close the same way and there’s more wind and road noise than my 335. There were more rattles (at least I thought so) than in my 13 year old car.
- The steering. It’s not bad. But it’s lazy off Center compared to the hydraulic rack in my E90.
- The whole car feels bigger, heavier, and less eager to change directions quickly. It’s powerful, but somehow blunter than the E90.

I dunno. I’m on the fence now. Was hoping I’d love it more, TBH. Not sure I’ll find another F30 with these specs, especially the manual, M-performance packages and in Estoril Blue. Dealer is offering me a pretty decent discount and trade in. My car is 13 years old at this point and I’ve spent basically what it’s worth now in maintenance in the last 4-5 years. Starting to get some wastegate rattle too, and I’m not gonna replace the turbos on this thing. Trying to decide if I can compromise enough on the stuff I didn’t like, especially since if I were to get an F30, this one is pretty much perfect for me.

🤔

[e90yyc]

Originally Posted by MGT81

That’s good to know. Yes, the reason I’m looking at this F30 is that it’s basically a unicorn: 6 speed MT, M-Performance package I & II, Estoril Blue, B58 engine.

I’ll definitely let you know if I sell my E90. Would love for it to go to a good home. It’s been impeccably maintained at Vitek’s Autowerks and I’ve got a binder or every service record or bit of maintenance that’s ever been done to it.

Sounds great! It sounds like we’re similar haha. I’ve got every single service record too, as well as a pretty comprehensive spreadsheet detailing all the work I’ve done. TBH I’ve “over-maintained” my car, but whatever—I enjoy the process.

And yes that is a unicorn. You know this already, but it’s crazy how few 6MT cars came across our lot. And even crazier how many people had zero interest in them because they absolutely insisted on an automatic.

Originally Posted by Jesda

Probably go back to a Miata.

I almost said the same thing before remembering there’s barely even room for two people in that car. So fun to drive though…

[neilvan]

Originally Posted by e90yyc

I almost said the same thing before remembering there’s barely even room for two people in that car. So fun to drive though…

I have 3 of the first gens. 2 adults at 6'3+ there is plenty of room, and trunk has enough for a day trip.

Daily driving and commuting it has to be one of the worst picks for it(not the most ideal only cars lol

[MGT81]

Ugh. I really can’t decide. I could honestly drive my E90 forever, but don’t know how much sense it makes to keep putting $ into it. Kinda wanna sell it while it still has some value left. I doubt I’ll find another F30 with these specs.

My perfect car would be an E90 with the B58 engine, MT, and M Performance kit.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by MGT81

Just drove the F30 340i xDrive 6 Speed.

Pros:

- That engine! It’s somehow both smoother and revvier than my N54. So refined that without the M Performance exhaust, it’d be too quiet.

- That exhaust! Sounds amazing in sport mode.
- More tech/toys, etc. Don’t really care as much but it’s nice I guess.

Cons:
- The driving position feels weird to me. Like it wasn’t designed with a manual in mind. Shift and parking brake sit a lot higher up in the middle. Both fall to hand perfectly in my E90.
- The interior, while having more stuff, feels cheaper to me in terms of build quality. The doors don’t close the same way and there’s more wind and road noise than my 335. There were more rattles (at least I thought so) than in my 13 year old car.
- The steering. It’s not bad. But it’s lazy off Center compared to the hydraulic rack in my E90.
- The whole car feels bigger, heavier, and less eager to change directions quickly. It’s powerful, but somehow blunter than the E90.

I dunno. I’m on the fence now. Was hoping I’d love it more, TBH. Not sure I’ll find another F30 with these specs, especially the manual, M-performance packages and in Estoril Blue. Dealer is offering me a pretty decent discount and trade in. My car is 13 years old at this point and I’ve spent basically what it’s worth now in maintenance in the last 4-5 years. Starting to get some wastegate rattle too, and I’m not gonna replace the turbos on this thing. Trying to decide if I can compromise enough on the stuff I didn’t like, especially since if I were to get an F30, this one is pretty much perfect for me.

🤔

Spending what it’s worth is not a fair comparison. The hunk of what it would cost to own something else that’s much newer. $6 per year in payments plus maintenance. Did you spend $30k on repairs in the last 5 years?

I’d say you’ve come out ahead.

The only way to win with a depreciating asset is to strangle the life it of it.

[MGT81]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

If you want a manual sports sedan, the Cadillac ATS in 2016 -2018 guide could fit the bill if you can find one. They are as good of a drive as the E90.

That’s an interesting option, although I don’t think the engine is as good and finding one with a stick would be damn near impossible. I’ve head that they drive very well though.

[jacbo]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Spending what it’s worth is not a fair comparison. The hunk of what it would cost to own something else that’s much newer. $6 per year in payments plus maintenance. Did you spend $30k on repairs in the last 5 years?

I’d say you’ve come out ahead.

The only way to win with a depreciating asset is to strangle the life it of it.

couldn't have said it better myself. this is why newer cars don't appeal to me at all.

You'll get the f30 and sell it in a few years at a fraction of what you paid.

[MGT81]

Originally Posted by jacbo

couldn't have said it better myself. this is why newer cars don't appeal to me at all.

You'll get the f30 and sell it in a few years at a fraction of what you paid.

Probably not. If I buy it, I’m paying straight cash and keeping it for a long time. Which is why I wanna make sure I can live with it. I’ve never understood the appeal of a new car every 3 years.

[e90yyc]

Originally Posted by MGT81

Probably not. If I buy it, I’m paying straight cash and keeping it for a long time. Which is why I wanna make sure I can live with it. I’ve never understood the appeal of a new car every 3 years.

Same… Well, except if you’re leasing, which honestly doesn’t deserve all the hate it gets.

Instead, the popular thing to do is buy a car you can’t afford because you “deserve something nice,” finance it over 84 months even though you plan to keep it not even half that time, roll the substantial negative equity from the last car you couldn’t afford (but that you so deserved) into the new loan, and then continue that until your only option is a House of Cars (CarMax) Chevy Cobalt for $800 a month at 12% interest.

[fastboatster]

Keep your e90 as more of a recreational vehicle you won’t be afraid to tune and break and buy that f30. I’m pretty sure a few years later people will realize these were not as bad as they thought. E90s were not really loved that much just a few years ago.