[CrazyCatGuy]

I may be trading in my Camaro at the end of the year. I'm heavily considering buying the new 2022 IS500 F Sport. Was also considering M3 or C63S, but I just can't get over the front end on the new M3 and the C63S is a little out of my price range.

[Monroe]

Originally Posted by Devstrike

Here is my thing about BMWs I have an uncle that has one and the family got talking about cars at the last reunion and while I was saying how awesome my Camaro was he was talking about how much money he had to put in for repairs on his 17 M4. Just food for thought.

BMW over rated and over priced.

[UnknownJinX]

Originally Posted by Spaceme1117

The 4 series BMW’s are basically the 2-door version of the 3-series. Super nice cars.

The xDrive is also one of the best all-wheel drive systems you can buy.

I completely disagree with people saying they are expensive to maintain. The 3 and 4 series cars are rock solid dependable as long as the are not M’s. The in-line 6 in those are bullet-proof. The main problem points on these cars are the high pressure fuel pump and the coil packs but you usually don’t need to worry about those until approaching 100K miles.

Another reason people say BMW’s are expensive is because they bring them in for regular maintenance like oil changes at a BMW dealership. Do the maintenance yourself and it’s no more expensive than any other car.

But there is NOTHING like a small block V8. You would miss it.

You know, as an ex-rotary owner, this is exactly what we say, "Rotaries are reliable if you take care of them!" There is some truth to that, but there is no denying that these engines are a bit more fussy than most people want to put up with.

While Camaro's also have many computers around the car, it's not to the same degree with BMW. At least we don't have to program the battery when replacing it, and that requires a special programming module that your average DIYer won't have so you would at least need an indy shop with the said module. A BMW owner told me that it's supposed to last longer that way, not sure if that's true.

Then there are the facts that when I had to catch a ride home on a tow truck on my RX-8 due to a shorted ignition coil, the tow truck driver says that he tows a lot of BMW and MB because there are so many computers so there isn't much you can do once the car has an issue. Some dealers around me straight up refuses German cars out of warranty as well.

Remember that small blocks go in pickup trucks where reliability is critical due to fleet usage. With BMW and other luxury engines, that's less of a priority.

Originally Posted by Number 3

More like this. That front end needs a mother to love it.

I can see why these cars need a bigger grille with the amount of boost they push and the heat the engine generates, but yeah bad aesthetics is bad aesthetics.

You know this design is messed up when people prefer it with a front license plate...

[COKen]

Originally Posted by Staves

What’s a 345i?

Fixed my fat fingering. Thanks.

[Monroe]

Originally Posted by COKen

I agree with your assessment of 4 Series looks, but only for the pre 2021.

I was going to trade my 435i in for a new 2021 until I saw the new design where some idiot at BMW decided to make the elegant design look like a love sick beaver. I have not had any expensive repairs with my BMW, just normal maintenance, but BMW has completely lost my business.

Its a Beaver 4 Series.

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

Personally, I wouldn't do it. Downgrade from a 455 hp 2SS to a 255 hp BMW? That's a gigantic step backward in everything but interior quality. I like horsepower too much to lose 200 hp for a better interior.

If you can swing it and can't get rid of your BMW itch, at least get the M440i which is a little underrated at 382 hp (but still a little slower in a rolling race than an SS). Although the reviews of the M440 haven't been stellar, that I've seen.

[LT4Greg]

The restyled front end on the Bimmer doesn’t look that bad to me! I guess to each his own and it doesn’t mean I would trade my ZL1 for one either.

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

Originally Posted by LT4Greg

The restyled front end on the Bimmer doesn’t look that bad to me! I guess to each his own and it doesn’t mean I would trade my ZL1 for one either.

I wouldn't trade my ZL1 for an M4 either. And count me in the "I don't like the new M3/M4 grille" crowd, although the rest of the car looks pretty good (I'll reserve final personal judgement when I see one in person). But I am impressed with the new M4 (and M3) Competition trim performance - it is a mid 11 sec car in RWD form. MT went 0-60 in 3.5 sec and did the 1/4 mile in 11.6 @ 125.6 mph w/ the M3 Competition RWD...ZL1 territory. All from supposedly 503 hp in a 3,745 lbs car...503 crank hp...yeah right! Maybe 503 rwhp.

I suspect BMW and Porsche rate their engines at very high elevations and 100+ deg F ambient temperature so they rarely, if ever, put out less power than advertised. Compared to SAE's method (which is equivalent to about 2000' DA +/- IIRC), which means there are many occasions where cars that are SAE rated aren't making their rated power (i.e., hot summer day in most places due to high DA).

And all the reviews I've seen of the new M3/M4 Competition praise it's handling. It may finally be [near to] a ZL1 fighter, whereas in the past the M3/M4 seemed always to be more on par with the SS/GT PP1 performance level. Although, the MT figure 8 time was substantially slower than the ZL1 (23.1 vs 23.8), so maybe it's still not quite up to ZL1 levels on a track.