I could go on and on about how this is a great muscle car, a chic-magnet with beautiful looks, but anyone who is considering this car probably knows all of that by now. Instead I think it would be much more helpful to point out some of the aspects that are not completely obvious. Overall this is an amazing vehicle but a few caveats for the potential buyer...
1. The interior titanium trim finish looks great but is really susceptible to scratches. Living in So Cal, I like to drive with the top down as much as possible. It is inevitable that soot and dust collects on the seats and the dash. Simply wiping the residue off the trim at the car wash leaves hairline scratches on the trim. Rubbing these marks as one might if they were on the surface of exterior paint only makes them worse. Within the first 90 days I took it to the dealer and complained. To my surprise, they replaced the trim free of charge - which to me is an acknowledgement that it is a design flaw. Unfortunately, a few months later, the blemishes were back. I didn't bother going back a second time because what was the point if they are just going to keep coming back? The bottom line is it is virtually impossible to keep them flawless - which is ridiculous considering one never normally touches trim.
2. The "premium" HK sound system is garbage. Even the least expensive aftermarket head unit and speakers that would run you about $300-400 total would sound better. Unfortunately as with all newer BMWs, the M3 is a major pain-in-the neck when it comes to adding aftermarket audio equipment. BMWs do not use crossovers for their component speaker systems like the rest of the world - instead they have an individual amp (that means 6 to 12 total depending on your car) that are built into their head unit that drive each speaker. This means that it is almost impossible to do simple upgrades like dropping in replacement speakers or upgrading the head-unit. If one item goes, usually everything must go. Also BMWs are so tightly put together that only the most experienced car stereo installers will be able to disassemble and reassemble your dash and seats without breaking, bending, or scuffing your beautiful interior. Bottom line, unless you plan to spend $$$ (which I did), don't bother with the stereo. Just live with the crappy sound - which is probably acceptable to 90% of the public but not audiophiles or I imagine many of the tech and Internet savvy users who read these forums.
3. I regret getting the SMG - especially since I essentially paid $2800 towards BMW's "R&D" department for this option which is now available at no charge on the 6-series... Sure for the one time a year when I take it on a track I save an extra 1/10 second paddle shifting instead of doing it manually, but for everyday use it's not that great. Valets were clueless on how to even start the car let alone drive it the first year it was out. From time to time it lurches on me no matter how experienced I am with it - the gear logic just seems whacked sometimes. But most of all, I missed the traditional clutch and shift action. For me part of driving a sports car is being able to smoothly upshift and downshift while dodging through LA traffic. I really don't need to be the absolute fastest car on the road. As long as the car is nimble and I have fun driving, that's all that really matters. Some people hate shifting. If so the SMG is the best of both worlds - faster than even a stick, but the ease of an automatic so long as you can put up with the occasional "misfire".
4. The suspension is a little stiff for city driving - by design so I won't complain about it. But one major side effect is that the convertible top starts creaking after a few months because of all the shimmying. The noise gradually increases with time, until eventually it becomes almost intolerable. The dealer adjusted it for free but once again, I don't want to have to drop off my car every 6-months for 1-day because of this problem.
5. The backseat in the convertible is useless - the coupe is much better in this regard. Even a 5'1 90-lb lady looked uncomfortable sitting there - though she insisted she was fine...
6. Fuel economy on the freeway is surprisingly good. I got 25 MPG on long trips. However, I feel like I get 10 MPG in the city. The trip computer claimed otherwise, but sometimes I swear BMW programmed it to lie. I feel like I fill the tank in the morning, go to the office, stop and the bank, get some groceries, and then I'm down to half a tank when I get home...
All in all though I love this car and would buy it again. I have not had ANY reliability issues (unless you count the creaking top) and most service departments I visited are excellent. IMHO there is not a sexier, fun to drive car for under $100K. I just hope that some of the mistakes I made and lessons I learned are useful to people who read this...
Lastly one note about BMW dealers - this is my third BMW and most of the dealerships I have dealt with when shopping for cars have been jerks - especially the ones in affluent areas (Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, downtown San Francisco, downtown Boston). They are not willing to bargain at all because I guess they deal primarily with clientele who have more money than God and don't care what they pay. Most dealers were asking $10-15K over MSRP for this car and said I was smoking crack if I thought I could buy it for MSRP. I paid MSRP. With all three purchases which were in different geographical regions, it was always worth my while to drive a few miles out of my way to purchase my car from a dealer who respected me, negotiated fairly, and earned my business.
Amount Paid (US$): 60000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: Convertible with SMG
