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Daily driver update: considering the M8 Competition after this test drive!

10K views 82 replies 20 participants last post by  JuddS  
#1 ·
Hey all, my daily is a BMW M850i. But I just test drove an M8 Competition and it's NEXT level. I can't get it out of my mind. Thinking of making the upgrade. The whole experience is below:

 
#31 ·
Totally agree. I’ve owned multiple Z8’s, numerous earlier M3/M5’s, i8, X5’s, Z4’s and today’s BMW’S both look like 🤮 and have similar reliability. My son is a 20+ year BMW Mstr Tech and he totally concurs. Says BMW has lost its way in so many ways. Although, he does say their continuous parade of unreliable engines sure keeps him busy and in the money, from a Service perspective! Thus, I go Audi, Porsche and Lexus these days.
 
#8 ·
^ Yes true. The last time I changed exhausts on a front engined car was my BMW M340i. In that case I just trashed the OEM exhaust because it’s so big and I didn’t want to store it at home. I would have the same issue with the 8 series, I suspect.

Contrarily, I stored my 911 and my current R8 exhausts because they are much more compact
 
#9 ·
^ Yes true. The last time I changed exhausts on a front engined car was my BMW M340i. In that case I just trashed the OEM exhaust because it’s so big and I didn’t want to store it at home. I would have the same issue with the 8 series, I suspect.

Contrarily, I stored my 911 and my current R8 exhausts because they are much more compact
dont you use your parents garage for storage anyway. im sure they wont mind haha
 
#14 ·
M5 and M8 might be the only vehicles that aren’t hideous from BMW these days.
BMW's hideous design language is the exact reason why I left the brand. That red M2 in Tupper's video @1:06 made me throw up in my mouth. I don't care how fast it is or the M3/M4. I can't drive an ugly or polarizing car. Can't do it.
 
#13 ·
What i meant by "buy local" is from a forum vendor..... Sorry for confusion.
 
#17 ·
@Tupper Get it if you like it! You are on an audi forum asking about another brand so the comments pretty negative. I put about 1,000 miles on a M4 competition in fall and really liked the car. It was comfy and fast and fun. I'm sure the one you are looking at is way better even.
 
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#19 ·
Comparing the m4 competition to the R8 is like comparing Amy Schumer to Margot Robbie. Different leagues.
 
#22 ·
Absolutely! But I'm not shopping the M8 to replace my R8, of course. The R8 is the halo of the garage and ain't going anywhere (unless I get a Lambo or a Ferrari or something). I'm looking to see if there's anything out there to replace my daily driver, which is actually a great car in its own right.
 
#23 ·
I'd keep the daily you have and put the money towards a ferrari or a lambo. You seem to enjoy different cars and why not spend the money on trying a Ferrari.? Or a lambo. It does not seem like you put a ton of miles on the r8 so the reliability and cost and daily driveability (the 3 main points in favor of an r8 in my opinion) don't appear to be your priorities.

Actually the heritage of the r8 is another huge point. The hurucan is just another lambo that will be forgotten and ferraris entire lineup these days is not historically significant in my opinion. The r8, especially gen 1, is a historic car.
 
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#27 ·
I've driven BMWs exclusively (as my DD) for about 23 years now. My daily has been a 650xi Gran Coupe for the past 7 years now. Yes, 7 years... because (a) I think it's one of the most beautiful cars BMW produced in the last 20 years, (b) it still only has 16k miles on it (working from home), and (c) there's been nothing in the BMW line-up that's enticed me to move on... and that's just never happened to me before.

I've been holding out hope that something would come along, but it just hasn't. Every new car BMW puts out seemingly gets uglier than the last. I was thinking the new 5 series might work (as I had an F10 550xi before my current car and loved it)... but then the design emerged. Barf. I just don't know what this brand is thinking any longer. But, I can't bring myself to give up what I feel is a beautiful car for one that would make me sick looking at it.

Now, I will say that the M8 Competition is a big exception. I don't think it looks as elegant as the 6 series it replaced (especially in GC guise), but it's much more aggressive and the luxury and performance (for a GT car) is fantastic. It's the only car in BMW's line-up at the moment that I'd consider... and did about 6 months back. But, I ultimately decided I wouldn't be getting enough bang for my buck on that move.

I'm not sure what the next move will be... but it may be that I just need to leave the brand. I think the next 8 series is due out in 2025, so perhaps I'll wait around to see what it looks like... just not holding out a lot of hope.

@Tupper I'd be comfortable getting the M8 if you really love it. My guess - this will be the very last BMW model with a TT V8. There are already rumors that the next 8 will be "all electric" - I'm somewhat doubting that, but it's possible. I expect it's also a pretty rare model - the 8 is already rare, but the M8... you just don't see them, and that's a plus in my book. If you want the ultimate GT, the M8 is definitely among a very small pool of contenders.
 
#28 ·
OP I feel your pain. I have an M850i vert (with Racechip) that my wife and I like a lot, but a couple years ago when the B8 came out, I bit on it. It's a 200+ MPH Land Yacht, and Alpina absolutely did magic on it. You'd probably experience something similar with the M8 Comp.

The current 8's and 2's are the only Bimmers whose looks I can tolerate today. Shame...
 
#30 ·
I stole that line from r8stuff. It's a good one.
 
#34 ·
$8,700! Time to buy a new car before the next service.
 
#35 ·
So...I spoke to a BMW certified mechanic buddy of mine yeeeears back when I was looking to move into a BMW M car. My mindset at the time was built on Japanese cars (1997 Supra Turbo), so I was asking him about the maintenance and reliability. He said to me, "If you are going to get a BMW or Mercedes, know how to wrench on your car. You will save a **** ton of money. Otherwise, stay with Japanese cars."

So I promised myself (more like promised my wife so I could convince her to get an e46 M3) that I would do everything I could to learn the in's and out's of the car so I could work on it myself. No joke. I saved 10s of thousands of dollars to include four separate mechanical valve adjustments on two different e46 M3 (req every 15-20K miles). The only thing I didn't do was the rod bearings on my e92. That was too much of a heavy lift for me.

That said, I loved driving them...especially my e92 M3. I started wavering on the brand when the F80 M3 platform came out. Too big and too expensive for what it was. I hit the eject button when BMW didn't reverse course with the G80 M3 and its beaver teeth grills.

The only BMW I could see myself in today, is the M8...but honestly? I would get into a Lexus LC500 way before an M8.
 
#36 ·
Does anyone have sales numbers of BMW v audi v mercedes recently? If the world hates on the new BMW's as much as this forum, the sales numbers have to really be down.
 
#38 ·
Ya, I'm skeptical of BMW feedback in an Audi r8 forum. But many of them do look ugly lately. Perhaps thats why I'm an audi and Mercedes owner.

But are the trend lines down? I'd be curious for someone to dig into this. I don't have the time this week as I'm trying to have some success at work after getting kicked in the teeth for months on end.

On the positive side, the motorcycles have been out of the barn this week and I just went for a nice ride around town enjoying the warm weather.
 
#39 ·
Ya, I'm skeptical of BMW feedback in an Audi r8 forum. But many of them do look ugly lately. Perhaps thats why I'm an audi and Mercedes owner.

But are the trend lines down? I'd be curious for someone to dig into this. I don't have the time this week as I'm trying to have some success at work after getting kicked in the teeth for months on end.

On the positive side, the motorcycles have been out of the barn this week and I just went for a nice ride around town enjoying the warm weather.
BMW up 9% year over year
MB up 0.2%

variety is the spice of life! Brand loyalty is for suckers.
 
#40 · (Edited)
It's not "gibberish".


If you think that it is just this forum, go to some BMW forums for a real show. Reviewers across the board are saying the same thing. It is just some are willing to overlook the polarizing aesthetics for the driving experience. The keyword here is polarizing. Nobody is "in the middle" when it comes to BMWs current design language. Either they like it (enough) or they hate it (completely).

Sales numbers do not tell the entire story here, especially when compared to Audi which is part of VW group and has sales cannibalized by VW, Skoda, Cupra, and Porsche. BMW just sells BMW.

In the end, I am of the notion of "whatever lights your rocket". It is not for me to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't like. If someone likes or is willing to accept the polarizing designs for BMW, I am truly happy for them. I wish I could get there. I simply couldn't do it. I don't think that makes it a "failing" on the part of anyone.
 
#49 ·
I agree with all of this, but that is why I am interested in the 8 series. Basically within the first minute of my video that's what I stated as my whole conundrum. I don't want to trade out my M850i for an M car that doesn't visually appeal to me (X3M, X4M, M3/4 or even an M5). I want to stay within the 8 series lineup because it's the one modern BMW that's actually aesthetically pleasing
 
#41 ·
They do have some ugly cars like the XM. Most of the complaints about their modern looks are from "legacy owners" who believe the one they have and are used to is the pinnacle. BMW has a history of making big changes to styling and it always creates controversy. No one complains like a BMW owner about what the next generation looks like. Porsche doesn't have to worry about that since they look the same every year, only sold 86k cars in 2023 but big profits per unit. Skoda and Cupra are not sold in the USA, which are the numbers I posted, not global. And maybe there's some overlap between VW and Audi on Audi's low end and VW high end but I don't think it's significant, probably none from Porsche. but really, what VW are you going to buy instead of an Audi when there are much more compelling vehicles to buy at either price point? VWs are crappy right now and there's only a couple Audi's worth buying right now.
 
#45 ·
im willing to admit when im behaving like a boomer but i distinctly remember when the f80 came out thinking how beautiful it was and that's coming from someone who loved the e90 so much he bought half dozen of them despite the money pit most turned out to be. the g80 was just a terrible follow up to the f80 imo and thats the only bmw i'm interested in and commenting on when i complain