BMW M3 (2008 - 2013) Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I had the opportunity to own one of these for a few months and it was a 10/10 experience. This car possesses an engine that nowadays is only seen in the Porsche 911 GT3, this 4.0L V8 will always put a smile on your face. I daily drove an E93 for a few months and it was a great experience. It offers a great bang for buck performance option that if you are skilled with working on BMWs can be a fantastic performance car. The seats are comfortable, the DCT is snappy and responsive and I would personally take it over the manual ( I have driven multiple manuals). The exterior design is functional, refined and modest compared to its contemporary counterpart. The handling is greatly improved over the E46 Convertibles and outside of track use, the handling difference would be hardly noticeable compared to the E92. This is not a car you own if you care about fuel economy or neglecting maintenance. If you daily drive, you will be filling up twice a week. This is not a car where you can skip maintenance, as it will become costly. If you are not a technician then expect to pay more in maintenance, especially for rod bearings. If you are not doing the repairs yourself, I would budget 5000 for annual maintenance and take it to a reputable independent BMW shop. My recommendation when looking at these cars is finding one with good recent service history. Most of the issues with these cars are over exaggerated and can be overwhelming to think about when looking but if you find the right car with the right history you will be smiling all the way to 8500 rpms. Sep 16, 2024

I have owned a 2011 E92 M3 Competition Package for just shy of 5 years. This car has been nothing shy of a dream come true and I fully understand why they are becoming more and more sought after. 2011 was the first Life Cycle Impulse (LCI) year for the E9X M3 Coupe, and the first year that the Competition Package was offered. You cant go wrong with any year from 2008 - 2013, but 2011+ is typically deemed the most desirable with the various changes that were made for LCI that make it feel a little less dated. Whether you are a fan of the engaging 6-speed manual, or the very fast and sporty Dual Clutch, you are making the right choice either way. The options that were offered on this generation M3 made it very bespoke and its rare to find a car with the same exact specifications - this makes it that much more special to own. The driving experience is like none other. The high-revving 4.0L naturally-aspirated V8 is addicting. Even though this platform cant compete with cars that are being produced today in terms of speed & acceleration, the pure driving feel is enough to put power & torque on the sidelines and just enjoy driving the car. Even after 5 years of ownership, I have never been able to push the car to its limit, but a competent driver is always right on the edge of too far. The current generation M3s have too much power where you really cant use nearly all of it safely. The E9X M3 chassis was truly the perfect just the right amount to enjoy on the edge, but never feel unsafe doing so. I cant say enough good things about this car, and everyone who has owned a well taken care of example (hint hint) knows that you dont just own one of these cars, you are a caretaker of what I absolutely consider the best generation M3 ever built.Jun 12, 2024