Where I Spent the Caterham and V8 Miata Sale Money

[scannon]

2017 BMW M2 with 6 MT in Mineral Gray Metallic. I bought it over the phone from a dealer in San Diego because the local dealers were getting a $5k gouge and couldn't get me a car before the end of August.

 

Its a sweet machine, I love the smoothness and sound of the straight six engine. Once I get it past the 1,200 mile break in period I can start exploring its performance.

Edited June 29, 2017 by scannon

[Croc]

Excellent - its still a stick shift! I was worried you were going to go all soft and delicate on us and get an automatic.

 

I will be deeply disappointed if you got any of those comfort things like air con, heated seats, turn signals, etc.

 

 

Seriously, nice looking beast. I think this is the true spiritual successor to the E30 M3. I had mineral gray on my last BMW SUV - was good for hiding any dirt.

[dilke123]

great interior.

[Kitcat]

Does it have the butt-extracter option:)???

[scannon]

It seems like I bought the MT version just in time, BMW has announced the demise of the MT in the 2 Series.

 

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2017/06/bmw-drops-manual-transmission-best-model-help-pay-rd/#more-1577385

 

No butt extractor option available but hey, this car has actual doors.

 

Unfortunately the car comes standard with all the options mentioned by Mike as well as a slew of unwanted nannies and driver assists. The one I hate the most is the throttle blip on down shifts. Its way too aggressive and when you let the clutch out it maintains the speed and RPM level for a few seconds before allowing compression braking. Its really annoying. It can only be eliminated by holding down a button for 5 seconds which also eliminates all the handling nannies and doesn't allow cruise control or use of the Sport and Sport+ options. You have to remember to do this each time you start the car. My right foot has been supplying the throttle blips on down shifts for the last 50+ years and it does a better job of it than the nanny.

 

Other than that it is a great car. I love the smoothness and sound of the straight 6 engine. I know that some of that sound is coming through the radio speakers but it still sounds good especially with the windows down.

[Croc]

Skip - can't you dive deep into the menu options to turn it off? On my X5 (yes throttle blip on an automatic - hysterical!) it has the throttle blip option buried layers down in the menu. When I do it that way it does not turn off the other safety gubbins.

 

I was reading about the MT drop and thinking you bought in time. And I agree with you on the straight 6. I have the 3.5L straight 6 in the 75 CSL and it is just creamy smooth - lovely snarl to it.

Edited June 29, 2017 by Croc

[TurboWood]

It's good to see #334 (I think that's the number), and indeed it's a good choice. Now I have to wait to see #335. Let me know when #334 is up for sale .

[scannon]

I put 1,500 miles on the M2 and it just wasn't the right car for me. It never really brought a smile to my lips and the blip throttle downshift logic defies logic.

 

So a couple of weeks ago I traded it in on this:

 

2017 Shelby GT350. This car makes me grin just thinking about it let alone driving it. So much more engaging than the M2, its shaping up to be the best car I've owned (which is saying something since it is the 362nd car I've owned). And it is Yellow, my favorite car color.

 

[xcarguy]

Love it, Skip. That Stang don’t need no stinking butt sling. :flag:

[MightyMike]

I saw Skip's new Stang on Saturday; it is beautiful.

[slomove]

4500 pounds....what??? :jester:

[scannon]

4500 pounds....what??? :jester:

 

I've seen weights listed from 3,700 to 4,400. C&D magazine weighed one at 3,796. It certainly doesn't drive like you would expect for all that weight.

 

C/D TEST RESULTS (GT350/GT350R):

 

Zero to 60 mph: 4.3/3.9 sec

Zero to 100 mph: 9.1/8.6 sec

Zero to 130 mph: 15.3/14.5 sec

Zero to 150 mph: 22.5/21.2 sec

Rolling start, 5-60 mph: 4.7/4.5 sec

Top gear, 30-50 mph: 11.1/10.3 sec

Top gear, 50-70 mph: 11.1/10.1 sec

Standing ¼-mile: 12.5 sec @ 117 mph/12.2 sec @ 119 mph

Top speed (C/D est): 175 mph

Braking, 70-0 mph: 152/146 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.98/1.10 g

[Kitcat]

Love it, and the color! It's going straight to my short list of fantasy cars (replacing the M2).

I have done 1 auto-x in my 10 years of se7en ownership. It was last year and despite being generally clueless (so what's new?), I placed 5th out of about 70 cars. The top dog was driving a GT350R. Unfortunately, the R costs quite a bit more than your version and you have to be approved by Ford to buy it. And it lacks some of the amenities that make living with a vehicle as a daily driver more tolerable. So the GT350 seems like the perfect comprimise.