Poll BMW F10 M5 or F80 M3

[ACE]

I have a deposit down on both of the above cars but haven't decided which one I am going to take delivery of yet. I had originally intended to replace my 6 month old F30 335i with an F80 M3 but the lease deals available on M5s at the moment make the M5 much cheaper to own than the F80 so I decided to order the M5 and lock in current M5 lease rates while I make up my mind.

Here is what I think is better about each car,
M5:
Better interior
Less time to delivery (January 2014 vs June 2014 for the M3 for which I have the first build slot at my dealer).
Better sound from the V8 (I will get the active sound design deactivated on either car)
Cheaper to own

M3:
Brand new design / tech (could turn out to be a disadvantage if there are 1st year reliability issues)
Lighter with (in all likelihood) better handling/braking and probably slightly faster (with no passengers)


I am currently leaning towards taking the M5 on the cheap 24 month lease deal from Jan 2014 followed by the M3 from Jan 2016 at which time the M3 will probably be available with better pricing, LCI, competition pack and any first year bugs resolved.

I am interested to hear which one you would choose and why?

 

[lambornima]

There is no way an M3 is going to keep up with the M5, in a straight line at least. I think it comes down to what sort of driving you do/which type of car you like. As you said yourself, the M3 is going to be lighter and likely handle better, but not won't be as fast as the M5 will be. I certainly doubt the tech in the M5 would disappoint though. I haven't driven either of them, but if I was in your situation I'd probably tear my hair out trying to make the decision, haha. I'm slightly leaning towards the M5.

 

[SKY]

The only thing I like more about the M3 is the front bumper. And perhaps the kidneys, always loved the wing shped ones. But proportions, rear end, INTERIOR, and profile are superior on the M5. By far, IMO.

 

[martinbo]

Head: M5
Heart: M3

As much as I'd love to be one of the first on the road in a brand new M3, I'd be breaking one of my golden rules which is to never buy a car with brand new tech in its first year. Let someone else be the guinea pig quite frankly.

Thereafter, it's a completely different story. M3 all the way.

 

[lambornima]

Get whichever one gives you butterflies in your stomach and a tent in your pants

 

[ACE]

There is no way an M3 is going to keep up with the M5, in a straight line at least. I think it comes down to what sort of driving you do/which type of car you like. As you said yourself, the M3 is going to be lighter and likely handle better, but not won't be as fast as the M5 will be. I certainly doubt the tech in the M5 would disappoint though. I haven't driven either of them, but if I was in your situation I'd probably tear my hair out trying to make the decision, haha. I'm slightly leaning towards the M5.

The M3 with dct is quoted at 4.1s 0-100. The M5 with it's higher power output would probably accelerate faster at higher speeds and when travelling with 4 passengers but if BMW is to be believed the M3 is fractionally faster to 100km/h with no passengers.

Get whichever one gives you butterflies in your stomach and a tent in your pants

That would be neither... I would need to own a Laferrari for that!

 

[Zafiro]

Smaller the better for me. Both have more power I'll ever need and in terms of driving I believe (or hope) M3 is a better drive than M5 too. But if money is an issue or you need the interior space then go with the M5. Both cars looks good so design isnt an issue for me.

 

[Sunny]

If it was a straight up choice between the two, definitely M3 (unless you need the space of the M5). But the way you put it, makes sense to get M5 now and then M3 after couple of years. But then again, if it was me, I would just hang on to the 335 for another year and get the M3.

 

[ACE]

Smaller the better for me. Both have more power I'll ever need and in terms of driving I believe (or hope) M3 is a better drive than M5 too. But if money is an issue or you need the interior space then go with the M5. Both cars looks good so design isnt an issue for me.

If it was a straight up choice between the two, definitely M3 (unless you need the space of the M5). But the way you put it, makes sense to get M5 now and then M3 after couple of years. But then again, if it was me, I would just hang on to the 335 for another year and get the M3.

I need 4 seats, a 3 series like I have now is the minimum size I need, a 5 series will be better for long journeys but I don't need the extra space most of the time. The cost isn't prohibitive on either but I like better value for money, even if I am just choosing a restaurant. The cost of owning an M3 new for 4 years from launch would be about the same as owning a new M5 for 2 years and then a new M3 for the next 2 years.

I think I will prefer the M3 overall even though I haven't been in or driven one yet, but I can have the M5 in January rather than June for the M3 and I can avoid any potential first year issues with the M3 and I can have 2 new cars in 4 years for the price of a launch M3, this makes the decision less straightforward, which is why I am thinking about it

 

[Betty Swollocks]

M5. Knowing the lease deals you're talking about it's a lot of car for the money. It will also be rarer than the M3 and in my opinion more special.

 

[Beemer B773ER]

I can have 2 new cars in 4 years for the price of a launch M3

I think that's the key right there. I don't imagine the M5 will be a let down in any way, but if you do find yourself yearning for something more exciting or nimble, you won't have to wait too long before your 2 year's are up and you can get in an M3!

To me the only real advantage you've mentioned in going the M3-only route is that you would be one of the first in your area to have the car. I agree that's a nice novelty to have, but it won't last long. Going for the M3 after 2 years gives you the luxury of not having a first-year build, possibly they will have additional packages or at the very least a full M Performance Parts catalog available to spec your M3.

No brainer IMO. M5 then M3 after. You'd be going from Great to Greatness!

 

[JLBM]

It's a no-brainer.

The M5 has a VASTLY superior interior and comfort level, a brutal V8 and will be rarer.

 

[gnx]

I have a deposit down on both of the above cars but haven't decided which one I am going to take delivery of yet. I had originally intended to replace my 6 month old F30 335i with an F80 M3 but the lease deals available on M5s at the moment make the M5 much cheaper to own than the F80 so I decided to order the M5 and lock in current M5 lease rates while I make up my mind.

Here is what I think is better about each car,
M5:
Better interior
Less time to delivery (January 2014 vs June 2014 for the M3 for which I have the first build slot at my dealer).
Better sound from the V8 (I will get the active sound design deactivated on either car)
Cheaper to own

M3:
Brand new design / tech (could turn out to be a disadvantage if there are 1st year reliability issues)
Lighter with (in all likelihood) better handling/braking and probably slightly faster (with no passengers)


I am currently leaning towards taking the M5 on the cheap 24 month lease deal from Jan 2014 followed by the M3 from Jan 2016 at which time the M3 will probably be available with better pricing, LCI, competition pack and any first year bugs resolved.

I am interested to hear which one you would choose and why?

It seems like you will be getting both after all, good choice, haha!

Seriously, the smaller, the lighter, the better, M.

 

[Deckhook]

I have a deposit down on both of the above cars but haven't decided which one I am going to take delivery of yet. I had originally intended to replace my 6 month old F30 335i with an F80 M3 but the lease deals available on M5s at the moment make the M5 much cheaper to own than the F80 so I decided to order the M5 and lock in current M5 lease rates while I make up my mind.

Here is what I think is better about each car,
M5:
Better interior
Less time to delivery (January 2014 vs June 2014 for the M3 for which I have the first build slot at my dealer).
Better sound from the V8 (I will get the active sound design deactivated on either car)
Cheaper to own

M3:
Brand new design / tech (could turn out to be a disadvantage if there are 1st year reliability issues)
Lighter with (in all likelihood) better handling/braking and probably slightly faster (with no passengers)


I am currently leaning towards taking the M5 on the cheap 24 month lease deal from Jan 2014 followed by the M3 from Jan 2016 at which time the M3 will probably be available with better pricing, LCI, competition pack and any first year bugs resolved.

I am interested to hear which one you would choose and why?

You've basically described the reason why we've went for the M5 though the M3 was never on the radar as it was an alternative to a 2011 Carrera 4S. The contract hire deals on the M5 are unreal, in the UK they are half that of RS6 and at the time we dealt was only £80 per month more than a 530d which comes with no where near the same level of standard kit.

Sure the M3 and in our case the Carrera will handle better but neither will offer the same level of luxury, practicality or standard equipment for the price.

 

[martinbo]

Dudes in the UK, please enlighten me as to these "special leasing deals" that get bandied about on this forum.

I am no financial guru, so please allow me to impart what my understanding of a lease is.
In layman's terms a lease is this: you rent the vehicle for a predetermined period of time and at the end of that term you give it back. What is the term? Two years?

The obvious drawback to this is that you have a liability to service for no asset ownership at the end of the term; the benefit being the greatly reduced monthly installment. Can you give me an indication of what these leasing deal installments are on the M5 that makes it so special?

Also, what are the risks in going with this financing scheme? What happens if the car is in an accident or is stolen? The risk of replacement lies with you as the owner no? How does this work - what is the expectation of the bank in terms of your obligation to furnish the debt?

 

[Zafiro]

Or you buy a cheaper car and pay it in cash, like I did with my ST. It's 100% mine

After some thinking, get the M3 Ace. Hopefully it will be cheaper in fuel and insurance

 

[Tumbo]

M5 F10 for me. Having a hard time with the new M3. It still doesn't hit me as much as for example the E46 CSL did.

 

[Betty Swollocks]

Dudes in the UK, please enlighten me as to these "special leasing deals" that get bandied about on this forum.

I am no financial guru, so please allow me to impart what my understanding of a lease is.
In layman's terms a lease is this: you rent the vehicle for a predetermined period of time and at the end of that term you give it back. What is the term? Two years?

The obvious drawback to this is that you have a liability to service for no asset ownership at the end of the term; the benefit being the greatly reduced monthly installment. Can you give me an indication of what these leasing deal installments are on the M5 that makes it so special?

Also, what are the risks in going with this financing scheme? What happens if the car is in an accident or is stolen? The risk of replacement lies with you as the owner no? How does this work - what is the expectation of the bank in terms of your obligation to furnish the debt?

I guess strictly speaking a lease is where you basically rent the vehicle for a predetermined period and then hand the car back. These are popular with businesses and company cars. Private individuals however can opt for a flexible deal where by you pay a small or large deposit, and then monthly payments over a pre-determined period, say three years, and then you can do one of three things. 1) Walk away. 2) Pay off the balance remaining on the car (the balloon). 3) Use any remaining extra value in the car to put towards a new car. So for example, the guaranteed future value of the car might have been 20,000 GBP, and at the end of the term the dealer might say it's worth 22,000 GBP. In effect you've got an extra 2,000 GBP to play with there to put towards your next car. The benefit of this scheme is that you don't have a lot of capital tied up in an expensive car and you can also keep your options open. You don't have to decide what you're going to do until the end. In effect all you're doing is paying off the depreciation and spreading it equally over the time you have the car. You do technically own the car and your name is on the registration documents. My A1 was purchased this way and I think it's a great idea. It allowed me to get into a brand new car with zero deposit.



Here's a good link for you. You can play around with the figures.

http://www.bmw.co.uk/en/topics/owners/offers/m-series/m5-saloon/retailoffers.html

These figures are just an example and can be negotiated further.


List price of BMW M5
GBP 73,375

Customer deposit
GBP 1,014

Dealer deposit contribution
GBP 6,455

Monthly payments
GBP 1,014

Optional final payment
GBP 30,397

Term
3 Years

Interest
0% APR

So in the above example, you could step into a brand new M5 for GBP 1,000 and then pay just over GBP 1,000 a month. At the end of the 3 years you have the choice to pay GBP 30,397 or walk away. The good thing is, if the value is actually LESS than GBP 30,000, it's not your problem.

 

[Deckhook]

Hi Martin, we decided to contract hire the M5 for a period of 3 years. The reason we did this instead of leasing from BMW was the costs over the entire period were significantly lower than the leasing. Frankly how they are doing it and still make money is beyond me.

 

[ACE]

Actually @Betty Swollocks you are describing a hire purchase. I am leasing.

@martinbo , the lease is like renting a car, you don't own it and have no option to purchase, the car is registered in your name though. You can select:
24 or 36 months
Your mileage, base is 8000 miles pa
What options you want on the car

I am responsible for servicing the car. I will insure the car and and buy gap insurance, if the car is stolen / written off the lease ends and my insurance pays the finance company. If there is a shortfall between market value according to my insurer and what the finance company want the gap insurance will pay the difference.