Pricing Thoughts....

[SimonT]

Pricing is an issue for me frankly. I am in line to receive an M2 CS within a couple of months with a price of $102K. The Emira I am considering ordering is going to be between $116-119K.

The Emira is everything the M2 isn't and vice versa; they are on complete opposite sides of the spectrum. I think they will be very close in terms of the fun and driving enjoyment aspects, however, in very different ways.

I am willing to pay $7-8K more for an Emira, but $15K more is an issue frankly. I am having difficulty justifying the price difference, unless the dealer agrees to provide discounts.

Someone said "you really need to understand the value proposition of the Emira and appreciate what it gives to the driver to ignore all of its negatives and buy one; you really need to want a Lotus." I suspect this is true.

To be honest I'm no fan of modern BMWs but I'd take the M2.

 

[seriously]

I can’t believe M2s are 100k now. I mean what isn’t 100k now? SUV, trucks, saloons, electric… it feels like 100k is not as big a threshold as it once was.

 

[FEGuy]

Pricing is an issue for me frankly. I am in line to receive an M2 CS within a couple of months with a price of $102K. The Emira I am considering ordering is going to be between $116-119K.

The Emira is everything the M2 isn't and vice versa; they are on complete opposite sides of the spectrum. I think they will be very close in terms of the fun and driving enjoyment aspects, however, in very different ways.

I am willing to pay $7-8K more for an Emira, but $15K more is an issue frankly. I am having difficulty justifying the price difference, unless the dealer agrees to provide discounts.

Someone said "you really need to understand the value proposition of the Emira and appreciate what it gives to the driver to ignore all of its negatives and buy one; you really need to want a Lotus." I suspect this is true.

No brainer pick tbh if you’re getting a M2 CS at sticker. The M2 won’t look as exotic but will be infinitely easier and less expensive to own. CS BMWs always seem to fare pretty well. I would expect your actual cost of ownership over a ~3 year hold to be at least double in an Emira versus the M2 CS. I’m strictly talking depreciation and not even considering the fact that M2 CS has all maintenance included for three years, etc. M2 will just be a really easy and inexpensive car to own.

All that said, I would buy a regular M2 with a manual or a manual G8x M3/4 before I bought the automatic M2 CS.

Regardless, though. Your decision is probably easier than you’re letting on. You said yourself you wouldn’t pay 15k more for an Emira. That’s the up front cost. What matters, what it’ll cost you to own, the Emira will be way more than 15k more.

For reference, I had a G80 M3 for 2 years and ~15k miles (bought new). The sum total it cost me to own (including service but not counting gas and insurance) over two years was 8k. It also never went to the dealer for anything other than an oil change and had zero issues at all during my ownership.

The last sentence of your post, that “you really need to want a Lotus” perfectly sums it up. For many that’s the case. Is it the case for you?

 

[Ft.S]

No brainer pick tbh if you’re getting a M2 CS at sticker. The M2 won’t look as exotic but will be infinitely easier and less expensive to own.
...
The last sentence of your post, that “you really need to want a Lotus” perfectly sums it up. For many that’s the case. Is it the case for you?

This is interesting, haha. I just sold my M3 CS to order the M2 CS. It had 10K miles when I sold it, and cost of ownership over 2 years, including tracking the car, was less than $10K, so I know what you mean. And I do expect the Emira to cost a bit more, but not significantly; based on your statement I must be underestimating

The M3 CS was superb in many ways, and probably the best car I have ever owned. I expect the M2 to be as good, and hopefully a bit more playful.

I miss the days I could work on my cars, I miss the days when I could hear the mechanical noises, I miss the days when I could predict what the car was going to do in the middle of the corner, I miss the days when the car was not synthesizing the exhaust note, I miss the days... I can go on I guess

There isn't a single person I talked with on this topic who said "I'd go with the Emira," including Emira owners. I am genuinely shocked! Many of these people are the ones that keep complaining about the electronics of this car or that car, the weights ballooning, lost steering and chassis feel, the good old E46, E92, or 996/997 days, etc. When I bring up the Emira and how it turns all of those complaints upside down, they still say "buy the M2." What's wrong with you people!?!?! (tongue-and-cheek, of course).

Someone said, rightly so, that I won't be able to get a new M2 CS later on if I pass on it now, but I can get an Emira any time. It makes sense certainly. What I am afraid of is that once I get the M2 CS, I will not want to change and I won't ever taste the Lotus special sauce.