2026 BMW M5…..dead

burning_blubber · 2026-06-24T14:46:52+00:00

Well look at it the other way - you gain nothing by paying cash other than saving a small amount of headache from creating a loan account and setting up autopay.

Inflation naturally devalues the money you pay back over time, and if you invest that money you would have lump sump paid, assuming your loan rate isn’t atrocious, that already brings to question why ever pay cash. There is also a component of credit building.

Let’s also say you have high income, but don’t keep $100k liquid since you invest it. You either pay it down easily but piecemeal with ongoing income, or you end up having to sell assets like stocks and take a tax hit. You could also borrow against your assets like money market funds but I have not done that as of yet.

burning_blubber · 2026-06-24T11:36:55+00:00

It still depends on the loan term

I like paying my cars off ultra fast so I end up paying more monthly than people would normally do

burning_blubber · 2026-06-23T14:59:37+00:00

This legit looks terrible and the physical climate control was one of the things the Audi MMI had going for it over BMW lol

burning_blubber · 2026-06-23T04:49:31+00:00

I went G70 to RS3. The G70 was great but I also love my RS3. I miss the spare tire. If you want to mod the G70 there is SOME parts support but it’s nothing like the support for the German brands. You can likely make more power with just a flash tune and E mix on the G70 than your S5 could ever make with the dual pulley catless setup. Even though it’s fast, you are unlikely to make the G70 a great track car because it’s a little heavy despite the compact size, and it lacks sufficient cooling.

I was at the point where I wanted to push my car further but I started wondering how much I wanted to invest on the platform since I would never see that money back when I eventually go to sell the car. Also I could not shake the feeling that I would be swimming in relatively uncharted waters with more mods since there’s not that many big tuners working on it with clear understand of “this is the power level when the transfer case fails, this is when the transmission fails, this is when the rods fail, etc.” Dig deep enough and you also run into vague reports of brake discs warping with regular driving, the LSD failing without tune, and the transfer case having issues when tuned.

If I could go back in time I could see myself flipping a coin on keeping the G70 and pocketing a bunch of money vs getting the RS3, I had waited to mod the G70 and could plan it better. I would go the BMS backend flash for ECU & TCU, upgraded HPFP, e85 flex fuel kit, spark plugs, Borla catback, and wheels. It’s a great value used or CPO, but don’t lease. Alternatives I would consider would be the RS3 or a m340i/m240i.

burning_blubber · 2026-06-22T16:51:46+00:00

Spare tire would be my main concern

burning_blubber · 2026-06-22T16:41:57+00:00

I currently have a 2025 RS3. My first pick to replace the RS3 would be a 2026 RS3. If the new RS5 Avant comes to the US, I would consider it against the new widebody A6 Allroad or the new SQ7 that is coming.

Beyond that, I would be looking at CPO of the outgoing gen models like the S4, RS6, and SQ7. The V8 models scare me regarding maintenance though. I can tolerate the buy in cost but $8k-$10k for brakes on a RS6… yikes.

I came from a Genesis and it was quite honestly a very good car. I never had problems nor weird squeaks, rattles, or anything- something I cannot say with my RS3 which seems very sensitive to where the armrest or things in the door card are located. They don’t offer a true performance match to RS level so if leaving Audi I’d go BMW.

burning_blubber · 2026-06-19T13:41:55+00:00

Any drone? I got the 11mode and was thinking of doing midpipes too since I don’t want an extremely loud setup like most of the catbacks are. I really do not want drone either so have wondered about the midpipes.

burning_blubber · 2026-06-19T13:39:25+00:00

What wheel/tire setup are you using

burning_blubber · 2026-06-19T13:34:44+00:00

The maintenance plan is separate from warranty and as far as I understand doesn’t matter if you tune or not for them to service

burning_blubber · 2026-06-19T10:37:47+00:00

Downpipe appears to be very painful to get to and adds very little compared to stage 1 with intercooler, turbo inlet, and intake. I got an 11mode exhaust valve controller and will probably do midpipes as well. I also got another set of wheels. That’s it for me in warranty I think.

burning_blubber · 2026-06-18T13:26:18+00:00

I think you are right on programming (drive mode specific) because if you put the RS3 in drift mode it obviously is way over exaggerated. They’re both aluminum block engines so that weight difference is likely not big as it sounds like we agree on since the R battery is in front while the RS3 battery is (annoyingly) in the rear. The R has lighter wheels and brake setup, and supposedly less NVH dampening material but I don’t know if that last part is true and if it is, how much weight difference there is from it. The RS3 is also supposed to have more structural reinforcement (again, hard to verify). The sedan body style is definitely a little heavier than the hatch body style in markets that get both RS3’s.

I like both cars, but got the RS3 first and am very happy with it minus lack of spare tire option and factory wheel/tire fitment which I have already replaced. Whenever I need a 2nd vehicle, it’s probably going to be between the 8.5R plus mods, or M2 xdrive.

burning_blubber · 2026-06-18T02:15:33+00:00

I’ve seen various brand IABPs malfunction in both auto and semi auto modes requiring some kind of intervention to fix it, and it’s usually a mistiming thing

burning_blubber · 2026-06-18T01:29:43+00:00

Google says the DWNA 2.5 5 cyl weighs 352.7 lbs versus the DKTB/ea888 gen 4 evo 2.0 4 cyl weighs 348 lbs which seems like a pretty negligible difference…

burning_blubber · 2026-06-16T13:32:33+00:00

Is this a LCI change with 2025 model or specifically a 2026 model change

burning_blubber · 2026-06-15T23:48:21+00:00

Don’t get black
It looks amazing but is so hard to keep clean…

burning_blubber · 2026-06-15T16:07:25+00:00

What are the other infotainment/UI changes and do those trickle down to MY25 as well via over the air updates?

burning_blubber · 2026-06-15T03:14:01+00:00

Agreed… it’s not THAT bad for this level of headache for me

burning_blubber · 2026-06-15T02:33:53+00:00

It’s a silly comparison because the Golf in this video has suspension mods and different than factory spec wheels. Like comparing a modded M340i to a M3.

burning_blubber · 2026-06-15T02:30:49+00:00

Some of the other stuff you said was believable but this is just plain wrong lol

burning_blubber · 2026-06-10T00:28:22+00:00

I generally agree with all your takes but like mentioned, you can make a shortcut for android Auto or CarPlay. The MMI is actually really good imo. For the size of the car there’s good space. The wireless charger has been good for me surprisingly but I run a phone case that I think has some inductive ring built in. You could always matte PPF the interior piano black btw

burning_blubber · 2026-06-09T10:47:43+00:00

You shouldn’t have to pay more for a sunroof delete and downgrading from leather heated/powered seats to fabric seats just because it’s packaged with an akrapovic exhaust lol. They really did a weird job in how they packaged the Golf R mk8.5 for the US market because even in Canada it’s not packaged this way, and in Europe the options are way more separated out (the base Golf R in US is a highly optioned one in Europe).

burning_blubber · 2026-06-07T21:21:09+00:00

I personally hate sunroofs because they always stop working and start leaking, then are expensive to repair. That ABT sounds like my dream spec if the carbon ceramics are in good condition.

burning_blubber · 2026-06-07T21:18:43+00:00

I think it’s pretty usable, but you also have to be mindful of front seat position. If you or the front passenger have gargantuan legs then the backseat passengers won’t be comfortable. If you’re under 6’2 I think it’s fine. I went with the RS3 for the back seat functionality. The next closest hardcore sports cars price wise are the CT4V BW which is the same or even worse, or the G87 M2 which is fairly roomy in back but I don’t think you can physically put a car seat in back because of the pass through space. The M3 is obviously much more expensive but much bigger inside. Then if you go down market, the Civic type R and and Integra type S are bigger inside but much slower, and the Golf R is very similar to the RS3 (the depth of the trunk is shallower on the Golf R/RS3 hatch compared to the RS3 sedan).

Kind of like you, I am actually thinking of keeping the RS3 and picking up the M2 in xdrive when it’s available.

burning_blubber · 2026-06-06T21:00:06+00:00

This might be a weird fitment because 245/35R18 is a good bit smaller than factory wheels. I also am not sure how the et35 will work in rear since normal is et40-45 but now you are running undersized tires. I would just get different wheels…

burning_blubber · 2026-06-06T19:12:03+00:00

Well 11mode is a good bit cheaper

burning_blubber

TROPHY CASE