Need to buy one - Dilema

[Mike R]

Originally Posted by supaer

i am defo going to pull the plug soon and it will be used regularly only a garage queen during the week.

The only slight concern i have is speed, the M4 is quick and before that i had the c63 and i know the csl is slower and older but there is just something about it that makes me love it so much!!

The CSL is not about straight line speed, it is about CARRYING speed.

If you have bought it as a road car, you may feel let down speed wise compared to the two cars you mention (from a point and squirt view).

However, stick them on the track (specifically the Nurburgring) and the CSL comes alive. It is 2s a lap faster around the Nordschleife than the M4 and 11s faster than the C63. Not bad for a car with significantly less power and nearly 15 year old technology.

The CSL is a scalpel compared to the other two cars sledgehammer power delivery. Don't get me wrong, it will still spin the wheels up in 4th gear with the traction control off in the wet (especially in temps below 10°C on the fabled (wet) traction limited Cups), but it has a pussy cat power delivery compared to the turbo grunt of the M4 and big capacity power of the C63. This makes it far more exploitable on the limit, but at the expense of the low speed "shock and awe" of the above cars.

Obviously the M4 sounds like an appliance as well and needs an exhaust system to wake it up, but the Merc sounds nice in a NASCAR type way (especially with an aftermarket exhaust). The CSL sounds like an angry wasp as standard, but has that unique buzz-saw intake noise to compensate and a Supersprint system just gives it that added something extra .

[supaer]

Thanks for your response Mike R - Very well put!

Im not to fussed about straight line speed and probably do not want to do more than one or two track days a year. I have an MPE fitted to the M4 which makes a lot of difference as without it my missus 135 LCI sounds a lot better!!

Question i have to ask myself is that if i will not be tracking it that often and not using it every day is it worth having it, i know many on here will be biased but the only possible things to stop me is not having the comfort etc of a modern car and feeling that i could be lumbered with it at the end of my time with it as they always seem to stick around for long periods of time!

[Mike R]

Originally Posted by supaer

Thanks for your response Mike R - Very well put!

Im not to fussed about straight line speed and probably do not want to do more than one or two track days a year. I have an MPE fitted to the M4 which makes a lot of difference as without it my missus 135 LCI sounds a lot better!!

Question i have to ask myself is that if i will not be tracking it that often and not using it every day is it worth having it, i know many on here will be biased but the only possible things to stop me is not having the comfort etc of a modern car and feeling that i could be lumbered with it at the end of my time with it as they always seem to stick around for long periods of time!

If you're not going to use it as BMW intended, then there are better ways to spend £50k+ to have a fun car. IMO as a road car it is flawed and not that involving. A normal manual E46 M3 with brakes, suspension and the CSL airbox would make a more enjoyable ROAD car and will still be fun on track days (obviously slower than the CSL, but still fun). This would cost half the price of the CSL and you wouldn't be (as) scared to give it a spanking.

If you currently have an M4 and a 135i, I'd be spending my money on a proper weekend toy (an S1 Elise with a tuned K20A could be built for £25k, and not much would live with it at nearly 400bhp per tonne).