I have gone down the more powaaa route a long time ago with a souped up Evo8MR with HKS turbo kit, upgraded brakes and Ohlins suspension and aero/body kit from Test and Service's racecar team. Then a GTR R35 which basically told me power wasn't everything when I no longer had balls of steel. Age must have done a number on them
These days, especially down under, I have rediscovered the joy of driving a "fun" car without breaking (too many) speed limits. A drive on the mountain passes here, some of which have 80km/h speed limits and a steep drop on one side tests the limits of my ability and balls. A couple of years ago, I got a tiny Fiesta ST and I rediscovered the joys of driving. My daily commute which starts off peak, means I get to do some fun roundabouts on the back roads that get the rear to step out. The manual box also meant much better involvement.
I would have liked something like a Cayman R in manual but these are getting rarer by the minute and most of the 2012+ Cayman S in manual have all but disappeared on the second hand market since they went boxer4 turbos - worse because most Porker drivers don't choose the Spanish (Manuel) version in the first place
A friend of mine had just sold his car a month ago and was going to test drive a couple of cars (CLA45, RS3 and M2) and I offered to give him a ride. BAD Mistake on my part
The M2 was not what I was expecting. I was expecting the turbocharger to dull the feel of the car but was pleasantly surprised it wasn't the case. I think being down on power, the 3.0l engine actually feels more revvy and it feels rewarding to rev it up to redline - not something you would expect in a TC car. Where it feels amazing on the test drive was how beautifully the car handled corners. The seating position was perfect to me - I didn't notice how they apparently tilted the seat sideways. Low down and perfect like most BMW cars, especially the M and all the controls (the pedals, the gear knob, the wheels) just feel intuitive and like an extension of your body. I only test drove the DCT so I am hoping the stick is even more involving.
My friend ended up ordering the M2 DCT in mineral grey and I ended up getting the missus a 125i M Sport in Estoril Blue. Prices are higher in Australia compared to the US - but they did a decent trade (for Queensland) and it comes standard with the nice M Sports suspension and M brakes (same as M2 apparently) and LED headlights, Alcantara/cloth seats etc. But its hard to ignore the itch of the real M. So Long Beach Blue
I was told that for a fresh new build, it may take 6 months to arrive but BMW Australia dealers now "book" slots in advance and trade build slots between themselves so they can always get one in for the customer. My friends M2 which was ordered end March has now finished assembly and should be off to the shipping company in a couple of weeks so he should get his car in June.
I was contemplating waiting for 2018 model - rumours are it will get LED lights instead of HID and revised bumpers front and rear.
To be honest, I kinda like the look of the M2 now. Like a determined little bulldog.
There's also talk that the facelift (LCI) model with have a detuned S55 M3/M4 engine since the older N55 engine with reinforced parts from the M3/M4 in the current M2 is being phased out (due to emissions). And also two new variants - a CS (ClubSport) and a GTS with higher tune.
But I don't know if I want to wait this long.