This Used BMW M2 Delivers M-Car Thrills For The Price Of A Hot Hatch

BMW is back on top form with its M division, and you could argue that it all stems from the brilliant M2, which you can now buy for the price of a hot hatchback
This Used BMW M2 Delivers M-Car Thrills For The Price Of A Hot Hatch

BMW’s return to M-car form started right here. The first F80 M3 and F82 M4 won mixed reviews and combined with a few other factors it seemed like BMW M was losing its edge. Until the M2 arrived.

Only slightly smaller on the road than its two larger cousins, the M2 was nonetheless sharper, more agile and felt more alive from the first turn of the wheel. People rightly raved about it. Let’s start with the bodywork. A fairly subtle styling job with flowing flared wheel arches was punctuated by four exhausts, so depending on what angle you saw it from first it either whispered its intent, or shouted it.

This Used BMW M2 Delivers M-Car Thrills For The Price Of A Hot Hatch

It may not have been the most spacious or practical car out there but it didn’t have to be: its price was inappropriately touching the bottom end of the Porsche range and its main rival was always the blatantly single-minded Cayman. The M2 was fundamentally a car to make you smile, but one that could carry luggage and extra people at need. A bit like a modern hot hatch.

We were browsing the classifieds, as you do, and found the cheapest M2s dropping into the region of £31,000; almost £2000 cheaper than a new, three-door Volkswagen Golf R. Before options. Add a few trinkets on VW’s configurator and £35,000 can sail past. In fact we had one on test recently that was optioned to nearly £50,000…

This Used BMW M2 Delivers M-Car Thrills For The Price Of A Hot Hatch

Not-so coincidentally, that’s the price of our pick of the M2s. We found this gorgeous Long Beach Blue metallic one on eBay UK, registered in September 2016 on a ‘66’ plate and therefore not even two years old yet. On a classified listing the price is £34,995, but offers are invited. The car has had a single owner and covered just 5270 miles from new. It’s clearly a weekend toy rather than a daily driver.

It’s a manual car, so it’ll hit 62mph in 4.5 seconds and happily slam into its 155mph limiter. The single-turbo N55B30 engine at the front shoots 365bhp at the rear wheels on the way to a 7000rpm ceiling. An overboost function allows for peak torque of 369lb ft at just 1450rpm. Performance is not a box that goes unticked.

This Used BMW M2 Delivers M-Car Thrills For The Price Of A Hot Hatch

On top of its feature-deep pockets containing xenon headlights, parking sensors, BMW connected services and sat-nav, it also has the optional heated front seats, paint protection, a reversing camera, a sunroof and the Harman Kardon stereo upgrade. There’s even one service left on the pre-paid BMW Service Plan, so that’s an expense you won’t have to plan for. This, we reckon, is an ideal spec with a few perks besides.

Condition is described as excellent, with unmarked wheels. All in, an offer somewhere close to £35,000 seems like a hell of a way to spend hot hatch money on something a little more exciting without totally sacrificing the bags-and-people-shifting stuff your head knows you need. What would it be, CTzens? This, with over a year’s BMW warranty still left, or a brand new Golf R?

Comments

☆★THEBOOSTEDBRIT★☆

“Offers are invited.”
*Checks bank account
Can officially offer £35

07/15/2018 - 07:43 |
49 | 3

I can 1 up you there, I’ll offer £11.63

07/15/2018 - 14:12 |
2 | 1
JenstheGTIfreak (pizza)

If only 1M’s would be that cheap….

07/15/2018 - 07:56 |
13 | 0
iWillGetAnR34GTR

I’d judge anyone who’d pick a hatchback over this gem

07/15/2018 - 08:02 |
5 | 2

Except an used hatchback is cheaper

07/15/2018 - 09:49 |
2 | 1

That’d be me then!

07/15/2018 - 10:05 |
1 | 0

Insurance and service/running costs are also a factor. Just because you can buy a good conditioned used sports car, does not mean that the running costs will be cheap. It runs fat 275s in the rear, and those are €400-€450 for me in Germany per tire. Check those big discs as well, since you are getting it used under warranty, you are forced to go to the dealership (€€€€) to keep it valid. Are you still certain you will still judge someone if they get a Polo GTI new over this?

07/17/2018 - 07:14 |
1 | 0
Fnurpl

Big news: used car is cheaper than new car

07/15/2018 - 08:18 |
38 | 0

And it’s AWD

07/15/2018 - 08:25 |
1 | 0

I seriously doubt it is a “better” deal, do you have any idea how much fuel that big fat 550hp engine will need? or the tires, brakes or even insurance? You are making the classical mistake of a used car, you go by brand/power/performance and do not consider the running costs. People wonder, why so many cars have 4+ owners, it is because of this. They buy a used car cheaper and later find out that the tires will cost €1,200+ alone, then the brakes are another €1,500+ and so on. Suddenly, the car is up for sale again. Do your homework people, from running costs to insurance, to current condition.

07/17/2018 - 07:17 |
0 | 0
Midwest Hoonigan

A $35k M2 that isn’t thrashed or has so many miles you’d think it lived on a dyno just running all day every day? If I was in Britain and had the possibility to pay for it, I would absolutely jump at the chance! It’s even in the correct color!

07/15/2018 - 08:35 |
3 | 0

Itll still lose another £10k over the next year or so

07/15/2018 - 09:18 |
5 | 1
Anonymous

I took the brand new golf R

07/15/2018 - 10:05 |
0 | 0
Matt Robinson
Matt Robinson

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Fair play! Guessing you didn’t option it up quite as much as the one I had on test a couple of weeks ago…?

07/15/2018 - 15:54 |
0 | 0
Wogmidget

Does that price include a blinker fluid top-up?

07/15/2018 - 11:14 |
1 | 2

Hahaha good one

07/15/2018 - 17:31 |
0 | 1
top gear

I like a bmw m5 in aqua blue

07/15/2018 - 21:46 |
0 | 0
Basith Penna-Hakkim

yes a manual M2 is what I really need

07/15/2018 - 22:01 |
0 | 0

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