Reassure Me Buying an ITS

[CK716]

This car is a blast to drive and being from western New York, I expect it will be fine in winter once I get a set of proper snow tires and wheels. I think part of why you see some inventory buildup is anywhere that has a winter - well, it comes with PS4S tires and below 40 they aren’t great, below 32 forget about it, snow - lmfao yeah right. So it’s only natural they sit a bit this time of year.

Glad you raised this point. I’m going to NJ next week to pick one up and driving it back looking at temps we’ll be right around the 40 degree number Michelin notes as the base operating window. Do you think there’s any concern for doing the drive back in that weather? It’ll be garage stored when I’m back in WNY and I don’t have to drive it on a cold day with WFH, but was a bit concerned about not being able to get a different wheel/tire setup before the temps heat up.

 

[CK716]

I agree that at least part of the winter sales slow down is due to the summer tires. I got my ITS in late November, and now have over 6k miles on it - it's my daily driver. My solution to the tire thing was to have the dealership swap in a set of winter wheels+tires I got from Tire Rack. I have yet to drive it on the OEM set, but even with the Vredestein tires the handling is very, very good. Having twice the HP as the Impreza it replaced doesn't hurt either.

I can't wait for the warmer weather, and have zero regrets about spending the $ on this car.

Good Luck

What winter tire/wheel setup did you go with from tire rack?

 

[mopar_man]

Glad you raised this point. I’m going to NJ next week to pick one up and driving it back looking at temps we’ll be right around the 40 degree number Michelin notes as the base operating window. Do you think there’s any concern for doing the drive back in that weather? It’ll be garage stored when I’m back in WNY and I don’t have to drive it on a cold day with WFH, but was a bit concerned about not being able to get a different wheel/tire setup before the temps heat up.

I think it depends - if it’s 40 and dry you shouldn’t have any problems. I’ve had mine out in that and been just fine, although I’ve driven very carefully. I would be more nervous if there is moisture and it’s cold.

 

[ABPDE5]

Glad you raised this point. I’m going to NJ next week to pick one up and driving it back looking at temps we’ll be right around the 40 degree number Michelin notes as the base operating window. Do you think there’s any concern for doing the drive back in that weather? It’ll be garage stored when I’m back in WNY and I don’t have to drive it on a cold day with WFH, but was a bit concerned about not being able to get a different wheel/tire setup before the temps heat up.

I drove mine on the PS4S through Nov and into early Dec in the upper NE (temps into the mid / low30s). No issues. Just let the tires come up to temp before you push them hard. Once they're warm, it's a non-issue, imo; you just don't want to shock them while they're cold. (Not saying it's optimal for performance, but if you are smart about it, you won't ruin them.)

 

[acurax]

Glad you raised this point. I’m going to NJ next week to pick one up and driving it back looking at temps we’ll be right around the 40 degree number Michelin notes as the base operating window. Do you think there’s any concern for doing the drive back in that weather? It’ll be garage stored when I’m back in WNY and I don’t have to drive it on a cold day with WFH, but was a bit concerned about not being able to get a different wheel/tire setup before the temps heat up.

That's a bit of a drive! Looking for a different color combination the closest available, i.e. PWP/Red, MBP/Red, or LCM/Red?

 

[CK716]

That's a bit of a drive! Looking for a different color combination the closest available, i.e. PWP/Red, MBP/Red, or LCM/Red?

Not a fan of the red interior so my options were limited closer to me. It's not too bad only a little over 5 hours and can work on the break in period during the drive.

 

[nix6speed]

@SilverRocket you nailed it. If more people understood this they'd get over the "lack of" features.

"It's a driver's car with a bit of luxury, not a luxury car that's capable."

 

[CK716]

@SilverRocket you nailed it. If more people understood this they'd get over the "lack of" features.

"It's a driver's car with a bit of luxury, not a luxury car that's capable."

Yep. Basically exactly what I'm looking for. I've never had luxury cars, (GTI, Mazda 3, Mazda 6), so even the basic luxury features of the ITS sold me.

 

[QUIKAG]

I have a CT5V Blackwing six-speed too and my '24 ITS is more nimble and fun to drive besides the traction issues in 1st and 2nd. Then, I prefer the rear tires spinning. Obviously the BW is more of a complete monster car, but the ITS is fun as heck to drive and half the price of my BW.

 

[Frosty_DE5]

I often find reasons - or make up reasons - to trade in cars, but I have not and will not give this car up anytime soon. For me it's pretty simple: the car is a blast to drive, it's a comfortable and roomy daily driver and it does not need an aftermarket exhaust as the OEM exhaust is great. Also I would be remiss if I didn't mention the looks of the car... not a single "meh" angle. The fender flares and body lines are aggressive and the wide stance gives the car a lot of road presence.

As others have mentioned there are a few cons (interior and window rattles being a major issue for my car) which normally drive me nuts. However the pros I mentioned above heavily outweigh the cons - plus the cons can be fixed whenever I finally decide to bring the car to Acura...

It was kind of an impulse buy for me but not once have I regretted my purchase in 6+ months of ownership.

 

[koatic]

I have always had 2 cars.. my daily and my toy.. now I have still have my daily (ITS) and 2 toys (ITS) again and my ole B18 project..
just hit the 5k mark with my ITS and still am in the honeymoon phase of ownership.. (its just so DARN fun to drive)

 

[Blek le Roc]

What winter tire/wheel setup did you go with from tire rack?

Enkei Tuning Triumph GLS 18x9.5

Vredestein Wintrac Pro XL 235/40R-18

The tires are on the low end of width for those wheels, but that's because they're for the snow, where narrower is better.

 

[Q_subsub]

I went through this last week, but ultimately picked the ITS. I must admit, it was only a moderately rational decision. But ultimately, it was going to be quick enough, roomy enough, look good, and relatively cheap to operate and maintain. As for the others considered...

• CT4V BW was crossed off the list because rear seats were too small to be useful for a car seat
• M3 manual could be had these days starting low 60s (2021s), but given my experience with previous BMWs (which I loved btw), it could cost a pretty penny out of warranty (and that front end... could you really love it?) But admittedly it does have better features as well outside of sheer performance (laser lights, power trunk, wider and more useful infotainment display, wider support community)
• CTR is $7k cheaper!!! And in my experience ITS isn't that much more luxurious or quieter. But theres the looks, colors, better torque curve, sound, dealer experience...

And on the periphery...

• Elantra N: I dont know how much better the mid cycle refresh would be but I couldnt wait around to find out
• GR Corolla: I am really not a fan of current corolla (non GR), and even the GR, with its overheating issues made it a nonstarter for me

 

[optronix]

I went through this last week, but ultimately picked the ITS. I must admit, it was only a moderately rational decision. But ultimately, it was going to be quick enough, roomy enough, look good, and relatively cheap to operate and maintain. As for the others considered...

• CT4V BW was crossed off the list because rear seats were too small to be useful for a car seat
• M3 manual could be had these days starting low 60s (2021s), but given my experience with previous BMWs (which I loved btw), it could cost a pretty penny out of warranty (and that front end... could you really love it?) But admittedly it does have better features as well outside of sheer performance (laser lights, power trunk, wider and more useful infotainment display, wider support community)
• CTR is $7k cheaper!!! And in my experience ITS isn't that much more luxurious or quieter. But theres the looks, colors, better torque curve, sound, dealer experience...

And on the periphery...

• Elantra N: I dont know how much better the mid cycle refresh would be but I couldnt wait around to find out
• GR Corolla: I am really not a fan of current corolla (non GR), and even the GR, with its overheating issues made it a nonstarter for me

I actually had to go check out autotrader to validate this as it finally hit me- right now, a G80 M3 is generally cheaper on the used market(or even new!) than an F80 M3. That is ASTONISHING to me, especially after the "lukewarm" reception the F80 had amongst the BMW fanboys when it was released!

Think about it- a 5 year old German performance car, out of warranty- not old enough to be a classic, and not new enough to not have to worry about excruciating maintenance and/or repair costs- going for the same (or more) as a brand new one!

That tells you just about all you need to hear on the G80, right? The market has spoken. No matter how fast it is, or how nice the interior- you can't overcome mediocre driving dynamics and a face only a mother could love.

That's pretty damn crazy.

I feel like the G87 M2 is going to be the exact same situation.

 

[Q_subsub]

I actually had to go check out autotrader to validate this as it finally hit me- right now, a G80 M3 is generally cheaper on the used market(or even new!) than an F80 M3. That is ASTONISHING to me, especially after the "lukewarm" reception the F80 had amongst the BMW fanboys when it was released!

Think about it- a 5 year old German performance car, out of warranty- not old enough to be a classic, and not new enough to not have to worry about excruciating maintenance and/or repair costs- going for the same (or more) as a brand new one!

That tells you just about all you need to hear on the G80, right? The market has spoken. No matter how fast it is, or how nice the interior- you can't overcome mediocre driving dynamics and a face only a mother could love.

That's pretty damn crazy.

I feel like the G87 M2 is going to be the exact same situation.

Yeah, as for other manual M3 references, a couple of them sold on Cars & Bids recently for low $60k as well, and I was in the process of dealing for another in that range before pivoting to the ITS.

I think there is some truth to the popularity of the G80 (or lack thereof), but some other factors might be that if someone was in the market for a G80, then CT5V BW would be in the tangible range, along with the fact that for not much more you could get a xDrive Comp which is so stupidly fast even in stock form that you could wipe the floor with most if not all non-electric sports sedans in the market right now (not to mention easy tuneability to get 700whp), and most would have a real hard time justifying going the manual direction for a transmission that's always known to be a bit imprecise and rubbery.

On a somewhat related note, it's even worse when you look at G82 vs. F82 (M4), I think because on top of that schnoz, the rear quarter body lines look much blander on the new one.