Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverSlug
And sadly, you are right… "M6 LCI with Competition Package was no longer offered in conjunction with the six-speed manual transmission."
I'm still curious to hear what the National BMW rep tells my contact at the dealership regarding just the 2016 model, but it's not looking too promising.
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Yeah, sorry about that. I looked into it for a while and all I could find for explanation was marketing considerations. I didn't talk to anyone who had first-hand knowledge or see any documents, so take it as a possibility rather than certainty. But the speculation (?) was that they were trying to simplify the performance description for the comp pack. Keep in mind that the coupe and gran coupe are already a little different because of the latter's greater weight. Then there's the comp/non-comp, giving four different 0-60 times. Add in the 6-speed/DCT and you could have as many as 4 different times per body style. Toss in the vert and you'll have 12 different 0-60 figures. I am not sure about the details of this argument, but the broad pattern aligns with BMW's moves away from the 6-Speed in the new M3/4 comp pack. The comp pack and AWD are both unavailable with the manual tranny, even though you can still get it on the base M3/4.
I think it was an unfortunate move on the F06/12/13 platform where BMW already had a manual transmission that could easily handle the comp pack's extra horses and also had worked out every major system for both DCT and 6-speed since they offered that pre-LCI. Anyway, that was their call. They were offering the manual only in North America and I consider it a minor miracle they chose to do so at all. Then they stuck with it through the full run. I am grateful for that.
As discussed in other threads, there were not many changes from year to year or pre/post LCI. There were some iDrive updates, a headlight change, a horsepower bump in the comp pack, and some paint color options, for example. But there was no major change in the drivetrain or anywhere else. This generation M6 is solid and I would not have any hesitation recommending one on either side of the LCI. Other factors are much more important, such as maintenance history, prior abuse, mileage, and any upcoming issues there might be. For instance, if a car has CCBs and needs or will need new ones, that's $10K in parts alone. None of these are about the LCI. Some like the pre-LCI headlights better, and the iDrives are definitely better on the later years, but either way you're getting an absolute beast of a GT rocket.
If you really want the 6-speed and the comp pack you can hunt for pre-LCI. There were two on BaT late last year. A 2014 GC in November and a 2015 vert in December. The hammer prices were $57K and $51K, respectively. Add the fees for a few thousand more. Pretty solid buys in my view, although you'd significantly pay less for the DCT.
Your other obvious choice is to give up on the factory comp pack and go LCI 6-speed. You can get some of the comp pack equipment by swapping parts such as the springs. The comp pack had 10% tighter steering and a reprogrammed differential, which would be harder to replicate. The extra 40 horses would be easily found with even the most conservative tune.
By the time I decided I "needed" an M6 BMW was no longer taking orders. The 6-speed was my sole criterion and they are so rare I wasn't really sure the actually existed beyond rumors until I saw one for sale in NJ. It looked like it had been ridden hard and put away wet, but the second one I saw (eight months later) was a keeper. Super clean, 15K miles with the choose your own adventure gearbox I required. Plus things I had hoped for, such as the CCBs and the B&O.
Or you can go DCT. It's a great gearbox and there are more examples with the comp pack, relatively speaking. It is a rare car in any configuration, to be sure. But if you just have to have the manual transmission...man, I get it. Good luck!