Agree with u/caesarkid1’s points.
The 1.8 was well known for having piston ring issues which would lead to extreme EO consumption. A lot of friends simply replaced the pistons with forged ones at the same time.
Also, try not to idle the car to warm up if you are doing so. It’s a bad habit that will burn EO and cause carbon build up with direct injection engines.
It really depends on the car. The mild hybrid stuff in the BMW and Mercedes are really good these days, allowing coasting and engine shut off at low speeds - all the way to a complete stop where it’s just regular stop start, at highway speeds and it is completely imperceptible except for when you come to a stop but suddenly need to move forward before the speed reaches 0. Implemented right, it is really completely invisible and helps to save a considerable amount of fuel. Audi’s stop start is atrocious - it kicks in violently when restarting, shuts off with a shudder through the chassis and does not provide any boost off the line like the other 2 brands do.
My friend changed from a 520i F10 (18") to a 530i M-sport G30 (20") and he went from 50% a tank a week to 25% a week. Granted, the G30 has a slightly larger tank but it is only by a few litres.
Other than the IMS issue, I’d consider the gearbox. I’d take the manual but not the tiptronic. Once you’ve tried PDK, the tiptronic really doesn’t hold up very well.
I would say that Ferrari and Porsche are probably as good as each other where transmission shifts are concerned, but Ferrari is way more emotive because of engineered kicks. Also, Ferrari seems more ‘impressive’ when you consider that they have to rev up the engine at the same rate but with 2 or 6 more cylinders. You can get in a Porsche and drive it like a normal car, but the Ferrari has some learning curves to some of its models, especially where the ceramic brakes are concerned - very very little bite when cold, which makes city driving quite stressful.
I agree with some of the other comments like the base options could be better. Ambient lighting should be a standard thing these days - whether or not the owners use them is up to the individual but they should be standard because they are often an option only in the low hundreds. I also agree with the sports exhaust comment, and especially with the Huracan that comes standard with the sports exhaust (at least in my country) and it really brings a sense of occasion when you want it, and perfect docility when you want that. Even the Giulia Qf comes with an Akra titanium exhaust as standard.
I also do believe that there is a 911 variant for everyone, with the base model being comfortable enough and surprisingly good with fuel consumption, to the high end screaming engines in the top variants. Sure, there are brands that get individual models better than Porsche’s equivalents like the E63S vs the Panamera Turbo S and the Stelvio Qf vs the Macan Turbo, but as a whole lineup, Porsche usually wins by a mile.
It’s just bad… the lines don’t work together
The M8 starts off with a compromised premise - 4 seats. If you’re gonna get serious about performance, why have extra seats that might not be filled most of the time and an unnecessarily large footprint of a car?
I actually think the variant of the 8 series that makes the most sense is the 840i with the straight 6. Creamy, fast enough and comfortable.
The 911 is built from the ground up to be a much more serious car. The occasion of driving one won’t leave your mind as easily as it will in the M8.
I’ve read that using Silicone spray on the rubber linings of the door (including the part where it touches the top of the window) and lithium grease on the hinges help a lot. I’ve personally not tried them cause there is no winter here, but might be worth a shot!