Dreams don't come true. Nor should they! An enthusiasts reflection on BMW ownership

[Falafel Combo]

I liked the e92 M3. A lot. I enjoyed the ///M experience, and could immediately appreciate how fundamentally different this car was from BMW's regular series cars. It's a few steps up. The V8 sounds, and the high revving naturally aspirated nature of the engine were intoxicating! It's was such a fun car! But only 20% of the time.


I missed the usable low torque of the 335i. I missed being able to mash the throttle at any range of the power band and get instant pickup, without having to down shift a couple gears. I missed the daily usability the 335i provided, with all it's flaws.


I was getting more and more disheartened, and became more and more frustrated with myself. And with BMW of course. I thought to myself, "you didn't like the 335i, and now you don't like the M3???? Seriously?". At that point it just seemed like I would either have to switch brands, or just get another e90 and be done with it.


So I did.


For those with faint hearts and weak souls, feel free to skip a few posts, with your eyes closed.


I went from the e92 M3, to this 2011 Mazda 3, and it was fantastic!!!!!


.

[Falafel Combo]

After much research, and trying to objectively find "fun" cars regardless of class, brand or loyalties, it really boiled down to:

Mazda3
Golf GTI
Honda S200
Mazda Miata
Subaru STI
EDIT: and the Ford Focus ST!!!


With the Mazda checked off my list, I went for the GTI next! I've grown up always wanting a GTI, so this was sort of a boyhood crush. And with the Mazda3 out of the way, and 0% APR offers on the GTI, summer of 2013 was beginning to smell like a new car! I found one at a local dealership, in 6MT, cloth seats and upgraded package (Wolfsburg, for those familiar), and signed the papers.


I can wholeheartedly, and very sincerely say that this Mk6 GTI was one of the best all around cars I have owned in my life! That is such a big statement, but I have no reservation is saying that. Just an incredibly well balanced, competent and compliant sports hatch, which enjoys doing family duties, hauling groceries and at the same time being pushed into corners, down shifting while mashing the throttle and being tossed around empty parking lots!


I enjoyed it tremendously and smile every time I see another GTI owner on the road. It's like an old friend!




.

[Falafel Combo]

I drove the GTI for a full year! Which became close to the record for me! My wife was totally impressed!! (see how low I set her expectations???)


I started frequenting bimmerpost again, and reading more about the upcoming f80 M3. But wait one damned second here! I had an M3 before, and I didn't really enjoy it. That's right, stay away from those M's. They're just too much trouble, and unless you take them to the track or really get on the power and rev them all the way to the moon, the power doesn't just ever get there. That's right. PASS!


At the same time, I was also was learning about this magical software update on the f30 335i's, which apparently fixes a lot of the initial software issues the first year model had. The new software patch promised more weighted steering, better throttle response in sport and sport plus, slightly better handling and a throatier exhaust note. Sounds like too much to ask from a measly software update!


Well, I found a couple of local 2014 335i M Sport at dealerships near me, and i'll be darned! These f30's felt NOTHING like I remember my 2013 335i!!! The steering was much improved, the chassis felt slightly stiffer (maybe the dampers), exhaust felt nicer and the throttle response was sooo much better! Not rubbery anymore!!! Wow. I had some serious thinking and re-thinking to do!

[Falafel Combo]

No local dealerships had 6MT xDrive 335i's on the lot, and I didn't feel like waiting. So I eventually found a CPO car in Colorado and had it shipped. I also got it certified because I was almost sure I was keeping this one. For a long time! It had the M sport package, 6MT, xDrive (for the snow) and a 100k warranty. It was perfect!


And everything I read about that software update proved to be true! The new update rectified a lot of the concerns myself and several early owners had with the f30 335i (drove like a Lexus, soft, light steering, ...). And magically just like that, after the update, it drove like a BMW again! I still don't know how BMW can do that, but they did. It was an excellent car! It was very hard to find fault with it. Especially after I put the M performance exhaust on it, it became even so much more fun!!! It's a great car and I had no plans on replacing it!!!


.

[Falafel Combo]

So coming from the f30 335i, in a lot of ways the M3 purchase was not a very smart decision from a rational and financial perspective, objectively speaking. But that's not why we drive them, now is it????! It's almost like saying, well, objectively speaking, the M3's typically don't return the best gas mileage, nor are they the most economical cars to maintain and just generally are not a very sensible financial decision. YAAAAH ... UUUUH HUUUUH! So you're telling me these cars were not designed with nuns and polar bears in mind? Ok, got it!!!


But what I mean also, is that after the f30 had it's software update, it had grown into a totally different car! That "BMW spirit" was back and was very reminiscent of my e90 330i. But with MUCH BETTER LOOKS, INTERIOR, GAS MILEAGE AND SO MUCH MORE TORQUE POWER! YES! ALL CAPS!!!


The f30 was also a great daily driver, did not attract too much attention, was smooth and buttery to drive and a tremendous upgrade from the e90, it had the all wheel drive for the snowy new england winters and it was CPO'd. I was all set! Of course, there were some reservations with the steering, and just a smidge of turbo lag, but this is the world we live in. I have accepted the f30 for what it was and wasn't and moved on. In all other regards, I was having a blast driving that thing! I had even just put on the M performance exhaust!


So initially, it was hard to justify "upgrading" that car. And to be honest I had NO INTENTIONS of doing so. If anything, I was all set on waiting for the f80 LCI, see how it looks, wait for a good deal and just generally making all these excuses to myself why I should wait. Because again, The f30 was PERFECT!


.

[Falafel Combo]

Aaaaaah ... but we're never content, are we! There must be some modding. There has to be something else that we can do to improve on perfection! And if you hang out on these forums long enough, you will quickly realize that your car will never be perfect until you've painted your reflectors!


So of course, just like all you miserable and never-happy souls out there, I compiled a menu. I had a wish list. Some coilovers to "fix" the "soft" xDrive suspension and ride height. Check. Bigger wheels. Check. Bigger brakes! Check. M performance rear diffuser and lip. CHECK!!! M performance power pack upgrade!!!!! CHEEEEEEECK!!!!!!!!!


My wish list quickly turned into a $10,000 modding budget. And that's not what bothered me. What bothered me was that it was soooo much work! I'm a busy professional, business owner and have a wife and daughter. And to be honest, I would totally rather take my family out to the park, the beach or even the mall, than spend a few hours at a shop somewhere waiting for them to install bigger brakes! I was getting exhausted just thinking about all the time I would have to spend at the shop! Ain't nobody got time for DAT! Well, not me at least.


Aaaaah .... the M3 seeds have been sown ...


.

[Falafel Combo]

As pure coincidence would have it, we also happened to be shopping for a replacement for my wife's Subaru Outback, since her lease was set to expire in a few weeks. We were exploring options. Buy out the Subaru (we liked that car a lot, and my wife had ZERO incentive to replace it). Lease another one? Or just cut to the chase, and get a mini-van for our growing family? No, no, no, no, no, no, NO, NOOO! Not yet!


Ok, how about we compromise. Not a Subaru (they kind of drive more like trucks, than passenger cars TBH), and not a minivan. Lets look at some wagons. Or SUV's? Reasonable no?


Well, after much research and lots of reading, we decided on the 328i GT. And we haven't looked back since. I won't go into too much detail, but the 328i GT has a niche market of customers, and MY FAMILY IS IT! Not ready for a mini-van, but also don't want a climb-up SUV, and kinda-not-crazy about wagons. But we also need a lot of room, and prefer a hatch truck for loading/unloading large items, OH AND IT WOULD BE NICE IF IT DRIVES LIKE A BMW!!! And must have a rear wing. M-U-S-T! You know that was going to be my first mod anyway!


It's fantastic! So we got one!


.

[Falafel Combo]

A few more 328i GT pictures ...


.

[Falafel Combo]

Now, the morning I'm going in to sign the 328i GT papers, and out of no where I get an e-mail from a New York area dealership, advertising a fire sale on all in stock inventory. WHAT? You're telling me this now???? $2,500 BELOW INVOICE on all stock cars! HUH???! Yes, you heard that right! Below invoice! And they had a 328i GT sitting on their lot too! It's only a couple hours drive from me, so needless to say I was very tempted.


I called them up, and confirmed everything was legit. The offer is the offer.


The only problem is, we were all set on custom building a car, and had very specific options in mind. And the lot 328i they had was a no line, stripper-ish model. In black. So not exactly jumping up and down for it. But for that price ... hmmm ...


So I got an idea. Let me use this offer as leverage, and call my guy up. See if he's willing to keep our business. Of course I wasn't going to get anywhere near the $2500 under invoice on an ordered car, but at least I can do better than what I was getting. Especially at the end of the year.


Long story short, he wasn't budging too much. So I got this crazy idea, and called him back as asked, well, what if I buy TWO cars. Would you be willing to do better than my existing offer (not $2500 below of course)? After a few back and forth phone calls, they agreed. And just like that, I decided to order my new M3 now and not wait for the LCI.


Just like my dad would always say back in his day: "Sometimes in life, there will just not be enough LED taillights in the world, worth walking away from such a smokin' deal ... an you will have to make some very tough decisions my son!" Or something like that ... Wise man.


We signed the papers for the 328i GT and M3 on literally the last business day of 2014.

[Falafel Combo]

The funny part was that we had our 328i GT all configured as we wanted, and when I finally went to the dealership to place the orders and pay the deposit, my CA was all like "I know the M3 is kind of a last minute thing for you, so let's just get an allocation first and you can e-mail me your configuration later". And I was ROFL on the inside! I was like, "SON, I've been waiting my WHOLE LIFE for this! Go ahead, alt-ctrl-tab. New window. BMW NA. 2015 M3. Build your own. Austin Yellow, CS interior, CF trim, 6MT, ..."!!!


Needless to say, the look on his face was priceless!

[Falafel Combo]

So, we did the whole waiting thing, tracking orders and very impatiently waiting for updates. My wife's 328i GT was here in less than 6 weeks, order to delivery. The M3 took a little bit longer. CF roof delays, 19" wheel delays, allocation delays, MAN! Dont miss any of that!!!


But I somehow managed to maintain most of my sanity through the process, and she was finally here! And that's all that mattered! I think I can finally relate to women giving birth!


.

[Falafel Combo]

After driving a Kia Sportage for an entire month (enterprise), and patiently waiting for my f80 to arrive, SHE WAS FINALLY HERE!


It was being prepped at the dealership, getting detailed and being programmed with some of the BEST technologies BMW M engineers have ever stormed up! AND IT WAS ABOUT TO BE MINE!!!! Only a few short hours separated this new M3, from my warm and damp garage space at home!!!


A dream come true, if not too cliche!


You would expect a day like this to be perfect, right? I mean, you've waited so long! Worked so hard. Saved so much!!! All the stars should be aligned ... the sun shining ... the birds chirping ... you did all the work, and made all the payments. All you have to do now is stroll into the dealership, flip flops, sunglasses and all your coolness. Crack a few smug smiles and make a few jokes with the cute receptionist and just fire up the car, put her in first gear chirp the tires and just ride into the sunset, right?


Well ... let me tell you. This poor soul would have none of that! The day I picked up my car, I worked late, had a very stressful day, had to go pick up my brand new M3 in my very uncomfortable work clothes (dress shoes, shirt and tie ... UGH), was very stressed and very ... VERY LATE. I was returning the enterprise rental that day, and they normally close at 6pm. With rush hour traffic leaving work ... OH, DID I MENTION IT WAS RAINING TOO??? LIKE, TORRENTIAL-DOWN-POUR RAINING???? ... ... anyway, barely making it to the enterprise office a few minutes after 6pm, soaking wet, the poor counter girl (very sweet girl too BTW) must have taken sympathy on me. She opened the store back up, took my rental return and even offered to give me a ride to the dealership with her own personal car on her way home from work, and even helped me load my daughters big ole clunky car seat into her cars trunk. Man, there are still some really genuine folks out there! I was thinking of sending her some flowers the next day as a thank you, and then I got "THE STARE" from my wife. "Ok, nevermind. I'll just call her", I snapped back. Fine. FINE. FINE!!! GOOD! NIGHT!!!! You know how that goes ... we're in love.


DAMMIT, focus!!! Ok, so she's this really sweet girl and was asking me all these questions. Now I kind of felt bad for her at this point as she was complaining about how crappy corporate treats them, cutting benefits, taking away their company cars, low wages, and all that just sickening stuff. But she's SO EXCITED FOR ME! She melted my heart! She was like "Is it new? Have you driven any BMW's before? What color is it? Are you excited?!!!!!". Such a gem of a girl. I honestly was ashamed to tell her I was picking up an M3, and just told her it was a used 328i. I just couldn't. I felt at that point that life had given me so much more than her, and I just didn't want her to feel bad at all. And she was just soooo nice about everything!


Needless to say, she made my whole day so much better and without knowing it, made my M3 pickup that day possible! And if there was ANYTHING I could do about it, I was not about to endure that Kia Sportage for ONE MORE HOUR!







Got time for one more post before work ...


SO! I'm at the dealership, wet, stressed (but feeling a lot better after my conversation with Vanessa on the way over). But still, EXHAUSTED after a long and memorably stressful day work, drained from the traffic, worried about enterprise closing up and leaving before I get there, leaving me stranded with that Kia for another few days. But alas, I made it. I was there. I got to the dealership, but was NOT AT ALL excited. At this point, I just wanted a warm meal, a dry towel and the TV remote. Not exactly how I expected this long awaited day would go. But such is life.


I'm lugging my daughters car seat, my pockets stuffed with all the junk I was hauling around in my rental (GPS, iPod connector, pens, EZ pass and some other random junk). I walk into the dealership at this point looking like a homeless business professional. I was a bit embarrassed for my CA, TBH. All I needed at this point to complete the look was a bag of rattling empty cans!!!


I wave Vanessa thank you and goodbye, and I muster up the courage to face my CA, disguised as a homeless man! I carried myself the best way I knew how to, I hold my shoulders up high, take a deep breath and leave my daughters car seat at the curb and walk into the dealership.


And the magic starts to flow. Little did I know, I had VIP front row seats, reserved in my name, at the best magic show in town!!! The receptionist glances at me and breaks a it's-your-surprise-birthday-today-but-I'm-NOT-SAYING-ANYTHING kind of smile, and waves me on to my CA. On my way there, I here a couple of other CA's chatting nearby, whispering "I think thats guy picking up the Yellow M3!!". Oh man, still not sure if this is this good or bad?


Anyway, on my way, I get a quick glimpse of my car in the delivery bay, and immediately snap a picture ...


But my CA, quickly whips me away to the side, and says they need a few more signatures! DOCNABBITTTT!!!! AGAIN!!???!!!!!! What a buzz kill dude!!! I'm trying to have a moment here!!!!





I go through all the last minute paperwork like a man scarfing down hotdogs at a contest, pay everything they required without asking as single question, and pretty sure I signed a few papers in their including my CA in my living will, and the dealership as a death beneficiary! Don't know, not important right now. My heart fluttering at his point, and I finally get to see her! MAN OH MAN OH MAN OOOH MAN! Was it ever worth the wait! I swear these cars should not be allowed to be photographed. THEY LOOK SO MUCH BETTER IN PERSON! I was not prepared for this at all!!! My car is the very first f80 M3 I have seen in person, and for the first time at delivery!!! WHAT A SHOCKINGLY-AWESOME SURPRISE THAT WAS!!!


I was ecstatic to say the very least! All my stress had instantaneously melted away, just like that. I was not tired at all (although I'm sure I looked like crap!). In my mind I'm jumping up and down on a trampoline, but I'm trying to not smile to big as not to make too much of a mockery of myself and look like a BIG IDIOT! But then ... THEY START THE CAR! And I freakin loose it! I almost wanted to cry!!! She's perfect!




(separate post for emphasis) I'm thinking to myself, THIS IS NOT WHAT I REMEMBER THESE CARS SOUNDING LIKE. AT ALL!!! I check the exhaust tips just to make sure they're not messing with me and didn't put the performance exhaust on there or something due to my build delays, but no. It's stock! IT'S STOCK! And I love it! The CA looks back at me over his shoulder and asks me "do you want to hear it in sport mode?". I was like, he's messing with me, right? This is not sport mode? He says "no. Hang on, let me get that." And he proceeds to blip the throttle. And I swear I think I heard someone whisper into my ear "FALAFEL, THIS IS THE MOMENT YOUR LIFE CHANGES FOREVER"


That first blip of the throttle, on cold start and in sport mode just sounded fantastic! Like a bolt of lightning! And ever since that moment, that instant in time, I truly and most sincerely have felt guilty about ever complaining about this cars "sound" on these forums. I was wrong. Oh was I ever so wrong!


I fail to see how anyone could knock the sound this car makes as stock! It's astonishing. No, it's not a V8, and I hope you knew that before you purchase one. Because IT SOUNDS SO MUCH BETTER! I know, subjective, V8, 'MERICA and all that. But sometimes, you feel like you learn something new about yourself, and might even surprise you. For me, it was learning the fact that somewhere deep down inside my genetic map, where those twirly DNA threads live, tucked away deep and in between those itty bitty strands, my protein is tramp-stamped "INLINE 6 FTMFW!!!!"






And while I don't claim to have nmurray22 camera work (WHATS UP NICK!), this video, albeit not accurate, just gives you a glimpse ... a small taste of the noises you are promised to wake up to every morning when you own an f80/82 M car. Everyday. EVERY. BOOKING. DAY!!! It's not a bad place to be at all guys. Not one bit!

[Edumen]

oh my god!!

This is all your life inside one post!!

328GT to M3

On time!!

I think that there are BMW owners and M owners

[swifty]

AMAZING story & congratulations!!!

Wish I had kept pics of all the Bimmers I've gone through over the years.

[Doctor///M]

Holy $h!+ man! that's quite the story and a long list of cars to have gone through. Automakers must love guys like you

How the heck do you convince yourself to buy a Mazda 3 after owning an E92 M3???

Either way, it's the journey that makes the experience and we all have our own. A refreshing thread indeed.

[Igor_M5]

Haha that was awesome dude, great commentary, loved every bit of it ! I think it's so great to keep a journal of any automotive enthusiasts journey, the pleasure of being able to look back at the photos and re-read your experience from years back is so warmingly satisfying.

[2HIGH~PSI]

Wow..... Awesome Read.

[m3rxn]

nice read and congrats!

[nbennettksu]

love the thread buddy, and congrats again on the car. I feel like I know your whole life story now

[m3freak86]

I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed your write up and upgrades (and downgrades) in your automotive "career". Funny how I found myself nodding to much of your words feeling the same way as I am making my way to ordering my own brand new m3. Looking forward to hearing more and your journey through f80 m3 ownership.

[dawei213]

I've only started following this board again about a month ago due to my new interest in the F80 M3...i've seen a few of your posts. And this whole time I thought you already owned the car! Good read and congrats again.

Guessing we may see a new posting for the F80 M3 LCI within a few months too?

[Ghetto2315]

You were right. I had to close my eyes when you went from the E92 M3 to a Mazda MS3...