When and What Model M Car was your First?

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

We went to Asheville, NC after PCD, where we spent the rest of the week and ended up putting a deposit down on a pre-construction condo we still own. Then a road trip home. We have been driving my F83 to Asheville for the past few Memorial Days and I stay there with the dogs until driving back after 4th of July, driving by Spartanburg each time. (Wife spends 1/2 that time there / flying back and forth a couple of times for work.) So, we’ve made the trip in my F83 a few times. Coming up again in about 3 months.

Go to pickup a car, come back with a condo! Well, I guess it was an awesome road trip but I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear you found a new construction condo along the way

I’ve never been in a convertible M3/4. I bet it’s a blast to drive because I loved the sound and sensation of speed I got from driving my s2000s. The sounds a f20c NA 2.0 L I4 made at 9k rpm redline was intoxicating and unmistakable! The f22c1 NA 2.2 L I4 still screamed but, with only an 8.2 k rpm redline, just wasn’t the same. The s65 NA 4.0 L V8 with CF plenum + CF intake tube + 8.6k (raised) redline sounds so much better than a f22c 2.2 L 8.2k rpm redline. I bet the M4 driving experience with the top down must never get olds.

[swagon]

Originally Posted by W///

First one was my Sparkling Graphite on Bamboo Beige E92 M3, with a 6MT. Purchased sight unseen from Los Angeles and had it shipped to South Carolina in 2012. Car had 58k miles, 1 owner. It's currently at 94k miles and needs a bunch of normal maintenance, but I will never even consider selling it.

Mods are 19" HRE C20, fully catless with an Eisenmann Race exhaust, Swift Lowering spring. First M car, first modified car, countless memories. I've added 5 additional M cars (few will go shortly), but this one is truly the most special one to me.

I remember reading your thread way back in the day. I've spent too much time on here and time flies, is what that sentence really says lol

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by W///

First one was my Sparkling Graphite on Bamboo Beige E92 M3, with a 6MT. Purchased sight unseen from Los Angeles and had it shipped to South Carolina in 2012. Car had 58k miles, 1 owner. It's currently at 94k miles and needs a bunch of normal maintenance, but I will never even consider selling it.

Mods are 19" HRE C20, fully catless with an Eisenmann Race exhaust, Swift Lowering spring. First M car, first modified car, countless memories. I've added 5 additional M cars (few will go shortly), but this one is truly the most special one to me.

Extremely tasteful build! Sparkling Graphite is an amazing color and I have no idea why BMW offered it for only one MY? There were 276 e92 Ms and 225 e90 Ms built with this color. You did well with this being your first mod’ed car. HRE makes so many awesome wheels with the C20 being one of them. I have three sets of R40 and R43 wheels, and a set of 446R wheels for my two e92 Ms. I agree with you on e92 Ms being the most special generation (I realize this is also special to you because it’s your first M) of M cars with it being the first and only M3 with a NA V8! My e92s will never go. Again, extremely well executed build

[Keca10]

First M car was a slightly used 2005 M3 ZCP, got it in 2008 with 13000 miles. It was Mystic Blue and an SMG. Amazing car.

I sold it in 2010 to get an E60 M5. I kept that one for 4 years.

[W///]

Originally Posted by swagon

I remember reading your thread way back in the day. I've spent too much time on here and time flies, is what that sentence really says lol

Those were the good old days right? I could say the same about spending time on here haha. I have to say, the forums were so much more active back then.

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

Extremely tasteful build! Sparkling Graphite is an amazing color and I have no idea why BMW offered it for only one MY? There were 276 e92 Ms and 225 e90 Ms built with this color. You did well with this being your first mod’ed car. HRE makes so many awesome wheels with the C20 being one of them. I have three sets of R40 and R43 wheels, and a set of 446R wheels for my two e92 Ms. I agree with you on e92 Ms being the most special generation (I realize this is also special to you because it’s your first M) of M cars with it being the first and only M3 with a NA V8! My e92s will never go. Again, extremely well executed build

Thanks so much! Originally, I was looking for Melbourne Red, but as soon as I saw this one on Autotrader, I was instantly in love. The grey on beige was just super classy, and looked very "Individual". Sparkling Graphite was only on the pre-facelift, so that's why it only made it on the 08s.

Out of all the BMW's I've ever driven, the E9x M3 will always still feel the most special. The S65 just feels so exotic. I'll never forget starting it for the first time in the parking garage of the BMW Welt and just listening.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by Keca10

First M car was a slightly used 2005 M3 ZCP, got it in 2008 with 13000 miles. It was Mystic Blue and an SMG. Amazing car.

I sold it in 2010 to get an E60 M5. I kept that one for 4 years.

Nice! I regret selling my ‘03.5 with SMG in 2012. It was IR/IR with a slick top and manually adjustable seats. The SMG with lightweight flywheel + Kevlar friction disk and CSL SMG software made the SMG perform perfectly! I remember seeing it for the first time when I went to the dealership to pickup the car. I told them to not remove any of the shipping/transport protection material so it was an interesting mixture of red and white. I’ve done this with all of my Ms except for the e36. It was all of the swirl marks on the e36 caused by the dealership cleaning the car so I said to myself I’m not letting this happening again! So far so good - no swirly specials on any of my other Ms!

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by W///

Those were the good old days right? I could say the same about spending time on here haha. I have to say, the forums were so much more active back then.



Thanks so much! Originally, I was looking for Melbourne Red, but as soon as I saw this one on Autotrader, I was instantly in love. The grey on beige was just super classy, and looked very "Individual". Sparkling Graphite was only on the pre-facelift, so that's why it only made it on the 08s.

Out of all the BMW's I've ever driven, the E9x M3 will always still feel the most special. The S65 just feels so exotic. I'll never forget starting it for the first time in the parking garage of the BMW Welt and just listening.

The e92 M3 LCI wasn’t until MY 2011 with production starting in April 2010. Is it the LCI that you’re referring to when you say pre-facelift?

[DanMpower]

It was January 2018, stopped by my local BMW dealership to inquire about an F80 during my lunch break.

Saw they had one on the lot with the same color combo I wanted except this one had pretty much every option including CCBs. Filled out a credit app and drove back to work in my new M3.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by DanMpower

It was January 2018, stopped by a Local BMW dealership to inquire about an F80 during my lunch break.

Saw they had a one on the lot with the same color combo I wanted except this one had pretty much every option including CCBs. Filled out a credit app and drove back to work in my new M3.

That’s the most expensive lunch break I’ve heard of!

It was meant to be. Except for our g20, I don’t find BMWs built in the exterior and interior colors, interior trim style/color, wheel style or diameter and other optional features I’m looking for. I have fun doing custom builds but the production and shipping wait times aren’t fun. However, in the end, it’s worth the wait.

[DanMpower]

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

That’s the most expensive lunch break I’ve heard of!

Totally! I drove up in my BRZ, you can see it in the background parked next to that blue i3. Had to have my wife take me back the next day pick it up lol.

[swagon]

Originally Posted by DanMpower

It was January 2018, stopped by a Local BMW dealership to inquire about an F80 during my lunch break.

Saw they had one on the lot with the same color combo I wanted except this one had pretty much every option including CCBs. Filled out a credit app and drove back to work in my new M3.

It took us almost a year to figure out what BMW 3 Series to buy then BMW ceased production of the F30 340i with manual transmission that we'd almost put an order in for so was like, well, now what? Thankfully...

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by DanMpower

Totally! I drove up in my BRZ, you can see it in the background parked next to that blue i3. Had to have my wife take me back the next day pick it up lol.

What was your wife’s reaction when you told her? Did you use the “good news, bad news” approach?

[noemon]

M5 F10 2012 bought in 2015.
M135 2020 bought in December 2020.
M3 Comp F80 2018 bought in April 2021.

[W///]

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

The e92 M3 LCI wasn’t until MY 2011 with production starting in April 2010. Is it the LCI that you’re referring to when you say pre-facelift?

I guess the "first" mini LCI. E90 got new trunk, both got new iDrive with short cut buttons, heated seat buttons moved ect ect...

[mapster37]

My first M car: 2001 LSB M3, 6spd

Currently 2016 F80, 6spd.

A couple other M's between

[swagon]

Originally Posted by W///

I guess the "first" mini LCI. E90 got new trunk, both got new iDrive with short cut buttons, heated seat buttons moved ect ect...

July/Aug 08, that'd be the E90/91 LCI with the new iDrive Professional CIC, different HVAC layout and other small bits.

E92/93 LCI was in Feb or March 2010 for the 2011 model year with the new rear lights for the M3. I think that's when they also switched from 219M to 260M wheels, but I could be wrong.

Regarding the iDrive, there were actually some other BMW models with the old iDrive CCC Professional system but with the CIC controller in the year 2008.

[greysea]

Originally Posted by mapster37

My first M car: 2001 LSB M3, 6spd

Currently 2016 F80, 6spd.

A couple other M's between

Just curious what color you chose for your 2016 f80?

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by swagon

July/Aug 08, that'd be the E90/91 LCI with the new iDrive Professional CIC, different HVAC layout and other small bits.

E92/93 LCI was in Feb or March 2010 for the 2011 model year with the new rear lights for the M3. I think that's when they also switched from 219M to 260M wheels, but I could be wrong.

Regarding the iDrive, there were actually some other BMW models with the old iDrive CCC Professional system but with the CIC controller in the year 2008.

This looks correct to me. IMO, the 219M looks so much better than the 260M. The 260M with the much lighter color looks like it belongs on a non-M.

[mapster37]

Originally Posted by greysea

Just curious what color you chose for your 2016 f80?

Mineral white /sahkir orange.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by noemon

M5 F10 2012 bought in 2015.
M135 2020 bought in December 2020.
M3 Comp F80 2018 bought in April 2021.

Interesting order of M cars. Large, small, just right

[noemon]

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

Interesting order of M cars. Large, small, just right

Precisely mate.

The M5 was my childhood dream, but after 4-5 years of driving it, I got tired and bored of its size and weight, so I decided to go for the M135 to change my driving character. The dealer gave me an amazing deal with 12k off the list price off a new car so I specced the M135 with all the goodies and I realy enjoyed that pocket rocket. I enjoyed it so much I am currently thinking of buying either another M135 again or a John Cooper Works.

Eventually I sold the M135 to jump onto the M3 because I wanted the "just right" car, more space for the summer trip and also wanted to sell the M135 for more than I bought it with 10k miles on it. I sold it for 2k more than I bought it new and could have even got 5k more out of it. I wanted to sell it to make the most out of this before the car lost any more of its value.

When I sold the M135 I had ordered the RS4 but the Audi dealer crashed the car onto a bollard one day before hand-over. The plan was to use the RS4 for the summer trip. So I went with my second choice which was the current Grigio Telesto M3 I am driving now. I also considered the newer M5 as the dealer also gave me a very special deal on a used xdrive M5 that effectively cost the same as the M3, I test drove it twice but I was getting flashbacks of its size and weight and decided to pass on these categories permanently.

Frankly I do not understand why people go for the M5's and RS6's in Europe as the roads are not really big enough for them. In the US I would have gone with the bigger cars like M5, RS6, but in Europe and especially in the UK, the big cars do not sit well on our roads. They feel out of place. The hot hatches sit the best in the abundant British B-roads all around my home.

The M3 with the right suspension is just "right"....in terms of size, speed, weight, smiles per miles, etcetera.

I have been thinking of either selling it to jump to the G80, or keeping it and getting a Mini Cooper or M135 for the city runs.

I have put a lot of miles on the M3 and I now feel sorry to keep dailing it.

I like it so much that I veer on keeping it possibly forever, I like the individual colour, the extended leather dash and the way it drives. So I am more of a mind of keeping it and getting the MINI to daily instead.