Who's gone full circle, back to M3?

[evanescent03]

About a year ago I was in my 2nd F80. It was a cloth seated, 6MT stripper model ($68k MSRP). I came up with a million excuses to bounce around from car to car and since I got rid of the M3 I had:

2016 Camaro 1SS - crap interior, fast, fun on the track, buggy electronics, dumped it

Audi S3 - thinking it would satisfy all the feelings the M3 did but just slightly less-so. I still have it and think it's a nice daily driver but pushing it hard and driving it on the track is boring. I think some better tires would help a lot but I don't think enough.

Porsche 718S Boxster - decided the S3 isn't a sports car and i needed one. the 718S is a wicked handling car. it's fast but odd feeling power delivery with the PDK and the new 4 cylinder engine so I got rid of it, too. plus I didn't really love the convertible feel/look. poor choice of car to buy off the lot as it had $20k in options so I got hosed when I traded it in.

Finally I traded the 718S in for a 2017 Camaro SS 1LE since I thought the Camaro was more fun to drive than the Porsche. maybe bc it's a manual or it has a much meaner sound to it, but it also has really good seats, crazy good magnetic ride, head up display standard and onboard video system, 2 piece front 6pot rotors, etc. it's a bad @$$ car for $45k. not much of a daily driver so I use the S3 most days and rip around in the Camaro for fun and looking forward to a track day in it to wreck some people....



as far as FUN goes, I think the 1LE is the best overall, although the 718S handled the best, duh, it was lacking some drama. But now i'm thinking that when I get rid of the S3 I want to go back to an M3 as a daily driver that I can also track or let my wife track while i'm in the 1LE. Something about the M3 draws me back to it but if i'm going to keep a sports car in the lineup (1LE for now, hoping to make that a GT3 in a couple-few years) I don't know if the M3 is as necessary and maybe I should go the route of an M5 or X5M. I know it's a win-win-win situation no matter which way I go, and I need to see what budget allows ultimately.

partially just wanting to share my story, but also wondering if many have gone full circle .... dated around and returned back to an M3 either for the first, second, or third time. Do you feel like you want to get an Alfa or C63 for a couple years and try that out or settle on the best and stick with it? also difficult for me will be to stick with the F80 in a year or so or wait it out and the get the next gen. What i'd really like to do is get an F80 next year and swap it out for the next gen once that becomes available.

so many good cars out there.. especially once you start looking at the $100-120k range .. panameras look good too.

[damnitBobby]

I remember when you got the boxster I knew it wouldn't last long lol

IMHO, a third F80 would be stupid. Try something different. The Alfa would be a nice alternative. A used M5 would be cool too.

The next generation M3 won't be here until 2020/21. Got that kind of patience?

[rosenbergendo]

Alfa.

[evanescent03]

Originally Posted by damnitBobby

I remember when you got the boxster I knew it wouldn't last long lol

IMHO, a third F80 would be stupid. Try something different. The Alfa would be a nice alternative. A used M5 would be cool too.

The next generation M3 won't be here until 2020/21. Got that kind of patience?

haha you have me figured out! my wife is a driving force here too... she loves the M3s. a third seems silly but we both do like it a lot and I have also mixed things up a bit along the way. You're right though, I should check out the Alfa although I do find the styling a bit funky(nose looks like an owl, can't un-see it).

F80 is so sweet and I haven't had a comp pkg yet... the seats, suspension seem like a nice upgrade that would make the car feel a bit different.

for now, I'm going to see where the nearest AR dealer is....

[Kief]

June 2014 I did Euro Del on my first F8x (M4)...
1.5yr later I sold the M4 for a 2016 Jaguar F-Type Coupe R...
9 months later, returned to a '17 M3 ZHP

(in the middle of this, I also picked up a pristine/rarely loaded '06 R53 JCW as a "beater," but that too was short lived...)

[mrmoua2u]

You like to learn it the hard way but what does it matter when you got money to blow?

[Motorsportenterprise]

Alfa. I have one coming and am looking forward to it.

[evanescent03]

Originally Posted by Kief

June 2014 I did Euro Del on my first F8x (M4)...
1.5yr later I sold the M4 for a 2016 Jaguar F-Type Coupe R...
9 months later, returned to a '17 M3 ZHP

(in the middle of this, I also picked up a pristine/rarely loaded '06 R53 JCW as a "beater," but that too was short lived...)

think the ZHP is heads and shoulders above the "base M3" ... what were the things you noticed most?

[evanescent03]

Originally Posted by mrmoua2u

You like to learn it the hard way but what does it matter when you got money to blow?

indeed, you are correct. not a smart way to handle my money but had a little run of the YOLO mentality.

[F80Dreamer]

I had a 2011 m3, then tried lots of other cars for many reasons like you mentioned. Recently got back in a 2017 m3. Glad to be back!

[dkhm3]

If you don't like the s3 I would not get a x5m.

it is heavy as shit, fat ass tires help, but it just doesn't dance as well as the m3. I've already curbed by rear wheels twice making right turns because the damn thing is wide as fuck. AWD gives you -----> under steer. plus the top end does not scream (redline 6.8k) like the s55. I've hit the rev limiter so many times because the engine lacks top end. zf 8 speed is not smooth or as responsive to snap gear changes as the dct. 13.6 mpg @ 7,500 miles.

on the plus side- room to spare, launches are super easy, giggles and laughs when you drive it fast, farty exhaust on redline shifts. super flat handling.

so if you need the room, get one. It is neither a sports car, or a true suv.

why don't you work backwards from what you want in a car, and see if there is one that fits the criteria?

[nicknaz]

no offense OP, but with all that trading of cars (and your mentioning of getting hosed) you could have gotten a GT3 of some vintage already instead of all those random cars

If you really want a GT3 just get after it already and buy a used one, and put your deposit in for a new one

As for going back to M3, I've been thinking about getting a pre modded E36 M3 to use as a DE car that I can drive to and from the track. Does that count?

[evanescent03]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

no offense OP, but with all that trading of cars (and your mentioning of getting hosed) you could have gotten a GT3 of some vintage already instead of all those random cars

If you really want a GT3 just get after it already and buy a used one, and put your deposit in for a new one

As for going back to M3, I've been thinking about getting a pre modded E36 M3 to use as a DE car that I can drive to and from the track. Does that count?

no offense taken man! the GT3 in my garage doesn't quite fit. it would be harder to justify but you're right, I could have done that by now although I only really took a big hit (~$14k) on the 718S... most other things were fairly negligible to be honest.

still thinking the GT3 is what I want in a couple yrs once my wife starts pulling her weight also think getting a more practical pcar that I can drive more frequently/comfortably makes sense. in the end, I just want to collect them all. wish I could rent more of the cars I'm interested in, that'd probably be a good way to enjoy them and waste less $$ ... hoping to rent an r8 v10 plus once I get a free weekend this spring.

and no, picking up a couple decade old M3 doesn't count in this discussion, however, several guys I used to go to the track with all had the e36s and loved them, obviously. enjoy!

[evanescent03]

Originally Posted by dkhm3

If you don't like the s3 I would not get a x5m.

it is heavy as shit, fat ass tires help, but it just doesn't dance as well as the m3. I've already curbed by rear wheels twice making right turns because the damn thing is wide as fuck. AWD gives you -----> under steer. plus the top end does not scream (redline 6.8k) like the s55. I've hit the rev limiter so many times because the engine lacks top end. zf 8 speed is not smooth or as responsive to snap gear changes as the dct. 13.6 mpg @ 7,500 miles.

on the plus side- room to spare, launches are super easy, giggles and laughs when you drive it fast, farty exhaust on redline shifts. super flat handling.

so if you need the room, get one. It is neither a sports car, or a true suv.

why don't you work backwards from what you want in a car, and see if there is one that fits the criteria?

yes. eventually in this type of situation I sit down and apply some sound-ish logic. when I get a little closer I'll have to do just that. honestly it seems like my income and life situation (kids, now growing uncontrollably) change and I try to bounce around with cars to keep the perfect balance, but it's a moving target. good problems to have but makes it harder to choose.

don't mean to turn this into a "what car do you think i should I buy?" thread ... what I have is perfectly fine. I do think it's interesting that I keep coming back to the M3 over and over. I guess it's the whole grass-is-greener thing

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by evanescent03

no offense taken man! the GT3 in my garage doesn't quite fit. it would be harder to justify but you're right, I could have done that by now although I only really took a big hit (~$14k) on the 718S... most other things were fairly negligible to be honest.

still thinking the GT3 is what I want in a couple yrs once my wife starts pulling her weight also think getting a more practical pcar that I can drive more frequently/comfortably makes sense. in the end, I just want to collect them all. wish I could rent more of the cars I'm interested in, that'd probably be a good way to enjoy them and waste less $$ ... hoping to rent an r8 v10 plus once I get a free weekend this spring.

and no, picking up a couple decade old M3 doesn't count in this discussion, however, several guys I used to go to the track with all had the e36s and loved them, obviously. enjoy!

Lol yea. Double income can help with the toys for sure.

I'm still surprised you didn't like the boxster S and prefer the American muscle. You sure you shouldn't get a c7z06 instead of a gt3

For family hauling I would go e63 wagon or x5m or cayenne turbo and don't track it. Just keep it as a highway missile and get a sports car.

Do one of those exotic car tours. It's like $6k for an afternoon with 5 cars. Split with your buddies and it's like $1k each.

Actually a friend is organizing such an event for his clients. Seems awesome

[evanescent03]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Lol yea. Double income can help with the toys for sure.

I'm still surprised you didn't like the boxster S and prefer the American muscle. You sure you shouldn't get a c7z06 instead of a gt3

For family hauling I would go e63 wagon or x5m or cayenne turbo and don't track it. Just keep it as a highway missile and get a sports car.

Do one of those exotic car tours. It's like $6k for an afternoon with 5 cars. Split with your buddies and it's like $1k each.

Actually a friend is organizing such an event for his clients. Seems awesome

renting seriously is a smart way to go for me. wish I could track them nearby (I know there are some out there...). I have my sights set on that R8, a 458 and 570S. just hard to find the time right now... staying way too busy with residency! one day!

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by evanescent03

renting seriously is a smart way to go for me. wish I could track them nearby (I know there are some out there...). I have my sights set on that R8, a 458 and 570S. just hard to find the time right now... staying way too busy with residency! one day!

Look into some of the car clubs. Good way to scratch that itch

Might as well do it now since you will have even less time once you are starting up your practice

[TheLegend]

Damn what kind of residency allows you to change out cars like that. Personally I regret getting an M4 so early on while I was in residency. You must be finishing up soon and will be making attending salary.

M3 is probably one of the most component daily drivers out there, but if you've already had two theres a reason why you got rid of it. You should lease your next daily driver you decide on and save up for a porsche GT3. At least the P cars hold their value ridiculously well and you won't lose much if you decide to move onto something else.

[evanescent03]

the rear and rear 3/4 are my favorite angles of this car. beautiful in person although still not sold on the front... it's growing on me though. $87k+ 10k markup would be a huge no-go. also no manual option is a big down side bc I'd need to keep the SS 1LE to appease the wife haha! I also really enjoy having a manual to drive, though so that'd be tough. at $100k I don't know if I'd want to keep 3 cars with such big payments around (the SS 1LE has a chunk of the 718S riding along..).

I'll be waiting a year or so before I do anything and pay the loss down on the S3 & 1LE but the AR-Q is pretty sweet in person, gotta say.

[Alpine Missile]

Are we twins? Lol. I've been through several cycles of trading in and out of cars as well. I think after wasting tens of thousands foolishly hunting for the "unicorn" I have a sound theory. But first, let me tell you that this is my second M3 so yes, I have cycled back around. My first M was a '13 E92 comp pack. When I bought it, I let go of my favorite German car of all time in terms of aesthetics and handling and even visceral feel- my 6 speed 2011 Boxster Spyder. It was just damn special. You could look at it all day long and never get bored. Top on or off it almost drew too much attention. It was a garage queen since I had my company car as a daily driver. It was perfectly balanced and built remarkably well. It was very quick and the howl of a flat six at 7000 rpm is almost as good as a small block V8. Again, traded it for my '13 M3 DCT because I just had to have more power and a few foolish "tenths" of a second shaved off my 0-60 time. I grew to really love the M3 but always missed the P car as the "scalpel" in the twisties. I still try to find pristine low mileage examples and they don't exist anymore (in Carrara white anyway). I also missed rowing the gears something fierce and the M's DCT felt a little too clinical for me after a year.

Then, I just had to have the new '14 Cayman S. So I bought it in a manual and it was super fun for the first 900 miles until several "J" clips and bolts dropped into the center of my dash from hvac bolts not being tightened properly from the factory. The entire dash came out under warranty and I sold the car at a huge loss due to rattles afterwards. Fun stuff. Tried to go back to an M3 but due to the current F series changeover, there wasn't an M in sight except for the few special order colors being sold for $95k+ (and the car was getting a little stale looking) so I bought an M235i. It was a fantastic little beast that was a bit small but cheap, fast, fun and really well built. But it was a wannabe M and so it wasn't "special". That lasted for about 6 months before I traded it for a '15 Stingray with z51 package (7 speed). Hee haw! It was probably the most fun I've ever had in a car overall but after awhile, it felt like a rolling cliche. It was sexy and striking but almost too flashy and yes, I missed that European cache and feel that I'm so partial to. From a visceral standpoint, it was downright awesome but it didn't feel that fast to me for some reason.. especially after I had an X5 5.0i run up my ass on the interstate and I could barely pull on him.

So, I traded it to buy my wife her first new car in years... a '15 Range Rover Sport which she still has and loves. I was left without a toy for the past 18 months so I finally treated myself to a '17 ZCP M3 DCT which is my new favorite daily driver. It's a beast..it's super comfortable, very fast and does everything well. Everything. It also feels much quicker than my Vette. My only complaint is that it almost blends in with the other regular 3 series too much. I don't feel a need to be looked at (at this point in life) but for $80k, I'm probably going to want another "weekend" car within a year.

My neighbor just bought a stunning Cobra 427 kit car with a 650 hp motor for about $80k and every time he drives by, my windows shake and I wish I was in that damn thing...loud, obnoxious, raw, visceral etc. But only as a weekend car.

So, going full circle, here's what I've concluded. The overall best setup in a two income family with a healthy car budget is to have an SUV (usually for the wifey), a practical daily driver like a Honda Accord and then a badass weekend car that's loud, obnoxious and very unique. Having a car to look forward to driving on a nice sunny day is pretty awesome and driving the weekend toy to work occasionally is also a blast. I spend too much time in traffic to not get bored with any daily driver, even an M3.

My next car will probably be a 2008 or 2009 GT3 if I can find one with super low miles that hasn't been beaten to shit on a track. My best friend had one and it was a demon- sex on four wheels. It was a pure race car that was somehow street legal lol. The new Porsche cars have absolutely lost that specific feel (unless you spend $150k-$175k +) they have been so famous for. The Jaguar F type "R" is also an insanely beautiful car that has an incredible motor and exhaust note... and with all wheel drive it's a no brainer.

The new Alfa Romeo is a very cool car, but I'm terrified of its initial reliability and its styling is lacking a little something.... especially in the rear. Otherwise, the powertrain seems to be very impressive.

I know that I've spent a small fortune over the past ten years chasing cars. Thankfully my wife "understands" that it's just my thing.

TBC.....

[evanescent03]

Originally Posted by Alpine Missile

Are we twins? Lol................

I know that I've spent a small fortune over the past ten years chasing cars. Thankfully my wife "understands" that it's just my thing.

TBC.....

Hey there! I've definitely seen some of my own thought process throughout your story. The quest for the perfect car is neither noble nor financially savvy. However, it is fun. I feel very fortunate to be a little foolish with my money although overall I don't truly regret it, but this isn't a money handling thread so...

my wife sounds like she has the same approach as yours. She has her '16 Yukon Denali that she really likes (preferred the space over the RR Sport which we test drove, ha! of course we both really liked the RR but with two kids in car seats and me being 6'3", it was a little tight for the price). she appreciates cars but isn't nearly as in love with them as i am. finally, she's very understanding although going through a '16 M3, '16 Camaro SS, '16 S3, '17 Boxster S, '17 Camaro SS 1LE in 9 months was starting to try her patience a little..... how could it not? she of course was/is(?) worried that my boredom with cars would translate to our relationship but my problem is only with cars.. thankfully.

I agree that a do-everything-perfectly car doesn't exist. most of this is just my fault for spoiling myself and i admit that.. and looking forward I would like a slightly better plan that will still involve frequent trades but MUCH less frequently and also only one vehicle rotating in and out instead of 2 or 3 of them.

I've narrowed down my list slightly. Budget will dictate how many of the cars will have their "idealish" (read: expensive) option but:

SUV (want towing capabilities) :
now: Yukon Denali for a few more years
next: Cayenne GTS/Turbo vs X5M (will likely replace my DD)

Wife's DD:
now: Yukon Denali
eventually: Wrangler Rubicon

My DD and wife's occasional track car:
now: S3 (wife not tracking currently)
next: M3 vs. C63 vs. Alfa (which is a cool car but already falling out of favor for several reasons)

Track car:
now: SS 1LE
next: GT3 (dream) but a ZL1 1LE or ZO6 would be cheaper and a beast

That's the current master plan.

However, to circle back around on the original topic ... my wife also seems to really like the M3. There's a reason I've gotten rid of two new ones, but i think that was just me being goofy. My wife and I both kinda think/wish i would have kept the '16 6MT M3 and not gone through all of the other cars because it was a great choice, looking back. The M3 has very little about it that i DISLIKE. All of the other cars in the segment have one or several things I dislike:

C63 Dislikes: weak hips and exterior styling, weird looking infotainment (maybe it works well though?), smaller track-day following

Alfa Dislikes: brake-by-wire, no manual, front end styling and hip-less, no folding rear seats, paucity of dealerships, questionable reliability, exhaust note

M3: exhaust note, been there - done that.

I currently live much closer to a MB dealership than the BMW dealership so I may end up going that route for pure convenience because my wife and i don't have a ton of free time and a 40min vs 80min round trip could be a factor.

I've also considered stepping down a notch to the C43 AMG, 340i MSport, S4 ... but I think I'd regret the decision considering these are within striking distance of their much more special counterparts.

So, in summary, I think I've decided that next year I'm hoping to swap out the S3 for a C63S or M3... I think that's what I'll do. If my wife has her way, it'll probably be another M3 ... i'd do comp pkg, 6MT, and let my kids pick the color. settled.

[Seifer@BMW]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Look into some of the car clubs. Good way to scratch that itch

Might as well do it now since you will have even less time once you are starting up your practice

Keep hearing more and more about these car clubs are there any you would recommend. Currently in a 2014 M3 want to grab the 17 Jahre but there not looking to let it go just yet to an employee so may need to return lease and drive around the jetta for a bit in the mean time i'll do a few clubs to take care of that itch.