[Driver72]

Well all, I placed a "feeler" ad on this forum last week to see if anybody wanted to assume my 335i lease (for the last 9 months) and I got two interested parties in the first week.

And now the lease assumption process is almost complete as one of them jumped right on it.
That means, my beloved 335i coupe will be gone in the next couple days.

I got my first 335i (a sedan) on December 20th 2006, as a 2007 model of course.
Loved it, but every time I saw the coupe, I wished I would have gotten a coupe.
However, with that car, I was lucky enough to be one of the first 20-25 people (excluding beta testers) in the country to put a tune (the original PROcede v1.2) on these cars.
Then the tunes made 310-315 rwhp for the 6AT 335i.

I was lucky enough to be the first person in the country to get a 13.0 at a drag strip with these cars. Would have been a 12.8 had the DA that day not been around 2500 feet. This was done on General street tires and 91 Octane too with dyno power of only 313 rwhp, but I still managed a 1.97 60' time.
It was short lived as later that same day MaxBoost posted a 12.9 time at the much quicker and much lower DA Atco Raceway (that track is fast).

After continually seeing the coupe, I decided I had to have one, so in June 2007 I got my coupe.

I have loved it ever since. I've had the pleasure to have and try every version of the PROcede (from the original up through V3) on my cars. I've also had the pleasure to have ran every version of the JB3 as well.

I'm amazed at the progress of these tunes.
Now 340-345 rwhp on 91 Octane is normal with no other mods. But what's more important than the peak number is the smoothness of the current tunes and how they hold power longer. The original "solenoid bypass" version were great up to about 5000 rpms, but then fell off quickly.

I've also had the immense pleasure of dyno testing these cars many times, with many of you, and with Shiv and Terry too.
I've helped and accompanied Terry to the dyno for dozens of dyno runs on both my car and his as well as other customer cars of both Shiv and Terry.

I've enjoyed on several occasions meeting up with many of you for get togethers that often included some canyon runs or some drives down to Mexico for some rolling runs as well.
That has always been a complete blast.

And lastly, I've spent my fair share of time on this forum (and the other one), learning a lot and also sharing what I've found about these cars. These days, it's a bit different though. In the early months, everything was new and sharing info was VERY common as we all learned this car. Now many seem to be well versed in the N54 engine and the 335i as the car has been out now for 3 years.

I'm not sure exactly yet what my next "toy" car is going to be.
I'll surely be shopping around for a bit.
But know, I'll still drop in from time to time (obviously probably more in the next month or so and less often as more time passes without a 335i).

Whatever my next car is, it has big shoes to fill.
And maybe, just maybe I'll still meet up with some of you for some Mexico runs with my new ride to see how it stacks up to our beloved N54 powered 335i's.

Oh, and I'll post in an edit who got my car in the near future.
He's a vendor here and therefore you'll probably be seeing it around in pics on this site still too.

Take care all, see you around.

[gonzo]

You loved your car it seems. G/L


I tossed em' my keys and just walked away. I did take a quick glance back.

[Bimmerdriver17]

Great write up. Actually took the time to read the epic story here.

Good luck in your future endeavors and stop by from time to time!

[cn555ic]

Thanks Driver for all your contributions to the forum...I have learned alot from reading your posts...You will be missed for sure...Good luck with your future endeavors and whatever new toy your getting....Any ideas of whats next?

[jayely1]

What do you plan on getting next? Great write up!!

[ToadHollow]

Take care Driver ........ always enjoyed the knowledge you brought to the forum and the cool head you kept at times.

Take care & show us the new Audi (that would be my guess!) once you bite THAT bullet ....

Tony aka Toad

[S4to335]

Originally Posted by Driver72

Well all, I placed a "feeler" ad on this forum last week to see if anybody wanted to assume my 335i lease (for the last 9 months) and I got two interested parties in the first week.

And now the lease assumption process is almost complete as one of them jump right on it.
That means, my beloved 335i coupe will be gone in the next couple days.

I got my first 335i (a sedan) on December 20th 2006, as a 2007 model of course.
Loved it, but every time I saw the coupe, I wished I would have gotten a coupe.
However, with that car, I was lucky enough to be one of the first 20-25 people (excluding beta testers) in the country to put a tune (the original PROcede v1.2) on these cars.
Then the tunes made 310-320 rwhp for the 335i.

I was lucky enough to be the first person in the country to get a 13.0 at a drag strip with these cars. Would have been a 12.8 had the DA that day not been around 2500 feet.
It was short lived as later that same day MaxBoost posted a 12.9 time at the much quicker and lower DA Atco Raceway.

Then I wanted a coupe, so in June 2007 I got my coupe.

I have loved it ever since. I've had the pleasure to have and try every version of the PROcede (from the original up through V3) on my cars. I've also had the pleasure to have ran every version of the JB3 as well.

Amazed at the progress of these tunes.
Now 340-345 rwhp on 91 Octane is normal with no other mods. But what's more important than the peak number is the smoothness of the current tunes and how they hold power longer. The original "solenoid bypass" version were great up to about 5000 rpms, but then fell off quickly.

I've also had the immense pleasure of dyno testing these cars many times, with many of you, and with Shiv and Terry too.
I've helped and accompanied Terry to the dyno for dozens of dyno runs on both my car and his and other customer cars.

I've enjoyed on several occasions meeting up with many of you for get togethers that often included some canyon runs or some drives down to Mexico for some rolling runs as well.
That has always been a complete blast.

And lastly, I've spent my fair share of time on this forum, learning a lot and also sharing what I've found about these cars. These days, it's a bit different though. In the early months, everything was new and sharing info was VERY common as we all learned this car. Now many seem to be well versed in the N54 engine and the 335i as the car has been out now for 3 years.

I'm not sure exactly yet what my next "toy" car is going to be.
I'll surely be shopping around for a bit.
But know, I'll still drop in from time to time (obviously probably more in the next month or so and less often as more time passes without a 335i).

Whatever my next car is, it has big shoes to fill.
And maybe, just maybe I'll still meet up with some of you for some Mexico runs with my new ride to see how it stacks up to our beloved N54 powered 335i's.

Oh, and I'll post in an edit who got my car in the near future.
He's a vendor here and therefore you'll probably be seeing it around in pics on this site still too.

Take care all, see you around.

Dude, one last track event at Buttonwillow...come on..you can do it. BMW club, San Diego chapter...Sept 19-20th, I think. I believe I am instructing that event.

[sokdo]

Come on, do it, that Vette is calling for you

[Driver72]

Thanks guys.
As for what next, I'm just going to start the shopping in the next month or so as 2010's roll into dealers.
I'm also considering a CPO car of some kind but not more than 1-2 years old.
No Vette at this point, though I'd love it, insurance is way too high for them in so cal (probably everywhere really).

[ilia]

Very nice writeup. Usually, I can't read every word of the lenghty posts, but this one I really enjoyed. Good luck on your quest for a new ride and thanks for sharing.

[David 12]

Excellent trip down memory lane. I was also an "early adopter" and have been continually amazed at how enjoyable the n54 platform has been.

My lease is up soon as well and I am not sure what to get ... big shoes to fill for sure!

I will say that it has been hard to rationalize spending $65k on an M3 or C63 when a JB3/Procede V3 equipped 135 or 335 would put up a tough fight.

As others have said, thanks for being a true leader and valuable resource!

[dpwr]

it'll be a sad day when my lease is up that's for sure

[Craig@SupremePower]

take care man..

[Driver72]

Well the lease assumption is complete, he'll be picking up the car in the next day or two.
I'm sure you guys will be seeing the car in the coming months as Peter of Velocity Motoring wheels is the new owner.


As for cars I'm considering now.

Cadillac CTS-V
2010 Shelby GT500
MB C63 AMG

those are the big players.
But I'm considering and will be looking at everything including:

2010 Camaro SS
2010 MazdaSpeed 3
2010 VW GTI
Nissan 370Z

and several different CPO cars too.

With a baby on the way, my "fun" car is going to take a back seat of course, so I may not be spending as much on my "toy" car. But it's going to depend on how I feel when I test drive and look at all the cars I'm considering.

Any suggests or ideas, feel free to chime in.

[madmanhiker]

2010 Audi S5

[coh4777]

Wow nice choice of cars! I say Shelby GT500 or C63 AMG

[FotiosF90M5]

take care bro...its been fun. GL in the future.

[Driver72]

Originally Posted by coh4777

Wow nice choice of cars! I say Shelby GT500 or C63 AMG

Those are my two leading candidates at this point.
I miss the "muscle" cars that I haven't had in a long time.
The GT500 would take me back to my 5.0 Mustang days, but much improved.
The C63 is a beast and M3 like but with the low end torque I like and top end pull too, but with much cheaper insurance, and you give up only a small bit in handling.

But $60k is a lot to spend on a "fun" car with a baby on the way. So the cheaper GT500 might win out, or even cheaper MazdaSpeed3. I just fear I'm going to miss the power of a tuned 335i with the MS3

[Driver72]

Originally Posted by fotios335i

take care bro...its been fun. GL in the future.

Yes it has. Thanks man.

[Driver72]

Originally Posted by madmanhiker

2010 Audi S5

Nice choice. Does it come with the new s/c 3.0 or did they stick with the 4.2 V8. I'll have to look that up.
Sweet car though and would be a bonus if it was the s/c 3.0 as it's a pulley and tune away from much bigger power.

[TheAcAvenger]

Originally Posted by Driver72

Nice choice. Does it come with the new s/c 3.0 or did they stick with the 4.2 V8. I'll have to look that up.
Sweet car though and would be a bonus if it was the s/c 3.0 as it's a pulley and tune away from much bigger power.

Driver, it's going to be sad seeing another 2006er leave.

The latest rumors have the S5 keeping the V8 through 2011. It's also not a very "fun" car, although I do enjoy it for what it does well.

I'm looking at "calling it a day" as well. Maybe an STI or a C6, although I did always want a supercharged NSX...

[m3rxn]

Although gas mileage is like sh*t..I'd go for the C63 AMG..awsome deals to be had..
( 14 K off mrsp ) at some dealers.