In the form of an E46 M3. I know know its a BMW and all the insanity that comes with a import car as well as the high level of maintenance. Thank God I have a good friend who used to be a Beamer dealer mechanic for a good chunk of time and knows the ins and outs (he was layed off but he works for a import/exotics shop that supports a lot of racers and rich sorts) of the darned things. I figure it'd make a good short trip daily driver and useful for mucking about. The X will be a nice option to have and will always be my reenactment travel vehicle (lots of room for other people and all our crap) and of course going out to the desert.

It'll be a loooooooong time before I even decide to get one. I wanna get some loans (The X) payed off and live debt free for a bit and save for the M3 and save just to save then I'll probably shop around a bit (I want a preferably later E46 in stick, NO SMG! and I'm really hooked on the Mystic Blue but everyone wants me to get Black).

And just to answer a question I know is coming. No I'm not rich, no I don't wanna shove it in people's places and no I'm not that "typical Beamer owner." (I own a X!) I just want something sporty and I got too many friends saying it'd be sweet if I actually managed to get my hands on one (hopefully in well maintained shape).

Have I gone insane?

you're not insane...there are tons of other cars i want in addition to the X and my stealth....if i had the room, i'd have a mk5 gti in front of my house too

I'm with ya. I throw around the idea of getting an e46 or possibly an Audi S4 all the time. Just can't decide if it's worth two car payments since I can't see selling the X. Definately with ya on the six speed too. And no convertibles for me..

Yeah. When I get to buying its going to be the Midnight Blue (or Black if I can't find one), stick, coupe. No convertibles, that does scream of the typical BMW driver :P

The payment won't bug me too much. I'll get at least one raise in a year and there is always the chance that somehow I get selected for Staff Sergeant and start rolling in some larger bucks.

And of course the high cost/level of maintenance will be a big PITA. But I do have my mechanical genius that spent a good chunk of time working on the brand. So if I can get the parts for the jobs that he can tackle I'll at least save the labor.

Yeah I love my X and won't give it up but I wanted something sporty with better gas mileage for a Daily Driver. I'd probably switch off on the cars like every week or something since I'd have a choice :D

You are not insane. Having owned and driven many BMW's over the years, I don't see anything wrong with your choice. There is an article in the current issue of "Bimmer" magazine that states the e46 is the last of the affordable BMW's when it comes to maintenance & up-keep especially when compared to the current e90 series models. All of the Bimmers I've owned have been reliable, affordable, and a blast to drive! I will say that any of the M series do cost more when it comes to maintenance but you need to put it all in perspective. BMW maintenance goes in longer intervals [generally] as opposed to other auto makers. Plus you will not get the same excitement as you would get in a BMW. There is nothing better on the road IMO. :-)

Mystic Blue is nice but Carbon Black is HOT!

Mystic Blue is nice but Carbon Black is HOT!

Minus the magazine reference that was by far the exact same speech my mechanic friend gave me.

There are many naysayers, mostly the muscle/classics crowd (Get a big American V8 not some Eurotrash), the 4x4 crowd (You can't take curbs in that thing!) and everyone else (You know what kind of people drive those things?), surprisingly my track friend (he has a well souped RSX) are in the opposite spectrum, (DUDE! Get it in BLACK!), while my drift friend is surprised about my choice yet has to comment (Get a E36 with a E46 M3 Engine and it'll be a whole lot lighter.) but he's always thinking drifting and not just driving.

Even some of my friends. One with a Tacoma talks trash on my X constantly though he's the kind that doesn't mind going out into the desert but cries about the dust and sand on his truck (and inside it) and I have to hear about how much more powerful his engine is and how it could smoke mine, but even the little I've done makes mine a bit more off-road worthy than his (both being 4x2s) and sand and dirt are worn with pride inside and out in my car for at least a month. Of course if I had the minerals to do it in a 4x2, I'm sure he'd be thankful for my low-end torque when I have to pull his Taco out of the fire. Naturally he claims that his Taco could take a M3 which I think Power-to-Weight (lets not even look at the 80 some horses more I'd have) gives us the obvious answer there.

But its a far off project and I hope to get back out here and can snag a well kept one for a good price and I know, the black is amazing but I've always been a fan of blue and that dark blue is awesome.

I know what you mean, mines in the form of a Bimmer as well, more specifically an e28 M5. My dad has one with a racing clutch, strut brace and a new cam. Oh my does that thing just scream drive me hard and mean when you get into it. I keep looking online at prices, then of the ever deteriorating value of my X, but it'd be so useless in winter that I don't become too serious. RWD and 300HP and a heavy duty clutch means fun coming out of the car wash with wet tires(not to my mom woh was in the car with me!), not in snow and ice.

Don't listen to your friends. Get what YOU want. And get it in Mystic Blue. What's the point of having an M3 if it just blends into traffic?

I have a similar psychotic automotive desire. I desperately want a 993 (last of the air-cooled) Porsche 911. And I don't really care how expensive the maintenance is, or how much money I'll waste in tires. I just want one, same as you want your M3. I say go for it, bro.

No shame in owning a e46 as well as an X....its been known to happen
http://www.clubxterra.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=540&pictureid=2714

Just follow me over to Bimmerforums.com and we will gladly welcome you there as well.

LOL so I won't be alone. Nah my friends are just being haters. I know once I actually go through with it they'll be all "Ooooo" and "Aaaah" and "Can I drive it?" At least the ones that know things about cars are actually impressed I made a decent choice even one of the guys that smack talks my X all the time. Its the Marines (and the military in general) smack talking is a way of life for us.

I actually fell in love with the Topaz Blue but I'll settle for either. I like black next though. If I can't find a decent one in the Blues with what I want I can go for black.

I think I need to find one and give it a test drive just to see what its like and probably keep myself committed to the project.

Lol to just to be goofy the idea hit me that i should get a '69 Charger R/T with a 440 and get a custom paint job on it to do it up like Brock Samson's. Only a small amount of people would "get it" if they saw it but I'd make sure to blast Led Zeppelin at all times. But thats a lot of money and work too :P

Buy it! Youll fall in love with it. Mine has 112k miles on it and I bought it with 8 on the odo. After three years of being parked in favor of my X, it started back up with no problem and has never given me an ounce of problems. All of us BMW owners will tell you though....check the vanos unit, the DISA unit, and check the cooling system. If that checks out, youre golden.

LOL so I won't be alone. Nah my friends are just being haters. I know once I actually go through with it they'll be all "Ooooo" and "Aaaah" and "Can I drive it?" At least the ones that know things about cars are actually impressed I made a decent choice even one of the guys that smack talks my X all the time. Its the Marines (and the military in general) smack talking is a way of life for us.

I actually fell in love with the Topaz Blue but I'll settle for either. I like black next though. If I can't find a decent one in the Blues with what I want I can go for black.

I think I need to find one and give it a test drive just to see what its like and probably keep myself committed to the project.

Lol to just to be goofy the idea hit me that i should get a '69 Charger R/T with a 440 and get a custom paint job on it to do it up like Brock Samson's. Only a small amount of people would "get it" if they saw it but I'd make sure to blast Led Zeppelin at all times. But thats a lot of money and work too :P

LOL, I'd get it, and probably point and stare, but more because of the Venture Bros. reference than the car itself. I love muscle cars, but old Mopars aren't really my thing. Cool idea though.

The only downside to getting the M3 I can see is it will limit my spending on the X, but I plan to get most of the things I want done to it bought before I decide to throw down on the BMW. Only so much I can do with it being a 4x2 but I want to make it moderately desert worthy and as powerful as I can get it.

FWIW, most of the best Desert Racers are 2wd... You just need a good suspension setup, good tires, and a good rear diff locker. You can be there before you know it.... I had a couple sport cars that I mod'd the hell out of... They just cannot come anywhere close to comparison with being able to go wherever I want whenever I want. :D


Besides, just wait 'til one of these li'l dudes spanks that M3. :rolleyes:

http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-2006/2006-Subaru-Impreza-WRX-STI-SA-1280x960.jpg

Yeah I've heard that. I don't mind. She's good enough to do what I want. My 2nd vehicle was almost a 2nd Gen X in 4x4. But I do want something sporty. Which is weird cuz I've never been one for sports cars but something about that long snout, aggressive look, and "fueled by awesome" legacy made me want a M3. Oh and German overengineering, which I'm proud of being of German descent :P

I do need to figure out what kind of shocks to get for riding trails. Ironically enough on the pavement the X bounces like nuts, but from being out on the trails in Stoddard Valley it rides actual offroad like clouds, but I'm sure my shocks are getting worn they are a decade old now.

Yea, that's the funny thing about shocks, bumps, and nuts....

Different shocks handle different bumps differently... Offroad shocks don't often handle the tiny onroad bumps very well and the onroad shocks don't handle big bumps very well. And if you don't get them right, they'll definitely bust your nuts.

Anyway, Greg at PRG or Calmini should be able to guide you in the right direction for the type of shock you're wanting. From the sounds of it, it sounds like a Bilstein 5100 series might be in your best intrest. Good Luck!!!