New here, not an owner (yet!)

[Pictorious]

Hello there M3 forums! I decided to register here because I felt bad bugging Greg over at GTM/Challenge all the time with M3 related questions and figured I should do some reading of my own. If intro posts like his aren't allowed I'm sorry!

I currently own a 2006 Honda s2000 and as much as I love it, I've had it for over 3 years and I think it's time to move on to something else. I've found myself wanting something with a bit more refinement and room. After looking around at a bunch of options I think I've found a worthy replacement in an E90 M3. Some quick looking and I've found 08-09's with ~50k miles in the $32-35k range which is right where I wanted to be when I replace the s2000 next year.

I'll be around here, researching and probably asking stupid questions every once and a while. I'll do my best to search though. I need to get out and drive one of these things soon so I can figure out if I'd like the DCT transmission or if I'd need to stick with manual (only ever owned a manual).

Here's my s2000 (currently in the middle of wrapping it in grey vinyl, still have the rear bumper left):


DSCF0142.jpg by PictoriousPhoto, on Flickr

[mkPOTO]

welcome to the boards and nice s2000, makes me miss mine

[G80indy]

In case you are not aware....
if you're in the market to buy a new or CPO BMW in the next year, do yourself a favor and join the BMW CCA.
You get a rebate, after at least a year of membership, and remaining in membership status. It more than pays for membership, and for ten years ($500. +)
I wish someone had told me this before I bought my first in 2002....

[Leonardo629]

If you are going to get a 08-09, go read up on the crank bearing failure in the engine section, and research a little before you commit. Extended warranty maybe?

[Pictorious]

Originally Posted by mkPOTO

welcome to the boards and nice s2000, makes me miss mine

I'm sure I'll miss mine when it's gone. I'd keep it but I can't really afford 2 cars, haha.

Originally Posted by 330indy

In case you are not aware....
if you're in the market to buy a new or CPO BMW in the next year, do yourself a favor and join the BMW CCA.
You get a rebate, after at least a year of membership, and remaining in membership status. It more than pays for membership, and for ten years ($500. +)
I wish someone had told me this before I bought my first in 2002....

Hmm, thanks for the tip! I hope I'll find a CPO in my price range but most I've found are 40k+.

Originally Posted by Leonardo629

If you are going to get a 08-09, go read up on the crank bearing failure in the engine section, and research a little before you commit. Extended warranty maybe?

Greg told me about that, I haven't looked into it a ton yet but I'm very worried about owning a BMW out of warranty. I've only ever had Honda's and they're relatively cheap to fix.

Is it possible to buy the extended warranty on a car if it's bought private party?

[Agent-GHQ]

I missed driving that S2K! It was a very fun car and I gotta say that I've nearly lost control. But once you get into one of the ///M3 E92, its a completely different feel. Definitely a lot more stability!

[Haywood]

Welcome. Had a friend with a S2000 and that thing was a blast to drive.

As a new member, you have to post a DCT vs. MT thread. Everyone knows how fun those are.

[LucWerkz]

Originally Posted by Haywood

Welcome. Had a friend with a S2000 and that thing was a blast to drive.

As a new member, you have to post a DCT vs. MT thread. Everyone knows how fun those are.

No he hasn't purchased yet, he has to post a 335i vs M3 vs GTR thread. He needs to post a 6MT vs. DCT after getting the car so he can regret his purchase.

[nullrouted]

Originally Posted by Red_Baron

No he hasn't purchased yet, he has to post a 335i vs M3 vs GTR thread. He needs to post a 6MT vs. DCT after getting the car so he can regret his purchase.

Well said, sir.

[FlyM3_R1]

You won't regret making the purchase. Unless of course you can't afford to fix issues or get scheduled services done on time. I just try to keep 'fix it money' stashed...lol. Perhaps look into getting a extended warranty quote: http://www.carchex.com/get-a-quote

[nullrouted]

Originally Posted by Pictorious

Greg told me about that, I haven't looked into it a ton yet but I'm very worried about owning a BMW out of warranty. I've only ever had Honda's and they're relatively cheap to fix.

You're in for a rude awakening, then. By about the 2nd or 3rd time I had my used E46 M3 in the shop in the first year of ownership, the mechanic at my dealer told me 'You didn't know what BMW stands for? Bring Money With-you.' By the 4th time I brought it in... it was to trade it in for a brand new E92 with a full warranty. Everything on these cars is more expensive to fix than a Honda (I also own an Accord), so be prepared to spend $2000-$5000 a year on maintenance/repairs (depending on how good you are at turning a wrench). The oil changes alone are in the $120 range, and that's when you DIY. I believe you can get an extended warranty on any car that is less than 10 years old or so, but most of them are limited pretty well to maximize the profit of the warranty company. I'm not trying to discourage you in any way, but I just want you to be aware of some things I wasn't when I bought my E46 M3 thinking 'oh man, this is affordable!'

[Pictorious]

Originally Posted by nullrouted

You're in for a rude awakening, then. By about the 2nd or 3rd time I had my used E46 M3 in the shop in the first year of ownership, the mechanic at my dealer told me 'You didn't know what BMW stands for? Bring Money With-you.' By the 4th time I brought it in... it was to trade it in for a brand new E92 with a full warranty. Everything on these cars is more expensive to fix than a Honda (I also own an Accord), so be prepared to spend $2000-$5000 a year on maintenance/repairs (depending on how good you are at turning a wrench). The oil changes alone are in the $120 range, and that's when you DIY. I believe you can get an extended warranty on any car that is less than 10 years old or so, but most of them are limited pretty well to maximize the profit of the warranty company. I'm not trying to discourage you in any way, but I just want you to be aware of some things I wasn't when I bought my E46 M3 thinking 'oh man, this is affordable!'

I know they're considerably more, my dad used to be a service writer for BMW and I've heard some horror stories, haha. The main reason I'm waiting until next year is that while I can afford the car now, I'm due for a promotion early in the year that will make affording it much easier and make me feel more at ease if repairs come up.

[Pictorious]

Found an 08 MT E90 at a local Porsche dealer so I went out to make sure I actually liked the car.

The dealership was pretty busy which worked in my favor as the guy just handed me the keys and let me sit in it/do my own walk around all by myself. It was a good chance to fiddle with all the little details and I have to say the details are what make this car. When he finally came back to check on me I asked if we could take it out, he took my license and handed me a dealer plate and said to come back in 20 minutes or so. So I got to take it out alone. I have to say the touch of the redline adjusting before the car warms up made me say "holy shit that's awesome" out loud.

Driving the car was incredible, with everything set to normal and with normal driving it feels completely calm, very drivable and doesn't feel like it's going to murder you. Once I engaged M mode the whole car changed, it was a model with EDC so the suspension stiffened, the car had more pep, and I remembered what torque feels like. The first time I floored it I was so glad I was alone because I probably had the dumbest grin on my face the from then on.

It was black on black with a dark wood trim, had the tech package and 19" wheels on it. I still favor the standard 18" wheels and I definitely do not like the wood trim at all but the rest was everything I was hoping it'd be. I'm still a good 6 months away from looking for real but today confirmed that the M3 is definitely at the top of my list. Truly an amazing car.

[MWM3]

the notorious pictorious

[US///M3]

Welcome, pictorious!