Topic: hmm. time for me to get a new car? cooper s? bmw?

[initial_D]

E46 M3 is a very desirable car. 

[aquadorhj]

E46 M3 is a very desirable car. 

yes sir.  it sure seems that way.

gents i talked to yesterday was upgrading to 997 c4 and selling the m3.   super nice, pic seems to indicate like new condition.   but someone from TO was flyin in to see the car.  probably sold by now. 
very realistic and good deal too.

not too many M3s to begin with, but more than half on sale is SMG and/or convertible..  and some ask ridiculous money.  so ridiculous that i am afraid to even put in fair offer.
(like the dealership one i saw.....)

  maybe M3 just isn't my car yet.

[initial_D]

It is one of those cars you have to spend time to search for, play the waiting game, then pull the trigger when there is the chance. Hard to find one in the normal shopping process, unfortunately. E46 330Ci is a good alternative.

Did spend a lot of time searching for an E30 M3, basically have given up. Will travell to Germany to find one in the future.

[initial_D]

E46 M3 is a very desirable car. 

yes sir.  it sure seems that way.

gents i talked to yesterday was upgrading to 997 c4 and selling the m3.   super nice, pic seems to indicate like new condition.   but someone from TO was flyin in to see the car.  probably sold by now. 
very realistic and good deal too.

not too many M3s to begin with, but more than half on sale is SMG and/or convertible..  and some ask ridiculous money.  so ridiculous that i am afraid to even put in fair offer.
(like the dealership one i saw.....)

  maybe M3 just isn't my car yet.

Don't give up so easily.

[rrocket]

E46 M3 is a very desirable car. 

yes sir.  it sure seems that way.

gents i talked to yesterday was upgrading to 997 c4 and selling the m3.   super nice, pic seems to indicate like new condition.   but someone from TO was flyin in to see the car.  probably sold by now. 
very realistic and good deal too.

not too many M3s to begin with, but more than half on sale is SMG and/or convertible..  and some ask ridiculous money.  so ridiculous that i am afraid to even put in fair offer.
(like the dealership one i saw.....)

  maybe M3 just isn't my car yet.

Don't give up so easily.

No kidding!!!  I flew/drove to several cities in the USA in my search for the Supra and Supra replacement.  I just wrote it off as the cost of finding the ideal car..Don't throw in the towel so easily..

[Julie]

It is one of those cars you have to spend time to search for, play the waiting game, then pull the trigger when there is the chance. Hard to find one in the normal shopping process, unfortunately. E46 330Ci is a good alternative.

Did spend a lot of time searching for an E30 M3, basically have given up. Will travell to Germany to find one in the future.

   Then you can drive it on the Autobahn, the Alps and the Nurburgring.

[initial_D]

The 'Ring in an E30 M3, a definite WANT in the future. Not sure about Touring Europe in an 'new' 20+ year old car thought, especially with a family, would want something newer.

Importing an R34 or NSX from Nippon would be a great trip as well.

Sorry to be off-topic.

[rrocket]

Importing an R34 or NSX from Nippon would be a great trip as well.

 

C'mon 2014!!

[aquadorhj]

hate to resurrect my old thread.  but i've had revelation.  maybe i'm not meant to have an m3..  like, if i buy an m3, i could die driving to registry to plate the thing in auto accident.

or the sky will fall apart... 

or maybe my loved ones will suffer from pig flu again....

i've seen 5 M3's so far, and none are what i would describe as mint.    i.e.  all factory, clean interior(maybe not showroom, but respectably clean to show that owner cares about the car)

and sellers hide the fact that their car's are US cars, or hacked up until i get there to see the car.  (halo?  seriously, wtf cares about halo on an M3@!!!@!@@!#, aftermarket xenons, aftermarket stereos that prevents me from actually using the trunk, and huge azz wheels), and students who owned it for 1 year...  how the fkx can students afford these cars? cheapest one i've ever seen is 16k in BC,...  do they get financing?  if so, with what credit? they are students!!!

and all of the ones i saw, their owners have no idea who owned it before or failed to reveal sufficient information to gather my confidence.  and they tell me it's no accident car, but the front fender bolts had been loosened... WTF? or carfax shows it's had accidents.  WTF? one seller has a freaking salvage titled US car on the market for nearly the same price as normal ones.  (and he asks me not to email him to waste HIS time, if he revealed that right away, i wouldn't have had to waste MY time emailing him.)

...maybe my budget's too low for a clean M3.... but it's really not..  an 05 with 44k km sold for 28K in SK.  with all service records and set of winter rims.  THIS car was mint.  and all other cars on the market on the western canada is lesser cars and they ask 25k for 01 with 100k or more on odo...  seriously...

and i don't fit in M3's seats..     

maybe i should keep my jetta.  i love the fact that it's well cared for, and it's very clean...  it's a known quantity and safe/smart financial decision.  but i don't really love the car..  it's better than automatic Fit(which i just sold to my parents), but it's not as nimble, direct or fun to drive as Fit either...    and for some reason, i don't just go out for drives anymore..  it's somewhat of a chore to drive the jetta...  (still way better than Rabbit...)  ....

still ..  maybe the right M3 will come along?

[mmret]

I think you've hit on the reason why used cars are so much cheaper than new.

Worse for some models than others of course.

Still, don't give up quite yet. There's gotta be a good car out there somewhere, but if you look at it on the bright side it doesn't sound like it will be too much more than the crappy one.

[TopGun]

Good point mmret - the market may be made by the good cars, and the dogs try and tag along for the ride.

I also suspect that any kind of hard-core, aspirational performance variants like an M3, Focus SVT, S4, etc, will simply attract more abuse from people that might only be able to afford a rough example and continue to abuse it.

You see the very same things in airplanes. You need to become a  student of the model, enjoy the search, look at a lot of examples, and be ready to pull the trigger when you find one that, rightfully, fits your description.

[tortoise]

I also suspect that any kind of hard-core, aspirational performance variants like an M3, Focus SVT, S4, etc, will simply attract more abuse from people that might only be able to afford a rough example and continue to abuse it.

While I agree, I also think these variants attract buyers that are more likely to take care of their car and perform the necessary maintenance.   I'll take a well cared for car that was driven hard but looked after versus the opposite.  Naturally M3's bought by parents for university students are notwithstanding.

[huota]

i've seen 5 M3's so far, and none are what i would describe as mint.    i.e.  all factory, clean interior(maybe not showroom, but respectably clean to show that owner cares about the car)

I've seen only one, so I shouldn't draw any conclusion from it, I came away with the same impression as you.

and sellers hide the fact that their car's are US cars, or hacked up until i get there to see the car.  (halo?  seriously, wtf cares about halo on an M3@!!!@!@@!#, aftermarket xenons, aftermarket stereos that prevents me from actually using the trunk, and huge azz wheels), and students who owned it for 1 year...  how the fkx can students afford these cars? cheapest one i've ever seen is 16k in BC,...  do they get financing?  if so, with what credit? they are students!!!

Well, they can't. That's why they only own them for a year (trust fund babies excluded). It's the same phenomenon with sport bikes.

maybe i should keep my jetta.  i love the fact that it's well cared for, and it's very clean...  it's a known quantity and safe/smart financial decision.  but i don't really love the car..  it's better than automatic Fit(which i just sold to my parents), but it's not as nimble, direct or fun to drive as Fit either...    and for some reason, i don't just go out for drives anymore..  it's somewhat of a chore to drive the jetta...  (still way better than Rabbit...)  ....

still ..  maybe the right M3 will come along?

I've come to the conclusion that I'll just forget about the M3 and go for a newer 330i/330d/335i/335d. They may not be as much fun, but at least it'll be much easier to find what I'm looking for, and it'll be the safe bet (yeah, it's boring).

[Julie]

aquadorhj,

What pain in the *ss test drives/shopping experience you've had recently.     Maybe take a break?   

When the right "fun to drive" car will come, it will come.      Mint E46 M3's like the one you described, they only come along once it in a while...  EDIT: Or it might not be the E46 M3, especially if you don't find the seats comfortable.

I've come to the conclusion that I'll just forget about the M3 and go for a newer 330i/330d/335i/335d. They may not be as much fun, but at least it'll be much easier to find what I'm looking for, and it'll be the safe bet (yeah, it's boring).

Hey, whaddya mean the newer 335's are boring??   

[huota]

aquadorhj,

What pain in the *ss test drives/shopping experience you've had recently.     Maybe take a break?   

When the right "fun to drive" car will come, it will come.      Mint E46 M3's like the one you described, they only come along once it in a while...  EDIT: Or it might not be the E46 M3, especially if you don't find the seats comfortable.

I've come to the conclusion that I'll just forget about the M3 and go for a newer 330i/330d/335i/335d. They may not be as much fun, but at least it'll be much easier to find what I'm looking for, and it'll be the safe bet (yeah, it's boring).

Hey, whaddya mean the newer 335's are boring??   

Trust me, I wouldn't mind being bored in a 335. Actually, what I mean't is that making the safe bet is boring or less adventurous.

(besides, aren't you looking into an E90 M3 yourself? )

[safristi]

...ready to PULL THE TRIGGER!!!!....maybe he doesn't have a gun and the body won't fit in the wee trunk........