So I decided to give up the 951 and move to something a little newer (and more powerful ).

So, here's my new (to me) 2003 BMW M3. I was a little iffy on the SMG going in to see the car, but once I drove it I was sold. It was especially nice to click it into "automatic" today when there was a bad jam in downtown atlanta on the way home from work. It's nice being back into a convertible again after 7 years of not having one.







so is this where everyone starts flaming on me?

[Edited on May 23, 2007 at 12:44 AM. Reason : .]

5/23/2007 12:44:17 AM

no

this is where i tell you to call up Dinan and force-feed that thing.

5/23/2007 12:48:45 AM

alpine weiss is gorgeous color. car looks hot and wheels flow nicely. i personally would never get SMG, but if you like it enjoy.

nceuro.org

5/23/2007 1:07:28 AM

I've noticed a few E46 M3's (including a vert) getting into the <$30k range this year. Despite being the cheap fucker I am, they're starting to fall into my radar. gg on the purchase. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

5/23/2007 1:09:13 AM

Good lawd that's a sexy ride.

Enjoy the hell out of that thing, and congrats!

5/23/2007 1:19:54 AM

Very nice ride man. What kinda mileage do you have on it?

5/23/2007 9:45:18 AM

Yeah, about the whole force feeding thing - can someone loan me $11k for it (or better yet, $17k for the intercooled version)? i figure i'll be about half-way to the non IC version when I sell my porsche, so maybe i'll just need $6k or so

the SMG was a tough call. had I been buying a coupe, I probably would have gone for the 6-speed. but seeing as how the car won't get tracked, the SMG fit nicely...clutch response and feel when I want it, auto mode for bad traffic commutes, and some nasty shift times when I really want to unleash it

the alpine weiss had me a little iffy when looking at it on the web. my 951 was alpine white, but the two just don't compare - when I saw the car on the lot, all reservations disappeared.

it's my one year out of grad school, whipping myself back into the shape i was in in the military, about to turn 30 present to myself

it's got 40k on it. i bought it from a BMW dealership, so there was a thorough inspection before purchase. except for two small chips on the nose (that were filled) and some scrapes on the bottom lip of the front bumper, the car is immaculate. i figure to be putting about 10k a year on it with my current 20 mile round trip commute and a few road trips

[Edited on May 23, 2007 at 9:57 AM. Reason : .]

5/23/2007 9:52:47 AM

Quote :

"but once I drove it I was sold."

hehehe.

5/23/2007 10:41:34 AM

I wish I were more insecure, maybe then I'd actually get a cool car

5/23/2007 10:52:01 AM

^blind hate.

5/23/2007 11:12:59 AM

Quote :

"I wish I were more insecure, maybe then I'd actually get a cool car spend my time trolling on message boards"

5/23/2007 12:59:53 PM

yes, you're right. i am totally insecure. the situation was worsened when someone posted on the internet and called me out for it. only one thing left to do

FS: 2003 BMW M3

i apologize for having the desire to drive a fast car that is well built

oh, almost forgot...

5/23/2007 1:03:01 PM

congratulations!

5/23/2007 1:15:04 PM

dinan m3 performance equipment:
http://www.dinancars.com/Series.asp?Series=14&Chassis=10&Model=9

Quote :

" S3-R Intercooled Supercharger System Part #: D860-3101C Price: __________________________________________________$16999.00 Labor Hours: 32.00 Emission Status: 49 State Emission Legal List of Included Items: Vortech Supercharger Compressor (5.5 psi boost); Air to Air Intercooler with timed Auxiliary Fan; High Capacity Fuel Pressure Regulator and Injectors; High Capacity Aluminum Radiator and Oil Cooler; Engine Management Software. Special Notes: Dinan Free Flow Exhaust and High Flow Throttle Bodies Recommended (Required for 462-hp). Supercharger and radiator must be sent to Dinan for modification. Contact Dinan for details. BMW's S54 Connecting Rod Replacement must have been completed prior to installation of intercooler upgrade package. System is not compatible with Dinan performance cam shafts (designed for use with stock cams only). Peak Horsepower: ______________________________________________462 @ 8000 rpm Peak Horsepower Gain: 130 @ 8000 rpm Peak Torque: ________________________________________________328 lb/ft @ 6000 rpm Peak Torque Gain: 85 lb/ft @ 8000 rpm "

whoa... 17k for 130 hp....I mean... damn... How much would it cost for a bubba to shove an ls7 in there?!

vs.

Quote :

" 01-05 e46 M3__________________________PSI__________HP_________Torque______Price Stock(S54 3.2 liter motorsport engine) _____n/a_________333_________262_________- Stage 1 Bolt-on 5.0-5.5 psi VF-Engineering supercharger with integrated chargecooler replacement manifold sytem. [Expected release Oct 06]______________5.0-5.5 _____480_____330________$10,000 Stage 2 Boost Increase to 6.0-6.5 PSI, with custom GIAC Stage 2 Software flash. ____________________________________6.0-6.5_____500_____340________$1,000 Stage 3 lowered compression high boost /VHPD (Very High Performance Derivative). Built Motor by Evosport. Target HP 500+ wheel HP_________________tba________tba________tba_________tba http://www.vf-engineering.com/index.php?v=/kit_bmw_e46_m3.php "

I realize that dinan is the creme-de-la-creme of aftermarket tuners, and is just a c*nt hair less involved with in-house product development and testing standards than AMG or Mpower, but what should be the legitimate price of getting a warranty exactly?! 17k for 462 hp for 4 yrs or 50k miles plus a warranty vs. 11k for 500hp?!


Its possible that vf and other tuners get away with charging even as much as they do simply because it is only a fraction of what Dinan demands. Without Dinan, I wonder what Vf would really charge for such a job. A similar kit to what vf is offering for the s54 costs as little as $4500 for a similar install on an s52 (m3 or m coupe/roadster) that makes 350hp and and 295lbft , admittedly before installation of the "chargecooler manifold". I suspect that the cost of such a chargecooler manifold won't make up the remaining 5 grand on those cars! e39 540i's get 410-5hp/395-400lbft from a similar setup for only $6k.

I was excited at noticing the $5k supercharger kit nets 309hp/265lbft for a '99 z3 2.8 coupe (kbb says $10,610 @ its est of 82k miles,good condition)....in that it might make for an interesting budget M-coupe clone, but forget that, kbb says a '99 m coupe with the same miles is only 2 grand more.


[Edited on May 23, 2007 at 1:43 PM. Reason : .]

5/23/2007 1:33:45 PM

then you supercharge the M-coupe


or just get a better performance/mod platform altogether

5/23/2007 1:36:37 PM

congratulations on your purchase btw. My freshman roommate dropped out of school after his website took off and he went out and bought an e46 smg brand new off the showroom floor and rubbed it in my face... I had just transferred to ncsu and had no idea what I was gonna do. he was a bastard, but you should enjoy your m3...

5/23/2007 2:36:25 PM

The mere fact that you took the time to respond to an anonymous hack troll is quite a bit revealing about just how insecure you really are.

5/23/2007 2:52:58 PM

sexy ride
trade you my monte carlo for it

5/23/2007 3:39:00 PM

HOTTNESS

this is how you live on a $100k+ salary

5/23/2007 4:09:15 PM

^^^ haha, at least you're keeping it TWW real in here

5/23/2007 4:14:49 PM

definately need to supercharger.

5/23/2007 4:51:23 PM

I guess if we're all just gonna shout out mods, how about getting the CS/ CSL wheels?

5/23/2007 11:25:22 PM

m5 wins

5/23/2007 11:27:38 PM

Nice car, but man, keeping a white car clean sucks.

5/23/2007 11:52:01 PM

^?
keeping a black car clean sucks. keeping a white t-shirt clean sucks. Not the other way around. white hides dirt, but yeah, metallic pwns solids

5/24/2007 12:03:32 AM

Quote :

"keeping a black car clean sucks. keeping a white t-shirt clean sucks. Not the other way around. white hides dirt, but yeah, metallic pwns solids"

5/24/2007 1:50:44 PM

Yup, there's a reason fleet vehicles are white.

Sharp car, man.

5/24/2007 1:58:33 PM

Thats a girl car if I've ever seen one. Did you buy it from a stripper, or a spoiled rich chick?

5/24/2007 2:08:48 PM

but if you must know, it was from a dealer - guy who owned it before me traded up to a new M6

5/24/2007 3:50:00 PM

^^I disagree.

Every m3 (going back to e36) and s4 convertible I can remember seeing in traffic has been driven by a pudgy early 20's to mid-30's white male.

I think the additional cost to get an m3 convertible (or audi s4 'vert, since it pulls from similar buyers) over the slower and less showy models (e46 330ci 'vert, audi 3.0 'vert) tends to separate the typical m3 buyers and m-badge poseurs, both usually men, from the daddy's girls and strippers.

But I'll grant that a white convertible is generally woman-spec:

when the previous jag xk8 came out, it was in half a dozen commercials as the anonymous sports car.... I remember sitting on the couch one afternoon and two commercials came on back to back, IIRC.
The first was a pennzoil commercial, and there was a black on black xk8 coupe ripping through some grid of city streets, complete with blurred "what was that" pedestrian head turn shots and fake cutaway shots into the "hard-working-engine that requires the highest quality motor oil to prevent viscosity breakdown... yadda yadda..."
The second commercial had a dirty blonde thirtysomething in a white on tan xk8 convertible driving through a field of daisies or something else, and there was a soft background voice alluding to how normally stephanie/becky/jamie/twat's name would have stayed home since she wasn't feeling fresh, but not with new tampax/kotex/indian hair ultra comfortable/ high flow/ surfin the wave tampons/pads [/u] etc....

then my dad went out and bought a white xk8 'vert like a month later. With tan interior. Still a sweet ride but geez....

..still swiped the keys for prom night though

[Edited on May 24, 2007 at 3:58 PM. Reason : .]

5/24/2007 3:57:52 PM

Jesus Christ I hate convertibles. But I'd almost make an exception here.

5/24/2007 4:20:33 PM

im jealous. i swear on my mother's grave, even though my mom is still alive, im going to get one soon

5/24/2007 7:03:07 PM

^do you even pay for your own car?

5/24/2007 8:46:54 PM

no not currently but once i get a job after graduation, im gonna be able to afford the insurance thus the car too

5/24/2007 9:32:26 PM