"Bring it back home to Daddy!": Life With an E36 M3 at 17

"190e30-Now with COSWORTH" (190e30) 08/12/2014 at 00:00 • Filed to: e36 m3, living with a dream car

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Hi guys, it's been a while. As some of you may remember, I recently sold my beloved 1991 Audi Coupe Quattro after nearly a year and a half of ownership. For two weeks, I scrambled to find my next set of wheels, turning to fellow Opponauts, friends, and family for help. Nearly three months later, I'm back to report on the journey that is finding, owning, and living with one of my dream cars as a 17 year old kid, and why it's so much more than I ever thought it could be.

The Sale

At the beginning of June, I decided it was time for the Audi to go. At first it was tentative; I started by cleaning the car up every weekend and bringing it to the local Late-Night car meet. After numerous offers for laughable amounts and horrible justification for said bad offers, ("My friend doesn't want to pay any more than $3,000 because he's probably just going to put it on coils and Fifteen52s anyways." Fine then, bye.) I realized it was time to cut the strings and do it for real. As much as I loved the Audi, I was ready for something different, maybe even something that moved upon hitting the gas pedal.

I listed the car on a couple forums with an elaborate, honest, and (in my mind) fairly well-written ad, complete with tons of pictures and even a video. I even went as far as calling it "The cleanest 1991 Coupe Quattro Left in the U.S," because it really was; don't doubt me, I'll prove it later on in this post.

It was !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that featured the car first as a Seller Submission, less than a day after the ad was posted (Thanks again guys!). Slowly, the car began to blow up. My forum post surpassed 3,000 views within the first 24 hours, and I started to get messages. The majority of these messages told me why my $8,500 asking price were too high, but I started to get some legitimate interest as well. It was somewhere around a day later that the ad got posted in !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

That was where things started to get interesting. Sitting in Junior Spanish class on a Monday morning at 8:00 AM, I checked my email and found I had three emails from VWVortex. Someone had messaged me at 2:30 AM on a Sunday night three times, stating that they were a real buyer, were willing to buy solely based off of photos, and could wire the money that day. I thought it was a horrible internet scam, but I was apparently very wrong.

I sent the buyer-to-be my dad's contact info due to the lack of cell service in my school, told him to give my dad a ring at his convenience, and not so optimistically sat with my phone by my side awaiting the imminent statement confirming my suspicions of scamming. About an hour later I got the word that yes, this was a real buyer, and yes, the car could truly be sold that day. He wanted the car for his teenage son, and had been looking for one as clean as mine. I was happy to hear that it was going into an enthusiast family, where it would be driven and well-cared for by another young gearhead, rather than just tossed on some big wheels and lowered into a future of scraping over pebbles, bacon fenders, and Instagram pictures. I then googled the buyer's name, and things got fun again. For starters, here's one of his other cars:

A week later, the car left on a trailer towards the West Coast. Me, the car guy of my high school, was now officially carless. But with a very reasonable budget from the recent sale of my little white gem, I was determined to be off of the bus and into a new, better car as soon as possible.

Finding the Replacement

"It has to have a turbo." I said it over, and over, and over. My first car was a 2002 Dodge Neon ACR. 2 liter naturally-aspirated inline-4, which was good for a 0-60 time of 7 seconds, and absolutely no torque. As an ex-SCCA racecar, the roll cage and bucket seat were a good conversation piece and the handling was fun, but let's be honest here; it was an old Dodge Neon with less features (these omitted features included useless novelties, such as A/C, a radio…and a clock).

It was a piece, but it was MY piece.

My second car was the Audi. It had (ten) more horsepower, which did absolutely nothing for it. With a 3,200 lb. curb weight, the Audi was my battle tank. Safe, bulky, reliable, and unstoppable in the snow. It made a glorious noise as it slowly crawled forward with all four tires weakly and anemically but slowly and steadily, throatily howling to a blistering 8 second 0-60 time wide-open. I loved every slow minute of it, but I was ready for power, and for torque. I wanted to hit the gas and actually feel the car move.

The first car we looked at was a Jazz Blue 20 th Anniversary MKIV Golf GTI. I found it on Craigslist. It was a piece of garbage. Falling apart, clearly neglected, and in need of a ton of work. No records, no maintenance…wait, why was I surprised? I found it on Craigslist.

The second car was a 2001 Audi TT 180 Quattro, and it was awesome. Although it had 116,000 miles under its belt and only 180 horsepower from the factory, it was perfect for me. Loud exhaust, aftermarket big brake kit, Neuspeed intake, Forge wastegate actuator and diverter valve, strut tower braces front and rear, and most importantly, a Unitronic Stage 2 ECU tune.

It was glorious. I sat in the back seat with my neck bent at a right angle against the roof, and my legs wrapped around my dad in the driver's seat as he felt it out for any mechanical issues (I can't do that yet). I couldn't stop smiling. Spool was audible on idle, the blow-off valve made all sorts of wonderful CHOO CHOO noises, and the peppy, eager little innocent TT launched forward at an absurd pace at half throttle. My dad's butt dyno (a very well-seasoned one) estimated around 300 horsepower in that little car, and after looking up the modifications and adding the numbers up later, we learned he wasn't too far off. In my 17 year old mind, it was perfect. Juvenile, loud, obnoxious, and way, waaaaaaay too fast for me. I was in love the second I heard the turbo. It was a good thing it had the bad Carfax, or who knows what tree I could be stuck in in the near future.

About two weeks in to the car-less period, I began to get desperate, as my email inbox began to demonstrate. I was at a point where I was both simultaneously talking to the owner of a swapped-and-turbocharged Volvo 240 located in Texas that I would never be able to get here while also inquiring about a B5 Audi S4 with 180,000 miles and all records right around the corner from me. One morning, whilst doing my daily check of Daily Turismo and Bring a Trailer, I found I had a new email from my dad. "Check this out," was the title.

We have a friend, Mike, who drives a Hellrot E30 M3. It's completely gutted and has a full rollcage. It also has over 400 horsepower due to a swap featuring an S52 and a shiny Garrett turbo. Mike is a big BMW guy, having owned a handful of E30s and E36s in his fairly brief time as a driver. Mike was aware of my car search, and had been suggesting since the beginning that I went for an E36 M3. I was reluctant, considering the cars were naturally aspirated, too nice for me, and were considerably out of my price range.

But when Mike sent a 103,000 mile, Boston Green Metallic, Modena-leather interior 1998 E36 M3 (1 of 52 worldwide, we would later learn) via the local Craigslist for a price that seemed a bit too reasonable to ignore, I started to get excited. We called the owner, located only an hour from home, and began to talk both about the car and price. Despite having a few minor issues to sort out, the car seemed very promising. We decided that while I was working that Saturday, my dad would head up to check the car out with cash in hand. If everything went right, I would be the proud owner of one of my lifelong dream cars before I was even old enough to legally drive friends around.

In between my jobs, I eagerly gave my dad a call. "So? How was it?"

It was mine. Despite having the handful of aforementioned issues and a couple extras to sort, the car checked out. He got the car for a price within my budget, and had already run to the DMV and registered it. We arranged for us to double drive back up the next day, when I would then both meet and drive my new 1998 BMW E36 M3/4/5 on the hour-long ride home. I barely slept that night.

The Ride Home

It was essentially a pick-up truck in its previous life, and that was obvious the second I saw it. The former owner worked in construction, so the car was frequently used to transport asphalt, meaning severely blackened and worn-out carpets, a rough contrast against the rest of the gorgeous Modena Brown interior. It also meant that the car had spent much more time on rough terrain than an M3 ever should. The front bumper was absolutely covered in gravel chips, the paint felt like it had been sandblasted…overall, the car was clearly going to need a lot of love.

A quick snap and some pre-drive checks before bringing it home for the first time.

The seats were gross. Vaders were a much nicer and much more comfortable upgrade.

Here was the initial list of what needed to be resolved:

-Remount extremely loose kidney on the front bumper

-Replace rear upper strut mount bushing (squeaky)

-Steam and vacuum entire interior -Done.

-Remove the stupid A'Pexi badge from the rear -Has since been done

-New rear tires (were basically bald) –Just got some new Hankook Ventus V12 Evos this week

-A really good claying, compounding, and general detailing –After several long days of detailing, the car now looks a thousand percent better. Show-worthy condition.

-An oil change (it had sat untitled for almost 6 months) –it's already had two

-New front seats (they were horrible) –I just swapped over to some nice color-matched Vaders

-Resonator Delete (Because racecar!) –Did that one too

-Diagnose cause of Airbag light –Was a bad mat in the passenger seat, resolved with the addition of Vaders

Most of these issues became fairly clear upon first seeing the car. It wasn't exactly a 10 foot car, it was more of a "30 foot, in the rain" car. But despite the realization of the long road ahead in terms of getting the car where I wanted it, I still sat in amazement just staring at the car. I was looking at a 103,000 mile E36 M3. An M3! And it was mine.

After a quick run to the nearest Autozone in order to get some oil flowing through the M3's arteries, we were off on the hour-long road trip home. I followed my dad through town and back on to the highway in a complete state of bliss and amazement. In my first 15 minutes of ownership, I think I clicked every single button in that interior. Everything was just better in general. The stereo was better than the Audi's could ever have been. The ride was sublime, comfy, but firm and reassuring. And the torque! I never got to fully go wide-open out of the fear of using the 6-month-old gas and oil, but a nice 5 th gear half-throttle pull from 3000 RPM up to sixty five was enough to actually send me in to giggles. As the throaty S52 mumbled behind me and overpowered the poor car's many squeaks and rattles, I couldn't help but smile. Yeah, it was all I hoped it would be and more. And it didn't even have a turbo.

Some say...

An Undeserved Bad Reputation

First thing's first, let me attempt to clarify a common misconception; the ever-despised US-spec S50 and S52 that moved the E36 M3s are bad engines. This bad reputation was mostly due to the fact that US engines made 240 horsepower and as high as 236 ft-lbs of torque, while the Euro market engines placed in the same cars produced numbers as shocking as 320 horsepower and a similar torque figure. This massive power gap was mostly due to a use of individual throttle bodies in the Euro engines, while the North American engines used a single throttle body. Less air, less power. Why? Because BMW.

As a result of the E36 M3 constantly being viewed as "What could have been…" the North American E36 M3 is usually referred to as the worst of the M-cars, the "runt of the litter." I'm going to tell you why this isn't true.

Read this quote from Motor Trend's M3 article from the release of the 1995 S50-powered E36 M3 (running OBDI): "Keep the five-speed manual, tune up the suspension, improve the weight distribution to a solid 50/50 and increase the brake diameter by over an inch on all four corners and you've got a car that will take nearly two seconds off the first-generation's zero-to-60 and quarter-mile times. It also pulled a higher average g on the skidpad and still got better fuel economy, all for less than $4000 over the price of a 325is and only $800 over the first-generation at a paltry $35,800."

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So essentially, the E36 is just as capable handling-wise as the ever-holy E30 M3, while it also costs less to maintain, gets better gas mileage, is more reliable, seats more passengers more comfortably, has more aftermarket support, is more useable in day-to-day life, is easier to work on, has a more useable torque and power curve, AND it's faster. I'm not saying the E30 M3 is worse than the "runt of the litter," but when you compare the holiest of M-cars to the most hated of the M-cars, it certainly makes the sub- $10,000 E36 M3 seem like a much better idea than some of its "superiors".

Living with an E36 M3 at 17

Image is part of everyday life in high school. That's just how it was, how it is, and how it always will be. Who has the nicest shoes, the nicest clothes, or the newest technology is always a relevant topic, as dumb as it is when you look at it from the outside once it's all said and done. And with that statement, it should go without saying that my image is fairly important to me, but in a somewhat different way.

For one thing, I'm very conscious of what it looks like from the outside. Young kid in an E36 M3, a gift from my parents and a complete waste of a good car, soon to be thrashed to death. As one of my best friends Kyle and I have discussed on several occasions, I'm "A sleeveless shirt, a couple degrees of negative camber, and some nice wheels away from being a stancebag," because I'm guilty by association. I've been challenged to street race by numerous Hondas and Subies, I've been haggled at car meets just because I was running stock camber, wheels, and cats, and my personal favorite, I was once told to "Bring it back home to Daddy" by a group of dropouts smoking weed in a rusty Cherokee. And maybe that's why my entire focus with this car has been keeping it as clean and original as possible, both to show viewers from the outside that "I swear, I'm not one of THEM" and also to show that there's still hope in this young generation of gearheads, kids who will learn to wrench and repair and actually drive, rather than sentence themselves to futures of negative camber, scraping over speed bumps, and sacrificing all potential performance in order to look good when stationary. I'm sick of hearing that stanced and slammed cars have character and personality; cars are designed to be driven, and if you're sacrificing that for appearance, you're doing it wrong.

But a little extra flow never hurt anyone...

On a much more positive side, however, there's how my friends see the car. Despite popular belief, you do not immediately become the most popular kid in your high school upon purchasing your own sports car. However, I can definitely confirm that I have had numerous friendships stem from the ownership of my E36, and have enjoyed a lot of joy at the hands of this car in my short time of ownership.

When I first was purchasing the car, my friends would always ask "Is it fast," because when you're a teenaged boy, that's all that matters. One day I made the mistake of quoting a 0-60 time, because for a few months, all I heard was "I've heard that car does 0-60 in 5.4 seconds!" yelled mockingly as I rolled out of the school parking lot. Then, I became legal to drive kids my age.

There are no heroic stories of life-saving e-brake drifts at 70 miles per hour on a wet back road, or stories of ripping through traffic at 140, because I'm not an idiot. I'd prefer not to become a statistic, and at the very least, one bad point on my record or one fender bender, and insurance for a kid driving a sports car becomes a whole new world of expensive. But what there are stories of are the wonderful moments with friends merging from a stop onto the highway, of the feeling of going wide open in third up to the speed limit, as the same friend who was mocking my praise of my car only minutes before slowly begins to reach for the door handle and squeak out "Oh my god…" as the new feeling of actual torque lovingly plows them into the seat. What's always better is popping it into 5 th after achieving cruising speed, turning my head and making eye contact.

We all know that look a true gearhead gets upon hitting boost for the first time, or driving their first V8, or owning their first fast car; that wide-eyed, dumb-smile, giggly moment of pure happiness and bliss, of basking in the ebb and flow of internal combustion as it propels us forwards, sometimes at speeds that shouldn't be achieved or even shouldn't be possible. And with those brief highway merges up to the speed limit, I can see a glimmer of that in my friend's eyes. I can see them being opened to a whole new world of horsepower, and torque, and the wonderful world of speed and performance. For that one second afterwards, the brief exchange of giggling and smiling, I can see the planting of a seed, one that will grow into a beautiful plant of appreciation and respect for all things automotive, for fuel injection, forced induction, and E85 ethanol. I'm now "The Driver," the one that everyone asks to bring them to and fro, because they love watching me row my own gears, or because they like the noises the car makes, or how firm and sporty it feels. My M3 is, slowly but steadily, forming new little gearheads, opening the eyes of young kids to the automotive life and creating a new appreciation and respect for cars, proving that they can be more than just a way of getting from point A to point B. As a 17 year old with an E36 M3, I can see my lifelong passion spreading to others my age.

Then there are the friends that already know cars. There's Kyle, for example. Kyle drives a B7 Audi A4 on coilovers and Enkei wheels, with loud exhaust, a front mount, and all kinds of turbo goodness. Prior to our first ride together in the car, he questioned the E36 M3 as any good car guy does, due to the talk of the North American S52 and that one throttle body. After the first ride, however, hysterical laughing was had, a new appreciation for variable valve timing (VANOS, yo!) was formed, and the bad reputation of the E36 M3 was once again resolved as it became clear that this was just as much a driver's car as it's relatives.

In addition to my good friend Kyle, there's the girl I'm dating, Claire. Claire is very much a Jalop despite not realizing it, daily-driving anything from a manual Saab 2.0t, to a manual Mercedes C230, and even a manual Mazda 2. Claire has been a certified car-girl since I met her, and maybe that's why the other night as I drove her home, she was leaning forward rubbing the dash with her hand, saying "I love this car." She loves the backfires, and the burbles, and the heel-toe downshifts, giggling and smiling every time. She loves the E36 M3, because just as it did with everyone else, the car touches a different root than other cars. It did just as it was designed to do as an M-car, and opened her eyes to the awesome world of performance and speed.

So, what is life like with an E36 as a kid? It's horrendously expensive, it's occasionally a massive headache, I'm always self-conscious about my image, and I still kind of wish I had boost. But is it worth it? Is creating a handful of young car-lovers, and being able to see the moment in my friend's eyes when they realize just how incredible cars are, and experiencing moments of bonding and happiness and enjoyment over the one passion that most of us Jalops base our lives around, do those things make it worth driving the worst M3 ever made? I'd say they do, and that's why owning one of my dream cars at the age of 17 has made me so happy. I'm living a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I'm loving it. There are a lot of things you can experience in a car, but the lighting of a flame is not typically one of them. Unless it's a Ferrari, of course.

Wishin & workin for an E39 M5 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 09:56

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Wow!

Wishin & workin for an E39 M5 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 09:59

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Sports sedan/pickup truck/racecar/shaggin wagon

Vicente Esteve > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 10:03

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This read made me feel so great of owning a "special" (Read:Different) car in high school than anyone else. I used to drive in the only convertible, and while it was 13 years old, everyone looked at it when I left. I got rides to a lot of people who had never experienced roof down motoring, and the smiles as the wind blew harder were unforgettable. Its a car I will never forget owning, and I know that E36 M3 will be for you. A very very cool story, and one worth saying to anyone you meet. Congrats!

Wishin & workin for an E39 M5 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 10:06

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Green really suits the sedan model. I think when you are ready you ought to go a bit bigger on brakes, with some real calipers, a bit bigger or I guess fancier on wheels (Ac Schnitzer Type 2's or BBS) and I was going to say new rubber, but I re-read what you said you had already done

Your boy, BJR > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 10:12

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hehehehehehehehehehehehe

Wishin & workin for an E39 M5 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 10:13

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Very well written piece, ma dude. Best of luck with the M. All cars that give us that flicker of joy inside cost us dearly, either in finances or time. But all that expense is worth each millisecond of your machine lining up with its' purpose.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 10:23

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I couldn't afford a car in high school and had to scrape together all of my funds to buy a 164,000 mile 328i for $1,700 after getting my associates.

Your boy, BJR > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 10:24

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I was once told to "Bring it back home to Daddy" by a group of dropouts smoking weed in a rusty Cherokee.

That…….not gonna lie, that sounds like something I'd do. But instead of rusty cherokee it's a not rusty Honda Pilot lol.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 10:36

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[slow clap]

Chteelers > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 10:47

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TL;DR, well, not everything. I had one of these a while ago. Be sure to get the reinforcement pieces for the rear shock mounts. The standard factory shock bolts directly to the body, and is very prone to ripping out because the body metal is so thin there. Its a cheap and easy fix to prevent a potentially much more expensive problem.

Rear shock mount reinforcments

Party_in_the_USA > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 10:57

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the S50B32 never made that much torque.

Having driven bone stock first and second gen M3, the E36, even in US trim, is clearly the superior one in every single category.

cabarne4 > Vicente Esteve 08/12/2014 at 11:11

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Driving a '75 Beetle in high school ('07-'10), I know that feeling.

cabarne4 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 11:18

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Holy shit, there's actually hope for future generations!

Congrats on the purchase, man. Glad to see you've got some respect for the car, sounds like your parents raised you right (and, seems like your dad must be a "car guy" as well).

I've driven fast and torquey, slow and low, classics, big trucks, and everything in between. Image may seem big high school, but it seems like you've got a good grasp on it. Just get most of your go-fast fixes on a track or autoX, and try not to fall to peer pressure (especially in college). I know it sounds like cheesy advice but I've seen smart people do stupid things. Besides, fees for a weekend track event are way cheaper than a reckless driving ticket and higher insurance.

That said, 3rd gear pulls on interstate on-ramps are fun. Just remember that even a tire chirp bumps it to "reckless driving". ;)

Mathias Rios > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 11:47

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I love this article. I'd love to see you car soon! Maybe at Caffeine and Carburetors? I will bring my new to me 944 which won't break down in the parking lot this time :)

Wishin & workin for an E39 M5 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 13:26

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I've been Craigslist stalking this one for a few days

http://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/4610732588…

Vicente Esteve > cabarne4 08/12/2014 at 13:52

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everyone thought my car was supremely cool, when it was literally the least expensive of the lot. I loved that feeling of being known by that.

Jonathan Harper > Mathias Rios 08/12/2014 at 16:10

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which won't break down in the parking lot this time :)

...he said hopefully

Mathias Rios > Jonathan Harper 08/12/2014 at 16:34

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Yes, I also hope my engine doesn't decide to eject a rod out of the oil pan like a certain Aaron's car.

Jonathan Harper > Mathias Rios 08/12/2014 at 16:48

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I still haven't heard the story. You guys get the new motor in?

Andrew T. Maness > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/12/2014 at 18:04

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And maybe that's why my entire focus with this car has been keeping it as clean and original as possible, both to show viewers from the outside that "I swear, I'm not one of THEM" and also to show that there's still hope in this young generation of gearheads, kids who will learn to wrench and repair and actually drive, rather than sentence themselves to futures of negative camber, scraping over speed bumps, and sacrificing all potential performance in order to look good when stationary. I'm sick of hearing that stanced and slammed cars have character and personality; cars are designed to be driven, and if you're sacrificing that for appearance, you're doing it wrong.

The force is strong with this one. (that's a reference to a movie made 20 years before you were born, check it out sometime)

Congrats on having owned two of my dream cars by age 17 and seemingly doing so on your own dollar.

Mathias Rios > Jonathan Harper 08/12/2014 at 18:53

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we got the old motor out but that's it. We ran out of time so it had I get towed. By is that a story if I've ever heard one

cabarne4 > Vicente Esteve 08/12/2014 at 20:06

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Yeah we had some nice cars in our lot... I had an '07 Civic Si at the time as well. But there were new Mercs, BMWs, etc. Only a handful of classics, though. My Beetle, a friend's '65 Beetle, another friend's '68 El Camino, and somebody with a '72 Nova.

n54 & s38 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/13/2014 at 14:28

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Nice car. Rare color too. Also, the M-Contour II wheels are my favorite out of all the stock E36 M3 styles.

n54 & s38 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/13/2014 at 15:06

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"cars are designed to be driven, and if you're sacrificing that for appearance, you're doing it wrong."

This. So much this.

area man > Andrew T. Maness 08/13/2014 at 15:43

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he says it was a gift from his parents

real127 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/13/2014 at 17:02

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I am wholly impressed with your writing ability. Each paragraph had a purpose and developed as it was read, pictures were thoughtfully placed, and your conclusion is a beautiful stroke of the brush. I too love the E36 M3 and almost bought one when I was 18 but I went for a motorcycle instead. Keep on driving.

Andrew T. Maness > area man 08/13/2014 at 18:42

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Ah, I missed that. I thought he bought it with the funds from his Audi sale.

RossEnzo > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/13/2014 at 21:24

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Oh man this story gets me, I'm 18 and when I was 16 I bought a C55 AMG Mercedes. I know how it feels to be look at as some spoiled kid driving his dads car. Maybe I will write an article soon!

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > area man 08/14/2014 at 02:28

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Nope, said I knew it looke that way and I've alwayd hated it that way. Saved for forever, worked two jobs, and used the funds from the Audi.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Andrew T. Maness 08/14/2014 at 02:29

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I did. Well the funds from the Audi plus money from work.

Andrew T. Maness > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/14/2014 at 11:39

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Yeah that's what I thought. Honestly the article wouldn't have worked had it just been a gift from your parents.

Side note, I'm driving my friend's '98 next weekend, anything special I should keep in mind?

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Andrew T. Maness 08/15/2014 at 15:45

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Very true. No one likes a feel-good story done the easy way.

A '98 M3? Well assuming VANOS is still working, (I once read a comment on a forum; "If it has a BMW emblem on the hood, that's typically a sign your VANOS isn't working.") Try a 5th gear highway pull. The rate at which the car gains speed is genuinely surprising. Also, the gearbox. At low speeds/city driving, for whatever reason, it feels clunky and vague. However, under slightly more aggressive driving, it feels much sharper. I can't explain it, because I don't know why. It almost feels like it pops out of gear when you change rather than just sliding it out. It feels sort of eager to get to the next gear.

Enjoy it!

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Mathias Rios 08/15/2014 at 15:46

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I'll definitely be there, and I can't wait to see the new car! It looks very promising.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 08/15/2014 at 15:49

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I've gotten very lucky. Saved for forever, bought the Neon for $3500, and progressively made money on my cars with no incidents thus far. Add in my two jobs and the fact that 90% of my money goes into my car and nothing else, and you get the M3. Had I not gotten some luck with my buyers, I would probably still be in the Neon.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Party_in_the_USA 08/15/2014 at 15:52

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My dad's a big car guy, so I've had the pleasure of being passenger in an E30 M3 several times (he owned it for almost 2 years, the longest he's ever owned a car). Very cool and super unique, but also very...different from the E36.

One thing's for sure though; its hard to beat looks-wise.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Wishin & workin for an E39 M5 08/15/2014 at 15:54

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Thanks for the kind words, and the encouragement. I'm definitely looking forward to the long road ahead, no matter how expensive.

Okay, maybe that's not true...But I'm excited nonetheless.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Your boy, BJR 08/15/2014 at 15:56

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It would have been hilarious, had one of the kids not been the one who offered me $3500 for the Audi only weeks before and had gotten an attitude when I told him it was worth much more than that.

Alas, all's well that ends well.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Wishin & workin for an E39 M5 08/15/2014 at 15:57

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Yup, the tires have been done. Wheels may be in the future, but brakes are less likely. As much as I want to, I still have to save most of my money for whatever is needed and not what is wanted.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Wishin & workin for an E39 M5 08/15/2014 at 15:58

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Wow, that is much nicer than mine.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > Your boy, BJR 08/15/2014 at 15:58

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Dad can into front bumper?

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > real127 08/15/2014 at 16:00

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Thanks a lot for your kind words.

Just out of curiosity, what kind of bike? I've always loved the idea of getting one in college, but I'm kind of scared of the danger aspect.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > RossEnzo 08/15/2014 at 16:02

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Do it! I'd read that.

Related: Dad just got a W210 E55. It's his fourth. Awesome, awesome car and powerplant.

real127 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/15/2014 at 16:17

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It was a 1999 Honda Shadow A.C.E. 750cc. I bought it 4 years ago, I went to UMass Amherst and out in central/western Massachusetts there are a lot of motorcycles so people are pretty good about looking out for them/not hitting bikers. Also the roads out there, oh, the roads! Everything is a mountain pass, it's some of the best driving I've ever had and despite being 550lbs when dry (so with me and having fluids maybe 800-850lbs) it would do 70mph literally anywhere. 0-60 in probably 4.4 seconds. It was perfect for me as an exceptionally broke college student, I took it off the road in the winters and paid about $200/year for the months I did drive it, I got 50mpg no matter how I drove, and it was impossible for people to beg for rides because of helmet laws. Even though people were still really good about looking out for bikes I was almost hit probably 5 times, no more than 7. I almost lost control of the bike because of grooved pavement, loose pavement/sand/whatever probably 3 times. It was amazing fun but somehow it lost it's joy after I graduated. Now I own a 2002 Monte Carlo SS. And an E32 735i.... And the bike........ And an E36 318i....... Damn it, I gotta sell something.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > real127 08/16/2014 at 01:12

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Strange, UMass Amherst is my number one and my favorite school so far in my never-ending college search (going into my senior year next month).

That's the thing. It appeals to me a ton, but when you mention the near-misses...it's naturally a little bit uncomforting.

AM3R > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/16/2014 at 13:28

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This was an awesome read. Very poignant for some reason haha.

How horribly expensive is insurance for a 17 y/o?

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > AM3R 08/16/2014 at 13:47

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Bad, but not too bad. Ironically the cheapest of my three cars to ensure was the decked-out, track packaged Neon, and the most expensive was the Audi.

AM3R > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/16/2014 at 14:20

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That's good to hear, and strange the audi was the most expensive!

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > AM3R 08/16/2014 at 14:22

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I thought so originally, but the more I think about it the more sense it makes. More obscure, less parts available, two doors, no stability/traction control, only two airbags...

AM3R > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/16/2014 at 14:37

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And Quattro, that always raises insurance rates.

real127 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/16/2014 at 20:58

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Stick with your car instead of a bike. You'll have as much fun are you'll have much better chances of staying alive :) A car is way more expensive and probably would have eaten all my money but it has many benefits. I loved my bike but I'm done with them.

Umass was awesome. I would recommend it. You'll love the driving in the major geographic region, it is outstanding in the autumn. Highway 202 between Rote 2 and the Quabbin lookout was my favorite and the drive from campus to Mount Holyoke has a speed limit of 50mph for a good long while. Check out South East Street to Henry Street up through Leverett/East Leverett/Market Hill Road, the driving up 116 around Sugarloaf Mountain (Sugarloaf's road was excellent on a bike but I think it would be too tight in a car). On the other side of highway 91 lie the Great Uncharted Lands of the Berkshires. I can't speak specifically about roads out there but I always had a good timeThe people at UMass were good too. There's an active car club and they organize a pretty good show every year. The cops are dicks just like everywhere else.

JoelA237 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/17/2014 at 13:13

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I daily drive a w210 E55, it is about to roll over to 250k miles, and still runs/drives/looks awesome. Your article gave me hope for the younger generation of car lovers, that it wont be all stance and stickers!

9brghtn4 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/18/2014 at 08:22

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Okay. I'm 19, and I'll be very lucky if I have a car my own before I turn 22. And even if I do, it'll probably be some VW or Citroën with about 60 hp. So yeah.

rodassecondo > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/21/2014 at 04:42

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Congrats Man ! I had my M3 3.0 coupe near my 40s and it felt like I was a young kid again. It was a brief affair, just one year and a little bit over 10000kms but it was intense. A lot of city driving without ever going to 4th or 5th, always pushing hard. Days of oversteering everywhere ! Just giving Bmw drivers bad name ! The biggest drawback was probably the noise and the attention it gets from the cops. From now, you are hooked. Bmws get under the skin.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/…

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/…

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > rodassecondo 08/21/2014 at 12:14

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Gorgeous Coupe! What did you have for exhaust in the video? It sounds amazing.

rodassecondo > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH 08/21/2014 at 12:59

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It was beautiful. It had been painted in the correct Bmw color and the inside was redone with good leather and without the silly M stripes :) But, it was lowered with eibach, so the central exaust resonator and both cats were badly damaged ( I fitted stock springs to correct that ). The bad exhaust was taking some power too. It was good to have it for a year and I sold it a few months before my country ( Portugal ) almost defaulted. It was good timing. Only put 4 back tyres , some weld on the exhaust, the stock springs and lots and lots of expensive petrol.

Btw, i hated the vaders, and if i had decided to keep the car, i would have changed them for your seats ( the ones from the vert ). My shoulders never seemed to fit properly.

I miss the s50 engine, and the lsd, but my 325i e36 is much more discreet to the cops. Im getting old so i dont care that much about the looks and 190 hp is enough for playing in our small roads filled with diesels. I just need to find a lsd ;)