Closed out 2013 with a drive

"Battery Tender Unnecessary" (carac)
12/31/2013 at 17:19 • Filed to: E39 M5, E30 M3

And I might open 2014 with one of the most Jalop cars I can think of. Going to look at at something tomorrow. Assuming the rust is as minimal as it appears in the photos, get hype for something old, special...and relatively cheap.

Anywho. It's been a couple of "warm" days here (mid-40s) following a good couple of rainy days. This means dry roads that have been cleared of salt, which was a perfect excuse to pull the M5 and M3 out for a drive.

Thanks to the weather it had been about a month since I'd driven either and man do they make a good impression after you've basically been driving a rental car for a week (Christmas with family in Florida).

It's been a great year on Jalopnik and Oppo. Here's to 2014 and more hoonage to come.

DISCUSSION (15)

Brian Silvestro > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/31/2013 at 17:22

Happy new year! I'm thinking Alfa Romeo for that car you're checking out.

Leadbull > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/31/2013 at 17:32

Dude. Are you getting that Beta Zagato on eBay? Dude. Duuuuuuude

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Leadbull
12/31/2013 at 17:38

He better.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > Leadbull
12/31/2013 at 17:38

Oh crap, hadn't seen that, but that's awesome...and not far. I drove down to Charlotte to pick up the M5 (guy had just moved from Cali. it had been there since new). One of my best friends growing up had a Spyder.

Tom McParland > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/31/2013 at 17:42

Wait you have an E30 M3, an SLS and an E39 M5...and an i8 on order?

That is one hell of a garage...can't wait to see what you add next. :)

Leadbull > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/31/2013 at 17:43

Kinja'd!!!

Battery Tender Unnecessary > Tom McParland
12/31/2013 at 18:03

Hehe, it's a relatively rare version of one of the best selling cars of all time and it's less than $5k. I'm in the mood for something cheap and reliable I can absolutely cane and run the wheels off. Also something I can easily work on (no special tools) and rebuild the engine for less than a grand if I had to. I've had a autotrader alert looking for one for over a year and this is the first one I've seen in that time...and it's just two hours away.

The next big thing (besides the i8) will be putting up a steel building to use as a garage/shop/man cave. Nothing extravagant but a nice place to keep the toys. I'm running out of space. :D

Tom McParland > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/31/2013 at 18:05

Hmm rare version of a best selling car...Celica All-Trac?

Battery Tender Unnecessary > Tom McParland
12/31/2013 at 18:36

Getting warmer. I'll leave it a mystery for now. But I'll leave it by saying it's one of the few cars that will make me audibly gasp when I see one on the street (I've only seen one on the street) and at the same time, non-car people are dumbfounded that I would want one.

Tom McParland > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/31/2013 at 19:31

Kinja'd!!!

I think i got it...

Battery Tender Unnecessary > Tom McParland
12/31/2013 at 19:47

You're good at this ;)

The looks I get when I show people what I'm going to look at are hilarious.

Tom McParland > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/31/2013 at 20:28

Duuuuude...that shit is awesome. I know you want a cheap project but you should totally leave the exterior stock...but tune it to hunt some Toyobarus.

Hope you get it, can't wait to read the updates! :)

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Battery Tender Unnecessary
01/08/2014 at 17:38

Can't say I'm no jealous...

If you had to choose to keep just one of these two, would it be the E30, no question?

Also, since I'm assuming that these two BMWs are a couple of your all-time favorites, if you could add one more out of production car with a roundel on the hood to your stable, what what it be?

Battery Tender Unnecessary > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
01/08/2014 at 18:46

Yeah, the E30 would stay if I HAD to choose, no question. Other all time favorites are the E28 M5 and the E46 M3. I had a E46 for about a decade. During that time it was rear ended twice and clipped on the right once. The only non-maintenance thing it needed was a replacement of the diff seals at 93k miles. When I get another it will be a manual, have fewer miles, and no accidents.

But my #1 most wanted BMW is a M1. You could buy a decent one for $70-80k 6 years ago, but you'd be hard pressed to find one under $125k these days.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Battery Tender Unnecessary
01/09/2014 at 09:07

My family lived in Germany when the M1s were actively racing (I was a baby), and it was my brother's dream car. He actually got to see one on the road a few days before we all came back to the States. I still send him pictures I come across from time to time - his want has not waned.

I've always loved the timeless design of the E39 and E46, but the classic lines of the E34 and E28 draw me more and more as time goes on. I'll have to be content with my E90 for now, but look forward to adding a simple and light classic when family and finances allow. Or an Elise or Caterham...

I assume you've read this: http://www.m3post.com/goodiesforyou/…