A Journey to Not Be Repeated

"GTiceman" (gticeman)
03/24/2015 at 17:32 • Filed to: BMW, M3, Racecar

So I recently took a trip to New Orleans for my birthday and St. Patrick's day, but that has little relevance to the story. Where we shall begin is when my girlfriend and I left New Orleans, we did not return home to Philadelphia, no we flew to Orlando to meet a gentleman, term used very loosely, about a car. This was no ordinary car, this was suppose to be a "turn-key" streetable-track car. My girlfriend and I landed around noon ET and were greeted by the individual who I had never met, only spoken to, in order for him to transport us to his home to look at the car. At this point I am sure you are all asking "What kind of car?!?"

Now, I had a PPI done by Precision Sport Industries in Florida so I was aware of the general being of the car such as a crack in the bumper, the pain not being perfect, etc. The biggest issue, at the time, was the subframe had started to show signs of cracking. Now the individual who was selling the car did adjust the price for me so I could have my own shop fix it. Back to the arrival, after giving the car a once over we proceeded to the bank and the DMV which took forever, then a brief stop at UPS to ship 2 tires. We then returned to the house to prep the car for the journey home. This is where the fun really begins.

The individual, let's call him "D", had stated that a box of parts, which he detailed out would be included in the sale. This "box" turned out to be 3-4 random boxes, mostly with junky trim and the real parts scattered about. The one part missing, the TMS Subframe Reinforcement kit that he specifically was including and obviously directly correlates to the biggest issues I knew about with the car. In addition, I was buying the car with an extra set of wheel wrapped in RS3s, which were still on the car, contrary to our agreement that the stock 18s with whatever tires would be mounted. So I had to help D switch the wheels and tires, then load the track set into the car, only to find out he had no torque wrench. D just bought a GTS3 race car and was replacing this car with that one. Furthermore, D had built custom door panels for the car out of aluminum since the stock ones were removed, however he never fitted pull cables or a release strap on the inside so we had to reach outside the car to let ourselves out. Finally, after loading everything up and getting my girlfriend into the seats and harnesses we start to leave ... at 5pm. D then begins to use a razor blade to scrape off tint and the ugly decals you see above, which also was suppose to be removed prior to my arrival. I told him to stop and that we needed to go having not had any food other than airline peanuts for about 10-11 hours now.

That night we drove to Savannah, GA as my girlfriend had never been and stopped along the way for fuel as seen above. The car drove surprising well considering the stiff suspension and race seats. The drone however from the lack of sound deadening was unbearable for the journey back to PA, something which we attempted to rectify the next day. The car also has 90A motor mounts so stopping and idling was a bit rough. The next morning I awoke to a gloomy and rainy Savannah. I went down to fetch my girlfriend's suitcase to only behold the fact that the sunroof delete was improperly sealed and leaking all over my passenger seat. D's response to my text was sorry the sealant must have dried out...really!!!! Why did you not use weatherproof silicone like everyone else on the planet. I quickly got Gorilla Tape from The Home Depot and plastic bags to cover her seat so we could go to breakfast. The roof began to leak again so we went to Lowe's I purchased FlexSeal, as seen on TV, and to my amazement it stopped the leak ... for a while. Mind you we were driving around, in the rain, so the flex seal never had the proper time to cure so I reapplied it at every stop. In the end it did it's job, though not a pretty one. We then ran to Target to get ear plugs for the following day.

After spending the day in Savannah, we got a good night's rest to begin the long journey to almost home. See it was the first day of Spring, but it was snowing in PA so we elected to stop just north of DC to spend the night and miss the weather. The drive was long, we stopped only for fuel and for lunch with the exception of this one pit stop below as my girlfriend had never been.

After getting lunch at the next exit down, we got back on the road. The car lights up like a Christmas tree on the inside due to the wonderful job by D.

The washer fluid indicator, oh yea that is because D removed the reservoir ... another surprise to me. The SES and Traction light are believed to be due to the SMG to 6MT swap that was done on the car. The TPMS and Seatbelts are self explanatory. The last one, the tail light out was because D forced the wrong bulb into the socket and I believe permanently damaged it, something I just discovered yesterday.

So after 11+ hours of driving, losing our hearing, and somewhat needing a chiropractor ... I have a track car. My girlfriend did very little complaining the whole time, she must love me very much. So now the real work begins. I have fabbed up two temporary door releases. Removed the decals on the front and rear windows. Began removing the crappy tint. Started removing the random wiring harnesses that lead nowhere that D left in the car unconnected. Goal is to run at Palmer in May, which I have already paid for. The car generally drives great so we shall see. One last picture for now.

DISCUSSION (92)

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 17:39

So, what do you do for a living?

vwbeamer > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 17:39

I always have problems with buying cars from Florida, what is up with that state!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 17:43

119

Hold on to that girlfriend! Quite the trooper to put up with all that madness.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 17:52

So does D stand for Dummy, Douche, or D!#K

CaptDale - is secretly British > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 17:53

I want a track car... I need a raise!

E. Julius > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!
03/24/2015 at 17:53

Doug?

Dsscats > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 17:56

You get the Opponaut stamp of approval.

midengineer > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 18:01

That almost sounds tame considering you bought an old, modified BMW.

AM3R shamefully returns > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 18:02

Fuck that seller, hope he gave you some money back. Hope you enjoy the E46 though, awesome cars.

nermal > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 18:08

This is why buying other people's projects is so cheap.

This is also why buying other people's projects is not worth it.

JNova > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 18:10

Palmer done in may?! Last video i saw looked like the movie cliffhanger without ropes

BKRM3 > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 18:14

Good thing I made you take pictures to send us, otherwise you'd have none for this post. You're, like, totally welcome.

scoob > Dsscats
03/24/2015 at 18:18

Then his girlfriend gets the Certificate of Approval. Twice.

E92M3 > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 18:30

Thank you for buying an existing track car INSTEAD of buying a mint E46 M3 to turn into a track car.

Your boy, BJR > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 18:30

Honest question: what did you expect?

Really, you bought a decade old track prepped home built BMW, sight unseen, what did you expect?

Not trying to be a dick at all, maybe things are different in the track-prepped car world, but ANY used car I buy, I expect problems to arrive almost immediately.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 18:36

Guy buys other guys project car sight-unseen and it has a few issues on drive back. In other news, a cat pooped today and grass is green.

Seriously, you got off easy with that one. Looks like a damn nice car though.

GTiceman > GTiceman
03/24/2015 at 20:04

As a reply to many, was I surprised at most of these things, no. The roof yes. If you read, overall we enjoyed the trip and we knew it would be rough but we are always up for adventures. D was a nice guy, just a bit off. There was more to this all.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > nermal
03/24/2015 at 22:36

I think they can be worth it if the seller is forthcoming about all issues. Therein lies the hard part.

nermal > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!
03/25/2015 at 10:02

Yup. Exactly.

Rows His Own > E92M3
03/25/2015 at 10:11

Agreed. I love my 911, but sometimes i do regret letting a MINT E46 go. One day in the future, but probably going to S85 it for shits and giggles.

captdownshift > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 10:52

I approve of this insanity and hope that you got a great deal. This also makes me want to start sorting my DSM which has been siting for far too long.

Evlo > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 10:56

Sounds like the better then average shape for used bmw to me

MC2017 > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 10:57

I don't see the problem. It's a track car, therefore it's not perfect. Your girlfriend is certainly a trooper if she can put up with your whining. I kid, kind of. Try driving a 88 535i that is track prepped with CUT Eibach springs from Philly to Birmingham with road construction half the time. The only time I've ever considered seeing a chiropractor.

Dolemite > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
03/25/2015 at 10:58

"My girlfriend did very little complaining the whole time". This was the most unbelievable part of the story. That's a keeper.

thebigbossyboss > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 10:58

Your girlfriend is a champ mate!! Nice car. PS you don't hear the droning after a while I have driven an incredibly loud car form 110,000 kms now and can barely hear it anymore. Also I don't hear so good anymore, not sure if related.

DDGDriver > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:01

Try hardmotorsports for RS style door pulls. A bit over the top, but I have a set waiting to be installed on my e36 M3 track/street/autocross car that I purchased off craigslist a few years ago. I had mismatched door pulls, missing trim, and need to reseat the door card with new clips, so I figured, what the hell. Cheaper than an actual RS!

Brian Tschiegg > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:02

a "turn-key" streetable-track car

"Streetable" has a completely different definition in the Sunshine State.

Eric G. > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:03

Reminds me of a 'nice' e46 m3 I bought from a 'reputable' shop in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Had it posted online. Looked great in his crappy photos, said maintenance was all up to date and everything looked wonderful. I sent him a deposit through paypal, had my bank send him a check since we were financing, and flew out to pick it up.

Very cloudy day and I couldn't really tell how awful it was until I get it back home. Sold it to me with bald tires, the wrong size front tires, no floor mats, missing any accessories and navigation dvd.

had the tamper light on the dash, rear bulb errors and the headlights were useless(bulbs were loose in the housings).

Get it home find he swapped out the LCM(or his employee did) to one without auto headlights, hence the rear bulb error since they were led's(also caused the tamper light), he had mentioned he would have his friend at the dealership repaint the front bumper, but it looks like they resprayed the entire car, runs and orange peel everywhere.

Guy called me anal in an email because I had these complaints. Should have gotten a PPI but live and learn right? Did a bit of research into the guy and found he had a decent criminal history for drug dealing and the like.

Anyways, if anyone is ever there, I can't recommend R&I Motorsports to anyone after what happened.

Bigjack > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:05

what exactly did you think would happen when you drove a race car across country? It was loud?

Daniel > Brian Tschiegg
03/25/2015 at 11:06

In Orlando? No, it means what it does in the rest of the country. Roads are shit here.

SalPic > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:06

Dammit, Orlando. Dammit.

-SalPic, Orlando-area resident.

Gary Yogurt > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:07

I did pretty much the same thing with a seemingly well-cared-for, Nixon-era Volvo. (Except I flew to northern Vermont.) The car's glowing description slowly undid itself on the drive back to Maryland. This was going to be a daily-driver and I did not appreciate the growing list of needs as I tried to have a relaxing ride home.

In hindsight, I think my expectations were too high for a 40-year-old car. Definitely learned a lesson and I'm not scarred enough to give up hope for another similar trip in the future.

It's pronounced "Deer-Tay" > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!
03/25/2015 at 11:07

Yeah, trying to get a seller to be honest about their project is really hard. I got lucky with my Z28, the guy I bought it from saved literally every receipt. Oil, light bulbs, all of them.

Driving_Impaired > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:09

Why in the world would you buy a track car sight unseen with the intention of driving it 1000+ miles with an extra set of wheels and your poor girlfriend!? Holy shit, I am all for an adventure but that is borderline torturous.

Pay the grand it costs to have it shipped. Well worth avoiding every problem you mentioned in your story.

It's pronounced "Deer-Tay" > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:09

Wow, how do you sit comfortably with balls that big? If you told me to go buy a home-modded BMW and drive it from FL to PA, I would have brought my truck and a trailer. Congrats on making it back OK and have fun racing that thing!

Vic788 > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:09

this why you rent a uhal and trailer a car back or rent a uhaul for a track day to take your car to the track and you will have a ride back home.

drivesatruck_notaredneck > Your boy, BJR
03/25/2015 at 11:21

Yeah i was thinking the same thing.. I mean the door panels had no interior release.. that had to speak to the build quality.

ACRGirl > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:24

Kinja'd!!!

When I drove from NY to FL, I regretted not stopping here, they have 8 million billboards and seem to sell EVERYTHING

TrackPlz > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:30

Kinja'd!!!

Do yourself a favor and replace that (half) "cage" with something more functional.

You can (sometimes) get away with bolt-in cages when the bolts are at the mount points (and those mount points are properly chosen and, frequently, reinforced). Bolts anywhere else? Not good. A cage structure is only as strong as its weakest link.

But, with that taken care of as well as the various gremlins, looks like you'll have a fun track-sled on your hands. Here was mine (which was crashed by the guy who bought it, then raised from the dead by a guy in CT): http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/track-specd-z4…

jaywright > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:33

You need to marry that girl and not let her get away! Any woman that is willing to ride in track car, in wet seat, and is rattled to death and loses her hearing is a keeper.

Good luck with your project! Keep us updated!

Humpty-D > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:34

Ugh, that sucks man. Glad to hear you made it back.

I went through a similar situation when I purchased an E46M. The plane landed, he picked us up to test drive the car.... and then the SES light came on. Went to the dealer and the cats were out, which required a 5 hour job to replace, so we waited and hit the road late and drove 10 hours straight. Brutal stuff.

What all is done to the car?

burner'down > scoob
03/25/2015 at 11:36

His girlfriend gets whatever she damn well wants, for that mishegas .

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:36

What part of PA you at?

Bring it to Pitt Race, or Mid Ohio

Have Jeep, will travel. > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:36

Buys beat up, butchered E46 M3 "track car" sight unseen for an 11 hour drive and is surprised he didn't get what he bargained for. Color me surprised. ..........

Qurkless Hero > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:37

I actually live next to that shop. They always seem to have something interesting they are working on behind those gates.

rayJoyal > Driving_Impaired
03/25/2015 at 11:43

No way. That's the point.

In 2011 I flew to Arizona with a friend and bought a 1980 Corvette for $5000. The plan was true road-kill style - drive it 2000 miles back home to Winnipeg in less than 4 days.

On the way, we saw carhenge.

We also had to deal with persistent brake trouble (2 calipers, one hard line, bleeding the brakes in walmart parking lots) and oil leaks (valve cover gaskets, valve covers, siliconing the intake on Easter Sunday in nowheres-ville South Dakota and driving it at 50mph to keep the oil from streaming out.)

My buddy STILL thinks it was the best road trip ever. I was amazed we made it home in one piece.

nigrojohannesburg > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:45

should have bought a vette

DanPadge > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 11:57

Been there, done that!

1. Find awesome streetable track car online far away but close enough to consider getting. Look at pictures, talk to seller, think "Yeah, this thing is sweet & most of the work is done for me!"

2. Go to get car, find out it's not quite what the seller made it out to be, tell yourself "It's still a great deal and I can fix these little things no prob. Yup, still (mostly) excited!"

3. Pay the man then spend the rest of the day getting the car ready and doing all the things the seller promised to do, but apparently thought would magically happen as soon as money changed hands.

4. Leave after sundown and as the hours go by, discover more hackjobs, bandaids and straight WTF workmanship, think "You fucker. You sold this because you knew this thing has so many shit patches that it needs to be completely redone to function."

5. Attempt to justify that it's not a shitheap to the Mrs., try to deny the "I told you so's"

Driving_Impaired > rayJoyal
03/25/2015 at 11:58

Doing it with your buddy...? Yes.

Doing it with your girlfriend...? Recipe for disaster.

And again, it was basically a track car. Which, in a way, isn't much different than a 1980 corvette but still. Who wants to drive a stripped, non-insulated track car 1000+ miles!?

If it was a still completely stock m3 then yes, no big deal. But a modified one, no thanks.

CaptainBoss > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 12:01

You should be buying a ring for your girlfriend, stat.

Restless in the Passenger's Seat > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!
03/25/2015 at 12:19

It's a track car, neglecting to mention the washer reservoir and sunroof delete sealant not being the best, and every idiot light illuminated are kinda par for the course. I think this article should be titled "Why My GF is Awesome"

Brian Tschiegg > Daniel
03/25/2015 at 12:25

Although infrastructure is lacking, I was referring to the fact that you can get a license plate for almost anything down here. I saw a guy on 408 cruise past me doing well over 100 in what looked like a v-10 motor with three wheels spacetubed to it. It had a legitimate Florida license plate.

charrigan > Driving_Impaired
03/25/2015 at 12:26

My exact thoughts the entire time I read the article. Many poor choices imo.

Quade > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 12:34

Keep a close eye on that subframe. I've seen one fix that seems to really work. Installing a section of square tubing from framerail to framerail in the trunk, welded liberally to the floor of the trunk which keeps the sheet metal from flexing. It's the flexing that eventually cracks the sheet metal.

Kinja'd!!!

Leonard1818 > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 12:35

I find myself asking what the point of this story is... I'm sorry.

"Guy buys track car, sight unseen, and drives it from FL to PA" Everything mentioned in the story is to be expected. I found myself waiting for the part where "guy finds $250,000 worth of pure Columbian "snow" stashed inside one of the wheel wells"... or some other climactic turning point in the story.

Quade > AM3R shamefully returns
03/25/2015 at 12:38

In VA, once the deal is done, it's done. Unless you can prove the seller lied which is pretty hard, you own the car. Every private party sale in VA is "as is". I don't think the seller owes him anything. He had the PPI done.

MaxM > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 13:07

are you on M3forum?

Vintage1982Benz > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 13:09

Kinja'd!!!

Nice.

rayJoyal > Driving_Impaired
03/25/2015 at 13:13

My wife is totally understanding.

She went "halfers" on the Trans Am. She even bought me nitrous for a wedding anniversary present. I guess that's why I married her.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > rayJoyal
03/25/2015 at 13:17

now that is truely an understanding and caring wife.

Malforus > Daniel
03/25/2015 at 13:39

Except for the complete lack of inspections done in Land of Meth, sunshine, oranges and poverty.

As a result there is stuff that is on the roads in Florida that would be denied entry to a junk yard in other states.

doubleshotpower > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 13:40

Why is the last picture of you sitting in the car??? Nobody gives a shit what you look like.

We want to see the girl, buddy.

ikutoisahobo > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 13:43

How much was it? It doesn't seem like a very well built car especially since the owner did not even have a torque wrench.

LS POWA! > rayJoyal
03/25/2015 at 13:43

You paid money for a 1980 corvette?

ScientistintheSouth > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 13:48

Why is everyone so surprised that his girlfriend was not only a) understanding b) didn't complain the whole time? I even see "recipe for disaster" and "unbelievable" in these comments...

Not only can women *enjoy* cars and the adventures associated with them, but you have no idea, she could have been part of the encouraging factor to get the car in the first place. There are plenty of women out there who appreciate and own enthusiast cars AND don't spend all their time whining. Crazy! It's like women are actual people with varied personalities and interests!

Not saying this wasn't quite the adventure/clusterfuck though, it definitely was! Hope you both relaxed after the stressful weekend!

Det. John Kimble > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 13:49

Who the fuck puts on lug nuts with a torque wrench.

Bernice V. Friedman > nermal
03/25/2015 at 14:11

Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job I've had. LastThursday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go? to tech tab for work detail,,,,,,,

http://www.netjob80.Com

B_dol > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 14:43

Cool car and a nice story (in hindsight hah!). What else are you rocking in the garage?

Kylemaro > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 14:52

finish flipping that car, sell it. use the money to buy a ring and marry that woman

Kylemaro > It's pronounced "Deer-Tay"
03/25/2015 at 14:53

i do that with mine

EtrnL_Frost > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
03/25/2015 at 14:58

This was the main takeaway to this entire story.

Kylemaro > scoob
03/25/2015 at 15:00

one on each boob.... hehe bewbz

jjhats > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 15:17

can someone explain why sunroof delete is a thing? ill go out on a limb and say I understand the appeal of a slicktop car for racing, more headroom for helmet more structural rigidity less weight lower center of gravity etc. but by taking a perfectly functional sunroof and plastering it in sealant gives you zero of those benefits exceot maybe making it look like a slicktop on the outside. idk Im just sick of people thinking its a benefit or uber rare or that slicktop=automatic race car

Fred von Halem > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 15:28

Awesome! I can't wait to buy my next car and road trip it home.

M3BimmerBilly > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 15:43

This must have been a fire sale price to even entertain that car.

landrover 96 > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 17:02

hey you have to appreciate a girls who can withstand that for a whole dive home from fl to pa

gravit8 > Daniel
03/25/2015 at 17:12

Call me when it starts snowing, or you have freezing rain on a regular basis, and the state of Florida decides to dump an acid/salt solution on the roads every day for 3 months in a row. Then we'll compare potholes mmmkay?

MrEvil > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 17:29

Must have been a heck of a deal to put up with so much being not-right with the car upon seeing it in person. I hope you got a killer deal man.

bsd103 > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 18:44

Big Money Waste

Mark > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 22:01

Reminds me of the time I bought a 2006 built Z06 that sat and was titled as an 07 and wasn't sold until 2008 that needed the heads done, the clutch done, there was an electrical short in the passenger air bag, another short with the steering wheel position sensor. I'm glad I sold it for what I owed on it and it still had power train warranty thru feb of 2013...when I bought a C7. Never again will I buy a used sports car unless it's a Ferrari GTB from 68-72...or a Ford GT of any year.

Dusty Ventures > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 22:08

I can't tell you how many rally cars I've seen/been in that have leaks where the sunroof used to be. $150k+ builds, cars that have won national championship-level events, and they couldn't figure out how to stop it from leaking.

ckvoncan > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 22:09

Kinja'd!!!

Chili today, hot tamale!

Branden J -Reading the Manual > GTiceman
03/25/2015 at 22:14

This is completely unrelated to your entire post (which I did enjoy reading, very much), but in that last picture you bear a striking resemblance to Kevin Bacon.