2002 BMW M3: Make Some History

Good post. My dad always speaks fondly of the Mustang he owned in the 60s. I wonder if we'll consider any of these cars 'classics' in 40 years though...

Nah... I rather save up and have my kids say: "Daddy, can we go for a drive in your Corvette Z06 during weekends?"

Or I can tell me kids how mommy and daddy met when daddy was waxing his lightly modded IS350...

something tells me, that much 'oversteer' isn't the fastest way around that turn

I agree completely! However, I'd like to keep the car (hopefully an 80s 911) in good enough condition to take my kids for a ride in it.

Straight pipes aren't going to make an E46 M3 any faster.

It would actually make it accelerate slower by having less low end torque.

I grew up hearing about my father's '69 GTO, shortly thereafter traded in for a '69 911 Targa, then a '72 BMW 2002 (with blaupunkt stereo installed and "quartz halogen headlights" which could spot an armadillo in the road in Texas for a quarter mile away when doing 110mph).

I grew up hearing about how much he loved that 911, how sweet it looked and sounded. After birth, my father drove me home in a Toyota Tercel 5-speed that he drove to 200k miles. When my parents got divorced, my father picked me up every other weekend in an '88 Toyota Corolla FX...which he put over 200k miles on.

When my father moved to Italy for a 2 year tour at Sigonella Naval Air Station, he took with him a 1995 Toyota Paseo (which, by the way, he didn't change the oil on for the entire two years...and it was while Mt. Etna was erupting, so that thing inhaled volcanic ash with no oil change and kept chugging).

My father has been a Social Worker all his life with a Masters in Social Work from U. Penn.

In 2002/2003, back from Italy, he traded in his Paseo for a 1999 Porsche Boxster 5-speed.

It still makes me teary eyed to think of the old man yearning for his Porsche days for 30 years, and finally re-living it :)

Ironically, today the Porsche is in the garage except for about 2000-3000 miles a year...and what does he drive to work 50 miles each way? A craptastic toyota tacoma base model....

Joe

Good post. I am all for buying interesting cars! My girlfriend's father's last 4 cars have been Toyota Corollas. His newest one is a Maytag white '08 that he is leasing. Such a shame, IMO.

I have a 2001 M3 and before that a G35 coupe. But I've also kept around my 1996 Accord as my 'practical' car that I can commute in, drive to and park in SF, etc. But I'm really bored with it and want to buy a cheap (~$10k) semi-practical car that gets decent mileage. If anyone has suggestions let me know.

"But I'm really bored with it and want to buy a cheap (~$10k) semi-practical car that gets decent mileage. If anyone has suggestions let me know."

An older generation Civic Si or Integra GSR.

Fun, fast, cheap, decent 30+ MPG, practical and reliable.

:::sigh:::

You see, this is why I put in 50 or 60 hours a week; trying as best I can to claw my way in to the next tax bracket. The idea of a car as 'just an appliance' kills me.

One day, soon I hope, I will throw off the chains of my 1999 2.7L 4Runner and put myself into something with 6 manually shifted gears, an honest to God performance suspension, and a screaming exhaust and head for the Tail of the Dragon (Hwy 129)...

e30 BMW 325is for $4-5k
~1990-1995 Nissan 300zx
~1990 Toyota Supra
2005 Subaru Legacy GT 5-speed (these are hit and miss as far as reliability, alot of kinks were worked out, but they go for around 12k and get 20+ mpg)
1999 Porsche Boxster 5-speed
Lots of others....

I'm thinking about checking out a ~90/91 Honda Prelude SI 4-wheel-steering 5-speed model....if it is cheap and I could trade-in my 06 SI (and therefore rid myself of alot of current debt), maybe start there and explore :)

Then again, the K20z3 engine in my SI is far more advanced than the 90/91 Honda engines, and I might miss alot of the niceties of my car :)

Joe

Wallyballs - That time is now! Never have so many great performance options been so inexpensive!

Money is there to be used (except when it's there to be saved) :)

Joe

"When you grow old, and your kids ask you about the cars you used to own, don't you want to be able to tell them about the years you owned an M3?"

In the parking lot where I work, there are a hundred or two cars and maybe half a dozen M3's. Won't there really be not that much to tell or am I just jaded?

"'69 GTO, shortly thereafter traded in for a '69 911 Targa, then a '72 BMW 2002"

Sweet lineup. My hat's off to your father, Joe.

I realize that, Joe. The only problem is I plan to getting that new car with little to zero debt. So, I'll be more than happy to wait since the 4Runner is paid off, quite useful, and I'm able to squeeze 24 MPG out of it...

Alright wallyballs, but let's say someone hits your 4Runner and totals it tomorrow. You gotta buy a new car now, so what would you get?

edubya - Yeah, some rich people left my father some money and he enjoyed it on cars :)

Of course, he then got a VW bus....I don't know what happened there.

He kept the 911 shift knob as a momento for nearly 25 years. I used to love holding it....I loved it's weight, design, and logo.

Joe

"In the parking lot where I work, there are a hundred or two cars and maybe half a dozen M3's. Won't there really be not that much to tell or am I just jaded?"

7driver, you are just jaded.

The quantity of an object only determines it's exclusivity, but it doesn't take away how cool it is.

7driver, with your logic, none of those exotic and classic cars are special at the Pebble Beach event.

And all those people who compete in the Olympic are good athletics.

"7driver, with your logic, none of those exotic and classic cars are special at the Pebble Beach event."

Excuse me? Can you say 'coach-built'?

"Excuse me? Can you say 'coach-built'?"

Depends on how you look at it and how you want to argue, even those coach-build cars by Pininfarina are a dime a dozen there, there is the Hyperion, then the P4/5.....to name a few :-)

I know I am exaggerating it for fun, but you know what I meant.

Second the e30 325i/is/ic suggestion, Joe! As long as it's a manual, of course. Bought my '87 ic for 3k with 116k on the clock--so there are awesome deals out there!

I totally agree with this. My wife and I are selling our 92 Ford Taurus wagon and buying s 2001 Taurus wagon. You just can't beat the high-20s gas mileage, seating for 8, V6 power, and cargo area that can hold an entire apartment's worth of Ikea furniture (in the boxes, of course). Its a great practical car, and after a few years of saving we'll be parking a brand new Camaro SS next to it. You just can't beat that - a car with ultimate utility and frugality along with a very fun, sexy car. Every car enthusiast should have just such a garage (modified to your tastes - Miata, 350Z, M3, whatever is your style).

If only BMW had made a E46 M3 sedan.......*sigh*. I guess a ZHP E46 sedan would suffice but its just not the same.

^ Amen, brother.

I always talked about the '67 Camaro Conv. I bought in college in '81. Now that my kids are grown, I've bought the cars they tell their friends about. All are beemers. However, you don't have to spend a ton of money for a pretty cool car. I've had 2 Mini's and I loved them both. The 2007 hardtop base was a practical commuting car but a bunch of fun too even though it got up to 42mpg. There's a great article in Car and Driver this month on exciting cars for $25k or less. Most are used and pretty impressive.

Yep, I agree. I've owned several nice cars that could be considered toys and not family practical, including my Z06 which I own now. My next goal will be to keep my toys even AFTER I have kids, so that they can experience the cars first hand, instead of just me telling stories about the cars I used to own before kids.

"Alright wallyballs, but let's say someone hits your 4Runner and totals it tomorrow. You gotta buy a new car now, so what would you get?"

A neckbrace and a good lawyer. ::badum-ching::

I have no clue. To be honest, probably just a $2k beater and put the rest in the fund for later.

But...to answer the question I think your asking, I think it would come down to a Civic Si or a Mazdaspeed 3. We had an Si at the dealership I work at that I was really impressed with, and I think the positives of the Mazdaspeed 3 are well known.

Plus, I won't lie, there's still part of me that loves the old SVT Focus, although its getting hard to find one in good shape. It would be close to even money with the 4Runner, so I'd probably start there.

I want to test drive a SVT Focus but there aren't many for sale around me. The 5 dr Euro Package in particular is the model I'd most likely want to get. The dash is terrible though, and the standard (non-Euro) seats are ugly too. I did test drive a Protege5 and it was just too weak. No power at all.

For all you people who say that the M3 is common (like 7-driver who says there are a dozen in his parking lot, and thus, would never tell his grandkids about an M3).

Well, there a big difference between seeing an M3 and driving one. I wouldn't tell my grandkids that I SAW a Ferrari in 1992 on I-5, but I would tell them about the 1998 Corvette Convertible I drove.

"Well, there a big difference between seeing an M3 and driving one."

Seriously...

Is the M3 a great handling car? You betcha.

Is the M3 really really that special? Not a chance.

I would say it's more special than 2/3 of the cars on the road. Plus, it may be a classic in 20 years, as the last good looking BMW before the Bangle era of flamed broiled cars.