Very true. Once you start looking and realize finding one with options spec'd the way you like is rare you jump on it when you finally find one. I did the same as you after over a year of watching inventory. Enjoy your new ride.

 

Looking at inventories is like going to the dealer: once you "start shopping", you're buying something. It doesn't matter what make or model, Porsches just bring out more desire and motivation to obtain than many others...

 

Larry,

Did you trade in your E92 M3 for an E92 M3 Comp????? Or is that what your planning to do. Not worth it IMO but thats just me.

Moving on, yeah being in this forum makes me want to spend money on things that I normally would not. The forum makes me worry about things that I should not worry about. And, want things that I do not need.... its great

Jason

 

The 2011 M3 has significant improvements plus my old M3 did have 36K miles on it . The trade in was quite good because had it not been I would have kept the car .
The next generation M3 will not come out until after the 328 (2013 Model year ) , then the coupe (2014 model year ) , then the vert and m3 (2014 or 2015 ? ). By them my 08 car would have no warranty and well over 60K miles as its a DD .

For me .. it was worth it .
This is what my car will be like minus the DCT (I got 6speed) . I did add the perfornace parts and today included the carbon bits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBcH_F6IA80

 

Larry,

I am an even bigger M3 nerd than I am a Porsche nerd. As you know, I had an 08 M3 prior to my 997 and own an E36 M3. I think I am a member of just about every BMW forum known to man.

If I could only have one car, I would have an E92 M3. Its the last in a line of great BMW Motorsport NA vehicles. If you have the money, the improvements to some of the more complicated systems (EDC now DDC for the Comp and DCT- believe the software upgrades go back to 08 if need them) is probably worth it. From what I have seen, the Comp package is not worth the upgrade but I have not driven one.

The below review of the M3 Comp on Top Gear is pretty funny. Not that I buy into much Jeremy has to say about German cars.

http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/02/21/to...e-vs-audi-rs5/

The Comp

 

That was a sweet vid.

 

The Top Gear videos wre blocked . I consideed Dct but already have the PDK and wanted the diversity of having a manual . Also i have read about a few early gremlins with Dct and if I can stay out of having to go through BMW service it's a plus .

As for the price fopr comp package . It's 2500 bucks . I think its worth it just for the wheels alone . Factoring in what it cost to own the last M3 the car really is a bargain and yes I do agree -- its the last great NA BMW .

 

Larry, you very well know how close I was to pulling the trigger on a particular 911 variant recently ... these forums help us enhance the ownership experience but at the same time if you don't have self control you can easily get carried away by some of the posts. Then you quickly fail to realize how lucky you are in the first place to own such wonderful cars coz you are already thinking about moving on to a "better" car and you get into this cloud of unhappiness each time you drive your 100K car which is often out of reach for 90% of the population. So it is nice when all of us take a step back and appreciate how lucky we are to have such good taste in cars and have the wallet to support that.

 

Cars have always been very appealing to me. I look around in my region and can't help but notice those who buy a beautiful home yet drive a Camry . The funny thing (or maybe not so funny) is that my 08 M3 and my 07 997 Turbo depreciated less than many of the homes purchased in this region in those years .

I can still remember a day back in the early 1990's when I had an old neighbor (he moved) who loved landscape . He poured so much time and money into his garden and seemed disturbed that I could care less about mine . A week before Hurricane Andrew he sat outside tending his yard and pointed out how mine could look .

Well -- we all pick and choose what we value .

Woot -- if you and i ever get together we could have a lot of fun between all these cars deciding which to drive .

 

Larry,

Here is a great vid for you....

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=528615

BMW Performance exhaust sounds great. I still think if I already had an E92 M3, I would just add coilovers, wheels, and buy the exhaust separately. The 2009 and later Idrive is a big improvement though...

Jason

 

Congrats Larry, I love the E92 M and as u mentioned will sadly be the last NA one along with all the other M cars.

I recently attended a DE at Homestead and the best sounding "street car" there was an E92 M. It was running a very loud exhaust but it sounded spectacular.

Ken

 

I will indeed, and hope to post a few pics when she arrives. Hopefully in a couple of weeks!

 

Especially when the nearest dealer is 5-6 hours away... I would tell myself that I am still researching, etc... But reading all these posts, checking inventories, and memorizing the specs will only lead to one thing...

 

I did watch the Top Gear video on their site .
Just as Clarkson has an opinion so to the dozens of journalists who write words of praise (google search "M3 competition package")
Opinion differs from FACT .. however . The facts are that BMW rigorously tests their vehicles too . The facts are that a shared daily driver won't see those track driving limits but i do like the wheels and feel they are worth 2500 .

BTW ... even clarkson notes the weight savings and suspension upgrades and why his lap test gave him identical results raises questions like is the one test sufficient ? Did the human component play a role ? Did climate play a role? Why didn't he offer an explanation as to why his results fell out of line with physics ?

BTW .. I would say the same to the auto journalists who write praise too . They don't write articles for free and that in itself creates bias . In fact if everyone took journalistic press as FACT .. everyone would have bought a GtR three years ago .

As for the exhaust vs aftermaket ---
BMW in my region is not mod friendly and service locally can be quite challenging .
My girlfriend is the primary driver and drops the BMW off for service. In order for us both can enjoy the car .. we will leave the car stock .

 

I miss not having my M3 . I surrendered my 08 car two days ago so i am M3 less until the new one comes . That V8 does have a nice note and I can't wait to see the new exhaust in person .

Thanks for the kind thoughts .