Hey All and Thanks! Warning long post :)

[lawjizams]

I just signed up to this forum and wanted to introduce myself. I have just recently ordered a 2009 SSII E90 M3 6MT with all the goodies I wanted. The reason I say thanks is because reading this forum finally made me decide which car I wanted. This is my first new car purchase ever and wanted it to be something awesome. I currently own 2 cars. A 1985 Volvo 740 (which is my DD) and a 1988 500rwhp Foxbody Mustang (The Weekend Warrior). I was originally looking at a new car back in 06 and had my eyes set on a 2007 Volvo S60R. The reason is due that my current Volvo is running strong with 250k miles and I never had any real problems out of the car and wanted a strong reliable car in the long run. I saw that this car had some sweet performance upgrades and can be chipped to bring in some good power. Remind you at this time I had my eyes on the BMW 335i as well and heard the rave about this car. So last year around this time I was torn between the 335i and Volvo S60R and thought it was time for a test drive. I knew performance wise the 335i would be the better choice but me being a dedicated Volvo enthusiast decided to give the S60R at least a chance. Now where I'm located the Volvo dealerships did not have the S60R in stock and it is a rare car to find. So I (me and my older brother) had to travel up to Richmond which is over 100 miles from where I live to test drive the S60R. I finally arrived and test drove the S60R and was apparently disappointed (My brother too). The power (300hp/295TQ) did not feel like 300hp/295TQ. I wasn’t sure if the car was a lemon or what. I knew about the bad turning radius already and that wasn’t a bother due that my Mustangs turn radius sucks and I can live with it. My brother took a test drive in the Volvo and got on it pretty well in the high rev band and I was still not satisfied. This car was a 6MT and not the auto that I read and heard was slower in comparison. Anyway I have to say I was very disappointed with the car, in fact they are no longer making them anymore. The only positive I saw were the seats where very comfortable. Well next was the BMW dealership which was right next to the Volvo dealership and I thought hey maybe they have the 335i sedan. The dealer was very friendly and I was able to get a test drive. I got in and all I got to say is wow! This car got up and took off like nothing and it was the auto which I saw in reviews that faired well compared to the manual. This car was just as fast as my mustang when I had 280rwp and I was thinking this car has to have more then 300HP at the crank. My brother also thought the same thing as well. So due to my job requiring me to travel out of the country for months at a time. I decided to hold off on the 335i until I got back home the following year. During this time I heard that the new M3 was going to be released and saw that a sedan version was going to be available and when I saw the pictures all I was thinking was I kept up with all the reviews of the M3sedan vs ISF vs C63 vs RS4 and the M3 was on top every time. So I finally came home and saw that my Little Brother not my older has purchased a 2003 E46 M3. I got in and drove that car with the sport button and was like damn this car handles like a dream. So now I got to test drive the new M3. Now before I went to the dealer I was thinking if I'm going to spend 60k+ on a brand new M3 let me look around. I saw online at the same dealer where I drove the 335i had a 2006 BMW M5 for 60k. I decided to call up my older brother and make the trip. I got there and spoke with the same exact sales rep I had before and managed a test drive in the M3 sedan and M5. I have to say both cars are very awesome but for some reason the M5's SMG tranny felt sluggish. Overall the sound of the V10 was unbelievable. It was a certified pre-own with 20k miles with every option including navigation. The current warranty was still good until 2010 and BMW tacked another 2 years on the warranty making it a nice deal. Next was the M3 and I really loved how it handled and drove. I noticed that it didn’t have the power/torque like the 335i but I knew it was like that because the M3 loves to rev up high and the car had less then 100 miles in it. I knew that this car needs to be driven hard to feel the performance. Also I didn’t want to mess up this cars break in period. Now after that test drive I wasn’t sure which car I wanted to get thinking the test drive would settle my decision. The dealer decided to run the numbers and said I would get a deal on the M5. I guess because it was sitting on the lot for a while and they are trying to get rid of it. The color and interior was perfect due that it’s the same color on the M3 I ordered. It came down to 57k out the door and the M3 sedan came out to 65k with all the options I selected. This made my decision even harder to decide. My older brother was really leaning toward the M5 when I asked him. Then I thought about that sluggish tranny, I wasn’t sure if it supposed to be like that or if that was the way it supposed to be. Not to mention I was flying out the next week to Japan and wasn’t going to be home until next spring or so. So I went with my gut and decided on the M3 sedan. After I made that decision I felt really happy about the decision and I'm definitely looking forward to getting my car next year. My dealer is going to place my order where it’s convenient for me to pick up next year when I get back from Japan. So I guess hard work and patience pays off in the long run. I never knew what to expect if it wasn’t for the good thread topics in this forum. Thanks


Cliff Notes-

Test drove the 2007 Volvo S60R (very disappointed but likely a lemon and will test drive again to let the car redeem itself as a replacement to my current Volvo)

Test drove the 2007 335i Sedan (Absolutely amazing machine, would've been my choice if the M3 sedan didn’t exist)

Test drove the 2006 M5 (Amazing car but tranny was questionable at the time. Pretty sure the 2009 on the lot was rock solid but my budget wasn’t 100k )

Test drove the 2008 M3 sedan (Amazing car overall and happy with my decision)

[Krueger///M3]

Congrats and welcome! I enjoyed your story very much.

[booforty]

Congratulations on your order! The SII is a gorgeous colour. Great write-up and story too

[dawgdog]

Good decision. The M5 is just too big and lacks agility. The 335 is nice (I owned a tuned one), but the M is an M and you will only really appreciate it when you are able to put a little stress on the car. Congratulations!

[Ken37.73]

Originally Posted by dawgdog

Good decision. The M5 is just too big and lacks agility. The 335 is nice (I owned a tuned one), but the M is an M and you will only really appreciate it when you are able to put a little stress on the car. Congratulations!

what he said !

[xsilvor]

Congrats on the first post and congrats on the car I bet it really was hard to decide between the M3 and the M5 with a deal like that (though 20K miles is a bit higher than I would like if it were me).

In the future, don't forget about the "Enter" key. Paragraphs are your friend Wall-of-text is hard on the eyes hah!

Welcome!

[positiveions]

HI. and Welcome.
I initially test-drove an S60R. The thing about those engines, being a 5 cylinders Audi-borrowed engine, is that it has a lag. The window of power was from mid RPM-around 4000 rpm- to redline (I forgot what was the redline). On top of it, being a four-wheel drive vehicle, the car felt heavy. I didn't care for the instrument panel. HOnestly, I tried to make myself like the car, but I couldn't. It lacks personality.
But congrats on your car. You made the right choice

[monsta]

congrats!! but damn you have a year to wait...

[booforty]

I couldn't wait a year... that would just be unbearable!

[positiveions]

Originally Posted by booforty

I couldn't wait a year... that would just be unbearable!

I have to wait a year. I have to finish school, and get my nursing license.

[Davinhci]

awesome and congrats!

[lawjizams]

Originally Posted by dawgdog

Good decision. The M5 is just too big and lacks agility. The 335 is nice (I owned a tuned one), but the M is an M and you will only really appreciate it when you are able to put a little stress on the car. Congratulations!

I agree thats what I felt like when I sat in the car. I was like this car is too big for my taste. I know its an awesome car but I had an awkward feeling driving the car.

Originally Posted by xsilvor

Congrats on the first post and congrats on the car I bet it really was hard to decide between the M3 and the M5 with a deal like that (though 20K miles is a bit higher than I would like if it were me).

In the future, don't forget about the "Enter" key. Paragraphs are your friend Wall-of-text is hard on the eyes hah!

Welcome!

Yah it was a hard choice. I had to really think hard what was best and just looked at the things I disliked to make my choice. Not to mention the M5 was going to be a soon to be 3 year old car. I wanted the car to be my first brand new vehicle.

Originally Posted by eatrach73

HI. and Welcome.
I initially test-drove an S60R. The thing about those engines, being a 5 cylinders Audi-borrowed engine, is that it has a lag. The window of power was from mid RPM-around 4000 rpm- to redline (I forgot what was the redline). On top of it, being a four-wheel drive vehicle, the car felt heavy. I didn't care for the instrument panel. HOnestly, I tried to make myself like the car, but I couldn't. It lacks personality.
But congrats on your car. You made the right choice

Thats what I felt when I drove the R. I read up about it and alot of people said it was a good capable car. My Volvo specialist has one and says it really runs but the test mule I had just didnt cut the cake. Maybe a second drive would have better results. The seats in the car was super comfy.

Originally Posted by booforty

I couldn't wait a year... that would just be unbearable!

I know a year is a long time, its something I'm looking forward to and counting down my days hahah. Its all good because I'm pretty much working to pay off the car now which is good.

Also on another note I've been searching the boards on how to get the HID halos installed? Like a how to guide. Would you guys happen to have a link to a thread that shows how if there is one? I 've been looking and looking. I saw a members car with them and they look sweet.

Thanks again

[nusevad]

Congrats!

Thanks for the cliffs.