So we spent all of yesterday driving around from dealership to dealership. After the accident and realizing just how great the M3 did handling the impacts and the minimal injuries that we both have, I realize that Ivey needs to be in something a bit more up to date. She predominately drives the Jeep, but it's an archaic design with no emphasis on safety - hell the thing doesn't even have rear headrests!
I could not find
anything that was a nice place to be. I must have gotten spoiled with the M3, but I would have thought that cars would have exceeded its build quality on a now ten year old design rather than go the opposite direction! I did sit in a Yas Marina F80 M3 that had a similar spec to my E90 (Speed Cloth, no sunroof, etc.), and I absolutely loved being in it. Incredibly comfortable and fit me like a glove. Controls and interface were exactly where I would expect and intuitive. I was considering a test drive, but at the same moment an F82 drove through the BMW lot for service with an aftermarket exhaust and changed my mind. That's not a jab or poking fun since we all joke about it, but it was sincerely terrible sounding. Well that and Ivey would have my balls in a jar if I spent that much scratch on a car right now. I did get in an F31 330i wagon with the M Sport package and drove it. It wasn't terrible, but the tablet taped on the dash seemed like an after-thought, and it only had 7k miles in its year since birth with side bolsters already showing significant wear and scratches/wear on interior items that appeared to be just from usual, daily use. My 2011 M3 has 60k+ miles on it and the interior looks like new!!!
My car hasn't been totaled as of yet, and considering the estimate that was sent to me on Friday to perform the repairs, this is going to be a long, steep hill. To avoid raising my blood pressure on the subject, I won't dive into that, but I'm fairly confident that they were in fact appraising a different car on the lot (repairing wheels that have spokes missing instead of replacing, "refinishing" the driver's door mirror which obviously exploded into a zillion pieces, and not a single line item that references repairing the suspension work as just a few examples from the many that were performed by someone with great incompetence (nor an appraiser license number apparently)). The car will be going to a different location (MY repair facility). But I'll dive into those details later.
Regardless, I am preparing for what I expect to be a total loss. I have no idea what to replace the car with. The only cars that I would even consider if they were another E90, based on what I have been finding on the market currently, are pretty expensive. I really liked the idea of getting into an F31 and then circling back to another E9x car in the hopefully near future, but the material quality of the F-gen cars has evidently declined compared to the E9x cars unless you double/triple your budget for an M car. The electric steering was not confidence-inspiring, and just the slightest input of the steering wheel resulted in the rear of the car following the input much later...almost felt like the rear of the car was connected to the front by a pivot point similar to towing a trailer. The outcome of the accident has solidified my love for the brand, but BMW!!! What happened to your quality? My perception has always been that you are a premium brand, but my loaner Ford Explorer has a nicer interior than the 2017 F31 330i I just drove yesterday!!!!!
I may just get Ivey an Explorer, I'll drive the Jeep every day, and get on another three year waiting list for another E90...........