The Best Car I Have Ever Owned

[DreamTime]

I haven’t been on the forum for a while, mostly because I’ve been busy, but also because my boyfriend just might be the most amazing man on earth (at least to a gearhead girl like me) and he can literally answer any car related question I could ever have. So, I no longer need to search the forums for answers to my random questions, although I do miss the camaraderie of M3Post. There are some great people on here who were always super friendly and helpful, many thanks to everyone who helped me along the way. Anyways, today was a big day for my M3, so I wanted to share this story with the community.

My E90 M3 has been with me for four years now, and in that time I have put almost 60,000 miles on it, taken it to 20 track days, and gone on countless road trips. I worked my way up to advanced run groups and really pushed the limits of the car on some of the most iconic tracks on the East Coast. All the while, she tirelessly served as my daily commuter and errand runner, and brought me years of smiles and giggles. I love this car just as much today as the day I bought it, and I don’t think I will ever grow tired of the simple joys it brings me. The way my heart skips a beat every time I nail a perfect downshift, the way the engine screams as I near redline, the intoxicating sound of the exhaust notes… I could go on and on. But today, she arrived at a long awaited moment - retirement.

This car has been a work horse. Yes, things broke along the way, but I fixed them, and I tried my best to preventatively “fix” things before they broke whenever it made sense to do so. I religiously changed my oil every 4,000 miles, and kept up with all other fluids and any wear items. When I first bought the car from a dealership in Virginia, I had purchased an aftermarket warranty as I was worried about expensive future repairs. I found this forum soon after though, and quickly came up with a different plan. I cancelled the warranty within the 30 day period and got a full refund. I used the money instead to buy a good set of tools and also some BE bearings and ARP bolts. I had my friend’s shop install the bearings, and over the years I did the majority of repairs myself - saving the few big jobs for the pros. I have loved every minute of owning this car. I have given her a lot of love, but the happiness she has given back to me in return is immeasurable. She is nearing 138,600 miles on the clock, so I felt it was time to give her a much needed break.

Today I spent all day meticulously cleaning her inside and out. My beloved M3 has paid her dues, and has now arrived at the much deserved cushy life of weekend-only toy. I will never again drive her in the rain. Over the coming years, I plan on slowly restoring every last inch of her that has been worn out from the years of commuting and track duty. I also have a long list of cosmetic upgrades that I will check off as time and money allow. My daily duties will be handled by my new (to me) super clean E46 330i that will be transformed into a Spec E46 racecar over the next couple years. Once the E46 has been modified to the point of not being practical for driving on the road any longer, I will get another DD. The E90 M3 will never be the commuter again, and she has earned her permanent spot in the garage. We’re going to need a bigger garage.

PS - Since I know everyone on here can appreciate some beautiful cars and engines - here is a shameless plug for my bf’s shop, GTM and Son. People from all across the country bring their cars to his shop, and they ship finished cars to Europe often as well. This shop is like a dream for anyone who loves cars.

http://gtmandson.com

https://www.facebook.com/gtmandson/

My baby after a day of detailing, on this most awesome day of her retirement:

[SAMM3Y]

A great read! Congrats on the long term ownership, love the loyalty the car has provided you over the years... it's always nice to read and needed for the few who have had a different experience, I love mine too and don't plan on ever getting rid of it. She's a keeper.

[lancerr]

You summed up your experience so well. I often try to express what Fraulein means to me - the closest i can come to it is the relationship between man and horse, or that dragon and rider in Avatar - that sense of being connected at a fundamental level - extension of my senses. I swear i can feel what she's feeling on the road, when she can be pushed harder, etc.

Might sound wierd to non car people but my e92 m3 is a whole different experience than just a sporty car.

[Redd]

Same here. I daily mine and foresee myself doing it for a long time to come. There's nothing even at 3x the price that has as many smiles per gallon and is such an all-rounder car as my E92 M3.

[Helmsman]

What a lovely post Mary. Halfway through talking about retirement I thought...what...no!... just to read about your awesome plan to special treat your M3.
I can see you have proper support from your partner, must make the ownership even more fun.

Good luck with your bringing-the-car-back-to-fantastic plan!

Cheers
Nik

[Frostynorth]

Really cool, it's so nice when a car one loves can hide in the garage for the weekend.

[DreamTime]

Originally Posted by SAMM3Y

A great read! Congrats on the long term ownership, love the loyalty the car has provided you over the years... it's always nice to read and needed for the few who have had a different experience, I love mine too and don't plan on ever getting rid of it. She's a keeper.

Thanks! Definitely a keeper. I know these engines can be temperamental sometimes, and my heart goes out to anyone who has experienced any major failures. Understanding how the S65 is, and also understanding that I plan to keep this car forever, we already know at some point we will need to do an engine rebuild. I'll keep it going as long as I can though! I also plan on preventatively replacing the RBs again before the car reaches 150,000 miles. I'll of course share pics on here of the BE bearings we pull out.

[DreamTime]

Originally Posted by lancerr

You summed up your experience so well. I often try to express what Fraulein means to me - the closest i can come to it is the relationship between man and horse, or that dragon and rider in Avatar - that sense of being connected at a fundamental level - extension of my senses. I swear i can feel what she's feeling on the road, when she can be pushed harder, etc.

Might sound wierd to non car people but my e92 m3 is a whole different experience than just a sporty car.

Beautiful car!!

And - so much yes. I love your explanation of the connection, it is difficult to explain in words sometimes. I completely understand. Most of my girl friends are not car people, and they try to understand - but sometimes they just shake their heads lol. Although they do love going for rides

This car definitely has a soul, at least to me. BMW really knocked it out of the park with the E9X M3s. Truly special machines.

[DreamTime]

Originally Posted by Redd

Same here. I daily mine and foresee myself doing it for a long time to come. There's nothing even at 3x the price that has as many smiles per gallon and is such an all-rounder car as my E92 M3.

I agree. And I loved every minute of using this car as my daily, it really checks all the boxes in a way that no other car does.

[DreamTime]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

What a lovely post Mary. Halfway through talking about retirement I thought...what...no!... just to read about your awesome plan to special treat your M3.
I can see you have proper support from your partner, must make the ownership even more fun.

Good luck with your bringing-the-car-back-to-fantastic plan!

Cheers
Nik

Thanks Nik! Lol, it was kind of an emotional post for me, but alas it did have a happy ending

And we do have fun working on our cars, when we are not busy with our regular work. The only problem I foresee is that neither one of us will ever stop the other from buying coveted cars or "needed" parts for the cars we already have. We already have five BMWs between the two of us, after only two years of being together. God help us

And, thank you!! I can't wait to start making some progress on the E90 M3 project. I have a long list...

[DreamTime]

Originally Posted by Frostynorth

Really cool, it's so nice when a car one loves can hide in the garage for the weekend.

I agree. I am especially happy her new garage life is timing up with the dreaded pollen season here in the southeast. Keeping a black DD clean during pollen season is a full time job lol.

[Siajoon]

Awesome read... after toying with the idea of selling my e90 M3 I'm leaning away from letting her go because although something can take her place nothing can truly duplicate the brute "rawness" of it all.

And I can relate to that amazing feeling of getting that perfect rev match.. also reminds of me when i push her to redline in 3rd gear and she just keeps climbing and climbing as my hands are just gripped onto the steering wheel saying to myself "holy cow you scare the shit out of me" but also the "damn that felt good" feeling.

Grats again on your Ms retirement. Enjoy her.. or him whichever gender you decided your car to be in good health lol!

[Three Pedal Steve]

Hey Mary- We have been missing your comments on the forum. Glad you are doing well.

The e46 sounds like a great "new" daily driver. Many consider that chassis to be the final great BMW. I never owned one but have followed them around the track on occasion. Very capable cars.

Hope you can bring the M3 out of retirement next November for the annual M3 Tail of the Dragon run.

2546120

[DreamTime]

Originally Posted by Siajoon

Awesome read... after toying with the idea of selling my e90 M3 I'm leaning away from letting her go because although something can take her place nothing can truly duplicate the brute "rawness" of it all.

And I can relate to that amazing feeling of getting that perfect rev match.. also reminds of me when i push her to redline in 3rd gear and she just keeps climbing and climbing as my hands are just gripped onto the steering wheel saying to myself "holy cow you scare the shit out of me" but also the "damn that felt good" feeling.

Grats again on your Ms retirement. Enjoy her.. or him whichever gender you decided your car to be in good health lol!

Yes. I love how raw the entire driving experience is, and I have a serious soft spot for the high revving, naturally aspirated S65. It is so much fun I almost feel guilty afterwards lol. We switch back and forth between my bf's M2C and my E90 M3 sometimes (both 6MT) and the differences are striking. The M2C is an absolutely amazing car, probably my favorite modern BMW at the moment, but I always feel like I have come back home once I'm back in my E90 M3. There's just something about it.

And, thank you! Same to you as well, if you (hopefully!) decide to hold on to yours. Here's to many more years of enjoyment

[DreamTime]

Originally Posted by Three Pedal Steve

Hey Mary- We have been missing your comments on the forum. Glad you are doing well.

The e46 sounds like a great "new" daily driver. Many consider that chassis to be the final great BMW. I never owned one but have followed them around the track on occasion. Very capable cars.

Hope you can bring the M3 out of retirement next November for the annual M3 Tail of the Dragon run.

2546120

Hey Steve! It is so good to hear from you! Those pics!! Good times. I so badly miss doing the TODT run, and I will absolutely be at this year's as long as there is not a scheduling conflict.

The E46 330i is a lot of fun to drive around town. It's so light, and BMW certainly makes a nice inline 6. The more i drive it, the more excited I get about turning it into a racecar lol.

Steve - we are going to be at the Highlands Motoring Festival on June 12th. My bf's dad was invited to show one of his Panteras. I don't know if you and I ever exchanged phone numbers, if we didn't then PM me so we can see if we can try to meet up that weekend!

[Frostynorth]

Originally Posted by DreamTime

I agree. I am especially happy her new garage life is timing up with the dreaded pollen season here in the southeast. Keeping a black DD clean during pollen season is a full time job lol.

I hear ya, keeping a black car clean is difficult enough without pollen season.

[MTM]

After reading this post I seriously felt like going out the garage and hugging my M3. Definitely love SO many aspects of this car. Been my DD since I bought in 2011...planning to keep "Beast" for many more years...

"Hi. My name is MTM...and I am an M3 addict...AND NOT SORRY MUWHAHAHA!"

[spiderspider]

still love my E46 330i. relatively easy to work on, cheap parts, wealth of online info...and the last generation of bimmers with rectangle mirrors. the last of the 'german-looking' cars.

[SoCalRPM]

A nice write up that I think mirrors many of our experiences here in some way or another! Cheers

[IB M]

Enjoyed the read. After owning E36 thru F80 - and they are all awesome - if forced to pick just one - wouldn't it be the E9x with a 6MT??

[G80indy]

E46 and E92 are known to play well and get along together

[Three Pedal Steve]

Originally Posted by DreamTime

Hey Steve! It is so good to hear from you! Those pics!! Good times. I so badly miss doing the TODT run, and I will absolutely be at this year's as long as there is not a scheduling conflict.

The E46 330i is a lot of fun to drive around town. It's so light, and BMW certainly makes a nice inline 6. The more i drive it, the more excited I get about turning it into a racecar lol.

Steve - we are going to be at the Highlands Motoring Festival on June 12th. My bf's dad was invited to show one of his Panteras. I don't know if you and I ever exchanged phone numbers, if we didn't then PM me so we can see if we can try to meet up that weekend!

Mary- I am super excited that your clan will be coming to the 2021 Highlands Motoring Festival in Highlands NC in June.


While our featured marque will be Purebloods d'Italia (Italian supercars 1962-1973) we have accepted some outstanding BMW vehicles:



My cell phone number is 828 526 0598. You or anyone else interested in the Highlands Motoring Festival can call anytime. Just ask for 3 pedal steve.