Well, here's mine

[brianpdx]

Suppose I should introduce myself. Brian here, native Oregonian with the exception of a five year stint in Seattle. I've always loved cars of multiple varieties, from domestic to imports. First car was a 1977 Celica back when I was in high school (1988, ugh). Had lots since then, of every size, shape and color. The mod bug hit me with an '02 WRX back in 2005:



I loved that car. Bought it bone stock and added the drop, a fully catless Perrin exhaust, a Cobb/PDX Tuning tune, the grill, wheels/tires, tint and an amazing stereo system.

Then the wife bought an Acura TSX in the fall of 2007. I was leaning toward an Evolution at that point, but the pseudo-luxury (hah) of Ashley's car got me thinking that I needed something more... refined. After nearly pulling the trigger on an S4, this E46 M3 convertible made itself available that I could not pass on:



Bought it in spring of 2008. It's an '02 SMG, with every conceivable option, including (obviously) the factory hardtop. It had 11,800 miles on it when I bought it. The guy had no idea what he was selling, much less what the car was worth, so I couldn't pass. It really initiated me into the world of German engineering. It was trouble free, and man, I thought I was in love with my WRX, holy cow, this thing was on a different level. It was the first time I realized that my car actually exceeded my skill as a driver. Now, the E9X had been revealed at this point, and there was a plan...

Fast forward to a month ago. After six years, I'd only put another 16,000 miles on my E46 (yeah, I average about 2,500 to 3,000 miles a year on my "toy" cars). I decided to test the waters by putting it up for sale through a few venues. Why sell? The car was tremendous, but the issues with SMG are well documented. And, there was that incessant lust for the E9X with the glorious S65. Put it up for sale and sold it for my asking price within a week. Meanwhile, for the month prior to selling it, I'd been negotiating with a local Audi dealer for this guy, and I bought it the day I sold the E46:



It's a 2009. Just turned 28,000 miles. DCT, with most every option, including extended black leather and enhanced premium sound. The only thing its missing is the comfort/keyless access, but that's no big deal to me. Another thing I'm not going to miss: the convertible. While the novelty is fine, for a while, living in the northwest doesn't allow you to fully enjoy it on a regular basis, and when I did get to enjoy it, I didn't really care one way or the other about it.

THIS car, wow. The V8 is a gem. The DCT, while not perfect, is light years ahead of the SMG II. I'm in love all over again. The mods are taking shape, including tint next week, an improvement on the angel eyes (I'm pretty much settled on the DTEC V7 LED setup), and opening up the exhaust a bit.

So, there it is. I'm in love all over again. Been a while since I've headed out to the garage just to sit in the car and... smell it.

This forum has provided me a wealth of information, and I'm grateful for it. I also own a '99 Tacoma (my cars don't see the rain, ever) and the contrast between forums like this and say... tacomaworld.com are night and day.

Anyway, I'm Brian and that's my story.

[dagolfpro]

Welcome Brian.

[yoelev]

I like the cut of your jib. And your taste in cars. One simple mod I always push for is the color matched front reflectors. SS2 is an awesome and very unique color. Lose the ugly yellow. Other than that, enjoy it for a bit stock and then release the hounds. There are so many good routes to take

[zamboni]

Congrat she is a beauty.

[Nola 32/65]

Very nice ride Brian, you will definitely enjoy it!

[Yvette]

congrat!

[kerrit]

Congrats! The mod bug is insane with this car...

[modkrazy]

Hey Brian, I recommend getting the GTS DCT software. Whatever complaints you may have about the transmission will completely vanish!

[Gumulri]

Originally Posted by Nola 32/65

Very nice ride Brian, you will definitely enjoy it!

+111111111111111111111111111111111111

[fuddman]

Great looking car. Thanks for posting your story. I enjoy reading the comments of other car enthusiasts like myself, particularly when they talk about some of the more unusual things they are moved to do with their cars. I've gone to the garage to look at mine but I've never thought of sitting in it and smelling it. I might try it except, when it comes to cars, I'm already considered a bit over the top by my family. So, I'll have to be careful of the timing to avoid getting caught.

[LarThaL]

Welcome. You will love this car !!! If I am going somewhere, and not on a time line, I go out of my way and deliberately find great driving roads to take. It is that much fun.

BTW, I share your feeling on convertibles. I used to own a 350Z Roadster. They are fun for like the first 30-45 minutes that you have the top down. After that, I always just wanted the top up. I also felt very vunerable when stopped in an open car. One thing very nice about the e92 M3 is that the wind management with the windows open is very good.

[AshyLarryMP]

When I bought my 2011 used in 2012 it had the old software. It cost me $150 to upgrade it at the dealership. The DCT handles much better after that. Since you are a mod guy you probably should get rid of your primary cats and get a performance tune instead.

[M3lbournE92]

Great looking car man, enjoy it in good health. One thing I noticed was your opinion on the dct being much better than smg, but at the same time the dct still has it's own quirks. I believe you should contact with any vendors on this forum (Ess, bpm, dinan...) to get a gts software update along with catless downpipes and a tune. Those 3 mods will change your car drastically, and the low end torque over stock is amazing. You can thank me later

[CalgaryX3]

Hello Brian,

Great story. I see many similarities between you and I: We're both old *LOL*, both have an affinity for fine automobile engineering, and both covet our toy cars as though they are animate objects. Reading your story about the gem of an E46 takes me back to 2003 when I sold my beloved 2001 Honda S2000. I still miss that car to this day, however the aural joy that the S65 in the M3 brings is on par with that former car. I'm older and wiser now; have no plans on parting with the M3 anytime soon. Hope you feel the same way.

Happy motoring!
Asif

[spdy330]

Congrats and welcome!

[izzyM2]

Great story and awesome find car. We all have great taste with our rides!

[Ludey]

Great story. I agree with the sentiment above; I like reading other's "car evolution" stories

I agree about the 'vert. A long time ago I had Mustang GT convertible. That car was cowl shaking madness and my opinion was that it really lost it's "sports car" feel. Like the 'vert was an afterthought and they had to sacrifice performance to engineer the drop top. Of course, this was a '98 Mustang and I'm sure there are plenty of cars where this isn't necessarily the case.

Living in Charlotte, NC, I found that there really weren't many opportunities to drop the top... it was either too hot or too cold. And the times when you did find the Goldilocks temperature zone, the noise often made it way too annoying. On top of all that, I always felt self-conscious, as if people were watching me. Definitely noticed how much I enjoyed the sense of privacy in a car that you pretty much take for granted. Since then, I have never even considered a drop top - however, a moon roof is a necessity for me now... I feel like that provides the "open air" feeling I'm looking for without all the BS I mentioned above.

Anyway, just sharing my personal thoughts on this. Congrats on the ride, you are going to love it, I imagine. I know I did when I made the switch

Cheers!

[brianpdx]

Thanks for both reading my story and the sentiments, guys. I appreciate it, and I enjoy reading yours as well. I'll look into the DCT software for sure. As for going catless... I don't really think that will be my cup of tea. I'm still wavering on any kind of exhaust, period, to be honest. I have heard, read about and understand what it can do, but at this point in my life, just don't need the additional grunt and sound of that kind of setup. Who knows, in a year maybe I'll have a full Akrapovic system (if I win the lottery) and laugh at my thinking. Cheers!

[4corners]

While modifying your awesome car, remember to check what works rather than what looks good. Spacers, wide tires, coil-overs, etc, all change what the German engineers got right. ALL AROUND performance.

I've tried Nitto, Continental, a little wider, a little lower. I'm back to Michelin's and it's perfect.

SO much is right from the factory with these cars.

It's a special car, like many others. Some you have owned.

[Denk]

Nice move, congrats! There are a lot of exhaust options out there and a wealth of info here, take your time and do a little homework. Enjoy your new M3!

[Wilsel]

Welcome! I too came from an E46 recently. Both great cars.

[duk]

congrats and welcome