My junior year of high school, one of my friends acquired an Arctic Silver 1997 M3 coupe. I've always wanted to own an E36 M3 ever since. Today, I finally took delivery of one of my (achievable) dream cars at the age of 22. Not a huge feat or anything impressive, but I can finally say I own an M3. I could have afforded an E46 M3 or E9X 335i or 135i quite easily, but I would have felt wrong if I didn't buy the car I vowed myself I would own one day.
I purchased the car from a very close friend of mine 2500 miles away (not the friend with the silver M3) and had it shipped to where I currently live. The past few weeks of hashing out details, scheduling a shipment and waiting on the shipment felt like what seemed like an eternity. Its actually quite a funny story on how I got to purchase his M3. I was visiting home for the summer, planning on buying a different E36 M3 from Craigslist. I went to go check it out with my close friend (who owned the M3 I just bought) and it was an immaculate Hellrot Red 1997 coupe. After talking with the seller for hours and hours, I could not justify the cost; it was modded aggressively for the track. Track suspension, full exhaust, etc. I decided I could not spend 12.5k on a track toy. It was way too hardcore for me to use as a daily driver. Defeated, we decided to walk away from it. I did get to test drive an E39 M5 that the Craigslist seller also owned though, which was a wonderful experience. Anyways, on the way back from the seller's house, I jokingly asked my friend if he had any intentions of letting go of his M3. He laughed and said he'd think about listing it for 10.5k. I told him I'd take it for 9. He laughed and eventually dropped me off. But a few days later my friend calls me and asks if I wanted to drive his car. I happily agree so he picks me up and I hop in the driver's seat. He tells me he's willing to let it go for 9.5k to me. I agreed to take it off his hands without hesitation. I've known my friend since high school. He's an absolute car nut; a BMW nut to be specific. He was the one that got me into cars. He taught me how to change oil, how to replace a radiator, how to replace brake rotors and pads... he basically taught me how to take care of a car. I remember the day he picked up the M3. He's cared for it meticulously ever since. That's why I decided to buy it without second thought. I know the history of the car.
But enough of me babbling about the car, here are some quick snaps I took! Cosmoschwarz 1997 BMW M3 coupe:
Its got Koni adjustable suspension, square set of BMW Contours on Hankook Ventus V12 tires, Dinan bits and pieces (CAI, high flow throttle body, stage 4 software, etc etc), Sparco steering wheel, and some more things I'm forgetting.
It sits next to my white 1991 Miata that I've owned for about 3 years now. I love the Miata to death. My brain tells me to sell it; my heart however, strongly disagrees. I think I'll hang on to it for a couple more months... I like to think I've made a logical step from a Miata to an E36 M3. My next achievable car is going to be an E9x M3. The V8 is irresistible. But that will be some time from now. The E36 M3 is plenty of car for me as it is.
If any of you guys are curious, here's an album of pics of my Miata:
KW V1 coilovers, 15x9 Tirerack wheels on BFGoodrich g-force sport comp 2s, frame reinforcement pieces, roll bar, CAI, midpipe exhaust, and lots of other random things I'm forgetting.
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