I never test drove the M3 prior to purchasing my 135i. Truth be told, it seemed well over my budget and too big for my liking. The 135i was a perfect-sized car with good performance and practicality. But stock, the car was far from perfect. The sport suspension was very bouncy and combined with the shorter wheelbase and run-flat tires, it made the car all but confidence-inspiring when driven hard. So I did what any self-respecting enthusiast would do. I installed better suspension and dumped the run flat tires. Of course modding cars is a disease. It got to the point where I started to question if it would be smarter to look into a better car out of the box. So right before deciding on an aftermarket intercooler, limited slip differential, and a few other suspension components, curiousity got the best of me and I decided to go test drive an M3 and see what all the fuss was about.

2011 Alpine White BMW M3 Coupe with a 6-speed Manual and Competition Package.

In the spring of 2010, I went back to see the salesman who sold me my first BMW. He happened to have a loaded Alpine White E92 M3 with a six-speed manual on the lot. It was fate. You have to realize that manual transmission cars are a dying breed and even more so with the M3. The M3’s DCT (dual clutch) transmission is a wonderful transmission and outperforms the manual by a fairly large margin. So a 6MT on a lot to test drive is a treasure.

This car was a dream to drive. Yes, I could talk about how much nicer the fit and finish of this car was over my 135i. From the leather that extended to the dash and center console areas to the beautiful carbon fiber roof. But those details are just icing on the cake. The first thing I noticed was how responsive the throttle was. Driving turbo cars for 2 years made me forget how responsive naturally-aspirated cars could be. The second thing I noticed as I accelerated onto the freeway was the sweet growl from the V8. The sound was completely intoxicating. The engine got louder as the revs climbed up to around 7500 rpms. But don’t be fooled as the redline is at 8400 rpms. I shifted early as an act of courtesy on the test drive. The suspension was very comfortable over bumps (for a sports car) and drove on rails when cornering hard around the exit ramp thanks to the car’s EDC (electronic dampening control).

Fox Red Extended Leather Interior.

After about 15-20 minutes of driving, we returned to the dealership. I told the salesman that one day I would be back for this car. Getting back into my car felt uneventful in comparison. It was a great car, don’t get me wrong. But M cars take driving enjoyment to another level.

A few months later, I went for another visit to my salesman to speak about my interest in the car again. I knew I needed to order the car to my spec and that would take a few months. I was hoping to get the car by the end of the year. My salesman knew me and did something no other salesman would do. I just went there to talk and he pressures me to order the car with no security deposit. He told me if I decided I didn’t want the car, I had no obligations to get it. So we sit in front of his computer and check off the boxes to my specifications. Minutes later, he prints out the order sheet, hands it to me and says, “Your car is now ordered and will be built”. I had the production number to track the car’s progress and absolutely no obligations.

A few days later, I put my car up for sale. The plans were already in motion after that test drive in the spring. It was inevitable. My 135i was gone in a bit less than 2 weeks. As the weeks passed, I started to feel the pain. Driving is my release. I owned my 135i for a year and a half and put 23k miles on it. I have no commute. That should say a bit about my passion for driving.

Well a painful three and a half months have passed. Last week I finally took delivery of my car. I couldn’t be happier to be driving again. I’ve already put almost 400 miles on the car in the past 4 days. I’m trying to hit 1200 miles so I can get the initial service done and finally open her up a bit. I really can’t wait to attend driving events next spring.