M3 or (and?) GTS 4.0

[Theo]

If I was still in the market and you were selling I would have PM’ed you by now. Such a cool car.

[Josh (PA)]

Originally Posted by FC

Email from my dealer today:

Earlier this month, I reached out to you with an exclusive offer to purchase your 2018 BMW M3 Sedan. Pre-owned car values are at an all-time high, and your vehicle may be worth up to $61,100.* I’ve also crafted an upgrade offer exclusively to meet your needs, which I’d love to review with you.

That's tempting.

If you're set on the gts transaction happening at a specific dealer, I wonder if you could work out a "trade in" at this price. They could take the car now, pay you the $61k and you'd pay the sales tax on the delta of the gts-m3 when the car arrived?

Probably to much of a PITA for a ~$4k savings

[SCA]

Originally Posted by FC

Email from my dealer today:

Earlier this month, I reached out to you with an exclusive offer to purchase your 2018 BMW M3 Sedan. Pre-owned car values are at an all-time high, and your vehicle may be worth up to $61,100.* I’ve also crafted an upgrade offer exclusively to meet your needs, which I’d love to review with you.

That's tempting.

Wow! That is tempting. Planning to proceed?

[FC]

Carvana's offer also went up $2500 since the last time.

I think it would take closer to 65 to make me say it's a no brainer. But that's greed. Originially, I would have been thrilled with 60k.

The same issues remain.

1) It's a waste and very expensive as a commuter. The GTI is better in that regard.
2) I (and we) like it and I (and we) would hate not having a cool family car.
3) Until and if I get the GTS, I may get bummed/anxious/nostalgic and second guess myself.

Ultimately, it's a lot of money for a vehicle that doesn't check enough boxes anymore. Also, right now it's new, so nothing has gone wrong and it has a warranty. Will I feel the same way out of warranty with more years and miles?

[clyde]

Originally Posted by FC

Carvana's offer also went up $2500 since the last time.

I think it would take closer to 65 to make me say it's a no brainer. But that's greed. Originially, I would have been thrilled with 60k.

The same issues remain.

1) It's a waste and very expensive as a commuter. The GTI is better in that regard.
2) I (and we) like it and I (and we) would hate not having a cool family car.
3) Until and if I get the GTS, I may get bummed/anxious/nostalgic and second guess myself.

Ultimately, it's a lot of money for a vehicle that doesn't check enough boxes anymore. Also, right now it's new, so nothing has gone wrong and it has a warranty. Will I feel the same way out of warranty with more years and miles?

Aren't you likely to second guess yourself no matter what you do anyway? If that's the case, I'd stop worrying about that part and focus on the other stuff.

It's not the same, but maybe kinda sorta similar enough...

The Camaro was less expensive, but expensive enough that it's not cheap. I've had it nearly 11 months now and it has 9909 miles on it. It had 9909 miles on it 16 days ago, too. In fact, I've owned it 328 days and it's sat for 241 of them. Of the 9909 miles I've driven, about 7000 of them (if I remember right...not going to look it up right now) are driving to/from autocrosses and those autocrosses probably also account for 25 days worth the 87 days I've driven it.

There have been several times where I've washed it, parked it in the garage, rolled it into the driveway two weeks later, washed it again and rolled it back into the garage.

And I'm happy. The car I want is there and available to me all the time. It's in the garage every time I go in there. I've gotten way too much into the wash and wax side, but it brings me enjoyment. Looking at it brings me enjoyment. It boggles my mind that I sometimes drive my wife's or kids' cars because I don't to get my car dirty, but it feels good to have it there and be available.

When I drive it, I drive it and enjoy the fuck out of it even though I don't drive it much and basically sits there burning a dollar bill every so many minutes (if depreciation was happening normally...in this environment depreciation isn't happening).

My normal cycle with a car is to spend the first year loving it, the second year trying to convince myself that I still love it, and the third (and any additional out years) trying to figure out what to buy next). This is different in that I had a Camaro for two and a half out of three years before I bought this one and I expected to only have that first one for a year. I liked it so much, I kept it for a second year. Had the car stayed competitive in autocross, I probably would have been happy to keep it a third year, but it was no longer competitive and I wanted to scratch the V8 itch while I could. COVID made the third year weird, but then I got the second Camaro and it's now been nearly a year with the new one. In some ways, I'm at the three year mark with this one and I'm still swooning over it and not feeling any reason to look elsewhere anytime soon...and that's not me trying to convince myself that I'm still in love with it.

Before I got this car, I was worried that it would not be what I wanted it to be. That I would soon feel like it was one of those things I felt like I needed to do, but really shouldn't have. That it wasn't going to live up to expectations, etc. Reality was that it was so much more than I hoped.

I don't know where the M3 falls on the scale for you and I don't know where the GTS would fall...or how it the GTS might compare to your previous P car ownership experiences, but I'd be thinking about how they all compare and contrast and look to what would be giving you the most satisfaction.

[JST]

Clyde's points are right--ultimately, does it make you happy to have the car? If so, keep it. If not, you've got a really good excuse to sell it now. At the end of the day, I wouldn't get too caught up in the whole timing the used car market, though; I don't know a lot about your financial situation, but I'm guessing that 5 or 10 grand here or there is not going to be that big a deal for you.

I don't know what I'd do if I were you, so I can't really help much. I still enjoy the M3 even though I don't drive it much; when I do drive it, it's entertaining, and I can't think of much else I'd rather have.

[SCA]

Originally Posted by FC

3) Until and if I get the GTS, I may get bummed/anxious/nostalgic and second guess myself.

Exactly why a C2S seller back out on me in September. It happens, unfortunately it had never happened to me as a buyer. As a seller it has happened countless times as I tend to become attached and sentimental of my vehicles, yet I have never backed out of a deal.

[wdc330i]

Originally Posted by clyde

Aren't you likely to second guess yourself no matter what you do anyway? If that's the case, I'd stop worrying about that part and focus on the other stuff.

It's not the same, but maybe kinda sorta similar enough...

The Camaro was less expensive, but expensive enough that it's not cheap. I've had it nearly 11 months now and it has 9909 miles on it. It had 9909 miles on it 16 days ago, too. In fact, I've owned it 328 days and it's sat for 241 of them. Of the 9909 miles I've driven, about 7000 of them (if I remember right...not going to look it up right now) are driving to/from autocrosses and those autocrosses probably also account for 25 days worth the 87 days I've driven it.

There have been several times where I've washed it, parked it in the garage, rolled it into the driveway two weeks later, washed it again and rolled it back into the garage.

And I'm happy. The car I want is there and available to me all the time. It's in the garage every time I go in there. I've gotten way too much into the wash and wax side, but it brings me enjoyment. Looking at it brings me enjoyment. It boggles my mind that I sometimes drive my wife's or kids' cars because I don't to get my car dirty, but it feels good to have it there and be available.

When I drive it, I drive it and enjoy the fuck out of it even though I don't drive it much and basically sits there burning a dollar bill every so many minutes (if depreciation was happening normally...in this environment depreciation isn't happening).

My normal cycle with a car is to spend the first year loving it, the second year trying to convince myself that I still love it, and the third (and any additional out years) trying to figure out what to buy next). This is different in that I had a Camaro for two and a half out of three years before I bought this one and I expected to only have that first one for a year. I liked it so much, I kept it for a second year. Had the car stayed competitive in autocross, I probably would have been happy to keep it a third year, but it was no longer competitive and I wanted to scratch the V8 itch while I could. COVID made the third year weird, but then I got the second Camaro and it's now been nearly a year with the new one. In some ways, I'm at the three year mark with this one and I'm still swooning over it and not feeling any reason to look elsewhere anytime soon...and that's not me trying to convince myself that I'm still in love with it.

Before I got this car, I was worried that it would not be what I wanted it to be. That I would soon feel like it was one of those things I felt like I needed to do, but really shouldn't have. That it wasn't going to live up to expectations, etc. Reality was that it was so much more than I hoped.

I don't know where the M3 falls on the scale for you and I don't know where the GTS would fall...or how it the GTS might compare to your previous P car ownership experiences, but I'd be thinking about how they all compare and contrast and look to what would be giving you the most satisfaction.

Great description of what it feels like to own a car you love that you don't necessarily drive every day.

[lemming]

Originally Posted by clyde

Aren't you likely to second guess yourself no matter what you do anyway? If that's the case, I'd stop worrying about that part and focus on the other stuff.

It's not the same, but maybe kinda sorta similar enough...

The Camaro was less expensive, but expensive enough that it's not cheap. I've had it nearly 11 months now and it has 9909 miles on it. It had 9909 miles on it 16 days ago, too. In fact, I've owned it 328 days and it's sat for 241 of them. Of the 9909 miles I've driven, about 7000 of them (if I remember right...not going to look it up right now) are driving to/from autocrosses and those autocrosses probably also account for 25 days worth the 87 days I've driven it.

There have been several times where I've washed it, parked it in the garage, rolled it into the driveway two weeks later, washed it again and rolled it back into the garage.

And I'm happy. The car I want is there and available to me all the time. It's in the garage every time I go in there. I've gotten way too much into the wash and wax side, but it brings me enjoyment. Looking at it brings me enjoyment. It boggles my mind that I sometimes drive my wife's or kids' cars because I don't to get my car dirty, but it feels good to have it there and be available.

When I drive it, I drive it and enjoy the fuck out of it even though I don't drive it much and basically sits there burning a dollar bill every so many minutes (if depreciation was happening normally...in this environment depreciation isn't happening).

My normal cycle with a car is to spend the first year loving it, the second year trying to convince myself that I still love it, and the third (and any additional out years) trying to figure out what to buy next). This is different in that I had a Camaro for two and a half out of three years before I bought this one and I expected to only have that first one for a year. I liked it so much, I kept it for a second year. Had the car stayed competitive in autocross, I probably would have been happy to keep it a third year, but it was no longer competitive and I wanted to scratch the V8 itch while I could. COVID made the third year weird, but then I got the second Camaro and it's now been nearly a year with the new one. In some ways, I'm at the three year mark with this one and I'm still swooning over it and not feeling any reason to look elsewhere anytime soon...and that's not me trying to convince myself that I'm still in love with it.

Before I got this car, I was worried that it would not be what I wanted it to be. That I would soon feel like it was one of those things I felt like I needed to do, but really shouldn't have. That it wasn't going to live up to expectations, etc. Reality was that it was so much more than I hoped.

I don't know where the M3 falls on the scale for you and I don't know where the GTS would fall...or how it the GTS might compare to your previous P car ownership experiences, but I'd be thinking about how they all compare and contrast and look to what would be giving you the most satisfaction.

@clyde: i can’t tell you how much this resonates with me and mostly everyone calls me weird for like certain automobiles (okay, most of them) this much.

It could come across as OCD (I’ve been called this) but you do feel some connection to the sheet metal when you’re detailing the car. You learn a lot about stylistic quirks and the different materials used to make the car.

Net-net, I wish for most people to have this kind of passion for a hobby. And for car people, to find a car that they can feel this passionate about.

Great read.

@FC: just get your shit together dude, go out and get the car that is going to set your world on fire. Let’s fucking go, dude.

[Alan]

Originally Posted by JST

I'm guessing that 5 or 10 grand here or there is not going to be that big a deal for you.
.

I'm with JST on this one, I wouldn't let a few dollars influence you to sell a car you had no plan on selling at this time ... what is the reason to get rid of it now unless you feel you are done with it, it's not like you have a new car on order and it's about to arrive and the plan was it would replace the M3.

The M3 will always be a special car and will be an easy sell once you decide it is time.