The BaT thread for the cars we won't buy, but kinda wish we would - Page 412

SCA · 12-15-2021, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clyde

The Obsessed Garage guy bought E46 M3 Comp with 40k for $65k from EAG a few months ago. He posted this yesterday which i found interesting in the context of this contemporaneous branch of this thread:

I have a difficult time taking Matt seriously. I have yet to put my finger on it. Maybe his very inflated ego?

JST · 12-15-2021, 07:37 AM

It’s funny that he knocks it for being slow. It’s absolutely not; even by todays standards, it’s a quick car.

I agree the exhaust doesn’t sound great, but he’s making a lot more of that than I would.

But yeah, otherwise it’s an interesting video. Cautionary tale about the power of nostalgia and what it’s like to buy a car you lusted after 20 years ago but never drove.

And for the driving he’s doing? The M3 is just not the right choice. The 330 is absolutely the better car there.

Wild that he still wants to spend all that money modding it. He should stick it stock in his garage for 6 months, sell it next summer, and walk way with some money in his pocket.

*clyde* · 12-15-2021, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCA

I have a difficult time taking Matt seriously. I have yet to put my finger on it. Maybe his very inflated ego?

There are definitely things about him that are difficult to take. I am not fond of his delivery or his slow speaking pace. Watching at 1.75X helps that. What he has to offer in the detailing videos is...helpful. I've learned a bunch. I don't think I'd want to drive across the country with him, though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JST

It’s funny that he knocks it for being slow. It’s absolutely not; even by todays standards, it’s a quick car.

I agree the exhaust doesn’t sound great, but he’s making a lot more of that than I would.

But yeah, otherwise it’s an interesting video. Cautionary tale about the power of nostalgia and what it’s like to buy a car you lusted after 20 years ago but never drove.

And for the driving he’s doing? The M3 is just not the right choice. The 330 is absolutely the better car there.

Wild that he still wants to spend all that money modding it. He should stick it stock in his garage for 6 months, sell it next summer, and walk way with some money in his pocket.

I get the impression there's not enough profit in that approach for it to matter to him.

Exhaust aside (which, when stock, is still the most horrible thing I have ever heard and still have not heard an aftermarket exhaust that has made it it sound better than "that's not good"), some of you may recall that I was never the biggest E46 M3 fan when they were new and nearly new. I thought they were heavy and quite expensive for what they were. I did not have a whole lot of time in stock ones, but I got drive (and go four wheeling over the yump at Ripken in) Brendan's mildly modded E46 M3 in anger a few times. And I drove/rode in Nick's blue one a little bit here and there. I thought they were okay, but that they weren't all that.

As we recall, Nick tried lots of suspension options in his blue one. I don't remember when it was, exactly, but it was some years into ownership, he had all the stock stuff back in and I drove it from Baltimore to DC. The primary complain I had was the shocks. I don't recall if it was the compression or rebound that really pissed me off, but from having driven with other choices, I knew it was an easily fixable problem. My two big takeaways at the time were "Why do so many people love this car so much when they got this so wrong?" and "If I fixed that, this wouldn't be such a bad car to tool around in."

At the time, prices were starting to drop into what I thought was reasonable for what it was territory, but it was never going to happen. Still, worth a thought at the time, though.

But, yeah, power of nostalgia can be a misleading trick on your heart and wallet. Although, as you say, with a little time, the wallet doesn't have to get hurt too badly on this one.

wdc330i · 12-15-2021, 08:27 AM

I really enjoyed my E46 M3 convertible. And I was coming from an E46 330i. But I think it was because it was a stick and had considerably more power. The ride was much worse and the steering lighter, strangely.

The ride was considerably improved by downsizing from the stock 19-inch summer tires to 17-inch Michelin high performance all seasons. Much improved, without much sacrifice in handling (at least around town.) I got the idea because I always preferred it on its 17-inch winter tires (also ultra-high performance winters).

It was my daily driver commuter car for a couple of years.

John V · 12-15-2021, 08:44 AM

My recollection of E46 M3s mirrors Clyde's. Fantastic engine if you can get over the exhaust sound (I couldn't). Nightmare from a chassis tuning perspective. It astonishes me how wrong they got it.

I have to say, when Ken put coilovers and wide wheels and tires on his, it really transformed it into a very fun car, though it was never as tossable and light on its feet as my stock E36 M3.

In terms of never meeting your hero cars... about ten years ago I drove an ultra-low-mileage FD RX-7 in the rarest color and passed on it because I couldn't stomach the $25k price and the driving experience was even more dated than I expected. The last one I saw get auctioned off this year went for more than double that. So.....

SCA · 12-15-2021, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clyde

There are definitely things about him that are difficult to take. I am not fond of his delivery or his slow speaking pace. Watching at 1.75X helps that. What he has to offer in the detailing videos is...helpful. I've learned a bunch. I don't think I'd want to drive across the country with him, though.

I concur.

What I find humorous, as a former financial advisor he tends to make plenty of poor/excessive purchasing/investment decisions. I suppose that might be why it is no longer his profession? I suspect my financial advisor would probably agree.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JST

It’s funny that he knocks it for being slow. It’s absolutely not; even by todays standards, it’s a quick car.

At 40 something years of age he has to own the best of everything thing and then he cannot leave it alone and has to heavily modify it (automobile wise), example his low mileage techno violet E36 M3. Resell be damned even if it has the potential to have collector car status. He has more money than common sense apparently.

John V · 12-15-2021, 06:15 PM

If you plan to keep a car for a long time, why bother caring about resale value? Make the car into what you want it to be.

JST · 12-15-2021, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John V

If you plan to keep a car for a long time, why bother caring about resale value? Make the car into what you want it to be.

Fair, but if you're going to heavily modify the car, why pay $65K for a low-mileage bone stock specimen from EAG?

*clyde* · 12-15-2021, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JST

Fair, but if you're going to heavily modify the car, why pay $65K for a low-mileage bone stock specimen from EAG?

Because you can?

John V · 12-15-2021, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clyde

Because you can?

Exactly. Given enough money I'd always start with the most pristine, lowest mileage car.

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12-15-2021, 07:37 AM	#4112
JST 195 Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 24,612	It’s funny that he knocks it for being slow. It’s absolutely not; even by todays standards, it’s a quick car. I agree the exhaust doesn’t sound great, but he’s making a lot more of that than I would. But yeah, otherwise it’s an interesting video. Cautionary tale about the power of nostalgia and what it’s like to buy a car you lusted after 20 years ago but never drove. And for the driving he’s doing? The M3 is just not the right choice. The 330 is absolutely the better car there. Wild that he still wants to spend all that money modding it. He should stick it stock in his garage for 6 months, sell it next summer, and walk way with some money in his pocket.

12-15-2021, 08:27 AM	#4114
wdc330i dogged Join Date: Dec 2003 Carmudgeonly Ride: '22 M440 xDrive GC Posts: 13,300	I really enjoyed my E46 M3 convertible. And I was coming from an E46 330i. But I think it was because it was a stick and had considerably more power. The ride was much worse and the steering lighter, strangely. The ride was considerably improved by downsizing from the stock 19-inch summer tires to 17-inch Michelin high performance all seasons. Much improved, without much sacrifice in handling (at least around town.) I got the idea because I always preferred it on its 17-inch winter tires (also ultra-high performance winters). It was my daily driver commuter car for a couple of years.

12-15-2021, 08:44 AM	#4115
John V No more BMWs Join Date: Apr 2005 Carmudgeonly Ride: Ram, MS3, CX-5, RX-8 Location: Glenwood, MD Posts: 14,753	My recollection of E46 M3s mirrors Clyde's. Fantastic engine if you can get over the exhaust sound (I couldn't). Nightmare from a chassis tuning perspective. It astonishes me how wrong they got it. I have to say, when Ken put coilovers and wide wheels and tires on his, it really transformed it into a very fun car, though it was never as tossable and light on its feet as my stock E36 M3. In terms of never meeting your hero cars... about ten years ago I drove an ultra-low-mileage FD RX-7 in the rarest color and passed on it because I couldn't stomach the $25k price and the driving experience was even more dated than I expected. The last one I saw get auctioned off this year went for more than double that. So.....

12-15-2021, 06:15 PM	#4117
John V No more BMWs Join Date: Apr 2005 Carmudgeonly Ride: Ram, MS3, CX-5, RX-8 Location: Glenwood, MD Posts: 14,753	If you plan to keep a car for a long time, why bother caring about resale value? Make the car into what you want it to be.