I finally got my car! I ordered an 07 back in July but after many delays and very little communication with BMW regarding the hold up I actually got my car. I was visiting Las Vegas for SEMA last week and happened to be stuck in traffic right next to Desert BMW of Las Vegas. I walked into the show room and sitting there was the exact same car I ordered except it had NAV and was an 06. Needless to say I was in shock! The odds this would happen are so slim. I had my deposit refunded back in Atl, purchased this car, and drove it 2012 miles to get home. It took 2 full days but was a cool way to be introduced. Most of my drive home was on 40E so it wasn't the most exciting trip but I did get a lot of seat time really fast. I'm glad I got the NAV now so it worked out well. Desert BMW was great to deal with and BMW of Chattanooga performed the first service (1200 mile...a little late) yesterday. I had a set of 19" CSL wheels with BridgeStone PP's waiting at the house so I really got to push it more after the service was done yesterday. The 19's are a little rougher but not bad at all. I really think this chassis feels right with 19's although I am ripping off the conti's and putting RA-1's on next week. (Track Days @ Road Atl coming up).

On the drive home I hit torrential rain storms in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee but the car behaved itself and driving 65-70mph was no big deal, even with standing water. That's about the only good thing I can say about the Conti's.

I am going from a Lotus Elise so the driving experience is very different and it is going to take some time to adjust. Some track time and a few trips to the Dragon's Tail should help out a lot. I'll report back after more twisty road/track seat time but in the mean time here are a few pics. I debadged it yesterday as the emblems were just too busy on the car. A BMW front strut brace is going on in the next few days. It would be on already but it came with the wrong mounting bolts!

I love the sound this car makes! At cruising it is very quiet but when you want to have fun it sounds great. I am in no hurry to change the exhaust because I can rev match by the sound which is rare for a new car.

Thanks BMW! So far the car has passed all my expectations.

VERY nice. Congrats on the awesome purchase. It was fate for you to find her there :)

The CSL's look great on the car!

Quick question; how did you debadge it? With heat or dental floss?

Thanks and enjoy your car!

Nice car! Enjoy it in good health.
Who says what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?
Bob:)

congrats on the car. very nice, if only with red imola interior :cool if that was sitting on their lot since july, it was almost purchased by mua, but i let it go because of their salesman's attitude on the phone. ended up with a blue one which i''m very happy with.

so you didn't find the seats somewhat tiring for long driver periods?


Quick question; how did you debadge it? With heat or dental floss?

Thanks and enjoy your car!
h

i'd never use heat, it can possibly damage the paint, however you will NEVER damage the paint with a strong thread like df or hemp or some other synthetic strong thread (the thin nylon type that almost never snaps is the best). u probably know alread, up and down motion fast and it'll come off sooner or later. any leftover adhesive material u can always use your nail as it'll never scratch the paint either.

how did you debadge it? With heat or dental floss?


Neither. I took a very precision pick tool and grabbed one corner of the emblem. I then pulled really slow until I could get my finger under an edge. I just applied slight pressure until it came off. Each one took about 30 seconds. I cleaned the little bit of glue with some goo gone then cleaned and waxed the area. It was very easy.

Congrats! What a lucky occurance for you finding your car just waiting for you.
Nice also that you got to break it in driving home and get to know it a bit.
Enjoy it.

Looks very nice! Congratulations! Nice road trip to get the break-in over with.

Oooooo....Optic Blue Lamin-x! It'll look even better with black-out grilles.

so you didn't find the seats somewhat tiring for long driver periods?

No, not at all. Keep in mind I came from a Lotus Elise. I spent about 32 hours in them in a 40 hour period and I must say they are the best seats I've ever had...well, tied with my S4.

How did you break up the driving speeds and RPMs for the drive? I have a 1200 mile drive home from the Performance Center, and due to the delivery delay I have to make a quick trip back, versus a leisurely drive home via back roads.

Looks really good in white and the CSL wheels set it off nicely.

I never noticed the sidemarkers or reflectors before, I think they look goofy any plans to change or remove them?

How did you break up the driving speeds and RPMs for the drive?

Every now and then I would shift to 5th and drive for a while. Opinions vary regarding break in and I am one who believes you should drive it like it will be driven so at about 500 miles I started driving a little more aggressively once the engine was warm. I am not saying I was bouncing off the rev limiter but I did see 6500 rpms a few times.

I never noticed the sidemarkers or reflectors before, I think they look goofy any plans to change or remove them?

I agree. I might pick up some white model spray paint and give them a couple of thin coats. I remember someone talking about a company that makes them prepainted. If anyone has a link can you post it here?

Are those CSL wheels or Comp package wheels. The reason I am asking is that the fronts look like they have a higher offset and sit in more then CSL front wheels I have seen.

Car looks AWESOME in white!!!

Are those CSL wheels or Comp package wheels.
I believe they are the Comp Pack wheels. I bought them from Turner Motorsports. I couldn't see paying around 1K more for the .5" wider fronts.

:::More Impressions:::

I just got back from the Dragon's Tail where I went to get to know the car in preparation for a track day (ie tire pressures mostly). I went in the middle of the day during the week so I wasn't following a train of Harleys. I didn't get behind a single car once! I ran it north with the DSC on and then back south with it off. It came on about 25-30 times but I actually like how it actuates. I'm sure if I did something really bad it would come on more aggressively but it's pretty low key so far. I punched the throttle hard a few times at the exit of a corner to cause some oversteer and the DSC would come on after a couple of wobbles from the rear. I also induced some understeer intentionally and it came on at a good point. Now, with it off...I was getting some complaints from the front tires but a little more throttle seemed to even out the balance. Smooth turn in is definately essential in reducing understter. On some of the hard right hand turns with steep elevation increases I gave it a little more throttle and got the back end to hang out nicely. (Yes, I was in my own lane) These are very slow corners so I was in 2nd and 3rd gear and the LSD was working pretty hard. It felt great and not once did the car surprise me in a negative way. Well, this is the first trip to the Dragon but I thought those who are interested in getting an M Coupe might like to know how it does on very tight roads. Damn I love torque! I'm more impressed with it every time I get in.
Here's a few more pics:

Now, that white "visor" is new. Is it see through from the inside? Is it really white?
I think it looks all right, not all colors could get away with it.

awesome white M Coupe!!! But not sure about the white banner thingy tho.

Yeah, it's white. I am looking for corporate sponsorship. :)

I'm torn up about letting my CTS-V go but I'm itching for a Bimmer really bad. I'm considering the M Coupe again along with the new 335i Coupe. I do at least 3 track days a year. I usually go to Thunderhill Raceway and occasionally to Laguna Seca when dates open up. After reading you are a track junky as well, and liking the M coupe, I'm more convinced to go this way. Thanks for the write up. ;)

for m coupes with nav, is the only way to see stereo information if the nav is up or is there another screen for when it's down?

for m coupes with nav, is the only way to see stereo information if the nav is up or is there another screen for when it's down?

It is the only screen. If it is down and you change the station/cd track it pops up automatically. I don't know what I would do without the nav screen.

Drive like a real man :P

It is the only screen. If it is down and you change the station/cd track it pops up automatically. I don't know what I would do without the nav screen.

U'll drive faster due to weight savings and learn the short cuts. :D My Nav is in my Palm T|X. Portable and will never look dated after a few years. Have you seen 4-5 year old cars' NAV system? ;)

Is it see through from the inside?

Given the limited visibility out of the car, that's pretty much the salient question.

Wow.that looks amazing! congrats.

U'll drive faster due to weight savings and learn the short cuts. :D My Nav is in my Palm T|X. Portable and will never look dated after a few years. Have you seen 4-5 year old cars' NAV system?

I know you are kidding (:D ) but:

I'm changing out the 40lb+ battery with a 14lb Braille. That should more than compensate for the nav. I didn't order the nav on my original car but ended up getting this 06 because of the delays. Actually, I was totally against getting it but...

I don't quite understand how bmw can expect people to tune the stereo and other settings without it. The nav screen does a lot more then just nav. Sure it's a bit antiquated but it brought me home 2012 miles without a single wrong turn.

hows the rear visibility?

back window looks small and narrow???

I wouldnt have ordered the Nav either, but now that I have it i really like it... I probably would have skipped the heat in the seats, but now that its getting cold here I really like it haha

hows the rear visibility?

back window looks small and narrow???

"First rule of driving, whats behind you is not important:evil2 "

name that movie

"First rule of driving, whats behind you is not important"

name that movie
Raul Julia as Franco in The Gumball Rally. It's the "first rule of Italian driving", said as he rips the rear-view mirror from the Ferrari.

The rear visibility is perfect (for me). I came from a Lotus Elise which was worse but it's the angle of the rear window that I like so much in the M Coupe. At night the headlights of the cars behind you are mostly blocked unless they are right on your ass. The roof line is low and blocks most headlights from view. On a long trip (like the one coming home) it was nice at night because I wasn't blinded by all the semi's behind me. For some it will take a little getting used to but I think it's perfect because I'm used to using my side mirrors anyway.

Raul Julia as Franco in The Gumball Rally. It's the "first rule of Italian driving", said as he rips the rear-view mirror from the Ferrari. Ding, Ding, winner, I dismissed the Italian part on purpose, I guess I could have substituted it with bavarian:D