M3 lover with a skeptical dad! HELP :(

[youngbimmer]

I wanted a 88 M6 so terribly bad when I was 15 (and I still do to this day ), but I think those kinda cars are something you work up to. Start low and work up to something you deserve and are able to drive. I started on a Grand Caravan, then a 2.2L camry, and now on my current E46 325i. I think any sub 200hp car is a good starting point for any young/beginning driver. Stick to the 325i (E30/E36/E46), they are plenty of fun that will teach you how to handle your car, give you plenty of road experience, all while retaining some factor of safety and fun

[IfIHadSomeBacon]

Ok, well some people asked for better pictures so here they are:
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I have done nothing except put license plates on it.
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I can't really decide what my opinion is on the taillights. Sometimes I think "well, they match the car" and other times I think "those look a little odd". Before, I said it came with stock taillights, but I had forgotten that that the seller couldn't find them, so it just came with stock headlights. That means I'd have to go out and get ones. Is it worth it? Anyways, here it is.

[BimmerBreaker]

Those tail lights and head lights look like crap. Go OEM IMO. OEM parts are pretty cheap - you can probably sell these ebay specials to someone with no taste for the cost of replacement OEM parts

[IfIHadSomeBacon]

I have the stock headlights. About how much would be reasonable for stock tail lights? I'm finding prices all over the place.

[BimmerBreaker]

You can find them cheap as $5/each on craigslist. Clears will be a bit more. E36 lights are not expensive

[IfIHadSomeBacon]

Haven't found any, I'll have to keep an eye out. I think I'll put the M Contours on.

Update: Center caps from the black wheels don't fit the M Contours so I left the black ones on. I guess I gotta order some caps. (Sadly I found out after already having put on two of them on)

[adept]

I know how you feel cause I was once in your shoes, I would not advise getting an M3 for your first car. They may not be fast by today's standards but its certainly a quick car. I can tell you that if my first car was an e36 M3 it would have been wrapped around a tree. I'm only 20 now but I have certainly matured when it comes to driving and can't believe the stupid shit I used to do in my old car (acura 3.2 tl type s). Buy an e36 318 or 325 if you want one and learn to drive better on that. The most important part of a car is what is in between the drivers seat and steering wheel. Once the time comes that you get your M3 you will appreciate it more, I know I did.

Perfect first response. Believe this guy OP.

[Brashland]

Those headlights HID? Just be warned that oem headlights are miserably dark. Best purchase I made to my car was a good set of projector HIDs.

[montaillou]

Do BMW's get keyed frequently? Some guy at my dad's job bought a 335i and it has already been keyed.

Often when someone gets keyed it's about the person, not the car. The car pays because if you key up a beater the owner usually won't care.

-be aware that cops will be on you just because it's an M3.

This is BS. Maybe some cops, somewhere will target your car, but I've never gotten a speeding ticket and there are an abundance of cops in my area who still have plenty of time to pull you over for things like no front plate. Then again, maybe my car's not as flash as OP's.

[IfIHadSomeBacon]

Mine, sadly, is a little flashy, but I do have a front plate.

[Sleepyhead97]

My two cents is this: Your first car needs to be safe and dependable, with emphasis on safe. Honestly I would really like to know who has not wrecked/dinged/run-off the road in their first car(first car being something they kept longer than a year). It just how Teenagers are. I had an 85 IROCz as my first car, went into the ditch at 85 miles an hour did a 540 spin in the air and landed on the highway during rushhour--with no collision. You might not have anything like that experience, but you will gun it one day and whack, next thing you know you hit something. It is almost a law of nature. Good luck, and wear your seatbelt!

[IfIHadSomeBacon]

I really hope I don't do anything like that! My dad hopes that if I take it to the track a few times, I can realize that it really isn't worth flooring it on a 35 mph road when the real fun happens on the track. I hope it works like that too, but I wont know for sure until later. But thanks anyways! This reminds me, the previous owner turned the airbags off so they wouldn't deploy if he hit a pothole. Does anyone have any idea about what I should do or how much it would cost for the BMW place to turn it on?

[Bene36m3]

My two cents is this: Your first car needs to be safe and dependable, with emphasis on safe. Honestly I would really like to know who has not wrecked/dinged/run-off the road in their first car(first car being something they kept longer than a year). It just how Teenagers are. I had an 85 IROCz as my first car, went into the ditch at 85 miles an hour did a 540 spin in the air and landed on the highway during rushhour--with no collision. You might not have anything like that experience, but you will gun it one day and whack, next thing you know you hit something. It is almost a law of nature. Good luck, and wear your seatbelt!

I haven't. My m3 was my first car and I've owned it for almost 7 years

[IfIHadSomeBacon]

It looks great in that picture, what do you do about little dents?

[Sleepyhead97]

Compared to the other cars "flying off the shelves" for $2000 over KBB book value in my area, this seemed like the best deal I had seen.

I can relate. Bought My 97 528i. Wanted a Toyota, people were wanting ridiculous prices for them, way over BB considering the Mileage they had on them. SO yes, I "settled" for the car, but we shall see how it plays out in the end. Wish you luck.

[montaillou]

It just how Teenagers are. I had an 85 IROCz as my first car, went into the ditch at 85 miles...

And how many parents out there lost their teenagers who did something like this? Maybe it's the cycle of life to you, but try explaining that to a parent after an accident.

And me? I didn't buy my first car until I was 25.

[IfIHadSomeBacon]

It was ridiculous here. I saw one guy asking 6900 for one with 225K miles. Another guy asked 4500 for a '95 salvage title, 190k miles, crappy condition, and not matching wheels. Feeling desperate, I asked the salvage title guy about his car, and he said he had sold it A DAY after he posted it, for his asking price, but didn't delete the ad. One I saw in Chicago had 170k miles or so, a little rust, and a few issues, and I asked about that one too, and the guy had actually sold it for 6100... $200 over his asking price...

Personally, I think the only reason I got a deal like the one I did was because when the seller put the ad on craigslist, he put "97 e36 ///m3", so I think not having "BMW" in the title may have had a some effect on the traffic he got towards the ad, giving me, a guy who put "m3" in the search bar, the chance to check it out.

What kind of Toyota? Also, maybe it just isn't an M3 thing, I guess cars just sell faster in the spring.

Oh, and even if you think you "settled" for your car, it's better than giving in and paying a price that is unreasonable!

[Sleepyhead97]

Montaillou: Lots, exactly my point.

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IfIHadSomebacon: I was looking for a early 2000's Toyota Avalon. It was really crazy how much people were willing to spend for them. I also called about one it was an 01 with 107k being sold at a small car lot. You wont even believe me if I tell you how much they sold it for. 9k from what they guy on the phone told me.

As far as settling goes, I just hope I dont have to baby the BMW more than I do my 260k mile 98 Malibu. That would really break my heart.

[sonnyboy95]

My first car was an e39 530i msport and I love it. It is still my daily driver with 197777 miles on it. It is a reliable, good looking car with plenty of power with its 3.0 liter indestructible straight six.

[e34please]

Definitely take it to the track to improve your driving skills and learn how to handle the car at or near it's limits, just don't mistake your improving skills/knowledge with true experience. Some things only come with TIME, so don't assume that just because you went to the track a few times, you can safely bomb around town without eventually making a potentially deadly mistake.

Don't listen to these jaded guys who say an e36 m3 is not "dangerous" for a new driver. They may be used to 500whp but you are inexperienced, and 210rwhp can easily send you into a spin if you overestimate the capabilities of the car or yourself. Also public roads are NOT a track... The roads may have imperfections that can be difficult to see and there is always the possibility that some 4 year old will come bounding out from behind a parked car. One last word of caution: you are NOT as good at multitasking as you think you are; do not under any circumstances text while you drive. I hate to harp like an old lady, but as a teenager I thought I was invincible and was an exception to safety rules because I was a more intelligent, better driver than everyone else around me... I never would have admitted I thought that way, but in retrospect I did some pretty silly and unsafe stuff. I'm lucky nothing terrible ever happened, but now I recognize it was just that, luck, that things turned out the way they did.

That being said, you seem fairly mature for your age (don't let that get to your head =P) and it's completely possible to enjoy the **** out of your car and never have any incidents. My first car was a '95 525i 5 speed and I had a blast with it, so I know you're going to love your m3. Just give it the respect it deserves and you'll have a great time! Congrats on the bimmer and props for working your butt off to get it... you will learn that you enjoy your possessions/experiences much more when you work hard for them rather than being given the world on a silver platter.

[IfIHadSomeBacon]

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It's tons of fun on the track! I was pretty cautious and really slow, but I don't even have my drivers license yet, so there is plenty of time for improvement.