Drive it like You stole it
AFE 3.5" intake, 3.5" Euro HFM, 24# Injectors, TMS Chip, TMS Pulleys, TMS Shorty Headers, AA Track Pipe, Borla Catback, Billstein Sport Shocks, H&R Springs, TMS Adjustable trailing arms, X-Brace, TMS Front and Rear Strut Tower Braces, UUC Evo III SSK, UUC Shift Nob, DSSR selector rod, Fan delete.....
Trust us BMW are made for joyous raw enjoyment of horsepower. The car isn't gonna be a rare find and even a clean well maintained 1988 m6 goes for about 13k so just enjoy the low miles and perform regular maintenance.
Drive it.
Not driving a car so it will remain "a clean and low mileage example" is like not having sex with your wife so she'll be clean and low mileage for her next husband.
Why do all 20 something kids need to pimp out their cars?
Just leave the wheels, suspension, and exhaust alone
Don't pimp it out and ruin it. The next owner will thank you.
Enjoy the car. It will still be a keeper with 120k miles.
E39 DIYs done: Wipers, O2 sensors , MAF , Upper/Lower Intake Boots , FSU , ABS module fix , Power Steering Reservoir , Changed Rear Differential Oil , DISA , SAP, Vacuum lines , Radar Detector Hardwire , Fuel Filter , LED Angel Eyes , Headlight Adjusters--> [1],[2], [3] , Headlight Polishing, Punted: Fan Clutch/Tensioner/Pulleys , Oil cap O-rings , Window regulator ,Crumbling Cowl
Going into my TENTH YEAR of providing high quality reproduction BMW fabrics!
PRICE CUT on ALL FABRICS
Offering the best prices on the best quality reproduction fabrics!
So you got a damn good deal on a low mileage e36 m3 and you want to know what to do with it?! There are VERY few vehicles that actually appreciate over time. I quite highly doubt that there will be any e36 m3 15 years from now bringing six figures @ auction.
Drive the piss out of it and have fun... What other logical answer to that question could there be?
Fun=$/time... Therefore, fun x time= money. Is the giddy schoolgirl feeling you get out of driving it like you stole it worth the negligible amount of money that the car will decrease in value during that given timeframe?
My 99 has 78k on it. I'm driving it sparingly.
On my 10 mile commute to work, no need for an M3. I typically drive it on Fridays if the weather is nice, but the other days no need.
I'll do some driving with my car buddies, probably an auto-x or two, sure that's why I love the car. I'm just avoiding the pointless miles and most of all the poor weather (rain and snow).
I agree with every comment on this thread.. For a few thousand dollars profit its not worth the fun I will get out of it for years to come.. I have this one friend who always says "your car should be locked in a garage and not driven" but what does he know he drives an x5.... If I did sell i would probably end up looking for another car to take its place (which would be hard to do).. my mind is made up and i will enjoy the hell out of it.. thanks!!
Drive drive drive
OP, I think I understand your position quite well. You're caught between wanting to preserve your relatively low-mileage, excellent condition, just as it came from the factory M3 or taking full advantage of its capabilities by squeezing every ounce of enjoyment you can from driving it. You want to preserve the car not necessarily because you want to make money on it, but rather because you appreciate it in its current pristine condition, you know that it this is as close to "factory new" as it can ever get and you don't want to degrade such condition with lots of mileage, modifications, etc. On the other hand, you know what a blast the car is to drive and you want to have fun with it and enjoy it.
I totally get where you're coming from. My advice would be to get two. Keep the one you have now in the state it is currently in, and go buy another one that you can modify, go to the track with, and have all kinds of crazy fun with. They're not terribly expensive cars and that way you can literally have your cake and eat it too. That's what I would do if I were in your situation.
BMWs tend to be rather civilized, and sometimes a bit boring from the factory. Many of us prefer OEM+ examples that have a little more attitude to them. If my car was still stock I would've grown bored with it long ago. Instead I look forward to every time I turn the key and the engine roars to life. The simple, easily reversible mods you mentioned transform these great cars. I like stock also, but quality mods add to the fun.
OP, for the love of God, just drive the wheels off the damn car. When we're all dead and gone what will it matter?
I agree, in stock form these cars are excellent machines, but they have so much potential for tasteful modifications. Fx-r projector retrofit, a more aggressive freer flowing exhaust, m50 manifold, stiffer suspension with a modest drop, six speed swap, z3 rack, higher ratio diff, just to name a few. Even superchargers retain much of the stock feel while making the car such a blast to drive. There's tons to be done without ricing it out while adding to the performance, fun, and experience as you said. I think the best part of these cars may be just how fun and easy they are mod.
OP, have you drove the m3 since this thread started?
Life is like a car wash and I'm on a bicycle.
Drive it, enjoy it and show it off. Show people what a nice clean low mileage E36 M3 looks like. At that mileage you still have a lot of years to enjoy the car.
"I'd probably take the E30 M3 in this case just because I love that little car, and how tanky that inline 6 is." - thecj
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