The New Whip:
So I started my search for my M3. At the time I was only 22 and had to pay for it myself so I was stuck shopping for cars at $30k or less.
With price in mind, I test drove a few 328's and really like them. Great cars, but after test driving an M3, I had to make that stretch! It was that much better and I have not looked back!
I also considered the "new" (at that time) 1999 e46 328 sedan, but really didn't like the looks, and wanted the performance "edge" of the e36 M3. Again, I am very glad I went with the e36 M3.
Finally found my car on ebay. It was a 1997 M3 coupe with a 5-speed transmission and ~46k miles. Car was located in Naperville, IL, about a three hour drive from my home (at the time) in Springfield, IL. My buddy Quincy gave me a ride.
Color is Arctic Silver. My first two color choices were blue and black, had not even thought about silver until I saw it. Looking back, I would have been real happy with either, but glad I went with the silver. Black is hard to keep clean. Blue, well, it's just much more rare and at the time probably carried a premium price.
I purchased this car outside of the auction. Agreed upon $29,500. Original sticker price was probably somewhere near $42,000 and this car was only 27 months old at the time. Not a bad deal if I do say so myself. :-)
As for the condition, I didn't expect it to be perfect as it was one of the cheaper M3's for sale. Mechanically it was pretty sound, but it did have a few cosmetic blemishes. A few of the wheels had some curb rash, and there were a few small scratches on the rear bumper and trunklid and rear quarter-panel. The previous owner tried to touch it up with some paint, and I think made it worse. Anyhow, I had check in hand and definately wanted the car so we went through with the deal. Drove it home that night... very excited at the time! Could not believe it.
Here are some early pics of the car. Everything was stock except for the Alpine headunit that was installed by the previous owner.
Table of Contents:
Page 1: Quick pics, Intro, and car selection
Page 2: The New Whip
Page 3: Mods and Suspension
Page 4: Brakes, Wheels and Tires
Page 5: Drivetrain and Engine Mods
Page 6: Exterior Mods and Lighting
Page 7: Track Events and Drag Racing
Page 8: Mod and Spec Summary, Future Plans
Page 9: Other Cars and Friends
Page 10: Car Stereo Upgrades
