"My Order"

[evanescent03]

Hey guys!

So, I used quotations in my title because the M3 I've built and ordered is not 100% mine yet (no deposit yet). My dealership has an upcoming allocation, but my CFO has tied my hands from pulling the trigger until we sell a house. We should be closing in a couple weeks so I contacted the dealership to humbly request they use their allocation to order "my car." I asked knowing that it should we be delayed, they would still be able to sell it without a problem. Well, they agreed! They offered to let me forego the deposit (keeping the CFO happy) until we've finalized the house sale. We've purchased a new X3 from them and a used F30 328i in the last year so we do have a favorable history.

About me: I'm someone who has enjoyed a few HPDEs and autocross events over the last few 6 years. I started out as a single dental student using a (then) new Subaru STi. I graduated (literally) and began my life as an Air Force dentist; I also graduated (figuratively) from the STi into an e90 335i and an e46 M3. I used the e46 M3 at a few tracks and auto crosses and loved every minute of it. Next big life event: I got married. My wife is almost as much of an auto enthusiast as I am so I consider myself very lucky. I did sell the e46 M3 after 3 years of ownership because I was using it less and less often due to the inevitable additions that closely followed marriage. Now I have two wonderful boys (20 months and 2 months) and having two cars makes more sense than three especially considering that we will be moving again soon.

About my decision: Our X3 is a great kid-hauler which I kept in mind during my cross-shopping. I considered a Cayman +/- S, used 911, M235i, 335i MSport, new WRX/STi, e90/92 M3, C63 AMG (new and old), S4. Each of these has a pretty extensive list of things I really love, but they also had a list of things (some longer than others) that I don't like. Some had a limited or missing back seat -- something I knew i could live without but would make my life difficult at times (P-cars, M235i); some would be used which would make it very difficult to find to meet my exact specs (including condition/previous ownership, etc: e90, used C63/911); and some I knew would leave me wishing I had sprung for the F80 (S4, M235i, 335i, Subarus); there was also one I simply do not feel like waiting for in addition to the fact that it will cost more and I hate the way the new rear end looks (new C63). I have debated every single option that eventually made it onto my build list and i was convinced i would get a "stripper" car, then i started adding things… full list to come later.

Final push: Now that I have my wife on board for getting the car, I wanted her to see it in person .. unfortunately the closest M3 is three hours away but luckily there is an M4 at our dealership. We went to check out the car and I test drove it for about 10-15min min because I was interested in trying out the DCT and adaptive suspension and decided I wanted both. Wife checked it out and loved it

Now that we have completed 99% of the paperwork to sell the house I have submitted my build sheet to the salesman, it's just a waiting game. I don't anticipate any hiccups with any part of the process but am prepared to wait for the car (I need to go do some more research to get a rough estimate as to when I can expect delivery).

The build sheet:

- Alpine White (which took me a long time to fully commit .. in the end I got it because I think it is classy and eye catching without being flashy)

- Black Extended Leather with CF trim (just feels right)

- Exec package (wish the items were a la carte, don't want HUD/washers/heated wheel and hate paying for those things .. i finally realized my protesting wouldn't accomplish anything and sucked it up by checking the box)

- Lighting package (decided xenons might make the car feel dated in a couple/few years but still feels silly spending the $ … YOLO, as the kids say)

- 19" black wheels (18" track wheels in the future; my wife actually really likes the look of these and for the price I think it's pretty reasonable)

- DCT (bc it can be cumbersome driving with Air Force boots when there are 3 pedals and i wear size 13… also i like being able to hold a coffee while putting around town… and the higher tech tranny seems to fit my build better… also no money shifts on a pretty expensive motor .. 6MT will be missed but i'll get something else in manual eventually)

- Adaptive M Suspension (a late addition that I know i could live without but again, i'm spending this much I don't want a dead button!!! also this isn't a Lotus/Ariel Atom so having some tech goodies helps the car feel like $75k)

- Harman Kardon (inexpensive and I like the HK system in my e90 335i vs the stock system in our 2014 X3)

The only other things I plan on getting from the dealership will be window tint (20-30%) and ClearBra. My build is definitely on the conservative side … nothing crazy going on but i think it'll be a very nice car and I can't wait to get it so I can start banging out the break-in miles!

Hopefully in a couple weeks I'll be able to put down my deposit and call it my own! Then I just need to cross my fingers that it actually gets built/shipped correctly without any significant delays. I believe the salesman said to expect 6-8 weeks but now that i'm at this step I'm going to do a little forum surfing regarding delivery times.

Time to go educate myself on the procedures from here on out!

Matt

[SakhirM4]

I really recommend the full leather instead of the extended, but that is obviously your choice.

[evanescent03]

Originally Posted by gmcconn535

I really recommend the full leather instead of the extended, but that is obviously your choice.

thanks for the input! I am sure the full leather looks nice but the amount that i personally would care about it makes it worth maybe $500 extra to me which is obviously not what BMW thinks

taken your car out on COTA yet? i'm hoping to make a trip before leaving the area.

[FTS]

Nice story, best of luck with the house sale and car purchase

Originally Posted by gmcconn535

I really recommend the full leather instead of the extended, but that is obviously your choice.

I have to agree with the President, I think full leather would be such a better choice than, let's say, LED lights.

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by evanescent03

thanks for the input! I am sure the full leather looks nice but the amount that i personally would care about it makes it worth maybe $500 extra to me which is obviously not what BMW thinks

taken your car out on COTA yet? i'm hoping to make a trip before leaving the area.

No. I only have 250 miles on it.

[evanescent03]

Originally Posted by FTS

Nice story, best of luck with the house sale and car purchase



I have to agree with the President, I think full leather would be such a better choice than, let's say, LED lights.

thanks, it's definitely exciting stuff! and again i appreciate the input but not having seen the full leather in person i just don't think i can do it although I'm sure it is quite nice…

[haynstyleM2]

great build. congrats!

[Lynchmob6]

Congrats!

[IMrMark]

Originally Posted by evanescent03

thanks, it's definitely exciting stuff! and again i appreciate the input but not having seen the full leather in person i just don't think i can do it although I'm sure it is quite nice…

It's quite nice, but you don't miss it if you choose other things over it. At least I didn't.

good luck with everything!

[Wah]

Congrats! On the lighting vs full leather thing... I have both, but since the LEDs provide no major performance improvement over the xenons, I'd say both options are mostly a cosmetic benefit. It comes down to where you want that benefit to show... the interior or the exterior. Personally, if I had to choose one I'd probably go with the LEDs for the same reason you stated... the car might look dated in a few years. That said... I LOVE the full leather package. It really makes the car look so much nicer on the inside and sets it apart from the standard 3 series. I don't think I would ever get another premium car without a leather dash if I had a choice. Best of luck!

[stevenc]

The extended leather is great. I got extended leather and all the seats are full leather, the only thing that isn't leather wrapped is the dash. Who cares about the dash being leather wrapped for an extra $3000.

[evanescent03]

Originally Posted by stevenc

The extended leather is great. I got extended leather and all the seats are full leather, the only thing that isn't leather wrapped is the dash. Who cares about the dash being leather wrapped for an extra $3000.

some people do care apparently .. I'm sure it's a nice option but not worth (to me) the money they're asking. $500 would be a no brainer, $1000 would make it tempting & beyond that it's no longer tempting. that being said I haven't been buying BMWs for years and looking for options to really stand out on a luxury note... it's only our 3rd new BMW, maybe after a few more years I'll long for full leather.

I had to talk myself into just about every option because I know I would enjoy the car about 99% as much if it were a 6mt, cloth, 18" wheel stripper. That last 1% does carry quite a bit of weight though