Quote:
Originally Posted by rwh11385
Yeah, E46 M3 wagons are popular these days and are great if you have the ability to build one - but I just don't love that gen (too much time porting around abused service loaners maybe), while always enjoyed the E90s more. I also didn't want to deal with S54 rod bearings or even a N54, especially after having two BMW V8s which are not fun to maintain, so a simple N52 like my S52 was preferred.
For a daily, reliable tank is nice and then throw on a few bits to make it slightly better. It's hard to find something as useful for <$20K that is as enjoyable to drive and is pretty modern without losing hydraulic steering and a NA I6 like the newer ones have done. I absolutely hated a F30 328 I drove and while a 340 was fast, I'd not sign up to own one outside of warranty.
Yes - getting 80% of my X5's usefulness and even just 60% of the fun of my E36 M3 was a good recipe for a daily. If I want better handling, I still have the M3 but it isn't the most comfortable car to take every day (and don't want to winter it). So I'll take a soft, slow car and refine as necessary. I got a low mileage one and plan to have it for a while. But wasn't in the market for a unicorn, nor would I have spent double what I did on one either. If I wanted power, a turbo engine would fit but no matter how much fun that could be it's not really the intent of the car and fast dailies don't help if you spend a lot of time in traffic (and even dailying a CTS-V on the highway can get old). So in the end, while they might not be amazing to some - I think E91s are a pretty good overall car if you find them for a reasonable price.
|
Oh yeah, don't get me wrong - I agree with pretty much everything you say here which is why I bought the car. I jsut find the price premium for 'unicorns' to be laughably unsustainable. Look at the value of 100k+ mile E46 wagons. The E91 will be valued similarly, I believe.
I have plans, too - mostly suspension related. This thing needs the most help in that department. The nice thing is that they are a great starting point for improvements!