[VehementCrom]

Take the supercharger off of the M3 and sell it. Stick to the best NA mods you can get for the M3 and enjoy driving it. If it's too much car, I don't see how building another fast car is going to solve anything. Youll just have too much car again, along with turbo hassles. Listen to Paul.

[Greyfox]

Just update the E91 with some mods. Honestly, I understand the passion for power ( I have a 68 Camaro in the garage with a 350/350 w/ TH400)... but the N52 in the wagon is tried and true and will rarely leave you sitting broken hearted. I have 295k miles on my wagon... bought it at 33k miles. Knock on wood, still running strong.

[JupiterBMW]

Originally Posted by Torgus

If you can't use your m3 wtf are you going to do with an n54 dct. If you are doing the swap you are replacing the turbos. You will have a ton more low end tire shredding tq and about the same hp as your m3. A DCT swap only makes sense if you want to go fast, which your current me already does. You are literally going backwards. After you swap a small fender bender and your your ride is written off because it has very little value. Not to mention you will spend more in maintenance.

If you need to put $$$ in the bank stop buying bmws and sell them all.

Seriously keep the m3. One it is a ton more fun to drive and will actually still be worth something in 5-10 years unlike a swapped e91.

I can tell by the tone of your reply that you think I'm either crazy, or stupid, or both... I completely get it. That being said, this has nothing to do with chasing power, torque, or speed. In fact its quite the opposite. My M3 is really fast, yes, and we all know that car is best suited on a track, or at least a place with twisty backcountry roads. I have a local track, which I've put the M3 on a couple times. Its fun, but its expensive, and frankly, I don't care to spend that money just for a day of fun. As for twisty backroads... We have ZERO of that in South Florida... So, the car is kind of 'wasted' down here anyway. I have no interest in making bigger power, a stock N54, or even one with a few light mods (exhaust/tune at the most) will be plenty of power for me to enjoy. The reality is that I only use my cars for driving around town, running errands, and the occasional family trip. I do like to put my foot into it on occasion though, and the current wagon just leaves me disappointed when I do that. The M3 on the other hand begs to be mashed all the time, which honestly I just don't care to do, its TOO much. So, the wagon (which is the PERFECT car for all my other needs) would be even more perfect with just a little bit more power. As for the transmission, personally its my favorite transmission. I have no interest in 3 pedals, but I would like to have something a little more lively than the 6AT. In regards to your comment about needing money, it is definitely not that. If I needed money, I'd just sell the X3 or wagon and be done with it. This is more about which car will suit my needs the best. As much as I love the M3 (and the reason I'm putting so much thought into this decision), I'm just not seeing it as the best car for me anymore. Your last thought about the M3 being worth money in a few years, that one other thing that is holding me back.

Originally Posted by VehementCrom

Take the supercharger off of the M3 and sell it. Stick to the best NA mods you can get for the M3 and enjoy driving it. If it's too much car, I don't see how building another fast car is going to solve anything. Youll just have too much car again, along with turbo hassles. Listen to Paul.

You raise a good point. I think that IF the M3 ever appreciates in value, then being in stock form might be the best way to have it. I could honestly sell my supercharger kit and that would almost cover the cost of swapping the wagon... I'm not building the wagon to be fast... I'm just building it to be a little more sporty. It will stay almost 100% stock in regards to performance.

Originally Posted by Greyfox

Just update the E91 with some mods. Honestly, I understand the passion for power ( I have a 68 Camaro in the garage with a 350/350 w/ TH400)... but the N52 in the wagon is tried and true and will rarely leave you sitting broken hearted. I have 295k miles on my wagon... bought it at 33k miles. Knock on wood, still running strong.

The passion for power is kind of dying in me as I've said... I do love the reliability in the N52, but I drive about 2-3K miles a year (hell, I'm not even home for 6 months out of the year) so reliability isn't really a concern for me. my wagon sits at about 119K now, it'll take years for me to even hit 150K. Thanks for the input though!

[JupiterBMW]

Also, I'd just like to thank ALL of you for the input... Great conversation.

[Tambohamilton]

Option 3: maximum boring; sell the e90, just go 3sim on the e91, pocket all the cash.

The e90 is basically just gathering dust. Will you make any more money from it by keeping it, via appreciation? I say sell it and move on.

The e91 isn't going to replace an m3 without a ton of chassis work, and even then it'd only be a vague likeness...and you're not chasing that. With that in mind, why not just spend a little money on it to make it the best version of its current self? 3sim for the engine, full service for the gearbox, suspension/overall refresh. Retain awesome reliability so zero hassle, save some more cash, but make it a bit less average.

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

Option 3: maximum boring; sell the e90, just go 3sim on the e91, pocket all the cash.

The e90 is basically just gathering dust. Will you make any more money from it by keeping it, via appreciation? I say sell it and move on.

The e91 isn't going to replace an m3 without a ton of chassis work, and even then it'd only be a vague likeness...and you're not chasing that. With that in mind, why not just spend a little money on it to make it the best version of its current self? 3sim for the engine, full service for the gearbox, suspension/overall refresh. Retain awesome reliability so zero hassle, save some more cash, but make it a bit less average.

This is a good point. Another consideration is while the M3 may appreciate in time during that time you are making insurance payments on it which isn’t cheap in SoFlo. I’ll bet that any appreciation you would see would be far outpaced annually by what you are paying to insure it.

If you aren’t driving it now and don’t see that changing then sell it and move on. You will certainly come out ahead financially doing this. E9xm3 was very high production and they are not rare cars, any traditional investment plan with the same money would outpace the appreciation on one by far. This is true for most any modern car.

[JupiterBMW]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

Option 3: maximum boring; sell the e90, just go 3sim on the e91, pocket all the cash.

The e90 is basically just gathering dust. Will you make any more money from it by keeping it, via appreciation? I say sell it and move on.

The e91 isn't going to replace an m3 without a ton of chassis work, and even then it'd only be a vague likeness...and you're not chasing that. With that in mind, why not just spend a little money on it to make it the best version of its current self? 3sim for the engine, full service for the gearbox, suspension/overall refresh. Retain awesome reliability so zero hassle, save some more cash, but make it a bit less average.

Honestly, I think what you're suggesting is exactly what I want to do. I do agree, the E91 will never replace the M3, and honestly, I'm not trying to do that. I'm simply shifting my focus. That being said, I agree 100% that I'm trying to make the best possible version of the E91. To me, its an N54 and DCT swap. The guy that I've located that can do the swap basically swaps an entire 335is into the wagon. To me, THAT is the ultimate version of the E91... Being able to do that and still pocket a nice amount of cash to me is a good balance... I do understand it is still a big investment (waste of money) into the wagon, but still, it would be fun to have a unique wagon like that...

Originally Posted by Biginboca

This is a good point. Another consideration is while the M3 may appreciate in time during that time you are making insurance payments on it which isn’t cheap in SoFlo. I’ll bet that any appreciation you would see would be far outpaced annually by what you are paying to insure it.

If you aren’t driving it now and don’t see that changing then sell it and move on. You will certainly come out ahead financially doing this. E9xm3 was very high production and they are not rare cars, any traditional investment plan with the same money would outpace the appreciation on one by far. This is true for most any modern car.

You're right, you're absolutely right... I've started to lean away from the idea that "it might appreciate"... Its far fetched and way too risky. Now my decision is just whether I can stomach selling the M3 and not being too regretful. I'll still have a cool and unique BMW... Honestly, that's ok. I'm ok with it not having an M badge on the back, and as you know in South FL, there will always be someone else with a cooler/nicer car... I don't care about that. I just want to have something fun for me..

[neilvan]

We have a similar situation. We have a few Miatas in the house(I know it is worth half of an M3) that only get driven in the nice sunny weather; about 1-3000 km a year. The value has been going up exponentially the last few years and for us insurance isn't too much of a hit.

We have the 335s as daily driver and get used more; but I enjoy driving both. Both have a purpose and are great for what they were designed. Even though the Miatas get driven less nothing can replace just getting them on the road and blasting them around the corners. For us, its worth the cost and maintenance(although both of those are much less than an M3).

My suggestion is sell the SC off the M3, use some of the money for a 3stage mani/milv/tune and maybe some wheels and tires on the E91. Then the rest of the money toss in the bank to make the other half happy. If later down the road you still arn't feeling the M3 is worth it then you can sell it then

[oVeRdOsE.]

^^ the ''keep your money'' thing is always the rational choice, and 99% of people I know, told me that about my cars.

One thing to consider, if you keep your car for 10-15 years, and all the maintenance is diy, at the end, it will probably be cheaper than the average person leasing a hyundai elantra every 3-4 years. bonus, the hyundai is boring af to drive and to look at.

Right now, I own a E91 that is out of the road , on blocks in my yard, since I don't know what to do with it yet. Its in great condition and running.

My personal options are the following
- sell it
- project car, but ONLY on a budget. getting used parts part here and there. Trying to find a smashed 335 with all the n54 work done on it.

[e93geek]

Originally Posted by JupiterBMW

I'm having a really hard time with the following decision here and I'd like to discuss... Give me your thoughts...

TL/DR: Do I sell my amazing, rare, and nicely modded E90 M3 in order to have money to 335is (N54/DCT) swap my E91 and also put money away into family savings acct? Or should I keep my E90 and leave the wagon stock-ish (boring)? Give me your input below.

My E90: The car is in car show condition, low miles, rarely ever gets driven (1K/year) and is a truly special car. Its a unique spec, and very low numbers makes me not want to put a ton of miles on it. I've had it 5 years and I've slowly modded it to a pretty amazing sleeper car. Looks OEM, but is supercharged to the tune of 565whp/435wtq. The car is amazing and everywhere I go, people love it. That being said, I don't drive it much because it is just a LOT.. Noise, power, touchy throttle, sucks down gas, worried about other drivers, etc etc... I absolutely love it, but there's no good roads in FL, and I don't really want to beat it up on track. That being said, will I regret selling the car? Link to my FS thread... https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1733761

My E91: I bought this car to have as a run around car... I use it for transporting tools while I do home repair work in my neighborhood, frequent Home Depot runs, and also put the family in to run around town. I didn't realize how much I LOVED the car. Its quiet, smooth, easy to drive, and really just pleasant. That being said, I do miss having at least a LITTLE bit of power, and I know the automatic trans is NOT ideal. The car has 118K miles on it, but runs perfect and doesn't leak a drop of oil. However, I've been introduced to the guy that swaps in the N54 and DCT trans which would be my IDEAL swap for this car. That and some other light mods and it would be PERFECT.

So, my overall thought is that the M3 is just a little bit too much, but the wagon is not enough. I can sell the M3 and use about half of the money to swap my wagon, and put the other half into the family account (I have wife and two kids to think about here as well). That would make the E91 a perfect utility vehicle, unique, and much more sporty to drive. I would still have the utility of the wagon, and being that its not a "rare" or "special" ///M car, I wouldn't feel bad about racking up miles.. Hell, it already has 118k... Or, will I regret this decision too much? I'll never own an ///M car as nice as my M3, but the wagon would be a really cool unique car that I could still mod and have fun with a little bit, without being as crazy as the M3.

Your thoughts?? Also, here's a couple pics, just because...

Nice car set up man. I'm loving the e90 m3 spec. I'd say just do what feels right, if you invest that $$ in 10-15 years it can be much more delightful to use. I don't know, I'm always pro invest in future. But the m3 e90 in blue ? I mean you'll only have one life to even say you own the car.. appreciate it & choose with out looking back. You got great options!

[King Rudi]

Divorce the wife, sell the house, split the money, keep all the cars.

My work is done here. Next!

[86Zed]

Originally Posted by neilvan

My suggestion is sell the SC off the M3, use some of the money for a 3stage mani/milv/tune and maybe some wheels and tires on the E91. Then the rest of the money toss in the bank to make the other half happy. If later down the road you still arn't feeling the M3 is worth it then you can sell it then

As an owner of a rare M car and E91 I agree with this answer most. A supercharger is doing nothing but kill resale value and drive-ability, especially seeing as you never use it. Hell I live in a state where my car is in winter storage for 5 months and I still put more miles on my M coupe.

Obviously you like to modify things and the allure of the next project is all too appealing. Just make sure you will enjoy the end result!

[JupiterBMW]

I'm really loving all these replies, thank you so much for all being so understanding and interested in this!

Originally Posted by neilvan

My suggestion is sell the SC off the M3, use some of the money for a 3stage mani/milv/tune and maybe some wheels and tires on the E91. Then the rest of the money toss in the bank to make the other half happy. If later down the road you still arn't feeling the M3 is worth it then you can sell it then

I'm starting to lean this way actually. I can sell the SC off of the M3 and that alone will almost finance a lot of the mods I want to do on my E91. Then, I can keep my M3 (or at least think on it more and decide if I'm going to sell it later). It won't net me a bunch of money in my pocket, but I'll still have the M3, and the wagon...

Originally Posted by oVeRdOsE.

My personal options are the following
- sell it
- project car, but ONLY on a budget. getting used parts part here and there. Trying to find a smashed 335 with all the n54 work done on it.

Agreed. The wagon 'project' will still be a fairly modest one. Not doing crazy wheels, big brakes, or a ton of engine mods. I'd really just like to have a clean car with a nice set of wheels, and a simple engine tune and a nice sounding exhaust.

Originally Posted by e93geek

Nice car set up man. I'm loving the e90 m3 spec. I'd say just do what feels right, if you invest that $$ in 10-15 years it can be much more delightful to use. I don't know, I'm always pro invest in future. But the m3 e90 in blue ? I mean you'll only have one life to even say you own the car.. appreciate it & choose with out looking back. You got great options!

You're absolutely right, no matter what, I'm very fortunate!

Originally Posted by King Rudi

Divorce the wife, sell the house, split the money, keep all the cars.

My work is done here. Next!

Yeah, this sounds easy. But we all know divorce is one of the most expensive options... Love my wife, love my house, and got two little girls too... One of which loves "Daddy's blue car".

Originally Posted by 86Zed

As an owner of a rare M car and E91 I agree with this answer most. A supercharger is doing nothing but kill resale value and drive-ability, especially seeing as you never use it. Hell I live in a state where my car is in winter storage for 5 months and I still put more miles on my M coupe.

Obviously you like to modify things and the allure of the next project is all too appealing. Just make sure you will enjoy the end result!

Haha you have me figured out. To me, the build of something cool and unique is almost more fun than owning and driving a cool car. I built the M3 to what I thought was the pinnacle, and now, after just a couple thousand miles of it being supercharged, I'm ready to turn it all back to stock. I still adore the car, and I'd love to keep it. Its getting harder to want to sell. I think turning it back to stock might just be the answer here.

[eljay]

If you need some money now, do what neilvan suggested and de-mod the M3. In stock form, that car is plenty fast, fun and the last pure NA M3 and the only one with a V8 (not counting the GTR).

If you need MORE money, sell the X3.

This may sound very self-serving coming from a car enthusiast, but a low-mile E90 M3 is quite a nice investment. Seriously, look at BaT and Hagerty. You can have your fun car and sell it years later without losing money.
E91 if it was a manual would slow down its depreciation and we all know that X3 is not that unique, so will drop the most in value of all three.

In my world: M3 + Touring is the ideal family combo. But hey, full disclosure: I'm an SUV hater.

[JupiterBMW]

Originally Posted by eljay

If you need some money now, do what neilvan suggested and de-mod the M3. In stock form, that car is plenty fast, fun and the last pure NA M3 and the only one with a V8 (not counting the GTR).

If you need MORE money, sell the X3.

This may sound very self-serving coming from a car enthusiast, but a low-mile E90 M3 is quite a nice investment. Seriously, look at BaT and Hagerty. You can have your fun car and sell it years later without losing money.
E91 if it was a manual would slow down its depreciation and we all know that X3 is not that unique, so will drop the most in value of all three.

In my world: M3 + Touring is the ideal family combo. But hey, full disclosure: I'm an SUV hater.

Oh believe me, I would sell the X3 as well... The X3 is my wife's vehicle, and I actually asked her about it... Ever since I bought the E91, she's been driving it, and she does like it. She does say her X3 is still so much faster and smoother (N55 with the ZF 8AT) which I can definitely understand, but I think if I put the N54 and DCT into the wagon, it would be a MUCH better vehicle than the X3. That being said, she said no... She wants to keep her X3.

[hassmaschine]

The E90 M3 is awesome, but if I had to choose between investing and owning a specific car, I'd choose investing every time. I'm sorry but the E9x will never be collectible - if you aren't enjoying driving it, you're going to lose value to depreciation until high school kids are buying them for a beater.

You could also swap the 3 stage on the E91 and see if it satisfies your needs, it's super cheap and will not hurt the resale value if you change your mind. As cool as an N54 swapped car is, resale value will be poor and it will be a hell of a lot more work.