This probably goes without saying for those close to me (my poor wife!), but I have something wrong with me. Something severe. Something serious. I've got the car disease....
A few years back, early on in the dry ice brainstorming process, I decided to do the "financially responsible" thing and sell my leased 2021 BMW M340i back to the dealership and pick up a cheaper daily so I'd have more money each month for business reasons.
Well, fast forward to today and now; the business didn't work out and I've had a myriad of daily drivers since the M340i (in order):
I had the Lexus for roughly 6 months before picking up the E91 wagon, which I then had for about 7 months, before deciding I missed and needed the amenities (and reliability) that comes with a new car, hence the Civic.
My first ever new car purchase was back in 2007, when I was a young lad of just 24 and still living at home. I bought a 2007 Honda Civic Si sedan in Galaxy Grey Metallic:
It was a great car, but unfortunately (for the 2023 Civic I own), I've been spoiled by European styling, performance and driving dynamics. Not only that, but I'm a much different (and older) person than I was back in 2007. It took me a few months, but I realized I'm no longer interested in daily driving a manual, especially the one in the new Si. I realize Honda makes some of the best gearboxes out there, but I am simply not a fan. The clutch is FAR too light (which I realize is the appeal to the masses) and the engagement point is way too high, making it a vastly different (ahem, less enjoyable) experience than when I drive my M3. And so I came to the realization that my M3 is the only manual I need in my life.
Not only that, but I've regretted selling back the M340i almost every single day since doing so. It was, in my mind, the perfect daily driver. Nearly 400hp, plenty of room for my family, a gorgeous vehicle, but also economical. A sad photo from that fateful day when I dropped her off at BMW of Warwick and collected my check:
Fast forward to November 2023 and I think by this point, I've bugged my wife (aka Ministress of Finance) enough where she knew I was done with the Civic and wanted back in an M340i. So then began the search (arguably my favorite part of buying a car....in the words of Wayne Carini, "it's all about the chase"). I texted my Client Advisor buddy Luke over at BMW of Warwick (who had sold me the 2021 M340i), as well as my wife's CPO 2019 X5. He said he had a couple of cars in mind possibly coming off lease in the next few months, and to call me the following day when he was back at work.
I call him the next day and leave a voicemail, as he didn't answer. He calls me back a few hours later and the first thing out of his mouth is "guess who I just had sitting at my desk"? Oddly enough, I had a weird feeling that I knew the answer and so I said to him: "the guy who owns my old M340i"....and sure enough, I was right. He was talking to Luke about possibly being ready to trade the car in for something new, ideally an M440i (those grilles....
). Obviously I was ecstatic at the potential of buying my old car back. I had custom ordered that car at the onset of COVID, so it was built exactly how I wanted it, and got an insane deal on it ($10k under MSRP). So Luke began working on the guy trying to facilitate a deal/trade for him, to free up the car for me to purchase.
This battle went on for nearly 2 months. First issue Luke had was finding the right spec M440i for the owner. Then, once he found the car, he had trouble getting sign-on from the guy's wife. She was reluctant to get rid of the M340i because they both loved it and the spec, and didn't love the interest rates currently being offered, which we can all agree they ****! He said he tried everything he could to make a deal happen, but the wife refused to budge. So he texted me at the end of December informing me of the bad news. I told him as the weeks dragged on, I had a feeling it wouldn't work out. I was bummed, but went flat out in looking for my next car from that point on.
Tried all the usual suspects (CarGurus.com, Cars.com, Autotrader.com, Autotempest.com) and found a few, but nothing that checked all the boxes. I wanted the same color combo (Portimao Blue over Cognac interior), heads up display, M adaptive suspension, remote start, etc. But wasn't having any luck. And so I did what any normal person (?!) would do, I went through the CPO inventory of each and every BMW dealership, starting with those closest to me, then fanning out, state by state. You'd be surprised at how much inventory that does
not show up on the car search sites....I went through MA, RI, CT, NH, ME, VT, PA, NY, then got to BMW of Ramsey in NJ.
They had a 2021 M340i Xdrive (my old was one RWD, but I was open to either this time around), in the color combo I wanted, with nearly every option/package. The only thing missing was remote start, but because the car was equipped with the wireless charger, the remote start was a downloadable option through the BMW ConnectedDrive store (we did the same thing with my wife's X5). You pay a one time fee and through the lovely use of software and modern tech, remote start is added to your vehicle! The only differences between this new car and my old one were the following:
- the wheels (this one had old man spec wheels...easy fix, more below)
- the interior trim
- does not have the extended shadowline package (so the grilles, mirrors, exterior accents are cerium grey, not black......for now!!)
The car has only 19,444 miles and is CPO covered through 9/25. After some back and forth with a salesman there, I was able to get them to take $1000 off the asking price, and knock off 2 idiotic fees:
1) $399 nitro fee (tires)
2) $399 perma plate (clear coat paint)
Covered transport (I only paid for open transport, so I made out) picked up the car this past Friday night (6pm in NJ) and dropped it off in front of my house Saturday morning at 8:45am. Talk about efficient! And now the painful wait for the paperwork to get sorted out so I can get her registered in MA. Once that happens, I'll be selling the Civic Si to CarMax/Vroom/Carvana/whoever pays the most on the given date.
Back to the wheels. Think I've all but settled on these wheels, which I'm hoping to order next month:
These will be my "bonus" gift to myself this year. The wheels currently on the car will serve as my winter wheels.
And now, photos of the new (to me) car:
https://flic.kr/p/2psaDsV
The plan is to get it dialed in while it's undriveable, so I've commandeered my wife's garage spot for the foreseeable future. Been really cold around here, but supposed to warm up a bit next week, so I'm hoping to take a day out of work and give the car a Decon wash to get rid of any protection currently on the paint.
Then iron remover/clay the paint/paint correction/paint coating. I'll document that process as it happens. Already have the same AA Concepts carbon fiber front lip and rear spoiler that I had on my last M340i, waiting to get installed. Aside from the wheels, hoping to order some other goodies, like an intake and maybe some lowering springs to go along with the new wheels.
Needless to say I'm super pumped to own another M340i. I feel complete, again, and feel as though all is right with the world. Thanks to those who took the time to read through this novel/word vomit.
No garage upgrades to speak of, but I am hoping to significantly upgrade the lighting to help out with future detailing (too many shadows/too much inconsistent light). Found these that I am strongly considering:
Upgrade with Konlite SL0302 8ft LED strip lights (pack of 4). Choose 3500K-5000K CCT & adjustable wattage (11,400 lumens max). Ideal for retrofitting fluorescent fixtures or new installs.
revolveled.com
Thinking 8 total fixtures will work. 4 rows evenly spread of 16' foot runs should get even light coverage all around both stalls. And pricing isn't bad, either. Already reached out to my electrician, so hopefully this can get done come the Spring. Also might be moving my pressure washer setup, with help from a buddy, to allow for more room to eventually add a deionization system. Going to map it out when it warms up a bit and go from there.
Cheers!
www.garagejournal.com
Oh well, the plugs will help a bit.
