[ChrisM4]

I’ve had a lot of vehicles over the years (more than 25 between my wife and I)

The only one I really regret selling was my 2012 CTS-V Wagon in silver with a manual, black wheels and yellow calipers. I special ordered that car and it was so rare, fast and beautiful.

My latest 2022 M3 manual I just picked up reminds me of that car. The colour is similar, it’s fast, practical and I also had the dealer throw in roof racks for it as part of the deal 😆

[V1L3]

I had a slow grind up to some decent cars, but I have had a few... I'll list them in order of how much I loved them:

01) '17 Camaro ZL1
02) '03 SVT Cobra
03) '12 GT-R Black Ed.
04) '18 RS5
05) '83 280ZX
06) '15 Mustang GT
07) '22 Golf R
08) '07 Impreza WRX
09) '16 Focus ST
10) '13 Impreza WRX STI
11) '16 Challenger Scat Pack (automatic)
12) '15 Challenger Scat Pack (manual)

I've had a few motorcycles in there (I stopped riding 10 years ago), some regular commuter cars that I won't bother listing, and a couple pickup trucks (my gen 2 Raptor is the current family hauler). The jury is still out on where I'll place the G82 in the pantheon of greatness. It won't beat the ZL1 (I absolutely love that car and will probably buy another one in 1LE trim). It will probably come in just above or just below the GT-R. It will be hard to dislodge the Terminator from the number 2 slot for sentimental reasons.

[rak299]

I've had 21 and, overall, the G80 is the best. To be perfect, it would need to have XDrive and another inch of ground clearance (I don't race and sometimes go to the snow), but I chose the manual and would choose it again. A perfect car would also have more leg room, since I have VERY long legs. I have only ever had 1 car where I had enough leg room, an old '71 SEL MBZ, but it was an automatic and was like driving a container ship.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Llarry

I've only owned my G80 M3 for 11 months so far, but it's up there in the running; more time will tell.

Now I'm at 13+ months and loving my G80 M3 more every day. At this rate, it may be my favorite BMW and favorite car ever.

[CanuckM]

Definitely in the top 5 list as well. I am part of those with Automotive Addiction Disorder. The beauty of the G80 is that it equally itches the luxury side of my brain as much as the sporty side.

In the last 14-15 years of driving,

1. Honda Accord
2. VW PASSAT
3. BMW 335
4. BMW M3 E90
5. BMW X3
6. Audi S4
7. Audi Q5
8. Jag F-Type S
9. Range Rover Sport SE
10. Jaguar XF-S
12. Range Rover Sport HSE
13. BMW M3 E92
14. Jaguar F-Type R
15. Range Rover Sport SVR
16. Audi RS7 Performance
17. Ferrari 458
18. BMW M2 LCI
19. BMW M2 Comp
20. Ram Rebel
21. Porsche Carrera 4S 991.2
22. Mercedes-AMG G63
23. BMW M3 G80 6MT
24. Lexus IS500
25. Macan GTS
26. Tundra TRD Off-Road
27. Porsche 992 Carrera 4 GTS
27. BMW M3 G80 6MT incoming

I realized over the years that I am a BMW and Porsche guy unequivocally. No matter how I strayed, I seem to always be attracted by these two brands. I discovered that I was not a big Mercedes or Audi guy.

Good looking designs but no where near as sporty as BMW. I must mention the Lexus IS500 was surprising, a great V8 and an actually entertaining drive. The car was let down with too narrow of tires, an overly protective traction control and a dated interior. But good lord, does a 5L v8 belong in a compact sedan.

[vbb]

Originally Posted by CanuckM

Definitely in the top 5 list as well. I am part of those with Automotive Addiction Disorder. The beauty of the G80 is that it equally itches the luxury side of my brain as much as the sporty side.

In the last 14-15 years of driving,

1. Honda Accord
2. VW PASSAT
3. BMW 335
4. BMW M3 E90
5. BMW X3
6. Audi S4
7. Audi Q5
8. Jag F-Type S
9. Range Rover Sport SE
10. Jaguar XF-S
12. Range Rover Sport HSE
13. BMW M3 E92
14. Jaguar F-Type R
15. Range Rover Sport SVR
16. Audi RS7 Performance
17. Ferrari 458
18. BMW M2 LCI
19. BMW M2 Comp
20. Ram Rebel
21. Porsche Carrera 4S 991.2
22. Mercedes-AMG G63
23. BMW M3 G80 6MT
24. Lexus IS500
25. Macan GTS
26. Tundra TRD Off-Road
27. Porsche 992 Carrera 4 GTS
27. BMW M3 G80 6MT incoming

I realized over the years that I am a BMW and Porsche guy unequivocally. No matter how I strayed, I seem to always be attracted by these two brands. I discovered that I was not a big Mercedes or Audi guy.

Good looking designs but no where near as sporty as BMW. I must mention the Lexus IS500 was surprising, a great V8 and an actually entertaining drive. The car was let down with too narrow of tires, an overly protective traction control and a dated interior. But good lord, does a 5L v8 belong in a compact sedan.

Great list. You have a few on there that I've owned, and a few that I'm curious about. My former ISF was definitely a favorite and I seriously considered the IS500 F-Sport before getting into my M4. The fact that Lexus doesn't offer a manual transmission was a big issue for me, and the dated interior/tech sealed the deal against it. That said, I owned the ISF and RCF and liked them both. Great engine and rock solid reliability. The 458 is also intriguing. The 911TT was as close as I got to a "supercar" and always was curious about owning a Ferrari. How did you like it? I also considered a Macan GTS as a daily, but I'm just not an SUV guy when it comes down to it. I did love my Tundra TRD Pro, and wouldn't mind owning another one.

All in all, I love your taste in cars. And yes, the M3/M4 really does check so many boxes all in one package which is why I'm so happy with mine.

[CanuckM]

Originally Posted by vbb

. The 458 is also intriguing. The 911TT was as close as I got to a "supercar" and always was curious about owning a Ferrari. How did you like it? I also considered a Macan GTS as a daily, but I'm just not an SUV guy when it comes down to it. I did love my Tundra TRD Pro, and wouldn't mind owning another one.

All in all, I love your taste in cars. And yes, the M3/M4 really does check so many boxes all in one package which is why I'm so happy with mine.

Many thanks amigo. As you said, our friends and neighbors all think we are crazy. But I still insist there is method to the madness.

The 458 was a terrific car and the last Ferrari I only really desired. (Fine, the Speciale and Aperta too) It was more compliant than half of the cars that I've owned due thanks to the magno ride and was terrific on long distance. I fitted mine with a Tubi so it absolutely sang when the RPMs got up there.

Post 2012, Ferrari offered a complimentary 7 year maintenance plan so mine being a 2013, it had everything done with the dealer. I look for Spyders's once in a while.




The Macan GTS would suprise you. It qualifies as a SUV but really drives like a hot hatch. It's nimble and holds the road remarkably well. 22+ also received the Turbo motor which gives it proper performance with GTS exhaust noise and athleticism. Can't say it's a long termer but it's a great alternative to someone who needs ground clearance.

[Forzanerazzurri]

Wow some of you guys change cars like underwear.

I'm secretly jealous...

[V1L3]

Originally Posted by Forzanerazzurri

Wow some of you guys change cars like underwear.

I'm secretly jealous...

If you add my commuter cars to my list (and the bikes) I've had like 22 vehicles in the course of 17 years... Really not too bright when you think about it.

I'm telling myself that I'm done with the hot swapping, and I'd like to move into a larger house with some more space... so the cars I have now need to stick.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd skip riding bikes (surprised I'm alive with how many times I've laid them down), and I'd skip the bullshit "sports" cars I've owned, opting for only some real quality cars. Could easily cut my list down by 2/3 and save a lot of money.

[vbb]

Although I can find something that I enjoyed in just about all of the cars I've owned, I definitely would have had fewer cars if I had to do it all over again. More than a few of the purchases I made when I wasn't super excited about the car, but thought buying it made sense--it was a good deal, or the car had a good reputation/reviews, etc-- and those purchases were usually mistakes and I never connected with the car. Going forward I am really looking to slow down my purchases quite a bit and only buy cars I really, really want without making many (or any) compromises. Those decisions seem to turn out for the best.

[DavesZupra4]

Originally Posted by rick504

I am the exact same way. I've been through 40 cars in the last 18 years. Somehow I always end back up in BMW. I really like my 23 Jahre. I went through quite a few sedans this year trying to find the right one and they all had quirks that made me move on quickly. Alfa Guila quadrifoglio, two F90 M5s, and a new RS7. I believe I've found what I was looking for. (For now) the mixture of new tech(idrive 8 is amazing), handling, speed, luxury and available mods is unmatched. Plus the car is just plain aggressive looking. I really think I will keep this one for a while. There is nothing else I've driven that comes close. A few cars I've kept for some time were

My 610-4 Huracan- I still have this one. No plans on ever selling.

My prior design widebody C63s. Kept that car for almost 3 years. Had pure stage 2 turbos and it Was slower than a G80 with a JB4.

Had a highly modded ghibli I got when they first came out. Kept it almost 4 years.

One I miss to this day was my B8.5 RS5. I loved that car. I kick myself for selling it. I haven't found one optioned like it yet or I would have one in my garage.

I've had so many vehicles I can't even remember some of them. F-pace SVR was a standout too along with Panamera turbo and e60 M5.

The Alfa quad was probably the best driving car I've ever had next to my 488, but fell short in so many other areas. The G80 picked those shortcomings up and drives almost identical to that. So it's definitely a winner.

Can people please stop saying "my 23 jahre edition". It's meaningless. Jahre just means year in German. When Americans say "my jahre edition" it sounds so....well you know. your basically saying "I have the year edition".

Anyway this thread feels too baggy so I'll just add my friends LFA in Dubai is thr BEST car I've driven (best sound)

[diablo2112]

New to the M3, not new to cars. Owned something over 60 of them over the last 40 years, including some rare exotics. There’s no “best car”, all are different and all do something special in their own way. If I had to own only a single car, then it would be one of about 5 (depending on year and mood) including the M3. Other contenders are the Supra MkV, Mercedes SL550, Toyota Tacoma, Lexus GS400, and maybe the Corvette C6.

Anyway, back when I picked up the Supra, I did a bit of reflection on these many cars and submitted my thoughts (below), relevant to the discussion. I sold the Supra mid-pandemic for more than I paid, and given that my current garage space is fairly limited, choose the M3 to serve as a combination family/sports car for the time being.

While not mentionned below, BMWs have been my bread-and-butter sedans for the last 15 years. Great cars that drive well with decent performance and good day-to-day ownership characteristics. Of the BMWs, I’ve always felt the 3-series was ideal. I’ve owned a few larger models (650i, X5) and the size worked against the driving dynamics. The inline-6 defines BMW, and this is probably the best engine platform out there. The E90 335i was just an amazing car for its time, and I owned several.

Anyway, I’ll post up some thoughts on exotics in just a bit.

[diablo2112]

repost from the Supra list on Supra (and, honestly, much the same can be said about the M3) versus exotics.
——
Greetings! New here, old guy. Irresponsibly long story follows.

I appreciate the chance to talk about me and my favorite cars. We just picked up a 2021 3.0 Premium. Great car so far. Why the Supra? Well, glad you asked! Settle in, we're going on a bit of a ride. I retire soon, and have been saving for a "retirement car" and had quite a few options on my list. This journey ends at the Supra. And a winding journey it is.

I'm a car guy. Well, addict, really. There. I said it. My story is about fulfilling that dream. It didn't come easy. I'm a working stiff with a bad car habit. So, I had to get creative to salve my passion. How? From the mid-80s to the mid-00s, my game was to carefully buy carefully selected sports cars at the bottom of their depreciation curve and sell them as they increased in value. Eventually, I worked my way up to a number of supercars.

I purchased a Lamborghini Countach 5000s for the mid-50s in 1997, and sold that car 3 years later for close to 90K. I thought I was a genius. I drove an iconic, rare supercar for 3 years, and made almost 40k! Turns out, selling that car was among the dumbest things I ever did. I really wanted a Diablo (see user name), and selling the Countach enabled that.

Well, that Countach is now close to a 7-figure car. Even the Diablos are worth north of 300k now. Dumb me. I knew they *had* to appreciate in value, but I just wanted the new (or different) thing. I mean, who could have predicted the Countach - with less than 1000 made and their poster on every teen's wall in the 70s - would become a sought-after, rare collectible? Well, I knew. And *only* had a 2-car garage. Grrrr.

Eventually, I owned 2 other Lambos (a 94 Diablo Vt and a 2001 Diablo 6.0). Ferraris: 88 Testarossa, 01 456 (great car, cheap for a Ferrari V12!), several 308 GTBs. Acura NSX (95 Targa which I traded for a 93 NSX and $20k in cash). A couple of Porsche 928s. 52 MG TGD. And more pedestrian cars. 86 Honda Prelude (my first new car, fresh out of college). Lexus SC400 and SC430 (gorgeous designs). Mazda Miata (the autocross champ). The game here (on the exotics, at least) is I didn't really lose money on many of these, and made enough on many of the sales to afford the next "tier". Those were the days in the 80s and 90s, when supercars were experiencing their second market bubble.

Most car folks get the supercar itch. I scratched it, hard. The reality of supercar ownership is very different than the fantasy. None of these cars are easy to own. If you're not chasing the constant gremlins (and they all had gremlins), you worry about having these out and about. You just can't leave the Countach or Testarossa in the mall parking lot without worry. Everything about them is quirky. You constantly worry about road conditions, slanted driveways. Try backing up a Countach into a tight spot. That's a learned skill for sure. Open the door, sit on the sill with your a** hanging out, and look over the roof as you barely reach the pedals.

I also tracked these cars, occasionally. I had the Diablo VT in the Silver State Classic, and the Autoweek writer wanted a ride. I said, "drive it, instead". He'd never driven a Lambo. That experience got written up. That was a thrill, to see my car and fun desciption in a national magazine. I put over a 100 hot laps on the Countach as Hallet Raceway (near Tulsa). What a blast. I returned with the Diablo, ditto.

The racing bug bit me, and I moved into Shifter Karts and Formula Fords. Those were my younger days, when I was fit and had the reaction time to compete. I rose to a regional championship in SKUSA in 2001. That was the pinnacle of my racing career. Now? I built a fantastic racing simulator. That scratches the racing itch, good, and doesn't cost a fortune in tires and consumables for a weekend.

Anyway, this long story brings me to the point of this post. What other cars did we consider? Work and family obligations have removed me from sports cars for the last several years, and with retirement looming, I always knew I'd reenter my most visceral passion. I do feel a bit out of place now. In my heyday, fellow enthusiasts met in person and communicated via newsletters and magazines. We'd meet a few times a year at various tracks.

The internet has changed everything. And the culture. It seems the first thing kids today want to do is mod their car! And what options they have! That's not me. I wanted to buy a car, and just have it work. Not interested in tuning. Didn't want the worries of the supercars of the past. And oh my, have cars evolved! Let me tell you. Our 2021 Supra 3.0 outperforms nearly every car I've ever owned. It spanks anything that didn't have a 12-cylinder, including a C6. About the only car I had that demonstrably outpeformed the Supra was the 01 Diablo 6.0 (which I maintain is probably the best car Lamborghini ever made).

Cars today happen to have 4 wheels and an engine. Beyond that, they're rolling, complicated computers. You just can't compare the amazing vehicles of today with the past. That's both good and bad. I serviced most of my own cars mentionned here. Want some fun? Try syncing six 45-mm side draft Webers on a V12 Lamborghini. I got good enough at that, I was writing tech articles for the national Lamborghini newsletter. It was fun, but I'm pretty much done with that now. And I worry about long-term reliability on these. So, buying new was the best defense for that concern.

So, what other cars did I consider? Even once scratched, you still can't completely rid yourself of the supercar itch. So, a mid-00s Gallardo was probably my first choice, or maybe another 456M. Then I kept remembering the headaches. I came to my senses, again. The Lexus LC500 was a real contender. Until I saw it in person. The proportions are wrong, and I just can't get over the new Lexus grills. Fugly. The F-type Jag looked good, too, but that design is starting to feel a bit dated, and at my price point (50ish), I'd have to buy a used model. The C7 and C8 were certainly options. I had owned a C6 Vette, and it was a great American car. Among the only American cars I've owned. But it drove a bit heavy, honestly. And, the C8 was going to have to wait for availability.

My daily drivers have been BMWs the last decade. Love them. My other car is the 440i Gran Coupe, an utterly fantastic daily driver and near perfect do-everything car (hatchback!). So, the Z4 was an obvious choice. Probably my first choice. Of course, that also means the Supra is on the list. And, being $20k cheaper was a huge bonus. I didn't care for the pics of this car. Looks a bit like tennis shoe went on a bender and got high off helium. Then, I saw one in person. TOTALLY different look. In the metal, it was gorgeous. And in white (my color), it just seemed so balanced. And, all-in prefer the stiffness of a coupe over a convertible.

So, after all that, it was the Supra. And I speak from a bit of experience when I say, at this price point, it is the single best car I've ever owned. Performance that just 20 years ago could only be matched by the most exotic and extreme supercars. My 95 NSX made 270 HP from a NA V6. And that was considered phenomenal! Now, the B58 is easily making north of 400HP and gets 30 mpg+ on the highway. Amazing.

Hope you didn't mind my story. I love cars, it's been my passion since I, too, had a Countach poster on my bedroom wall in 1974. The internet culture is a bit new. I probably violated every rule it has, with this novella-length post. Forgive the old man, he let the kids get rides in all the supercars back then. Viva la Supra!

[vbb]

Talk about "if I knew then what I know now" you sold a Countach and made a $40K profit, and since the prices have gone straight to the moon! But I understand completely. I've never purchased a car with the intent of making it a collector's item.

[CanuckM]

ChrisM3 I never thought roof racks would look great on a M3 but turns out they do!