Now I've gone and done it
 

I guess I missed hitting my head every time I climbed into a vehicle more than I realized...

Re: Now I've gone and done it
 

Very nice!
Same engine as our 535i GT and a much smaller, lighter car. I've been looking at buying one of those for a while now. With 300 hp they must be amazing.
6 speed manual I hope.
What year is it?

Re: Now I've gone and done it
 

A mere 255hp actually. It's a 3.0si, not the M. I wanted more of a GT and less of a raucous race car, which the M apparently is. It's plenty fast though.

2007. Has the M Sport suspension option and the "premium package" which means electric seats and that kind of foo. Yep 6-speed manual. And I really do bump my head every time I try to fold myself into it. I have to come up with a new method of entry.

Re: Now I've gone and done it
 

Very nice. I don't see a lot of those in the hardtop coupe version. Should be a fun little car.

Re: Now I've gone and done it
 

Looks like fun! I always liked those cars.

Re: Now I've gone and done it
 

I had the 30si on my z4 when I had it. Was really balanced and a fun car. Didn't leave me wanting more power at the time.

Re: Now I've gone and done it
 

Agreed and agreed. I haven't really, really tossed the car around yet, but it is very nimble and responsive and has a very high threshold before things get, uhm, interesting. :)

As far as power goes, it's okay below ~3500 RPMs but above that it really gets up and goes - plus it sings a very sweet song at those revs. My first tank is averaging a dismal 20MPG, mainly because I love to hear the motor at 4K and above.

If I see a downside at this early stage of ownership, it is that the interior has virtually no storage. There's a nice bit of room under the hatch but it's not accessible from inside the car. There's a storage compartment between/behind the seats but one must be a bit of a contortionist to reach it. Not the easiest location for folks of a certain vintage. :lol:

Re: Now I've gone and done it
 

Space was not its forte' but I somehow made it work. Only thing I would say i disliked was the run flats that lasted only 20k miles before wearing out. While I still had plenty of tread, had to take take it easy around turns when it was wet out after I went a little bit sideways. Luckily was able to recover and change my underwear :p

Re: Now I've gone and done it
 

I drove it home from the dealer's in a torrential downpour. Tires are pretty new - possibly very new - and even so it stepped out once or twice. The nanny electronics shut the fun down before it became an underwear moment though. Let's just say that I have no plans to disable nanny until I'm more familiar with this little beastie!

Re: Now I've gone and done it
 

Thought I'd update folks on the 3.0si now that I've lived with it for a while. In short, I still love the car. And I don't hit my head nearly as often anymore when getting in and out. ;)

I had it up on the Tail of the Dragon last year, with a bunch of other BMW Z cars. Wow! I was extremely impressed with how well the front of the car simply goes where it's pointed. I'm also familiar enough with the handling now that I feel comfortable turning off the DSC, which prevents the nannies from stepping in quite so early. I was able to hang the tail out a bit. The relatively slow corners on the Tail suit the car perfectly.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ce...=w1062-h708-no

I also, in a moment of weakness, found a stablemate. I know, I know, I said I didn't want the M. But it turns out I did.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Sn...Q=w907-h680-no

I really like both cars. They have distinctly different characters. The silver car is noticeably lighter, almost 200 lbs. in fact and that is almost all motor. The N52 has a magnesium block, the M car's S54 block is cast iron. So the 3.0si feels more nimble, more eager to turn. And it really doesn't feel like it loses that much in terms of power, even though the M has ~80 extra ponies.

The M car is more, I dunno, 'visceral' I guess. It just wants to GO. More torque at low RPMs, better steering feel (hydraulic vs. electric), lots and lots of brakes (although the si has great brakes too), LSD for when things get interesting. And the color. And, well, it's an M.

That said, the budget does not smile upon me keeping both cars, so the silver one will be going on the block soon. I want to get it spiffed up and perhaps do a couple preventative maintenance items on it first though. And I still want to drive it a few more times. It's a delightful car.