1999 BMW M3 Convertible

I'm going to take another night off but instead of just skipping I'll type out a quick RANDOM VEHICLE BLOG.  Maybe I'll mix it up in the future with some Random Golf Course Reviews or maybe a recap of some past home improvement projects, but for tonight it's going to be another vehicle.  Tonight's selection is…………….

                  1999 BMW M3 Convertible

This was an interesting car and an interesting story as well.  I've always liked BMWs to a degree.  The "Ultimate Driving Machine" catch phrase is appropriate.  They spend a lot of time in R&D making sure that you don't feel "detached" from the road.  They don't want the car to be too quiet or smooth.  Most automotive enthusiasts will sing the praises of the 3-Series as one of the greatest driver's cars ever, with the M3 being tops of the line.  I had always wanted one, so when this VERY low mileage convertible came across the block at the Texas Hobby Auction I snatched it up. 

 

The car only had about 18K miles on it and was so nice that I decided to go ahead and spend the money to make it perfect.  I had all the leather seats dyed, had a couple of dings repaired, replaced a cracked air vent, and purchased new floor and trunk mats.  It was only after I had done all this and owned the car for a few months that I noticed a tiny little sticker hidden in the door pillar indicating that the odometer had been replaced.

I showed the auction company my evidence and they were extremely cool about it.  My research indicated that the car probably had about twice the mileage that was shown - still low but not nearly worth what I had paid for it.  They took the car back and even reimbursed me for every penny I had spent on the car while I had it.  In reality they didn't have much of a choice since they are required by law to guarantee the title and mileage on cars, but they could certainly have been more difficult to deal with.  I've been a good customer with them over the years and I suppose they treated me as such.  This is still the only car I've ever had to return anywhere.

While I had it I enjoyed the car.  It was fairly quick, but to be honest I was expecting more.  I know you can do a lot to these M Power motors, but this one just felt like a torque-ier version of the base six to me.

One thing that wasn't disappointing at all was the convertible aspect of this car.  What  a great convertible!  The car felt as rigid with the top down as any car out there.  I had this thing at the right time of year too - fall.

The back seats were actually useful.  I love the way M-Series cars have subtle interior touches that set them apart, like the traditional M colors (light blue - dark blue - red) across all the seats.

Changing the battery.  Like most German cars the battery was located in the trunk.  It's actually an easy job and a much preferred location to under the rear seat.