Why did this have to be sitting in the garage where I took my homely Volvo wagon to get its oil changed?
Is it longing for the archetypal sportscar of your youth? The desire to make something old new again? Or just a need to own one of the most efficiently fast cars ever produced?
In other words, why am I so obsessed with procuring a problem as my next car?
If you're anything of a car nerd, you know the BMW E30 M3. Produced from 1986–1992 these cars are somewhat rare and collectible in the states with private party prices often $10K above what Kelly thinks they're worth. The quintessential BMW box but with a little bit of sex thrown in at the hip with fender flares that helped accommodate a wider track than the much more common sorority bitch bucket, the 318.
I first met and fell in love with the E30 M3 at my first autocross. There were two in the club and they competed fiercely against one another every weekend. One was white, one was dark gray, and I would have driven home happily in either one. Although they were already over 10 years old when I met them, their good looks hadn't faded. Instead, the boxy coupes had come to represent all that was good in the world of BMW before a certain Bangle bungled it up.
Now I'm looking for my next track car. As you know, things break, fade, and slip over time. When these things happen to a BMW, they're about 20 times more expensive to fix. So why bother? Why not get a new car that will be faster, more agile, better engineered than its 20 year old counterpart. And for the same price. Authenticity? Owning an icon? Becoming part of a club? Just plain obsession?
Whatever it is, the internet is no help when it comes to obsession. Tip o' the hat to Scotty for this one.
