OT: Big Mistake....

[Harlequin]

Originally Posted by ianf2002

Yes, thinking of selling my 135i and getting 2009 M3. Dealer won't negotiate on a 1M and hate pay LC tax. Plus M3 is a better track car than the 1M.

Big 135i part-out on the horizon!..(LSD, BMW PE, LCI Tails)

Dibs on the PE if I haven't bought one by then

[woosh]

Honny, thought about importing a Lotus Exige S from UK?

[Honny]

Originally Posted by woosh

Honny, thought about importing a Lotus Exige S from UK?

Aren't they available in Aus anyway? i was advised to stay away from the Evora.

[WAY]

Lots of interesting comments etc in the last 12 hours. I will chime in.

Living at home - definitely a cultural thing. Coming from an Asian background, I was brought up to think that you live at home until you get married, and then your parents move in with you when they grow old. I sort of did that myself, although as a young lad, my job dictated that I travelled and worked interstate and overseas 3/4 of the year. And during uni days, I split my time up between my parents' place and my girlfriend's place, but officially I was still living at home. And now that I have a kid myself, I have to say that I would love to instil the same values in my son, so that he doesn't want to leave home till he is 30!

Work/success - lesson for you young ones (geez this forum really makes me feel old!), the grass always look greener on the other side. Also, you see people posting their nice cars on here etc, but unless you know them well, you have no idea how hard they have to work to get there, or if they are spending all their money on a car. I am not a believer of all work and no play, so the whole "cash is king" thing isn't my thing. I know this is against the grain of most financially successful people, but I decided at a young age (well, not relative to many of you - sort of your age I guess lol) that money isn't everything for me. Yes, I have always been financially responsible but I was never one with a view that I need to have $1m cash in the bank and 10 houses before I can buy a Porsche. In fact when I bought my first one, I only owned one property. I guess I have been blessed in that I have been able to balance the two reasonably well, and as a result I have always had nice cars. Life is too short, it's a matter of balancing your passion with the reality of life. Sure, some (err, like my wife) would argue that the amount of money I lose on cars every year is more than most people earn, but I have never truly regretted buying and selling a car and losing big bucks on it. And you know what? I could lose it all and be driving a Suzuki Swift (actually I really like them especially the sports, but that is a different story lol), but I would have no regrets.

Now the fun stuff as someone else said above. First of all, Alik, congrats, you did it! Welcome to the world of GT3. ANd don't think you can get away not posting pictures and telling us more about your experience with it! Aren't they just the most wonderful cars? The noise, the vibration, the feel, the heavy clutch...you don't even need to be driving fast to feel like a race car driver! Of course you would be silly to buy a GT3 and never drive fast (on a track or tarmac rally event of course). Which brings me to GTR...I can't agree more with BMW86 that for value for money, for speed, there is nothing else like it. BUT, I would never buy one as my primary car. Why? It lacks feel and tactility. It is just too efficient for my liking, and grips far too well! I would buy one as a commuter and daily driver, but I would never buy one if it's my only car or as a weekend car. In saying that, I did walk into a big Nissan dealer to enquire about a GTR once, and given my past decade and a half of buying prestige brand cars, the experience left a very bad taste in my mouth. I guess in fairness to them, these are sales people trained to sell $20k econoboxes, not a $180k supercar. Find me a BMW dealership that sells GTR and I might just buy one.

And finally, Honny, whatever you do, don't buy an Evora. Terrible quality. For that sort of money, you should definitely be buying a Porsche, Cayman perhaps if you want something comparible to that Lotus. Otherwise, E90 M3 is a damn fine car. And I have owned one, so you can trust me on this.

[1q2w3e4r]

I agree with the cash principle, but everyone's circumstances, situation and goals are different. What's right for one isn't for another so I wouldn't let that sway you either way.

Drive everything you are interested in, a GTR is a great car I haven't tested one seriously as I know I'd want one

But if you just want a bit more power or fun why not do the methanol upgrades? M3s are nice but really can get a bit boring IMO, as a platform the 135 has better modding potential.

As for Porsche's a GT/Turbo is bullet proof, you won't break one and they don't cost a fortune to run (servicing on an M3 is more).

[Honny]

Thanks guys organized my Saturday morning by testing a GTR and if time allows will go to Porsche to try a Boxster/Cayman S.

In terms of modifying my 135i, it's already got tune+tyres. If I went full on guns blazing like meth DP, etc I will struggle to sell it in the future. Plus its hard when you have your head set for another car.....

Will report how the GTR feels.

[RaihaX]

Originally Posted by Honny

Thanks guys organized my Saturday morning by testing a GTR and if time allows will go to Porsche to try a Boxster/Cayman S.

In terms of modifying my 135i, it's already got tune+tyres. If I went full on guns blazing like meth DP, etc I will struggle to sell it in the future. Plus its hard when you have your head set for another car.....

Will report how the GTR feels.

Hmm I want to come with you when you test drive the GTR

[aus135i]

lol, you lot are a funny bunch....

[Alpine*]

Originally Posted by RaihaX

Hmm I want to come with you when you test drive the GTR

If you are testing a newy, isn't that like OTR $180k? Bit over budget, yeh?

Then if you are being a cunning stunt you are testing before you buy private (used).... ah ha

[130iguy]

just an FYI no point testing a 2010/2011 GTR and buying an 09 model. believe it or not they are a lot different performance wise

[Alpine*]

Originally Posted by 130iguy

...........believe it or not they are a lot different performance wise

But the same from a maintenance perspective >$

[130iguy]

Originally Posted by AlpineM3E92

But the same from a maintenance perspective >$

also check this!

[amk2912]

My 2c.....

Enjoy what you want while you can. I have lost a friend (my age - 48) who always said one day he would have that Porsche. He was quite wealthy and ran an electrical engineering firm out of Indonesia. He drove "sensible" cars like an ML500 and a CLK500 but I knew in his heart he wanted that 911. After a brief struggle with cancer he passed away this month and it was poignant to see a small red 911 model sitting on his coffin.

So....sorry to be morbid but you never know what's around the corner. You never know when or if that bubble will burst and you've lost everything. As long as you protect the most important things in your life - your home, your business, your family...everything else is just icing on the cake.

[Honny]

Originally Posted by AlpineM3E92

If you are testing a newy, isn't that like OTR $180k? Bit over budget, yeh?
Then if you are being a cunning stunt you are testing before you buy private (used).... ah ha

Theres a local 09 GTR with 2000kms for $129k so thats the one i'm looking first but that price is before ORC and negotiations. After all its close to brand new so i'll have a pretty good grasp on how a "new" one should feel.

If I do pull the trigger on a GTR - realistically i'm going to go private - they are $115k with kms from 5000-10000km. However i'm still more eager on a M3 ZCP.

My 2c.....

Enjoy what you want while you can. I have lost a friend (my age - 48) who always said one day he would have that Porsche. He was quite wealthy and ran an electrical engineering firm out of Indonesia. He drove "sensible" cars like an ML500 and a CLK500 but I knew in his heart he wanted that 911. After a brief struggle with cancer he passed away this month and it was poignant to see a small red 911 model sitting on his coffin.

So....sorry to be morbid but you never know what's around the corner. You never know when or if that bubble will burst and you've lost everything. As long as you protect the most important things in your life - your home, your business, your family...everything else is just icing on the cake.

Im sorry to hear Andre! in fact a couple of months ago my mother had a serious car accident that nearly took her life. I've learnt to enjoy and appreciate family and life much more and i agree - You don't know whats around the corner the bubble can burst when you don't expect it to.

[sparoz]

Woah, I haven't followed this thread for a couple of days and look at all these replies!!

Originally Posted by WAY

Btw, nothing wrong with living at home as long as you still have your independence. I want my son (he is only 3 haha) to live at home till he is married and his wife tells him it is ridiculous that they are living with his parents.

I thought this culture finished with our generation ! Seriously, I am glad this sort of value still exists as it is dying. I grew up in a household with three generations living together. It doesn't happen anymore.

Originally Posted by woosh

"Cash is king"... anyone else using this principle?

To refine it a little - my philosophy is about managing cash flow.

Originally Posted by amk2912

My 2c.....

Enjoy what you want while you can. I have lost a friend (my age - 48) who always said one day he would have that Porsche. He was quite wealthy and ran an electrical engineering firm out of Indonesia. He drove "sensible" cars like an ML500 and a CLK500 but I knew in his heart he wanted that 911. After a brief struggle with cancer he passed away this month and it was poignant to see a small red 911 model sitting on his coffin.

So....sorry to be morbid but you never know what's around the corner. You never know when or if that bubble will burst and you've lost everything. As long as you protect the most important things in your life - your home, your business, your family...everything else is just icing on the cake.

Sorry to hear this Andre. I think both you and Way has nailed it, and you really need to balance both work and life. Although, Adela like most wives still doesn't agree on spending that much on a car.

Honny, set some budgets and see what you can afford. I never see a car an asset and always treat it as an expense. Just remember you have to include the depreciation in the calculation and just the repayments.

My biggest regret was my first BMW and I now have a rule that I will not spend more than 10% of my net income on non-essentials. You don't have to set your budget at 10%, but work out when you want to retire; what sort of income you want when you retire, and work backwards.

As you are trading, I would definitely not use your savings to buy the car as that extra cash can easily make you a lot more than the interest you need to pay.

I don't think your expenses is that much at your age, but once you sort through your expenses you often find things you are just plain paying too much for and there are lots of savings there. I gone through a very tough period in business a few years ago and picked up the principle of "Not to be wasteful". In other words, don't spend money on anything you don't get any utility out of. We have managed to save thousands of dollars in our personal expenses a year. You could easily put the extras towards the new car. .

[gazz]

If you are bitten by the M bug how about a low ks E46 M3. They are still a great car and one of the best looking BMWs IMO. A well documented service history is very very important with this car. In fact with just about all of the cars mentioned as there are plenty of people who buy these cars as toys with the intention of off loading them after they've had their fun and they haven't had the proper servicing done.

Use the extra cash to invest and take it in steps. Sure you only live once but don't underestimate how important the future is. You don't want to be 50+ and envying the guys who were smart with their money when they were young.
And don't forget the ladies - females are smarter than you realise and they want a guy with more than just a fancy car. The mention of an investment portfolio is a very interesting attraction for smarter women.

[Honny]

Thanks Sparoz and Gazz for chiming in aswell.

Sparoz - I love your idea of a 10% rule on unnecessary-expenses. Unfortunately most of us have don't calculate the unnecessary/unaware money we spend on a monthly basis. I will definitely be more aware and set myself something similar.

In terms of the funds that I will be using.... initially my intentions were to sell my current 135i and use the excess cash for further investments... I've said it somewhere before in this thread that I believe its a great time to stock up on a few companies.... some of the values are incredible and there are endless opportunities to make money in this short-term volatility. Obviously this fund would improve my leverage capabilities too... This probably is the ideal thing to do in my situation - i've already got another car to drive BUT some part of me do want a M3 or GTR bad

I do promise myself this, I won't buy anything until I sell my 135i and the new car must satisfy both my heart and head.

Gazz- About 6 months ago I was looking at regular E46 M3 as a replacement. It just feels i'm downgrading myself to a older car... no warranty, high kms - a lot of possibilities to spend more $$$. Ideally I would take a E46 M3 CSL without a doubt over the E9X M3 since they are a collectors item now - if there was one it will be within my budget too and I know depreciation won't hit hard. However they are impossible to find!

[Alpine*]

Honny, your head is no doubt spinning as to what to do. There has been some good advice here, clearly from some more financially smart souls than me.

I am in the older category than some of you guys, Gazz and good 'ol Zuzu excepted , and have a slightly different view based on our personal circumstances. Kids almost all finished school and working so our financial parental responsibilities are almost done (well, until the weddings start I guess). My lovely wife and I appreciate nice cars, clearly, so we indulge, at the expense of a "investment portfolio" but know that if it all goes pear shaped we can sell up and buy a unit

I am probably the worst person to look at in terms of what we actually do with our cash, but at least we know it is not the smart way, we are very conscious of the fact that property and savings and our mortgage are directly effected by the automotive pleasures that we indulge in. I mean, who would buy a Porsche when they still have an m3 in the garage that they are under a heavy lease with, you would have to be an idiot! Oh well.

I also relate to the comments made by amk, burn bright mate! One never knows what's round the corner.

Oh yeh, nearly forgot, what about a M3CSL with 1300 k's on it?

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/...9%204294731249

Enjoy and good luck, you WILL make the best decision for you.

[SimonB]

Originally Posted by amk2912

My 2c.....

Enjoy what you want while you can. I have lost a friend (my age - 48) who always said one day he would have that Porsche. He was quite wealthy and ran an electrical engineering firm out of Indonesia. He drove "sensible" cars like an ML500 and a CLK500 but I knew in his heart he wanted that 911. After a brief struggle with cancer he passed away this month and it was poignant to see a small red 911 model sitting on his coffin.

So....sorry to be morbid but you never know what's around the corner. You never know when or if that bubble will burst and you've lost everything. As long as you protect the most important things in your life - your home, your business, your family...everything else is just icing on the cake.

amk2912, that's not 2c worth mate, that's $2. I am around your vintage and had a heart attack a couple of years ago, followed with a triple bypass. If that doesn't make you re-evaluate your life's priorities, I don't know what does. It's made me more decisive, more willing to 'go with the gut' and to enjoy life in general.

To the OP, do what you want to do, as long as you don't over extend yourself, it's legal and doesn't hurt others. Dying with a million dollars in the bank doesn't mean you had a happy life.

Cheers....

[david.orr]

Man, I think you guys are taking it all out of whack.
It's only a car.
One has to make the best decision based on the info he/she has on hand. Everything is about balance.... present/future, expense/investment, fun/responsibility.
Only the OP knows what is his best balance at the present moment.
It's only a car!

[Honny]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the comments everyone made - after all indeed its just a car... Special one tho.

To make things harder I've tried the used GTR today... I can probably write awhile essay about my impressions but in short - I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped however the price is very attractive and its immaculate condition.

I'm going about to put my 135i on the market once I "fix" everything - I enjoyed the car so will make it worry free before i let it go. Any interested parties pm me!

Until then I have awhile to sort my head... GTR or M3