1M Story/Saga....With a happy ending.... Driving my 2nd 1M...

[Hoges10]

Okay, so have been wanting to share my story for some time but haven't been able to sit down and do so because of work/travel etc. Now with the Xmas holiday's I've got a bit of time so here goes....

I've been a BMW lover for a long time. One of my best mates from high school in Minnesota was the proud owner of an E30 M3. He's on about his 5th engine already and has had many years of bliss driving his car. I was lucky enough to accompany him whist he picked up his car in New Jersey after it'd been outfitted with a new engine to drive back to Minnesota. I'm not geeky enough to know the exact engine, but suffice to say it wasn't cheap and it was significantly better than the original. If anyone cares I'll get the details and add on to this post (just shout). On that drive I had to take a few turns behind the wheel and one of my favourite memories was having a gentle highway race with an E36 M3 whilst my mate was sleeping in the passenger seat next to me. He woke up with me easily over 100mph, had a chuckle, and went back to sleep. That's how smooth this E30 was. I've been in love with BMW's ever since.



Shortly after this trip I moved from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Miami, Florida for work. Thinking I finally had a decent job the first thing I did was purchase a BMW. My job wasn't that good so I ended up with a 2001 E46 330ci. Loved that car to death, did a few things to it, (fake) wheels, suspension, M3 front bumper, exhaust, etc. I always thought it was tasteful, not 'ricer'... A few years later I was moved into a position where I had a company car, thought I could keep the 330 for weekends, but as a broke 24 year old, I couldn't really afford it and ended up parting ways with it as the company car was free.


Fast forward a decade or so to July 2016. I was relocated again to my home country of Australia (was born here, left at 12 years old with my family, and finally made it back with work last year). Finally being in a position to get a 'fun' car again, I had my heart set on a BMW. After heaps of research I was tossing up between a relatively new M3, or a 1M Coupe. As I'm sure many people on here agree, I landed on a 1M. I take public transportation to work, so really only need a car for weekend fun (will also keep miles down). Because of this I figured a 1M would hold it's value best, be something special, and only car geeks know it, which is fine by me.

So around June 2017 I bit the bullet, found a white 1M in Melbourne (I live in Sydney), and decided to buy it. I had it checked out by a private mechanic and the bank. It had 19k kms on it and was essentially in mint condition:


So I bought a one way flight to Melbourne to pick up the car. Long story short, the car was stolen whilst I was in the air to pick it up. People broke into his house, stole the keys, stole the car. Sounded fishy indeed. The seller refused to return my money (the bank had already transferred) and I was left to battle with insurance (that I'd thankfully taken out right before my flight).

3 months later the car was recovered. This at least made both the seller and me not suspect each other anymore. Some absolute idiots had tried to disguise the vehicle with spray paint and proceeded to fill it with stolen goods. Apparently it's quite common for thieves in Melbourne to steal a car and use that same car for continued break ins. Insurance ended up writing off the car completely. I was left about 10k short after the payout, and the seller refused to help me at all (even though he was clearly in breach of contract - may bad karma haunt him forever).





So finally I mustered up the energy to try again. Found a fantastic black 1M just down the street from my house. Was lucky enough to be the first to test drive it, put a deposit on it right away, and now have it in my garage. A saga to say the least, but I actually like the black 1M more, so in the end am quite happy. Here she is:



Was out for a drive today and had a brand new M4 race up behind me. It was white with all the carbon fiber bits all over it. We ripped around together for a while and I got the approving nod from the driver before he drove off in the other direction. He's actually the first person to recognise what I was driving. I kinda like it that way. Happy days

[SLC801]

Wow, wild story.

Did the insurance company give you the opportunity to buy the white car back from them? Here in the states they usually do.

[Hoges10]

Originally Posted by SLC801

Wow, wild story.

Did the insurance company give you the opportunity to buy the white car back from them? Here in the states they usually do.

It went to auction... I wasn't too interested in buying it as the VIN # under the hood was shaved off (along with all the cosmetic damage) - I just wanted a mint car...for that kind of money it's worth it. If I were in the market for a second car (perhaps just for racing) I'd have picked up the white one.... I can't believe people would spray paint a 1M....

[metblkbmw]

Love your car. Glad you have such a beauty!

[1'M Blue]

Alls well that ends well !!

[Rajvosa]

I saw it at the auction. It’s good to know the background story! Crazy!!

Glad it all worked out in the end mate. The black one looks beautiful. Let me know if you don’t end up being approved on the ///M club page and I’ll contact the admin

[PG1M]

A nightmare that came true. Glad you weren't burnt by the experience, and in the end stuck to your guns and got what you wanted.

Enjoy that 1M and see you out there on Sydney roads!

[Win]

Love the highschool story.... and the drive to attain a 1M. I can totally relate! It only makes your smile that much bigger when your garage door opens.

[asn993]

The white 1M made low $30k at auction.

[gmx]

1M story sounds dodgy as fuck on behalf of the seller. That particular one has been for sale ever since I started looking for mine (>18mths).
At least you got closure with BSM

[Hoges10]

Originally Posted by asn993

The white 1M made low $30k at auction.

I actually made the mistake of telling the seller it was going to auction - wouldn't surprise me if he bought it with my money. Damage was pretty much all cosmetic except for the VIN being shaved off - that was the nail in the coffin for me when I was glad insurance wrote the car off. I had a quote to fix the thing come in at about 30k - so even if someone fixed everything they'd come out okay.

The guy was a real piece of work.... It still doesn't sit well with me but $hit happens....

[Hoges10]

Originally Posted by gmx

1M story sounds dodgy as fuck on behalf of the seller. That particular one has been for sale ever since I started looking for mine (>18mths).
At least you got closure with BSM

Agreed - very dodgy. I'd have sworn it was the seller but for the fact a juvenile was caught driving it.

For reference the thieves put around 4,000 kms on it over 3-4 months. Back tires were pretty shredded so I'm sure they were having fun. That said, the car is built to be driven like that, so that was the least of my worries.

[M3 Adjuster]

very odd story about the white car... and I am not sure I would believe it either.

I'm a bit confused about how/why he kept your money, but then again I guess you were able to claim the car?
I would have thought that the seller would return your funds and the vehicle should have been his to claim on his insurance, however perhaps the transaction is considered complete in Australia once the money was transferred? glad you had it insured.

I actually believe I met the E30 M3 owner (and his car ) that you you mentioned at BMW CCA Oktoberfest at Elkhart Lake in 2010.. IIRC he had come there with a group of friends and that had a motor home.

PS. Black is beautiful!

[CarJunkie]

Beautiful car . . . awful story! Glad it worked out in the end!

[Dee Pee]

Great story mate!
Welcome to the club!

[T1M]

Wow, crazy story! Congrats on the 1M finally, it's beautiful. Any plans for it?

[Hoges10]

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

very odd story about the white car... and I am not sure I would believe it either.

I'm a bit confused about how/why he kept your money, but then again I guess you were able to claim the car?
I would have thought that the seller would return your funds and the vehicle should have been his to claim on his insurance, however perhaps the transaction is considered complete in Australia once the money was transferred? glad you had it insured.

I actually believe I met the E30 M3 owner (and his car ) that you you mentioned at BMW CCA Oktoberfest at Elkhart Lake in 2010.. IIRC he had come there with a group of friends and that had a motor home.

PS. Black is beautiful!

Yeah it was a battle to say the least - I spent a small fortune on lawyers and contract specialists. The car was double insured (by both me and the seller). The seller initially kept my money saying he needed to get legal advice himself. Initially insurance said they weren't going to cover me - for a good while I had no money and no car - was gutting. Then we appealed the decision and they said they would cover me. Took another few months of back and forth and I finally received the payout.

On my E30 mate he does indeed have a tour bus style motor home as well and often goes to meets etc - I'd say that was the guy! Small world hey?

[Hoges10]

Update: Got the info on his engine: The one we picked up was a 2.5 Evo3+ with 223 rwhp. In case anyone cares - pretty sure he's blown up that one already too - he does a good amount of track time in that car....

[Hoges10]

Originally Posted by T1M

Wow, crazy story! Congrats on the 1M finally, it's beautiful. Any plans for it?

That's a tough question. Of course I look at it and think about all the things that could be done - but I also know original is amazing with these cars too. I'll probably tint the windows and do exhaust as that's pretty easy to bring back to stock if I ever need to. Other than that it's already faster than we can use on Australian roads anyway, so probably won't do much more?

....Just found the button that folds the mirrors in yesterday - that was a pleasant surprise

[Dave-A]

Originally Posted by Hoges10

Attachment 1741141

This photo looks awfully similar to our street. Are you in 2088?

[Hoges10]

Originally Posted by Dave-A

This photo looks awfully similar to our street. Are you in 2088?

Funny you should ask - yes indeed. Also, about a week ago I was leaving the neighborhood and saw a beautiful black 1M on the side of the street. Unfortunately mine wasn't so clean, but I had to snap some shots regardless.... Is this one you??? (I've muddled the plates as obviously I've been burned already)....

[Hoges10]

Originally Posted by Rajvosa

I saw it at the auction. It’s good to know the background story! Crazy!!

Glad it all worked out in the end mate. The black one looks beautiful. Let me know if you don’t end up being approved on the ///M club page and I’ll contact the admin

Still no approval???