It’s now been about seven weeks since I joined the CCA as the new editor of BimmerLife and Roundel. While I’ve spent a lot of that time preparing the next issues of the magazines and filling this website with stories, I’ve also found moments to scour Facebook Marketplace, Autotempest, Craigslist, Cars and Bids, and Bring a Trailer to find a new BMW to put in the garage.
Right now, my daily is a 2023 Honda Civic Type R, a truly fantastic car. I bought it three years ago, immediately after driving one at Road & Track‘s Performance Car of the Year test. My only car at the time was a Miata but we just had our first kid, so my excuse to my wife was that I needed a family car. The excuse worked. I went to the local Honda dealer and asked if they had one coming that wasn’t sold yet. Somehow, they did. It was blue. I told them I wanted a white one, and asked if I could wait. The wait? “We might get one in a year, or never.”
I bought the blue one.
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- Who knew a Voodoo Blue M2 and a Boost Blue Civic Type R were basically the same color?
That car has served me well, but life has also changed a lot. I have two kids now, work exclusively from home, and have less time to go on a drive than ever before. And when we go somewhere as a family, we take my wife’s car. That means the Type R spends a lot of time in the garage. Too much time. And here’s the thing, it’s a brilliant car, truly. Easily the best front-wheel-drive car I’ve ever been in. It’s reliable, has great seats, an amazing gearbox, handles well, and it’s actually fast. I love it. But it’s also not quite special enough to be a car I drive occasionally and it’s a waste to use it solely for school drop-off and errands. It should be on track or at the autocross, it should be pounding around back roads. Not only driving to CVS.
That’s why I’m heavily considering selling it, and soon. And that makes my brain go in two different directions for its replacement.
I could get a car that’s a little wilder to make those times I do drive feel like an occasion. Or I can get something a bit more normal that can handle the daily stuff easily. The main criteria is that I want an interesting BMW and I need something with backseats and more modern safety equipment for the kiddos. This would be my only car. Here’s the current list I’m considering.
E91 328i
Before I bought my (now sold) 2003 330i ZHP, an E91 was the top of my list. They’re relatively rare, which makes them interesting, relatively reliable, practical, and E90-chassis cars are fun to drive. They tick all the boxes for me. This is currently where I’m leaning.
The problem is the rarity, especially considering I’m only really interested in a rear-wheel-drive one with a manual gearbox and sport seats, and I’m not interested in certain colors (red or gold exterior or a white interior). Ideally, it’d be an LCI model, too. I know, I’m looking for a subset of a subset of a subset. Still, I’ve found a couple nice ones in the brief time I’ve been casually looking, so they’re out there.
i3/i3S REX
I’ve always thought the i3 was impossibly cool, a little moonshot that was ahead of its time and under-appreciated in period. I love the way they look and drive, and the way it would fit my criteria. An i3 would be inexpensive to run, practical, it’s interesting, and well-suited for the majority of my weekly driving.
There are problems, of course. I worry I’d get bored of it when the novelty wears off. I worry that, even with the REX, the occasional longer trip would be an exercise in annoyance. And I’d need to find one in a very specific spec: 2019–2021 model year with range extender, technology package so I get fast charging and the big screen, HK stereo, not black or red, and, while not a deal breaker, I’d prefer an S. In my couple of weeks of casual searching, I found one that fit the bill, and it sold pretty much immediately after I saw it.
E90 M3
I’m not going to lie, this is what I really want. I’ve loved the E90 M3 since it debuted, I find everything about it so cool. I want to put one in my garage, and badly. It’d handle school drop-off but also feel special on a quick backroad blast. It’d be fast on the highway and interesting around town. It fits every need I’ve mentioned.
But there are practical considerations. This would surely be the most risky and expensive car to run. Any M3 that I’d consider would need the big jobs done (rod bearings, throttle actuators, etc) and meticulous maintenance records. I’m really only interested in an LCI model, and I won’t consider a red one or one with a Dove interior. I also don’t want an E92 or 93. Oh, and I vastly prefer a manual, though I would consider a DCT. If I had unlimited money, the car would be a low-mile 2011 slicktop Comp manual, single hump, in black, white, blue, or silver over Fox red.
I don’t have unlimited money.
For any of these, I’m putting the top of my budget at $25,000. I care less about mileage than I do about extensive maintenance records. I’m not against a lightly modified car, but would prefer to be as close to stock as possible. And while I’m in N.J., I’m willing to travel for the right car.
So, now, I’m putting this out to you, the BimmerLife readers. What do you think of these choices? Have another idea I might not be thinking about? Seen one that I should consider? Have one of the above that fits my criteria–criteria that evolves daily, to be fair–you might want to sell? Leave a comment below or email me. I’d love to hear from you.
