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As my search for “the perfect” E46 M3 continues, this example popped on to my radar screen. Why? Well, for most intents and purposes, it’s “perfect”. With only 10,051 miles on the odometer, it’s one of the lowest mileage E46s anywhere. Condition is near perfect. It’s a 6-speed manual. It’s a coupe. These are all on the must-have list for what I’m considering; that brings us to color. On the inside is N5TT – Grey Nappa Leather. I’m still with you, as I don’t like the all-black interiors on these E46s. Outside is 405 – Imola Red II, a pleasingly blue-red shade that sets the car apart from the normal silvers and blacks that M3s all-too often appear in. Okay, Imola isn’t my favorite color, but when you’re talking about low-mileage 13 year old cars in basically new condition, it’s not as if there’s a huge pool to select from:
When I start to recount stories of my early driving years and my family’s run of German automobiles, I’m sure it sounds like we ran a used car lot. Fair enough; before I was old enough to drink we were on to our 5th BMW with a Porsche on the way – and still a few more to come. One of my favorite cars would probably be a bit of a surprise to some, though; when the climate control failed on our E32 735i 5-speed it was replaced by a 1995 525i. Now, normally the 525i is a bit of a downer – too much car with too little motor. But several updates over the life of the 525i meant that by 1993, the 525i was a bit of a sleeper – especially when equipped with a manual. The update from the M20 to the M50 motor and then the addition of VANOS gave the car a mini-M5 feel. It screamed up the tach and felt much quicker than it looked. But for some the M50 just isn’t enough motivation to leave the 525i alone:
The E39 M5 is well known for being one of the wolfiest cars wearing sheeps’ clothing ever. Typically seen in silver or black, I grew up near an Imola Red version that draws a bit more attention. Today’s will draw the gaze of all who pass, including car lovers and cops. As much I love subdued performance machines, red is my favorite color and I actually love this hue on M5s. I might go without the bright chrome wheels, but hey, if you’re going to be blinding people, you might as well get some help from your wheels as well. With right around 100k miles and a Buy-It-Now of $16k, this is a great deal for a stunner in both aesthetics and performance.
Every time I see one, the original M Coupe strikes me as one car I would even entertain moving on from my E28 for. I’ve always loved the shape and the weirdness, and while it would certainly be nice to land an ever-appreciating S54 model, my experiences with the S52 have all been pleasurable. Today’s shining red example is of the latter, slower variety, but is practically brand new after covering less than 3,000 miles per year. The interior would make me a little nauseous every time I got in it, but maybe I could lose a few lbs to help this lithe shooting brake hustle.
It’s hard to believe, but the X5 has been with us for well over a decade now. It seems like yesterday that it was unveiled, shortly after Mercedes-Benz introduced it’s own mid-sized SUV, the ML. The car was a bit of a mash up from other BMWs and had a bit of Land Rover DNA in it. BMW’s brief ownership of the British off-road brand led to certain features like hill descent technology and a split tailgate. This SUV would also be one of the first BMWs to be manufactured in the new South Carolina manufacturing facility. This X5 3.0i for sale near Baltimore is from our reader Scott who is ready to move on to his next ride.
