MDifficult’s E82 1M Coupe & Ariel Atom 3
Discussion
MDifficult said:
Cheers! Yeah, even the drive back from the photo location left a slight dusty sheen 
I think Bedford is one of the most restrictive, so it’s something crazy like 101 static and 87 drive by. They’ve got really aggressive locals and need to make sure they protect the main Jonathan Palmer business.
When we’ve been before, guys in standard GT3s etc were short-shifting at both locations where the mics are to avoid problems.
Ah ok thanks, I think I need to get my car DB checked then so I know where I stand on the static, if I have to lift off for the drive-by that’s not an issue as I’m not going to be pushing it on my first day tbh.I think Bedford is one of the most restrictive, so it’s something crazy like 101 static and 87 drive by. They’ve got really aggressive locals and need to make sure they protect the main Jonathan Palmer business.
When we’ve been before, guys in standard GT3s etc were short-shifting at both locations where the mics are to avoid problems.
My plan was to do Brands but I have again heard on the Indy track it can get congested which for first time track goer can be frustrating and spend more time moving over for others than actually progressing round the track.
5mileofdeath said:
Ah ok thanks, I think I need to get my car DB checked then so I know where I stand on the static, if I have to lift off for the drive-by that’s not an issue as I’m not going to be pushing it on my first day tbh.
My plan was to do Brands but I have again heard on the Indy track it can get congested which for first time track goer can be frustrating and spend more time moving over for others than actually progressing round the track.
That’s absolutely right - brands Indy is great because it’s short so you do a lot of laps and can learn it quickly, but traffic is a nightmare. I’ve posted some videos of our evening and Brands back in the thread and you can see it’s cars everywhere! My plan was to do Brands but I have again heard on the Indy track it can get congested which for first time track goer can be frustrating and spend more time moving over for others than actually progressing round the track.
Bedford us definitely the best track to do for your first. Nothing to hit and a huge track means loads of track time and hardly any traffic. Only downside is that it takes a while to learn because it’s so long.
If Bedford is local to you - you can drive down one day and see if they’ll test it for you?
Aaaand… the M5 is gone. 
But, I’m delighted to say it’s gone to a brilliant new home with a PHer who will cherish it. Couldn’t be happier! I won’t identify the new owner, but hopefully we’ll see more of it in Reader Cars at some point.
It really was the best car I’ve owned so far and I’ll probably do a proper write up, including a reasonable tally of what it’s cost to own. Either way, it was worth every penny.
But, I’m delighted to say it’s gone to a brilliant new home with a PHer who will cherish it. Couldn’t be happier! I won’t identify the new owner, but hopefully we’ll see more of it in Reader Cars at some point.
It really was the best car I’ve owned so far and I’ll probably do a proper write up, including a reasonable tally of what it’s cost to own. Either way, it was worth every penny.
MDifficult said:
Aaaand… the M5 is gone.
But, I’m delighted to say it’s gone to a brilliant new home with a PHer who will cherish it. Couldn’t be happier! I won’t identify the new owner, but hopefully we’ll see more of it in Reader Cars at some point.
It really was the best car I’ve owned so far and I’ll probably do a proper write up, including a reasonable tally of what it’s cost to own. Either way, it was worth every penny.
Saw it on autotrader and was so tempted to head to the bank and ask for a loan But, I’m delighted to say it’s gone to a brilliant new home with a PHer who will cherish it. Couldn’t be happier! I won’t identify the new owner, but hopefully we’ll see more of it in Reader Cars at some point.
It really was the best car I’ve owned so far and I’ll probably do a proper write up, including a reasonable tally of what it’s cost to own. Either way, it was worth every penny.
.. glad it went to a fellow petrolhead! Are you replacing it with anything? I feel like a classic car would suit your other cars perfectly
5mileofdeath said:
Saw it on autotrader and was so tempted to head to the bank and ask for a loan .. glad it went to a fellow petrolhead!
Are you replacing it with anything? I feel like a classic car would suit your other cars perfectly
It’s funny, the buyer was literally the first person to get in touch who wasn’t a chancer - so I think I priced it well for what must be the best spec/condition in that price bracket. .. glad it went to a fellow petrolhead! Are you replacing it with anything? I feel like a classic car would suit your other cars perfectly
Since it sold though, I’ve had loads of interest - a mix of offers over asking and more chancers. A deal’s a deal though - and thrilled not to have to deal with a single d@ckhead. Dream sale really.
What’s next? Probably nothing for a while. I’ve got my eyes on a few things though - the inevitable GR Yaris or perhaps an F80 M3 CS. Also quite fancy a 911 so maybe a 991 GTS (that would mean selling the 1M too). But a classic e39 Touring or something might be on the cards too.
You can see why I’m not pulling the trigger yet
MDifficult said:
That’s absolutely right - brands Indy is great because it’s short so you do a lot of laps and can learn it quickly, but traffic is a nightmare. I’ve posted some videos of our evening and Brands back in the thread and you can see it’s cars everywhere!
Bedford us definitely the best track to do for your first. Nothing to hit and a huge track means loads of track time and hardly any traffic. Only downside is that it takes a while to learn because it’s so long.
If Bedford is local to you - you can drive down one day and see if they’ll test it for you?
I’ll have a look at your videos to get a jist of it.Bedford us definitely the best track to do for your first. Nothing to hit and a huge track means loads of track time and hardly any traffic. Only downside is that it takes a while to learn because it’s so long.
If Bedford is local to you - you can drive down one day and see if they’ll test it for you?
Brands is my local track so will have to contact them and sort out testing
MDifficult said:
It’s funny, the buyer was literally the first person to get in touch who wasn’t a chancer - so I think I priced it well for what must be the best spec/condition in that price bracket.
Since it sold though, I’ve had loads of interest - a mix of offers over asking and more chancers. A deal’s a deal though - and thrilled not to have to deal with a single d@ckhead. Dream sale really.
What’s next? Probably nothing for a while. I’ve got my eyes on a few things though - the inevitable GR Yaris or perhaps an F80 M3 CS. Also quite fancy a 911 so maybe a 991 GTS (that would mean selling the 1M too). But a classic e39 Touring or something might be on the cards too.
You can see why I’m not pulling the trigger yet
It was priced very well. Your lucky not to get any nobs, when I sold my 330d I had it up for less than £2k and there were so many £750-850 offers cash it was unreal. Who deals in large amounts of cash these days! Since it sold though, I’ve had loads of interest - a mix of offers over asking and more chancers. A deal’s a deal though - and thrilled not to have to deal with a single d@ckhead. Dream sale really.
What’s next? Probably nothing for a while. I’ve got my eyes on a few things though - the inevitable GR Yaris or perhaps an F80 M3 CS. Also quite fancy a 911 so maybe a 991 GTS (that would mean selling the 1M too). But a classic e39 Touring or something might be on the cards too.
You can see why I’m not pulling the trigger yet
5mileofdeath said:
It was priced very well. Your lucky not to get any nobs, when I sold my 330d I had it up for less than £2k and there were so many £750-850 offers cash it was unreal. Who deals in large amounts of cash these days!
The chancers were all ‘I’ll give you £15k today’. Can’t blame them, but even WBAC were offering much more than that. I even had one of those ‘I’ll buy it now and pick it up tomorrow morning’ wideboys. Anyone who’s buying a car unseen and wants to pick up in the dark is either a scammer or mental - neither do I want to deal with With this big bad boy gone, I thought it might be interesting for any prospective future M5 owners to take a look at what it cost to own during my 6 years and 58,000 miles.
Firstly, depreciation...
Actually, very very good. I think I bought well and sold during a purple-patch for the market.
Total depreciation: £19,500. Sounds like a lot, but absolutely peanuts compared to the first owner who waved goodbye to £50k in 3 years!
But let's be honest, you're not here for the depreciation, you're here for the big bills!
So here we go...
30k miles, my first service was FREE as remainder of service pack (this is where the good news ends)
30k miles, new passenger sun visor (I spotted the glass was cracked after I bought the car) - £100
36k miles, first big bill, rear brake pads and discs, plus replacement rear wheel hub due to Kwikfit cross-thread with previous owner - £1,541
45k miles, BMW replaced both turbos as goodwill, I paid the labour - £1158 (on the bright side, £7k of turbos were FREE!)
48k miles, front bumper re-painted, full PPF, diamond cut wheel refurb and new TPMS sensor - £1,633
50k miles, brake fluid service and both front wheel bearings replaced - £889
61k miles, Full service, spark plugs, filters etc - £895
64k miles, Oxygen sensor replacement, front disc friction rings added, rear diff seals replaced - £1092
68k miles, front discs, front pads and rear pads - £1,252 (I bought the discs and pads online for £1k and paid bmw £252 to install)
74k miles, brake fluid service - £96
76k miles, full service, new door handle (£300!), dipstick recalibration - £965
83k miles, Camshaft sensors replaced - £206
83k miles, Replace all injectors - £2827
84k miles, Bulkhead seal replacement - £612
85k miles, Full service, diff service, spark plugs - £758
Also, 2 full sets of Michelin Pilot SuperSport @£1k each - £2,000
Grand total of... (are you sitting down?)... £16,096 (or £2,682 per year).
Sounds a lot! But some observations to put it into context...
Firstly, approx £2k of that isn't the car's fault. I broke the door handle by pulling it too hard when the door was frozen shut. Kwikfit ruined the wheel-hub and I chose to do the bumper repaint and PPF (a really good decision as the car still looked mint at sale time).
Secondly, I firmly put the camshaft sensors, injectors and bulkhead seal (approx £3,700) down to COVID. I'm absolutely convinced that if i'd been using the car every single day as I had been up until that point, none of them would have been an issue, particularly the bulkhead seal. Sitting idle for months on end just isn't good for cars - regular use is so much better for them.
Lastly, BMW picking up the tab for the turbos was a real win. Otherwise it would have looked a LOT more painful. Mainly though, it's all the things you expect, brakes, pads, servicing, seals, sensors and tyres, plus the desire to maintain a full BMW Service History.
Footnote: Let's not mention the 12,000 litres of Super Unleaded. And the £5k of tax & insurance
But either way, it was totally worth it. What a brilliant car, never let me down and looked after my family and I in style...
Firstly, depreciation...
Actually, very very good. I think I bought well and sold during a purple-patch for the market.
Total depreciation: £19,500. Sounds like a lot, but absolutely peanuts compared to the first owner who waved goodbye to £50k in 3 years!
But let's be honest, you're not here for the depreciation, you're here for the big bills!
So here we go...
30k miles, my first service was FREE as remainder of service pack (this is where the good news ends)
30k miles, new passenger sun visor (I spotted the glass was cracked after I bought the car) - £100
36k miles, first big bill, rear brake pads and discs, plus replacement rear wheel hub due to Kwikfit cross-thread with previous owner - £1,541
45k miles, BMW replaced both turbos as goodwill, I paid the labour - £1158 (on the bright side, £7k of turbos were FREE!)
48k miles, front bumper re-painted, full PPF, diamond cut wheel refurb and new TPMS sensor - £1,633
50k miles, brake fluid service and both front wheel bearings replaced - £889
61k miles, Full service, spark plugs, filters etc - £895
64k miles, Oxygen sensor replacement, front disc friction rings added, rear diff seals replaced - £1092
68k miles, front discs, front pads and rear pads - £1,252 (I bought the discs and pads online for £1k and paid bmw £252 to install)
74k miles, brake fluid service - £96
76k miles, full service, new door handle (£300!), dipstick recalibration - £965
83k miles, Camshaft sensors replaced - £206
83k miles, Replace all injectors - £2827
84k miles, Bulkhead seal replacement - £612
85k miles, Full service, diff service, spark plugs - £758
Also, 2 full sets of Michelin Pilot SuperSport @£1k each - £2,000
Grand total of... (are you sitting down?)... £16,096 (or £2,682 per year).
Sounds a lot! But some observations to put it into context...
Firstly, approx £2k of that isn't the car's fault. I broke the door handle by pulling it too hard when the door was frozen shut. Kwikfit ruined the wheel-hub and I chose to do the bumper repaint and PPF (a really good decision as the car still looked mint at sale time).
Secondly, I firmly put the camshaft sensors, injectors and bulkhead seal (approx £3,700) down to COVID. I'm absolutely convinced that if i'd been using the car every single day as I had been up until that point, none of them would have been an issue, particularly the bulkhead seal. Sitting idle for months on end just isn't good for cars - regular use is so much better for them.
Lastly, BMW picking up the tab for the turbos was a real win. Otherwise it would have looked a LOT more painful. Mainly though, it's all the things you expect, brakes, pads, servicing, seals, sensors and tyres, plus the desire to maintain a full BMW Service History.
Footnote: Let's not mention the 12,000 litres of Super Unleaded. And the £5k of tax & insurance
But either way, it was totally worth it. What a brilliant car, never let me down and looked after my family and I in style...
JakeT said:
I think you got off quite lightly there compared to some I know, and some running RS6s. Either way, it’s only money. Can’t drive the bank account around. 
Couldn't agree more - you can't put a price on all those comfortable, relaxing, cosseted commutes as well as the family adventures and more spirited drives. Plus, things like the body and interior build quality were off the charts - 88,000 miles and the exterior and interior looked like new. Ben Lowden said:
I've always loved the idea of an F10 M5. Now at least I know I could never afford to run one 
Thanks for sharing all the information though, very insightful! Would be great if you could add that to your car in your My Garage for anyone looking for future reference.
Cheers Ben, done. Thanks for sharing all the information though, very insightful! Would be great if you could add that to your car in your My Garage for anyone looking for future reference.When you total it up, it looks like a lot of scary numbers. Question is, what would the delta be vs something like a 520i instead? My guess is that the gap isn't as big as you might think, and the ownership experience is a hell of a lot more entertaining!
MDifficult said:
Ben Lowden said:
I've always loved the idea of an F10 M5. Now at least I know I could never afford to run one Thanks for sharing all the information though, very insightful! Would be great if you could add that to your car in your My Garage for anyone looking for future reference.
Cheers Ben, done. Thanks for sharing all the information though, very insightful! Would be great if you could add that to your car in your My Garage for anyone looking for future reference.When you total it up, it looks like a lot of scary numbers. Question is, what would the delta be vs something like a 520i instead? My guess is that the gap isn't as big as you might think, and the ownership experience is a hell of a lot more entertaining!
Do the M5 experience properly and come out net ££neutral after 3 years…….
Lolz
Edited by MrTouring on Wednesday 2nd February 22:24
Well Saturday was fun!
Was always going to be risky doing a trackday at the beginning of Feb but the weather gods were smiling on us and it turned out to be glorious. Lovely and cold, but dry and sunny all day bar a tiny sprinkle of rain after lunch that barely registered on the windscreen.
This was just as well as it was my first chance to track the MINI alongside MrTouring's modded Megane and we were also joined by my friend in his superbly modified (and manual!) M2 Comp monster from earlier in this thread. Had I brought a knife to a gun fight?
Short answer... against the M2... yup! Against the Megane... hmm... a couple of three lap tussles suggests they're incredibly closely matched!
Firstly though, a celebration... the rebuilt gearbox on the MINI is now the best part of the car, with the shifter and box a total blast. There's still a wheel bearing on the way out but otherwise the car was faultless. Water never went over 90 and oil never over 95 - it seems the car is happy and healthy in the crisp cool February air.
Again, timing wasn't really the objective of the day, but for those who're interested I managed a personal best time of 2:57.40 with a number of laps under 3 minutes. This little thing FLIES.
Onto some of the pro photos:
I even managed to raise my GoPro game this time - installation of a permanent live meant so much less faff and it was easy to capture every single moment without really thinking about it.
So onto some video - I know other people's trackday vids can be boring as s
t but here they are, I've done my best!
Chasing MrTouring (as you can see, not a lot in it but he murders me at the end of the straights)...
Fastest lap...
And a 22 minute montage of nearly 3 hours of track time.. in 12 acts
So now I'm in a real quandary... what to do with the MINI? I love it, it's more than fast enough, safe and easy to drive quickly, makes a crazy noise and has as much 'racecar' vibe as you'd want in something you still drive to and from the track. But it is a lot of money for something I'm going to be able to use maybe 5 or 6 times a year max. After a passenger ride from a friendly owner I was able to try out a GR Yaris and I'm starting to convince myself that one would make an amazing daily + occasional track car. But if I sell it, someone's probably not going to pay me very much for it (and may end up breaking it for parts which would be a real shame) and I'll never find a better one. Time to put my thinking cap on.
Oh, one other thing. If you want to laugh like a crazy person, get a passenger ride in a 500+ BHP M2 Competition Manual around Bedford. Holy f*cking sh*tballs
Footnote: Big 'thank you' to Javelin and all the other participants. No red flags, loads of track time (was almost on my own for the last hour) and all the drivers I came across had excellent driving standards. All track days should be like this.
Was always going to be risky doing a trackday at the beginning of Feb but the weather gods were smiling on us and it turned out to be glorious. Lovely and cold, but dry and sunny all day bar a tiny sprinkle of rain after lunch that barely registered on the windscreen.
This was just as well as it was my first chance to track the MINI alongside MrTouring's modded Megane and we were also joined by my friend in his superbly modified (and manual!) M2 Comp monster from earlier in this thread. Had I brought a knife to a gun fight?
Short answer... against the M2... yup! Against the Megane... hmm... a couple of three lap tussles suggests they're incredibly closely matched!
Firstly though, a celebration... the rebuilt gearbox on the MINI is now the best part of the car, with the shifter and box a total blast. There's still a wheel bearing on the way out but otherwise the car was faultless. Water never went over 90 and oil never over 95 - it seems the car is happy and healthy in the crisp cool February air.
Again, timing wasn't really the objective of the day, but for those who're interested I managed a personal best time of 2:57.40 with a number of laps under 3 minutes. This little thing FLIES.
Onto some of the pro photos:
I even managed to raise my GoPro game this time - installation of a permanent live meant so much less faff and it was easy to capture every single moment without really thinking about it.
So onto some video - I know other people's trackday vids can be boring as s
t but here they are, I've done my best!Chasing MrTouring (as you can see, not a lot in it but he murders me at the end of the straights)...
Fastest lap...
And a 22 minute montage of nearly 3 hours of track time.. in 12 acts
So now I'm in a real quandary... what to do with the MINI? I love it, it's more than fast enough, safe and easy to drive quickly, makes a crazy noise and has as much 'racecar' vibe as you'd want in something you still drive to and from the track. But it is a lot of money for something I'm going to be able to use maybe 5 or 6 times a year max. After a passenger ride from a friendly owner I was able to try out a GR Yaris and I'm starting to convince myself that one would make an amazing daily + occasional track car. But if I sell it, someone's probably not going to pay me very much for it (and may end up breaking it for parts which would be a real shame) and I'll never find a better one. Time to put my thinking cap on.
Oh, one other thing. If you want to laugh like a crazy person, get a passenger ride in a 500+ BHP M2 Competition Manual around Bedford. Holy f*cking sh*tballs
Footnote: Big 'thank you' to Javelin and all the other participants. No red flags, loads of track time (was almost on my own for the last hour) and all the drivers I came across had excellent driving standards. All track days should be like this.
My vote would be to keep the Mini and get the Yaris. Life is too short and you've ditched the M5, so you're almost being sensible.
I do love Bedford. One of my first track days, so fond memories, but it had a bit of (almost) everything. Including a gas tank at the end of a long straight.
Anyway, I went back to my photos to see if I had a video and see what time my laps were and spotted this photo. 25th May 2017, Mini seems a bit more bland back then! Alas, no videos to check.
I do love Bedford. One of my first track days, so fond memories, but it had a bit of (almost) everything. Including a gas tank at the end of a long straight.
Anyway, I went back to my photos to see if I had a video and see what time my laps were and spotted this photo. 25th May 2017, Mini seems a bit more bland back then! Alas, no videos to check.
illmonkey said:
My vote would be to keep the Mini and get the Yaris. Life is too short and you've ditched the M5, so you're almost being sensible.
I do love Bedford. One of my first track days, so fond memories, but it had a bit of (almost) everything. Including a gas tank at the end of a long straight.
Anyway, I went back to my photos to see if I had a video and see what time my laps were and spotted this photo. 25th May 2017, Mini seems a bit more bland back then! Alas, no videos to check.
Cheers for the picture - what a coincidence! That'll be Luke, the lad who built the car. I still talk to him (he must be sick of my questions/updates) but he told me that the car's first ever track day was at Bedford, Feb 2016, about a year before your photo. Probably explains why it's so well suited to the place.. it's been there a lot! I do love Bedford. One of my first track days, so fond memories, but it had a bit of (almost) everything. Including a gas tank at the end of a long straight.
Anyway, I went back to my photos to see if I had a video and see what time my laps were and spotted this photo. 25th May 2017, Mini seems a bit more bland back then! Alas, no videos to check.
As for keeping the MINI and also getting a Yaris, that sadly doesn't really work - I don't want to go back to three cars again for now. If I keep the MINI, I just keep wanting to do things to it! I'd quite like to fit a proper pedal box (remove the MINI master cylinder and booster) to get a proper set of pedals and a nice hard 'because racecar' unassisted brake pedal. I'd also like to sort out some brake cooling too. See? You spend money when it's broken AND money when it's not
The M5 bills don’t look to scary…even lesser BMW’s are quite capable of racking up some chunky bills especially at a main dealer. And let’s face it, you never expect an M car to be cheap to run.
Sounds like you lucked out with the buyer. The chancers can be annoying but they can be funny too. I had one after my other half’s old 1 series. He clearly knew it was a good little car because he keep on and on at me, telling me how old never get what I wanted etc. Twenty four hours later it was gone….for the asking price!
Your MINI is a conundrum. It looks ace and is a car you obviously enjoy it but its scope for use is quite limited especially compared to something like a GR (which you probably wouldn’t loose much cash on either).
Sounds like you lucked out with the buyer. The chancers can be annoying but they can be funny too. I had one after my other half’s old 1 series. He clearly knew it was a good little car because he keep on and on at me, telling me how old never get what I wanted etc. Twenty four hours later it was gone….for the asking price!
Your MINI is a conundrum. It looks ace and is a car you obviously enjoy it but its scope for use is quite limited especially compared to something like a GR (which you probably wouldn’t loose much cash on either).
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