Once we stop modding, can we stop?

[Staterunner]

[Oops. Once we *start* modding, can we stop?]

OK, bit philosophical this...

I'm 4,000 miles in with a 340i M Sport. Objectively, it's amazing. Better (for me) than my exes: SL500, Brabus ML, XJR, KTM Superduke, RX8, Ducati monster, etc.

But thanks in part to PH and a few Bimmer sites, I've always got non-Zen stuff going on in my head: envy, what-if, curiosity, one-upmanship, indecision, doubt, risk...

There are so many questions...

- Should I have bought an M3? Or an XE? Or a 63?
- Would an M140i have been 'better'?
- Do I need a new exhaust?
- Would a JB4 make things better or worse?
- Who can really tune? (Forums tend to say 'my guy is awesome; the others are cowboys')
- Should I write off the runflats and spend £800 on PS4?
- Will changing the springs and shocks unleash the car? (when the passive M-sport suspension seems just about perfect for mixed driving)
- Was I a dick for buying a 22mpg petrol, when the 40mpg 335d was the same price?
- Etc, etc, etc, for ever

Once you start this sh*t, you can't stop. I love the geekery of car mods (which I dabble in).

But I kind of wish I could switch it all off, and enjoy an out-of-the-box car. Just for once.

Is this possible, or should I just enjoy the stress of chasing perfection?

Edited by Staterunner on Saturday 16th February 20:23

[Monkeylegend]

Just drive it and enjoy it, forget all the other stuff.

[Joscal]

An M3 would definitely answer a lot of your questions

[Eddieslofart]

As you get older, the questions become less.

[Wills2]

340i is no different to a 320i except the engine or any other 3 series like a 320d etc....

If you want a better driving quicker car then get an M3 as it shares only the doors with a standard 3 so it's already been modded by M engineers the engine/chassis/body/suspension/gearbox/wheels/tyres/diff/ etc....otherwise you're just chasing shadows.

[Evolved]

You bought the wrong 3 series.

[STe_rsv4]

Know what you mean. Had my m235i almost 2 years now.
Front splitter.
Had to compliment it with rear lip spoiler.
Had to compliment this with side skirts.
Looks fast, so obviously needed jb4.
Got jb4, needs sports cat to free up the breathing.
Now pushing more psi, I need to uprate the turbo pipes..... And on it goes

[to3m]

Your very first question is instructive. You can trust your gut to make these decisions for you, and if you're still wondering whether you should have bought an M3, you should have bought an M3.

My recommendation: start skimming the classifieds. The sooner you sell your car, the better the price you'll get, and the further it will go towards paying for your M3.

(My story: while I was looking for my current car, I did consider buying an M3. Non-rubbish older examples were withinin my initial budget, and more options became available with each minor increase. But, my gut said no, so I didn't. I bought some other type of BMW that wasn't as good. But it's been 14 months, and I've still no regrets, thanks to my gut. Just think - if you listened to your gut, you could have no regrets, too. Also, you'll have an M3.)

Edited by to3m on Sunday 17th February 01:23

[smashy]

Tell you a big thing in changing my outlook .......traffic and speed cameras ,what is the point.

[mekondelta]

Mine was wanting to be able to use price comparison web sites for insurance and not having to call each insurer separately.

[aeropilot]

smashy said:

Tell you a big thing in changing my outlook .......traffic and speed cameras ,what is the point.

Yep, and partly why I moved from a modded E82 135i to a X5 40d, that will stay as it left the factory.

(it does help that I've now got a weekend toy project to satisfy those modding urges that still linger in this 19 year old, going on 59 year head )

[Liamst]

Staterunner said:

[Oops. Once we *start* modding, can we stop?]

OK, bit philosophical this...

I'm 4,000 miles in with a 340i M Sport. Objectively, it's amazing. Better (for me) than my exes: SL500, Brabus ML, XJR, KTM Superduke, RX8, Ducati monster, etc.

But thanks in part to PH and a few Bimmer sites, I've always got non-Zen stuff going on in my head: envy, what-if, curiosity, one-upmanship, indecision, doubt, risk...

There are so many questions...

- Should I have bought an M3? Or an XE? Or a 63?
- Would an M140i have been 'better'?
- Do I need a new exhaust?
- Would a JB4 make things better or worse?
- Who can really tune? (Forums tend to say 'my guy is awesome; the others are cowboys')
- Should I write off the runflats and spend £800 on PS4?
- Will changing the springs and shocks unleash the car? (when the passive M-sport suspension seems just about perfect for mixed driving)
- Was I a dick for buying a 22mpg petrol, when the 40mpg 335d was the same price?
- Etc, etc, etc, for ever

Once you start this sh*t, you can't stop. I love the geekery of car mods (which I dabble in).

But I kind of wish I could switch it all off, and enjoy an out-of-the-box car. Just for once.

Is this possible, or should I just enjoy the stress of chasing perfection?

Edited by Staterunner on Saturday 16th February 20:23

An M3 probably resolves most of those issues.

An M140 will probably feel more alert / quicker, being slightly smaller, but also probably a bit more loose for it.
My M140 has a downpipe and the standard exhaust and i think it now sounds alot better. No louder inside for normal driving slightly more spool noise, and a nice tone under half load, and then with more pedal id say its on a par volume wise with a standard M4 and the gear changes are a bit more of a crack.

JB4 defo makes it better, for reference iv done 28k miles on a jb4 and its been fine. Without it it feels flat.
A remap is probably better / smoother but as you say is a bit of an unknown for now. I am waiting out for more development / more long term results on the proper remaps before committing.

Swapping to Non Runflats is 100% an improvement, and i have just swapped from Super Sports to PS4 and am very impressed so far.

[e46m3Mark]

Bought my first car 35 years ago. A 1962 Mini, with Cosmic alloys, and sports exhaust. I then did a 1300 engine swap and have been modding my cars ever since. I enjoy doing it, as much as the end result. Yes, insurance etc can be a hassle but it's still worth it to me. I just like making cars a bit more personal to me I guess? My Mrs can't see the point and thinks I waste my money on bits I don't need.

[dartissimus]

So, I'm spending a decent amount of my money on a nice car designed by expert engineers with a serious amount of form in this field.

I can improve on their design without seriously compromising some other factor?

You tell me

[e46m3Mark]

Depends what you're modifying it for I would say? Most cars are a compromise. They have (to some extent) be all things to all people. Personally I prefer cars that are more track focussed and more capable. The trade off though, is it will most likely be a little less comfortable on the street and less economical. The aesthetics are subjective.