[Scubadriver]

Production of my new M235i is complete and is now awaiting assignment to a ship to bring it to me in Houston! Here's what I got:

M235i
Estoril Blue Metallic
Black Dakota Leather
Limited Slip Differential (port installed)
Manual transmission
Anti-theft alarm system
Heated front seats
Harman/kardon premium sound
Enhanced USB and Bluetooth
Driver Assistance Package
Premium Package
Technology Package

I ordered the car Sept 20 from Advantage BMW Clearlake. I managed $2000 under MSRP after working with four different dealers. After ordering, one of the other dealers offered to match that discount and throw in a window tint so I probably could have done a bit better. But still, I feel pretty good about the deal.

Production was completed on October 9, but unfortunately, looking at ship schedules, the next ship to Galveston is not until late October so I may have while to wait yet.

I'm already thinking about upgrades. I bought a couple of little things already--clutch stop and metal pedals from Hong Kong. I'll definitely need to get it tinted. After I get a little time with the car, I'm thinking about exhaust, tune and springs. While I know that Dinan might not be the best bang for the buck, those three things should get me a Dinan badge, and the warranty protection is worth something to me. Assuming Dinan allows it, I would go to a specialty BMW tuner for the spring and exhaust install because they are so much cheaper on labor than a dealer. I'd let a BMW/Dinan dealer do the chip install to improve my warranty protection chances, especially since there's not a lot of shop time involved.

I'm coming from a Subaru BRZ, which I like a lot, but is sadly lacking on power. Also, I'm frankly a bit embarrassed by the harshness of the suspension with passengers in the car. (In the M235i, I expect I'll be in Sport mode when alone and Comfort mode with passengers.) I'm also getting a little tired of not being able to hear music on my commute on I45 with the lack of sound deadening and substandard radio in the BRZ. I just hope I don't miss its low-slung, taught suspension too much (part of the reason I'm envisioning the likelihood of Dinan springs on the M235i). We'll see how long it takes me to put the BRZ on the market.

But this wait for a ship is killing me! Great forum!

Bob