[BentZero]

When I was looking for a new car I had 3 items on my "must have" list.

• Manual transmission
• Rear wheel drive
• Turbo engine

After applying those filters (and of course the implicit price limitation) I was pretty much limited to BMW. It was the epitome of first world problems. At the time the 2 series had not been released and I was actually super close to buying a 3 series. Even had the deal papers in hand. It just never felt quite right though. The F30 is just too big for my liking. That's when the 2 series dropped. Gone was the awkward design of the 1 series. Instead, I was presented with a beautiful car that was closer to the roots of what I believed a BMW should be.......even though this would be my first BMW.

However..............I still wasn't convinced. I have two kids. Could I really live with a coupe? Should I spend this much on a car? Will ppl think I'm a douche bag for driving a BMW? Yes, yes and yes. So I waited. Decided that nothing on the market fit my needs and decided to let the wifie get the new car instead.

Fast foward 2 years and the pull of the 2 series began to grow. One test drive and I was sold. The car, for me, was as close as I could get to what I want from a mass produced vehicle. I knew that it would also serve as a great platform on which to build my perfect car. Not only do I enjoy every drive in Zero (yes, I named it), but I look forward to them. I'll go out for a drive at 11pm at night just because the roads are empty, the night air allows me to drive with the windows and moon roof open and no one is in my way which allows me to tap into the full potential of the engine.

Mods? Light for now, but what I've done has actually pacified my modding itch. BMS clutch stop addressed my clutch issues. Yes, a CDV delete would be nice, but don't be a dork and shift like you need to execute nanosecond shifts and you'll be fine. Injen intake to let those sweet sweet induction and boost diversion sounds free for all to enjoy. Fabspeed exhaust to make ASD obsolete. The car sounds like a beast and the sound comes from the rear as it's meant to be. I won't list the cosmetic mods that further make this car mine. See my build thread if you like.

While I know that there are more mods to come (DP, CP, FMIC, tune, suspension) I'm at the point where they'll be icing on the cake. The car is a dream and I still stare at it before I leave Zero in my garage.

TL;DR; - I love this car

[BEM-S4]

Love mine too save for the fact I wish they had AWD in 2014. Working on getting a 2016 now in fact! That with 17" wheels year round and I'll be a happy camper with the shit roads where I am.

[Merc for hire]

Very romantic post.

[BentZero]

Originally Posted by Merc for hire

Very romantic post.

Love is romance. My wife says that I have a problem lol. She doesn't get being a "car guy" I guess.

[Viffermike]

Favorite. Thread. Evah.

(Already.)

And I don't even have this car!

[wtfbrah]

I take credit for inspiring this thread!

Keep it rolling, who else here is infatuated with her angel eyes??

[griz31]

Originally Posted by wtfbrah

I take credit for inspiring this thread!

Wellllll really I think the credit is mine - hahaha.

Zero - while I understand this thread was made in jest (even copied my exact title punctuation hahaha!) I'm glad you found the perfect car for your situation. In the end that's what we're all looking for.

[chattanooga240]

Hilarious thread, you get a thumbs up

[BentZero]

Originally Posted by griz31

Wellllll really I think the credit is mine - hahaha.

Zero - while I understand this thread was made in jest (even copied my exact title punctuation hahaha!) I'm glad you found the perfect car for your situation. In the end that's what we're all looking for.

Exactly man. I hope you find the vehicle that suits your needs and wants.

[Kolyan2k]

OP, are you running without rear mufflers now?

[BentZero]

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

OP, are you running without rear mufflers now?

I should have specified. I have their valvetronic exhaust and I've got the valve wired open 24/7. I love it. No drone at all. That said, it has "rumble". Around 2k you will feel the exhaust depending on the engine load. It's not loud annoying drone. Just nice and aggressive rumble.

To paint a better word picture, ASD had more "drone" than this exhaust ever even thinks of having. This is the way the car was meant to sound. Cold starts are a bit raspy, but who cares. It's 30 seconds lol. Oh, and cold starts aren't so loud that I'm waking anyone up when I hop in the car around 7am.

[Kolyan2k]

Originally Posted by BentZero

I should have specified. I have their valvetronic exhaust and I've got the valve wired open 24/7. I love it. No drone at all. That said, it has "rumble". Around 2k you will feel the exhaust depending on the engine load. It's not loud annoying drone. Just nice and aggressive rumble.

To paint a better word picture, ASD had more "drone" than this exhaust ever even thinks of having. This is the way the car was meant to sound. Cold starts are a bit raspy, but who cares. It's 30 seconds lol. Oh, and cold starts aren't so loud that I'm waking anyone up when I hop in the car around 7am.

I wonder how this full exhaust sounds compared to just muffler delete option (also offered by fabspeed)

[BentZero]

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

I wonder how this full exhaust sounds compared to just muffler delete option (also offered by fabspeed)

I've heard a muffler delete on an E9x with the N54 engine I believe. I'm new to BMW so please pardon my chassis ignorance lol. It sounds really good, but the drone was too much for me. Fab claims that their delete has no drone. Idk though, seems like it would to me. There's a dude in the "to exhaust or not to exhaust" that posted a vid with the delete and either the sport cat or catless DP. Check out that vid or maybe shoot him a PM. From what I can tell it sounds pretty sick. Deeper than mine, but same sound "signature" if you know what I mean.

I posted a vid of my cold start, but the mic on my camera is worthless. The video really loses a lot of what makes my exhaust so sweet.

[siwo]

I have to say I have the same three 'want's that BentZero has while looking for a car. RWD, Manual Transmission, Turbooooo. Yup I remember about 6 months ago I was working on filtering down the list of cars that fit my description. BMW was for me as well & it's such a damn coincident that our builds are similar!

Awesome car.

[wtfbrah]

Wondering if it's worth it to learn to drive stick. I tried once, for like an hour, and it just frustrated me. My pop's Volvo S60 is a manual. Was a fucking pain in the ass to even try and let off the clutch and time pressing on the gas pedal. Always so jerky.

For a daily driver I think manual might be a bad choice, but maybe I should try and learn. Maybe I can buy like an '08 Cayman in manual.

[BentZero]

Originally Posted by wtfbrah

Wondering if it's worth it to learn to drive stick. I tried once, for like an hour, and it just frustrated me. My pop's Volvo S60 is a manual. Was a fucking pain in the ass to even try and let off the clutch and time pressing on the gas pedal. Always so jerky.

For a daily driver I think manual might be a bad choice, but maybe I should try and learn. Maybe I can buy like an '08 Cayman in manual.

The clutch on this car is pretty forgiving. I took about 10 years off from a manual before this car. Immediately felt right at home and that was before the clutch stop mod. Traffic where I am isn't bad, so as a DD it's perfectly fine. If I had moved to San Jose like I had originally planned there's no way I would have bought a stick lol.

[louielouie]

I see you found a new love...

How could you trade away Chase?

[wtfbrah]

Originally Posted by BentZero

The clutch on this car is pretty forgiving. I took about 10 years off from a manual before this car. Immediately felt right at home and that was before the clutch stop mod. Traffic where I am isn't bad, so as a DD it's perfectly fine. If I had moved to San Jose like I had originally planned there's no way I would have bought a stick lol.

Yeah, but don't you have more than one car?

[BentZero]

Originally Posted by wtfbrah

Yeah, but don't you have more than one car?

I have two and wife has one.

[wtfbrah]

Originally Posted by BentZero

I have two and wife has one.

Yeah so that's a little different. I'm assuming you'd rather take an automatic on a long cruise, say a cross-state 500 mile drive? Or a downtown, stop and go, bumper-to-bumper situation? With hills?

My ideal car situation: M240i/M2 automatic for fun daily driver, AMG Merc for cushy speed, Porsche manual for weekend fun.

M240 $50k, used cayman $30k, AMG C43 $60k. That is definitely a lot for cars, though.

[wjones14]

Must haves:

1. RWD - check
2. Manual Transmission - check
3. Turbo ?

Why would anyone prefer a turbo over a naturally aspirated engine? Inquiring minds want to know.

[BentZero]

Originally Posted by wjones14

Must haves:

1. RWD - check
2. Manual Transmission - check
3. Turbo ?

Why would anyone prefer a turbo over a naturally aspirated engine? Inquiring minds want to know.

I've never owned a turbo. I wanted to see what it's like to chip/tune a car and chips don't do much on N/A engines.

Also, the intake sounds soooooooo good on a turbo. I think I'll eventually get a louder diverter valve.