What was your "I gotta have that!" moment?

[MIKe86]

This thread should be fun. Just ran into a local m coupe and our convo sparked this thread idea..

I was at a BMW CCA hpde with my 5-lug s52 swapped e30, and was having a blast. Nothing better than getting point-by's by nice new looking e46 m3's in the straights while you're behind the wheel of your 20 year old styled baby Frankenstein

Finally got a ride on the last run of the day in a spec e30 with another instructor (mine had a 95 LTW m3)... As he's showing me how it's really done in an e30 WHOOOSH!!! a white blur blew by. Thought to myself "what the hell is that?!". Turns out it was an alpine on sepang m coupe. Knew right then and there I just had to have one.

The rest is history. 8 months later I had one in my garage


So what's your story?




Ps: The hpde was with the jersey chapter and was the last event of the season in October of 2009 at NJMSP lightning circuit if I remember correctly. If you were the owner/driver of that m coupe please speak up!

[dorifto88]

ive been in love with the first iteration of the m coupe since i was in high school (this shows my age). My first car was totaled, and i was in a bind and ended up with a g35 coupe... Well, one day i stumbled across a 2001 bmw m coupe, black one too, wth less than 30k miles. the car was mint ! But, i couldnt keep it, as it would have been my daily (this was december 2010). A few months later a local BMW dealer had two z4m's, and i swooped on one when it was on the lot for a few weeks.

[txz4]

Had my 2008 benz c300 (first white one in San Antonio) at the dealership for a complimentary wash and noticed a 07 z4coupe on the lot. I remembered that i had always loved that body style but alas, out of site out of mind....Until i saw the z4 coupe sitting there. Test drove it and fell in love thinking i would keep the car for years to come. Six months later its sold and im flying from Texas to Virginia to pick up my 06 M-coupe and drive it home. I went one year older with each car but dont have any regrets.

I absolutely love this car! its the most practical pure sports car Ive ever been in and couldn't imagine not owning it. Plus the compliments i get on a daily basis Ive grown so accustomed too would be missed. Its the top of car where no matter how old it is people will always be impressed. A new m3 or 1m is great, but the timelessness of the z4Coupe is just on another level.

[whilechukwuzout]

One fateful Sunday night about two weeks ago I was trolling the webs looking for a 330 ZHP when my Z4SI popped up on BMW's preowned search database. I knew what a badass ride the SI was because one of my best friends had owned one recently, but I had never driven it. The next day I went to the dealership for a test drive. I learned that for as nice as it may be to be a passenger in a BMW, there is just no comparing it to the experience of being behind the wheel.

My "Gotta have that" moment was when the salesman pressed the sport button and said "go for it".

btw op nice to see some lehigh valley representation on here. Im a bethlehem native.

[baege]

I was out with my GF at the time and one of her friends. We were walking along king west in toronto when a silver Z4MC parked about 30 feet in front of us. I bolted from the 2 of them to get a closer look.

I had been following this car since the coupe concept was unveiled and absolutely loved it. Before the Z4C was revealed, I actually almost bought a estoril blue 1999 M coupe (but went with a 350Z instead, always regretted that decision).

Anyhow, that night was the first time I had seen a Z4C in person and I was absolutely stunned. The lady driver happened to work at the local gentleman`s club and, much to the chagrin of my GF, I chatted her up about the car. Needless to say that night did little for the nuturing of my relationship, but it crystallized my decision to get a silver Z4C. It took me about 2 years to accomplish that, but I still am dazzled by the car everytime I look at it.

[ZStig]

I don't remember my moment with my first Z4, a 2003 3.0, but buying the Z4M's moment came the first time I test drove it, and pushed it hard into a tight corner and the car did exactly what I wanted it to do. Then I had to convince myself I'll eventually give it a supercharger to fix my power itch

[Walkurie]

My Mini was going on 5 years old and I was at the dealer looking at the standard Z4. I owned a bunch of MG's over the years so this was a natural for me. Got into a discussion with the sales rep and found it was more affordable than I thought it might be. Always wanted an M car. Yadda-yadda, they were discounting M's then, pretty heavily, he allowed me an afternoon with it. After being challenged twice on the street, realized I had to have it.

[inTgr8r]

I was with a friend test driving a 335, I really liked the car and arranged to come back and try it for myself.

When I went back, they had a Z4 3.0si sitting outside in the primo "feature car" area.
The salesman read my mind & suggested we take it for a spin.
Absolutely loved the car.

At that time I was not aware that the 'M' version had arrived on the scene.
When informed of this my salesman warned me "do not test drive this car unless you are prepared to own it"

He was right; it was game over, I bought it the next day

[DataStream18]

January 2002 at the NAIAS in Detroit, Mi. My buddies and I were walking up to the BMW area, there in all its beauty was a Black 3.0i 6spd with red interior, brushed aluminum trim with style 202 wheels. It took me 8 years to get that exact one (I'm only 26), but that's when I fell for it!

[HOG4DNR]

I was at a BMW dealer looking to replace my 2008 135 that was totaled and noticed a used one on the lot. I offered to buy it on the spot but it was already sold. I always loved the look of the Z4MC but didn't see a lot of them on the road, so I forgot about them.

I knew that this was the car for me. I searched EBay, Craigslist and the AutoTrader for weeks until I found one at a Porsche / Audi dealer in PA. The rest is history, flew to PA and drove her home.

[CJW2OO4]

My moment may have came 1 year before I bought my car. I test drove an Imola Red M Roadster about 2 years ago and absolutely loved it. It was fully loaded but the asking price at the time was a little to for me to afford. Then about a year ago I was bored browsing autotrader at work and saw a Z4 3.0si coupe for sale with an asking price for a really, reallly attractive price.. I thought to myself its probably a simple (low option) si kinda like my 04 325i. I walked into the dealership and to my surprise the car had every option except lumber plus an additional set of winter wheels. So I asked the salesman, "Is the asking price really x amount?" He replied that the price was actually 2.5k less. I left a 2 grand deposit that day. Best and fastest decision I have ever made.

[ricanbandit]

I came to my Z4MR by way of two miatas. First a 99 that was my cherry blast into the roadster world. Then I got into a 2004 mazdaspeed. I LOVED that car! Had a modified turbo and 215 at the wheel. Did I say I loved that car?

I was never a real fan of the Z4 body style and at the time i was looking to trade in my Mazdaspeed for an Audi A5 cabrio. Everyone was telling i was crazy, that's an old mans car, nothing like you, etc...

Then a coworker sent me an email with a link to this little beast. It was an M after all and much more powerful than an A5. So I went for a test drive. OMFG! As soon as I hit some of the curves in the Mt Kisco, NY area in this baby I was sold. I even told the sales man with a smile what an asshole he was for "forcing" me to test drive the car. I knew right then and there that it would be mine and even though I haggled for a week to get the price down, deep down inside I knew that I would pay asking price if it got to that (it didn't )

Now... I love the way my car looks, seriously grin my ass off everytime I drive it and... I look back at it everytime I walk away from it after parking it

there is such a thing as true love

[MIKe86]

Love these stories!!

[mikeinsf]

Great stories!

I had a 1998 2.8 Z3 for about 9 years that I loved. Before that were a couple of older 5-series. Sold the Z3 because it was starting to get up in age a little and I wanted something shinier. Also wanted more power. Decided I wanted an SL500 for some reason and set about on that. Sold that behemoth after about 8 months because I hated driving it. Wayyyy too big/heavy, and just not "me", felt like a retired podiatrist driving it. Then went practical with a late model MCS with a sport auto trans. Loved the Mini (cheap, easy to park) for the first 3 months until I started hating it. No power, lackluster handling, and I now know I HATE auto trans. So, unhappy with my two diversions away from BMWs, on a whim I decided to test drive a sapphire black Z4MR at the dealer in San Rafael. I was in the car for about 3 minutes, running through the gears, feeling the attachment of driver to car, the same tactile sensations I loved about the Z3, and knew I had to have one. It was the Z3 but meatier, way more polished, and on serious steroids. That was it. I shopped for about 2 months before I found one in Las Vegas, flew down, and bought it. I'll have this one for at least another 9 years, if I ever decide to sell it.

[Twisted Six]

For me...it was when I realized Nissan dropped the ball with the Datsun 240-Z lineage and pooped out heavier and slower yet more powerful iterations.

The Z4 Coupe filled that void of what the 240-Z SHOULD have come out like....well sort of.

I'd rather them used the AWD attessa system and the RB26dett engine-(twin turbo 2.6 from the Skyline R-34).

I was impressed that the Z4 didn't look at all like Z3 coupe/shoe. That was a ballsy trick for them.

[mfanatic325]

For me, I knew I had to have a coupe (didn't care if it was M or non-M) as soon as I found out about this car wayyy back during its concept stages in 2004/2005. I fell hopelessly over for this car. It was truly love @ first sight
Five to six years down the road, after having practically given up, I happened to spot both an M and non-M coupe at my local dealer. Same exterior and interior colors, very similarly-packaged. I test drove both, and was luckily able to bring one home the following week.
I suppose it was fate. Perhaps we were just destined to be together thank the lord. There is a god

[Phishman]

Ten years ago I wanted a Clown Shoe but couldn't afford one. I was walking to a concert with a friend in downtown Cincinnati about a year and a half ago and saw an Imola M coupe valleted at a nice restaurant. I had only seen 1 of them in person before that (even though my office is next door to a BMW dealership). About 4 months later, when the lease on my G37 was up, I happened to look them up on autotrader for shits & giggles and found one just like I'd seen downtown. When I saw how cheap it was (with only 14k miles at the time) I put a deposit down and conviced my best friend to take a road trip to Raleigh that weekend. On the return trip everyone in the country thought it was some sort of supercar. I was sold the second I found out I could have one of these for less than the cost a new Accord, not that I would buy one of those.

[bdn3d]

OK I guess its my turn, although my story is still taking place. I am a big believer that if you put your mind to something everything else will come. I have wanted a Z4m coupe since the first day I saw it in 2006. I had a 3 series at the time and would always go the the local BMW dealership to check out the new M cars and then all of the sudden I said what the hell is that????!!!! It was weird for me, becuase I saw the M badge and then looked at the sticker showing z4, and I was just puzzled. It was a weird moment for me because It was not that I thought the car was beautiful, rather, interesting...So I did some reasearch and saw the car in other colors (dealership was blue) After watching every video on the planet, and the infamous top gear review, I told myself I had to have one of these... BTW she is now very beautiful... I guess it took sometime for that to set in... anyway I had a BMW 3 series at the time of first sight, then I thought I would be more practical and by a 2006 Lexus IS 250, but every day I got in my car I felt disconnected and missed the BMW feel, I had pretty much given up all hope and thought an M coupe at this point was going to be something I would just have to forget about, so I started to look into a 370z and then all of the sudden on night one popped up on EBAY, it was a deal that I could not pass up.... So I can say now, that after having a z4 m coupe as my screen saver at work and at home for the past 3 years, there will be one in my garage this month. She is being shipped out tomorrow!!! May take 3 weeks to get here becuase it coming from cross country... I also must admit, I still to this day have never driven or even rode in one... I know I will love it... I definitely think these cars will become collectors items, not only because they are rare but because the design is timeless!

[Phishman]

Congrats! Take some pictures when it arrives.

[kdphan]

I've always wanted the original M Coupe in estoril blue. But never found one in the area. I've skipped around a bit and bought cars to hold me down for the time (2000 S2000, G35, 350z, TSX, 2001 S2000, 330ci in that order from 2007-now). Just recently, I was driving home from work and noticed an E86 M coupe 2 lanes to the left of me. At that moment, I just zoned out and kept thinking "I want one now!!".

I started looking on craigslist locally for a Z4 coupe M and non-M version. There was a seller about 20miles from me selling his 2007 Z4M coupe with less than 50k miles. He was moving out of the country. I contacted him, but received a reply saying he already sold it. That was such a crappy moment seeing the email at 4am.

I looked again and saw 2 different 2008 Z4C on craigslist. Both were dealerships. One was in Fremont, 2008 red 3.0SI with 10k miles. The other one was at Weatherford in Berkeley (4blocks from me). Made the appointment and went to go see it after work. 2008 alpine white, with 50k miles, sports/prem pkg with all options avail. Drove it, fell in love with it instantly.

Came back the next day and talked to another salesman. Took it out again, drove past a black Z4C parked down the street from where I live. That was the 2nd time I saw a Z4C in the last 6 months or so.

I tested myself to see how much I wanted the Z4C by test driving a 2007 335i coupe. Plenty of power in the 335i but it just did not feel the same. I could feel the weight even though it has more power.

Had the GF come over to the dealership to see how she likes it. She approved!!!

Sat down and made the deal to take home my '08 alpine white Z4c.

[kcdedric]

After driving my e36 for four years, I was starting to yearn for a change. For me, an M car had always seemed to be the next logical step. This was confirmed after I drove an e92 M3. However, that car was really more than I could afford so I began looking at e46 M3s. I see tons of them around campus though so I considered some more unique options (Exige, Z4M, etc). My local dealer happened to have an M roadster in stock, so I took it out on a test drive. I have to thank the salesman because he really made sure I put my foot down and experienced the car for all its worth. The moment I took that car around a turn with some speed and felt the capabilities I knew I had to have one. Any car that can make me smile ear to ear everytime I drive it is a car worth owning. The Z4M had it all- the looks, the feel, the power, and the grin factor. A little more waiting, saving, and searching landed me in my 08 M Coupe. I am very thankful and admittedly fortunate to have the privilege of owning such a car.

[jophish17]

A local dealer had one when I went to check out the 1 series when it first came out - it was still new, and I couldn't really afford it, but I kept it in mind because it was beautiful, unique, and most importantly, a great drive. Up to that point, I had the E46 M3 and 135 on my mind. I didn't buy the 1 series, saved up some money, and I finally bought an 07 coupe. Choosing the M coupe was also a conscious decision as I was always a BMW fan growing up, but I worry this may be the last simple (if you will), old-school BMW sports coupe