I have a chance to drive a 2015 BMW 328i (F30 chassis) loaner car while my E90 M3 is in the shop. A note in the car indicates that this vehicle is optioned up to the grand price of $42,000; that's quite a lot of money for an entry-level BMW. With just 72 miles on… Continue reading Review: 2015 BMW 328i
My friend Sage has been researching his next car. A few months ago, Sage and I had rented an E46 M3 from RelayRides, and we were completely taken by the E46's performance, balance and poise. After the rental, we both dived into Craigslist searches to find that perfect example of the model, but we've both… Continue reading Comparison: 2013 Ford Mustang GT vs 2011 BMW M3
This Sunday I had my first chance to autocross my 2011 BMW M3 at El Toro airfield. While I had done an autocross in Oakland many months ago, it was a poor chance to feel out the car as the course was very short (maybe 40 seconds long) and pretty slow. Today’s El Toro event… Continue reading Long Term: 2011 BMW M3 at Autocross
I just took my 2011 E90 M3 to the track for the first time. The tarmac I chose was Laguna Seca, one of America’s most revered race tracks and also a circuit I know well from many prior visits in my old Mitsubishi Evo IX MR. I had a grand time in the M3, but… Continue reading Long Term: 2011 BMW M3 at Laguna Seca
My car-buddy Sage has rented a 2004 BMW M3—known to the BMW community as the E46 M3—for the day. It’s a coupe with gray paint and the dreaded SMG transmission. For a 150k mile vehicle, the body and interior—especially the black interior leather!—are in great shape. Although it lacks the navigation screen which is found… Continue reading Comparison: 2004 BMW M3 vs 2011 BMW M3
I sold my beloved and verbosely-named Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR and replaced it with a much more terse BMW M3. The M3 is a 2011 sedan (E90) and it is optioned with DCT so my wife will enjoy driving it too; she never was comfortable driving my manual shift cars. While Evo was always… Continue reading Long Term: 2011 BMW M3
(I took a spring break trip to Germany in 2013, with the goal of driving a BMW on the autobahn and circling the Nurburgring Nordschleife. Sadly, my day at The Ring was snowed out, but I did drive nearly 2000 km on beautiful derestricted autobahns. What follows are the automotive excerpts from my travel journal.)… Continue reading Review: 2013 BMW 320d xDrive
Mike's Steering Column 