Love Audio Love Cars

New frontiers are good. So can be trading in one set of toys for another. Some of us like to refer to our earlier lives---student days---backpacking days---a life in Europe. In my case I really don't do anything as much as I overdue everything. In 1978 I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada and then I spent the next four years of my life reding a bicycle around the world. I sold that bicycke in West Africa, having rode it from Jerusalem to Cape Town and back up to Mauritania, where I sold it, for much of what I paid for it so many years before.

I have not been on a bicycle since. Former lives are good. If you are really ready to move on, invest in the new. It is good for you.

Taters,

Years ago, I made the opposite choice - I sold my hot car (a vintage '69 Camaro) to focus more on my audio gear, and I've never regretted it. Cars are a black hole for your disposable income. Besides the insurance and the upkeep and the steady depreciation, you also have all kinds of wear, tear, and road hazards to contend with. And if you add things like mag wheels, performance mods, or a cool stereo system, you never get your money back when you sell the car. Buyers are only interested in book value and good luck getting much beyond that.

Recently I bought a sporty little Acura GSR that I really like, though in the six months since I bought it I haven't driven it much. But it has depreciated. One guy clipped the bumper in a parking lot, and now it's in the shop to repair extensive hail damage from a freak storm. Luckily the hail nicked my window molding because someone tried breaking into it this past week while I was having it tuned up and broke its attachment clips near the door latch (so my insurance will cover it). I'm thinking of selling it when I finally get it back, if anyone's interested... It's loads of fun, really! :)

Rhljazz, which M3 do you own? E30, E36 or the new E46? I have a '99 E36 myself, and it's my daily commuter. I think the older E30s were pretty damn cool.

Plato, I owned a '96 GSR and loved the sound of that motor at full song. I really believe that car isn't happy unless it's revving somewhere between 5500 and 8200 RPMs.

Gunbei, mine is a 96 E36 M-3 coupe (Estoril Blue) which I use mainly for pleasure although it is not a garage queen. I would rather drive it than do the wash and wax things. I own a BMW repair shop (www.beyermotorworks.com) so parts and maintenance are not much hassle. That being said, I agree with Plato that the audio is a better investment and less expensive to maintain and I use tube preamps and amps which sometimes require service. Insurance on the M-3 runs about 1500.00 per year and that in itself would buy a lot of cd's and records or at least one new/used component to try out for the year.

Yeah Gunbei, I have a '95 in Paradise blue/green, which should be lookin' good when I get it back (hopefully tomorrow!), and it does like to rev.

It has a nice sound system too, with a CD changer, and a custom-built, powered subwoofer system containing 4 Scanspeak 8" woofers and then Morel tweeters in the door panels. It sounds decent for a "portable" system. :)