[ES_TRADER]

I used to be an active member of this forum but life and work just got too overwhelming these past years. Been extremely busy and fortunately have gained a little free time with all stay at home orders in place giving me more time to check in on the forums. I wanted to take some time to document my progression to the Porsche brand so maybe in the future i can look back and remember these feelings.

Ever since high school, my best friend at the time drove an e36M3. It was coolest thing I thought i ever saw at the time and it's where my desire for BMW cars stemmed from. It wasn't until college i was able to purchase an e46 330ci, ordered brand new from the dealer. It was the greatest feeling, my first Bmw. I remember going to the dealer that day and saw the e46 M3 on display and boy was it a spectacular sight but around 60k at the time, it was not affordable for me. The E46 was my daily driver during my college years and ill never forget the time i saw a 997GT3 in speed yellow parked in the lot everyday. I was in awe and dreamed of owning one everytime i saw it. The pipes in the center, the massive wing, its low stance. Amazing!

The thing about Bmw cars i love is the firmness of the ride and chassis and the "thud" it makes every time you change lanes and it goes over those bumps. To me it just feels like a rock solid sturdy car. The near perfect weight distribution and nearly flat cornering; no other brands I've driven at the time felt as good as BMW, even the non E46. Prior to Bmw i was driving an import car and constantly tuning the suspension and exhaust to achieve something close to the feel of a BMW. No matter how hard i tried, it just wasn't satisfying. Looking back, should have just bought an M car to begin with and be done. I hated the constant desire to tune a vehicle and never be satisfied in the long run.

Fast forward to 2010 and this forum helped me a lot and got me in touch with Steve Thomas BMW where I purchased my first M car, E92M3, ZCP DCT. My review is probably here still. I loved this thing, the roaring high revving V8, the lighting speed shifts of the DCT, and the rock solid steering and suspension. That "thud" feeling from the E36/E46 was just as good. My only regret with this car was that it wasn't a manual. The more i drove it i wished and lusted for a manual because the DCT just got too boring and numb. While i had the E92, my desire for a manual car led me to search for an E36 M3. I found one with 80k miles and purchased it. Amazing car in 2010 when you think about how old it was. It was a blast to drive.

5 years later, garage was getting full, work was getting busy, and reaching in a two door to load/unload an infant was just not working. Sold the two M cars and ordered a F80M3 in 6MT. When i saw the car, i felt in love with the look. The aggressive stance, the rear fenders (LOVE), the front end. It was also a blast to drive, since finally in got my 6spd. The torque on this is incredible. I though i would miss the screaming V8 but I didn't. The torque was just right and a pleasure every time. I dont know if its because i had the first year model but i did wish i had the ZCP. The suspension i felt was soft and hollow feeling. Even in sport mode, it just wasn't great. The steering was light and loose, e92 m was far better. The whole car just didn't feel as planted at the past generations of Ms I've owned. I told myself i was going to wait for the new generation coming around the corner before i made a decision on what to do with this car. I just loved the manual though. It got to a point where i was driving this thing from once a week to one a month and just sat in garage for the past 3 years. Just hanging on waiting for the new release. During this period I bought an X5M for the wife to haul the kids around and recently traded it in for a F90M5. I got the 2020 Sienna for myself and was more interested in driving that than my f80. Priorities just change when you have kids. To me it was more awesome to push a button and have the doors slide open to load the kids than it was to tool around in a 6mtf80.

Due to COVID19 and the closure of the world, we sat at home on the weekends with nothing to do but shop online and drive aimlessly around the backroads. I started surfing the internet for Porsches with no intent to buy one. just browsing...Ive always been apprehensive to test drive a Porsche because of fear of how much i would like it. Reading a lot of reviews and watching videos on YouTube, i always thought i would want it the moment i drove one, so i never test drove one. It would make the M car feel like a regular sedan. Three weeks ago, i happen to come across a CPO 18 GT3 that barely had miles on it. Had free time and went down to the dealer to check it out. WOW, it was a Beauty. I mean still smelled brand new inside. Took it for 20 min test drive with the salesman and i was hooked! Wow what a car. I mean, its not even a car, its a RACE CAR.

M cars are amazing but the Pcar is on another level. Thanks for reading my post, here are some pictures.

TLDR: it took me 10 years but i finally got the GT3