My experience buying an E92 M3 from Enthusiast Auto Group

Generally speaking, I have found through my years of buying and selling cars that market trends and demand for specific vehicles follow generational values. We all have a unique story that we remember fondly when we were taken to a dealership with a parent/guardian and were entirely wowed by the centerpiece car on the showroom floor. For me, this memorable experience takes me right back to 2013 when my father took me to Beverly Hills BMW to find a replacement for his 2010 Mercedes Benz c63 amg. After owning two c204 6.2L n/a v8's he was ready to find a daily driver that was a little bit faster, less harsh, and could fit a family of four comfortably on long road trips. When we arrived at the newly constructed BH BMW dealership, I was immediately taken aback by the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, monstrous two-story layout, and sea of perfectly engineered German vehicles with orange price tags dangling from the window of each. Once my boyish self became accustomed to my surroundings, I began to trail behind my father. The prompt salesman was already peppering my father with questions only five minutes after our arrival. I was a little disappointed when we walked by the brand new BMW 7 series, powerful M5s, and even the more economical 3 series. None of the cars had the aggressive fender flairs, tight sports seats, and wide tires that I was used to with the C63. After only a few minutes of looking around, I was adamant that BMW was not the brand to fill the empty void in our garage back home. That all changed when the salesman heard my protests and decided to appease me by saying there was something extra special in the backlot. As he led my father and me to the exterior lot, lo and behold was my savior - a Melbourne red metallic e92 m3 with extended black leather and the coveted competition package. To say the least, this car was mean. I was enthralled by the multispoked comp wheels, bulging power dome, and classic dual exit exhaust. I mean, come on, what 14-year-old boy doesn't salivate over a car with a naturally aspirated v8 revving out to 8,250 rpm, makes 414bhp, and has carbon fiber everywhere. This was the perfect replacement for the c204 c63 that had transported me to and from school since the 3rd grade. While my eyes were set on this specific e92, my father had different ideas. Unfortunately, he went with a more suitable choice. That day he purchased a silver f10 M5 with a black interior completed by dark bamboo style trim. Long story short, he ended up hating the car, I loved it, and today they are excellent value, but that's for another post.....

Fast forward to October 21, 2020, and I am sitting in a Chipotle an hour outside Nashville with four of my friends from Indiana University - a far cry from my southern California roots! As I was sitting there enjoying my standard Chipotle order, I received a call from my father. Usually, these calls were much more serious, but he surprised me by asking my thoughts on purchasing an e92 m3. At this point, the e92 had been relegated to my list of holy grail cars that, at some point in my life, with the right money, I would proudly have in my collection of motorsport classics. For my father, though, the V8-powered m3 was a reminder of a generation of cars that favored analog feeling over tech, horsepower over fuel economy, and maybe of the days when I was a kid. After being a little shocked that he was looking to buy an older car as a daily driver, I immediately expressed my excitement and connection to the vehicle. On the call, he mentioned that he had found a low mileage spec out in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was very keen on it. At this point, I didn't know the car's details, such as color, options, or mileage, but my 13-year-old self jumped into action and said, "Buy it! Cincinnati is only a two-hour drive from my college campus and I would be happy to inspect/pick up the car for you. Once I voiced my opinion, the conversation ended, and I made my way down to the great city of Nashville for a weekend of country music, whisky, and fried chicken sandwiches. Weeks passed before we discussed the car again, but finally, he called me, said he would purchase the car, and wanted me to pick it up. After much convincing, I persuaded my friend Jack Meredith to drive me from Bloomington to Cincinnati to take delivery of the car from Enthusiast Auto Group. At the time, I had some background knowledge of what EAG represented, but I needed to learn they only curated and sold the best of the best when it came to cars from the M division's golden years. The morning of pick up, my friend Jack and I rose at 5 am, pumped to see what the journey would entail. As we made our way to Cincinnati, we stopped for breakfast at Mcdonald's. Then we were on our way through windy & narrow Indiana backroads. Upon arrival at EAG, I expected a fancy dealership that made a statement to every new customer. What I saw upon arrival was even better! Out front was a variety of rare old BMWs, including three lime rock M3s, two le mans blue e39 m5s, one silver e39 m5, one Jerez black e46 vert, one Estoril blue m roadster, two grey z4m roadsters, and last but not least a 2001 BMW 540i Dinan S2. Yes, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, M heaven! Once I got inside, I was greeted by a younger gentleman who asked what car I had my eyes on. I rapidly responded that I was here to inspect and hopefully take home an e92 m3.... My dream car! As he led my buddy and me through the front office and into the mechanic's shop, I saw my family's future car- a 2012 alpine white on extended fox red e92 with comp wheels and a bunch of other goodies up on a lift. Both my friend and I immediately looked at each other and were more than blown away by how good the car looked. Once we got closer to the car we found zero blemishes on the paint, perfect leather on both front seats, and only 22k miles! While I had a fiduciary responsibility to make sure the car was excellent, which meant analyzing paint meter readings and thoroughly inspecting the car's known problem points, I kinda half-assed it because I knew it was already perfect, and I just wanted to get behind the wheel. A good hour went by as I face timed my father giving him my synopsis of the car, and after all that, he finally purchased it. The purchase process took about two hours, but I was more than happy to walk around and take in all of the cool M cars on site. At this point, I had the opportunity to meet EAG founder Eric Keller and discuss with him the story of my E92 along with some of the other cars he was passionate about. Eric was not only insightful about the brand as a whole, but you could tell that he was genuinely passionate about the work he was doing and the impact he had on the BMW M community. That said, I will never forget my EAG purchase experience and highly recommend any BMW enthusiasts to check out their cars! The rest of the story will be kept for part two of the series.