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      11-22-2020, 09:15 AM   #1
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Sunday morning thoughts: Every car purchase is a mistake.

Every car purchase is a mistake. Or, at least, every purchase I have ever made certainly has been.

It doesn’t matter how much research or thought you put into a car purchase, something about the one you buy will be a mistake, or not be what you hoped it would be. You might get home, put the car away for the night, and then by first light of day you’ll realize that the color only looked good in the fading light of the evening and today it looks terrible. You might drive the car for months and eventually get to the point where you are completely used to every aspect of the car and you come to realize that the transmission choice was the wrong one for you, or that one feature you skipped you deeply miss.

Something will not be right.

If you have sufficient resources, and you do not mind wasting money, you can go back to the dealership and fix the mistake. You can buy the same care in silver instead of brown, manual instead of automatic, or go get something else entirely. You will leave thousands on the table, and your significant other may growl at you for months, but you have the option.

If you do not have sufficient resources, you are stuck. If you are not willing to lose that huge chunk of change even though you can afford it, you are stuck. If angering your favorite person is a worse idea than living with the issue, you are stuck. Depending on what the issue is, you may be able to go aftermarket and fix the problem. But probably not. You are stuck with a car that is not what you want it to be. It is probably the most expensive thing you own, other than your house (or rent payment).

Whatever your mistake is, you can be sure that there will be an argument on many internet forums about your mistake. You can lose yourself in those arguments, and they will make you feel better and/or worse about the mistake you made, depending on the moment. People will call you a moron for buying a brown car (brown is, after all, a terrible color for cars). You will be told you are not a real enthusiast because you did not get the silly wheel package, or you chose to have a sunroof. There is nothing you can do about this. The internet is what it is.

If you have a car enthusiast for a significant other, a lot of us will be jealous that you have someone in your life that might understand your willingness to lose thousands to correct your mistake. But the two of you will probably go broke, so perhaps the rest of us are wrong to be jealous. Hard to say.

If most of your friends are enthusiasts, they will understand why your mistake was such a big deal. They will commiserate with you and lament their own terrible mistakes. And you will drive your friend’s car and quietly congratulate yourself for making less mistakes than they did. Or realize that your friend made less mistakes than you did and then decide if you should trade in your car for a car like theirs. If you do, you may like your car more, but the whole thing may get really weird.

If few of your friends are enthusiasts, and your significant human is not an enthusiast, you are an island surrounded by a sea of people who already think you are utterly insane. Accept it. You will have almost no support for living with or fixing your mistake. If you are lucky enough to get a “do whatever makes you happy” response from your human, that is the best you are going to get. They will never actually understand why it made you happy. Life is compromise.

Whatever mistake you made, whatever mistakes I made, it is Sunday. Good weather or bad, go out and drive a bit today and enjoy your car for what it is, and try to forget what it is not. Have some fun today. Edit: But stay away from people, most of us are on lock-down.
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      11-22-2020, 09:24 AM   #2
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Sounds like you need a double shot of whisky and more sleep.

I think the key to not being disappointed by your automotive choices is being honest with yourself in terms of what makes you happy, and knowing what you're getting yourself into.

Don't think of a car as an investment, think of it as a fun toy, or a practical daily necessity.

Out of the last 6 cars I bought, I haven't regraded any of them. I sure wished all of them extra 100hp, but that's not a regret. It's wishful thinking. So appreciate the positives of each car, note and remember the negatives, and evolve your tastes. But most importantly, stay positive my friend.
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      11-22-2020, 09:35 AM   #3
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Life is a series of mistakes, not a series of perfections.

Live.
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      11-22-2020, 09:36 AM   #4
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#YOLO
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      11-22-2020, 10:15 AM   #5
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More sleep is not the worst idea. Though I am not, today, unhappy with my car in any way...it was more a moment of reflection of coming up on 33 years of car buying decisions. But more sleep would have left me less contemplative this morning.

Again, happy Sunday, everyone!
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      11-22-2020, 10:25 AM   #6
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Expectations. If you expect perfection every time, or to be 100% satisfied every time, then every thing is a mistake. If you listen to everyone (enthusiasts, spouses) and let it always bother you, then every thing is a misatke

But if your glass is usually at least half full, you'll have a good life. Go out and enjoy the beast. I was up at 6AM today, and decided the little beast and I needed some time together on the back roads and twisties to watch the sun rise. What a great start to the morning. Now off to beers and football. Have a great Sunday!
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      11-22-2020, 10:44 AM   #7
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A lot of buyer's remorse around these parts, I'm not sure what you guys expected for a vehicle that base, started at 50k..

As some dead guy once said; you get what you pay for..

Every car can be compromise in some way but I do my research and crunch to numbers, making sure my expectations of what I am purchasing is within the realm of what attempting to achieve.

That's the best advice I can dole out, as there is right answer, unless you have money to burn, blindly trying them all out for size.
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      11-22-2020, 11:11 AM   #8
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M2c is a bargain compared to the M2cs. Love the car. No regrets. If I were paying $25k more for 5 percent more performance I would have major regrets then.
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      11-22-2020, 11:11 AM   #9
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it sounds like you do not know what you want (what you really really want </Spice Girls>).

it looks like the issue is mostly mental. you cannot make everyone happy. they key thing is making yourself happy before anyone else. who cares what everyone else thinks or say. but if you cannot even make yourself happy, then this might require professional/medical help.

if you have the fear of getting the wrong car, do short term leases. it will cost more but the fear of committing to the "wrong" car can be fixed in a shorter period of time. or maybe just get a boring car so that there won't even be a conversation.

truly hope you find the inner peace that you search for.
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      11-22-2020, 11:27 AM   #10
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I learned early in life to distinguish between a problem, a mistake, and an inconvenience.

A problem is having no money to eat, and being out on the streets.

A mistake is accidentally putting salt in your coffee instead of sugar.

Everything else is sort of an inconvenience, and rarely that big of a deal.

Personally, I love my M2C, because:

1.) It has everything I need, and everything I DON'T. (I don't need every feature under the sun that's new tech or luxury-oriented. If I wanted that, then I'd just buy a Tesla or an S-Class, neither of which appeal to me.)

2.) The handling is just......sublime. I've driven the same twisty road in several different cars, and for me, only the M2C can tackle that road effortlessly at double the speed with no drama. It puts a damn smile on my face every single time.

3.) It's a TINY car, and I love small cars. In a world where we're getting increasingly bigger and bigger cars, I respect the hell out of how small the M2C is. The only other car that is small is the other car I was considering prior to ordering the M2C - the ND2 MX-5.

4.) I have gotten more waves, thumbs up, turned heads, etc more than I ever have. (Though I must confess I don't actually like or seek the attention.)

5.) The hilariously small gas tank makes me chuckle. Yes, it's annoying to have to get gas all the time, but it's just sort of its quirk.

6.) I got this car after spending 2 years researching what car to buy next. I have zero regrets.

7.) If you think buying something more powerful, more "exclusive" (trust me the M2C is pretty exclusive in its own right), more XYZ........then why not check out Chris Harris' latest Instagram post. He loves the hell out of his M2C and this is a guy who has driven EVERYTHING and owned a ton of exotics.

Last edited by MMMBRAP; 11-22-2020 at 11:35 AM..
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      11-22-2020, 11:35 AM   #11
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The fun part of the small tank, MMMBRAP, is that gas station attendants seem to REALLY like LBB. "That's a great color!" or some such three times out of four.
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      11-22-2020, 11:42 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bri1042 View Post
The fun part of the small tank, MMMBRAP, is that gas station attendants seem to REALLY like LBB. "That's a great color!" or some such three times out of four.
I constantly get compliments for my LBB. And that's yet another thing I actually like about the M2C - you get to choose from only 5 colors, but each one is special in its own right.

I was just thinking this morning how awesome BSM is with the Frozen Gold 763M's. And I don't usually like black cars!

AW and HSM is clean and is, IMO, the best with carbon fiber mods.

Sunset Orange is dynamic and like LBB, changes depending on lighting condition.

Life is good man. Gotta see everything in a positive light.
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      11-22-2020, 11:48 AM   #13
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Indeed. Since my car was already on it's way to being produced when I decided to accept it, I didn't pick the color of my car. 26 months later, I haven't had a single day that I disliked it, but I think I'd be saying that about ALL the colors. It's just such a pretty car in all 5 colors.
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      11-22-2020, 12:21 PM   #14
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Life is the journey, not the destination [we all end up dead]. Money alone does not solve a car enthusiast problems - it simply means more expensive toys and bigger mistakes. We all need to figure out what makes us happy and how to stoke that fire.
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      11-22-2020, 12:51 PM   #15
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Very thought provoking thread and interesting discussions. However, what we also have to understand is our opinions, likes, wants change as we grow. Growing can be defined as years or minutes. What you chalk up to be a mistake after the fact is not what you considered a mistake at the previous point in time.

During the moment, if you really thought it was a mistake, you would not have done it. Even if you were unsure at the previous time, there was more of the "sure" stuff that ultimately made you make whatever decision. And in my mind, that was a conscious acceptable decision *read: not mistake 😉.

The problem is as we grow and have more experiences, we reflect on those previous choices and start questioning them because it did not fit within our current realm of belief / thought.

So the answer to this is stop growing and stop being human, be a robot and you will have no regrets or mistakes.
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      11-22-2020, 12:56 PM   #16
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First, good morning bri1042.

It is interesting to consider how many factors go into the car buying process, and whether or not the ownership experience is ultimately satisfying. We are all influenced be so many factors including growing up poor or affluent, income level now, whether or not significant other is an enthusiast, kids, use cases, formative cars, friends opinions, forums (LOL), risk tolerance, OCD level, analytical versus impulse, etc.

The more cars you've had, the more difficult it is to be fully satisfied with any ONE car because you tend to compare each characteristic to the best of any cars you've had.

I, personally, would spend the money to make a change if I really thought I had made a mistake and bought a car I was going to be unsatisfied with day-in-and-day-out. However, you want to be sure you are not replacing one car you are 90% satisfied with for another car you are 90% satisfied with.
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      11-22-2020, 01:08 PM   #17
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I maybe in the minority, but I love my current M2 and I have zero regrets. This is the best BMW I have owned and I have owned BMWs since 1971.

I have zero plans to replace it.
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      11-22-2020, 02:41 PM   #18
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Quote:
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I maybe in the minority, but I love my current M2 and I have zero regrets. This is the best BMW I have owned and I have owned BMWs since 1971.

I have zero plans to replace it.
I doubt you're in the minority around here. I feel like the folk around here are by and large happy with their M2's in whichever form they exist (OG, C, CS).

Mine is also the best car I've ever had. I'm not zero regret with it, and there are one or two things that I would change if I had a magic wand, but compared to everything else I've ever owned, it's the best car I've ever had. So was my last car, at the time.

Not always the case...my 1980 Pontiac Phoenix that I had for a very brief time in 1990 was not, for a single moment, the best car I had ever had up until then. Nope. Not one second.
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      11-22-2020, 03:29 PM   #19
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I suggest on Saturday evening you go to sleep in the M2C. You will be happy on Sunday.....
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      11-22-2020, 04:20 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DanG View Post
. . . I love my current M2 and I have zero regrets. This is the best BMW I have owned and I have owned BMWs since 1971. . . I have zero plans to replace it.
M2C is the best/favorite car I have ever owned . . . I literally enjoy it more EVERY day!!

The one thing I really dislike about my M2C that I cannot change is the side-on profile, which is odd because I love it from just about every other angle.

I enjoy my M2C so much that I wanted to try another BMW offering . . . and submitted build for G80 M3C.

Will it be 'better' than the M2C? I hate that question and will never try to answer it. . . I think it too will be a great car.

///AVM
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      11-22-2020, 05:14 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///AVM View Post
M2C is the best/favorite car I have ever owned . . . I literally enjoy it more EVERY day!!

The one thing I really dislike about my M2C that I cannot change is the side-on profile, which is odd because I love it from just about every other angle.

I enjoy my M2C so much that I wanted to try another BMW offering . . . and submitted build for G80 M3C.

Will it be 'better' than the M2C? I hate that question and will never try to answer it. . . I think it too will be a great car.

///AVM
Hope you love it!
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      11-22-2020, 05:36 PM   #22
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I cannot relate to this thread even one bit...

I've owned three BMW's in my life and all in the last 15 years. Two M3's and most recently MY21 M2C. All were 6MT and I never once thought that I made a mistake.

My passion for these cars only grew each day. They never got old or boring.

Maybe some folks are too well off and can't appreciate these cars as a result. Sometimes less is more.
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