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Missing my ICE car. . .

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I'm sure I'm in a vast minority, and I love my 3P+, but I really miss my convertible V-8 stick shift Camaro. Against my better judgment, I sold it because wifey insisted I couldn't have both. I'm going through serious withdrawls of rowing through gears, dropping the top, the heated/ventilated seats, heads up display, android auto, magnetic ride control, rumble of the exhaust, etc. I still giggle when I floor the 3, but the senses aren't stimulated the same. I don't post this to anger anyone (this is a tough crowd and fiercely defensive of their cars), just venting I guess.

Maybe add helping to not destroy the environment and atmosphere to your list of plusses for the M3P. Maybe that will help you live with your decision. :p

I was always a manual driver. Loved them. But, I moved to Austin, TX about 13 years ago and having a manual in this city was such a beat-down. There's never-ending traffic here, and I would start my car in 1st gear about 250 times just to drive 5 miles. I loved a manual, but am so happy I don't have one anymore. Bonus - my car drives itself in traffic now.
 
Nothing wrong in being nostalgic about the olden days of driving. Let's see what we miss:
  1. ICE. The roar of the motor. I missed it for a few days, now it seems kind of childish (no offense intended).
  2. Having gears. The sense of progression. Note this one existed prior to EVs--there was already eCVT.
  3. Choosing gears. I "know better" than the "computer". Actually some times this was true (approaching an incline for example).
  4. Manually shifting gears. I need to be the one to physically move the gears in place. That's important to me, no paddle shifters, etc.
  5. Double clutching. If you're manually moving the gears, you need to get them in sync, lest you grind the gears. Synchromesh is an abomination!
  6. Manual choke. I "know better" when my ICE is at the optimal ratio for the temperature. Millions of French people still insist on this (together with #1-#4). The argument is that they save fuel this way, although mostly they are just polluting more than they otherwise would.
  7. Hand-crank starter. No real man would use an electric starter.
  8. Horse. Sitting directly behind the "engine" and smelling the "exhaust".
Ok, I think I made my (somewhat humorous) point—that with each progression there is always a certain nostalgia for the old ways at first, but they are eventually forgotten and seen solely as improvements for the most part.
 
I'm sure I'm in a vast minority, and I love my 3P+, but I really miss my convertible V-8 stick shift Camaro. Against my better judgment, I sold it because wifey insisted I couldn't have both. I'm going through serious withdrawls of rowing through gears, dropping the top, the heated/ventilated seats, heads up display, android auto, magnetic ride control, rumble of the exhaust, etc. I still giggle when I floor the 3, but the senses aren't stimulated the same. I don't post this to anger anyone (this is a tough crowd and fiercely defensive of their cars), just venting I guess.

Yeah, I hear ya! I sometimes miss the engine noise from my bmw 3 series even now, a year later (I really missed it early on when I first bought the m3, but now just occasionally so), but I do miss the sunroof and the more premium feel of materials inside. However, these all pale in comparison to the m3 in totality, so that goes away over time.
I had a chance to rent a Maserati Gibli for a bit and man, that had a satisfying sound.
 
Words that have never been said.


Do you miss filling up with finite dinosaur fuel and then polluting the roads and air we all breathe with toxic carbon monoxide?


Because I don't.


And I only listen to music when I drive. It's a concert in my car all the time. Could care less for exhaust notes as they are the sound of pollution and try hards. I use to like exhausts but not no more. Can easily do without them. And I do!


Now I wouldn't mind a sound maker which emits futuristic whining sounds like the Taycan or the OG Fisker Karma or for the people that love their "exhaust notes" emit the sounds of a ferrari or lambo to troll
I don't like gas cars but this is a silly post
 
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The sad thing is most modern ICE cars dont have the good ICE qualities anymore... theyve gotten spectacularly powerful and fast, but heavy, insulated, and heavily electronic.

Basically there's the Miata for normal money, some Porsches for more money, and Lotus and other extreme cars for single-purpose use. I'm keen on the Alpine but it's missing a clutch pedal. My next companion car will be a Miata, or I'll have to roll back the clock with a vintage roadster of some sort. Or a 2000s BMW clown shoe M car. Mmmmm...
 
I sometimes miss my ICE vehicle.

The amazing times driving top down, wind in the hair, sun beating down. The go anywhere attitude of oversized tires, 6 speed-3 pedal shifting, big bush bars.

Jeep.JPG


But then I remember the underwhelming power of a 3.8L 6 cylinder gas guzzler. The picking out of bird poop from my seats/hair when I miscalculate the drop angle, the rattle of,...basically everything, when you go over bumps.

Someday soon the green will turn to white and I'll start missing my Tesla when it swaps sleeping spots with my jeep.

Jeep2.JPG


P.S. I'm a hoarder and refuse to sell either the jeep or NSX even though both are now garage queens.

N.B. Above pics are similar looking to my ICE but are Internet pics.
 
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When I bought my M3 AWD LR last year, I kept my Miata MX-5. Mostly because I wanted to minimize my risk of the new technology of the Tesla. I am sure glad I kept her... not because of problems with the Tesla... I’ve had none, but because the MX-5 (Power Retractable Hard Roof and a 6-sped manual) is still a fun car to drive! I use my Tesla as my daily car; it’s s lit more comfortable and loads of fun, but the MX-5 is my play car, even if it is a 2009 model!
 
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BTW, It has 77500 miles on it, all original with pristine interior - and never been wrecked! There's a long story behind it including a first use as an official's car at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. It's been my long-distance enjoyment car since 1996 but used mostly on weekends. It's in the DFW area now (...we moved recently...). Yes, I'm the first private owner. Let me know if interested.
 
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I have a Concourse winning 1975 Triumph TR6 (fully restored by me) that shares the garage with my 3. Totally different rides (duh) but I love both.

I love the TR for the hands on, sensory experience. It's smaller, louder, SLOWER, handles much worse, and NO TECH compared to the 3, but I still love it for sunny, top-down leisure motoring on twisty back roads. I also like to tinker with it. I'm very proud of winning my class of the 2011 TR Register International Concourse in England when I was stationed there. It's purely a fair weather queen.

I didn't buy my 3 for any of the '"woke" reasons. IT's hi-tech, cheaper to run, quiet, fast, and looks awesome. The emissions thing is a added bonus for me. (Cue the haters :rolleyes: I don't care)

Wouldn't get rid of either.

Would buy both again!
 
EXACTLY why I've kept my e46 m3 throughout the years. The Performance 3 is such a technological beast and is beautiful because of it. The E46 m3 is one of the most Analog cars ever made and rowing through the gears on a nice sunny day is just a different level of special.

Find your old car and bring it home again!
E46 M3: Great ICE car. Analog? Not really. Does have hydraulic steering assist which is more analog (love same basic system on my 1M!), but has drive by wire, a gazillion chips, ABS, etc. You want analog, think 2002!
 
I don't like gas cars but this is a silly post
Words that have never been said.


Do you miss filling up with finite dinosaur fuel and then polluting the roads and air we all breathe with toxic carbon monoxide?


Because I don't.


And I only listen to music when I drive. It's a concert in my car all the time. Could care less for exhaust notes as they are the sound of pollution and try hards. I use to like exhausts but not no more. Can easily do without them. And I do!


Now I wouldn't mind a sound maker which emits futuristic whining sounds like the Taycan or the OG Fisker Karma or for the people that love their "exhaust notes" emit the sounds of a ferrari or lambo to troll
This is the kind of self-righteous, misinformed, BS that makes it somewhat embarrassing to drive a Tesla, which I otherwise love. Just a couple of FACTS: a properly maintained ICE with a functioning catalytic converter puts out minute amounts of CO. Coal-fired and natural gas plants which supply the juice to your "clean" Tesla (and mine!) are SUPPOSED to put out very little as well, but in fact there have been some very nice studies which show the estimates oft-quoted are way optimistic about actual running performance. Is an "electric", served by NG or coal or remote petrol or nuke really cleaner? Probably, but it ain't no panacea yet. It does, in the form of a Tesla M3P+, offer a crazy fun driving experience that makes my ICE of choice seem very old school.