I actually had no love for cars growing up. In fact, if I had any feeling at all back then, it was mild contempt for the loud ass mufflers and comically large wings people would stick on their base Civics. One guy I knew actually painted a the Chinese flag on his red Civic o_O.

Looking back though, I suppose it was always in my blood. My dad owned a ’67 Mustang at one point, but that was long gone by the time I came around. It’s a crying shame no pictures of that car seem to have survived. But even with a Camry station-wagon and Sienna in the stable, my dad made sure he at least got the V6 versions. And he’d always wax poetic about how smooth and reliable the engines were particularly after an oil change.

Fast forward to 2015. I’m driving a Prius – the most practical of cars for techies. I realize I have disposable income, and my friend Vikram baits me into taking the plunge into BMW. First, a 2013 328i with a 4-popper. But I soon learn that that is a bit disgraceful – a proper BMW ought to have an inline-6. So a 2011 335xi it is. The enthusiast spirit grows, and I begin to dislike even having AWD in a BMW.

And with that, I arrive at the first car that I ever loved. My 1997 BMW M3 – the so-called E36 M3. A halo car back in the day. Mine was a sedan in Boston Green.

With this car, I officially became a car enthusiast. She was a problem child for sure, and I ended up befriending a mechanic to deal with the frequent issues.

The E36 was the first M3 powered by an inline-6, the engine type that arguably makes BMW famous. The S52 engine in my car was addicting – amazing induction noise, great linear power delivery.

She was also my first daily-driven stick shift. In Seattle with the hills, this amounted to a bit of trial by fire, but count me in with the #savethemanuals crowd!

2 years with this beauty, but I was eventually sorely tempted by the promise of insane horsepower and sonic experience that only an American muscle car can provide.

Made sure she’s in good hands though. I carefully screened prospective buyers and ended up sending her off with a BMW enthusiastic building his collection of M3’s.