I felt compelled to look up how long I've had my Fit.
It'll be nine years in December. 
Photography by David S. Wallens
“If you don’t buy it, I will.”
That's how I knew it was a good one.
I had simply asked BimmerWorld’s James Clay for an opinion on an M3 for sale by a friend, and that was his simple reply.
So, of course, I bought the car, a 2004 BMW M3 coupe in Mystic Blue over black leather. Yes, it had the manual box.
Deposit? No, my friend replied, I know you. Just pick it when convenient.
He was in Tennessee. We’re down in Florida. I took a detour on the way home from the Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals.
First stop: BimmerWorld in Virginia.
Once there, James put the M3 up on the lift: It was exactly as promised. Despite a little more than 130,000 on the odometer, the car looked clean. Serviced by the book with factory or quality aftermarket parts. No major mods–Konis, Tire Rack wheels and a short-shift kit were the biggies.
The trip home was fairly uneventful.
Today marks nine years since that first drive out of Tennessee.
What have I learned about the E46-chassis M3 since then? It’s as good as we first stated during those first drives some 25 years ago. It’s smooth, comfortable–stately, even.
It has matured into a modern classic.
No touchscreen, no invasive technology.
The seats remain comfortable; the trunk can swallow my BMX bike. I never play the radio.
We’ve done the bushings and bearings. Both looked good, but at least we have the peace of mind.
What about the VANOS, the other one of the E46 Big Three? So far, no warning signs.
The headliner is starting to get a little loose in the back, and the driver-side tint has a big crease. Both are on the to-do list.
The biggest issue to date, though: BMW no longer offers the ABS/DSC module, and I had one go bad. Rennie at Redline Bimmers, though, talked me through the process of buying a used replacement. While he was in town, he then recoded it to my car.
The last big thing: I still don’t drive the car that much.
[A friendly reminder: cars are meant to be driven]
Any guesses on how many miles the car has accrued since I took possession of it? Closest to the pin gets the satisfaction of being closest to the pin.
I felt compelled to look up how long I've had my Fit.
It'll be nine years in December.
9,241 miles.
This car is pretty!
In reply to wvumtnbkr :
Thank you.
wvumtnbkr said:9,241 miles.
This car is pretty!
9000 miles in 9 years, are you sure you own that car? Seems like somebody lets you check it out from long-term storage every now and then. 
Of course, I'm not one to talk considering I've never owned a car for 9 years.
secretariata (Forum Supporter) said:wvumtnbkr said:9,241 miles.
This car is pretty!
9000 miles in 9 years, are you sure you own that car? Seems like somebody lets you check it out from long-term storage every now and then.
Of course, I'm not one to talk considering I've never owned a car for 9 years.
Mine was just a guess based on the comments of not driving it enough. I have no idea if that is accurate at all.
How about we’ll announce the mileage on Friday assuming, of course, I remember to check the odometer.
I am going to go with 7600 miles.
1 mile Bob.
Considering that I've never seen it, I'm not surprised that it's not accumulating miles very quickly.
Because I probably started this, I'll toss out 6,500 miles.
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