Whats your story?

[select]

I recently talked with tom how we both ended up with the CSL and i thought this would make for an interesting topic.

So how did you guys end up with an CSL or what made you buy one?

Mine was basically that i was looking for roughly a year for an normal E46 M3 without sunroof but those are very rare as it turns out. In germany at least.

So i saw this ad of a reasonably priced CSL.. and i thought i could just take a look at it. Not necessarily planned to buy it. Because I had planned to look at a few other cars too..to see what i like best.
But as soon as the previous owner took me for a ride and eventually let me drive it too, all those thoughts went out the window and i bought it the same day. :hahaha:

Turns out he was an amateur racing driver and his driving together with the induction noise which i only knew from youtube videos before just blew me away. :supz:

[shimmy]

I was in 2006 and had been on a trackday in my E39M5 and decided i needed a replacement car that was a buit more compliant for the next trackday (the E39M5 was also kicking out loads of limp modes and codes).

Not sure how i heard about the CSL but had decided one Friday to look for one just curious, drive to St.albans to a private seller on the Saturday, loved it but it was black and RIng Tool so decided then and there to drive to one in Stratford, saw better grey one, bought it.

[Trawler]

I was invited by a car magazine to bring my car along for an article they were writing.
They said as part of the deal I would get to drive the csl. As it was only just launched it was too good an offer to turn down.
The rest as they say is history.
I only waited for just over two years to buy as I was advised the price would keep dropping. Luckily, price wise I made the right decision & have enjoyed every mile in the old girl.

[monkeycsl]

Top gear sealed the deal for me.
Bought one 3 years later and another one a week ago.:supz:

[ZKMI]

Watching the M3 CSL in the 5th gear episode with Tiff Needell stayed in my brain for many years..Top gear version with JC was even better.

[Yanto]

Watching the M3 CSL in the 5th gear episode with Tiff Needell stayed in my brain for many years..Top gear version with JC was even better.


And then once taken out in one by a highly skilled driver, that just sealed it ? :smokin:

[Chad]

2004 Christmas period, wife food shopping for turkey in marks n sparks, don’t do shopping, so called a bmw wilmslow, had r32 at the time, spotted csl , thought fookin having that for Christmas. Month later they got us the other one for the lad. Was quizzed by bmw finance asking why I had signed for another,... we all know the answer to that :thumbs:

[Yanto]

I think it was a mix of looks, Top Gear, a step up into a new motoring bracket as it was quite a few quid for me at the time and buying something made in lower numbers I thought it might have half a chance of remaining in demand (and thus price stability). Became interested in TDs also.

Downside is the melts from here with that you fall in with.....but the trade off is worth it (just) :hahaha:

[MisterCorn]

I owned an E46 M3 convertible and wanted to see what all the fuss was about for a car which was a bit lighter with a few different bits on it. If ever a car was more than the sum of its parts this is it. The contrast to the standard M3 is stunning, a real event every time I drive it.

MC

[select]

Thanks guys, certainly very interesting to read your storys. :thumbs:

@Trawler.. now of course i have to ask what the car was you were invited for? ;)

Yes the CSL bit JC did on Top Gear was awesome.. i think i have watched that uncountable times prior to buying it. I think he really liked it as i remember it appeared on two of his DVDs. :whistle:

[Brendanmck]

My brother in law had just picked up a brand new estriol blue m3 back in 2004 and I can remember thinking what a car I was hooked on the m3 at this stage but then as with a lot of us that csl episode on top gear it was the game changer for me I wasn't going to settle for anything other than a csl. So only being a cub back in 2004 I had to wait a few years to be able to afford one and of course be old enough to insure it . Well worth the wait though.

[ZKMI]

And then once taken out in one by a highly skilled driver, that just sealed it ? :smokin:

Touché :smokin:

I've lost count of the amount of times I watched the hot metal video by JC and this is a noise that you just can't ignore...

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4eqvcm

[Trawler]

@Trawler.. now of course i have to ask what the car was you were invited for? ;)



I imported a LHD E36 M3 GT, chassis number one.

The last I heard it was back in Germany with a collector.

Lovely car.

[Bounce]

Heard something about a man train,so signed up :gayfight:

[shimmy]

heard something about a man train,so signed up :gayfight:

i see where this thread is heading!

[Trawler]

i see where this thread is heading!

Doesn't it always :hahaha:

[NZ_M3]

Mine was almost accidental and I have a Porsche dealership to thank for ending up with the CSL.

Had an E46 M3 since 2001 then another in 2003 and at the time had my deposit down for a CSL, but ownership was to be ruined by the less than stella magazine reviews back then so I ended up forfeiting my spot and bought a standard M3.

Come 2005, I walked past a dealership with a prestine 996 GT3 Mk1 in black with basically delivery km and one collector owner - it was a car I long lusted after. Went in and checked out the car and an agreement with the dealer to be back in the afternoon to put down a deposit. Silly me, I didn’t sign any paper work, just a hand shake and a nod of agreement on purchasing price.

I duly returned to the said Porsche dealership in the afternoon beaming with my cheque book, only to be confronted with a big “Sold” sign on the car. Slightly confused and thinking it was for me I quickly approached the sheepish looking sale person only to be told “I am too late, the gentleman that was in here at the same time as you this morning gave us the full price for the car the moment you left”.

Gutted, slightly bemused and a little peeved I walked across the road to the BMW dealership only to be confronted with the most glorious car I’ve had the pleasure of owning for the last 12 years. A single owner CSL with just 10k km owned by an old guy that no longer liked the car due to the “uncomfortable seats”. A deal was hashed together in around a week, helped by a thorough inspection of what really was an almost brand new car inside and out. A deal with swiftly done this time with no omission on my part paper work wise!!!

The rest they say is history.

[Yanto]

Mine was almost accidental and I have a Porsche dealership to thank for ending up with the CSL.

Had an E46 M3 since 2001 then another in 2003 and at the time had my deposit down for a CSL, but ownership was to be ruined by the less than stella magazine reviews back then so I ended up forfeiting my spot and bought a standard M3.

Come 2005, I walked past a dealership with a prestine 996 GT3 Mk1 in black with basically delivery km and one collector owner - it was a car I long lusted after. Went in and checked out the car and an agreement with the dealer to be back in the afternoon to put down a deposit. Silly me, I didn’t sign any paper work, just a hand shake and a nod of agreement on purchasing price.

I duly returned to the said Porsche dealership in the afternoon beaming with my cheque book, only to be confronted with a big “Sold” sign on the car. Slightly confused and thinking it was for me I quickly approached the sheepish looking sale person only to be told “I am too late, the gentleman that was in here at the same time as you this morning gave us the full price for the car the moment you left”.

Gutted, slightly bemused and a little peeved I walked across the road to the BMW dealership only to be confronted with the most glorious car I’ve had the pleasure of owning for the last 12 years. A single owner CSL with just 10k km owned by an old guy that no longer liked the car due to the “uncomfortable seats”. A deal was hashed together in around a week, helped by a thorough inspection of what really was an almost brand new car inside and out. A deal with swiftly done this time with no omission on my part paper work wise!!!

The rest they say is history.

Nice story :thumbs:

[rstoughy]

For me it was over 10 years of Cosworth and melting engine's etc that I decided to go Jap.
Evo RSll then a Subaru 22b showed me that there was cars out there that were actually capable of completing a trackday and driving home under their own Power. Sold the 22b and decided I wanted a CSL for no other reason than it was seen as a road going track car. Made my list of wants etc one being that the car had to have more than 50k miles as that was the price switching point back then.
Was sitting on a rig offshore of Yarmouth just browsing the net and spotted a local garage to my home had just taken one in. 57k on the clock, 3 owners and AP's all round.
Called, guy agreed to hold it until I'd returned onshore and viewed.
Test drive and the rest is history.

So basically was wanting a car I could drive to the track, would hold its own on track and drive home at the end of the day.

CSL does this brilliantly.

[khooni]

I was looking for a track day car in 2013 after selling my boxster spyder.
Always regretted selling that but I wanted something safer to do track days in with a proper roof.
Lo and behold a csl came up with 67k miles but a fully weld in cage, proper suspension mods, stripped out interior, spg recaros and all round APs so I took the plunge.

AT the time I was a manual shift only kind of guy, the CSL changed my opinion of SMG and I never looked back. It's a veritable workhorse on track and I look forward to many more years of trackdays in it. Too bad I don't see other CSls on track nowadays.

[CraigMillwardCroft]

I was looking for a track day car in 2013 after selling my boxster spyder.
Always regretted selling that but I wanted something safer to do track days in with a proper roof.
Lo and behold a csl came up with 67k miles but a fully weld in cage, proper suspension mods, stripped out interior, spg recaros and all round APs so I took the plunge.

AT the time I was a manual shift only kind of guy, the CSL changed my opinion of SMG and I never looked back. It's a veritable workhorse on track and I look forward to many more years of trackdays in it. Too bad I don't see other CSls on track nowadays.

Mine gets out at least once a year but only to Europe :thumbs:

[J13NY S]

Back in Easter 2006 a few friends and myself were going for a one time only trip to the Nurburgring. A few weeks later we were back again, a mate and myself were chatting about how we’d need something more suitable for the job.

We’d booked track tuition and one of the instructors didn’t show up. I over heard the other two instructors that had shown up saying “I wonder would this guy (who was standing 20ft away) stand in?”. I can’t remember his name but he raced Le Mans 24hr. They asked him, he agreed and he jumped into the van we were in. He asked everyone what they were driving, some guys said they were driving Scooby’s, some in Evo’s with twice the HP they left the factory with and he responded with ok so nobody has something quick like a CSL or GT3. I looked at my mate and words did not need to be said. The hunt for 2 CSL’s had commenced.

There’s a post on here somewhere about my buying experience but even before that, my friend had already sold his Evo so he was first on the look out for the right CSL. The first one he looked at was being sold privately here in N.Ireland. From memory it was clean but had zero options which he didn’t like. I think that car was bought by someone in England who later sold it to a Merc Specialist (who is on this forum). My mate later looked at one down on the south coast of England that had been badly sprayed so it was a no-go.

He eventually bought one in Yorkshire, I went with him to collect it. Even before we were out of the industrial estate, if I didn’t already need more encouragement I’d a real lust to get my own. The drive home, over the Pennines’ and up the A75 to the boat in Stranraer is one of the most memorable.

So now it was my turn. The first I inquired about was in a BMW dealership. It had 12k miles if I remember correctly but the front bumper and bonnet was pebble dashed. I missed a clean one being sold privately with 2200 miles. I also rang about one owned by an M Torque forum regular. His secretary answered who told me her boss had left it with her to sell the car, I asked her a few questions, which she couldn’t answer, so I asked could I speak to the owner. She put me through to this arrogant so-n-so and after a few minutes I told him to stick his car up his ***. Next, I enquired about a CSL that was owned by a race driver who spent the whole time telling me how he cut the life out of it and how BMW wouldn’t replace parts because of the treatment he’d given the car - and the car only had 3k miles on it.

Maybe 6 weeks had passed and I’d started to lose hope. But one Sunday morning I was flicking through the net and spotted this CSL on the BMW used car website that wasn’t there the night before. I rang about it and spoke to this guy who said we have no CSL’s in stock, I said you have one on your website, he responded with I’m the sales manger here and if we’d a CSL in stock I’d know about it - and we left it at that. A few hours later I got a call from him saying, “we do have a CSL, it was traded in yesterday when I was off” which is why he hadn’t known. He went on to say the problem was that there was a guy on his way from Aberdeen to have a look at it. I replied with here’s £2k deposit and tell yer man not to bother coming. I couldn’t get a flight for some reason so my mate and I booked a boat and drove over. 11 years later, 12 trips to the Ring and almost every UK track later, that car sits in my garage. Times flies when you’re enjoying yourself.

[ChagaC]

I was lucky enough to have a windfall earlier this year so with a pocket full of notes (ok a plastic card!) I went to buy a 997 GTS, but lurking in the shadows at the back of the garage, right next to a Ferrari Enzo, looking all mean and aggressive was a SG CSL. Needless to say I didn’t even bother driving the Porker jumped straight into the Beemer and it was love at first engine rev!

Got to admit I didn’t even notice the Enzo parked next to it at first! I’ve always been a total BMW nut, and the CSL has been a dream car since being a teenager, so this summer I’ve had some epic fun! Think the car has done more miles in the last six months than it has in the last six years. Ooops!

[DazBlackCSL]

2007 for me, was in a semi standard E46 M3, and that went to be my donor car for the CSL Cup race car so needed a replacement and loved my M3 so thought Id try the CSL. Actually had a grey one booked in for test drive at Barons hindehead, which a mate actually ended up buying :hahaha:

So started looking again and found a black one that was on 32k at the time, loved every minute and track day, euro trip in her. SOLD her in 2011. Fond memories :smt055

Wouldn't of met you mental lot if I hadn't jumped into a CSL, some great people on this forum, still the most friendly and helpful and normal(ish) bunch of leg ends anywhere !

[Mark CSL]

My fist look at a CSL was in BMW in Glasgow
I thought if I had that I would paint the roof the same as the car :hahaha:
6 Months later the lad that owned Crail Raceway had 1 and offered to take me a blast in it Hell yea :thumbs:

That was it i wanted a CSL but they were 60K and out my budget :banghead:


When they were 2 years old one was on eBay when it ended i sent the lad an email and we agreed on 32k for the car it was SG and 21,000 miles 1 owner
flew to Gatwick seen the car and bought it the drive home was fantastic.
Then the next morning off to Florida for 4 weeks i was thinking CSL all that holiday.


I sold it thinking I wanted a change drove a few cars but nothing was a CSL so the hunt for no 2 was on.
I found another CSL 2 years old up for £28,000 so booked flights to Gatwick again.

This car when i got there had had some work on the rear quarter panel I said to the wife I cant pay 28k for this it had a quarter replaced
Pulled up the carpet and the boot was full of water ( run a mile ) not me I offered him 21k for it

A short time later i was driving it home it was the P1 club car that was owned by Damon hill
It had an off and the quarter was replaced but they had not sealed the wheel arch wheel.

Drove hone and would you believe it off to Florida for 4 weeks the next day
So off to my m8s body shop and the next day all sorted.

2 years later I sold it thinking its a lot off cash for a E46 M3 when they were 11k at the time
I sold it for 28k to a friend who wanted it to do the ring and SPA with it he used it for many track days then traded it in for a GT3 he got 28k trade in LOL

I bought a 1 owner M3 E46 buy was i wrong nothing like the CSL sold it for a small profit in 5 days.

The CSL hunt was on again. I posted a wanted add for a CSL and I was contacted by a lad from Lincoln who had a SB csl from new and was thinking about selling
We did the deal and I drove down and bought it,

Had it for 2 years and need the funds so I sold it to my m8 he had it 2 years and did 1,000 miles in it.
I told him if he was ever selling it give me a shout so he did and i bought it back.

I had it another 2 years and prices were on the UP so I thought its time to move on and I sold it.

The I replaced it with the 1M coupe.

Hope i did not bore you too much

[outnumbered]

Had a standard but slightly poverty spec E46 M3 that was getting a bit boring and shedding value. I was thinking about replacing it with one with a few more toys, but decided that maybe a CSL would be a better financial proposition.

So I started looking around, and ended up with my current car in March 2010. It might have been the only CSL ever to have been adapted for use by someone who'd lost the use of their legs - the gas pedal still has a couple of holes drilled in it where the hand throttle attachment was fitted. One of the previous owners must have been pretty interested in high speed on the road as the car also had a laser jammer ("it's a garage door opener, Officer") fitted.

I don't really see myself selling it now. Modern cars just seem boringly competent (fake engine noise through the stereo ffs ?), and I'm sadly not wealthy enough to own a supercar. The CSL is still enough of an event when I drive it, and I like the idea that it'll just become more of a classic as time goes on.

[phoenixcsl]

My story is...

I had a E46 M3 which I bought when it was 2 years old back in 2004, I bought it with 22k miles on it and sold it in 2009 with 124k on it!

It was a cracking car, I modded the hell out of it, I was lucky as I managed to source some OEM CSL parts, so I turned it into a CSL replica, albeit a Phoenix Yellow one.

After I had spent many moons hacking about in it, I wanted the real thing, the CSL was top of my bucket list (along with a GT3), but when I had the chance to get a CSL I bottled it, and bought a Focus RS MK2, 3 months later I instantly regretted my decision, sold the RS.

October 2010, I bought my CSL, had him ever since, it's the longest I've ever had a car, and still today Cecil pulls on my heart strings, it would take a very long and painful decision to sell him, it's like he's a part of the family, always there for when I need him, I don't do many miles in Cecil nowdays, just the occasional weekend blasts and a few track days a year.

I have been lucky and had a few other cars to go with Cecil, such as E46 330i Touring, E60 M5, i8 etc, but in comparison they were all lacking that something.

I still think the CSL was BMW's last and possibly greatest car, yes it's clunky, noisy etc, but it has soul, and lots of it, it's good, honest fun, something a lot of modern cars lack, in my opinion, the only other car that has those characteristics nowdays is the GT3.

[GregorFuk]

My car has a funny story. I first cross paths with it in 2012, around 4 years before I bought it. It was being advertised for £17K with a rough running engine in Scot-Ads, which is a low rent classifieds paper. I could not afford it at the time but my mate and I went to look at it as he was interested. We found the car under 6" of snow with some very odd modifications; A cushion on the driver’s seat and exhaust rubbers zip-tied to the pedals. Turns out the car had been owned by a physically handicapped guy who was very short, he’d been driving it Short Round style.

http://www.theraider.net/films/todoom/gallery/dvdscreenshots/076.jpg

The car was bought and the rough running turned out to be a hole in #5 piston. A secondhand engine was sourced from Quarry Motors the car put to a friendly garage for the engine swap. This turned out to be an error in judgment as a combination of under filling with oil and not hooking up the electronic dip-stick mean the engine began chapping after a spirited drive across Scotland. A second low milage engine was purchased from Quarry (Can’t imagine such a thing today but CSLs weren’t as highly regarded back then) and this time round we did a DIY engine swap. After that the car ran perfectly and my mate ran it for a year before selling it to a Texan who had moved to the area.

Late 2014 the above mentioned Texan had his eyes set on a GT3 and was looking to shift the CSL. He was the type of guy who did not care what a car looked like as long as it was mechanically sound, subsequently he’d let the car go to $hit. Front bumper and flippers road rashed to the point of hardy any paint / lacquer left. Rusty front wings. The rear bumper was hanging off and had a massive hole in it. The results of a French farmer ripping out the rear towing eye whilst pulling the car from a muddy Le Mans camping ground. The rear silencer was hanging from a thread. It was filthy inside and out and on top of that had no boot floor repair, just a letter from the local dealer saying inspection showed no issues….Ha!

The car was a mess, but it was mega cheap. I could see all the CSL bits were present and correct and I knew all the bits that needed replacing were standard M3 bits so could be sourced second hand or bought new without any CSL tax. So I bought the car with the idea of doing nothing to it and run it as a cheap track hack……I should have known myself better, it took about two months for my OCD to kick in. New wings, a trip to Redish, many trips to the BMW parts counter, Re-trimmed steering wheel, refurberd flippers (Cheers Mark). Bilstiens, bushings, Alcons. You name it, I’ve done it; or had it done by those who do it best.

I bought the car late 2014 with 78K on the clock. It now sits at 93K. It’s been to Le Mans twice, round the NC500, a handful or Knockhill Track Days and the local Speed Festival two years on the bounce. It’s in fine fettle and I’m trying to get over the 100K mile mental barrier for fear I stop driving it or worse, sell it!


http://www.flatoutphotography.com/gallery3/var/albums/2017/RDSF/RD171142.jpg

[select]

Thanks guys for all your posts.. i enjoyed reading everyone of them. :supz:

He asked everyone what they were driving, some guys said they were driving Scooby’s, some in Evo’s with twice the HP they left the factory with and he responded with ok so nobody has something quick like a CSL or GT3.

Haha i love that quote. I can imagine the looks on the faces of the guys with the tuned evos :hahaha:

[Loaded]

I already had two E46 M3s, an Imola Red SMG (03) which i sold it to buy and an Individual Blue Estoril manual (04) when i saw the first presentation of the prototype car in EVO Magazine. Then, i got the M3 CSL brochure from my dealer, saw the car in person and the rest it's history. Now, it's a lovely pair with my father's E30 M3 Sport Evo. Garage queens both of them and keepers of course..for the next 70 years for sure. Then, i hope one day my children when the time comes to appreciate both of these jewels!

[Rags]

I had owned several M cars and had been knocking around in a z3m coupe and fancied a change.

I remember being drawn back to an advert for a CSL that was at a dealer near me.

Decided to just 'have a look'.

Two hours later, the deal was done.

Obviously sold it since and it's sat in NZ somewhere.

I have however bought back the same z3m above so all is not lost.

[still no worries]

My brother and I went to buy him a 330 @ £17k next to it was a e46 m3 @£27k and next to that a csl @£37k, he bought the 330 and I test drove the e46 m3 and to be honest I wasn't that impressed, (couldn't afford £37k at the time ) fast forward 18 months and I test drove a csl with 7000 miles on the clock, very impressive and bought it there and then. Fast forward 10 years and I've still got it and love it......