It’s time once again to play that game of configurator-fueled wishful thinking that all enthusiasts like to play, this time with BMW. This week, I spec out an M3. Love or hate that big ol’ schnoz, the M3 is still a serious driver’s car, always has been. In recent years, the Bavarian sports sedan has become the pinnacle of fast daily drivers, and this one is no exception to that trend. A quick disclaimer: these are all my own personal tastes and opinions, so feel free to spec your M3 as different from mine as you like.

BMW M3: exterior and wheels

In keeping with that daily driver theme, I opted for the non-Competition M3 for two reasons: the manual is only available on non-Comp cars, and price. I built my M3 on the assumption it would be my only fake car in my fake one-car garage. As it should be, with a monthly payment of nearly $1500 and an as-built price of $91,694 with destination charge. I also included BMW Ultimate care for almost seven large to keep my fake M3 on the road.

Now for the paint. I chose Isle of Man Green, a $550 extra. It helps hide the big grille a little better, and the same goes for other dark colors like grey and black. Moreover, who doesn’t love a little racing green in their life? The wheels were an unfortunate after effect of the carbon brake package, which runs a cool $8,000. Personally, I’m selling those and buying a nice set of gold wheels to match the gold calipers. Can’t be too subtle.

M3 interior and options

A word of caution on the interior of the M3. If you’re a fan of the Kyalami Orange leather seats as I am, they do look far more orange in person depending on who you ask. Personally, I think they look great, but I skipped the optional leather surfaces to keep my budget under $95,000. I did however pick up the ventilated seats. They’re the kind of thing you can’t let go of once you’ve had them.

I also skipped the $3,800 carbon bucket seats. They have a little lump in the middle for aesthetics that seems painful to clamber over every day, as Mr. Farah of The Smoking Tire points out. What I didn’t skip was the free upgrade to a moonroof. What’s the point of that rowdy motor if you can’t hear the exhaust on a sunny day, windows down? Finally, I opted for BMW’s $2,800 “Executive Package” which nets you a host of luxury features like a heated wheel, HUD, and adaptive LED eyes for your M3.

My BMW M3: tasteful or rubbish?

All in all, I ended up with around $20,700 in options alone. Not cheap, but other bits and bobs such as carbon trim and more leather can easily bring an M3 right up past the $100,000 mark. That’s Porsche territory and dangerous waters for an M3. Despite its controversial looks, the M3 is a solid driver’s car and a great daily with speed to rival far more expensive cars. You can try out BMW’s configurator here, should you wish.