Why not keep the stock parts...? And be patient when you're taking the car apart so you don't lose anything or cause damage.
I'll clarify -
for a DD, I'm just tired of it is what it comes down to
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I'm tired of messing with coil height adjustment, exhaust leaks, suspension clearance issues, compounding mods (suspension? might as well get camber plates and xyz too), mods not being quite right (E46 short shifter was notchy and tougher to work than I expected, coils were not as good as the reviews/forums said, etc.), lack of easy support for said parts, big $$ for small gains, etc. Most of the mods in the past were to fix some dynamic shortcomings and were easier to justify at the time, though by the end I found myself regretting most of it. Wished I'd refreshed the E46 suspension with stock parts instead of aftermarket coils. Wished I'd left the shifter alone. Wished I'd just left it on the stock wheels. I did uninstall some of them before sale (wheels, suspension), but it's impossible to get all the time/money/energy I spent back. I just prefer closer to OEM aside from some small, easily reversible things that have few/no drawbacks like my shift boot, armrest cover, short antenna, tint, tune, tires.
Personal preference is all it is. It's my daily driver and I want to have tons of fun in it without spending extensive time and money on it. I was initially planning to do some extensive mods to this car when I bought it, but then I looked at my past experiences and decided to stick with some more mild stuff. I completely understand the opposite point of view though, and I'll be honest many of the cars on here are pretty awesome, I'm just tired of dealing with it all at this point and would rather try to mostly enjoy it for what it is, so the bigger mods like suspensions, diffs, coolers, exhausts just don't appeal to me as much anymore, especially when the stock car is pretty damn good already. Not trying to discourage it or anything though. And I do enjoy seeing what you guys do with your cars, it's interesting and I learn quite a bit, gives me some ideas and I can live vicariously through you
hahahah.
If I were buying a car as a toy though, my view would be different. I'd have no problem with extensive mods. I'd have time to let it sit for days awaiting some install, wouldn't be discouraged by undoing or changing a mod, and I'd be completely OK with the fact that most of the money and all of the time sunk into it is gone. If/when I buy another E46 M3, the mod list will definitely be extensive, and I'm OK with that.
Sorry for derailing this thread, too!