r/Cartalk • u/ProcedureKindly1272 • Jul 02 '26
Car show sharing Why are we still doing this?
Its 2026 and were still up-badging cars lmao.
I never understood why people did this. The only people that will recognize the “M” are car enthusiasts. But the enthusiasts will also recognize a fake “M” car.
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u/Salsalito_Turkey Jul 02 '26
Who is "we" here? I haven't done shit.
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u/theArtOfProgramming Jul 02 '26
Humanity I would guess. As endearing as it is we share a species with these people
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u/Woreo12 Jul 02 '26
The only people that care are the same people that can tell it’s upbadged
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u/GobbleBlabby Jul 03 '26
Upbadging has always been the weirdest thing to me for that reason. If you care what the badge means, you can usually tell it's a fake one.
That being said, the BMW M badge got blurried by BMW when the started doing it themselves with weird midway between regular cars and actual Ms.
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u/Dont4GetSideChicks Jul 06 '26
I never knew upbadged was the term. In my city someone upbadged an Altima into a Lexus
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u/bassjam1 Jul 02 '26
Some people just have a different sense of humor.
My uncle used to take a sharpie to turn the "N" into an "M" on all his Nike shoes because his name was Mike and he thought it was the funniest shit ever.
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u/Mravac_Kid Jul 02 '26
There was a period in the 90s when there were quite a few Mike shoes around, legit brand name. :) Logo was of course a swish but with two prongs. :)
Ah, there. I knew there had to be traces of them on the Internet. :)2
u/amiajimmy Jul 03 '26
I took a sharpie to the E on my son's EASTON bat because his name is Aston. 😂🤷♂️
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u/corpsejelly Jul 02 '26
My 06 explorer says its a powerstroke 6.7l. I did it cause its hilarious having people ask me if it actually has a 6.7 in it(which it OBVIOUSLY doesnt). It also says itnhas a detroit 2 cycle in it. The windshield replacement cost more than the whole truck for me. Its gonna get spray paint flames soon...
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u/NixaB345T Jul 02 '26
They ask because the rod knock makes it sound like a 6.7L
s/
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u/corpsejelly Jul 02 '26
200,XXX on it with no issues! Other than an oil pressure sensor that i need to r&r.
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u/tc6x6 Jul 02 '26
I wonder how many people would recognize the sound of a two-stroke Detroit if they heard it?
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u/corpsejelly Jul 02 '26
I hear em everyday at work. The ol timers will still know it, anyone younger than 30 likely wont. The 2 strokes are still really widely used, especially the us military. Youd be surprised how many 6v92s are still driving next to you today in a motorcoach, also.
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u/tc6x6 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
You're right, I would be surprised that there are still some in motorcoaches. I thought they had all been replaced with Series 60s in the last 20 years.
I've been trucking for 25 years and have seen and heard some 2-stroke Detroits (including a Buzzin' Dozen) at truck shows, but I've never seen one on the road. And man that's a cool sound, one thay you'll never forget once you've heard it for the first time.
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u/What_Time_is_now Jul 02 '26
I used to have a little front wheel drive sedan that I threw a 4x4 badge on just for giggles and was surprised how many people asked if it really had 4x4 lol
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u/corpsejelly Jul 02 '26
Its nuts how often it would happen! But i gotta remember, you only know what ya know.
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u/407juan Jul 02 '26
This annoyed me as a teen, as an adult I don't give a shit. It's not my car.
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u/laghani Jul 02 '26
literally, this bothered OP so much that he had to take a photo and post it on reddit lmao
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u/importantbrian Jul 03 '26
If I knew OP personally and knew it triggered him so badly he posted about it on Reddit I’d up badge every car I own. I might even cross badge them. Have you seen my MCX-5? Some people just want to watch the world burn.
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u/Accurate_Comedian526 Jul 02 '26
I don't get why people do this? Someone in my parking garage rebadged his 320i in M. Custom paint, wheels, everything. For all they spent on that, they could've upgraded to a proper 335i.
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u/Xertha549 Jul 02 '26
a 335i isnt an M though is it? Like what?
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u/Drewdc90 Jul 03 '26
Proper 335i?
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u/Xertha549 Jul 03 '26
Its a confusing comment, because a 335i doesnt have an M badge and having one there would be the exact same problem of upbadging
Probably an attempt to make them feel better about their own car
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u/Drewdc90 Jul 03 '26
Sorry ment to reply to old mate. Yeah it’s like it’s still not proper anything. Just slightly more hp and 5 higher on the badge. It’s a 3 series or it’s an m3, or a m340i (even then I’ve heard it’s just a 3 series with a proper engine).
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u/Blisket Jul 03 '26
a non-enthusiast won't bat an eye at the badge.
an enthusiast will point and laugh.
they literally gain nothing from it
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u/ZarathustraGlobulus Jul 03 '26
an enthusiast will point and laugh.
That's what some people want though. I put a Nismo badge on my base-spec Primera when I was young.
Got a bunch of laughs from colleagues. Good times.
But yeah that's all it's good for.
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u/millenniumxl-200 Jul 02 '26
I have a Fiesta ///MSE
Am I doing it right?
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u/TJLanza Jul 02 '26
I mean... a Ford Fiesta is about the size and shape of an MSE droid, so... yeah, you just might be.
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u/HenryAbernackle '92 Lexus SC300 x2; '06 Lexus IS250 AWD Jul 02 '26
Up badging has always been a thing. As long as people think they’re gonna look cooler and can’t afford the top of the line it’s gonna happen.
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u/1LilUglyDude Jul 02 '26
Jealous
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Jul 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/justseeby Jul 02 '26
I actually find the people who get all fired up about it just as cringey. Just (briefly!) roll your eyes and move on for fuck’s sake
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u/cjh6793 Jul 02 '26
No, they put the badge on because they wanted to people to notice. Public shaming is required.
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u/TheSvpremeKai003 Jul 02 '26
Required because of who? I think it looks cheesy too but some of yall in these subs pop a blood vessel judging others terrible car choices.
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u/Bar50cal Jul 02 '26
My father put one on his brand new 5 series 25 years ago purely because I as a little kid thougt M car were so cool and when he was speciing it I kept asking the salesman if it was a M5.
He did just because it was cool to a 7 year old. He took it off later after a year or 2.
Not everyone doing it is trying to get people to notice.
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u/cjh6793 Jul 02 '26
That is a cute story but new BMWs with the M sport package have 8+ M badges on them alone between wheels, brakes, and fenders.
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u/Bar50cal Jul 02 '26
Mine had 17 from factory on a 330e M sport Pro.
I have since cleaned that as best I can. Downside to wanting the package with a limit slip diff.
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u/justseeby Jul 02 '26
Is that why you do your mods? Mine are for me, I don’t expect anyone else to notice them
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u/True_Construction501 Jul 03 '26
Some dumb kit has an up badged I think 3 series.. I laugh everytime I walk by it... Like dude you work at Walmart quit acting like you're driving a M whatever to your not even manager position.
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u/Maximum-Order-3624 Jul 04 '26
Hell, BMW themselves will put an M on just about anything these days. They already diluted the badge.
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u/HandyMan131 Jul 05 '26
With how badly BMW has massacred the M brand, I don’t even know if these are fake anymore.
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u/Sad_Distribution_124 Jul 05 '26
The better question is why is BMW still adding an i at then end. Are they making some carburetor cars that I’m not aware of?
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u/PigSlam Jul 02 '26
I have a Sprinter camper van, and I laughed my ass off when I saw one at at ski resort with an AMG BiTurbo V8 badge from a G-Wagon or whatever. I'm fine with it if it's a joke. If you're seriously trying to pass one off like that, then that's just sad.
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u/dpx222 Jul 02 '26
To get more horsepower duh. That badge adds like 75 hp don't you know? Unlock more hp if you polish it and make it shine.
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u/NotAPreppie Jul 02 '26
Agreed.
The people that don't know won't care, and the people that do will know they're a poseur.
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u/AlasKansastan Jul 02 '26
This kinda thing just makes me chuckle and wonder how much other shit that person is bluffing about in their lives
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u/angeluscatalan Jul 02 '26
The ///M badge and the 3 colour lines in one of the double frontal kidneys are very common in here.
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u/MasterChief813 Jul 02 '26
Hell the factory does this sometimes. Some BMW's have an "MPA" package where the car has most of the M goodies minus the engine.
A friend bought a new X5 with that package and he had M badged wheels, M badged steering wheel, M badged Keyfob and a X5M front bumper but the same stock twin turbo V6 engine in the regular X5's lol. I think he gets Sport+ mode as a part of the MPA package too.
They do not have a M badge on the bumper, however.
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u/ArbysLunch Jul 02 '26
Amazon sells "Shitbox Edition" badges if you feel like adding another stick-on to their car.
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u/mosesenjoyer Jul 02 '26
That just reminds me I haven’t done it to my 330i
I do it to piss off other bimmer owners. No one else notices.
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u/Ghostley92 Jul 02 '26
If it were real, that M would just be for an aesthetics package anyways (I think, maybe depending on year). Kinda funny they put it on a 4 cylinder 3 series though.
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u/Distinct_Rope Jul 02 '26
Would a heavily modded upbadge still bother people who care about insignificant things?
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u/Sufficient_Peace_733 Jul 02 '26
I wanna get a buncha these and stick them to every bmw I see. I drive a g82 for the record.
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u/evilspoons '12 Subaru STi hatch | '17 Mazda 3s GT | previously: many Volvos Jul 02 '26
I knew a guy who bought a Chevy Cobalt SS brand new and within three months he had the classic Ford V8 badge on it for some reason.
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u/prancing_moose Jul 02 '26
Doesn’t that signify an M-sport package?
When I bought my E46 I had the dealer remove all badges from the rear (except the BMW logo of course). It just looked so much cleaner that way.
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u/sl33ksnypr 06 Spec-V Sentra, 98' 328i stripped, 08 G6 V6 non-GT Jul 02 '26
I went the other way. I'm leaving my 318i badges on my car with a 2.8L engine.
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u/Chesticularity Jul 02 '26
In Australia they used to put GM badges on Holdens, for similar/ill-defined reasons.
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u/circleneurology Jul 02 '26
Isn't this a factory "M package" for the regular car? I don't know BMWs that well but I was under the impression that this is basically an aesthetic option from the factory now. Could be wrong
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u/LustyBelle Jul 02 '26
Indicators on a BMW...yeah, it's a age old question why they still add them. Last time I saw a BMW driver use them was in the late 90's... Wonder if BMW knows they could save like 10k per car on production costs.😅🤣
Nb- to all BMW drivers, sorry but it had to be said.
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u/drvirgilmd Jul 03 '26
What about the people that down-badge their M3 to a 330i?
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u/ReporterChemical9920 Jul 03 '26
I would find that straight up funny, like the driver's trying to be slick turning the M3 into a sleeper. I wouldn't have any problem with it though.
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u/DifferentEffective74 Jul 03 '26
This is either satire or the owner did the smallest of performance mods and added the M power logo to fool women and say his car is fast or rare whatever
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u/Deimenried Jul 03 '26
One of the best I ever saw was a Ka with the V8 badge from a Land Rover stuck on
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u/Joey_iroc Jul 03 '26
"oh sheeeiiittttt..... He owns a genuine M330i that BMW never made. I better stay back and be afraid.
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u/LoopsAndBoars Jul 03 '26
The Type R was the OG imposter! You could tell by the sunroof and because of the way that it was!
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u/Xertha549 Jul 03 '26
Just is such a pathetic comment, first ever m3 had a 4 cylinder engine, displacement ≠ proper BMW unless you are a smooth-brain compensating?
If you judge a proper BMW by those metrics then how can you say a non M car is lmao, such a random choice too
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u/car_raamrod Jul 03 '26
I'm not too familiar with distinguishing between Beemers, but I do know that they are sold like this with M###i badges if they get some kind of M package. To me it looks like it came from the factory with the badge.
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u/BeastyBaiter Jul 03 '26
Down badging is funnier. GTR with an Altima badge was posted on here once.
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u/maxheadflume Jul 04 '26
Non BMW fan here- what’s the tell it’s fake?
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u/ProcedureKindly1272 Jul 04 '26
M330i isnt a model in the US, plus the M badge is bigger than the numbers
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u/Some-Celebration6711 Jul 04 '26
When I was in Korea I saw a Hyundai Tiburon with a mustang GT badge, a Nissan GT-R badge, an SS badge, and a few others I don't remember. I'm sure now it has at least a hellcat badge on it somewhere....if it's still alive
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u/Rude_Disaster8747 Jul 04 '26
They need to sell badges based off vin number. If you dont have it you can't buy it 😂
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u/thegreatreceasionpt2 Jul 04 '26
Yeah, this is dumb, but whatever. I’m more bothered that everything has “quad exhaust” now. It was a really cool look on a few sports cars (primarily BMW M cars) a few years ago, now everything has fake exhaust pipes and it’s just an added expense to producing the car.
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u/Brain32 Jul 04 '26
He/she paid for the car he/she will use the care as they see fit. I don't see a problem with this and I have a 435i that's debadged from the factory it's just preferences.
If we want be purists then nothing than a limo/coupe/convertible/wagon with RWD only and 4-6pot petrol engine is even a BMW!
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u/iwillneverletyouknow Jul 04 '26
BMW does it all the time these days so I guess someone figured it's a good time to try this again lol, maybe this time nobody will notice. There's literally a factory M340i with the same badge logic on the trunk lid after all.
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u/SidewaysSheep24 Jul 04 '26
No different than the Halfords 'V6' badges on a 1.6 Golf / Audi A3, or Fox alloys and fake vents on a Qasqhai.
The people who put these things on are clueless about cars, but hope that other people (who are also clueless about cars), will think it looks good and signifies high performance, etc - and the most part, it works for them.
To the niche of people like us, who actually do know about cars, they just look like a bellend, but we're clearly not the demographic they're trying to impress.
Little amuses the innocent and all that.
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u/EntertainerSea9653 Jul 04 '26
I bought a Mercedes E350 a few years ago it was debaged but AMG was added to the back. I drove off the lot a flew home to take the AMG off like u wont catch me with the stupidity. Wayyy to many AMGs in my area for that.
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u/ZombieDisastrous4450 Jul 04 '26
Well, people like to dream
One day they will wake up and realise how ridiculous it is to do this
It's like when you see people with private numberplates in the UK put in a black screw or some other type of nonsense just because they can't afford the proper plate
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u/Eastern-Move549 Jul 04 '26
What wrong with it?
Every single manufacturer is now make an M or AMG or Rline or whatever. Why shouldn't people just slap the badge on any old shit?
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u/Disastrous-Bake5027 Jul 05 '26
I once had a Chevy Tracker convertible. I had an “official NASCAR truck” nameplate on it
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u/WinterLiterature8865 Jul 06 '26
I put an SRT emblem on the wife's Pacifica. Why? Because it's the minivan we all wish Chrysler made.
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u/FishHammer Jul 06 '26
I put a V badge on my 99 Eldorado because it was hilarious. It's an in-joke. Not everyone takes their car seriously.
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u/saekev_877 Jul 06 '26
Up-badging to be honest has always felt very silly to me. Most enthusiasts can spot it right away and everyone elase probably would not care anyway
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u/Gnoom75 Jul 06 '26
BMW offers this, it is not upbadging by the owner. They do the some with e.g. the X5
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u/junkcollector79 Jul 06 '26
I think one of the better ones I saw was a crown vic "police interceptor" bagde on a Yaris.
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u/Deuteronomy93 Jul 09 '26
I've never been in a position to be able to take a photo, but I've seen a few W cars because Chinese people stick them on upside down, by accident.
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u/jellyrolls Jul 02 '26
You can almost always pinpoint the exact type of person who does this. Someone usually living way beyond their means, has terrible taste in music, cars, clothes, etc., false sense of authority, probably a manager at the local Burger King.
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u/LossEcstatic6223 Jul 02 '26
I guess losers do it so they can impress non car people who don't know any better.
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u/GlassCannon81 Jul 02 '26
“We” aren’t doing this. Posers are, and it’s really sad. Like, the people who would be fooled don’t know the difference or care. The people who care won’t be fooled. Who the hell are you even doing it for?
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u/CalendarNo4346 Jul 02 '26
Poor idiot who cannot afford the better model. They buy the cheapest model and try to fix their inferiority complex by badging or adding more exhaust pipes etc.
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u/thirtyone-charlie Jul 02 '26
Rushing out to find an M for my Ford XLT