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Ziploc posted:That gearstick looks weird as hell. It is the most annoying transmission lever in the world. My parents have an AT E60 525i (we put small engines in cars in Asia hurr) and every time I have to touch it I gingerly clasp the thing with the tips of my fingers like I'm going to break it, and it feels like the cheapest plastic joystick in the world. The action feels more mechanically decoupled than your average automatic shifter and makes it plain that it's the car's electronic brain that is calling the shots, not you. Over-engineered creatively-shaped garbage, that's what the shifter is (grumble, grumble, rant over). edit> When I prefer the feel of my 1999 4-cyl AT Camry's shifter to this, BMW has a problem. got off on a technicality fucked around with this message at 23:55 on Mar 31, 2008 |
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Mar 31, 2008 23:52
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Has anyone heard anything lately about the rumored Z2? (Totally made-up artist rendering from AutoBild attached.)
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Apr 5, 2008 08:19
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Car & Driver posted:New BMW roadster to compete in less pricey MX-5 Miata segment. Z2 should sell for less than $30,000 when it appears, most likely in 2010. I realize that this article/speculation is 18 months old v  v
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Apr 5, 2008 09:02
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omgitstheinternet posted:Ahh ugly ugly ugly! I was talking to a couple sales people at the dealership and they all hate it and none of them think it will sell well at all. I'd bet that they (and you and most of us) don't fall in BMW's target demographic though. Before my parents got thoroughly sick of owning an SUV they went for a Toyota Harrier (grey market Lexus RX300) mainly because it looked thoroughly modern (this is around 2002). I think BMW has come up with a superior compromise in the X6, since it looks really good and subjectively appears to be a better attempt at reconciling the car and the SUV. At least, that's what BMW's marketing department believes the boomers will think.
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Apr 10, 2008 20:20
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milieu posted:I think up to the windshield the Frau GT4 looks better, but the rest of the 2002 looks better. The 2002 grill looks like a cicada. What he said. I wonder if anyone has ever tried to bodge a Frua front end into a 2002? (actually in retrospect it looks like the Frua has a longer wheelbase so maybe that's not even possible)
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Apr 18, 2008 17:26
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Colleague of mine has a 1998 328i with ~120,000 miles on it. He's planning to list it for $4k, which seems high to me given the following: - Interior is very clean, except driver seat which is pretty beat up and has an inch long tear on the bolster - Exterior has a couple of door dings (like the size of a dime) and a few scratches, but otherwise in decent shape - CEL is lit, possibly because of an automatic transmission that hasn't quite poo poo the bed but is definitely on the way out (getting up steep slopes can be a challenge!) - Car has been in SoCal its whole life so no rust or anything - Cooling system has been replaced twice, most recently at around 110,000 miles He says that he wants to sell the car with the CEL and let the buyer take care of it, which seems a little bonkers to me. What does AI think? Any idea what it costs to rebuild/replace a transmission from that era? edit> here's a pic of said car 
got off on a technicality fucked around with this message at 08:43 on Dec 5, 2010 |
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Dec 5, 2010 08:36
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Here's my Christmas present to AI: Why hello there   
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Dec 26, 2010 07:46
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I have a friend with an all-stock 135i; are there any potential weaknesses that he should keep in mind when taking it to the track? (For example in my case I short shift on left hand turns that require heavy breaking beforehand because my car suffers from oil starvation; also the power steering pump tends to leak on hot days)
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Dec 15, 2011 23:08
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Stealth Like posted:The M6 will be much more costly to own (I'm looking at picking up a coupe at the end of the year). You'll probably want to get an aftermarket warranty if you're going to get the M6. The most common problem on them is the SMG transmissions pump going out. The repair for it is typically $5,900 or so. The problem with it is there is no mileage range that they go out at. It could be never, or it could be as early as 13,000 miles Having driven both the M6 and 650i in anger, IMO there is no comparison at all  Now if you're just looking for a luxury cruiser that's a completely different proposition. As for reliability my colleague's '07 or '08 M6 vert sees a daily commute of 35 miles each way and the occasional track day, but it's held up really well with no unscheduled maintenance needed in the past year he's owned it. It does consume oil at a fairly sickening rate though - like a quart every 1,500+ miles
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Mar 20, 2012 05:56
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Am I being to anal and changing the oil every 4500 miles on my E60? I have the N62B48. I just rolled over 80,000 miles, I know it seems a little excessive, but I just want to protect my engine and make sure it lives for a while. The next time you change your oil get it tested by Blackstone Labs and also pay up for the TBN test. If the TBN is good and there are no elevated levels of iron/bearing metals then you should by all means extend the change interval
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Mar 22, 2012 18:12
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I'm this close to buying a leftover stripper 2013 128i convertible (literally no options); I understand the engine is pretty solid but are there any major reliability issues or foibles that I should be aware of? I've never owned a BMW but I can't imagine they're that finicky
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Mar 16, 2014 17:10
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Well I ended up buying it. Got a reasonably good deal (20% off MSRP) on a leftover 128i convertible with some niceties (tech package, leather, park sensors). It's not out and out sporty esp by today's standards, but I really like the engine and the car feels very buttoned up on the highway. And there's a lot less wind noise & buffeting than I was expecting. I know BMW doesn't recommend an early oil change for non-M cars but is it worth doing one anyway at ~1,500 miles? Is this the sort of thing that only matters if you want to keep the car for 100,000+ miles?
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Mar 17, 2014 06:51
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Tab8715 posted:Is there anything about the 1-series you don't like? I'm semi-curious but I'm wondering how it'll be in the snow and on long trips - with my new job I'm driving almost a 7000 miles a year. Well I commute ~70 miles every day, and had been doing so in a Cayman S for the past 2.5 years. I used to go to the track quite often but don't anymore - for my purposes today this 128i is a step up in every single way except perhaps brand cachet (but who gives a crap?) The biggest issues I have are that the wind noise starts to get noticeable at 70 and the size of the back seat is marginal. Both are things that I am happy to live with in exchange for a convertible top that I put down every chance I get, especially now with the wonderful weather in the Bay Area. The car has clearly been set up to be understeery (I have the standard suspension and 16" wheels haha) but IMO that's in keeping with its character as a stable, easy-to-drive cruiser that enjoys a good spanking once a while. Don't know if that's an issue in the snow but you can always fit a bigger rear sway if needed (AFAIK the stock one is tiny)
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Mar 18, 2014 22:44
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I assume the N51 is not exempt so can someone tell me when I should proactively replace the GDCS in my 128i SULEV?
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Apr 7, 2014 06:00
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There's no Mini thread so this is the appropriate place right My boyfriend is looking into a 2015 Mini Cooper S (to buy for the long term, not to lease). I understand the earlier generations were not great in terms of reliability; does anyone know if Mini/BMW has improved since then? I really hope so because I test drove one and it was surprisingly fun on the streets of SF. The other alternative he's considering is a GLA250, which I find appalling  e: if the 1-series is babby's first BMW the F56 must be positively embryonic
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Nov 15, 2014 20:07
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Thanks, this is really helpfulLudicro posted:Oh, and whatever you do for the love of god don't get both sport suspension and run flat tyres. We'll probably get the adaptive dampers. Don't run flats come standard on all Minis at this point? I was planning to have them swapped out as soon as possible
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Nov 16, 2014 18:25
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Ether Frenzy posted:I've considered the M3-GTS DCT tune if/when I do the rod bearings because they will do it for free at the same time, I'm at 34k miles so don't need to change the DCT fluid anytime soon but it's on my mechanic's list of "things to think about in the future".
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Jan 21, 2021 07:55
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Ether Frenzy posted:Blackstone
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Jan 22, 2021 02:19
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KillHour posted:Have you driven one? Because it feels more special to drive than either the C63 or the RS5. And just because the looks aren't your cup of tea, doesn't mean it's less special - if anything, looks wise it's one of the most obviously set apart from the non-m models ever. The exterior is entirely different and the interior can be spec'd to look absolutely insane. The only thing I can say about it that doesn't feel as "special" as I'd want is the sound but it's really hard to be objective about that when I drove a V12 Aston immediately before and after. Let me say I agree with your purchasing decision and am sure you’re going to enjoy the new M3 a lot. I think you put your finger on it, which is that the most distinctive feature of the new M3 is its styling - i.e. it is most important to BMW that M3 buyers are able to show off that they bought one and not a lesser 3-series, even if it is polarizingly ugly vs. the regular. Ultimately the new M3 is a product marketing, not engineering-driven car So the BMW that made this decision to invest in styling and not a one-off engine etc is different from “heyday” engineering-driven BMW and that is sad, not that it isn’t already obvious that marketing has long since taken over the company. They will no doubt continue to make good cars here and there, but those will be the flickers of a dying ember that will end in the banning of internal combustion (let’s forget the i cars for a sec). Welp that’s my depressing take got off on a technicality fucked around with this message at 16:29 on Mar 19, 2021 |
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Mar 19, 2021 16:17
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KillHour posted:I can't wrap my head around the idea that you consider the S55 to be a one-off but not the S58. Both are only used in M cars; the S58 just happens to come in an M car with a lift from the factory. Both engines share a platform with the "regular" inline 6 used in the lower models, and both engines are 3L twin turbo DOHC straight 6. I’m really saying that neither the S55 or the S58 are one-off, that the engineering-led distinctiveness of the M3 peaked with the E92 and is slowly ebbing
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Mar 19, 2021 16:32
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KillHour posted:I would be willing to bet that if the new M3 and M4 had the old grille, you'd magically consider them special somehow, even though they'd be the exact same car.
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Mar 19, 2021 16:34
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Data Graham posted:Uhh the regular 3 series has the gross grille too, doesn’t it? The regular G80 has a more modest grille efb
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Mar 19, 2021 16:35
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kronix posted:It's amazing to me how many people don't realize that every M3 sedan has had the nose from the coupe.
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Mar 20, 2021 02:11
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Bulky Bartokomous posted:But seriously, if I didn't want to waste the rest of the tires I have, could I get away with just replacing one based on the remaining tread? https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=259
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Mar 29, 2021 01:57
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:ok the dealer is never gonna give you poo poo like that for free, because why would the parts department give you something for free when the sales guy hosed up? I was shocked KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:And anyway, even if you come in in three years, he ain't gonna be there. the odds that that salesman is at that store in three years are maybe 10%. Every second he spends thinking about you or your problem is time spent where he isn't making money or doing a thing where he could be making money in the future. Even if he absolutely blows you away from a customer experience standpoint, you're not gonna tell your friends and family to see Amir at the BMW store. And even if you somehow did, the odds that they actually go see Amir at the BMW store are very, very long, and the odds that they buy a car from him are so long that they're basically zero. 
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Apr 22, 2021 18:00
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Here's a photo of a really sexy wagon at a track day today:
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Apr 30, 2021 20:05
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GentlemanofLeisure posted:Kudos to the owner if they're tracking that bad boy. It's an instructor too! Here's the back 
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Apr 30, 2021 21:05
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Speaking of instructors in BMW wagons... (yes it's an M5)
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Apr 30, 2021 21:07
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rscott posted:Making your M3 look like a 10 year old Lexus IS owned by a scene kid to own the libs The front & Alpina wheels & drop are cool and good but the non-OEM aero bits on the rear (thing on top of rear glass, notched ducktail, diffuser) are a step too far for me
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May 12, 2021 17:06
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KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:to me the e90 is like...the guy who makes those awful paintings in cheap offices trying to mimic cubism. i love the clean lines of the e92. i think it is still one of the most handsome cars on the road. fight me I'm not quite so down on the E90 but agree re: the E92. It's the spiritual successor to that timeless E39 look
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Jun 7, 2021 01:35
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KillHour posted:Those seats really are cool...  amazing!Still not over the front end despite seeing several of these in person but hey at least you don't have to look at it when you're sitting in the car 
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Aug 30, 2021 20:24
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Somewhat Heroic posted:for real that is worth the price though. It is basically brand new, and being the 6MT (even though it is Not A Great gearbox) will hold value into the future. Brand new it was 80 grand. Considering inflation and all I say it was a good buy. I think that's a good perspective. The holding costs (fees, maintenance, cost of capital) are non-trivial for something that was only driven 7-8k miles
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Sep 2, 2021 06:37
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KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:I've put probably 3k into it over my ownership so far. Right now it needs an intake manifold gasket (I think,) brake fluid, ground strap. It also needs a ton of paintwork, probably 2.5k worth. Realistically I am looking at putting another 4-5k over the next couple years of my ownership for a 10 year old BMW with 105k miles...
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Sep 2, 2021 21:55
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Cojawfee posted:Sometimes having a car that blends in is nice. This, very much. Especially if it’s going to be your primary car. But I do like the red
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Sep 8, 2021 23:32
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KillHour posted:Dropped my car off for the breakin service today and oh - turns out they don't have the diff fluid and no dealers on the east coast do either. And also BMW won't let them use any third party fluids even if they match their specs. No ETA - could be a few days could be a month. So I have to keep my car under 1800 miles until that comes in. The service guy talked to his warranty advisor and they said it's been documented and if I go over the 1800 miles my warranty will still be honored but LOL I don't believe that for a loving second. 
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Sep 17, 2021 21:07
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Data Graham posted:POWER 
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Sep 17, 2021 22:16
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Steakandchips posted:I’m 36. Insuring the car won’t be an issue. The 5-series is in a weird no man's land, no? Bigger than a sporty sedan needs to be (3-series), not nearly as luxe as a 7-series, which is not a whole lot bigger. Why not do the 330e?
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Sep 22, 2021 00:49
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KillHour posted:NASA is the gold standard, IME. They take safety very seriously and make everyone start in group 1, which has a classroom session after every time on track and a dedicated instructor who will always be in your car with you until they decide you're ready to move up to group 2. Also the Hooked on Driving guys are super chill and IMO no less safe
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Sep 22, 2021 06:35
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KOTEX GOD OF BLOOD posted:Turn signals are one of those things that did not need to be reengineered by brain genious Germans but they did anyway, because they're arrogant, and made it worse. See also: seat modules. I got used to the turn signals in my E88 pretty fast, but what is it about seat modules that ze Germans have screwed up?
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Oct 5, 2021 19:58
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 09:33 |
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KillHour posted:I-5 on the way back down
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Oct 15, 2021 18:33
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