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BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

30250 messages,  Last post on Mar 24, 2013 at 11:51 AM

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What is this discussion about? BMW 3 Series, Sedan

Messages Page 1898 of 3026

#18967 of 30250 JingleJill et al. by eos

Jul 17, 2002 (4:02 pm)

My vote would be Orient Blue -- it's a bit less common than black, and may show swirl marks, etc. a it less (anyway, my wife wanted it, so she got it). It's a beautiful color, IMHO.
 
The last few posts make me feel a little less old, but ...
 
1955 Chevy BelAir (saved for me by my Dad, and totaled by me sophomore year of college).
1962 Renault Dauphine (summer car, sold 3 mos. later)
1962 Impala wagon (bought for $1 from a friend, disposed of by the NYC towing trolls just prior to our move to LA)
1975 Rabbit (first new car)
1980 Rabbit (fool me twice, shame on me...)
1985 Nissan Stanza (great car)
1994 Isuzu Trooper (wife's truck, still going strong)
1996 Honda Civic (for daughter)
1997 Honda Civic (for son)
1991 Honda Accord (bought in 1997 to replace the Nissan)
2000 MB C280 ('bye to my trusty Accord)
2002 BMW 325i (intended to replace wife's Trooper, but it's too versatile to sell)
 
Next?? 530i to replace C280??
 
Bob

#18968 of 30250 jinglejill, color by locke2c

Jul 17, 2002 (4:20 pm)

Stacy, I will toss in another vote for Orient Blue. Gorgeous color. Just had a Jet Black loaner yesterday, nice but I prefer the slightly silvery metallic of my M3's Cosmos Black.
 
but trust me on the blue, I've got black only because color is a lower priority on used vehicles. I actually had sworn off black cars after the Neon (see my earlier post about cars-- Camaro, Chevelle, Neon all black, RX-7 "charcoal grey"). it is quite dusty here in Wichita and black is torture. my last car was silver and that was a dream as far as dust & water spots go, but it's very ... bleh. Orient Blue is good.
 
-Colin

#18969 of 30250 My short list by azbmw

Jul 17, 2002 (4:53 pm)

Here is my list:
 
1982 - 1974 Datsun 710 First car, had a 77K on, put 50K on it. Nice first car, donated to charity.
1985 - 1979 Toyota Celica GT, LOVED IT! Killed by a Chevy. Missed it very much.
1993 - 1992 Mazda Protege, 230K, one water pump and one clutch, destroyed by cousin (Oil, whats oil?)
2001 - First new car 325i SP, WOW!

#18971 of 30250 Trip to Poconos ! and catching up!! by dl7265

Jul 17, 2002 (6:42 pm)

Hi gang, just back from my 1st trip to the Keystone State. a few observations....
 
Subies here Subies there, Subies every where lol.I recon if i lived in the mountains id want the all wheel drive also.
 
A few road signs ive never seen. "remove sunglasses" lol. and "speed checked by aircraft"id think flying the mountains would be tricky.
 
JingleJill: Black on Black in TX ? your brave hehe. Who did you end up ordering from ?
 
ok ill bite, and show age.
 
1) 1964 VW Bug, yup i learned on a manual German car hehe spoiled allready.
 
2) 1974 Vega (Dale we should start a club lol )
 
3) 1983 T bird, The brand new Nascar style i was stoked til it got flooded ;( btw, 5.0 and 135 HP lol.
 
4) 1978 Ford Fairmont ugh cheap college ride.
 
5)1968 Buick GS bought from original owner 88 years old
 
6) 1991 Eagle Talon a great reliable ride, destoyed in a TX hail storm ;(
 
7)1995 G20 can u say torqe steer ?
 
8)1990 Honda appliance but great gearbox
 
9) 1999 323i Sport
 
I think thats all...
 
DL

#18972 of 30250 My Car History by abcnyc

Jul 17, 2002 (6:45 pm)

This list is a combination of my wife's and my cars throughout the years.
 
1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
1979 Mazda RX-7
1984 Mazda 626
1984 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE
1985 Enault LeCar (2nd car - beater for winter)
1886 Honda Civic (got married - wife's car)
1987 Mazda RX-7
1988 Mitsubishi Mirage (wife's car)
1989 Geo Storm
1990 Toyota Paseo
1990 Toyota Corolla (wife's car)
1993 Ford Explorer (wife's car, I inherited Corolla)
1996 Mazda 626
1996 Plymouth Voyager (wife's car)
2001 Acura MDX (wife's car)
2002 BMW 330i (yeah !!!)
 
You can gather I was quite flighty in my car selections early on, but I always gravitated towards the RX-7. I'm looking forward to the release of the RX-8. I still had quite a few "what was I thinking ?" choices though. I guess it took me longer than most to mature and 'settle down' on my car selections.

#18973 of 30250 Can't beat em-Join em! by ultrarunner

Jul 17, 2002 (6:59 pm)

I am not as old as you would think. A list of cars owned in chronological order. My September 325iT will be my first new car. I often rented 3 and 5 series in Europe and decided it was time to buy rather than rent again. Most interesting car purchase was when Mom special ordered her new Corolla S and Toyota invited her to see her car being made. Those Toyota factory people are really a class act!
 
1928 Model A Roadster (Basket Case)
1929 Model A Town Sedan
1930 Model Coupe
1930 Model A Pick up
1931 Dlx Roadster
1939 Sachs Wanderer Motorcycle
1950 Plymouth
1957 Ford
1959 Rambler American
1962 VW Bug
1968 Mustang Covert.
1968 Mercury Cougar
1970 GTO Convert.
1972 Plymouth Valiant (Daily Driver)
1973 VW thing
1980 Celica
1985 G20 Van
1987 Suzuki Samari
1991 S-10
2002 325iT
 
The sad thing is, only kidding about the sad part, I still own most of them. Too hard to part with I guess.

#18974 of 30250 My list... by div2

Jul 17, 2002 (9:08 pm)

In order of purchase:
 
1974 Monte Carlo-bought new. Added: 3.42 gears, Edelbrock Performer Intake, recalibrated(by me)Q-Jet carb, Crane Hi-Torque Cam, Blackjack headers, CBQ Turbo Mufflers, Mallory Unilite/MSD-5A ignition, B&M Transpak Shift kit, Monroe Gas Magnum shocks, 15X7 Cragar SS wheels, Michelin X tires. At full throttle the sled would chirp the tires on the 1-2 and 2-3 upshifts.
 
1969 Datsun SPl-311 roadster-bought used in 1977. Intended to restore it and never did. Gave it away in 1995.
 
1967 Buick Riviera-bought used for $5.00 in 1979(a dealer publicity stunt that went awry). Rode hard and put up wet, I kept it running for about a year and wound up giving it to the local Buick Club. A beautiful car built when American cars had their own sense of sleek style and enineering excellence.
 
1979 Plymouth Arrow GT 2.6-bought new. A little known gem. It came with disc brakes on all four wheel(pretty impressive in '79)as well as a huge 2.6 liter four. Relatively quick for the era-0-60 in 10 sec.
 
1973 BMW Bavaria 3.0-bought used in 1983. It took me five years to do a running restoration of the body and mechanicals. Mods were limited to desmogging, recored radiator, 733i fan and clutch, twin downdraft Webers, sport springs, and HD Bilsteins. I also installed a 200W Kenwood stereo. Lots of fun.
 
1987 Merkur Scorpio(wife's)-bought used in 1988. A nice car, but MUCH more expensive to run than the Bavaria OR the 535is.
 
1987 BMW 535is-bought used in 1990. One of my favorite BMWs. Quick and comfortable. Sold in 1992, the car is still going strong at 350,000 miles.
 
1991 Volvo 740 Turbo(wife's)-bought new. A brick, but a very fast brick. Undriveable in snow, it once got stuck on a DOWN hill section of our 1/2 mile gravel driveway.
 
1988 BMW M6-bought used in 1992. Grace and Pace, as the Brits say. The catalytic converter fell off in the garage one night- darn it!, so I replaced it with an "H" pipe. With a Conforti chip it made 315 HP at the flywheel. I ditched the OEM TRX tires in favor of Borbet Cs and Bridgestone Expedias. I could hit 135+ on the main straight of the Memphis Motorsport Park road course. I still miss it...
 
1984 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe-bought used in 1993. A friend sold it to me for $1500. I used it for a work beater until 1998. The five speed manual and tea kettle whistle of the turbo made it a hoot to drive. Parts for it were often more expensive than the equivalent items on my M6. I sold it to a friend's 16 year old son and he still has it.
 
1993 Nissan Pathfinder SE-bought used in 1994; still owned. Purchased in response to our getting stranded on our farm for SIX days during the snow/ice storm of the previous winter(can you say "The Shining"?). Originally driven by my wife, it is now my part-time commuter hack. Except for some rust on the rear bumper, it looks new inside and out. Rattle free, too. Not bad for 138,000 miles. And it laughs at 22" of snow.
 
1995 BMW 318ti Club Sport-bought new; still owned. My toy/track rat. Special ordered without a sunroof. One of 200 built in 10/95. The only mods are a BMW M-Technic rear spoiler and a BMW CD Changer. I don't think I'll ever sell it. My seven year old son thinks he's going to get it when he turns 16. Fat chance...
 
1998 BMW 318tiA-(wife's first BMW)-bought new in 1998. No rocket, but my wife loved it. Sold only because we needed a bigger car to transport our non-driving elderly parents.
 
1997 BMW 528iA-(wife's)-bought used as a BMW CPO in 2001; still owned. The first owner and I have exorcised all the demons which lurked in the early E39 models such as the thermostat, rear window regulators, and just yesterday, the trunk actuator(only $41.00 and five minutes). It's reasonably quick and very comfortable. Fuel economy is excellent- 29 mpg at 75 mph. If it was my car I'd have the sport package, but as a practical matter I can outrun 95% of the cars on the road with the standard suspension. Since I have dedicated snow tires on steel wheels, I'll soon ditch the all season Michelins in favor of something a bit more sporting. I also plan to fit Bilstein Tourings in a year or so. Maybe a Shark Injector as well. Think my wife will notice?
 
1999 Jeep Wrangler Sahara- bought used in 2002; still owned. Remarkably tight and fun to drive. The 4.0L inline six and five speed give it surprising acceleration. The soft top really begins to flap at 80 mph, though.
 
My next car? Who knows??? I thought I wanted an M Coupe, but I saw a pristine 1974 2002 Turbo at the BMW Zentrum last month and I can't stop thinking about it. It sure would look good parked next to the Club Sport.

#18975 of 30250 I'll Play by bmw323is

Jul 17, 2002 (9:42 pm)

66 Ford Fairlane
74 AMC Gremlin X
81 Datsun 310 GX
85 Mazda RX-7
86 Nissan Pick Up
90 Ford Probe
95 Ford Ranger STX 4X4 (still own)
00 BMW 323i sport
 
All new except the first one and all manual except the first one. Learned to drive on my brother's 66 Chevelle SS 396 (heavily modified, but looked bone stock). Neat story - he used to tape a $5 bill on the dash top, put the front bench seat all the way back and bet anyone that they couldn't pick up the 5 spot by a count of 3. He would get going to about 20 mph and floor it in second gear - say go - and count to 3. Don't know of anyone that got his $5, but everyone was all smiles when they handed over their $5. That car could break the rear tires loose in all four gears (remember the bias ply tires?).
 
I'm off to O'fest at Keystone in the morning. I heard they are having a great time up there. I entered my car in the concours and have spent about 10 hours cleaning it over the last several days (what was I thinking)?

#18976 of 30250 Harlequin1971 Update, Sort of by butmywife

Jul 17, 2002 (11:06 pm)

Took the 3er into the dealer today. They weren't too happy I had a 12 changer in the trunk. I got the impression they were comfortable with all things BMW but not much at problem solving.
 
They said, "We hooked up a radio to the cable in the trunk and it worked so there is no problem with the car." I said, "Then let's install the BMW changer below the roof of the trunk panel behind the seat (where the other changer is currently installed) and I'll take the other one back."
 
Them: "Well, we can't install it there because there is a child safety hook there."
 
Me: "But, as you see, there is already one installed there."
 
Them: "But we can't do it because of child safety."
 
Me: "But, I don't have children. You can't get much safer than that!"
 
Them: "No, we need to install it in the left side panel which will take an additional $150 in parts and $225 in labor."
 
Me: "Thanks but no thanks; I'll buy the changer from you and see if I can get the other shop to install it for me as a courtesy."
 
So, my update is this: I still don't have a CD changer that works but am now temporarily in possession of two of them, I'm not convinced there isn't anything wrong with the car's electronics but I can't be sure, and I'm not sure what to do if the Bimmer unit is hooked up and it doesn't work.
 
Are we having fun yet?
 
ButMyWife

Messages Page 1898 of 3026

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