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BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier
30250 messages, Last post on Mar 24, 2013 at 11:51 AM
You are in the BMW 3-Series Forum.What is this discussion about? BMW 3 Series, Sedan
#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 Fairlane74 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
#18977 of 30250 I'll tag along by seivwrig
Jul 18, 2002 (12:29 am)
Been young, I have not owned many cars. I have owned more bicycles. Also, been British, I grew up on mass transit (aka buses and trains).1984 Pontiac Sunbird Station Wagon-My parent's car bought new while in Syracuse, NY. Learned to drive on this car. No appeal when your a teenager trying to pickup women in Miami Beach.
In 1988, I bought a 1978 Mercury Zephyr coupe. I was big and an interstate hauler. I could drive from Homestead AFB, FL to Tallahassee, FL will no problem but could not drive around Miami without a breakdown. Good college car, I could fit all my friends. Died in 1991 with transmission gone out and blown gasket.
1996 Nissan Altima GXE-Future Wife's car. I think initially, I drove it more.
1999 Ford Ranger XLT(manual). I bought it because I got transfer to area with no mass transit. My first new vehicle.My wife's choice.
2002 BMW 325i. Wanted an Audi A4 3.0. My wife preference. Wife wins again. I love this car. I got more for less (when compared to the A4 3.0)
I'm aiming for 530i manual next. Even though a new Nissan Z-car would be cool.
Would list my wife's list but she has owned alot of cars (she is eight years older than me)ranging from Porsche to Fords to Mercedes to Nissans.
#18978 of 30250 Automotive autobiography by pap5
Jul 18, 2002 (4:17 am)
With 36 years of automotive sins to confess, this may take awhile. In order of acquisition:58 Chevy Bel Air, 283 V-8 w/2-speed Powerglide - The family bus, passed down by my father at 95,000 miles. Fenders above the headlights rusted through, and the right front window one day disappeared into the door, never to be seen again. Didn't matter.
62 Mercury Meteor automatic - Bought from my cousin when he went on active duty. A V-8 and bucket seats, good enough for high school.
62 Triumph TR-4 - The first car I actually shopped for. Had about 30 minutes of stick time on a stick until the day I drove it home. The top usually came down whenever the temperature got above 50 degrees in the spring - and stayed down, considering the effort to put it back up. Reliable Lucas electrics - to make it run when there was any moisture in the air, you popped the bonnet, snapped off the distributor cap, and dried the rotor and contacts. Worked every time, until one rainy day caught in beach traffic on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The car stalled, I pulled the distributor cap, and it promptly fell apart in my hands. Friendly glares from other drivers as traffic was stopped in both directions while I was towed off the bridge.
66 Corvair Monza 4-speed - The poor man's Porsche. Lively, fun car with good zip for having only 110 bhp (about the same as a 2002). Won my class in my first and only autocross. Got shortened by a couple of feet one day when it became filling in a 4-car sandwich. Limped to my nearest Chevy dealer, where the insurance company totaled it. Miss it still.
66 Plymouth Satellite automatic - I needed a car.
69 Triumph TR-250 - Interim design between the TR-4 (body) and TR-6 (engine), called TR-5 in England. I think it was slower than the TR-4, but the top worked easier.
74 Mercury Capri V-6 4-speed - My first new car. Basically a nice design hampered by a less than fully successful response to tougher air quality standards. Got me cross-country, though, occasionally at triple-digit speeds.
67 Porsche 912 - The less-poor man's Porsche, a 911 chassis with an uprated VW engine. Racing-style 5-speed, with dogleg 1st gear and 2nd thru 5th in the H. Floor-pivoting pedals perfect for heel-and-toeing. One day, the crank snapped right in the middle. Turned out a previous owner's rebuild had a sampling of parts from virtually every German air-cooled 4-cylinder ever made. Mistake #1: Buying the car without complete records. Mistake #2: Trying to get it fixed again.
79 VW Scirocco 5-speed - A wonderful runabout, bought new. Quick and lively, but led a checkered life. One night while on a road trip, someone broke into it and stole the aftermarket AM/FM/cassette, taking half the dashboard with it. Also, as I found out at dusk the next day, disabling the headlight switch. On another trip, I shifted into 5th and the lever promptly sank into the floor, down to its pseudo-golfball knob. After the initial shock, I found that I could change gears by pulling the lever up, shifting as normal, then tucking it back into its retracted position, which was enough to get me home. One night, on a fast sweeper between two interstates, I hit a patch of snow melt that had run across the road and refrozen. I lost it, tried to correct, hit dry pavement, overcorrected, and hit the guardrail head-on. The insurance company would pay in full only if I had it towed to a cut-rate shop they specified. The ensuing rebuild was butchered, and sadly the car was never the same again.
82 Datsun 280ZX 5-speed - Bought almost new as a demo w/4,000 miles, still owned today. Forget what most of them look like now (two-tone rust and primer with dayglo wipers), and what they represent (a bridge between the landmark original 240Z and the regrettable first-gen 300ZX) - I love my Z. It performs well, has never let me down (even the stupid gimmicks like the vocalized warning system still work), and according to comments from a succession of strangers over 20 years, it's beautiful. I even like the much-maligned glass T-tops, which when off aren't as good as a lowered convertible top, but when on make the cockpit bright and airy. Unfortunately, when it became a third car and was forced to live outside, the body rot accelerated. I'm now in the middle of an amateur cosmetic resto.
49 Vintage Wife, Champagne Edition - Who brought into the marriage the 83 Volvo GLT I helped her buy when we were dating. Solid, fun, best long-distance runner I've ever had (the car, but come to think of it, the wife too). But when it lunched its second turbocharger, it was time to go (car, not wife).
From this point on, some cars are owned concurrently.
89 Honda Civic AWD Wagon 5-speed - Our mini-ute, versatile and reliable. The AWD was worth the price just for one winter alone, when the suburban back roads where we live were coated with hardpack snow and ice for weeks. Nothing could stop the Honda. Finally, it started to seem too thrashy, and we traded it.
91 Nissan Maxima SE automatic - Ten years of yeoman service, although it started costing a lot toward the end.
74 Corvette L82 4-speed Coupe - My early midlife-crisis car, an utter frivolity that somehow I was able to justify buying. The blunt instrument of sports cars, an original low-mileage example of an unloved year. A blast to drive; even with c. 1974 emissions controls, the engine was strong in its 4-bbl. V-8 way. Bimmer owners have nothing on Vette owners for fanaticism - see July C/D. They wave at each other when passing on the road (reminiscent of Triumph drivers flashing our lights at each other), although I observed some drivers of late-models either too ignorant or too cool to return my wave. When the wife finally decided that owning four cars was excessive, I sold it, tear in eye, for about what I paid.
98 Volvo V-70 AWD Wagon automatic - Bought as a company exec car off the dealer's lot, still owned. A solid, versatile, reasonably reliable car, but the AWD viscous clutch exacts a great weight penalty and the car is too slow.
01 BMW 530iA SPP - Picked up new in Munich last July. In most ways, a formidable car, the high-water mark of my automotive life. In one critical area, though, every preceding car exceeded it. It suffers from sticky-pedal syndrome, the accelerator being impossible to operate smoothly mainly in hot weather. Per BMWNA, a fix is supposed to happen any day. There is also a fault either with the drive-by-wire system (I'm hoping that the pedal replacement will fix it) or the slushbox, which manifests as hesitation (like turbo lag) under part-throttle acceleration. The tranny has already been repaired once and works better than before. But the combination of sticky gas pedal and dead spot in throttle response has brought me full circle, feeling like a kid trying to learn to drive a stick smoothly. If the sticky pedal replacement doesn't cure both problems,
#18979 of 30250 re: Don by JingleJill
Jul 18, 2002 (5:11 am)
I ended up ordering with John Roberts in Austin. They wanted to play in the "game" and when my husband and I orginally drove up there for some test drives, we liked the salesman. No pressure. Even had us drive a used M3 that he knew we had no interest in purchasing.So, when I decided to buy, I called him and asked if he wanted to "play" the game. He called back right away and in about 3 minutes we had a deal.
As for black on black in Texas...what can I say. I do not like light interior color cars. I had black leatherette on my 330i and I liked it. The leather is not worth the $$$ for me. My 330i was also silver and I don't want to add another one to the road. So, a dark color it is. I do like the Topaz blue, but I think it might get old after a while.
I think I need to go find another orient blue and black in person to make my final decision. I guess I should call the dealer and see when I have to have my mind made up.
I just found out yesterday that I'll be out of town for 6 weeks while my "baby" is being produced and shipped, etc... That should help alleviate my impatience. I just need to make sure they can hold the car for a week or two until I get back.
I guess I'll play the car game too.
1984/85 Mazda 626 (my mother bought it to get me to high school and back)
1989 Honda Civic. (great car but was totalled in an accident, which was not my fault)
1991 Nissan Sentra SE-R (great pocket rocket...is still in the family)
2001 330i (what can you say)
2003 Acura TL-S (if you've read my postings...sold it after 6 weeks...it was no BMW)
1991 Mazda Miata (my "toot toot" car)
2002 325ci (on order)
2002 Dodge Ram Quad Cab (hubby's ride)
#18980 of 30250 car history by sunnybrook
Jul 18, 2002 (5:40 am)
Ok, here is how my car buying experience stacks up:1999 - Purhcased used '96 Mazda 626. One of the biggest POS ever. Transmission failed twice which made a bent rim, exploded water pump, and engine fire look minor
Feb to June 2002 - rented bright green '97 Ford escort with yellow interior while waiting for new BMW. Let's never speak of this rental again.
June 2002- '02 BMW 325i. This car is simply awesome. Hopefully i never will have to buy another car for 10+ years.
#18982 of 30250 Auto.........Biography by twoof1
Jul 18, 2002 (7:17 am)
First let me preface this list with 3 comments1. I'm really not THAT old (41)
2. I drive a ton of miles and beat up cars pretty fast.
3. This list is for my wife (of 17 years) and me.
1961 Chevy Nova II wagon (inline 6)
1976 Plymouth Arrow Coupe
1982 Mazda 626 Coupe
1984 Honda Civic
1988 Ford Escort GT
1990 Honda CRX SI (pocket rocket)
1992 Honda Accord Coupe
1992 Acura Legend Coupe (Rare 5-speed manual)
1994 Isuzu Rodeo
1995 Nissan Maxima
1996 Isuzu Trooper
1998 Volvo V70 Cross country Wagon
1998 Mitsubishi Diamante
2000 BMW Z3 (The fever sets in!)
2001 Volvo V70 T5 wagon
2001 BMW 325i (inline 6 just like my very first car)
2002 Mercury Mountaineer
#18983 of 30250 DL - poconos by kominsky
Jul 18, 2002 (9:12 am)
Where in the Poconos were you? My mother lives on the east side (Bushkill Falls/Dingman's Ferry area) and my in-laws have a "cabin" (it's got a dishwasher?) on the west end (Jack Frost/Big Boulder area). If you were on the east end, did you end up on any of the roads through the Delaware State Forest? They are incredible!To POST a message, please
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