I don't want a new bloody car. I want my old one back....
Discussion
rxe said:
The silly thing is that the technology should make the whole thing configurable - it's just a bunch of switches.
If you wanted the heater fan to be controlled by the wiper stalk, that should be fine. OLED indicators in the switchgear could reconfigure the labels.
Ditto with the bongs and interlocks - default would be to have them on, but it should be possible to turn them off. Even my Alfa 159 is a pain - sometimes want to be able to start it by leaning in and pressing the button, but no, I have to press the sodding clutch or brake....
How much of the health and safety stuff in cars is simply manufacturers trying to protect themselves from people wanting to sue because they won't take responsibility for their own mistakes?If you wanted the heater fan to be controlled by the wiper stalk, that should be fine. OLED indicators in the switchgear could reconfigure the labels.
Ditto with the bongs and interlocks - default would be to have them on, but it should be possible to turn them off. Even my Alfa 159 is a pain - sometimes want to be able to start it by leaning in and pressing the button, but no, I have to press the sodding clutch or brake....
Remember, we live in a world where people have sued McDonald's for making them fat.
http://www.w124.co.uk/carsforsale.php?page=detail&...
Ever tried a W124?
A bit bigger than the cars you were looking at, but they are deceptively easy to manoeuvre.
Nick Frome will have sorted all the niggles and there are iPod upgrade solutions available.
Ever tried a W124?
A bit bigger than the cars you were looking at, but they are deceptively easy to manoeuvre.
Nick Frome will have sorted all the niggles and there are iPod upgrade solutions available.
The E39 truly is one of the best BMW's ever made of all time. We have our old one still on our driveway. It's SORN at the moment but planning to restore it fully when we find the time. It's especially saucy as it has the rare 18" style 42 wheels which I love.
I recommend you either fully restore or, if it becomes too expensive, possibly claim off insurance if they offer more than 5p for this car and then buy an E39 M5. Same car, just ridiculously fast.
I recommend you either fully restore or, if it becomes too expensive, possibly claim off insurance if they offer more than 5p for this car and then buy an E39 M5. Same car, just ridiculously fast.
I would like to express the perhaps unpopular opposite opinion.
I have had 2 new cars now (plus one that was a few years old but was still within manufacturer warranty)
- Never have any mechanical problems with them at all. Crucially, I can ALWAYS get to work. With older cars I would have at least 1 or 2 times a year when something would prevent me getting to work (or require me to take time off to get it looked at) which I found stressful and hugely inconvenient.
- No unexpected bills. Just servicing cost.
- No MOT concerns. All my older cars have needed work at every MOT.
- No worrying about odd noises or smells (not that there are any). If anything does go wrong it's pretty much someone else's problem.
- None of the bongs or buzzers that seem to bother you lot so much bother me in the slightest. In fact I rarely ever even get any.
- Thought I'd hate electronic handbrake but after a few months getting used to it I wouldn't go back.
- Thought I'd hate paddle shift auto, again now I'm used to it I wouldn't go back (though I have the ZF 8-speed so I'm aware I may not feel as positive toward other crappier boxes).
- All the newfangled infotainment stuff makes the experience pleasant and very rarely has a problem, and if there is, it's never a showstopper.
I have experimented with buying older cars again, as little projects or potential cheap dailies, and even then the occasional problems piss me off enough that I regret it, and cost me money - not as much as a new car obviously, but enough to make the whole thing not worth the money it saves.
All in all I don't want my old bloody car back. I want a new one
I have had 2 new cars now (plus one that was a few years old but was still within manufacturer warranty)
- Never have any mechanical problems with them at all. Crucially, I can ALWAYS get to work. With older cars I would have at least 1 or 2 times a year when something would prevent me getting to work (or require me to take time off to get it looked at) which I found stressful and hugely inconvenient.
- No unexpected bills. Just servicing cost.
- No MOT concerns. All my older cars have needed work at every MOT.
- No worrying about odd noises or smells (not that there are any). If anything does go wrong it's pretty much someone else's problem.
- None of the bongs or buzzers that seem to bother you lot so much bother me in the slightest. In fact I rarely ever even get any.
- Thought I'd hate electronic handbrake but after a few months getting used to it I wouldn't go back.
- Thought I'd hate paddle shift auto, again now I'm used to it I wouldn't go back (though I have the ZF 8-speed so I'm aware I may not feel as positive toward other crappier boxes).
- All the newfangled infotainment stuff makes the experience pleasant and very rarely has a problem, and if there is, it's never a showstopper.
I have experimented with buying older cars again, as little projects or potential cheap dailies, and even then the occasional problems piss me off enough that I regret it, and cost me money - not as much as a new car obviously, but enough to make the whole thing not worth the money it saves.
All in all I don't want my old bloody car back. I want a new one
Ahh, this post echoes my thoughts on all these modern limitations. The big manufacturers have just made almost every aspect of the drive full of annoying 'features'.
Driving modes.
Hazard warning lights that come on by themselves if you brake even a little hard.
Bonging noises for everything.
No gauges for water or oil temperature.
No way of individually setting items (driving modes, DSC etc) permanently for a drive.
For autos it's far worse what with the not allowing the car to reverse with the door open, a point that I was reminded of whilst parking tight up next to a kerb at a hotel recently in a new BMW 3 series.
Then there's the electronic handbrake in the A4, which sometimes lets you pull away without needing to put your foot on the brake and pressing the button at the same time, but sometimes doesn't and either way it doesn't have the feel of an analogue handbrake so it feels like you're either needlessly dragging the clutch or rolling.
Then there's hill-start assist, which is bloody annoying if you're trying to park on a slight incline like I do every day and all it does is delay the process of rolling forwards a little.
Driving modes.
Hazard warning lights that come on by themselves if you brake even a little hard.
Bonging noises for everything.
No gauges for water or oil temperature.
No way of individually setting items (driving modes, DSC etc) permanently for a drive.
For autos it's far worse what with the not allowing the car to reverse with the door open, a point that I was reminded of whilst parking tight up next to a kerb at a hotel recently in a new BMW 3 series.
Then there's the electronic handbrake in the A4, which sometimes lets you pull away without needing to put your foot on the brake and pressing the button at the same time, but sometimes doesn't and either way it doesn't have the feel of an analogue handbrake so it feels like you're either needlessly dragging the clutch or rolling.
Then there's hill-start assist, which is bloody annoying if you're trying to park on a slight incline like I do every day and all it does is delay the process of rolling forwards a little.
PowerslideSWE said:
Top rant.
I have an e39 530i and honestly the only thing I miss is bluetooth connectivity to the stereo
I have one of these in my 17yr old E39 528 and it's bloody marvellous:I have an e39 530i and honestly the only thing I miss is bluetooth connectivity to the stereo
Bluetooth streaming from my iPhone, hands free with good quality mic and uses the car speakers, connected IPod, connect to the Internet and also a built in Satnav which is perfectly decent.
Also because it has a built in amp the sound quality of music is much better than the car stereo.
Pommygranite said:
PowerslideSWE said:
Top rant.
I have an e39 530i and honestly the only thing I miss is bluetooth connectivity to the stereo
I have one of these in my 17yr old E39 528 and it's bloody marvellous:I have an e39 530i and honestly the only thing I miss is bluetooth connectivity to the stereo
Bluetooth streaming from my iPhone, hands free with good quality mic and uses the car speakers, connected IPod, connect to the Internet and also a built in Satnav which is perfectly decent.
Also because it has a built in amp the sound quality of music is much better than the car stereo.
Blinkin-ek, think I'll stick with TVR's.
Having said that, my W219 doesn't have many bings or bongs.
The only one I can think of is when I slip it from drive into neutral and freewheel. It always bongs and displays on the dash to say cruise control has switched off, which I have already figured out.
PS. Always thought the E39 looked beautifully proportioned.
Having said that, my W219 doesn't have many bings or bongs.
The only one I can think of is when I slip it from drive into neutral and freewheel. It always bongs and displays on the dash to say cruise control has switched off, which I have already figured out.
PS. Always thought the E39 looked beautifully proportioned.
TheAngryDog said:
Anything less than a 10k car is going to need a bit of work.
I'd o further than that. In today's E39 M5 market I'd say anything priced at less than £10K is going to need more than a bit of work, and will probably end up swallowing another £10K to make it drive really well, be mechanically bulletproof for a few years, and look lovely. I'd say £15K private cars and late teens for dealer cars from reputable places is the sweet spot for them now. Auto straight sixes are really cheap still though.
Edited by Lowtimer on Tuesday 21st February 08:13
TheAngryDog said:
E39's are all good etc except you'll forever be chasing rust.
Not necessarily. Just had the factory paint off my 17 year old which had been quite badly beaten up cosmetically under previous ownership. There were scratches and minor dents and bird-poo etched craters all over it, and 160K miles of chips and dinks. It had quite a few surface blisters and scabs on it, rear arches, tailgate, couple on the sills and A pillars. Looking at it hard last autumn I thought it was time to get on top of it before it started really getting its teeth into the car, and I was braced to find at least one horror story somewhere, because that's always what you seem to find when you take the paint off a car. But, apart from the bonnet leading edge where stonechips had gone untreated for years under previous owners (easily replaced by a solid one off a scrapper for £30) there was nothing serious on the car at all. All the scabs and spots were purely light surface stuff which wire-brushed straight off to shiny metal. I think it was more down to poor paint prep on the original paint job than anything else. We didn't have to weld anything at all and there wasn't a single hole anywhere. I put new factory wings on just because it seemed a shame not to while the car was in pieces, but tbh the old ones would have cleaned up as easily as the rear arches did.Underneath it was all completely solid too.
Lowtimer said:
History, especially of significant mechanical refurb in the last five years?
Had the gearbox serviced last year (oil & filter etc.) but hasn't needed anything else other than annual servicing (always an oil and filter change at least, even though I average less than 4k a year).So it's on the original suspension, cooling system etc?
I suggesta better thread to ask on would be this one:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I suggesta better thread to ask on would be this one:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
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