The Best ///M/Barge/General Rant/Look at this/O/T(Vol XVIII)
Discussion
as an arctic breeze in January! 
ferrisbueller said:
That said, I would love to be one of these people who puts massive miles on something like that. Alas, I'm a lottery win off justifying it.
You could do a mini version. 
What is the cumulative mileage on your vehicles? Treat them like cars now and then that are meant to be used and which depreciate. My GT3 is soon hitting 70k and the Cayenne is around 123k. You wouldn't know it! Besides, Ferraris are easy to tweak mileage aren't they?
Every 355 for sale alway has mileage starting with a 3.....New Carfection video (Catchpole) driving the stunning Esprit Sport 300.
I've been lucky enough to drive many iterations of Esprit over the years but the 300 has eluded me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9FyuZV3sZc
I've been lucky enough to drive many iterations of Esprit over the years but the 300 has eluded me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9FyuZV3sZc
ATM said:
2004 / 2005 4.4 or 4.8 x5. Is the 4.8 worth the extra money if I just want to potter round or is the 4.4 adequate?
4.8 any day of the week. Fastest normally aspirated X of any shape ever made 0-60 in 5.9 and it head buts the limiter at 150. Derestricted it will reach 167 apparently which is not bad for a big ole bus.The extra grunt of the 4.8 is very noticeable and they do make a sublime noise. Remember - the same early 4.8 went into the Morgan too. The actual engine is a strange beast - forged rods and pistons, and a redline of 7000rpm in a SUV! The subsequent 4.8s found in the E70, 6-series and 5-series make the same power but are not as nice internally - cast components. Also, personally I think it is the last good sounding BMW alongside the E60/61 M5. The gauges straight off the E39 M5 are also a nice touch.
Also being top of the tree it comes with a lot of optional extras as standard - dynamic xenons, panoramic sunroof, air-suspension all round (handy for towing the race car), heated seats, sat nav/TV, the cool but also ridiculous 20” wheels with 315 rears and 275 fronts. Wide arches body kit as well as the square exhaust. Brutal for its era brakes - they fitted them to the E60 M5 at the same time.
Problems - valve seals. If it smokes - walk away. Air suspension - four sensors, four air-bags and a compressor. When it works - brilliant. When it fails - hmm... Valve cover gaskets - yet to see a dry BMW V8 engine. Stupid design. Suspension - they are heavy, but in contemporary tests, they beat anything Porsche could throw at it until the 2nd gen Cayenne. Bushes do wear out - full set of rear arms/bushes are £280 from Lemforder + Fitting. Panoramic roofs leak sometimes. Hedgehog resistor. Alternator regulator could play up.
I have run one for the last 4yrs and 32k miles. Have toyed with the idea of selling it, but for the money when everything works there is nothing that can touch it. I bought it with 60k in the clock.
Outside of 2 regular services I have had the following done:
1 level sensor
Previous owner had the front struts and airbags replaced by BMW
Rear suspension upper arms
Valve cover gaskets
Alternator regulator
Water pump - it was the original BMW one and two drive belts
I also did a gearbox oil change as a preventative measure
Awesome cars and worth the extra over the cooking 4.4 Think of it as a direct rival to the Cayenne GTS
Patrick Bateman said:
If it smokes?
Is it not safer to assume most will to an extent if left idling for a while then booted?
Nope - if it is a good one - it doesn’t smoke. Luck of the draw. Is it not safer to assume most will to an extent if left idling for a while then booted?
I viewed a 30k mile late 55 reg 4.8iS and was prepared to pay the 12k asking price back in 2015. That was until I let it idle for 10mins hot and then booted it...
Yet, did the same with mine twice after a very spirited test drive - the dealer up in Great Dunnow let me have the keys on my own - absolutely no smoke whatsoever. Sitting in Sarf London’s traffic - no smoke...
Output Flange said:
Don’t forget there’s also the 4.6iS when talking E53s.
yeah but no but yeah...Alpina derived unit, with Alpina priced headaches, pun intended
5-spd box is very old school
significantly thirstier due to 5-spd box
no X-drive, which some see as a minus, I see as a plus as new system is better and more robust when looked after.
Truth be told - buy on condition. A well cared for late 4.4i Sport would be significantly better than a 10 owners, ///M badges everywhere 4.8iS on Linglongs at the rear and Landsail at the front... But if everything stacks up, a well cared for 4.8iS is a great car and worth it of the premium that sellers ask for...
Edited by Cheburator mk2 on Sunday 20th January 23:28
Cheburator mk2 said:
Output Flange said:
Don’t forget there’s also the 4.6iS when talking E53s.
yeah but no but yeah...Alpina derived unit, with Alpina priced headaches, pun intended
5-spd box is very old school
significantly thirstier due to 5-spd box
no X-drive, which some see as a minus, I see as a plus as new system is better and more robust when looked after.
Truth be told - buy on condition. A well cared for late 4.4i Sport would be significantly better than a 10 owners, ///M badges everywhere 4.8iS on Linglongs at the rear and Landsail at the front... But if everything stacks up, a well cared for 4.8iS is a great car and worth it of the premium that sellers ask for...
Edited by Cheburator mk2 on Sunday 20th January 23:28
The X5 4.4 and 4.6 M62 engines will all have metal headgaskets whereas only the 2001-on Alpina engines do, but the 'yeah but no but yeah' is true as nearly all M62 engines will increasingly be having timing chain guide mileage or age related issues as well as coolant system issues. I believe the later X5 N62 engines don't have the timing chain guide issues but have slightly earlier in life valve stem guide issues; although these can apparently be replaced without head removal thanks to a very trick design and a clever tool.
Cheburator mk2 said:
Patrick Bateman said:
If it smokes?
Is it not safer to assume most will to an extent if left idling for a while then booted?
Nope - if it is a good one - it doesn’t smoke. Luck of the draw. Is it not safer to assume most will to an extent if left idling for a while then booted?
I viewed a 30k mile late 55 reg 4.8iS and was prepared to pay the 12k asking price back in 2015. That was until I let it idle for 10mins hot and then booted it...
Yet, did the same with mine twice after a very spirited test drive - the dealer up in Great Dunnow let me have the keys on my own - absolutely no smoke whatsoever. Sitting in Sarf London’s traffic - no smoke...
I suspect as you trot up into the 6 figure mileages it will be fairly prevalent, to varying degrees of course.
Patrick Bateman said:
What mileage?
I suspect as you trot up into the 6 figure mileages it will be fairly prevalent, to varying degrees of course.
Nope - bought the car at 70odd and now at 103.5k - plenty of US cars out there with mileage beyond 150 which don’t smoke and plenty of sub 100k cars which do. BMW revised both the material and the actual design of the valve stem seal. No indication when this was actually implemented...I suspect as you trot up into the 6 figure mileages it will be fairly prevalent, to varying degrees of course.
A couple of lunchtime musings from the wee one;
A band of former TVR engineers have re-envisaged the Speed 12
".......carbon-composite chassis, carbon-fibre bodywork, a titanium exhaust system, and, most importantly, a twin-turbocharged Aston Martin-derived 6.0-litre V12 kicking out a narcotic 1012bhp and good for 0–60mph in 2.9sec. "
Lancer vs Lancia: Spending The Day With Two Rally Legends On A Frozen Field In Italy
https://petrolicious.com/articles/lancer-vs-lancia...
The Ice Race in Zell am See was a frosty festival of speed
https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/cars/ice-...
A band of former TVR engineers have re-envisaged the Speed 12
".......carbon-composite chassis, carbon-fibre bodywork, a titanium exhaust system, and, most importantly, a twin-turbocharged Aston Martin-derived 6.0-litre V12 kicking out a narcotic 1012bhp and good for 0–60mph in 2.9sec. "
=================
Lancer vs Lancia: Spending The Day With Two Rally Legends On A Frozen Field In Italy
https://petrolicious.com/articles/lancer-vs-lancia...
==================
The Ice Race in Zell am See was a frosty festival of speed
https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/cars/ice-...
====================
W00DY said:
How much longer will they be this cheap? Just over a third of the price of the S2000 posted earlier, its crazy.
I remember thinking the same about 944S2s in the late 00s and look what they fetch now...
Chris Stott said:
From the Scramble...
That looks great. 
Loony tunes integrale with weird exhaust manifold!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233099740601
E24man said:
Cheburator mk2 said:
Output Flange said:
Don’t forget there’s also the 4.6iS when talking E53s.
yeah but no but yeah...Alpina derived unit, with Alpina priced headaches, pun intended
5-spd box is very old school
significantly thirstier due to 5-spd box
no X-drive, which some see as a minus, I see as a plus as new system is better and more robust when looked after.
Truth be told - buy on condition. A well cared for late 4.4i Sport would be significantly better than a 10 owners, ///M badges everywhere 4.8iS on Linglongs at the rear and Landsail at the front... But if everything stacks up, a well cared for 4.8iS is a great car and worth it of the premium that sellers ask for...
Edited by Cheburator mk2 on Sunday 20th January 23:28
The X5 4.4 and 4.6 M62 engines will all have metal headgaskets whereas only the 2001-on Alpina engines do, but the 'yeah but no but yeah' is true as nearly all M62 engines will increasingly be having timing chain guide mileage or age related issues as well as coolant system issues. I believe the later X5 N62 engines don't have the timing chain guide issues but have slightly earlier in life valve stem guide issues; although these can apparently be replaced without head removal thanks to a very trick design and a clever tool.
He has access to the special tool and reckons around £1k to sort, the parts are cheap. Compared to around £2-2.5k if you take the heads off it turns a nightmare into a really bad day on what is now an old car that's not worth that much.
We agreed that the sensible course of action would be to wait until it gets really bad and do the job then, I may get another couple of years before needing to spend the cash if I still have the car.
Speed addicted said:
E24man said:
Cheburator mk2 said:
Output Flange said:
Don’t forget there’s also the 4.6iS when talking E53s.
yeah but no but yeah...Alpina derived unit, with Alpina priced headaches, pun intended
5-spd box is very old school
significantly thirstier due to 5-spd box
no X-drive, which some see as a minus, I see as a plus as new system is better and more robust when looked after.
Truth be told - buy on condition. A well cared for late 4.4i Sport would be significantly better than a 10 owners, ///M badges everywhere 4.8iS on Linglongs at the rear and Landsail at the front... But if everything stacks up, a well cared for 4.8iS is a great car and worth it of the premium that sellers ask for...
Edited by Cheburator mk2 on Sunday 20th January 23:28
The X5 4.4 and 4.6 M62 engines will all have metal headgaskets whereas only the 2001-on Alpina engines do, but the 'yeah but no but yeah' is true as nearly all M62 engines will increasingly be having timing chain guide mileage or age related issues as well as coolant system issues. I believe the later X5 N62 engines don't have the timing chain guide issues but have slightly earlier in life valve stem guide issues; although these can apparently be replaced without head removal thanks to a very trick design and a clever tool.
He has access to the special tool and reckons around £1k to sort, the parts are cheap. Compared to around £2-2.5k if you take the heads off it turns a nightmare into a really bad day on what is now an old car that's not worth that much.
We agreed that the sensible course of action would be to wait until it gets really bad and do the job then, I may get another couple of years before needing to spend the cash if I still have the car.
Speed addicted said:
My 645 has started to smoke a little if left to idle for 10mins then booted, so I've spoken to my local indy about costs to fix.
He has access to the special tool and reckons around £1k to sort, the parts are cheap. Compared to around £2-2.5k if you take the heads off it turns a nightmare into a really bad day on what is now an old car that's not worth that much.
We agreed that the sensible course of action would be to wait until it gets really bad and do the job then, I may get another couple of years before needing to spend the cash if I still have the car.
Out of interest, what mileage is on the 645?He has access to the special tool and reckons around £1k to sort, the parts are cheap. Compared to around £2-2.5k if you take the heads off it turns a nightmare into a really bad day on what is now an old car that's not worth that much.
We agreed that the sensible course of action would be to wait until it gets really bad and do the job then, I may get another couple of years before needing to spend the cash if I still have the car.
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