Show Me Your BMW!!!!!!!!!
Discussion
RoverP6B said:
They ARE practical to use as a daily. I've had nothing but E39s for years now. There's been the odd big-ish bill, but the cost amortised across the mileage I do in them is peanuts. They're also INFINITELY more likeable - and in some ways demonstrably objectively better - than anything BMW has made in the last decade...
Please, just go away, you are really tedious.had ham said:
RoverP6B said:
They ARE practical to use as a daily. I've had nothing but E39s for years now. There's been the odd big-ish bill, but the cost amortised across the mileage I do in them is peanuts. They're also INFINITELY more likeable - and in some ways demonstrably objectively better - than anything BMW has made in the last decade...
Please, just go away, you are really tedious.The man has a point. Apart from a brief period in a Vauxhall the last 10 years of motoring have seen me in 2 E39’s and an E46 and I was only stranded once by a dead 10 year old battery.
sparks_E46 said:
Wow! That was uncalled for?
The man has a point. Apart from a brief period in a Vauxhall the last 10 years of motoring have seen me in 2 E39’s and an E46 and I was only stranded once by a dead 10 year old battery.
Look back at his posting history here, and tell me it was uncalled for. The man's a major bore.The man has a point. Apart from a brief period in a Vauxhall the last 10 years of motoring have seen me in 2 E39’s and an E46 and I was only stranded once by a dead 10 year old battery.
I had a brand-new F11 520d Touring for a month and it was demonstrably inferior to my E39s in several ways.
Fuel economy - struggled to better 35mpg average, even in sustained cruising it was only low 40s.
Visibility - as bad as my E46 Touring
Ride - even worse than my E46 Touring (and that's saying something), simply unforgivably bad
Handling - very stodgy, crashy suspension made it impossible to tackle a B-road with confidence
Steering - no feel whatsoever, no self-centring either; as such, I had no confidence in its accuracy
Brakes - no feel, effective enough if you hammered them, but any kind of nuance was impossible
Build quality - by the time I handed it back at the end of the month, it was already squeaking and rattling
Interior space - more cramped than the E39s, and whereas I can get a tumble dryer or a large touring bike across the E39's boot without folding the rear seats down, I could not do so with the F11, so it was strictly a 2-seater in crap-hauling mode. As such, it was hopelessly impractical for my needs...
There was some more niggly stuff, like the autobox gear number indicator (when in manual override) being in light grey on dark grey, making it impossible to read, or the electronic handbrake (what was wrong with a ratchet lever?!) being linked to the electronic throttle, so that even thinking of the throttle's existence while stopped at traffic lights caused a deafening alarm to be sounded, and making creeping in stop-start traffic largely impossible (I found myself using the handbrake much less and riding the wheel brakes far more)...
All in all, it was a needlessly unpleasant experience, which could and should have been a lot better. The E39 in all forms rides, handles, steers, sounds and hauls crap better than that F11. Subjectively, I think it's MUCH prettier too.
The fact that E39 M5s and F10 M5s are pretty much the same money on the secondhand market now is telling...
Fuel economy - struggled to better 35mpg average, even in sustained cruising it was only low 40s.
Visibility - as bad as my E46 Touring
Ride - even worse than my E46 Touring (and that's saying something), simply unforgivably bad
Handling - very stodgy, crashy suspension made it impossible to tackle a B-road with confidence
Steering - no feel whatsoever, no self-centring either; as such, I had no confidence in its accuracy
Brakes - no feel, effective enough if you hammered them, but any kind of nuance was impossible
Build quality - by the time I handed it back at the end of the month, it was already squeaking and rattling
Interior space - more cramped than the E39s, and whereas I can get a tumble dryer or a large touring bike across the E39's boot without folding the rear seats down, I could not do so with the F11, so it was strictly a 2-seater in crap-hauling mode. As such, it was hopelessly impractical for my needs...
There was some more niggly stuff, like the autobox gear number indicator (when in manual override) being in light grey on dark grey, making it impossible to read, or the electronic handbrake (what was wrong with a ratchet lever?!) being linked to the electronic throttle, so that even thinking of the throttle's existence while stopped at traffic lights caused a deafening alarm to be sounded, and making creeping in stop-start traffic largely impossible (I found myself using the handbrake much less and riding the wheel brakes far more)...
All in all, it was a needlessly unpleasant experience, which could and should have been a lot better. The E39 in all forms rides, handles, steers, sounds and hauls crap better than that F11. Subjectively, I think it's MUCH prettier too.
The fact that E39 M5s and F10 M5s are pretty much the same money on the secondhand market now is telling...
ATM said:
RoverP6B said:
The fact that E39 M5s and F10 M5s are pretty much the same money on the secondhand market now is telling...
I think this has more to do with the insanity now in the 2nd hand market for anything that is manual.
eezeh said:
ATM said:
RoverP6B said:
The fact that E39 M5s and F10 M5s are pretty much the same money on the secondhand market now is telling...
I think this has more to do with the insanity now in the 2nd hand market for anything that is manual.
eezeh said:
ATM said:
RoverP6B said:
The fact that E39 M5s and F10 M5s are pretty much the same money on the secondhand market now is telling...
I think this has more to do with the insanity now in the 2nd hand market for anything that is manual.
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/5giqPUwH.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/AQc1I3Zt" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/AQc1I3Zt.jpg)
I may have put my car in here, I may not. So I'll put the BMWs in from start to finish:
I used to drive this many many moons ago. An E32 730i. It was a lovely old boat. I say was as it did used to be a kettle until the rad was changed.
I then had this many years later as a winter smoker for a few months. Despite it ticking many boxes (BMW Coupe, Straight 6, Manual, new suspension etc.) I never really gelled with the car. So off it went after a few months:
Then my E46 M3 entered the scene. It's fair to say it's worked its way into my heart a little!
M3 Wheels by Charlieboy, on Flickr
At the moment I am driving this:
M3 Individual by Charlieboy, on Flickr
M3 Individual by Charlieboy, on Flickr
M3 Individual by Charlieboy, on Flickr
Yes, it's a convertible, I know and the gearbox isn't for everyone. But it is an Individual with Extended leather. It's also a car which mechanically is very well sorted. It drives lovely! Sure, it has the odd bit of scuttle shake but with the roof down with the recent weather we've been having, the car just works so well!
Damn, this has left me troubled, and not in a way I expected!
I used to drive this many many moons ago. An E32 730i. It was a lovely old boat. I say was as it did used to be a kettle until the rad was changed.
I then had this many years later as a winter smoker for a few months. Despite it ticking many boxes (BMW Coupe, Straight 6, Manual, new suspension etc.) I never really gelled with the car. So off it went after a few months:
Then my E46 M3 entered the scene. It's fair to say it's worked its way into my heart a little!
M3 Wheels by Charlieboy, on FlickrAt the moment I am driving this:
M3 Individual by Charlieboy, on FlickrM3 Individual by Charlieboy, on FlickrM3 Individual by Charlieboy, on FlickrYes, it's a convertible, I know and the gearbox isn't for everyone. But it is an Individual with Extended leather. It's also a car which mechanically is very well sorted. It drives lovely! Sure, it has the odd bit of scuttle shake but with the roof down with the recent weather we've been having, the car just works so well!
Damn, this has left me troubled, and not in a way I expected!
Enjoy it. 
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