We need an off topic car related thread

[gwb72tii]

This has BMW's in it, and is 20 minutes of car video fun at Goodwood.
https://youtu.be/CtDH7-LbxJI

[Shawn D.]

Seems you just started one!

[1st 5er]

[turbodan]

How car related are we talking? Minimum of four wheels? 

[gwb72tii]

[sup]I don't think it matters. Didn't Morgan make a 3 wheel car?[/sup]

[stuartinmn]

My 1988 325iX just turned over 150,000 miles.  Not too bad for a car that's 37 years old.

[HayekFan]

Okay, I'll bite. What do you all think of this E46 wagon?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/205207951164?_ ... R9iWmviJZQ

2WD, automatic, and has the smaller engine so not exactly an enthusiast's car but has low miles and seems well kept. Concerns would be the possibility of bad subframe mounts, saggy headliner, and maybe the price.

Seems like it could be a practical daily driver 20 years more modern than my E28 which is starting to feel like a "classic" that deserves retirement from daily workhorse duty.

[e28Sean]

Okay, I'll bite. What do you all think of this E46 wagon?

2WD, automatic, and has the smaller engine so not exactly an enthusiast's car but has low miles and seems well kept. Concerns would be the possibility of bad subframe mounts, saggy headliner, and maybe the price.

Seems like it could be a practical daily driver 20 years more modern than my E28 which is starting to feel like a "classic" that deserves retirement from daily workhorse duty.

Meh.... Silver over black and auto both make it kind of 'meh' for me.  I feel like there are probably more interesting or engaging cars for $9.7k.
That said, as long as it's in mechanically good shape, it'll be a decent daily.

[turbodan]

E46s are just about as old now as e28s were when they came out.

I hope to feel better about that after a few drinks.

[Mike W.]

E46s are just about as old now as e28s were when they came out.

I hope to feel better about that after a few drinks.

 

 

The earliest US spec E28s were about 20 when Mye28 came about.  Earliest US spec E46s are from '98 model year.  That's 27.  Earliest E90 are from '25 model year.  That's 20.  How does that make you feel?  Drink up my man.

[turbodan]

[Mike W.]

 

 

Well played, well played.  And I speak as someone who reveled teasing pony cars with Bavarias.

[HayekFan]

Meh.... Silver over black and auto both make it kind of 'meh' for me.  I feel like there are probably more interesting or engaging cars for $9.7k.
That said, as long as it's in mechanically good shape, it'll be a decent daily.

 

 

I agree with meh on the color combo. And the interior is leatherette which I'm not crazy about. The auto is a plus because I now have a commute where crawling along in gridlocked traffic is the norm. It's been for sale for a while so I'm guessing he'd come down on the price. The low miles and solid ownership history (per CarFax) are appealing. But yeah it would definitely be a utility vehicle...but at least more interesting than a Toyota or something.

[gwb72tii]

the mighty e30 M3 and what it means to some people:
https://youtu.be/wgUU5nb1jAw

[e28Sean]

I agree with meh on the color combo. And the interior is leatherette which I'm not crazy about. The auto is a plus because I now have a commute where crawling along in gridlocked traffic is the norm. It's been for sale for a while so I'm guessing he'd come down on the price. The low miles and solid ownership history (per CarFax) are appealing. But yeah it would definitely be a utility vehicle...but at least more interesting than a Toyota or something.

It sounds like it would be fine for what you want.  Go for it, if you like it.
I still say you can find something more interesting that still tics the utility / commuter boxes for 10k.

[turbodan]

I'm going to go ahead and go a little further off topic.



I recently picked up this '86 CR125. Was buying a 1974 Yamaha DT250 and the guy said he would throw this in too. He was going to scrap it, which would have been a terrible shame.

I can fit quite a few of these in the garage. I've got a room partitioned off just for the bikes:



Nothing newer than 2003. The DT's are 1974 models. Parts are arguably easier to find for a 50 year old Yamaha than they are for an e28.

[stuartinmn]

I'm mostly a Suzuki fan, but those old Yamaha DT's are cool bikes.  One of my buddies had a DT175 when we were in college 45 years ago, it was a lot of fun to ride and it just looked right.

[John in VA]

I was going to suggest retitling the Tailpipe section "Off topic."  It had been quite some time since anyone posted there.

[turbodan]

I'm mostly a Suzuki fan, but those old Yamaha DT's are cool bikes.  One of my buddies had a DT175 when we were in college 45 years ago, it was a lot of fun to ride and it just looked right.

One I've always wanted but never found was a Suzuki TS400. I've had almost everything else from that era at some point.

That big bore two stroke torque is fantastic. I never get tired of short shifting and rolling into the throttle. It produces a reaction that is most appropriately described by the word "thrust".

[davintosh]

Okay, I'll bite. What do you all think of this E46 wagon?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/205207951164?_ ... port+Wagon

2WD, automatic, and has the smaller engine so not exactly an enthusiast's car but has low miles and seems well kept. Concerns would be the possibility of bad subframe mounts, saggy headliner, and maybe the price.

Seems like it could be a practical daily driver 20 years more modern than my E28 which is starting to feel like a "classic" that deserves retirement from daily workhorse duty.

A bit overpriced for the color combo, the vinyl interior, the lack of Sport package bits, but that's just me (maybe a few others!) There's also a pedal missing; I saw the bit about your commute, so I guess the automatic would be an acceptable compromise.

I love the e46 almost as much as the e28 though, and the wagon makes it all that much more loveable.  

[HayekFan]

Okay, I'll bite. What do you all think of this E46 wagon?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/205207951164?_ ... port+Wagon

2WD, automatic, and has the smaller engine so not exactly an enthusiast's car but has low miles and seems well kept. Concerns would be the possibility of bad subframe mounts, saggy headliner, and maybe the price.

Seems like it could be a practical daily driver 20 years more modern than my E28 which is starting to feel like a "classic" that deserves retirement from daily workhorse duty.

A bit overpriced for the color combo, the vinyl interior, the lack of Sport package bits, but that's just me (maybe a few others!) There's also a pedal missing; I saw the bit about your commute, so I guess the automatic would be an acceptable compromise.

I love the e46 almost as much as the e28 though, and the wagon makes it all that much more loveable.  

Yep, exactly. The negatives you guys are bringing up are exactly the things that make me hesitate.

But oh man that E46 wagon styling is right on the money. Easily one of BMW's best modern designs.

And it's not exactly every day that you see one with under 100k miles.

I just checked eBay and the interior door panels and seats and stuff are very available. It would probably cost less than $1k to do an interior color/leather swap it looks like.

I love the idea of the small inline 6 and rear wheel drive configuration. No fancy AWD to complicate things. The auto trans is depressing but fits my circumstances and would make the car useable as a backup for lady drivers in the family.

Shouldn't be a big deal for an upholstery shop to fix the saggy headliner in the cargo area.

The seller has dropped his asking price $500 and would probably come down further.

I do worry about the possibility of cracked rear subframe mounts, which was enough of a problem in E46's that they had a recall for the issue. OTOH maybe I'm being too cautious thanks to a recent ordeal with rusted subframe mounts in my E28.  

[Federico]

A bit overpriced for the color combo, the vinyl interior, the lack of Sport package bits, but that's just me (maybe a few others!) There's also a pedal missing; I saw the bit about your commute, so I guess the automatic would be an acceptable compromise.

I love the e46 almost as much as the e28 though, and the wagon makes it all that much more loveable.  

Yep, exactly. The negatives you guys are bringing up are exactly the things that make me hesitate.

But oh man that E46 wagon styling is right on the money. Easily one of BMW's best modern designs.

And it's not exactly every day that you see one with under 100k miles.

I just checked eBay and the interior door panels and seats and stuff are very available. It would probably cost less than $1k to do an interior color/leather swap it looks like.

I love the idea of the small inline 6 and rear wheel drive configuration. No fancy AWD to complicate things. The auto trans is depressing but fits my circumstances and would make the car useable as a backup for lady drivers in the family.

Shouldn't be a big deal for an upholstery shop to fix the saggy headliner in the cargo area.

The seller has dropped his asking price $500 and would probably come down further.

I do worry about the possibility of cracked rear subframe mounts, which was enough of a problem in E46's that they had a recall for the issue. OTOH maybe I'm being too cautious thanks to a recent ordeal with rusted subframe mounts in my E28.  

I can recommend the Volvo V50 as a daily wagon. Focus 2 underpinnings so not as good to drive as BMW, but still decent (and cheap to fix) fwd chassis.
The ergonomics are excellent: driving position, switch gear, etc. are all spot on. Plus the interior materials are nicer than you would expect.

[HayekFan]

I can recommend the Volvo V50 as a daily wagon. Focus 2 underpinnings so not as good to drive as BMW, but still decent (and cheap to fix) fwd chassis.
The ergonomics are excellent: driving position, switch gear, etc. are all spot on. Plus the interior materials are nicer than you would expect.

 

 

Thanks, those Volvo wagons do look interesting. Nice styling with some pretty daring interior design in some years it looks like. The Focus platform would be great for maintenance as you mention. I see there's a Cross Country 4-door hatchback variant that looks interesting as well.

[Federico]

I can recommend the Volvo V50 as a daily wagon. Focus 2 underpinnings so not as good to drive as BMW, but still decent (and cheap to fix) fwd chassis.
The ergonomics are excellent: driving position, switch gear, etc. are all spot on. Plus the interior materials are nicer than you would expect.

 

Thanks, those Volvo wagons do look interesting. Nice styling with some pretty daring interior design in some years it looks like. The Focus platform would be great for maintenance as you mention. I see there's a Cross Country 4-door hatchback variant that looks interesting as well.

The larger V70 and the cross country XC70 share parts with the Ford Mondeo/Fusion, so a little more upmarket. Those could be had with AWD, adaptive cruise and a transverse 3.2 straight 6. All very nice but of course you have to consider the maintenance costs that come with extra complexity. They can be cheaper than the equivalent bmw though.

[Chimi-Changa]

Okay, I'll bite. What do you all think of this E46 wagon?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/205207951164?_ ... R9iWmviJZQ

2WD, automatic, and has the smaller engine so not exactly an enthusiast's car but has low miles and seems well kept. Concerns would be the possibility of bad subframe mounts, saggy headliner, and maybe the price.

Seems like it could be a practical daily driver 20 years more modern than my E28 which is starting to feel like a "classic" that deserves retirement from daily workhorse duty.
 

 

 

 

I have one- 03 325i RWD Touring, Auto ( ours Red/Grey Sport, leather, Premium, BiXenons, HK, Parking sensors etc) with 146k on it and we love it.  The handling is soooo good! (ours has been in the family for about 20 years) M54 is a pretty serviceable motor too. If you join the facebook e46 touring group you will see others for sale. A Blue/Tan AWD manual one with similar miles to mine was just listed at $5900 for example.

Similar size to the Volvo V50 (Wifey's) parked next to it.