Interrobang
Forum Addict
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2007
- Messages
- 8,150
"nothing else feels like it" ...
Gotta love 80ies advertising ...
Gotta love 80ies advertising ...
Our "own" car reviews
- Thread starter NooDle
- Start date
Brother Michael
Well-Known Member
Never meet your heroes they said...So I didn?t and went to check out this 1994 Pontiac Firebird instead. Now I am a huuuuuge fan of American muscle cars despite the fact that I drive an Audi S8 ? the polar opposite of plastic American rumble machines. For me there is nothing more orgasmic than the bass filled rumble of a bigass American V8 with the loudest exhaust money can buy.
This example of Firebird had everything going for it: 5.7 liter V8, 6-speed manual transmission and most importantly a modified exhaust system. And from the pictures it seemed to be in a decent conditions. So me and frankiess took the ride all across town with high hopes (well I had, him not so much). It was a wonderful summer day with clear blue skies and just as we pulled into the dealership ?Bad To The Bone? started playing on my car stereo. I mean THIS was meant to be.
A quick first look gave a good impression: the outside was in a fairly good nick for a 16 year old American car. And then the car was fired up?..Oh. My. God. If I would have any less self control, I would have tossed the keys for my Audi and taken the blue Pontiac home right there. The car was loud ? properly loud. I gathered myself and went outside to have a closer look and things got only better. The paint was in decent shape, no bumps or scrapes worth mentioning and it seemed very straight and true. The car came with a stack of papers including bills and receipts from parts, maintenance and even a repair manual. But naturally if something seems too good etc. Well, the car had a shoddy DIY bassbox in the trunk for starters. And then the interior?wow?Now I know that coming from a German executive sedan I am used to a good level of interior quality, but the Firebird was *bad*. The armrest/holding space lid was out of alignment and loose, the window switches were?well?very loose and the dash had actually started to fall apart and was cracked. The seat upholstery and roof lining were in decent shape though. Dirty, but intact. The car was (apparently) owned by a local F-Body club member, so it was most likely well taken care of (or beaten to destruction)
So I asked for the keys as it was time to take the mighty brute for a spin. And I was blown away. The steering feel, the gearbox, the throttle response?I mean this was something else. A complete piece of automotive junk.
I know what you?re thinking: ?It?s an American muscle car, it?s not supposed to go around corners?. Yes, I know that. But I would like to have some kind of remote connection to the front wheels. But that I could live with. The clutch pedal instead I could not. It was like butter. Melted, squishy, no progression whatsoever kind of butter. The biting point was right at the top of the movement and the only way I could notice the clutch engaging was forward movement. Okay, fair enough, that could be fixed with a decent new clutch. But the biggest gripe I had with this car, by a huge margin, was the gearbox. This thing was not like stirring coal. I would?ve liked it if it was. This was like sticking my hand into a bowl of fudge and just randomly moving it around. I had to double take almost every gearchange as I wasn?t sure it went in right, the movements were vague to say the least and the whole thing just felt very?gooey. I thought nobody could possibly do a worse job than Nissan?.I swore I will never drive a Nissan with a manual ever again. After today ? Gladly.
Okay?so what about the car's party piece: that mighty V8 rumbling under the hood. Well?.apart from the sound it wasn?t anything particularly exciting. I mean yes, it did want to go and begged to be toyed with. But then again compared to the engine in my car, this seemed very crude, very on-off type of engine. You had to either pootle around with the lightest of touches or smash the accelerator through the firewall. And to make matters even worse a guy from the dealership decided to tag along to ?Hold back on the hoonage? What the fuck ?? And he was nannying me all the friggin time. Don?t do that, not so, that?s wrong?.this guy was determined not to make a sale. All this made me want to go home so I cut the testdrive short, gave the car back and called it a day.
So what did I end up with then ? A horrible piece of American junk ? Yes, one could say that. 11.000? for this example of Detroit muscle ? Nnoooooooo. But I am not giving up on American muscle just yet. First of all the next one I?m gonna try will have to be an automatic. And secondly it has to be older, so the interior will at least have some retro-throw back feel to it and none of this plastic nonsense. I still love these things, but one thing I did learn ? for everyday use, as my only car ? No way, I like a decent interior and overall build quality too much.
Of course as the day was young we decided to continue our journey and sure enough the day did bring us some more events, a bit more than we had hoped for, but more on that later.
This example of Firebird had everything going for it: 5.7 liter V8, 6-speed manual transmission and most importantly a modified exhaust system. And from the pictures it seemed to be in a decent conditions. So me and frankiess took the ride all across town with high hopes (well I had, him not so much). It was a wonderful summer day with clear blue skies and just as we pulled into the dealership ?Bad To The Bone? started playing on my car stereo. I mean THIS was meant to be.
A quick first look gave a good impression: the outside was in a fairly good nick for a 16 year old American car. And then the car was fired up?..Oh. My. God. If I would have any less self control, I would have tossed the keys for my Audi and taken the blue Pontiac home right there. The car was loud ? properly loud. I gathered myself and went outside to have a closer look and things got only better. The paint was in decent shape, no bumps or scrapes worth mentioning and it seemed very straight and true. The car came with a stack of papers including bills and receipts from parts, maintenance and even a repair manual. But naturally if something seems too good etc. Well, the car had a shoddy DIY bassbox in the trunk for starters. And then the interior?wow?Now I know that coming from a German executive sedan I am used to a good level of interior quality, but the Firebird was *bad*. The armrest/holding space lid was out of alignment and loose, the window switches were?well?very loose and the dash had actually started to fall apart and was cracked. The seat upholstery and roof lining were in decent shape though. Dirty, but intact. The car was (apparently) owned by a local F-Body club member, so it was most likely well taken care of (or beaten to destruction)
So I asked for the keys as it was time to take the mighty brute for a spin. And I was blown away. The steering feel, the gearbox, the throttle response?I mean this was something else. A complete piece of automotive junk.
I know what you?re thinking: ?It?s an American muscle car, it?s not supposed to go around corners?. Yes, I know that. But I would like to have some kind of remote connection to the front wheels. But that I could live with. The clutch pedal instead I could not. It was like butter. Melted, squishy, no progression whatsoever kind of butter. The biting point was right at the top of the movement and the only way I could notice the clutch engaging was forward movement. Okay, fair enough, that could be fixed with a decent new clutch. But the biggest gripe I had with this car, by a huge margin, was the gearbox. This thing was not like stirring coal. I would?ve liked it if it was. This was like sticking my hand into a bowl of fudge and just randomly moving it around. I had to double take almost every gearchange as I wasn?t sure it went in right, the movements were vague to say the least and the whole thing just felt very?gooey. I thought nobody could possibly do a worse job than Nissan?.I swore I will never drive a Nissan with a manual ever again. After today ? Gladly.
Okay?so what about the car's party piece: that mighty V8 rumbling under the hood. Well?.apart from the sound it wasn?t anything particularly exciting. I mean yes, it did want to go and begged to be toyed with. But then again compared to the engine in my car, this seemed very crude, very on-off type of engine. You had to either pootle around with the lightest of touches or smash the accelerator through the firewall. And to make matters even worse a guy from the dealership decided to tag along to ?Hold back on the hoonage? What the fuck ?? And he was nannying me all the friggin time. Don?t do that, not so, that?s wrong?.this guy was determined not to make a sale. All this made me want to go home so I cut the testdrive short, gave the car back and called it a day.
So what did I end up with then ? A horrible piece of American junk ? Yes, one could say that. 11.000? for this example of Detroit muscle ? Nnoooooooo. But I am not giving up on American muscle just yet. First of all the next one I?m gonna try will have to be an automatic. And secondly it has to be older, so the interior will at least have some retro-throw back feel to it and none of this plastic nonsense. I still love these things, but one thing I did learn ? for everyday use, as my only car ? No way, I like a decent interior and overall build quality too much.
Of course as the day was young we decided to continue our journey and sure enough the day did bring us some more events, a bit more than we had hoped for, but more on that later.
Interrobang
Forum Addict
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2007
- Messages
- 8,150
Never been a fan of that gen Firebird designwise, but that black-blue-chrome combination on that one makes it look fantastic ... the interior does look pretty bad though, but try to imagine it with some black and blue leather/alcantara where the brown/beige mess is now ... 
sifu
Well-Known Member
ioynerien
Active Member
Audi R8 V10
Audi R8 V10
A couple of weeks ago I have again particpated in Audi's driving experience program.
In comparison with last year, there have been some changes:
- Only 6 different packages
3 of which are group drives
-> no free choice of car, only R8 Spyder's
-> fixed dates
The other three remain free choice of car, pick your own date
- You're not longer able to extend the lenght of the rent
- One tank of fuel is included - so you don't have to bring the vehicle back with a full tank
- the price has gone up a little
As I'm not a fan of sharing a vehicle with an unknown person, plus I have my own wishlist of things I'ld like to see and do, I once again opted for a non-group program.
I picked the 3 day "Audi South Tyrol" tour, and asked for a R8 V10... and I got it!
So on my chosen date I arrived at the Audi Forum in Ingolstadt to collect the car. The procedure is still the same, some paperwork, followed with an inspection and tour of the vehicle.
Obviously to do this last bit we had to go to the vehicle, so I finally caught a first glimpse of my little rental car.
First thoughts: "Oh yeah! Woohoo!" & "love the colour in combination with the carbon sideblades; not the wheels I would have picked"
http://img810.imageshack.**/img810/1530/dsc00072.th.jpg
http://img810.imageshack.**/img810/2650/dsc00075i.th.jpg
Like the S5 last year (see page 9 of this thread) this car was equipped with an Audi Exclusive interior. I absolutely loved it to bits. Simply stunning and very complementary with the exterior, black and red leather seats, red stitching, some carbon bits and pieces.
http://img822.imageshack.**/img822/650/dsc02377o.th.jpg
http://img813.imageshack.**/img813/375/dsc02380.th.jpg
http://img823.imageshack.**/img823/6115/dsc02379.th.jpg
What I however don't understand is why those seats were manual adjustable; it's a very expensive interior, for such a pricetag I would have expected to change my seating position by pressing some buttons.
Since I'm not used to driving sportcars, entering and exiting the vehicle proved to be more difficult than anticipated.
The luggage compartment is not as small as I had expected, even if it would have been too little, there's also some space behind the seats where you can put some small bags.
The rearview mirror can actually be used, I didn't expect that at all with the engine being behind the driver.
5.2l V10 .... 525hp ... I was actually a bit scared to start this thing up
A roar followed by a deap rumble, the tiger in the back had woken up and was growling in my neck...
Wow, I was absolutely speechless...
For some weird reason I didn't feel like doing the complementary factory tour, so I took her to the road. What struck me was that this car is actually driveable by a complety noob. No rear breaking out, no tiger in the back trying to eat me. But when you put your foot down you are instantly reminded by it's presence.
I absolutely love the manual transmission in this car, the solid feel and the metallic sound you get when changing gears is much more rewarding than changing gears in a regular car.
What really surprised me was the R8's fuel economy, I averaged 13L/100km (18mpg)! Not nearly as bad as I was expecting.
The first day I had to drive from Ingolstadt to the hotel in Italy, which was located in the Ulenthal (near Bolzano).
To get acquinted with the R8, i decided to stick to the B-roads. I really enjoyed driving along those curvy roads. The road to the hotel gave me a first impression of what the next days would be like, some hairpins, great scenery, staring people.
The second day I spend the entire day driving mountain passes, my favourite being the Pordoi (over 60 hairpins).
Because I was there quite early in the season, most passes were free from cyclists, busses or other annoyancies. Driving the R8 up those passes is sheer joy, I could easily keep up with the motorcycles. This must have been one of the best days in my life.
The final day I took the car back to Ingolstadt, this time I didn't ignore the lure of the Autobahn. Despite a plentitude of road works, I did have a chance to really put my foot down... Holy crap, that was both awesome and horrifying at the same time... at 280km/h I decided to slow down because it became unsafe to maintain such speeds (traffic density). What a weird experience, everything in front of my seemed to be standing still whilst my side vision was quite blurry. It was like driving in a blurry tunnel, I don't know how else to describe it.
Anyhow, the car was returned and I was forced to switch back to my lil' astra.
conclusion:
It's a gorgeous sportcar, which can be used for daily driving, but when needed the lurking power can be released in an explosion of sound and speed.
Some scenic pictures
http://img809.imageshack.**/img809/9748/dsc02394c.th.jpg
http://img822.imageshack.**/img822/274/dsc02391.th.jpg
http://img822.imageshack.**/img822/9973/dsc00084.th.jpg
Audi R8 V10
A couple of weeks ago I have again particpated in Audi's driving experience program.
In comparison with last year, there have been some changes:
- Only 6 different packages
3 of which are group drives
-> no free choice of car, only R8 Spyder's
-> fixed dates
The other three remain free choice of car, pick your own date
- You're not longer able to extend the lenght of the rent
- One tank of fuel is included - so you don't have to bring the vehicle back with a full tank
- the price has gone up a little
As I'm not a fan of sharing a vehicle with an unknown person, plus I have my own wishlist of things I'ld like to see and do, I once again opted for a non-group program.
I picked the 3 day "Audi South Tyrol" tour, and asked for a R8 V10... and I got it!
So on my chosen date I arrived at the Audi Forum in Ingolstadt to collect the car. The procedure is still the same, some paperwork, followed with an inspection and tour of the vehicle.
Obviously to do this last bit we had to go to the vehicle, so I finally caught a first glimpse of my little rental car.
First thoughts: "Oh yeah! Woohoo!" & "love the colour in combination with the carbon sideblades; not the wheels I would have picked"
http://img810.imageshack.**/img810/1530/dsc00072.th.jpg
http://img810.imageshack.**/img810/2650/dsc00075i.th.jpg
Like the S5 last year (see page 9 of this thread) this car was equipped with an Audi Exclusive interior. I absolutely loved it to bits. Simply stunning and very complementary with the exterior, black and red leather seats, red stitching, some carbon bits and pieces.
http://img822.imageshack.**/img822/650/dsc02377o.th.jpg
http://img813.imageshack.**/img813/375/dsc02380.th.jpg
http://img823.imageshack.**/img823/6115/dsc02379.th.jpg
What I however don't understand is why those seats were manual adjustable; it's a very expensive interior, for such a pricetag I would have expected to change my seating position by pressing some buttons.
Since I'm not used to driving sportcars, entering and exiting the vehicle proved to be more difficult than anticipated.
The luggage compartment is not as small as I had expected, even if it would have been too little, there's also some space behind the seats where you can put some small bags.
The rearview mirror can actually be used, I didn't expect that at all with the engine being behind the driver.
5.2l V10 .... 525hp ... I was actually a bit scared to start this thing up
A roar followed by a deap rumble, the tiger in the back had woken up and was growling in my neck...
Wow, I was absolutely speechless...
For some weird reason I didn't feel like doing the complementary factory tour, so I took her to the road. What struck me was that this car is actually driveable by a complety noob. No rear breaking out, no tiger in the back trying to eat me. But when you put your foot down you are instantly reminded by it's presence.
I absolutely love the manual transmission in this car, the solid feel and the metallic sound you get when changing gears is much more rewarding than changing gears in a regular car.
What really surprised me was the R8's fuel economy, I averaged 13L/100km (18mpg)! Not nearly as bad as I was expecting.
The first day I had to drive from Ingolstadt to the hotel in Italy, which was located in the Ulenthal (near Bolzano).
To get acquinted with the R8, i decided to stick to the B-roads. I really enjoyed driving along those curvy roads. The road to the hotel gave me a first impression of what the next days would be like, some hairpins, great scenery, staring people.
The second day I spend the entire day driving mountain passes, my favourite being the Pordoi (over 60 hairpins).
Because I was there quite early in the season, most passes were free from cyclists, busses or other annoyancies. Driving the R8 up those passes is sheer joy, I could easily keep up with the motorcycles. This must have been one of the best days in my life.
The final day I took the car back to Ingolstadt, this time I didn't ignore the lure of the Autobahn. Despite a plentitude of road works, I did have a chance to really put my foot down... Holy crap, that was both awesome and horrifying at the same time... at 280km/h I decided to slow down because it became unsafe to maintain such speeds (traffic density). What a weird experience, everything in front of my seemed to be standing still whilst my side vision was quite blurry. It was like driving in a blurry tunnel, I don't know how else to describe it.
Anyhow, the car was returned and I was forced to switch back to my lil' astra.
conclusion:
It's a gorgeous sportcar, which can be used for daily driving, but when needed the lurking power can be released in an explosion of sound and speed.
Some scenic pictures
http://img809.imageshack.**/img809/9748/dsc02394c.th.jpg
http://img822.imageshack.**/img822/274/dsc02391.th.jpg
http://img822.imageshack.**/img822/9973/dsc00084.th.jpg
Last edited:
IceBone
Blue Wheel Hipster
You lucky son of a whore!
public
Captain Slow Charging
ioynerien
Active Member
^^ see Audi South Tyrol tour for the price + add 220? for fuel + another 80? for other expenses (drinks & internet @ hotel + ...)
Brunch@Audi + 2X breakfast & 4-course dinner at the hotel were included
In my humble opinion, it's very good value for money.
Brunch@Audi + 2X breakfast & 4-course dinner at the hotel were included
In my humble opinion, it's very good value for money.
Last edited:
So, yesterday I was given an awesome chance to drive some top of line mercedes models.. I've participated in something called "Mercedes Star Fascination Unlimited." Unfortunately I didn't take many photos nor videos because it was mostly "two hands on the wheel and pray not to crash 100000?+ worth car" :lol: Here are some of my impressions:
G500
SLK350
ML63AMG
SL500
E500 coupe
SLS AMG
And that's pretty much it.. I drove some E350CDI cabrio?, S400 Hybrid and E250CDI on training ground, but it wasn't something too impressing.. Apart from demonstration of ESP on/off and then having a go my own.. :lol:
A few photos:
http://img708.imageshack.**/img708/4779/slika399.jpg
http://img132.imageshack.**/img132/8020/slika400.jpg
http://img689.imageshack.**/img689/9875/slika401.jpg
http://img31.imageshack.**/img31/2310/slika402t.jpg
http://img408.imageshack.**/img408/5651/slika403.jpg
And a video:
[video=youtube;3t-cZmEa3WI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t-cZmEa3WI[/video]
G500
Wasn't too interesting.. Great big luxury wagon with decent amounts of oomph. Actually, very decent. Until a corner possible disaster comes.. The wheel is spongy, brakes get tired after few furious accelerations and decelerations, but that's rather not surprising.. What I've liked the most were exhaust pipes on the side of the car.. That meant throughly awesome sound background!
SLK350
Now, this was a delight! Car felt very composed and rigid, but not uncomfortable at all. Nice feel behind the wheel, very neutral handling and nice sound as well. Auto gearbox on the other hand was a disaster.. It takes about 3 years to downshift when you step on it.. It can be really annoying. Such car needs a proper manual to be perfect.
ML63AMG
Never again will I say that such vehicles are pointless. The way that two and a half ton elephant (2300 kg + 4 passengers) gathers speed is insane! Absolutely insane! And in corner things get even better! It feels huge, you know it's huge, but it somehow manages to corner completely flat and as fast as you like it. I was speechless. And here's a little anecdote: we were formed in groups of 4-5 cars + leading car with someone official who was determining the pace + sls amg in the back with mercedes test driver behind the wheel who was having his own pace :lol: leaving the gap between him and group every now and then in order to show his passengers some amg oompg.. Every 15ish minutes we would stop and exchange cars.. In such exchange when I came behind the ML wheel I had problems fitting my seat.. So until I've found decent position everyone had already left leaving me and SLS behind.. And then the chase started With instructor next to me encouraging me we soon caught up. But the amazing thing was that SLS driver behind me didn't have to slow down and let me get advantage in order to have space to step on it.. As he told me later it was the only time that happened.. That's how good that ML was. Amazing!
With instructor next to me encouraging me we soon caught up. But the amazing thing was that SLS driver behind me didn't have to slow down and let me get advantage in order to have space to step on it.. As he told me later it was the only time that happened.. That's how good that ML was. Amazing!SL500
Disappointment of the day! It had some stupid luxury pack with piles of wood all over, and softened suspension and steering wheel. I don't want to waste words on it, but it was dreadful.. Maybe I've expected too much.. :?
E500 coupe
Now this was surprise of the day (beside the ML of course)! Car felt like SLK! Fast, nimble, responsive, even nervous sometimes.. Really not something you'd expect from a merc.. After driving SL this came as an absolute joy!
SLS AMG
As mentioned above, we weren't allowed to drive it ourselves, but we were driven by official test driver whose name I forgot.. And what a drive! When it was my turn he was in front of the group, so we didn't have obstructions in front :lol: So what should I say.. How awesome is it? Yes, it's that awesome as you think it is. Goes like a bullet and sounds.. Sounds like hell! When he, who has driven almost every supercar out there, said that it was one of the best sounding cars he has ever encountered, than you may imagine how awesome it actually is. There was some sort of 500ish m long canyon with the road in the middle of it.. He slowed down, lowered the windows and simply said: "now listen." Formula 1 going through the tunnel in Monte Carlo? Yes. 
And what a drive! When it was my turn he was in front of the group, so we didn't have obstructions in front :lol: So what should I say.. How awesome is it? Yes, it's that awesome as you think it is. Goes like a bullet and sounds.. Sounds like hell! When he, who has driven almost every supercar out there, said that it was one of the best sounding cars he has ever encountered, than you may imagine how awesome it actually is. There was some sort of 500ish m long canyon with the road in the middle of it.. He slowed down, lowered the windows and simply said: "now listen." Formula 1 going through the tunnel in Monte Carlo? Yes. And that's pretty much it.. I drove some E350CDI cabrio?, S400 Hybrid and E250CDI on training ground, but it wasn't something too impressing.. Apart from demonstration of ESP on/off and then having a go my own.. :lol:
A few photos:
http://img708.imageshack.**/img708/4779/slika399.jpg
http://img132.imageshack.**/img132/8020/slika400.jpg
http://img689.imageshack.**/img689/9875/slika401.jpg
http://img31.imageshack.**/img31/2310/slika402t.jpg
http://img408.imageshack.**/img408/5651/slika403.jpg
And a video:
[video=youtube;3t-cZmEa3WI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t-cZmEa3WI[/video]
Last edited:
McRae
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2009
- Messages
- 1,193
Wrong. A big SUV (without real off-road capabilities anyway) doensn't get less pointless, just because it's motherf***ing fast.
Sounds like a great experience nonetheless, though!
public
Captain Slow Charging
A family friend drives both an ML55 AMG and an ML63 AMG in Estonia, and for the varying road surfaces there they're just the ticket.
public
Captain Slow Charging
No.
public
Captain Slow Charging
Went to take a look at the 1985 BMW 324d mentioned earlier. Since the white 318iA was sold during the weekend, this was the next E30 I turned my eye on.
http://img267.imageshack.**/img267/351/3245g.jpg
http://img823.imageshack.**/img823/5170/32413.jpg
http://img714.imageshack.**/img714/7827/324as.jpg
http://img714.imageshack.**/img714/1690/32410.jpg
http://img819.imageshack.**/img819/97/3249.jpg
http://img710.imageshack.**/img710/8190/32412.jpg
http://img823.imageshack.**/img823/6725/32411o.jpg
I arranged to meet the seller at a closed petrol station in his village, and I was greeted by a young farmer in his Toyota Hilux when I got there. He had gotten himself a van as well, so the BMW was now redundant. After buying it from his uncle, he had driven it for two years and 30 000 km, and the only thing giving him trouble had been the fuel pump. Replaced once and fixed again two weeks after that, it had cost him 1800 euro all in all to get working. He said it hadn't been bothering him in the year since it had been done, and it should be in working order now. The car had also had a timing belt change then, and three oil changes during his ownership, as well as new front shocks. Recent MOT with good marks, and the papers proved that; the only minus was a thumbnail-sized hole in the passenger's side rear sill bottom. Easily fixed, though the hole had let in some crap. The underbody was solid and hadn't given any trouble in the inspection. Windscreen had a minor stone chip. The car had been fitted with a CD player, but the door cards hadn't been butchered to fit bigger speakers.
Speaking of rust, the Beamer was bubbling from some spots. The biggest bubbles were around the front wings' indicators, which had been fitted when the car was imported to Finland around ten years ago. Yep, it's a German import, with some service history to account for the low kilometre reading of 146 000 km, which I think I'll believe. The front of the car has nearly no stone chips, and it doesn't seem to be resprayed. The (working) sunroof and its surround had no rust, nor do the screen surrounds. The driver's seat was tidy and the cloth was nearly not worn at all, which on E30:s is a really good sign. The trunk and the trunklid were clean, and the spare wheel well hadn't rusted, nor had the shock towers as much as I could see. The battery had been fitted with a big circuit breaker switch. Body fixes were minimal, the driver's side rear arch had had a partial fix, and the passenger side rear section had been resprayed, probably due to a parking scrape. The rear corner bottoms had a bit of rust, but not as much as the 505 had. Otherwise, the paint and overall bodywork condition were top class for a 1985 BMW being driven in Finland.
http://img267.imageshack.**/img267/4489/3248.jpg
http://img819.imageshack.**/img819/5154/3247.jpg
http://img101.imageshack.**/img101/9909/3246h.jpg
http://img101.imageshack.**/img101/2756/3244d.jpg
http://img819.imageshack.**/img819/3071/3243.jpg
http://img691.imageshack.**/img691/6351/3242p.jpg
I then took the keys and started the 2.4-litre, 86PS I6 diesel. After waiting for the glow light to go off, the BMW sprang to life instantly. And what a sound it made - instant '70s diesel engine throwback. It was healthy, but the clatter was really lorry-like. Pulling off from the driveway, I wanted to go deliver some vegetables. As the engine was still cold, I didn't strain it, but it was clear this was from a different world than all the other E30s. Using the throttle gently but firmly produced a slow, but steady acceleration. The gearshift felt a bit loose, but the box seemed to be in useable condition. I had no qualms with it, neither had I any with the steering, which was direct and feely enough. As I came to the main road splitting the field in two, I opened the sunroof and let the summer in. This was just magnificent, clattering about in a classic BMW. I could really get used to this, I thought.
http://img267.imageshack.**/img267/4505/3241h.jpg
I pulled to a halt at the side of the road, and snapped some pictures. The paint really was in good condition, it was a shame about the bubbles. The car would have to be resprayed from the sideline down, like the Sunny Coupe was, to really make it stand out. I opened the hood and took a look at the reasonably tidy engine bay, and noted the hood had no rust on the underside, either.
Driving back , I listened to the gearchange for possible driveline thunks; shifting from 1-2 roughly gave a small thud. It was probably just me not having used to the car, as the diff seemed just fine when I peered under the car. No leaks at least.
Back at the farm, I asked about the price. The guy said it wasn't firm, and that there hadn't been that many calls. Kind of weird, since E30:s usually are in high demand around here, especially tidy ones. He said the yearly diesel tax was 600-700 euro, which is a lot; it's probably due to the engine's displacement being all of 2.4 litres. I really need to do some calculating because of this; since I'm thinking of a diesel due to my yearly km's being on the high-ish side (nearly 30k last 13 mths), I could really do with cheaper fuel bills.
So, because the 324d doesn't seem to be in high demand, I'm letting it stand for a while and see if the price comes down. There's not much wrong with the car except for the paint bubbles, but as the tax is high, I would want the car to cheapen a bit to balance out having to shell out that kind of money every year. The fuel pump is the car's Achilles' heel, and it should be alright now. Using the car during the winter shouldn't be a problem except for road salt wreaking havoc with the vulnerable paint bubbles, since the car has a block heater and apparently starts tidily first try even in the coldest mornings. Summer tires would need to be replaced, but I'd probably bin the wheels (and the steel wheel trims) completely and get some used, original BMW alloy wheels.
I'll be checking the BMW's ad for price reductions. After a couple of more lacklustre tryouts, this was definitely a step in the right direction.
And yeah, I almost pulled a Bromic when driving home.
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I arranged to meet the seller at a closed petrol station in his village, and I was greeted by a young farmer in his Toyota Hilux when I got there. He had gotten himself a van as well, so the BMW was now redundant. After buying it from his uncle, he had driven it for two years and 30 000 km, and the only thing giving him trouble had been the fuel pump. Replaced once and fixed again two weeks after that, it had cost him 1800 euro all in all to get working. He said it hadn't been bothering him in the year since it had been done, and it should be in working order now. The car had also had a timing belt change then, and three oil changes during his ownership, as well as new front shocks. Recent MOT with good marks, and the papers proved that; the only minus was a thumbnail-sized hole in the passenger's side rear sill bottom. Easily fixed, though the hole had let in some crap. The underbody was solid and hadn't given any trouble in the inspection. Windscreen had a minor stone chip. The car had been fitted with a CD player, but the door cards hadn't been butchered to fit bigger speakers.
Speaking of rust, the Beamer was bubbling from some spots. The biggest bubbles were around the front wings' indicators, which had been fitted when the car was imported to Finland around ten years ago. Yep, it's a German import, with some service history to account for the low kilometre reading of 146 000 km, which I think I'll believe. The front of the car has nearly no stone chips, and it doesn't seem to be resprayed. The (working) sunroof and its surround had no rust, nor do the screen surrounds. The driver's seat was tidy and the cloth was nearly not worn at all, which on E30:s is a really good sign. The trunk and the trunklid were clean, and the spare wheel well hadn't rusted, nor had the shock towers as much as I could see. The battery had been fitted with a big circuit breaker switch. Body fixes were minimal, the driver's side rear arch had had a partial fix, and the passenger side rear section had been resprayed, probably due to a parking scrape. The rear corner bottoms had a bit of rust, but not as much as the 505 had. Otherwise, the paint and overall bodywork condition were top class for a 1985 BMW being driven in Finland.
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I then took the keys and started the 2.4-litre, 86PS I6 diesel. After waiting for the glow light to go off, the BMW sprang to life instantly. And what a sound it made - instant '70s diesel engine throwback. It was healthy, but the clatter was really lorry-like. Pulling off from the driveway, I wanted to go deliver some vegetables. As the engine was still cold, I didn't strain it, but it was clear this was from a different world than all the other E30s. Using the throttle gently but firmly produced a slow, but steady acceleration. The gearshift felt a bit loose, but the box seemed to be in useable condition. I had no qualms with it, neither had I any with the steering, which was direct and feely enough. As I came to the main road splitting the field in two, I opened the sunroof and let the summer in. This was just magnificent, clattering about in a classic BMW. I could really get used to this, I thought.
http://img267.imageshack.**/img267/4505/3241h.jpg
I pulled to a halt at the side of the road, and snapped some pictures. The paint really was in good condition, it was a shame about the bubbles. The car would have to be resprayed from the sideline down, like the Sunny Coupe was, to really make it stand out. I opened the hood and took a look at the reasonably tidy engine bay, and noted the hood had no rust on the underside, either.
Driving back , I listened to the gearchange for possible driveline thunks; shifting from 1-2 roughly gave a small thud. It was probably just me not having used to the car, as the diff seemed just fine when I peered under the car. No leaks at least.
Back at the farm, I asked about the price. The guy said it wasn't firm, and that there hadn't been that many calls. Kind of weird, since E30:s usually are in high demand around here, especially tidy ones. He said the yearly diesel tax was 600-700 euro, which is a lot; it's probably due to the engine's displacement being all of 2.4 litres. I really need to do some calculating because of this; since I'm thinking of a diesel due to my yearly km's being on the high-ish side (nearly 30k last 13 mths), I could really do with cheaper fuel bills.
So, because the 324d doesn't seem to be in high demand, I'm letting it stand for a while and see if the price comes down. There's not much wrong with the car except for the paint bubbles, but as the tax is high, I would want the car to cheapen a bit to balance out having to shell out that kind of money every year. The fuel pump is the car's Achilles' heel, and it should be alright now. Using the car during the winter shouldn't be a problem except for road salt wreaking havoc with the vulnerable paint bubbles, since the car has a block heater and apparently starts tidily first try even in the coldest mornings. Summer tires would need to be replaced, but I'd probably bin the wheels (and the steel wheel trims) completely and get some used, original BMW alloy wheels.
I'll be checking the BMW's ad for price reductions. After a couple of more lacklustre tryouts, this was definitely a step in the right direction.
And yeah, I almost pulled a Bromic when driving home.
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Hbriz
Ballroom Blitz
Old things to quote, but they were brought up...
Wow, the only recent car I've been in that doesn't have a rev-counter is my cousins 2000 Hyundai Accent. But then, that car has a lot more issues than just not having a rev-counter.
My mum's Astra H doesn't have a temp gauge, and its a top of the range model.
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frankiess
Wankel Wanker
Must've been wicked. Cool report. You've now driven all the Merc-models I regard as Mercs and not some shopping cart ripoffs.
NooDle
Ik ben niet alleen lekker met kaas!
My Astra does, and it's the bog standard one. Maybe "remove temp guage" is a fancy option that I don't have?
see?
IceBone
Blue Wheel Hipster
Been driving my mum's Mercedes A160 5 speed manual a bit lately and I can clearly say it's really not a car for me. It's obviously a city car, because everything is sooo soft, the steering can be turned with a pinky, the fly-by-wire pedals are the softest I've ever used, laggy (about half a second) and have no feeling to them at all. The power is nearly nonexistant, it only has 95 hp, revs slowly and the car itself is quite heavy, but like I said before, it's not meant to have any sporty pretentions. The ride is very comfortable and quiet, but the seats are a bit too hard for my taste.
The car's been in our household for about 5 months and I still haven't found a sitting position I'm comfortable with, it feels like driving a van you sit so high up, especially compared to my lowered Audi, but hey, some people might prefer that. They do have quite nice side support, though, so you don't slide out of the seat when taking a roundabout a bit more vigorously, which, thanks to its 195/55/R16 tyres, it does really well, if you don't mess up the gears, which is really easy, since the gearlever is one of the worst I've ever handled. The difference between 1st and 5th gear (top left and top right) is about 3 cms latterally. It's also tilted forward a lot, so when you put your hand on it and think it's in neutral, it's probably in 4th and 1st, 3rd and 5th almost touch the center console. Very weird layout, to say the least.
The interior isn't that bad a place to be, although with the cheapest package, which this is, there's far too many hard plastics everywhere and I can't for the love of me find how to change the language of the trip computer from German to English.
Visibility is quite good, especially with the high driving position, I literally can see over other cars and the glass roof is a treat, it feels very open and spacious (even though it's quite cramped, really).
There's 1 cup holder and a bunch of pockets here and there, but no arm rest, which I've really gotten used to and feel very odd not having. The rear legroom is surprisingly plentiful, for a car this size and so is the headroom. 4 grown ups could fit in this car, but not more. The trunk space is adequate for shopping and has one of those floors which you can move up and down to modify the compartment separation a bit.
All in all, it's not a bad little car for someone like my mum, but I'll stick with my A4.
The car's been in our household for about 5 months and I still haven't found a sitting position I'm comfortable with, it feels like driving a van you sit so high up, especially compared to my lowered Audi, but hey, some people might prefer that. They do have quite nice side support, though, so you don't slide out of the seat when taking a roundabout a bit more vigorously, which, thanks to its 195/55/R16 tyres, it does really well, if you don't mess up the gears, which is really easy, since the gearlever is one of the worst I've ever handled. The difference between 1st and 5th gear (top left and top right) is about 3 cms latterally. It's also tilted forward a lot, so when you put your hand on it and think it's in neutral, it's probably in 4th and 1st, 3rd and 5th almost touch the center console. Very weird layout, to say the least.
The interior isn't that bad a place to be, although with the cheapest package, which this is, there's far too many hard plastics everywhere and I can't for the love of me find how to change the language of the trip computer from German to English.
Visibility is quite good, especially with the high driving position, I literally can see over other cars and the glass roof is a treat, it feels very open and spacious (even though it's quite cramped, really).
There's 1 cup holder and a bunch of pockets here and there, but no arm rest, which I've really gotten used to and feel very odd not having. The rear legroom is surprisingly plentiful, for a car this size and so is the headroom. 4 grown ups could fit in this car, but not more. The trunk space is adequate for shopping and has one of those floors which you can move up and down to modify the compartment separation a bit.
All in all, it's not a bad little car for someone like my mum, but I'll stick with my A4.