Show Us Your Motors!

Washed the M340i and its baby brother this afternoon :D 3 stage Autoglym Polar Blast/Wash/Seal. I do like this Autoglym stuff, it works superbly and doesn't cost a fortune either, which is nice.

Z4 had an Inspection 2 and MoT at the start of the week at my local BMW indy. Had them replace the coil packs and fit a new valve cover gasket as it was leaking slightly at the usual N52 place - back left of the engine. No more burnt oil dripping onto the exhaust now! So thats the little Zed ready for some weekend top-down motoring once the nicer Spring weather arrives :D

I'm just over a month into ownership of the M340i and I am continuing to love it to bits. It's astounding just how quickly it can get you from A to B yet still return mid to high 30's mpg. I recorded a 42 mpg figure last week, but that was on a long motorway journey with cruise on mostly, in Eco Pro mode. Chuffed to bits with it, can't think of a more perfect daily for my needs :cool:

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I love it, manual 540i's are like hens teeth, very, very rare and this is me speaking from trying to find one 12 years ago, 540i's were rare anyway, manual ones though ...I'd just laugh in all honesty if someone said they wanted one now and say good luck with that, now they will be all the rarer I'm sure. I bought a 540i Sport automatic in the end, it had some issues tbh but was mostly a nice car, awsome engine. I still love the E39's ...tbh I totally lost interest in newer cars after about 2015 or so, now I very much prefer older cars, the same cars we used to talk about and lust after on this forum 15-20 years ago, this was the era of peak car in my humble opinion and you sir are doing it right I would say :)

I do not have mine anymore fyi, I sold it in 2012 iirc, because I was starting to find myself in the sunk cost fallacy with it.

...are all the pixels in your dash working by chance ?

I haven't posted a car picture myself in ...I dunno, since 2015 probably, I think the Octavia vRS was the last car I showed here, I'll see if I can't get a half decent one again, seems like time.
 
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I love it, manual 540i's are like hens teeth, very, very rare and this is me speaking from trying to find one 12 years ago, 540i's were rare anyway, manual ones though ...I'd just laugh in all honesty if someone said they wanted one now and say good luck with that, now they will be all the rarer I'm sure. I bought a 540i Sport automatic in the end, it had some issues tbh but was mostly a nice car, awsome engine. I still love the E39's ...tbh I totally lost interest in newer cars after about 2015 or so, now I very much prefer older cars, the same cars we used to talk about and lust after on this forum 15-20 years ago, this was the era of peak car in my humble opinion and you sir are doing it right I would say :)

I do not have mine anymore fyi, I sold it in 2012 iirc, because I was starting to find myself in the sunk cost fallacy with it.

...are all the pixels in your dash working by chance ?

I haven't posted a car picture myself in ...I dunno, since 2015 probably, I think the Octavia vRS was the last car I showed here, I'll see if I can't get a half decent one again, seems like time.

Kind of agree with "peak car" analogy. It probably means that I'm getting old! For sure cars are faster and safer, but a good example is my 2006 997. Not sure I'd ever get rid of it as the looks, dimensions and performance are just brilliant. The old man's DB9 is another example, just magnificent! If I suddenly had the means to buy a brand new one, I'd probably have the means to keep hold of the current car too and start a collection! I probably do need to test drive a newer family runaround at some point though, surely things have got better for the run of the mill runaround?
 
Kind of agree with "peak car" analogy. It probably means that I'm getting old! For sure cars are faster and safer, but a good example is my 2006 997. Not sure I'd ever get rid of it as the looks, dimensions and performance are just brilliant. The old man's DB9 is another example, just magnificent! If I suddenly had the means to buy a brand new one, I'd probably have the means to keep hold of the current car too and start a collection! I probably do need to test drive a newer family runaround at some point though, surely things have got better for the run of the mill runaround?
Absolutely, the DB9 is one of the nicest looking cars made since the 1990s imo. While I've never been that much of a Porsche fan, I do think the 997 could be considered peak 'everyday' performance car, it just does everything right really I think. I had 2 cars until recently, a W204 Mercedes C320 CDI AMG Sport and an F22 BMW 2 series coupe, both are sold now and I've replaced them with just a newer Mercedes W204 C350 CDI AMG Sport Plus. I rather liked having more than one car, even though they were quite similar really, I may well buy a second one again at some point later this year but I do think I'd like it to be a proper classic, maybe an old W123 perhaps or an E34 5 series, I really like those, something I can put on classic car insurance and maybe fit in the garage (the E34 wouldn't but a W123 is probably narrow enough) and that's interesting, not just two dailies.

Not too sure about 'family run-arounds' as those aren't really my cup of tea but they do seem to mostly be small SUV's and crossovers of sorts these days, my colleague has a VW Tiguan, that's quite nice actually, for running a family around in comfort and safety it's fine, not at all 'interesting' but it's a good tool for the job.
 
I love it, manual 540i's are like hens teeth, very, very rare and this is me speaking from trying to find one 12 years ago, 540i's were rare anyway, manual ones though ...I'd just laugh in all honesty if someone said they wanted one now and say good luck with that, now they will be all the rarer I'm sure. I bought a 540i Sport automatic in the end, it had some issues tbh but was mostly a nice car, awsome engine. I still love the E39's ...tbh I totally lost interest in newer cars after about 2015 or so, now I very much prefer older cars, the same cars we used to talk about and lust after on this forum 15-20 years ago, this was the era of peak car in my humble opinion and you sir are doing it right I would say :)

I do not have mine anymore fyi, I sold it in 2012 iirc, because I was starting to find myself in the sunk cost fallacy with it.

...are all the pixels in your dash working by chance ?

I haven't posted a car picture myself in ...I dunno, since 2015 probably, I think the Octavia vRS was the last car I showed here, I'll see if I can't get a half decent one again, seems like time.
Thanks for the reply and appreciation.

yes it has the pixel dash problem and on the radio too but I believe can be sent off for a cheap repair.

I was looking at the E34 540i originally but again they are rare. This came up on eBay and I had to jump at the chance. As expected the seller was getting many inquiries.

But yeah old school V8 with a manual is something you don’t see and won’t see in future so was something I had to try before it’s too late.

Got an initial list of jobs that need doing mechanically and bodywork but think of it as a project. Deep/steam cleaned the interior over the weekend..
 
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A wallet emptying x2 new rear magrides & oil change later..

(V8, manual)

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I love it, manual 540i's are like hens teeth, very, very rare and this is me speaking from trying to find one 12 years ago, 540i's were rare anyway, manual ones though ...I'd just laugh in all honesty if someone said they wanted one now and say good luck with that, now they will be all the rarer I'm sure. I bought a 540i Sport automatic in the end, it had some issues tbh but was mostly a nice car, awsome engine. I still love the E39's ...tbh I totally lost interest in newer cars after about 2015 or so, now I very much prefer older cars, the same cars we used to talk about and lust after on this forum 15-20 years ago, this was the era of peak car in my humble opinion and you sir are doing it right I would say :)

I do not have mine anymore fyi, I sold it in 2012 iirc, because I was starting to find myself in the sunk cost fallacy with it.

...are all the pixels in your dash working by chance ?

I haven't posted a car picture myself in ...I dunno, since 2015 probably, I think the Octavia vRS was the last car I showed here, I'll see if I can't get a half decent one again, seems like time.

I agree with peak car analogy.. I'm stuck in 2001-2012 with my car pickings and what interests me.. have no interest in proper modern stuff.
 
I probably do need to test drive a newer family runaround at some point though, surely things have got better for the run of the mill runaround?

Nah the run of the mill family runaround these days is the epitome of adequate, comfortable enough, generally reasonably specced, absolutely nothing to get excited about, the engines are generally smaller and rinsed out with the aid of a turbo, economical/low emissions/responsive if you drive sedately but if you dare actually put your foot down any illusions will be shattered.

Personally much prefer the approx. 2012-14 stuff - new enough tech wise to have the useful features where it matters while still having the old school where it matters - no silly touch buttons or hiding frequently used functions away 5 menus deep in the infotainment system, etc. and better engine choices.
 
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@Rroff - I think a plug in hybrid will be our next. We make a lot of sub 30 mile journeys and it would make sense to cut out the engine altogether for those. I do love a physical button though.

@Moeks - agree that a runaround is nothing to get excited about. It’s a tool and I do love our 2012 Sportage for this as I just don’t care if it picks up another scratch or more crumbs fall down the seat cracks.

Buying a £££ PHEV new like a T8 XC90 would cause great anxiety if it picked up a parking ding or curbed a 22” wheel. Let alone kids spilling food inside and chucking muddy kit in the back.

@dacads - love the car and it proves the point nicely about how good things got in the early 00’s. Shame about the current fuel prices!
 
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