Show us your Cars

[Juhazi]

Got my new toy yesterday. The motor of the boat didn't run well, I obviously pumped too much gas. Well the lake is still ice-covered...

BMW X3 30e PHEV

It tows like magic! Electric motor runs all 4 wheels through gearbox, no spinning at all with a heavy trailer!

 

[sonci]

Got my new toy yesterday. The motor of the boat didn't run well, I obviously pumped too much gas. Well the lake is still ice-covered...

BMW X3 30e PHEV

View attachment 60125

It tows like magic! Electric motor runs all 4 wheels, no spinning at all with a heavy trailer!

Enjoy it! Nice car!

 

[sonci]

I noticed there is a lot of bashing on german cars, on the internet, especially on american forums.
I live in Europe and I don`t get it, of course they are expensive to maintain somehow , changing oil on a Merc is not the same as in a corolla, also most of the cars in Europe are diesel and is not fair comparing to petrol, which are much cheaper to maintain..
With all due respect to korean cars, even though engines are not bad, they fall apart after 100k km..
But IMO life is to short to not drive a German car..

 

[RickSanchez]

I noticed there is a lot of bashing on german cars, on the internet, especially on american forums.

True. And difficult to parse as I can't imagine there's any data on this, but in the U.S. some % of the bashing is directed at the drivers of German cars -- especially BMW owners -- and not the cars themselves. A subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) but important distinction.

[full disclosure: I owned a BMW for ~8 years.]

 

[Juhazi]

The funny thing is that every X3 PHEV is made in the USA

 

[HemiRick]

As a over 30 yr exp car mechanic, BMW's are over engineered junk. They all leak oil. Compared to Toyota and Honda and Subaru much harder and MUCH more expensive to work on.

 

[digicidal]

As a over 30 yr exp car mechanic, BMW's are over engineered junk. They all leak oil. Compared to Toyota and Honda and Subaru much harder and MUCH more expensive to work on.

And now use way too much plastic in their engines. However, after 30 years of driving Toyotas, Hondas, and Subarus... I wanted something that didn't completely suck to drive - so I'll deal with the leaks when I teardown and rebuild in 50K miles.

Everything is a compromise in one way or another... can't get reliability, price, performance, and luxury in one product.

 

[RayDunzl]

My '95 Maxima went 19 years before it needed a repair.

A headlamp bulb burned out.

 

[BDWoody]

As a over 30 yr exp car mechanic, BMW's are over engineered junk. They all leak oil. Compared to Toyota and Honda and Subaru much harder and MUCH more expensive to work on.

My 09 M3 has just over 100k miles now...not a drip, leak, or major repair so far...

Just 414 hp of good fun...

Edit: Needs a wash...

 

[digicidal]

And that S65 is soooo nice. Now they've all got essentially the same engine I've got (though the S58 is quite a bit better in tuning, and will be my first choice for a swap eventually). Still, I'd take your V8 over the I6 turbo for reliability, comfort, and sound.

 

[BDWoody]

And that S65 is soooo nice. Now they've all got essentially the same engine I've got (though the S58 is quite a bit better in tuning, and will be my first choice for a swap eventually). Still, I'd take your V8 over the I6 turbo for reliability, comfort, and sound.

The sound is what sold me... It really is awesome every time it winds out on its way to the 8400 rpm red line...

Plus, 6MT because it's just more fun.

 

[digicidal]

The sound is what sold me... It really is awesome every time it winds out on its way to the 8400 rpm red line...

Plus, 6MT because it's just more fun.

That was just mean. Now I'm really jealous. No manual option for me unless I want to drop another 12K on an unwarranted solution.

 

[BDWoody]

True. And difficult to parse as I can't imagine there's any data on this, but in the U.S. some % of the bashing is directed at the drivers of German cars -- especially BMW owners -- and not the cars themselves. A subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) but important distinction.

There's data on everything, and we are officially jerks.

https://www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/guid/31604424-C2D4-D575-4454-C4C422D22DBB

Edit: And one more recent.

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/26/most-bmw-drivers-are-jerks-ac.html

 

[BDWoody]

That was just mean. Now I'm really jealous. No manual option for me unless I want to drop another 12K on an unwarranted solution.

Yeah...tough choice...but as the man said in the article.

Still, sometimes the fun way down the track isn’t always the fastest.

I might give up a shade to the DCT, under some circumstances, but my smile will be bigger 99% of the time.

My son drives an 06 330i...also MT. Kind of an orphan year in ways, but also a great car...160k+ miles, and it does need a valve cover gasket, very slight seeping...but other than that, the car is still tight.

 

[digicidal]

Edit: And one more recent.
https://boingboing.net/2020/02/26/most-bmw-drivers-are-jerks-ac.html

Well, you can totally disregard that "research"...

Researchers from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas speculated that the expensive car owners "felt a sense of superiority over other road users" and were less able to empathize with lowly sidewalk-dwellers.

That's where I went (only because I had so many scholarships that I made ~$3K/semester profit going there). Worthless even before I changed my major from architectural engineering to something far, far less useful... ahem... fine arts.

Great place to study inebriation and theft (or "hospitality" and "gaming law" as they like to call it)... but not so much for anything else. I'm sure it's changed plenty in the past 30 years however.

Bottom line is that here in Vegas, nearly everyone is an asshole... doesn't matter what they drive or if they're a pedestrian.... there are no exceptions. About the only thing worse are all the Californians moving here daily.

 

[Sal1950]

Plus, 6MT because it's just more fun.

That was just mean. Now I'm really jealous. No manual option for me

Sadly it's becoming next to impossible to get a manual trans in most cars and trucks today..
I'm sorry designers but paddle shifters aren't near the same.
Like 4 doors, automatic trans's are for women and VERY old men.

 

[bigbag34]

Broke and unemployment at the moment so using this a lot. It’s a Mongoose Elroy gravel bike that I bought last fall. It’s a great value.

 

[bigbag34]

 

[Sal1950]

It’s a Mongoose Elroy gravel bike

Why is it called a "gravel bike" ?
I would have expected the tires to be knobby.
But I don't know a darn thing about bikes.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Why is it called a "gravel bike" ?
I would have expected the tires to be knobby.
But I don't know a darn thing about bikes.

Gravel bikes are sort of in between a full on mountain bike and pure road bike. You could ride it on gravel or dirt roads, but it is not optimum for really rough trail or mountain biking nor would it be optimum for smooth long road rides. Rather like a heavy duty or utility bike based upon road bikes.