Does anyone even visit this forum anymore??

[MR E30 325is]

I love how this thread blew up.

Even without an E30 I still check this forum daily, it just pains me how slow it loads. I used to (and still do, when I have the patience) thoroughly enjoy reading build threads (definitely prefer reading over all of these damn YouTube videos) of all types, levels of restoration, etc. But with how slow the forum loads, it just bugs me too much too often.

I also, like Lambo, get too distracted by my other cars (3rd Gen Tacoma which I am building a business around and my E36 M3 restoration) and spend my short internet time on forums dedicated to those vehicles.

R3v will always hold a special place in my heart (#love) and I can't wait to snag another E30 to have fun with, but until the forum increases its loading speeds I will remain a casual lurker.

[2mAn]

I miss the fuck outta this place... I'm just an idiot and got caught up in other vehicles but I miss my E30 so badly...

Did you know 2021 is the year of trucks on R3V?... Id tell you to share your Taco here, but you said 2021 is the year you will get your E30 going so update THAT thread instead...

[lambo]

Did you know 2021 is the year of trucks on R3V?... Id tell you to share your Taco here, but you said 2021 is the year you will get your E30 going so update THAT thread instead...

I'm so ahead of the curve it's not even funny. 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 were years of the truck for me. Y'all need to catch up. But seriously I am fixing the E30. Waiting on my buddy to start his part out so I can get the shit I need.

[Andrew325is]

It seems like everyone is moving to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc, but I still like the traditional forums better. The format on Facebook is really awful and you can't categorize anything nicely. Facebook just isn't set up for archived information. It's all 'in-the-moment' attention, mostly to show you ads so companies can market to you. Those social media platforms are controlled by large corporations that shape the content. The personal aspect of Facebook can be nice for connecting with people, but it can also be creepy and not relevant to some discussions. The R3vlimited group on FB is mostly a sh*tshow with constant bickering and a popularity contest. People will look at your personal profile and pick out things they don't like about you to dish out personal attacks that have nothing to do with discussions about E30s.

[ForcedFirebird]

One could just collaborate a bunch of scraped posts and compile into a book. :P

[Albie325]

Andrew325is BINGO. I feel Facebook has been a better platform for selling items locally just due to the sheer volume of eyeballs. But aside from peddling wares I feel like it's basically a platform for questions that have been answered a million times over by younger owners that don't even know the forum exists (with plenty of useful DIY's if they'd only take the time to look). I hate that at age 33 I'm already turning into the "get off my porch" type, but some of the banter is honestly unbearable (if illegible) a lot of the time. The majority of my car knowledge was attained by scouring the forums and putting in the time to understand what I was doing and why, and If I had been spoon fed answers on social media the instant a question popped into my head I probably wouldhave learned a fraction of that. Some of the Instagram projects are cool, but I agree that it all seems geared more towards marketing their "brand" than enjoying the car and the process. The forum has always felt like a bunch of normal dudes who like tooling around on cars and meeting up to drive and drink some beers in the garage, and I like taking the time to read through someones thread (sometimes years long) and seeing where the cars have progressed. Not possible on those other platforms. Needless to say I'm on here usually everyday, sometimes more than once if work is slow.

[roguetoaster]

One could just collaborate a bunch of scraped posts and compile into a book. :P

That you then sell exclusively on FB...

[Codym42]

I still lurk here on the forums. Like most people here, I too miss how active it used to be. Facebook has taken over and killed most forums and Craigslist. I would love to delete my Facebook account as I'm tired of seeing all the political posts but its really the largest platform for car groups and buying/selling.

[roguetoaster]

The sentiment that FB is bad, but since it's the prevailing format we might as well use it is the same thinking that has flooded the roads with Crappy Utility Vehicles. So, just buy used, and just skip FB to communicate to those crappy companies that you won't tolerate their garbage.

[Northern]

I still lurk here on the forums. Like most people here, I too miss how active it used to be. Facebook has taken over and killed most forums and Craigslist. I would love to delete my Facebook account as I'm tired of seeing all the political posts but its really the largest platform for car groups and buying/selling.

Honestly I can take the political stuff, but half the facebook car pages seem to be obsessed with intentionally reposting the same thing over and over again. I mean word for word the identical post, it's brutal.
Don't get me started on the insane volume of Ads or how broken some of the link/notification functions are.

I kind of appreciate what r3v has become. Much more chill, and still a good number of regulars that seem to have their shit together and have something cool to share (e30 or otherwise).

[2mAn]

I still lurk here on the forums. Like most people here, I too miss how active it used to be. Facebook has taken over and killed most forums and Craigslist. I would love to delete my Facebook account as I'm tired of seeing all the political posts but its really the largest platform for car groups and buying/selling.

You should update your thread

[MR E30 325is]

Honestly I can take the political stuff, but half the facebook car pages seem to be obsessed with intentionally reposting the same thing over and over again. I mean word for word the identical post, it's brutal.
Don't get me started on the insane volume of Ads or how broken some of the link/notification functions are.

I kind of appreciate what r3v has become. Much more chill, and still a good number of regulars that seem to have their shit together and have something cool to share (e30 or otherwise).

Thanks for that caveat. Haha

Just picked up my worked heads for the M3 from a local machine shop. Nice and shiny, decked, and valve job, but nothing noteworthy to post about.

[2mAn]

Thanks for that caveat. Haha

Just picked up my worked heads for the M3 from a local machine shop. Nice and shiny, decked, and valve job, but nothing noteworthy to post about.

I nice shiny head is definitely pic worthy

[fitswell]

It seems like everyone is moving to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc, but I still like the traditional forums better. The format on Facebook is really awful and you can't categorize anything nicely. Facebook just isn't set up for archived information. It's all 'in-the-moment' attention, mostly to show you ads so companies can market to you.

Good post. Aside from the larger volume of users that was mentioned, one of the bigger advantages of r3v on Facebook, IMO, is that you may get an answer quickly if you are in a pinch. Our forum format isn't very conducive to that. Also, users tend to enjoy scrolling through the images in the posts because, after all, humans are visual beings and a picture says a thousand words. The big takeaway is that this forum must continue to evolve to stay relevant and useful. Going about business as usual on the web frequently ends in death. Don't get me wrong, we have some awesome build-threads and DIYs on here but if we want to keep this forum active we need the owner/mods to *actively* address shortcomings. It also wouldn't hurt to be innovative and try new things. I can't help feel like I'm using a bit of a dinosaur which isn't doing much to bring new (and younger) users as well as new sponsors.

If you look at r3v on Facebook, every other post is somebody selling a non-30 car (sometimes a non-BMW car) or random parts. The other day, someone posted a hatch for a e36 ti - in a e30 forum too much garbage for me. I'm gradually migrating to reddit (although it lacks good classifieds) and back to this forum after years of absence (for the classifieds).

[moatilliatta]

Andrew325is BINGO. I feel Facebook has been a better platform for selling items locally just due to the sheer volume of eyeballs. But aside from peddling wares I feel like it's basically a platform for questions that have been answered a million times over by younger owners that don't even know the forum exists (with plenty of useful DIY's if they'd only take the time to look). I hate that at age 33 I'm already turning into the "get off my porch" type, but some of the banter is honestly unbearable (if illegible) a lot of the time. The majority of my car knowledge was attained by scouring the forums and putting in the time to understand what I was doing and why, and If I had been spoon fed answers on social media the instant a question popped into my head I probably wouldhave learned a fraction of that. Some of the Instagram projects are cool, but I agree that it all seems geared more towards marketing their "brand" than enjoying the car and the process. The forum has always felt like a bunch of normal dudes who like tooling around on cars and meeting up to drive and drink some beers in the garage, and I like taking the time to read through someones thread (sometimes years long) and seeing where the cars have progressed. Not possible on those other platforms. Needless to say I'm on here usually everyday, sometimes more than once if work is slow.

I am also 33, the also feel I've reached the "Get off my porch mentality". Working 100h +/- weeks for years has changed my perception.

Instagram project post are like TV shows where you see the end result, none of the hard work or details, then everyone dreams they can do the same. Followed up by, I hate to sell my project car ad on FB marketplace. But I do wish the best for anyone who is actually trying hard.

Get that dead end project car of my facebook lawn.

The flip side of the coin is that cars consume a lot of life that not many are in the position to give, especially with all these new newfangled distractions, and inflation. Yeah, I took it there.