Nonsense Thread

[MrBurgundy]

I dunno man, I can't get over the electronic integration (manual swapping an E39 is more of a pain than it should be) and the ABS on the exhaust side with E39s. I only considered an E39 for my daily until I saw that they put the ABS system where I needed to put my turbo and its exhaust. To me it seems it was all downhill after the E34. Even the E34 has some stupidity compared to earlier cars, like the extremely unreliable HVAC setup, the garbage window regulator clips and chipboard door panels, the broken-100%-of-the-time headlight adjusters.

13 years in my shop and I seldom see ABS issues on e39s.

If you want a manual e39, just buy one. They're everywhere and e39s are just not expensive enough to justify purchasing an auto and swapping it to manual.

Sure an e39 is not a perfect candidate for a turbo setup. IMO a turbo on that car doesn't even make sense. It's a nice, quiet sport sedan. A turbo would make that car something it was never supposed to be. A smooth v8 is plenty in that car.

Close to stock is the best place to be in a DD

Lower it a bit, get some nice fitting wheels and call it a day

[varg]

Close to stock is the best place to be in a DD

I am stupid and even if I did like Audis will never be able to afford something like an RS6 so turbocharging an old BMW wagon it is

[Northern]

I go back and forth on this shit all the time.

I love analog cars with no unnecessary crap added, but then I also like modern crash safety, comfort, and some of the bells&whistles of something modern.

Maybe a happy middle ground exists with E36/E46/E39, maybe I would even argue that a manual N52 E90 could be in there. But I really like having both and keeping the two separate at the moment.

[2mAn]

I go back and forth on this shit all the time.

I love analog cars with no unnecessary crap added, but then I also like modern crash safety, comfort, and some of the bells&whistles of something modern.

Maybe a happy middle ground exists with E36/E46/E39, maybe I would even argue that a manual N52 E90 could be in there. But I really like having both and keeping the two separate at the moment.

Im with you and I think this is why the 00s were the sweet spot where lots of good performance, manual transmissions, minimal sensor intrusion and good safety.

In CA, having a 00 VS a 99 is a big difference when dealing with smog because the former is a plug into the OBD and make sure all monitors are good VS the 99 gets plugged in but still has to spend time on the dyno. Its a little frustrating because I really wanted the 99-996 with its drive by cable VS drive by wire and lack of other nannies... oh well.

[Northern]

I've kind of been waiting for our inspection requirements to change, but since 2009 it's only your usual safety items, plus a visual inspection on emissions hardware (edit: only for 1991 and newer, so catless e30 is legal) and just making sure the CEL isn't on. It's bound to change soon with the number of absurd "popcorn tunes" on every shitbox under the sun lol

I had wondered why you were specifically excited about the '99 - I didn't realize they went dbw after that.

[Panici]

Crash safety is a good point, but it's all relative and everyone's tolerance for risk is different.

In the summer I drive my tiny 1990 Miata to work sometimes, and motorcycles too.
You're far safer in any BMW from the 80s then either of those.

Pickup trunk bumper height lines up with my head while I'm in the Miata. 💀
Turbo noises first thing in the morning are worth the risk though!

[Northern]

I'd 100% like to get to the point where I can daily an e30 to work again (even if it requires a job change, and even then it's still all city driving).
Really getting sick of seeing my car sit, but I have too many other priorities.

But for driving the kid around or highway driving, my risk tolerance and desire for creature comforts is putting me in the Volvo, probably 9/10 times. I must be getting old.

[Binnie]

fucking hate seeing a prius on the road, makes my eyes burn

[MrBurgundy]

fucking hate seeing a prius on the road, makes my eyes burn

You know what makes my eyes literally burn? Model 3 headlights... Those mfers are so bright...

A lot of these new LED low beam setups are just aimed way to high.

[roguetoaster]

You know what makes my eyes literally burn? Model 3 headlights... Those mfers are so bright...

A lot of these new LED low beam setups are just aimed way to high.

The is probably exactly what British sports car owners thought way back when, now they're probably low enough to cope.

[varg]

Many modern car headlights are just a problem in general. The cutoff is so abrupt that even with a relatively high E30 and E34 I'm sitting low enough to get blasted with searing light. It's especially bad with the crossovers and larger since they sit so high up. A new factory car with OEM DOT Approved LED projectors or whatever is as bad coming at me as a riced out 350Z with a badly installed HID kit 10 years ago. There's a badly designed intersection that is very sloped on either side near my house, any morning on my way to work, there's a good chance that across the intersection will be a modern car with headlights like an airliner's landing lights, and because of the slope I am right in the center of the light pattern catching more glare than Andy Capp.

[roguetoaster]

It's not like people are looking at the road, so let's bring back sealed beams for everyone!!!

[rturbo 930]

Nothing like a car coming over the hill and having it rape your eyeballs with its LED headlights. They're simply too damned bright. You need to be able to see to navigate the road, that doesn't mean you need your headlights to light up the road like a sports stadium.

[MrBurgundy]

Yeah I'm experiencing this while driving my truck too... I agree with the cuttoff being wildly shit now.. LEDs are just not as good as a good ol' 35w HID with proper projectors, cutoffs and aimed correctly.. Also the color temp of these LEDs are blueish, which is just shit for your eyes and driving in the rain/dust/snow ect...

Driving on a highway now where the center divider is non existent or too low to block oncoming traffic's headlights requires sunglasses..

At this point, innovation is working backwards..

Also, the auto high beam shit is so annoying.... it reacts slow enough for me to catch just a split second of it and it's like staring right at the arc of a weld or laying two iphone flashlights directly onto my eyeballs.

[DEV0 E30]

it reacts slow enough for me to catch just a split second of it and it's like staring right at the arc of a weld or laying two iphone flashlights directly onto my eyeballs.

spot on description.