I had a mechanic who though relatively highly of the early 80's 300 series BMW, but advised that they tended to show age catastrophically. The other models were far too expensive and fell apart as quickly if not faster. He drove a porsche, and was as nice as could be. He was not overly fond of the owners of bimmers that came to his shop, and promised me a great deal on the model of my choice where I interested. Seems the bimmer folks would rather let him get a lien than pay for repairs and go buy themselves new wheels.
On Jul 2, 2007, at 10:52 AM, Alex Chamberlain wrote: > On 7/1/07, Zoltan Finks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> I haven't known many BMW owners, but three I can think of are my >> uncle >> (has been restoring some really small old one for a long time now). >> And my mother in law (bizarre to me - total prude evil wretch who has >> one of those Z convertibles. Must be a late-mid-life crisis). And the >> fiance of a friend of my wife's. He's an IBM engineer and is kind of >> an arrogant guy for a geek. >> >> So there are two out of three that fall in line with the general >> opinion of the list. >> >> Brian >> >> Clay wrote: >> The bimmers are preppy boys and gals who want to be seen to have a >> bit of european flair. They are found at wine tastings, fern bars, >> whole foods, or chic night clubs. More cash than brains. >> >> This may not reflect the BMW car crowd in other towns, but hits the >> nail in Seattle >> > > FWIW (not much), I used to own a BMW before I got the Mercedes diesel > bug, and I don't think I fit Clay's stereotype---I liked the Bimmer > not for its prestige value but for the same reason I like other > European cars, for its quirky design, personality, safety, and high > fun-to-drive levels compared to just about anything else I could have > had for the same price. > > The one I had was a 1989 E30 chassis 325iX (for those not familiar > with BMW taxonomy, that's a subcompact sedan with a 2.5 liter six and > four-wheel-drive). I felt like quality-wise it was a notch below an > '80s Mercedes, but inconsistently so---the paint held up better than > most 123s I've seen on the road, and the interior leather was very > tough, but the plastics used were definitely of lower quality, and it > had constant electrical problems which I assume were due to inferior > insulation and connectors. > > Just like an M-B, the engineering was a puzzling mix of genius (e.g. > the semi-trailing-arm suspension which made for fantastic handling, > the perfect placement of the instruments and controls) and stupidity > (the front left halfshaft that went through the oil pan). > > I still am tempted by '80s BMWs all the time. If I found a cherry '87 > or '88 535is for sale nearby, red with tan leather and a 5-speed, I'd > have my wallet out in a heartbeat. > > Alex Chamberlain > '87 300D Turbo > '93 Isuzu Trooper > '86 Lincoln Mark VII LSC > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ > For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com -- Clay Seattle Bioburner 1972 220D - Gump 1995 E300D - Cleo 1987 300SDL - POS - DOA The FSM would drive a Diesel Benz _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
