[Cloud9...68]

Bomb,



Let me know when you're ready to part with the E36 M3 lol. For some reason, those cars just snap my head around. I was considering one when I got the 968, but was having trouble finding one that wasn't pretty badly beat up. Seems like there are more nice examples around now than there were six years ago!



To be honest, I had forgotten about the refresh the E90 got a few years ago. Unless the change is pretty major, I have a hard time noticing sometimes.

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[biotechee]

Yup- it was a minor refresh, but definitely made a visual difference in my mind....



An E90 M3 with the V8 would be nice, but they just don't look good to me. Something is not right.

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[ds968]

Well, I jinxed the MBZ suggesting they're as reliable as German cars get.. Two days after the post it died at a stop light ( symptoms suggest either <acronym title='mass air flow'>MAF</acronym> or CPS ) , though after 100,000 miles, one part or another was bound to reach the limits of it's life..

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[biotechee]

That sucks.



Hope it's minor.

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[ds968]

thanks Jim, let's hope its something else and indeed minor, but if it's either or the above mentioned, the minimum p&l will likely be

$ 1-2K. In typical German engineering fashion with newer cars ( newer than ours anyway ) every sensor or component prone to failure is in the most inaccessible spots :-( .. either half of the engine and tranny needs to be taken apart to get to it, or the mechanic needs to be a Cirque Du Soleil contortionist and spend 6 hours using a dentist mirror to see what he's working on to replace..

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[bombfactory]

Here's the E90 refresh. Before:



   



And after:



   



This is what bugs me about the M3 - stupid looking muffler way too visible, and that bogus rear diffuser vent is just dumb...



   



Cloud - Doesn't happen too often (I like that) but I saw an E36 M3 like mine (sedan) on the road last night. Still looks damn good to me. Other than some road rash on the front bumper from freeway commuting, mine still looks pretty much brand new. Very satisfied with it.

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[durtkillon]

Looking back, my best daily drivers were the cars you would least suspect. I had an 1978 Olds that was hands down the most forgiving car I've owned (circa 1990). I drove it through the hills of northern Michigan, where 200+ inches of snow and sub zero temperatures were normal. I camped with it, mountain biked, wind surfed... My sleeping bag even fit on the hood. It was ugly, rusty, ran on crappy gas, never burned oil and carried a class 3 trailer hitch. The suspension would compress to the right if I goosed the 350 V8 in park. The suspension was awful. but the stereo rocked. Ahh I digress.



My second favorite DD was my 1996 Land Rover Discovery. Everybody told me it was supposed to be a POS, but never let me down.



I suspect what makes a good DD is a willingness to like a car for what it is. To remember what you did with it, rather than what you did to it.

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[prj24149]

I'd go with the BMW also. I got mine in March and love it. 2007 328i. Consumer Reports, for what it's worth, rated it one of the best used cars.

The 328xi was not rated as well.

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