I acquired a 2008 328i last month. It's my first Bimmer, and I hope not my last. It's a great ride, comfortable, with all kinds of neat features, although I didn't buy a loaded vehicle. I'm trying to keep miles off of my Bimmer (by keeping my old car), but I think I'm fighting a losing battle; I find it hard driving my old Maxima after driving the 328. By joining BMWCCA I hope to learn more about my vehicle, attend some club events, and generally learn to appreciate the fact that I'm driving a great car (although entry-level). Best regards, Felipe
Hi Felipe. I'm a newbie too. I live near Livermore and Stockton. Congrats on the new ride. You bought it to drive it so just drive it. I have 2 DDs myself. My other car is an '06 6spd manual Accord which is pretty fun too. You'll find lots of info on here and everyone is pretty nice and funny.
There is no reason to keep miles off your Bimmer, unless you don't plan on keeping it. If you do, don't let the mileage worry you. I don't know about the newer cars, but my 22-year-old 3er still keeps a smile on my face (most of the time ) despite 318k on the clock... And another reason for joining: because some of these crazy folk, as strange as they may seem (*cough* Satch *cough*) turn out to be pretty darned fun to talk to. Eh? What happened to your E90??
Welcome to the club!! Sell the Maxima and buy an E30 for a second DD. I don't have any DD! I walk to work and my wife takes the train! It makes it very difficult to convince her we "need" a fourth BMW!
Grant: too funny. How do you utilize the 3 cars you have now? Botond: yeah traded it for the accord. I just couldn't pay the monthly payments and pay the pricy maintenance on top of that. It's just WAY too computerized for me. So the e30 is my replacement bimmer and I believe I made the right choice. Not to mention that the e90 was an auto.
Welcome! 2 words - DRIVE IT! You'll be glad to. To hell with the Maxima (although I have to say - Nissan/Infiniti does make a good car...gave my Infiniti I30 to my daughter upon her licensing when I got the Bimmer - she's on 160K and still going strong) I use any excluse to get behind the wheel of my E39. We need milk?? I'm on it! Younger daughter needs a ride to a friend's house? I'm your guy!
You have made the right choice! Just yesterday, I drove a total of 290+ miles in my E30 with a smile on my face most of the time.
I love working on cars, so that is big part of what I do with them! The E36 gets used the most, errands, long trips, any bad weather, etc. The 318i gets used for errands and trips too, but usually only in nicer weather. I try to keep salt away from the 318i, besides I don't put snow tires on it. Only the E36 gets snow tires. The 318i is also my outlet when it comes to modifying (fortunately or unfortunately I bought the E36 with Dinan Stage 2 suspension, intake, throttle body, computer flash, M3 bumpers, side skirts, mirrors, and Z3 3.0 radial spoke 17in wheels, otherwise it would be too). So there really isn't anything to do to it other than routine maintenance. I have really modified my 318i over the years I have had it. I orginally bought it for a daily driver to keep my M3 off the road. Then the situation ended up that I didn't need to drive to work. So I of course kept it being a low mileage car. It had 64K on it when I bought it in 05. I keep my M3 almost stock, Supersprint cat back exhaust, H4/H1 headlights, and 16 inch vintage BBS RS three piece rims. That is it. It spends November to April/May in storage and is truly just a pleasure car in the spring/summer/fall. I really like keeping my cars in tip top shape as best I can. So I guess they keep me out of trouble more than anything eles! Well most of the time. I did get to have a conversation with the a man in blue on my way home from o-fest this year. My fault though, if I was paying attention I would have noticed that I passed a cop going the other way (It was night, late and I was tired). He then turned around and used radar as I was going away from him. He was nice, polite, and reduced the violation.
Botond: My commute is about 70 miles back and forth, and then we put on another 150+ on the weekends because we live far from everything. So our miles do add up. When it comes to mileage on cars, I actually don't think about it - I just think of what maintenance it would need. Grant: Worked on the car this weekend. Of course my hubby did most of the "difficult" stuff' that my girly hands can't handle. Putting the new timing belt on was a pain....loosened the new tensioner to get it on. 2 sets of hands definitely helped. The water pump looked just fine, but I decided to replace it anyway. It was a good experience for the both of us since we don't know anything about these cars. I think I'd take the hood off next time. And I think next time (60k from now) my hubby will have me do the majority of the work. So newbie! How many miles are on your ride now?
Sounds like the project went great! Especially if you are still driving the car! That is one project you will know quickly if it wasn't done right. I would say you are headed down the path of a shade tree mechanic! Keep it up! I always find such satisfaction of completing a job right on my car. Feels like you actually accomplished something, and your car is all the better for it.
Welcome, Felipe! Hey, I don't know how I became an unofficial Wal-Mart greeter around this place, but I feel it is important to warn you, Felipe: You joined the club to get, like, discounts on parts 'n' service 'n' stuff, and maybe learn how to fix yer car, 'n' maybe go. . . to. . . a BMW CCA. . . event. B E W A R E !! First thing you know, you'll have actual FRIENDS in this outfit. Before you know it, you'll be selling your blood to pay for DRIVING SCHOOLS. Then if you're not careful. . . . Did I mention that I wound up married?! Good lord!
Don't be like me. I sold my left lung just to attend the last one. I'm trying extra hard to avoid long staircases, but it's soooo worth it.
It was an experience, a good one. And just having done it, it's still quite fresh in my head. It is nice to be familiar with the components. Now I know to always need the 8mm, 10mm, 13mm and 32mm sockets and wrenches handy. (Actually went to 2 Sears stores and a Harbor Freight looking for the 32mm wrench)
It is amazing how many things you can get done on your E30 with just those wrench sizes! I am guessing you got the 32 mm by now. But for others a great place to get a thin 32mm wrench is your local bike shop. (Ah, that is Bicycle shop, Not motobikes! )
