[SRT]

Hi fellas

Recently I couldn't find the time to browse my favourite sites - I get the feeling that God is somehow speeding up the clocks around here. Anyway, I received the PMs from Vivekk about the UK2 meet a couple of days ago (even though they were sent weeks ago) and want to clarify some things. A lot has happened during the last two months, I've changed car twice.

Part 1:
Around mid-June I dropped my E46 saloon to get an E90 325i M-sport (auto, black leather, used w/ 3k miles). For the first couple of hundred miles, I loved the car - was a great experience to mess around with the steptronic and tickle the angel of death on corners to test the limits, but it suddenly all went downhill from there. Either I'm seriously depressed or this car just wasn't meant for me. Firstly I began to despise the automatic transmission. The only driving I have done in an auto is with my parents' E60 - and even that is just the odd parrallel parking or shoving it in the garage. Being new to the whole thing was quite fun, but as I began to settle into my daily routines of wizzing to the shops and picking things up for my folks - the lack of connection between driver and car when changing gears, even in sequential mode, was dulling the whole experience. Then the suspension followed, on the roads I frequently use it was simply appalling in terms of comfort, and in terms of height, just as aggravating when encountering speed humps, curbed parking bays, or when correcting a parrallel park. On the upside, the performance was awesome but was not enough to out-weight the downs. The car was sold in the first week of July.

Commercial break:
A friend at BMW was giving me a great deal on the 325i, which is why I initially made the switch from my E46. My parents rarely let me touch their E60 530i, because back during my "illegit" driving days (4 years ago), I was banned from ever touching the family car. Now that I'm legit, my Dad lifted the ban when I sold I the 325i and I was allowed to use the E60.

Part 2:
Predictable as the rest of this story is, I suddenly realised, even though the E60 was auto, just how fantastic it was (sport suspension). I never liked the E60 and thought it was over-hyped but having driven around inside it for sometime, I loved it. The suspension isolates the awful road surfaces from the cabin almost entirely, and still handles just as well through corners. So I told my mate at BMW to see if he can find me a well spec'd, reasonably priced one, used. So he did, and I purchased a 520i SE (Insurance + my age = insanely high for bigger engines) with some nice features (standard susp.). Manual, obviously (4k miles). So that's what I have now. My Birthday was the 17th July, and I got plenty of chip-ins from my folks so I saved a great lump of money too. (Next stop: Dubai ) I love the comfort, it's amazing fun to drive, simply addictive. I'm going to avoid comparative comments, simply because this is a pro-E90 place and I'm sure they won't be well received. I just think if I had an E90 manual, with the standard suspension I would have adored it. I went with E60 because financially my friend was offering the better deal.

Epilogue:
I have no plans for 23rd Sept, and certainly would like to participate in the UK2 meet-up - I'd love to support the E90 crew, and maximise numbers, but that's so long as the event managers have no objection to an E60.


More pictures of both the cars can be found at my personal album (56k unfriendly): http://ruffy.bbdteam.com/home/index....d=11&Itemid=36
Scroll further down for 325i pics.

[vivekk]

No problem Ruffy- get yourself & your e60 down to Donington on the 23rd.
I've got no objection & I don't think anyone else will either.

The only problem I foresee are the bogus comments we will get from our American friends over the pond, who are bound to treat us like the kids we are for not having a full line up of e90s only.
I could always mask the 'eyelids'- they won't know any different.

S*d them- I don't care- we're going to have fun no matter which BMWs turn up.
Matt (OilBurner) will be in his e46 , MattOz may bring up an e60 M5 also & you'll be in your e60- the more the merrier.

If you haven't signed up already Ruffy, could you just click below & do that.

Cheers & looking forward to meeting up.

Viv

[booforty]

Come along Ruffy, the more the merrier, we had a great time at UK1

[NFS]

Funnily enough I'm selling my e60 and getting an e90 because I didn't like the auto

I also wanted to have a great big engine - but I could get a new e90 with 3 years warranty for the price of a used e60 .... so e90 wins

[mjh93sa]

Have to agree with you on the ride quality of the e60 Ruffy.

I've managed to borrow our director's E60's a few times (520i / 525d), and they are just sooooo smooth. The down side is that the lanes locally seem to halve in size when you get in the E60, it's one big car!

Not sure about auto's - My sum total of auto experience ia about 30 miles in an E60 525d and an E90 330d. The 330d in particular was more like a go-kart with the auto-box.. you could easily loose your licence. For commuting I think I'd love it, but for having fun I'd take the manual. Though having said that.. the new autobox being launched in the E92 sounds interesting... paddle shift, more torque converter lockup, hmmmmmm!

See you at UK2.

Matt

[- Paul -]

RR - The more the merrier at the meet. Just one question - why did you buy an auto E90 over a manual?

[Snake Pliskin]

The E90 looked stunning

[forge197]

I too have gone from E60 to E90 but find the ride in the E90 better. I am with you on the auto I had an auto E60 didn't dislike it but it wasn't until I had a manual rental car that I realised I actually missed the interaction of a manual. To that end my 330d is manual

[SRT]

Originally Posted by 1stnewcar

RR - The more the merrier at the meet. Just one question - why did you buy an auto E90 over a manual?

Partly curiosity and partly because my friend who works at BMW was offering a good discount

Originally Posted by forge197

I too have gone from E60 to E90 but find the ride in the E90 better. I am with you on the auto I had an auto E60 didn't dislike it but it wasn't until I had a manual rental car that I realised I actually missed the interaction of a manual. To that end my 330d is manual

In a perfect world, I would have settled for an E90 manual 325i SE, but most manual 3-series are 4 cyl engines and the 6cyl engines were not only hard to find in manual, but a good mileage/price ratio was difficult to come across.

[NFS]

Originally Posted by forge197

I too have gone from E60 to E90 but find the ride in the E90 better. I am with you on the auto I had an auto E60 didn't dislike it but it wasn't until I had a manual rental car that I realised I actually missed the interaction of a manual. To that end my 330d is manual

Cheers Forge - that's exactly the sort of post I wanted to see right now. I could have stuck with the e60 for the handling and ride, but 2 things were getting to me:

1. Build quality - creaks and rattles
2. The auto box
3. I was getting worried about running the car beyond the warranty period.

I've rejigged the financing and the new 330i msport (lease purchase) will cost the same each month as my 2.5 year old 530d SE (HP) and (hopefully) I will resolve all these issues in the process.

I have to say that, to live with on a daily basis, the 530d was not THAT much better than my last e46. I'm hoping that the 330i will be just as good as the 530d and a bit more fun as well.

Originally Posted by RR

In a perfect world, I would have settled for an E90 manual 325i SE, but most manual 3-series are 4 cyl engines and the 6cyl engines were not only hard to find in manual, but a good mileage/price ratio was difficult to come across.

This is so true. I looked at some nearly new 330i's. Only a handful of the cars listed on bmw.co.uk had manual boxes. Personally I found this surprising - I had already found that the auto was almost essential kit on the e60, but expected there to be plenty of manual 330i's on the road since they are such a 'drivers' car.

I also found that 'nearly new' was hardly cheaper than 'brand new' with a decent discount.

[SRT]

How much longer are you going to have your E60, needforspeed?

[NFS]

Until 10:00am on the 1st September 06 when I pick up my shiny new black 330i m-sport

[Snake Pliskin]

Originally Posted by needforspeed

Until 10:00am on the 1st September 06 when I pick up my shiny new black 330i m-sport

Bring on the September 330 M Sports

[NFS]

Originally Posted by Snake Pliskin

Bring on the September 330 M Sports

We should have a race (only joking - I do want to brake it in a bit gently)

It's going to be fun .... a brand new car is ALWAYS nice

[SRT]

These last few weeks must be killing the pair of you
Congratulations on your purchases