[miko_10]

E39 M5 all day...subtle, understated, timeless style.

[W///]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

LOL-thanks.

I do not think I could resist the temptation to put a blower on your car.

I can say, mine has not been financial suicide. It has been uber cheap to maintain, very reliable and the big mods I added, I picked up used and on the cheap. My blower setup would have been about $10-15k new, I got it for $1800+ tune. Luckily the car came with the LMs and other high quality mods to give me a headstart.

Haha! The day ESS kits start being less than $2k, then it'll be almost impossible to say no. But for me, if I ever go FI, I'd want to do things like rod bearings and diff/subframe bushings too. So with everything, things start to add up real quick. But like you, almost all my mods were bought used. That's the only way for me to mod.

But then of course I always think if I should keep modding this car, or add something completely different like a Lotus Elise.

/Day Dream

[Nkc]

E36 Z3 M-Roadster for me.

I don't care where I am or how old I'll be, just as long as I'm driving this car I'm happy.

Close second would be E39 M5.

[pruettfan]

Originally Posted by Casca

I like working on my car. I like keeping things running perfect. I see some guys driving around in really old cars as a daily driver and their car looks like it just rolled out of the factory yesterday. I have a lot of respect for that.

Recently I started thinking I want to be like that. I want to have one car I just stick with year after year after year. Keeping it perfect looking, perfect running in all areas. As good as the day it was built, maybe even better.

Was thinking of getting an old M5 and doing this.

What BMW car do you guys see as being worth keeping and maintaing? One that you'll have joy driving everyday and also be not impossibly difficult (electronics) to maintain for the long run?

My car isn't real old and not really special (06 330I) but I am essentially doing this because I really love it. I have 182,000 miles on it and hope to keep it going for several more years to see how long I can make it last. I plan on passing it on to my daughter and get an E92 M3 and do the same thing with it.

[Teutonic]

Originally Posted by ChRR1000S

Every ALPINA BMW. They are masterpieces.

I agree. I want one but they don't bring it here. what a shame...

[tuco44]

Originally Posted by Tracus

I agree. I want one but they don't bring it here. what a shame...

Not sure where you are in Canada, but they are available in Canada. A friend on mine owns one in Calgary, and he bought it there thru one of the BMW dealers. It is a lovely car.

[RobertRO]

E28 535i.

[Kayani_1]

I like that color my favorite

Originally Posted by W///

My M3. I bought it to keep it for life (unless a situation forces me to get rid of it). This is the car that I plan to just keep restoring and modding as I go along. If it needs a new engine or transmission, so be it.

The noise, the looks, the performance, it just ticks all the boxes. Not to mention this car has a big sentimental value to me.

Don't get me wrong, I grew up in the E30 era, and always wanted to own an 8 Series, but as far as I'm concerned, they would all be addition to my E92.

So answer your question, I'll be like that in 10-20-30 years with my E92. If I absolutely had to pick an older BMW, then 8 Series all day.

[techietaichi]

If I had to choose, I really think I'd want my '82 E21 again. Seventeen years later(bought it when it was 14) and I still miss that old girl.

[Wolf]

E46 M3 CSL

/thread

[lmaleke]

Originally Posted by ChRR1000S

Every ALPINA BMW. They are masterpieces.

Agree! I prefer a 3 series alpina station wagon myself but with xdrive
haul ass, nice cargo space, comfort, all seasons capability.. what's not to love

[W///]

Originally Posted by Kayani_1

I like that color my favorite

Thanks! Yea, it was complete luck how I got her. I was dead set on Melbourne Red, but all of the 08's seemed to have sunroof which was a deal breaker for me. Then this popped up in my email account (from Autotrader Alert) and I put a deposit down about 30 hours after I saw the email. The dealership was literally across the country from me in Los Angeles, so I bought it sight unseen.

The hilarious part is that its got Bamboo Beige interior, and that's not a recommended combo by BMW, yet I get compliments on it all the time. The car is very Individual-esque

[Teutonic]

Originally Posted by tuco44

Not sure where you are in Canada, but they are available in Canada. A friend on mine owns one in Calgary, and he bought it there thru one of the BMW dealers. It is a lovely car.

B7, yes, but that is the single one.
I don't need that boat, too much for my needs.

[Kayani_1]

Mine is a Sparkling Graphite/with black leather interior/dark gray poplar wood and I love it. The Sparkling Graphite is unique and hard to find since it was in production for just 2 years from 07-09.

My uncle was down for thanks giving and has just gotten his BMW individual 750li with special order paint and was wondering how he has never seen this color at the dealership. He thought it was BMW individual color with all the sparkling flakes in the paint. I told him no....and explained that the reason he did not see this color at the dealerships at all is because they do not offer it any more.

Anyways I love it as it sparkles and shows off the lines of the car real well and looks slightly different under different light and most pictures can't do it justice....far better looking in person.

Anyways enjoy your M3 in a unique color and in best of health

Originally Posted by W///

Thanks! Yea, it was complete luck how I got her. I was dead set on Melbourne Red, but all of the 08's seemed to have sunroof which was a deal breaker for me. Then this popped up in my email account (from Autotrader Alert) and I put a deposit down about 30 hours after I saw the email. The dealership was literally across the country from me in Los Angeles, so I bought it sight unseen.

The hilarious part is that its got Bamboo Beige interior, and that's not a recommended combo by BMW, yet I get compliments on it all the time. The car is very Individual-esque

[Kayani_1]

I like your E36/7 all in all a proper BMW indeed not like this new junk that is coming out

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

My E36/7 is pretty much a keeper for life. It's looks/design, does not really seem to age. I have had people ask me if it's the "New Z" in the past year.

It's performance is up there with almost anything sold today, certainly not wanting for power. It gets decent fuel economy all things considered, decent amount of interior comfort. It's also like a whole other car when I put the hardtop on. I also love how RAW it sounds and feels and how every input takes a concerted effort. It's also been reliable and find it mostly easy to work on my self.

[Robin_NL]

Just one BMW?

One of those Procars. Saw them on telly when I was a kid.
A 500BHP coffin on wheels lol.




Cheers
Robin

[ZBMW]

Got into this thread late but it's not surprising that so many of you pick models from the past ten years for a lifetime keeper. You probably never drove an E30 M3 but for a combination of balance, looks and motor sounds it was unbeatable. Bigger cars would move aside on the track because it would zoom right back up to them in the twisty parts. The engine loved to rev right out of the box and it lived above 5000 rpm. It was almost as balanced as the 2002 (but that's another story). A very visceral car in all respects.

[TimeFor]

Originally Posted by Kyle B

E46 330i ZHP. Never owned one, but I think it's probably one of the best 'all around' cars in terms of usability, performance, reliability, and ease of maintenance by the home mechanic that BMW has put together in a long, long time.

I did own. Yes Agree. The later e46's were fantastic all around. If not the 330i ZHP then the e46 M3. Though personally I always preferred the e46 sedan body.

[positiveions]

E30 M3, with Evolution I package.

[Casca]

Originally Posted by positiveions

E30 M3, with Evolution I package.

I want to copy this guy!









Of course there isn't actually an e30 M3 touring, but I'd be game to ground up an e30 touring to that. And then keep it forever.

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by Casca

What BMW car do you guys see as being worth keeping and maintaing? One that you'll have joy driving everyday and also be not impossibly difficult to maintain for the long run?

LULZ at some of the responses in this thread. I think some people forgot to keep this last tidbit in mind. So that F01 Alpina drives through water and lights up the dash like Christmas...you're going to pull it into the garage and fix it yourself?!?!? F10 M5 throws a rod, you're on it like stink a monkey!?!? As if....

This thread inspired me to drive my heavily modded E30 today. As old as it is, I STILL think I could drive it daily and be very, very comfortable in that car. If you've never driven a pre-90s BMW, do yourself a favor and try one out. If I had to pick one BMW out of the entire range though, I'd still go with an E46 330i ZHP. Driven one, but never owned one. It's really, really good in all respects.

cheers.

[Law]

In a perfect world, E39 M5.