Cars We Drive!

A few pics of friend's cars ......... some of the pics are old and had heavy editing due to a learning curve I was dealing with. Thanks for indulging me!

The Montego Blue had gone thru 3 styles of wheels before selling the car. His Audi is below.


















A video clip of friend's S4 after the exhaust was changed out (don't recall the brand he went to):

Originally Posted by epb

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My favorite aftermarket for the Z4MC is the HRE C90, but too pricey.

http://www.zpost.com/forums/attachme...1&d=1198897738

Yeah, HRE are nice 'n light, but damn heavy on the cash needed.

Originally Posted by Mnkybiznes

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My first post ........... my BMW 335i (extremely modified) & my '98 4Runner. I have an automotive detailing business so the 'Yota is for the work day and the BMW is for play time.
I'm an avid photographer so have lots of pics of my car along with friend's cars .....

Why'd you get the automatic? It seems odd to spend any amount of money upgrading the N54 when mated to that.

Originally Posted by ramuman

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Why'd you get the automatic? It seems odd to spend any amount of money upgrading the N54 when mated to that.

I was thinking of the decision based on longevity and performance. I wouldn't need to deal with upgrading the clutch for the added power mainly. Besides, the steptronic actually shifts faster than the MT and is nearly as much fun.

I never enjoyed having to replace clutches & didn't want to think about it down the road.

Originally Posted by Mnkybiznes

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Thanks Krish!
My being in the detailing business affords all of the wasted time in cleaning the car ...... UGH ..... OCD kicks in every time I walk into the garage. On a side note, the X3 has really come a long way in that the newer models really show well. My gf recently purchased a 2009 with the M package.. ..... very nice.

I will never purchase a black car again though ........ regardless of how nice it is.

(The car in my post was an X5, just for clarification. The X5 xDrive35d is a phenomenally driving car for a TT i6... but I've been driving Lexuses until then, so my opinion means next to nothing. And it's dark grey, but I took the picture on a partly cloudy day)

I'm honestly not a big fan of the X3, surprisingly. Even the 2011 looks uninspired compared to the rest of the lineup. I'm going to be in the market for a small SUV in that price range in a little bit, and the GLK seems like a lot better option than the X3. Much better looking exterior & interior for the same (ish) price. I wish it wasn't this way, but I feel like the X3 is the black sheep of the BMW lineup, not garnering any love from the men in the clouds (nor from me).

Originally Posted by Krish the Fish

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(The car in my post was an X5, just for clarification. The X5 xDrive35d is a phenomenally driving car for a TT i6... but I've been driving Lexuses until then, so my opinion means next to nothing. And it's dark grey, but I took the picture on a partly cloudy day)

I'm honestly not a big fan of the X3, surprisingly. Even the 2011 looks uninspired compared to the rest of the lineup. I'm going to be in the market for a small SUV in that price range in a little bit, and the GLK seems like a lot better option than the X3. Much better looking exterior & interior for the same (ish) price. I wish it wasn't this way, but I feel like the X3 is the black sheep of the BMW lineup, not garnering any love from the men in the clouds (nor from me).

My bad .......... the front end looks similar to me.

X3 in it's stock form (no performance package) is definitely lacking in every aspect. The X5 is the same way, but with the optional 8 cylinder it can be fun to drive. Nowadays I think the X6 is more or less the "black sheep" as it takes a while to grow on a person & it's hard to determine if you're driving a SUV or cross over or what ....... ??

GLK is a beautiful model. Reliability is probably going to be better and the interior you already know is superior to that of the BMW. This may be out of the price range, but have you looked at the Porsche Cayenne or even the Panamera?

Originally Posted by username79

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Here you blast the guy for doing something which you then suggest doing yourself. I posit you are marsupialed and cannot afford either car, and I also hypothesize that being an Audi douche is worse than being a BMW enthusiast.
I "posit" (thanks for using arcane philosophical wording, Gottfried) that I do own an S4 (but I always like it when other people think I need to lie on an internet forum...projecting much?), and only suggested modding mine for illustration purposes. Frankly, if I'm going to start heavily modding cars for track purposes, I'd rather start with a track-ready base like an M3 or RS4/5. Look, it's a nice car, but is rather tacky, in my opinion, and I couldn't drive it with a straight face. But props to him if he can. In the end, "M3ETR" plate or not, it's still a 335i.

Originally Posted by Mnkybiznes

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My bad .......... the front end looks similar to me.

X3 in it's stock form (no performance package) is definitely lacking in every aspect. The X5 is the same way, but with the optional 8 cylinder it can be fun to drive. Nowadays I think the X6 is more or less the "black sheep" as it takes a while to grow on a person & it's hard to determine if you're driving a SUV or cross over or what ....... ??

GLK is a beautiful model. Reliability is probably going to be better and the interior you already know is superior to that of the BMW. This may be out of the price range, but have you looked at the Porsche Cayenne or even the Panamera?

Haha, my next car is still on my parents' dime, so I didn't want to stretch too far from what I figure they'll get for me. My dad was thinking heavily about getting a Cayenne instead of his X5, but ended up getting everything he wanted on his X5 at a price that you couldn't get a Cayenne for, so that was the end of that. But I don't really want a Porsche, and am fine with the GLK for now. (Plus, I'll be in med school with nowhere to hit a track on it) When I graduate and am all said & done with school, my parents offered to pay the down payment on my M3 (after paying for my GLK & medical school), so essentially all my money will go to paying that bad boy off, then rent & food. After I get it paid off, I think then I'll start looking for anything to make it lighter or faster, and then it'll be fun

I didn't want a Panamera either because it's got that "old man steez" to it that the X5 & most "luxury" sedans carry. But it is a fast mofo (my friend's dad recently got a panamera 4S, since his SL 500 was hitting 5 years old.) and sounds great.

Originally Posted by Krish the Fish

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Haha, my next car is still on my parents' dime, so I didn't want to stretch too far from what I figure they'll get for me. My dad was thinking heavily about getting a Cayenne instead of his X5, but ended up getting everything he wanted on his X5 at a price that you couldn't get a Cayenne for, so that was the end of that. But I don't really want a Porsche, and am fine with the GLK for now. (Plus, I'll be in med school with nowhere to hit a track on it) When I graduate and am all said & done with school, my parents offered to pay the down payment on my M3 (after paying for my GLK & medical school), so essentially all my money will go to paying that bad boy off, then rent & food. After I get it paid off, I think then I'll start looking for anything to make it lighter or faster, and then it'll be fun

I didn't want a Panamera either because it's got that "old man steez" to it that the X5 & most "luxury" sedans carry. But it is a fast mofo (my friend's dad recently got a panamera 4S, since his SL 500 was hitting 5 years old.) and sounds great.

I don't know, if you get a big enough ride you could just live in it and not have to deal with rent etc ......................

Cayenne wouldn't be a first choice as mainly "moms" are driving them around here. The Panamera Turbo S is really much nicer & more refined, imho.

GL in Med. school ........ my college days are past & I still wonder why I bothered to go. Football scholarship paid for school, but I never really applied my education to working in the corporate world for any length of time.

You'll be so busy studying that you'll forget what you're driving ........

Lots of misinformation in the past couple of pages.

Originally Posted by leftover_salmon

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t heavily modding cars for track purposes, I'd rather start with a track-ready base like an M3 or RS4/5. Look, it's a nice car, but is rather tacky, in my opinion, and I couldn't drive it with a straight face. But props to him if he can. In the end, "M3ETR" plate or not, it's still a 335i.
That is indeed tacky which is why I brought it up, not very SF like in character. PS. There is nothing I hate more than when someone ruins a nice set of LMs with those cheesy red centercaps.

That last picture dump makes me hate everything about modern BMWs and the 'tuning scene'

Originally Posted by jet

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Lots of misinformation in the past couple of pages.



That is indeed tacky which is why I brought it up, not very SF like in character.

PS. There is nothing I hate more than when someone ruins a nice set of LMs with those cheesy red centercaps.

If it's any consolation to those of you stuck on the vanity plate ........ notice it's a Tennessee tag and I have been a Texas resident for more than a year now.

The point being the pics are somewhat dated & the comments hold no weight at this point.

Originally Posted by Huntsman

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Yes, I know BBS. Have to say that I've never really liked them much. The CX-R might be nice, I admit, had not seen that one yet. This, to me, is the classic BBS-look on my car http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/MiniW...d=true&sw=1920
Huntsman, I think some NEEZ '7model' would look good on your car, they resemble CSL wheels but are forged in Japan (at the same foundry that makes a lot of other highline wheels, like the Champion Motorsports products, etc), and are not terribly priced. http://neezinternational.com/product01.html One of my favorite wheels for current BMWs is the ACS Type V monoblock, but I can't really tell how it looks on the Z4MC with this ass-ugly kit and paintjob. They look incredible on the M5/6, FWIW, and have a bit of aesthetic connection to the M6 wheels. These are forged and more like 25% of your cars value. Alpina, for a more conservative look. These are expensive for a cast wheel, but nowhere near the $10K Schnitzers. FWIW I like BBS' but don't buy the US-market cast wheels, get the forged ones from Japan, they're by Rays.

Originally Posted by impolyt_one

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That last picture dump makes me hate everything about modern BMWs and the 'tuning scene'
The tuning scene has been garbage for years now, bmws are the new hondas and have been for quite some time. Now morons slap a fake csl trunklid on every model again regardless of whether or not it looks good (even on otherwise stock cars ) not to mention they are comically exaggerated meaning they just look plain tacky/dumb. Why would you replace a perfect complementing sheet metal panel on a new car with a non-oem piece of horrible looking plastic or cf AND pay good money to do it. It's funny, before m3 drivers used to be the douches of the bmw community but 335 drivers have quickly surpassed that mark bringing a lot of subie/honda guys into the segment because of the tunability of the n54 since it's inception. They really are that easily categorized, all with chips on their shoulder and something to prove (hence the plate criticism and casual dismissal of any competition due to forum groupthink/bias).

Originally Posted by jet

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The tuning scene has been garbage for years now, bmws are the new hondas and have been for quite some time. Now morons slap a fake csl trunklid on every model again regardless of whether or not it looks good (even on otherwise stock cars

) not to mention they are comically exaggerated meaning they just look plain tacky/dumb. Why would you replace a perfect complementing sheet metal panel on a new car with a non-oem piece of horrible looking plastic or cf AND pay good money to do it.

It's funny, before m3 drivers used to be the douches of the bmw community but 335 drivers have quickly surpassed that mark bringing a lot of subie/honda guys into the segment because of the tunability of the n54 since it's inception. They really are that easily categorized, all with chips on their shoulder and something to prove (hence the plate criticism and casual dismissal of any competition due to forum groupthink/bias).

All 100% true... I could happily live the rest of my life without seeing another carbon fiber/painted grille set, CSL trunk, DTM hood, fake M fenders, Chinese-made cast replica wheels (especially replicas of the forged OEM wheels like M-Parallel spoke, M6 wheels, CSL's, etc).. 'time attack' wheels, M-stripe stickers, booger badges are really popular here, ///M trunk badges as well, Hamann anything, Vorsteiner anything, dual exhaust conversions, gunmetal wheels, the list goes on.