GTAMADDOG

Thanks, both. I definitely remember your names!
There are much better and newer cars out there, but I enjoy the feeling of driving something older than the norm and being able to fix most things myself. Excluding the E46, the E92 is actually one of the oldest cars on my street - I'll never be one for "keeping up with the Jones". The neighbour two doors down has a new-ish A43 AMG, but it doesn't appeal to me - its quick, but it sounds like a wet fart and is yet another overstyled blob in my eyes. I might consider one of BMW's last inline 6 turbo petrols (M140 or M240) when they're about ten years old as the styling is alright and I6 engine noises, then the U.K. will probably be taken over by EVs.
I will have owned the E46 for ten years in January, so even if it manages to get condemned I'll just park it outside the house, keep it looking nice and celebrate ten years of ownership anyway.

Thanks, both. I definitely remember your names!
There are much better and newer cars out there, but I enjoy the feeling of driving something older than the norm and being able to fix most things myself. Excluding the E46, the E92 is actually one of the oldest cars on my street - I'll never be one for "keeping up with the Jones". The neighbour two doors down has a new-ish A43 AMG, but it doesn't appeal to me - its quick, but it sounds like a wet fart and is yet another overstyled blob in my eyes. I might consider one of BMW's last inline 6 turbo petrols (M140 or M240) when they're about ten years old as the styling is alright and I6 engine noises, then the U.K. will probably be taken over by EVs.
I will have owned the E46 for ten years in January, so even if it manages to get condemned I'll just park it outside the house, keep it looking nice and celebrate ten years of ownership anyway.

I haven't posted here in ages... and neither has anyone else apparently. Looks like most people moved on (until Solar Crown, maybe?) as nowhere apart from the TDU section seems to get many posts now. Anywho and way, just dropping in for a car update - possibly a long post once I get going.
Finally bought something 'new' in March. The E46 330d made it to 200,000 miles without any real complaint, then back in January (Friday 13th no less!) when it was booked in for its MOT, the rear brake line that runs across the back of the car decided to rupture on the drive while the car sat overnight. Got in the car the morning of the MOT... Hmmm, the brake pedal doesn't feel the same as it did yesterday and why is my foot now sinking to the floor. Poked my head under the rear wheel to be greeted with brake fluid all over the suspension components - great timing! MOT cancelled. Ended up ripping the old brake line out and fitting a new one with new flexi hoses to both rear wheels with the car on axle stands on my dad's drive (he's got more/better tools than me). Cleaned up the rear half of the car and applied rust converter and then Lanoguard to nearly everything. This was done over the course of a month and a half when we both had a tiny bit of spare time here and there. Still haven't got it re-MOTd just yet because...
Early to mid-March I bought something I'd been looking out for, for ages. Another old BMW... an E92 335d. The M57 has been such a good engine in the 330d and obviously 46 x 2 = 92, so why not? Plus, quite frankly, I would be paranoid as hell if I bought a 330d with the N57 (timing chain snapping main bearing spinner) which is what you end up with if you buy a 325/330d built after mid-2008.
2009 BMW 335d M Sport Highline. Space grey with coral red leather. CIC Navigation and BMW retrofit kit for the audio system installed by the previous owner so it has an Alpine amplifier and upgraded speakers (and tweeters), oh and the A/C works which is also a bonus over the E46. It had some Triangle tyres put on the rear prior to sale which is a bit disappointing as it did has Pilot Sport 4S tyres all round, but those are now only on the front. The Triangles are getting interesting now because even in the dry I can feel the DSC fighting to put the power down in 3rd - they'll be getting replaced with a pair of 4S's or Eagle Asymmetric 6s before winter, I'm not an advocate of cheap tyres, but the Triangles were brand new and we were getting towards Spring/Summer, so I've ran them for a bit. Apparently, it had £900 of suspension and brakes just before I bought it, but I think all of that £900 went in to a set of Brembo discs and pads because both front shocks are.. not good and will be replaced very shortly.
The E46 isn't going anywhere as quite honestly it is worth next to nothing with 207k on the clock and crusty rear aches (common E46 thing), plus my plan has always been to keep it and have something else to take the bulk of the miles. Every time I sit in the E46 I can't help but feel much, much more at home even though I haven't driven it properly for nearly 8 months.
 
 

I haven't posted here in ages... and neither has anyone else apparently. Looks like most people moved on (until Solar Crown, maybe?) as nowhere apart from the TDU section seems to get many posts now. Anywho and way, just dropping in for a car update - possibly a long post once I get going.
Finally bought something 'new' in March. The E46 330d made it to 200,000 miles without any real complaint, then back in January (Friday 13th no less!) when it was booked in for its MOT, the rear brake line that runs across the back of the car decided to rupture on the drive while the car sat overnight. Got in the car the morning of the MOT... Hmmm, the brake pedal doesn't feel the same as it did yesterday and why is my foot now sinking to the floor. Poked my head under the rear wheel to be greeted with brake fluid all over the suspension components - great timing! MOT cancelled. Ended up ripping the old brake line out and fitting a new one with new flexi hoses to both rear wheels with the car on axle stands on my dad's drive (he's got more/better tools than me). Cleaned up the rear half of the car and applied rust converter and then Lanoguard to nearly everything. This was done over the course of a month and a half when we both had a tiny bit of spare time here and there. Still haven't got it re-MOTd just yet because...
Early to mid-March I bought something I'd been looking out for, for ages. Another old BMW... an E92 335d. The M57 has been such a good engine in the 330d and obviously 46 x 2 = 92, so why not? Plus, quite frankly, I would be paranoid as hell if I bought a 330d with the N57 (timing chain snapping main bearing spinner) which is what you end up with if you buy a 325/330d built after mid-2008.
2009 BMW 335d M Sport Highline. Space grey with coral red leather. CIC Navigation and BMW retrofit kit for the audio system installed by the previous owner so it has an Alpine amplifier and upgraded speakers (and tweeters), oh and the A/C works which is also a bonus over the E46. It had some Triangle tyres put on the rear prior to sale which is a bit disappointing as it did has Pilot Sport 4S tyres all round, but those are now only on the front. The Triangles are getting interesting now because even in the dry I can feel the DSC fighting to put the power down in 3rd - they'll be getting replaced with a pair of 4S's or Eagle Asymmetric 6s before winter, I'm not an advocate of cheap tyres, but the Triangles were brand new and we were getting towards Spring/Summer, so I've ran them for a bit. Apparently, it had £900 of suspension and brakes just before I bought it, but I think all of that £900 went in to a set of Brembo discs and pads because both front shocks are.. not good and will be replaced very shortly.
The E46 isn't going anywhere as quite honestly it is worth next to nothing with 207k on the clock and crusty rear aches (common E46 thing), plus my plan has always been to keep it and have something else to take the bulk of the miles. Every time I sit in the E46 I can't help but feel much, much more at home even though I haven't driven it properly for nearly 8 months.
 
 

Hopefully should be getting the keys to my first house (one on the left) in the next week or two.

Nothing special, but I'm forever single and with my income it's the best I can do for now. Two parking spaces for the car to leak differential oil on to though, so that's nice.

Hopefully should be getting the keys to my first house (one on the left) in the next week or two.

Nothing special, but I'm forever single and with my income it's the best I can do for now. Two parking spaces for the car to leak differential oil on to though, so that's nice.

Hopefully should be getting the keys to my first house (one on the left) in the next week or two.

Nothing special, but I'm forever single and with my income it's the best I can do for now. Two parking spaces for the car to leak differential oil on to though, so that's nice.

Haven't posted on here in ages. Almost bought a late 2008 BMW 330D LCI back in May this year, but there was a problem with its history which I found through doing a car check even though the dealer said it was all clear when I was looking around the car - always do your own checks no matter what. To be fair I don't think he had done as indepth a check as I did so he was unaware and refunded my deposit no questions. Normally I'd do a vehicle check before even setting off to see the car, but experience showed that these E90 330Ds don't hang around when they're a decent specification. I also expressed interest in a house around the same time (my first home), so after the car ended up being a bit of a flop I just gave up with looking for another car for the foreseeable and as such I'm still rolling around in the E46 after almost six years. 166,000 miles now...

Hopefully should be getting the keys to my first house (one on the left) in the next week or two.

Nothing special, but I'm forever single and with my income it's the best I can do for now. Two parking spaces for the car to leak differential oil on to though, so that's nice.

Hopefully should be getting the keys to my first house (one on the left) in the next week or two.

Nothing special, but I'm forever single and with my income it's the best I can do for now. Two parking spaces for the car to leak differential oil on to though, so that's nice.

Damn thats a fine ride there congrats!
 
I actually got my first car today YaY!!
 
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Gave my baby her first proper bath in my ownership, she looks so good! (Excuse the crap phone photos, it was getting dark)
 
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Congrats on the wedding.
 
I'm off to Norway (Bergen) in March for a short break, always wanted to go to Norway as I'm not particularly fussed about warm weather and sun and the place is just so picturesque pretty much everywhere you go. Plan to look at Bergen itself, some WW2 artillery placements that the Germans put up and naturally a fjord or two. First holiday I've had outside of the U.K. since 2010, so it's long overdue.
 
I also potentially have a job interview on Thursday to do something completely different to the office work I've been doing the last eight years (kind of bored of it so GG to two years in college studying pretty much everything to do with computers). Flexible hours so I can commute outside of rush hour, half days on a Friday, no telephones and most importantly for me now that I really want to move out there's a fairly decent pay increase. Only downside is it's a few extra miles each way on my already 25 mile (each way) commute, but I may be able to car share one or two days a week, we'll have to see.
 
If the above all pans out nicely then I may finally be getting my own home which is something I've wanted for a few years now.
 
No actual new year's resolutions though :)

Congrats on the wedding.
 
I'm off to Norway (Bergen) in March for a short break, always wanted to go to Norway as I'm not particularly fussed about warm weather and sun and the place is just so picturesque pretty much everywhere you go. Plan to look at Bergen itself, some WW2 artillery placements that the Germans put up and naturally a fjord or two. First holiday I've had outside of the U.K. since 2010, so it's long overdue.
 
I also potentially have a job interview on Thursday to do something completely different to the office work I've been doing the last eight years (kind of bored of it so GG to two years in college studying pretty much everything to do with computers). Flexible hours so I can commute outside of rush hour, half days on a Friday, no telephones and most importantly for me now that I really want to move out there's a fairly decent pay increase. Only downside is it's a few extra miles each way on my already 25 mile (each way) commute, but I may be able to car share one or two days a week, we'll have to see.
 
If the above all pans out nicely then I may finally be getting my own home which is something I've wanted for a few years now.
 
No actual new year's resolutions though :)

Congrats on the wedding.
 
I'm off to Norway (Bergen) in March for a short break, always wanted to go to Norway as I'm not particularly fussed about warm weather and sun and the place is just so picturesque pretty much everywhere you go. Plan to look at Bergen itself, some WW2 artillery placements that the Germans put up and naturally a fjord or two. First holiday I've had outside of the U.K. since 2010, so it's long overdue.
 
I also potentially have a job interview on Thursday to do something completely different to the office work I've been doing the last eight years (kind of bored of it so GG to two years in college studying pretty much everything to do with computers). Flexible hours so I can commute outside of rush hour, half days on a Friday, no telephones and most importantly for me now that I really want to move out there's a fairly decent pay increase. Only downside is it's a few extra miles each way on my already 25 mile (each way) commute, but I may be able to car share one or two days a week, we'll have to see.
 
If the above all pans out nicely then I may finally be getting my own home which is something I've wanted for a few years now.
 
No actual new year's resolutions though :)

Here's an old vs. new with an extra thrown in, I have another wing to go on the driver's side, but didn't have enough time for that today.
 
Before:
 

 
Inside of old wing once removed:
 

 
New:
 

 
Need to have another go at getting the wing a bit more flush with the door, but it's on and will have to do for now.

Here's an old vs. new with an extra thrown in, I have another wing to go on the driver's side, but didn't have enough time for that today.
 
Before:
 

 
Inside of old wing once removed:
 

 
New:
 

 
Need to have another go at getting the wing a bit more flush with the door, but it's on and will have to do for now.

Another year and it's up to 143,000 miles now, still doesn't clean up too bad and new front wings should be here by the weekend.
 

 

 

 

 
I forgot to clean the pedals, but that's a job for another day.

Another year and it's up to 143,000 miles now, still doesn't clean up too bad and new front wings should be here by the weekend.
 

 

 

 

 
I forgot to clean the pedals, but that's a job for another day.

Another year and it's up to 143,000 miles now, still doesn't clean up too bad and new front wings should be here by the weekend.
 

 

 

 

 
I forgot to clean the pedals, but that's a job for another day.

Another year and it's up to 143,000 miles now, still doesn't clean up too bad and new front wings should be here by the weekend.
 

 

 

 

 
I forgot to clean the pedals, but that's a job for another day.

Looks like it has been a minute since anyone posted in here, so here is a boring video of me driving a 2016 Mini Paceman Cooper S All4.
 

 
The BMW went in for its second airbag recall and an oil service so they were kind enough to give me this thing for a few hours. I'm really not a fan of the styling of new Minis at all and I couldn't wait to get back in the BMW purely so people wouldn't look at me weirdly (apart from thinking I'm a drug dealing chav) but the Mini drove quite well. New stiff suspension and presumably run-flat tyres on the Mini made the BMW feel like a Rolls Royce when I got it back though :lol:

Looks like it has been a minute since anyone posted in here, so here is a boring video of me driving a 2016 Mini Paceman Cooper S All4.
 

 
The BMW went in for its second airbag recall and an oil service so they were kind enough to give me this thing for a few hours. I'm really not a fan of the styling of new Minis at all and I couldn't wait to get back in the BMW purely so people wouldn't look at me weirdly (apart from thinking I'm a drug dealing chav) but the Mini drove quite well. New stiff suspension and presumably run-flat tyres on the Mini made the BMW feel like a Rolls Royce when I got it back though :lol:

Nice colour for the M5, one of the better colour choices for sure, have fun. I keep having a naughty look at E46 M3s and E39 M5s for the occasional blast around the Welsh mountains, but I'd never have any money left running two ageing BMWs at the same time :p
 
Audi A3 looks like it has MK7 Golf 'Dijon' alloy wheels, but I could be wrong /bearding. Two nice cars, I can't keep up with you lot around here anymore :)

You wouldn't believe how long I've been waiting to do this. Couldn't be bothered to work out/remember when to reset the trip computer so that it read 123.4 or 789.0 at the precise moment though :p