The 330 was replaced with the 335 (than 340) as the top dog 3 series. The current 330i is the middle of the road 3 series between the 320 and 340, so kinda apples to oranges comparison.
The e90 doesn't age well with maintenance either, but I guess that's the same with every BMW.
Because 0-60 and 1/4 mile times don't tell you everything about a car? They don't even tell you how fun it is to drive. They are very loosely related but only loosely.
dculberson said:Because 0-60 and 1/4 mile times don't tell you everything about a car? They don't even tell you how fun it is to drive. They are very loosely related but only loosely.
That's just what tilted analytics have shoved in front of your face. You clearly haven't been educated properly.
Let me tell you about how fun the Miata is with the top down on a gridlocked 6-lane highway when 100 degrees outside.
jr10cross said:In reply to yupididit :
What has happened here? Has everyone just decided accept what tilted analytics has shoved in front of their faces? The majority choose boring/un-inspired transportation because they haven't been educated properly. They don't know any better. That doesn't mean that we are all doomed to drive vehicles based on their uneducated choice. Vehicle safety is extremely important but it was executed differently in the past. Nothing is more safe than teaching people to respect the power they have been given. I don't care how safe you make the car, an idiot can still crash it. The more safety technology evolves the more it becomes unnecessary for you to drive the car at all. Soon your insurance will charge you a premium because driving the car yourself will be considered a high risk.
My YouTube channel was created to educate people on how easy it is to own and maintain vehicles that are considered high maintenance and costly. People have commented that they've purchased 944s or renew the project of their deceased fathers because of the information shared. The 944 community is turning around for the best because of education. That's happening to all our vehicles, because we have resources like YouTube, forums, and blogs that allows us to freely disseminate information to large audiences.
People aren't doomed to ignorance, but we will be doomed if we fail to take responsibility. Someone took a stand before and killed the K cars. I just find it so weird to hear such jaded talk from this awesome community.
I'm sure "educating people properly" will mean a married couple with 2 children will think a BRZ is a better family mobile for them and their adolescents than a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry.
In reply to Mitchell :
You're right, an e39 is so much more fun when stuck in 6 lane gridlocked traffic!
about the only fun vehicle for that would be one of those mobile stripper busses or maybe a bookmobile.
In reply to NEALSMO :
yeah that's a good point, I just find it funny they name the models the same. The new 330i is a 4 cylinder turbo that has close to the same hp of the 6, but probably has a more limited power ban. I prefer NA. There's just so much less theater, less excitement, less climax with the 4 cylinder turbo over an inline 6. It's not just with BMW though. Drive the V6 Mustang, then drive the eco-boot and experience the let down. Drive a 2.0 Cadillac ATS, its great 4k -5,500k rpm, but outside that it's a Chevy Cruise.
In reply to z31maniac :
But they may think a Mini Cooper is an option! Or let the swimming lessons go and splurge on an IS250. LOL
jr10cross said:In reply to z31maniac :
But they may think a Mini Cooper is an option! Or let the swimming lessons go and splurge on an IS250. LOL
You also have to understand, regarding your comment about how easy it is to maintain X vehicle, again, SOME PEOPLE DON'T WANT TOO!
I'm more than capable of doing just about anything having built multiple track cars, engine swaps, suspension and brake work, etc.
I take my BRZ to the dealership for oil changes because I don't feel like crawling around on the garage floor to do it. I drop the car off, and they either give me a loaner to take to work, or I hook up to their WiFi and work from the dealership until they are finished.
You have to lose, well everyone does, this mindset that everyone should think and feel like you do about ALL THE THINGS!
In reply to z31maniac :
I really don't have to do anything, but keep helping people. Taking the time to give individuals the content they appreciate and welcome. If you don't like what I have to say you don't have to comment. :) Encourage rather than discourage bro! I'm pushing to share knowledge and make a difference. You're pushing judgement. All I'm saying is let's share more knowledge. The point of the post was to say hey look how similar the car is 11 years ago. If you don't have $38k maybe you have $8k so this may work. 
Tilted analytics....educate people...well then. I'll just laugh.
In reply to yupididit :
if you can't tell, I'm not a conspiracy theorist at all. LOL
In reply to ManhattanM (fka NY535iManual) :
god I hate swamp ass but I love an easy to clean seat!
jr10cross said:Yeah but I have experience working on the newer 3-series and it isn't fun. Tolerances are extremely tight and there's just no room because of package. I was down right in the middle of the car trying to remove something by the header. Also, some of the metals felt pretty flimsy. I know it's in an effort to save weight, but the 06 only weighed 3200lb. It seems like all this extra safety stuff is pushing us further away from the dream and turning people in un-inspired drivers. We should do a test, give everyone driving a boat these days and opportunity to drive a light nimble sedan and see how they feel afterward. I think big government is affecting our right to choice. I don't need 30 airbags, lane safety, pedestrian stopping, and all that other crude. We just need to train people to be better drivers, but you have to also produce an engaging car to drive.
I don't think regulation is the cause of most of the weight gain trends we see across the industry. There are also notable exceptions which suggest regulations are not the main problem. The ND miata weighs the same as it's 1994 counterpart. The 2018 Accord is down 110-170lbs across the lineup. The lightest 2017 accord was 3170lbs. I don't think there has ever been a car that size weigh so little. It's nearly a full size car. Neither of these vehicles make use of crazy weight saving technologies, etc.
Regulation is also not forcing people to buy soulless crossovers and trucks. The way things are now a days, anyone buying a "car" could be counted as a close enough as a "win" for our team. :)
In reply to Snrub :
Good point I think I heard about the Miata, but I didn't know that about the Accord. That's pretty awesome!. Yes anyone buy a car is a win. I just stare at the Mercedes GLE Couple AMG is think OMG where did we go wrong. LOL
Or the 800+lbs off the new F150s.
jr10cross said:In reply to z31maniac :
I really don't have to do anything, but keep helping people. Taking the time to give individuals the content they appreciate and welcome. If you don't like what I have to say you don't have to comment. :) Encourage rather than discourage bro! I'm pushing to share knowledge and make a difference. You're pushing judgement. All I'm saying is let's share more knowledge. The point of the post was to say hey look how similar the car is 11 years ago. If you don't have $38k maybe you have $8k so this may work.
I think you are willfully missing the point. People interested in family cars aren't interested in how to maintain old Porsche's.
But keep fighting the good fight.
In reply to z31maniac :
Dah, that's why I've done flashback autos of other cars like BMW 330xi, Infiniti FX35, and Lexus GX470. Those are actually family vehicles, so what are you getting at? I got 37k views in a weekend on the Infiniti FX35 because I made a video 3 months before Matt Farah and YouTube queued my video next. Crazy how him and I had the exact same feeling about the car. I told people 'think about buying this car 'and Matt said 'they're probably a steal on the market right now.' That also turned into 600 more Subscribers for me, meaning people liked the content. So again I'm not sure if you understand where I'm coming from, or maybe you don't want to. The passion will always be there for the 'old Porsches' but you have to diversify. I'll continue to make content about 'old Porsches" because that's who I am and I will not abandon my loyal audience that appreciates the work I've done.
Your subscribers are still car-guy types. Non-car people still give zero berkeleys how easy it is to maintain an 11 year old BMW. They also don't care to be told they drive uninspired appliances because they are uneducated and falling prey to tilted analytics.
Cars are appliances to most people. Like a dishwasher is to me. I don't give a E36 M3 if a 10 year old dishwasher is the same as what's on the market now. If I need one, I'll likely get a new one because I don't want to deal with the hassle. I'm sure some dishwasher enthusiast is out there on his youtube channel rambling about how I'm such a mindless tool for falling into this trap.
In reply to ProDarwin :
Again I said uneducated or ignorant. That's just lacking knowledge. Every car enthusiast turned into one from an experience. Yes every person cannot be turned into a gear head. But I didn't publish this topic to 'Essence' forum, I submitted it to GRM. So I would expect that you would understand that I'm speaking of people with at least some interest in vehicles. LOL
First, JR10Cross never said safety measures are bad or anything like that. I totally get his point, but then again, I'm on GRM and I know I'm not like most folks.
I can't afford 40K for a new vehicle. But I can spring 10K for a used one that's 90% as good. A few people actually got the point of his post and mentioned that the reason why people would buy a new BMW vs. an older one is for status, warranty, or peace of mind.
And I whole-heartedly agree, the most important, most overlook, and least used safety feature in cars today is that module that sits on the top of our necks. Pretty soon people won't even understand why we used to look over our shoulders to check our blind spots. So when the camera or sensor is dirty they won't know to look around for other cars. That's just one example.
But some people just need to argue.
jr10cross said:In reply to yupididit :
What has happened here? Has everyone just decided accept what tilted analytics has shoved in front of their faces? The majority choose boring/un-inspired transportation because they haven't been educated properly. They don't know any better. That doesn't mean that we are all doomed to drive vehicles based on their uneducated choice. Vehicle safety is extremely important but it was executed differently in the past.
People aren't doomed to ignorance, but we will be doomed if we fail to take responsibility. Someone took a stand before and killed the K cars. I just find it so weird to hear such jaded talk from this awesome community.
Glad you're passionate about driving & maintaining old cars. Most of us are too, but mainly as a hobby. Motorsports, back roads and cruising are good to appreciate the older stuff. Long boring commutes are not, and in my opinion you shouldn't use up an older special car on such mundane duties.
Back to your original point (BMW's in particular) the current turbo 4 cylinder is quicker & more efficient in everyday driving than the old NA 6. In a bigger, heavier, safer car. It certainly doesn't sound as good, but it does the job just fine without the need to rev it out.
In reply to Dashpot :
I understand exactly with what you're saying and I agree. I just wanted to present to people the option, show them it can be done if they want to do it. This whole post was to explain the similarities of the 2 cars and say you can have fun and own a great practical car without spending $40k. That got lost in translation. Everyone on here has some point to prove like this is politics. I stopped posting up here for a while and this kind this discussion makes me regret posting again. I thank everyone who has been encouraging, I feed on that crap big time, but to everyone else, you're just killing the mood.
In reply to jr10cross :
As the saying goes, "you're preaching to the choir". We are here on GRM because we are gearheads and work on cars. Although like some here, I hate working on my daily driver or SWMBO's car as we rely on them. So I do have new cars. I do have older cars that I enjoy working on. But we are a minority. To most they are a means to get someplace. As for educating, that's why some of us do car shows or public events. Some of us get involved in other stuff that can promote our hobby. Things like Street Survival, Greenpower, Cars & Coffee in public places, encouraging the youngsters in their vision and promote safety and responsibility to them, etc... Sometimes it brings more into the fold.
There was a time I bought old cars and had to work on them just to be able to get to work. Now that I can afford not to, I don't work on the vehicles I rely on to bring home the bacon. I just gave some parts to a kid to use on his Miata that he relies on to get him to school and work. When this kid was 15 he got a hold of his uncles old Spitfire and got it running and did a sort of resto on it. Up to our standards? No but very good work for a young 15yo learning. It's a good 20 footer and he did all the work himself. He still has the Spit but doesn't drive it daily, has a Miata for that. Which is fun to watch him get in and out of, he's 6'4". Tall and skinny.
As a side point, since we are a minority can we throw a fit like I see in the news to get preferential treatment? Think it will work?
Comparing my E90 335xi daily driver to my mom's old E46 sedan, I do see some differences.
The newer car is bigger and more comfortable. The automatic gearbox shifts more smoothly and just works better. Same for the AWD system. Same for traction control and stability control. Lots more airbags. The adaptive HID headlights are in a whole other league of performance. The brakes are much stronger and more fade resistant, despite stopping a heavier and more powerful car.
The biggest differences have to do with tech. The integrated GPS and on-board diagnostics didn't even exist on the E46. The Bluetooth and iPhone connectivity really works well. The iDrive interface is easy to use without a steep learning curve.
As a commuter car, I like everything about the E90 better than the E46 ... except for the ride quality. The stock shock/spring package is horrendous. Insanely harsh ride for no reason.
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