Diary of a luddite - 1990s German car content
Discussion
Hi and welcome to my car diary!
We'll start with my current daily driver - a 1996 BMW 740i (E38).
This would have been one of the first M62 4.4 740i's to come off the line, and is fortunate enough to feature the 'green label' 5HP30 gearbox instead of the smaller 5HP24 that soon followed. Endearingly, it has a grand total of zero optional extras - 740i's came with memory electric seats and a sunroof as standard, which is all I need anyway. I've recently added 'Comfort' seats, which add some lumbar adjustability and funky looking headrests, but the big girl remains otherwise standard.
I adore driving this thing. The lack of spec belies the deep sense of mechanical luxury you get from driving a V8 powered E38 - the controls are satisfyingly weighted, the driving position is inch perfect for sheer, absolute comfort, and the V8's engine note changes from a farm truck burble to a NASCAR howl should you choose to use the kickdown function. It's perversely fun to hustle around should you be in a rush, and I truly believe that, in this guise, the E38 is the best looking four-door saloon ever made.
Next up is a 1997 Porsche 911 Carrera (996). To be honest, I was never really a Porsche guy growing up, generally favouring M3s and 200SXs over anything rear or mid-engined. That said, the 996 was the new 911 when I was a kid, and I always loved the LMP-esque headlights and elegant silhouette of the early cars. I'd certainly never considered buying one though, and soon after getting my licence I found my home within the world of affordable front-engine RWD sports cars.
This of course led me to the E46 M3, which is by all means a brilliant car. I loved my last one, however I found it to feel slightly inert unless you were really 'on it', with not even BMW M able to overcome the trappings of the 1500kg family saloon E46 platform. I found myself wishing it was slightly smaller and slightly lighter - Toyota must have heard me, as they then announced the GR86 was coming to the UK. Faced with a company actually building my perfect on-paper car, I got out of the M3 and secured an early build slot for the GR86.
A three month lead time however soon turned to nine, and the deal slowly soured as time went on; what was supposed to be an all inclusive track warranty turned out to be anything but, and Subaru's flat-four engine appeared to have some pretty significant oiling issues when used hard, which is what I was buying the car for. As time went on, the thought of leaving behind six-cylinder engines and hydraulic steering became less and less appealing. I picked up a project M3 coupe and got stuck in, happy with my choice.
I was then chucked the keys to a humble 2.7 986 Boxster for the day. Bog standard except for a sports exhaust, I zipped around in a car that most of the Porsche world seem to turn their nose up at, and realised I enjoyed it more than some of BMW's most iconic M cars... Engaging, razor sharp and an absolute aural delight, I was shocked that anyone ever thought to criticise the Boxster, and immediately opened up Facebook Marketplace to see how I could get into one. Except I accidentally typed in 996 instead of 986, and ended up with this:
I bought it sight unseen, collected it in the rain, and drove it off the sellers driveway having never even sat in a 911 before.
It's a super early 996, being a November 1997 build. It features a cable throttle, 6-speed manual, LSD, Space Grey interior and a set of lovely, OEM fit 993 Turbo hollow-spoke wheels. Coming from front engine RWD, it's been a steep learning curve in understanding how to get the best out of it - initial impressions are that it doesn't like to turn in, and seems to have endless amounts of traction. Snapping the throttle shut mid corner makes it do some pretty fun things. I think a geo and some new tyres are needed before any further research occurs...
997 seats, road-biased coilovers and some sort of induction kit are on this list at some point. For now I'm just going to continue to drive it and get used to it!
Since I was 19, I've almost always had an E36 in my life. My current one is hopefully here to stay, and doubles up as my drift car. It's a 1996 BMW 323i Coupe in Boston Green, featuring the rarely seen yellow leather interior.
It now has an M52B28 with an M50 manifold, remapped Green Label ECU, lightened flywheel and E34 M5 clutch. The car sits on BC coilovers with full rear coilover conversion and Enkei RP01 wheels. Inside is a Recaro SPG and a Nardi Gara 4 steering wheel. The steering knuckles have been cut for additional lock whilst retaining standard ackerman, and the footwork consists of E46 lower control arms, E90 tie rods, E36 M3 lollipop bushes and a welded 320i diff with a 3.45 ratio mated to 325i shafts. It retains it's full interior and all standard creature comforts, and lacks a hydraulic handbrake. It's my 11th E36 and definitely the best one yet. This thing is arguably the most fun you can have under a tin top on four wheels.
Moving on, we have my backup daily - a 2001 BMW 330ci Convertible (E46). It's an Orient Blue in SE trim, which means it happily retains the lovely chrome A-pillar and shoulder-line trim. The interior features black leather heated sports seats, wood trim and an automatic gearbox - essential for comfortably wafting around inner London. It sits on a set of battered MV1s which, usefully, double up as parking sensors.
Obviously, being a ZF 5HP19 car, it has blown its gearbox up and is currently sat awaiting a replacement box. It's otherwise an utterly brilliant town car - small, nippy, presentable, not too old, not too new, not too expensive, not too flashy. The roof goes down, the seats get hot and the HK stereo works beautifully.
Lastly, we have my sorry looking E46 M3, which is currently away getting all manner of stuff done to it. It's a high mileage manual non-sunroof coupe in Carbon Black, with all 'big jobs' done. It's a bit tatty round the edges by M3 standards but a perfect example of one for anyone who actually wants to drive. Unfortunately I don't really have the space to keep it, and it's pretty hard to justify having this and the 911 at the same time, so it'll probably get sold when the time comes - I will hopefully get a few drives in it before it goes though.
That's it from me today. My pal and I run @mildlyinterestingcarsoflondon on Instagram, so if you like reading about modern classics in London you may enjoy that too!
We'll start with my current daily driver - a 1996 BMW 740i (E38).
This would have been one of the first M62 4.4 740i's to come off the line, and is fortunate enough to feature the 'green label' 5HP30 gearbox instead of the smaller 5HP24 that soon followed. Endearingly, it has a grand total of zero optional extras - 740i's came with memory electric seats and a sunroof as standard, which is all I need anyway. I've recently added 'Comfort' seats, which add some lumbar adjustability and funky looking headrests, but the big girl remains otherwise standard.
I adore driving this thing. The lack of spec belies the deep sense of mechanical luxury you get from driving a V8 powered E38 - the controls are satisfyingly weighted, the driving position is inch perfect for sheer, absolute comfort, and the V8's engine note changes from a farm truck burble to a NASCAR howl should you choose to use the kickdown function. It's perversely fun to hustle around should you be in a rush, and I truly believe that, in this guise, the E38 is the best looking four-door saloon ever made.
Next up is a 1997 Porsche 911 Carrera (996). To be honest, I was never really a Porsche guy growing up, generally favouring M3s and 200SXs over anything rear or mid-engined. That said, the 996 was the new 911 when I was a kid, and I always loved the LMP-esque headlights and elegant silhouette of the early cars. I'd certainly never considered buying one though, and soon after getting my licence I found my home within the world of affordable front-engine RWD sports cars.
This of course led me to the E46 M3, which is by all means a brilliant car. I loved my last one, however I found it to feel slightly inert unless you were really 'on it', with not even BMW M able to overcome the trappings of the 1500kg family saloon E46 platform. I found myself wishing it was slightly smaller and slightly lighter - Toyota must have heard me, as they then announced the GR86 was coming to the UK. Faced with a company actually building my perfect on-paper car, I got out of the M3 and secured an early build slot for the GR86.
A three month lead time however soon turned to nine, and the deal slowly soured as time went on; what was supposed to be an all inclusive track warranty turned out to be anything but, and Subaru's flat-four engine appeared to have some pretty significant oiling issues when used hard, which is what I was buying the car for. As time went on, the thought of leaving behind six-cylinder engines and hydraulic steering became less and less appealing. I picked up a project M3 coupe and got stuck in, happy with my choice.
I was then chucked the keys to a humble 2.7 986 Boxster for the day. Bog standard except for a sports exhaust, I zipped around in a car that most of the Porsche world seem to turn their nose up at, and realised I enjoyed it more than some of BMW's most iconic M cars... Engaging, razor sharp and an absolute aural delight, I was shocked that anyone ever thought to criticise the Boxster, and immediately opened up Facebook Marketplace to see how I could get into one. Except I accidentally typed in 996 instead of 986, and ended up with this:
I bought it sight unseen, collected it in the rain, and drove it off the sellers driveway having never even sat in a 911 before.
It's a super early 996, being a November 1997 build. It features a cable throttle, 6-speed manual, LSD, Space Grey interior and a set of lovely, OEM fit 993 Turbo hollow-spoke wheels. Coming from front engine RWD, it's been a steep learning curve in understanding how to get the best out of it - initial impressions are that it doesn't like to turn in, and seems to have endless amounts of traction. Snapping the throttle shut mid corner makes it do some pretty fun things. I think a geo and some new tyres are needed before any further research occurs...
997 seats, road-biased coilovers and some sort of induction kit are on this list at some point. For now I'm just going to continue to drive it and get used to it!
Since I was 19, I've almost always had an E36 in my life. My current one is hopefully here to stay, and doubles up as my drift car. It's a 1996 BMW 323i Coupe in Boston Green, featuring the rarely seen yellow leather interior.
It now has an M52B28 with an M50 manifold, remapped Green Label ECU, lightened flywheel and E34 M5 clutch. The car sits on BC coilovers with full rear coilover conversion and Enkei RP01 wheels. Inside is a Recaro SPG and a Nardi Gara 4 steering wheel. The steering knuckles have been cut for additional lock whilst retaining standard ackerman, and the footwork consists of E46 lower control arms, E90 tie rods, E36 M3 lollipop bushes and a welded 320i diff with a 3.45 ratio mated to 325i shafts. It retains it's full interior and all standard creature comforts, and lacks a hydraulic handbrake. It's my 11th E36 and definitely the best one yet. This thing is arguably the most fun you can have under a tin top on four wheels.
Moving on, we have my backup daily - a 2001 BMW 330ci Convertible (E46). It's an Orient Blue in SE trim, which means it happily retains the lovely chrome A-pillar and shoulder-line trim. The interior features black leather heated sports seats, wood trim and an automatic gearbox - essential for comfortably wafting around inner London. It sits on a set of battered MV1s which, usefully, double up as parking sensors.
Obviously, being a ZF 5HP19 car, it has blown its gearbox up and is currently sat awaiting a replacement box. It's otherwise an utterly brilliant town car - small, nippy, presentable, not too old, not too new, not too expensive, not too flashy. The roof goes down, the seats get hot and the HK stereo works beautifully.
Lastly, we have my sorry looking E46 M3, which is currently away getting all manner of stuff done to it. It's a high mileage manual non-sunroof coupe in Carbon Black, with all 'big jobs' done. It's a bit tatty round the edges by M3 standards but a perfect example of one for anyone who actually wants to drive. Unfortunately I don't really have the space to keep it, and it's pretty hard to justify having this and the 911 at the same time, so it'll probably get sold when the time comes - I will hopefully get a few drives in it before it goes though.
That's it from me today. My pal and I run @mildlyinterestingcarsoflondon on Instagram, so if you like reading about modern classics in London you may enjoy that too!
Edited by Gooly on Friday 27th October 12:45
A great read with some great cars but with E46s you've slipped into the next decade, which is the one I seem to be stuck in. 
I bought my first BMW in 2005 and haven't been without one since then. I currently have numbers 7 and 8 and they have all been from between 2002 and 2007. There isn't anything later that I really fancy so I suppose I'm also a Luddite!
I bought my first BMW in 2005 and haven't been without one since then. I currently have numbers 7 and 8 and they have all been from between 2002 and 2007. There isn't anything later that I really fancy so I suppose I'm also a Luddite!
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