Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

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That will be me in the jeeb on Saturday

about that...

@964Cup
apols if it's just a coincidence, but is your username related to your choice of vehicle?

In a way. I used to race a 964 Cup car in the Porsche Cup some time ago. It became my forum name on car forums, which became my forum name on bike forums when I switched my interest to cycling. Sold the car some time ago, but the name stuck. That and some trophies is all that remains of my two-decade long car obsession, now more than a decade out of date.

Was looking at e61s. But seen an e39 advertised I’m going to look at later.

Ps who ever though faux wood trim was a good idea? It’s a car, not a old boys smoking parlour.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/bmw/bmw-e39-530d-/1288891884

Mine is basically the same as that car, except mine is a 2.5 rather than 3.0.

The faux wood is barely noticeable when you're in the car. I thought it was a bit naff the first time I saw it but now I forget it's there.

Sounds like it was a great experience!

Yeah, your glowing review is what prompted me to go and have a look. That and I'd need to spend 3k more to get a nice E61 with same milage. Which doesn't make sense.

I don't think the E61 is as nice a car.

A big thing for me I've noticed is that it seems the majority of mainstream manufacturers started skimping on the "plushness" of the leather around then, so my E39 has soft (but not saggy) leather that is supple yet supportive, like an old leather wingback, but newer cars have that tight, taught leather that doesn't seem to break in and is a bit thinner too.

My dad's 996 has similar leather to mine, and I think the newer 911s still have good leather, but then they're £60k+ cars when new.

Take a bloody good look at the suspension arms, subframes, etc.
If the arches are gone, there's a very good chance the underside will be a disgrace.

Yeah agreed and got to be said, the Volvo v70 I tried had nicer seats than the e61. But a 535d is a nice engine!

What's the deal with the E39, they don't have DPFs do they? I presume as this is from factory it's not illegal? Not sure how I feel morally not having a dpf, I know which cars don't when I get stuck cycling behind them!

The standard leather in new BMWs is pretty plasticky to the touch but it's a lot more sag and stain resistant than in older cars. When sitting in it, it's also more supportive and comfortable (to me at least) than older BMWs.

To get the lovely soft stuff, you have to stump up an additional £1k for the nappa leather.

The standard leather in new BMWs is pretty plasticky

That's because it is plastic, not leather.

This is untrue.

'Dakota' leather which is the standard leather in most BMWs is real leather but is coated with a polymer paint which gives it the more plasticky texture. It's then embossed with fake grain.

Processed heavily; yes. Plastic; no.

it looks like it is going to be cold as a motherfucker on sunday - I might take the jerry...

Why? Low grade hides?

Or, to put it another way, it's a thick layer of plastic with a thin layer of leather behind it.
Mercedes don't even go that far. Their Artico "man-made leather" is just vinyl.

Yup e39 seats are nicer.

Met it's big brother in Italy

Mine is gonna need a tonne of work and could do with something they works right or if the box. 400 miles away though and debating not having a car for the near future.

There are quite a few different seats in E61s - that one linked to a page or so ago had the povvo-spec manual ones. I don't know that there's much difference in appearance but the difference in adjustability has got to mean the internals/supports are different.

wow, that is amazing. Cheers Andy.

Love that being some kind of estate probably only increases storage capacity to about the size of a modern glove compartment

That C55 was listed for 12k, I went back to the chap with a cost of £1,600 to fix the arches and bonnet, his response was £10,800 and the car is yours.

This seems pretty reasonable to me - so, before I accept, I put it to you, the car experts of LFGSS (and Lynx), what else should I consider for a ceiling price of £10,800 that has 300+bhp and an estate style body, that's not a Chrysler.

Is it likely to be more reliable than the Volvo when left in airport parking? (That was one of the reasons for the change, right?)

The ovlov