That Imola Red/ Caramel setup is beautiful. Any photos of it, the M3 or the TT together or separate?

 

BMW isn't the new Porsche, the new Porsche isn't the old Porsche and the new Porsche may not be the new Porsche because the new Porsche is trying really hard to be the new BMW. The question is, is the new BMW the old BMW?

 

E39 M5 and E46 M3 are the last of the traditional, driver-oriented BMWs, with understated styling and understated 'muscularity'. Starting with the new 7, then z3 then 5, then 3, Chris Bangle and Adrian VanHoeydonk have destroyed what BMW styling meant, and their engineers (while engines are still the company's strong suit) have gone wild making the cars too technologically-dependent and taken too much control away from the driver. The new 135i is the right idea from a size/power standpoint but the thing is BUTT UGLY. Put a retro 2002tii styling exercise on the new 135i engine and chassis, and I MIGHT consider it. All the Active steering, iDrive,etc........ the new cars do nothing for me.
If you add to that my personal experience with an E46 M3 whose connecting rod bearings fried, and BMW's "customer service" chased me right into a Porsche store, to seeing every 3rd car around here being a BMW, IMHO the luster is completely gone. You could give me any current generation BMW and I'd sell it and buy something with soul. An older BMW, a Porsche, an Alfa...
The BMW marque holds NO allure for me. The only thing about BMW that holds any interest for me is rooting for Nick Heidfeld in F1.

 

OK.....I admit it I dont know what they say about them?

 

That's a twist on the ancient joke-

Q: What's the difference between porcupines and Porsches?
A: With porcupines, the ****** are on the outside.

 

I first heard the joke about BMWs.

Given that there are more BMW vehicles on the road, the percentage of them having quills on the inside would be higher than for Porsche drivers ? (or some might say since there are fewer Porsches on the road that the percentage would be higher for Porsches...)

I feel that a significantly higher percentage of Porsche drivers are true enthusiasts. While there is a rabid core of BMW track rats that I know of, being a true enthusiast and occasional track rat would put one into more frequent contact with the 'better element' of BMW drivers. I'll wager only 20% or so of the BMW drivers I see on the road would even consider taking their car to a track or are true driving enthusiasts (especially regarding newer 'Bangle' BMWs), whereas I would wager 50-75% of Porsche drivers would be likely to take their car to a track. Many Porsche drivers have the financial resources to have a dedicated Porsche track toy (I don't fit that category, I can barely afford the 2 vehicles I have, but they're both seriously fun to drive, road or track).

 

Gosh yes! They are way better than my 993--NOT!

Now take you heretical ideas and go away.

 

If the new BMW doesn't even come close what BMW used to be, how can it be the new Porsche?

This is what I think the BMW acronym stands for:

BMW:
Big Money Works
Bought My Wife
Brutal Money Waster
Break My Window
Break My Windshield
Babbling Mechanical Wench
Barely Moving Wreck
Big Money Waste
Big Money Works
Breaks Most Wrenches
Bring Many Wrenches
Broken Money Waster
Broke My Wallet
Broken Monstrous Wonder
Bumbling Mechanical Wretch
Blasphemous Motorized Wreck
Bavarian Manure Wagon

Can you think of more?

 

I have seperate pics of them all, but none together. I will try to do that this weekend as I trade cars every now and then so I want to get pics of my RED ROCKS fleet all togther soon!

 

I'll try to post them in a new thread as well as some others have asked for them. THat way I don't hijack this thread any more than I already have. :-)

 

I don't get the porcupine joke because all the Porsche people I've meet have been great, including all you folks on Rennlist. Must be non-owner jealousy or envy.

 

^ well, in my experience, some of the biggest ******** on the planet are rennlist members--just head on over to OT.

BTW they laugh about us on that other p-car site...

 

Is BMW the new Porsche ... Definitely not ...

BUT!

I do think that Porsche is the new BMW!!

10-15 years ago , a BMW had wow factor , yes it was a mass produced car , but it was still a very well built one ,had buckets of appeal and it wasn't the sort of car you saw hanging around every street corner .

This is more or less how I'd would view the 996/997 today ....

 

+1

 

6-Speed? Home of the leased 996 Turbos on chrome 20"s and 3 TVs or

Pelican? Nothing bad to say. Seems like they have more active 911-964 sections while we own the 993 world. No animosity, just the way it worked out, right?