Turkey Day

[djb]

What's everyone doing for Thanksgiving next week?! I totally forgot about that holiday..school's been such a pain in the ass. I probably won't do anything..just stay home with the fam and try not to get too pissed at the Cowboys. I have to work the following day and weekend [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] Luckily, those will probably be slow days since we tend to have fewer patients during the weekends and holidays.

On a brighter note, my new car should be ready next week for pickup [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Well technically I can drive it home tomorrow, but they won't have all the body kits painted and ready for install until next week. I've been working my ass off for this car..overtime, weekends, etc. so I'm pretty damn psyched!

Here are some pics of a car that looks almost exactly like mine. The lone exceptions being mine will be jet black and I won't have fancy, 18", bling bling rims like those [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[LonestarROB]

Damn, wish I could afford a new car like that.

Don't know what's going down for Thanksgiving. Probably either staying here or goin down to San Antonio to Grandmas. Maybe do alittle deer hunting down there or somethin.

[reeds]

NICEEEEE RIDE!!!

[Flying Tiger]

My family will probably go over to my grandparents on both sides. We all live very close together. But I can't miss my Lions. It's usually the only time in the season I get to see them play.

PS - If anybody cares my football team made the playoffs.

[Fidel]

Great car DJ!! (you americans sure know german cars are the best).
Is that a 325ti with Hamann tuning? Do you have yours tuned by Hamann also?
I have a 318ti. I bought it used and had it tuned by Schnitzer (mostly Engine and Body tuning). It looks pretty similar to the
AC Schnitzer S3



You sure will enjoy the ride with your new car DJ, so have fun! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[Evilmav2]

Nice car DJ...

I'm going to have some fun smoking a couple of turkeys in South Bend over the holiday... As always, I'll have to endure some anti-Cowboy heckling. It will be nice seeing Ryan Leaf on national television though...

[djb]

Fidel~

Sweet ride man! I love Bimmers..been wanting one the last three or four years but haven't been able to afford one until now.

It's a 2002 330Ci with M-Tech front bumper (similar to M3..this is offered in every country BUT the US as the M Sport Pack II) and aero kit replacing the standard rear bumper, side trim, and rear deck spoiler. I'm sticking with the 17" M Style 68 rims because I hate the new 18" factory option and don't have the money for $3k aftermarket rims. Hopefully in a few months I can afford some Dinan upgrades..

[djb]

Not a Cowboys fan Flying Tiger?

Creed's doing the halftime show too if anyone's into that [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[Murphy3]

not a big fan of that car...looks too much like a combination of a geo metro and a nissan sentra..smash them together and you get that car.
for thanksgiving..i have group meetings for school friday, saturday, and sunday

[djb]

Not a big fan of the 3-series eh Murph? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] My fave cars have been the M3/M5 series for quite some time now..hopefully I'll be able to afford em in 10 or so years [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[LonestarROB]

No offense but I don't like your car either. It looks really nice and all but I'm a pick-up man. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[Fidel]

Murphy,
what in hell do the above cars have in common with this piece of garbage?
Sentra GXE


BMW, Mercedes or Porsche are setting the standards, that are copied by other (mostly japanese) manufacturers. To compare a BMW 330ci with anything out of japan is just rediculous. I know the US market is different cause you like Suvs and PickUps and thats ok. But do not ever compare german cars with anything out of japan.

DJ,
doesn´t it bother you that you won´t be able to drive your car up to it´s potential in the US? I just had to think about that. It´s always funny to watch driving scenes in american movies. If the driver is very fast and fearless, he travels with 100mph or something like that. That´s the speed of average Joe driving to work in the morning here in germany. When there aren´t too many cars on the highway, I´m able to go at a speed of nearly 160 mph with my car. German "Autobahnen" are really famous for that I think. 60% of them do not have any speedlimit at all. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[Murphy3]

i'd take a prelude or an accord before i took a 3 series...
i was so shocked when i first saw it..i thought, nissan is scaling up the sentra a bit

[Murphy3]

i'm not saying they are the same quality car..i'm just saying that the bmw that you posted looks like a geo metro and a nissan sentra combined..
i'm sure the bmw has the much nicer engine and nicer interior..but, it..looks like it's about comparable to the vw jetta.
sorry..from looks alone..it's just nothing special

[djb]

The Bimmer I've got coming next week looks more along the lines of an M3 than the standard coupe (looks better than the M3 imo with the exception of the smaller rims). My fave pics from the link above:

front
3/4 front
3/4 rear

[djb]

Oh and Fidel, I totally hear ya. Driving here is nowhere near as fun as out on the Autobahn [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] I'm hoping to get a new radar detector for Christmas so I don't get screwed by speeding tickets [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[TheKid]

I like all those cars, but after getting rid of my car, I'm going STRICTLY SUV from here on out. I love SUV's. Not all of them, just some of them.

[Big Boy Laroux]

my last two cars (including the one i have now) are SUVs, and i love it. being a taller guy, the extra room and being higher on the road is nice.

but gas! i wish i could pay 10 bucks to fill up my tank... and get insane mpg. but suvs are awful with gas mileage.

[Murphy3]

dj..you can have the combo geo metro, nissan sentra car..that's fine with me...
surely that isn't the best that Germany has to offer, is it?

well, they did give us dirk, i'll have to give em that...but, besides that..what good is germany for exactly?

[Fidel]

Murphy, I´m sure you just want to "give me a hard time".
But sorry, you do sound a little stupid here.
If you haven´t done that already you should travel Europe a bit.
Americans surely could learn alot from european (or german) culture, as we can learn alot from american culture.
You have heard about Bach, Bethooven, Wagner, Schiller, Goethe, Nietzsche, Kant or Einstein (all german natives) didn´t you? Or how about Shakespeare, Newton, Gallilei or Platon and Aristoteles (european natives)? That´s the foundation of the western civilisation and the US of America are a part of that.

It´s not about fancy products (of which we export alot more to the US than the other way around), but it´s about culture. The roots of your very own Bill of Rights (which is a constitution you guys can all be proud of), with its famous first amendment, are to be found in european culture.

So I´m sure it wasn´t a big thing for you, perhaps you even meant to be funny, and because of that I really don´t want to offend you. But I hear alot of people talk BS like that about other countrys without thinking for a second. That´s why I actually got a little upset here. I like my country very much, as I like a lot of other countrys I´ve been to, around the world (US included).

[LonestarROB]

Doesn't look(at this point anyway) like I'm gonna go anywhere this week. Probably just stay home all by my lonesome [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] .

[djb]

Family not going to be there?

[LonestarROB]

No, their leaving me here. lol [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[LonestarROB]

As the world turns. Nobody's going anywhere. My Grandma won't let us come to here house. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] So everybody is staying home.

[Flying Tiger]

I wouldn't call myself a Cowboys FAN DJ, but I do like to see them do well and I try to catch a couple games. I was at the game Sunday against the Eagles, it was pathetic. Leaf should be forever banned from the NFL. My favorite team has been the Lions ever since I can remember because Barry Sanders is right beneath God to me. And I've stuck with them through the good and bad. Mainly just the bad, but surely there will soon be good.

I'm also stoked about the Creed preformance. Those guys are awesome! There new CD comes out tomorrow. I got to pick it up. Their new song is amazing! No one else here besides maybe DJ really enjoys my kind of music, but for anyone who cares I strongly suggest you getting Green Day's International Superhits. It's like a best of type album...it's great!

[djb]

Fidel~

What kind of mods do you have on your 318ti? What do you think of Dinan upgrades?

[Fidel]

DJ,
it´s a bit difficult for me to talk about cars in english. I´m lacking the vocabulary. I can only try.
First I had my engine modified (but I really don´t know english for Kurbelwelle, Kolben, Motorblock or Sportschalldämpfer [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] ). My topspeed went from 214 kph to 232 kph. Engine power from 104 kW to 130 kW.
I also have a new car set up including shock absorbers, springs etc.
Lastly I have a couple of aditional body parts for aerodynamics. Sorry but I don´t know the english names for those either.

Dinan upgrades? What is it? I´ve never heard of it and I`m pretty sure we have a completely different name in Germany for it.
I hope you were able to get at least some information out of this post, but like I said I do not talk about cars in english that much.

[djb]

Fidel~

Check out the Dinan homepage for more info on their products. They're an official BMW aftermarket company that specializes in software upgrades and other performance add-ons. I'm surprised you haven't heard of them. They're a bit pricey but it seems all Bimmer owners here in the States have heard of them.

I should be picking up my car on Monday or Tuesday (was supposed to have it last week [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img]). Unfortunately I've got my hands full as it is paying for it, so I won't be doing much upgrading just yet. I plan on getting a deep window tint, the M3 mirrors, and 18" Hammann rims asap (because of the price, the rims will probably have to wait until next spring). Do you know what sport springs, coils, and strut bars do? A lot of people who upgrade to 18-19" rims seem to change their springs as well. I think it lowers the car a bit and offers stiffer suspension (when doing aggressive driving on the track..doesn't do much good for regular day-to-day driving). I'm not sure I want to pay for them if I don't have to. I have a lot to learn about this automotive stuff if you haven't figure that out yet [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[Fidel]

DJ,
I´ve done a little research about Dinan, and it seems that they have no buisness in germany. I think it is quite normal. There are only a few tuning companys who operate world wide. Did you ever hear of MK-Motorsport?
They are pretty big in germany, but I would be surprised if they operated in the US too.
So all in all I´m not an expert either (just like you), and I´m not going to become one. I like cars (especially fast cars [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] ) though, and I like talking about cars.

[Fidel]

Oh and you are exactly right about the springs and coils.
They lower the car, and make for a better contact pressure (the nearer the bottom of the car comes to the street the higher is the inlet pressure).
Of course sport springs make for a better handling too. They are stiffer, the car reacts to turning maneuvers in a more direct way. A stiffer suspension also gives you a better feel for your car and the street, when you play with physical borders.

So if you have to make a decision about a new setup (springs, coils), and you wonder if it´s worth it I´d say it depends on the way you want to drive. I´m a pretty fast and sporty driver so I wouldn´t want to miss my new setup, but in US it could actually become a little difficult for you to drive your car in a way that would let you notice all of this stuff (since the BMW has a pretty good handling out of the factory too).
I would do that upgrade anyways if I were you, it´s just so much fun to build a car into a little racing machine step by step [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[djb]

Fidel~

I STILL haven't gotten my car yet (dealer is waiting for some part for the M-Technik bumper I think) but I ordered some 18" Hamann HM2 rims with Nitto 555 rubbers today. Decided the stock 17" M Double Spokes were just dwarfed by the aero side trim (I'm really starting to dislike the look of the aero sides [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] but I love the rear apron, which I think wouldn't look good with anything else). The car in those pics I posted have the 19" Hamann PG2s, which I WISH I could afford but simply cannot at this point ($2600 rims + $700 tires + $225 springs + install = TOO FREAKIN $$$!!), so the 18 inchers will have to do for the next year or so.

Found this pic of the new E46 club sport add-on for Euros (those new 18" M V-Spoke rims look like ass btw!..and what's with that stupid riced-out spoiler?!), and figured the 18" tire/rim combo looks ok with the stock suspension, so I'm going to keep it as is for now. Seems like every Bimmer board I go to thinks stock springs are too high and leave too much room between wheel and fender, but then again, all those guys like the slammed-to-the-floor stock car rally look - which looks good with the humongous 19" rims, but I think my car with the 18 inchers might look too "squashed."

Did you say that you have ACS springs? If so, how much does it lower the car (front and rear)? And how big are your rims? Judging by that pic, I'm guessing you probably also have the ACS rims? Well I'm officially broke now (not a good thing with Christmas coming up!) so no more upgrades for a while, aside from a deep window tint and new radar detector [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

My wish list:

Hamann 19" PG2s /w Yokohamas
Hagus or M3 Sport Mirrors
Black Shadowline Window Trim
H&R Cup Kit
Dinan Carbon-Fiber CAI
Dinan Transmission Upgrade
Dinan Engine Upgrade
PhatNoise 20GB Trunk MP3 Player

You think Santa would bring me all that this year? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[Murphy3]

still getting the nissan sentra dj?

[Fidel]

DJ I did see your post earlier but forgot about it (sorry).
So here´s my reply.
Yes I do have the Schnitzer rims. I have 18" type 3 ET 43 rims (in silver).
I also have springs and coils from Schnitzer and my car is lowered 60/40 mm.
That´s the max for german city streets. If I´d go lower the car would be nearly undriveable in the city.
Hmm the club sport add on looks kinda cheesy if you ask me.

And what´s up with your car? Do you finally have it? (if you do I guess your postperday average will go down some the next weeks [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] ).

And oh yeah: good look with Santa [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]
(like your wish list)