Automotive

Continuing with some reminiscing of past cars, this time with the M3 Competition Touring. I wrote a longer piece about it back in the day (here: www.watchprosite.com ) . It’s the first time there has been an official estate version of the M3, to battle th...  

Now you will have the pleasure of searching for a new experience and create fresh memories.

Seriously thinking of one of the Wave from Alfa, while they are still available 🤞🏻 But it’s then either the RWD Giulia as a sedan or the AWD Stelvio as an SUV 🤷🏻‍♂️🧐

A car, even if we really love it is rarely for ever and the fun is in hunting for new experiences.

It was said from the heart.

And a car needs more TLC than a watch over time so similarly sized collections are probably less feasible 🤷🏻‍♂️

I would say it’s reasonably reliable and any servicing costs should be manageable 🤞🏻

Namely to look for a multi brand dealer 😊👍🏻

The M2 is something i would buy as it is much more reminiscent of the first M3 (which I very well remember*), whilst the rest of the M3 and M5 are, since many years now, somethimg different. As for the Giulia, it is the only car I would buy straight away,... 

The M2 is definitely a modern homage to the original M3, except for the fact that the original M3 was built to enable BMW to go racing with a version of it. The Giulia is a good looking car 👍

Champion driver in the nineties with the M3, he also owned a very nice one M3 himself.

Roberto Ravaglia ? ...  

Emanuele Pirro.

I saw him a couple of times in Rome in the early nineties.

Especially when he was getting his E30 out of the parking lot. We were so young!

Approach seems to be long gone, unfortunately 🤷🏻‍♂️

Would be a fun only car, as it’s not feasible to fit in the family, unfortunately. And as the basis is the same (sans 4WD) I would need to check it out first anyhow 👍🏻

Very Nice Review, I trust your Judgement more.

But have to say that both the C43 and E63S that I had more experience with recently (on top of the CLSs from the other post) have been reasonably convincing 👍🏻👌🏻

As a former owner of a E63 wagon and currently own a RS6 Aavnt, I concur the E63 is amazing.

Never took the M3 above 186mph and the one more relevant thing, I usually keep the ESP on just in case, when driving on the road.

the E63 had a much more throaty exhaust note ( who doesn’t love that ) and I’d say the handling was a tiny bit more responsive. The RS looks infinitely more attractive ( the MB design was long in the tooth ) and the interior substantially more updated and... 

The engine still sounds nice and might be more palatable on a long journey but is not as boisterous anymore. Thanks a lot for your perspective - prefer first hand owner experience over YouTube - old school I guess 😉

Do you know if MB is making a new E63AMG Wagon?

A hybridized V8 out next year, so it would be natural that an E63 would be a recipient. The I4 hybrid of the current C63 and GLC63 is being retired shortly, as it did not perform nearly as well commercially as hoped for. The funny bit is that for the firs... 

500k a year? 😱 Or over the lifetime of a particular car?

He and i have driven across Europe multiple times over the years. Like me, he's also a retired Formula car driver, so thankfully, he always has his cars on Mich Pilot top-compound rubber. Oh the stories.........

At Audio Note UK, we practice what we preach at all levels. The cars we drive are an example of this; quality lasts and longevity is the best judge of quality, so here is a picture of the cars we use. Six Mercedes W124s, combined mileage 2,400,000 miles b...  

Thanks for the story and the picture 👍🏻

Just had me looking for the E500 of the same W124 generation 😊

Spotted an E500 Limited in Tokyo ...  

And the E36s are about 50% more expensive than the 500s, in spite of the latter’s higher tech engineering. Quite surprising, actually. So how would they compare driving wise to a more ‘modern’ car?

The Seats have a different feel, softer, the door frame thickness is less, very analog feel of the cabin, solid build quality and switches, that V8 rumbles, has an American muscle feel, tremendous low end torque, when floored there is a slight loss of tra... 

Will need to give it a try at some point 😊👍🏻

OHHHHHHHH, you meant sharing some stories. Oh, well... hmmmm... The one time we were just, you know, 'casually driving' ~200 km East of Paris on the nicely open and wide-sweepers.... and then we saw some flashing lights.... Or the time, we were playing th... 

Re. Alfa I'm afraid that it's only downhill from here. My wife wanted a Stelvio and they didn't offer the interior colors she wanted (black was the only choice, she wanted tan). The Giulia QV is one of the only modern alfa I test drove and it left me want... 

We had a Stelvio rental once and my wife fell in love but you are right, the choices are severely limited. What did you find was missing with the Giulia QV? 😊🤷🏻‍♂️

I was fortunate enough to be able to test both the 6 speed and the 8 speed. To journalists who grew up on German cars it may have been a revelation but nothing really blew me away steering, engine. Overall I couldn't connect with the car emotionally. I'd ... 

Probably time for a test drive then 😊 How would you say it differs from said Germans?

I think it's fair to say that when the Giulia came out it was a very different option compared to the F80 but the current generation from the G80 is an incredibly capable product, both in the cabin, under the hood and in terms of refinement. Anyway back t... 

The interior and tech of course are in the meantime almost two generations behind - it’s an almost 10 year old car in the meantime (and that was an aspect that didn’t have a lot of money pumped in, as the Giorgio platform swallowed most of the funds) and ... 

Again I am sure there’s many a satisfied owner out there it’s just that it didn’t light my world on fire 🤷🏻‍♂️

Efficient, reliable and comfortable but not at all exciting. Hopefully that will soon change 🤞🏻

I felt exactly the same about my 2022 M4. I adored everything about car, except the "driving enjoyment". I very much miss the aesthetics, but I don't miss driving it at all. ...  

Good to hear I am not the only one, though 👍🏻