Still want an EV? (NO POLITICS)

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by G MONEY

My god that thing is bland AF!! Why do 99% of the EV's look like ass? Put some damn lines on the car/SUV. My god�� Steal some fake vents and wings from the Supra or something.

Ha, that's funny... other than the silly low profile tires, I think it looks great!

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Chevy Bolt. Your EV is calling.

Yeah, those are actually on my short list, but I can't stand the way the look. Take off all that stupid cladding and bump up the interior materials, then we'll talk! I'm really into the VW e-Golf, but their range sucks. Two of my friends have them, and they're great. Analog controls, and don't look like a science experiment!

Originally Posted by Obioban

That is how I ended up with the i3 (although it certainly has a bit of blade runner).

Yeah, I just don't like the look of them. Fickle, I know, but it is what it is. The only EVs I think look good are the above-mentioned e-Golf, BMW i4, and now the ID.Aero. I want a low-tech mid-sized car, not a CUV, or Mars Rover.

[Obioban]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Yeah, I just don't like the look of them. Fickle, I know, but it is what it is. The only EVs I think look good are the above-mentioned e-Golf, BMW i4, and now the ID.Aero. I want a low-tech mid-sized car, not a CUV, or Mars Rover.

I don't want to own one, because of Tesla's build quality and... questionable decisions (steering wheel, turn signal stalk, etc), but IMO the Model S Plaid is the best looking sedan on sale today by a mile.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by Obioban

I don't want to own one, because of Tesla's build quality and... questionable decisions (steering wheel, turn signal stalk, etc), but IMO the Model S Plaid is the best looking sedan on sale today by a mile.

Oh yeah, the Model S is the only good looking Tesla IMHO. Nice fastback style works really well for me! But outside my price point.

[Obioban]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I have 14 years and 400,000 miles of data running an E90 34,000 miles a year on a daily 160 mile commute. All numbers in, it cost 31 cents a mile to drive my E90. I have difficulty believing an i3 saves $700 per month. A E39 M5 can't be that expensive to run. All kinds of stuff must have broken all the time to cost you $3,600/year in maintenance; that's a lot. Based on a 18 MPG average and $3.50/gallon, fuel cost was around $400 per month.

I get it, an E39 M5 is not meant to commute 105 miles a day. I'd argue there's a better car to use than an E90 too, but buying a second car to save money commuting rarely makes sense if you keep the car you want to avoid driving.

This is the schedule I maintain all my ICEVs to. Keeps them driving like new and as reliable as new (as in, I'd be comfortable jumping in any of them and driving them across the country). Wording is a little weird as I just copied and pasted the content out of this thread.


Every 7750 OBC "miles":
-Oil change (including filter)
n.b.: oil changes should be done yearly, even if you don't make it to the OBC mileage target. Combustion byproducts get in the oil that degrade it with time, in addition to the degradation of use.

Every OBC Inspection Interval (so every other OBC service interval reset, ~30,000 miles):
-valve adjustment
-Trans fluid
-Diff fluid
-cabin air filter
-engine air filter
-fuel filter
-power steering fluid

Every other OBC inspection interval:
-Coolant
-spark plugs
-belts

Every other year:
Brake fluid (M3 yearly, because track car)

50,000 mile intervals:
-RTABs
-FCABs
-Trans mounts
-Shocks

100,000 mile intervals:
-entire cooling system (radiator, thermostat, water pump, hoses, coolant temp sensor)
-belt tensioners and idlers
-Guibo
-CSB (driveshaft center support bearing)
-fuel pump
-replace or rebuilt fuel injectors, replace seals
-pre cat 02 sensors
-valve cover gasket
-rod bearings
-coil packs
-Engine mounts
-diff mounts
-front control arms
-rear outer upper and lower control arm monoballs
-rear inner upper and lower control arm bushings
-sway bar end links
-sway bar bushings
-rear shock mounts (RSMs)
-vanos seals (beisan)

When the trans is out:
-Pilot bearing
-pivot pin
-throw out bearing
-read main seal
-all exhaust gaskets and nuts for sections that were removed for the job.
Note: flywheel can be reused for at least 2 clutches, if not scored)

When the rear subframe is out:
-subframe bushings
-diff bushings

When doing rod bearings:
-engine mounts
-oil pan gasket


Not to mention tires... just bought a set of tires for the e60 M5 and it was $1500. They'll be worn out in <10,000 miles :P

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I looked at the Gen 1 Bolt when it came out. It's a nice driver, but the seats sucked and the interior was awful. The 2021 Bolt was redesigned. The interior is far ahead of the original and the seats were improved. The exterior is a bit more funky now, but in black it looks pretty good. Put some nice wheels on it and it'd not be too bad a commuter. It's not Model 3 fast but faster than a E90 328, more than adequate. To me if you are going to go EV, get something efficient over stupid super fast.

My 2 cents.

Noted, thanks! I didn't know they did a LCI type upgrade in '21. I like the looks of the EUV more, but don't like tall cars. Sedans/wagons/hatch life!

[TTV8M]

lol. i put the deposit on the cybertruck

[Obioban]

Originally Posted by TTV8M

lol. i put the deposit on the cybertruck

I plan to add a Silverado EV to the fleet when it comes out, in "normal" trim levels.

[Obioban]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

You left out replacement of windshields, door glass and lifting mechanisms, rear glass (i.e. radio antenna/defrosting element wear), and mirror glass every 50,000 miles. Window gasket replacement at 100,000 mile intervals. Front facia, hood, and roof repaint every 25,000 miles. Wheel straightening and repaint every 25,000,000 rotations. CD drive cleaning and MOSFET amplifier replacement every 150,000 miles. And a complete wire harnesses replacement at 500,000 miles, THATs the big one.

And I can't believe you didn’t provide your wheel bearing and AC compressor replacement schedule.

Back to Alfisti's point...

While being fully aware that you meant this post sarcastically...

I did build my own wiring harness for the M3. I was able to take ~50 lbs of wire/modules out of the car, without losing any functionality.

... The M3 is on its 3rd set of wheel bearings, but that's just because tracking is hard on wheel bearings. They show signs of wear before failing, so don't really need to be on a schedule.

Beyond that, what can I say. I like my cars driving nicely and being reliable. Nobody makes any new cars I want to drive, so I keep my old cars nice.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

100% agree with you on new cars, especially BMWs. They suck.

They make several cars that are better than any non-M E90 ever produced. I'm willing to give E9x M3 a pass since the engine is unique. Not everything is better in the past.

[Obioban]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I'll put up my 417,000 mile E90 to any E90 on the Forum that have been maintained to a quarter or half the miles my car has and see how well they compare. Mine is on the original rear subframe bushings, and engine mounts. The front end I refreshed at 336K and the control arm bushings and ball joints were nearly as tight as the new parts I put in. The only rear bushings I've replaced are the outer ball sockets on the lower control arms. All the other 4 links are original, as are the sawybar links (front and rear).

I live in an area in Central Virginia west of DC that has fantsstic country roads, which are so good the sportbike guys from DC come out to ride. Up until the end of '21 I drove the E90 very hard on those roads on a daily basis. Hell, the 1-mile long, 11-turn corkscrew that drops 900 feet (it makes Laguna Seca look like a training track for babies) 2 miles from my house I've driven the E90 probably 4,000 miles just on that one section of road alone. The freshest rubber bushings on my car are now 81,000 miles old, Lol.

Other than the need for a new AC pump for comfort, I'd jump in my E90 and take it across country all on back roads through small towns that rarely see a BMW. In fact I pretty much did that in my wife's then 20 year old, 177,000 mile '97 Z3. We road tripped it from Virginia to the Rockies in 2017. 10 days, 5,600 miles.

Sorry, but if you were commuting 105 miles a day in your E39 M5 it wouldn't need that level of maintenance and why would you run soft summer sport tires on it?

100% agree with you on new cars, especially BMWs. They suck.

As far as I'm concerned, the non M e9X subframe bushings are failed from new. Once you delete the runflat tires, the stock subframe bushings make the non M e9X feel like a body on frame car with failed body mounts-- I moved to M3 subframe bushings on our e91 with <10,000 miles on the clock because I couldn't stand how severely compromised the car felt with stock subframe bushings.

High performance tires: I was doing my 105 mile commute in less than an hour of commuting... AND there was a high speed backroad section. The tires were matched to the task.

I think most people's cars, over 100,000 miles, have severely compromised driving experiences vs new and they don't realize it. Bushings/bearings wear out slowly, and there's a lot of slowly boiled frog going on. It's also just easier to drop the entire front/rear end and replace everything in one go, rather than doing one or two at a time as diagnosed formally as bad. I can do every bushing/bearings/balljoint on the car in 8 hours, or a can do a single control arm in 1-2 hours.

Easy access:

[Cos270]

More nails in the coffin.

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/2...hicles-by-2035

https://www.motor1.com/news/595006/e...gine-ban-2035/

https://www.dw.com/en/eu-agrees-new-...035/a-62296555

[chris719]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

From my perspective, no. Too much tech that takes away from the driving experience. Once computer aided chassis control substituted for great chassis engineering, BMW (and all others) went inside the car to add tech that distracts from the visceral driving experience and perhaps the intellectual side as well.

An E90 328i, for example, is frankly utterly forgettable, boring, and soft in comparison to an M2. Even a regular F22 is more fun.

[M3WC]

Originally Posted by Cos270

More nails in the coffin.

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/2...hicles-by-2035

https://www.motor1.com/news/595006/e...gine-ban-2035/

https://www.dw.com/en/eu-agrees-new-...035/a-62296555

This is the crazy part from those articles.

The European Parliament wants the EU to go even further by banning sales of used ones as well.

[Obioban]

Originally Posted by chris719

An E90 328i, for example, is frankly utterly forgettable, boring, and soft in comparison to an M2. Even a regular F22 is more fun.

Just no.

EPS in the F22 (and all bmws) is garbage, turbo engine dynamics are boring and annoying, and you get much less useable space in a similarly sized car in the F22 than e90 (meaningful because smaller cars always drive better, all else equal, but practical needs exist).

[freakystyly]

Not going to argue, but the F generation cars took a step in the wrong direction. The EPS, soft(er) bushings along with no natural aspiration and increased weight. The 2 series isn't really that tiny compared to the E90, certainly not lighter.

on EVs, we need more affordable options for vehicles before the total ban. Who is going to offer a $5000 EV? Are they expecting people to walk?

[CarsAndGuitars]

Originally Posted by freakystyly

on EVs, we need more affordable options for vehicles before the total ban. Who is going to offer a $5000 EV? Are they expecting people to walk?

$5K? Maybe a certified pre-owned golf cart?

[kyriian]

Originally Posted by freakystyly

on EVs, we need more affordable options for vehicles before the total ban. Who is going to offer a $5000 EV? Are they expecting people to walk?

^This pretty much...
In Canada, the cheapest EV is the Hyundai Ioniq, and it is 45k
compared to the cheapest new ICE car the Chevy spark is 11k. That's not a small amount of money, the difference is a year's salary (pre tax) for a lot of people.

The elites just want to limit the peons from traveling, sounds like we are going back to the Victorian times.

Where are these millions of EV going to charge, the grid is strained as it is in most countries. Are they expecting all the EVs will be powered by hopes and dreams?

[Murf the Surf]

Originally Posted by kyriian

^This pretty much...
In Canada, the cheapest EV is the Hyundai Ioniq, and it is 45k
compared to the cheapest new ICE car the Chevy spark is 11k. That's not a small amount of money, the difference is a year's salary (pre tax) for a lot of people.

The elites just want to limit the peons from traveling, sounds like we are going back to the Victorian times.

Where are these millions of EV going to charge, the grid is strained as it is in most countries. Are they expecting all the EVs will be powered by hopes and dreams?

That $44K price Delta buys a lot of gas. And lets face it, how many people actually buy new cars? I have only ever bought one and I can afford to go new but many can not. What will the used EV market look like, I don't see laying down money to buy a car that might need a $10K battery replacement.

[freakystyly]

Yeah, if you take a look around on your average drive around town. Run a quick price estimate in your head of the cars you see. How many old early 2000s civics and corollas are people using for commuting? EVs simply haven't been around long enough and in large enough volumes to depreciate to a cheap commuter car level.

[Murf the Surf]

Originally Posted by freakystyly

Yeah, if you take a look around on your average drive around town. Run a quick price estimate in your head of the cars you see. How many old early 2000s civics and corollas are people using for commuting? EVs simply haven't been around long enough and in large enough volumes to depreciate to a cheap commuter car level.

A couple of factors that will impact how the used EV market will pan out. Most people keep their cars statistically 8 years I believe, I suspect many who buy EV's will want to upgrade sooner though. How will they depreciate, will it be faster than ICE, after all I suspect range anxiety is a big factor stopping uptake, degraded batteries won't make it better. I guess time will tell.

[shawnhayes]

Originally Posted by Murf the Surf

A couple of factors that will impact how the used EV market will pan out. Most people keep their cars statistically 8 years I believe, I suspect many who buy EV's will want to upgrade sooner though. How will they depreciate, will it be faster than ICE, after all I suspect range anxiety is a big factor stopping uptake, degraded batteries won't make it better. I guess time will tell.

We're still debating what will happen in 13 years though. 13 years is an eternity in the automotive world. What we do today may not be able to accurately predict where we end up, but the point is to put us on track.

Relying on fossil fuel technology has helped Europe end up where they are now with Russia. The decisions made 10 years ago directionally put them dependent on a egomaniacal dictator with designs on world domination. For people who say "what we have now is good enough", that's what they're investing in. For me, Mad Max's glimpse into the future doesn't look appealing. Having my own home solar and windmill charging up my electric car looks a lot more appealing. Can't run your own petroleum well and refinery in your back yard as easily. Ethanol? Maybe. But you need 15% petrol in there to keep the water out.

Shawn

[Obioban]

Originally Posted by shawnhayes

We're still debating what will happen in 13 years though. 13 years is an eternity in the automotive world. What we do today may not be able to accurately predict where we end up, but the point is to put us on track.

Relying on fossil fuel technology has helped Europe end up where they are now with Russia. The decisions made 10 years ago directionally put them dependent on a egomaniacal dictator with designs on world domination. For people who say "what we have now is good enough", that's what they're investing in. For me, Mad Max's glimpse into the future doesn't look appealing. Having my own home solar and windmill charging up my electric car looks a lot more appealing. Can't run your own petroleum well and refinery in your back yard as easily. Ethanol? Maybe. But you need 15% petrol in there to keep the water out.

Shawn

Yep. I have a 19kw Tesla solar roof (the solar shingles-- not the panels) and 4 powerwalls, with zero regrets. The power grid can go offline indefinitely, and nothing about my house changes-- with no generator noise/upkeep/fueling.

...And when the grid's not offline, I get a check for $300-400 per month from the electric company, and have no gas/oil bill.