91 Octane

Since acquiring the latest beater, a high mileage but lovely BMW, I had been using 89 Octane mid-grade fuel, typically from 7-11. With a new membership to Costco, however, I noted that their 91 Octane fuel was about the same price per gallon as the swill at 7-11. So, about four tanks later the car is getting 1 additional mile per gallon, up to 23-24, during mixed driving of 80% freeway and 20% stop and go in-town traffic. Further, throttle response certainly seems stronger and the availability of torque between 60-80 mph is noticeably better.

Though I'm in to the car about $8000 at this point, it costs very little to insure and register due to its age (1998 vintage), and I can foresee hitting the 200,000 mile mark with not much further effort. However, and it's a big however, the suspension will need a going over some time between now (145K) and then, which would run probably $3,000 if I did the lot with a good Koni or Bilstein setup. That's still only $11K for a fun car that I can likely get close to 100,000 miles of use from. With a standard new car going for $30K plus much higher insurance and registration, I think the math will work out in my favor in the longer run.

About $1,000

That's what I hear from the independent BMW shop every time I bring in the 328i for anything. About a thousand dollars. Every time. Oil change; tire rotation; brakes; tail light out, doesn't matter. What is it about German cars that makes their parts so expensive? Though I can't answer that completely, I know that the car brings me a degree of happiness that didn't happen in other cars.

It's a visceral machine that needs just a little more work to be close to perfect. The 2.8 liter inline 6 starts with a "whomp" even through stock mufflers. That sound alone engages a connection between man and motor. The engine was rated at 190 hp when new, though with nearly 140,000 miles on the clock, it may be producing a bit less. If so, I don't notice. The thing pulls strongly from stops and always feels in the power band. Where the car really comes into it's element is through the curves. My morning commute is dull except for one or two onramps. One of them is a two-lane loop onto the interstate where I can take the inside line and keep my foot on the accelerator through the whole thing. It feels as if it may want to plow at first, but keeping the pedal down brings the car to a neutral bearing around the loop, and I'm flying by people by the time it's over. What fun! That such a routine drive brings this kind of joy to a 45-year-old wannabe racer is testament to the quality of the BMW. At $1,000 per shop visit, I hope to at least get a few thrills along the way!

Next stop: M3? What will my wife say if this turns up in the garage tonight?

The Vicious Camry

I am almost embarrassed to post this unfortunate detour, but I must. 2010 went like this: Accord-SC300-IS250 AWD-Camry-328i. Of these, this bland white former rental car haunted my garage for maybe two months toward the end of summer.

This was the random, ostensibly reliable car that I first saw on the Lexus dealer's website a few days before I fatefully returned the '09 IS 250. It had about 38,000 miles of what I can only imagine was wanton full-throttle abuse. The interior initially reeked of cigarette smoke and the floormats were gone (maybe because of the Toyota recall for unintended acceleration?). This one was about $15K and I sold it to a chap for just under $13K about two months later. The Carfax that I pulled initially did not include information about a crash the car had been involved in somewhere in Arizona. My buyer, being far more astute than I, pulled a more recent Carfax and discovered the incident. This immediately brought the value of the car way down from the $16.5 I had been asking.

Rules for future purchases: No dealers whenever possible; Under $10K, always cash; Pay for a current Carfax, and; have anything at least glanced at by a trusted mechanic.