A little bit of heaven..... BMW E60

Valentines day  14 February ..... a  day of love,passion,companionship and friendship.  I always find my self in situations which are somehow weird in many languages. I finally picked up a BMW E60 530i on this passionate day, I mean a companion which somehow I know will grow into love. What is an E60? its a BMW 5 series which was produced from mid 2003 till 2011, Why is she special ?  The answer lies in the truth that every man denies ....  It was the way she looked!!! It looked fast when it was parked, it looked sexy with the skirts, and she had something called an i Drive!!!.  We all drive but an ` i drive' is like having a mini computer in the car  which tell you everything. TO BE CONTINUED ........

Confused but Contented...

I sold off my beloved ride for something more practical and somehow even being surrounded by cars my entire adult life I an enable to make up my mind on what is more practical and what should be the next set of wheels. So I am hoping by typing my thoughts out it might narrow down my choice. I have always loved BMW`s but somehow I must say that I think change is......To be continued

A Love Hate Relationship

Found Myself in a very tricky situation some time back, Its was something which was so unexpected and odd.I guess  honesty will be the best policy here and I am not going to be choosing sides, or be unfair in my review of something so NORMAL. I have always been a BMW enthusiast from the time I knew how to put my own underpants on but recently I have found out that looks alone cannot bring you happiness (all the time) and sometimes something less flashy and simple gets the job done so much better. I recently sold My BMW E46 320CI  Convertible and I was car-less because I was careless with the timings, and did not look for a replacement before I let her go. Okay another note to self, dating and cars are the same if you have a replacement before you upgrade.... the heartache is less.Okay now back to my story.

I have driven my faithful BMW a couple of times outstation and to be more precise I will review it based on My trip to Kuantan. How many of you guys have actually driven on the Karak Highway? for me you never drive on the Karak Highway.... It drives You !, Talk about a Road with massive corners , roller-coaster like lifts and drops and poor lighting or no lighting at all. If you like driving or being driven by your car here is the place to be. The BMW being rear wheel drive and a close to 50-50% weight distribution was a dream to be with on the ever famous Karak, She soaked up the corners like a sponge soaking water and her suspension was made to thrill and entice every single inch of your body. Other then that massive feeling, nothing practical was available to me to relax and enjoy the rest of my journey. Everyone likes to drive an F-1 car but can you drive it to work everyday?My 2003 BMW did not even have cup holders !!!! .

 Okay now to the car which I really want to talk about.... What brand will come to your head when to hear the word reliability? or maybe practicality ?....... TOYOTA....To be honest how often do you notice a Toyota breaking down or a Toyota owner complaining of his bad experience maintaining a Toyota. Matter of fact Toyota`s are simple no nonsense runners. I must admit that the model which I had to use for my trip this time as my BMW was long gone was designed by a guy who thought the design of the bread toaster and the fridge was simply fantastic and not to mention he also had a creative imagination of a cat and styling thoughts of  Prince Charles. The year 2003 Toyota Camry model code XV30 . Quick Quiz .... What do you call a big box sitting on small wheels???? Wait for it...... The Toyota Camry!!!. God I really hated the way this car looks, But my Hate soon Became Love.

Maybe the design wont turn heads.... Maybe the you wont be meeting a hot girl who just wants a ride in your car... but I tell you what you will get... Peace of mind, A relaxing atmosphere and A Wife who loves you more because you made the right choice by getting a car which takes the family around safely and makes you a logical man.Woman want logical men... girls don't... So if your single... Stick to your BMW !!...lol.
My journey started at around noon and the traffic was so bad heading toward the Karak Via the LDP. First thing I noticed it that my stress level was much lower compared to driving my BMW reason being I was sitting comfortably in well positioned higher seat which made it possible to have a good view all around the car, I also did have to worry about hitting any pot holes as the Camry is fitted with huge 65 series profile tires which can take on any pothole without damaging the rims or suspension. The drive was quite refined and comfortable not to mention the built quality was not to bad compared to our Koreans. So to cut this story short I have come to the conclusion that its an easy to live with car and it wont burn a hole in your pocket on maintenance either. Will love to tell you guys more about this car but unfortunately I have sold this beautiful Camry and a hate talking about the past.  

The SP Roadtrip ...... W123 Collection....

Its funny how I only find time to write when I`m really stressed out but cant really fall sleep.  So this time it has been 7 months from my last posting. Now back to my story....


The last couple of months have been filled with me buying and selling standard normal daily driving cars that I kind of forgot the wonderful feeling of driving a classic or even buying a classic. Lets just say that I got so carried away with making money that I forgot the main reason why I choose this line of  business which was  BUYING , RESTORING and SELLING CLASSIC cars.

My uncle asked me about a month back to help him find a classic W123 Mercedes Benz as he was kind of bitten by the classic car bug. His requirements were simple and the car he wanted had to be an automatic and it had to have the ever popular and ever reliable Mercedes Benz  Black engine which runs on a timing chain. The W123 230E was selected as the best option  compared to the 200E as the older model cars needed a higher cc to to do justice for the automatic gearbox. Budget given was RM10000.00 for a good running example.

I was quite excited because the last classic Mercedes Benz I bought was well over a year ago and I was kind of getting bored working on old BMW`s. I knew finding a W123 would be a easy task as there were plentiful in the market but finding the right car at the right price was gonna be a challenge. The price for a w123 would start from as low as RM4k to as high as RM25k for a pristine mint example.The cheapest Automatic would start at RM6.8k (BTW this is the car we bought).

So while I was still surfing the internet looking for good bargains I noticed an advert for a W123 Mercedes Benz 230E Automatic. The asking price was RM6.8k and the cheapest comparison to that was RM10.5k but the location(Sungai Petani) of the vehicle was too far away for us to make a quick trip over and check out the deal. So most arrangements were made over the phone and a small deposit was given even without ever seeing the car.

The collection of the car was delayed a couple times due to our busy schedules and unforeseen  circumstances but the big day finally came after about a week of placing the initial deposit. We left KL at around 11am and headed to Sungai Petani which should be a 3 and a half hour drive but thanks to the festive period and numerous speed traps on the road it was soon to become a 5 hour journey. Our first stop was at Tapah rest stop to get some lunch and the food was simply fantastic as the Nasi Ayam we ordered looked more like Nasi Burung and to make things worst it looked like an old crappy Burung. But to be honest the soup was good and I think the crappy Nasi Ayam made everything taste better even the Red bull I was drinking tasted out of this world.

Since this was not a journey to find the best food places in Malaysia we continued our mission to reach Sungai Petani before the JPJ office closes. We arrived in Sungai Petani around 3.40pm and was taken thru an old Kampung to get the the place where the car was stored. After passing many cows and people who rode their bikes like cows we finally reached our destination.I soon realized that the pictures of the car posted in the advert looked so much better then the car in actual life. So since we did drive so many hours and was forced to eat Nasi Burung we decided to take it out for a test drive anyway as sometime looks can be deceiving ..........


To be continued.

Back and Ready to start over again..... The BMW E36

Its been 8 months since I last wrote, time has definitely gone by quickly as it feels like it was just yesterday I started writing about car stuff . Well I have been busy with buying and selling of cars and  was just too darn lazy to write as I was happier having a couple of cold ones whenever there was time to spare.Unfortunately  my passion will always be cars and definitely not alcohol so I have decided to stay off the gold  bubbly liquid for a while to do something more productive and less hurtful to the wallet.
The BMW E36 is now a classic icon of the modern motoring era.  Produced from late 1990 till early 1999 this 3rd generation BMW 3 series was just simply awesome.The model range was massive, There were  puny engines from as low as 1.6cc for the fuel conscious motorist up too the ever victorious 3.2cc specially made for the wild or wild at heart. In Malaysia the 318i and the 328i range are the most common as it was locally assembled and it catered well for the locals in terms of price and specification . We will start with the 318i which was the cheapest new BMW on sale at the time, It had a 1.8cc engine( 113bhp)which was not too underpowered like the 316i 1.6 (99bhp) engine block but gave back pretty much the same fuel consumption figures and not to forget the Roadtax will only cost you RM315 per year. I used to drive a 328i as my personal car for a while and all I can say is that its hard to not break rules when your behind the wheel of such an magnificent piece of art .

The BMW E36 328i , As they say ` With great power there comes great responsibility' and not to forget greater Roadtax figures as it cost me RM1680 per year to keep this car on the road. Now why did I opt for the 328i rather then the 318i??? Because it`s Malaysia, A higher specification model with a higher cc(Airbags ,ABS and etc.) will depreciate much faster then a lower specification model(Umbrella,First aid kit,ETC.) . So i`m getting the best bang for my buck and I also get to do this once in a while....

 
Please don`t try this on public roads as speed kills and remember there is a Kancil somewhere waiting to cut in-front of you whenever you least expect it. Now since I have already given my safety speech and disclaimer we shall move forward. Below are the pictures of my lovely 328i and how she looked from day 1 till the day we went our separate ways.

Before she was gorgeous and sexy ...
 

After she got Sexy and before she left....

Well only had half an hour today so will blog more in a day or too.... Cheers... and semoga sihat selalu....

Jaguar XJS Sports

Some people say that beauty only fades with time but I don't think they have ever heard or even seen the Jaguar XJS,  It was built as a replacement model to the already aging Jaguar E-Type which was in production from early 1961 to late 1975. The Jaguar E-Type was a huge success as it looks were simply amazing and the selling price was still within reach to the mass market. Not many cars enjoy a 14 year production run and is considered one of the best sports car of the 1960`s. Now back to the Jaguar XJS, The car was based on the same platform as the Jaguar XJ saloon something like how the latest Proton Saga is based on the Proton Savvy. The XJS was the first attempt for the British to enter into the powerful V12 market. When we hear the word V12 engine we often think of makes like Ferrari and Lamborghini but in 1977 a Jaguar became a V12 as well. Imagine driving a Perdana V6 but now you have double the cylinders and another 3400cc of power under the hood and to make things better your top speed is  229km per hour and you are back in 1977 when most people drove Beetle`s and Mini`s.

I have driven many classic and exotic cars in my time and to be honest the Jaguar XJS has one of the worst turning circles and a ridiculously long rear trunk which makes reverse parking a nightmare and there were no reverse cameras or sensors to help you back in the day .On another thought the Lamborghini Countach which was the most popular and successful Lamborghini in history needed the driver to open the door and look behind when the car needed to be reversed, So I forgive the XJS as with great beauty there is great responsibility. Thanks to our tax system owning a high capacity classic car is something like buying a packet of rice for RM15 but having to pay RM25 for the plastic bag. The Jaguar XJS that I have at the moment is a 5.3 V12 H.E which stands for High Efficiency, Don`t even for a moment think that it can compete with today`s Toyota Prius  fuel consumption. The roadtax for a 5.3cc car in Malaysia is RM12,475.50 annually so in 1996 the 1st owner who is Royalty decided to downgrade the roadtax to around RM2050 annually so he could sell the car to an average Joe like myself who can afford to keep the car on the road. Now what engine around 3000cc(which is needed to pull the heavy body)and would feel more lively then the original V12 while being reliable too ?. The answer was simple, The Jaguar looks great and a Toyota is reliable. So my Jaguar runs today on a 7M GTE Toyota Supra Turbo engine. 

Being a person who wants looks but also needs practicality this car was the best compromise between both worlds. Jaguar Enthusiast will condemn any classic Jag running on a Japanese engine but I`m not a Jaguar enthusiast and my heart still sings BMW. See Jaguar`s were never popular when it came down to reliability and maintenance as parts were expensive and it broke down pretty easily. I have not seen as yet anyone driving a classic Jag daily to work and back and most original Jag`s sadly only come out on Saturday nights or Sunday afternoon`s for a leisure drive.The  Jaguar I have goes to KL during peak hours and also poses in Changkat during the weekends, Its like having a hot girlfriend which cooks and cleans as well. The Toyota turbo engine also produces 232bhp which leaves most boy racer cars still at the traffic lights.The best thing about this car is that you will never know its a convert till you open the hood. The interior is stock standard and all the original meters and switches work. This is a car that looks fast even in the parking lot.

Suspension setup for the XJS is more on the softer side and the original 15 inch wheels does not do justice for a car with was meant to tour the highways and feel stable at high speeds . So since its already a convert changing the standard 15 inch wheels to a set of 19 inch Breyton GTP's was not a hard decision. After the wheels were changed the classic tourer became a Lowrider(Like something from Pimp my Ride..) 

And this car was born..... The sheer size and design makes the Batmobile look like its poorer cousin.....

Will update soon when the car is transformed further........

Part 2 Mercedes W123 Coupe....

Well the seller`s location was quite close to ours and we managed to set-up an appointment within half an hour from the discovery of the Gem. I have personally seen a so many Mercedes Benz W123 on sale in the past but a 2 Door Coupe was something I really wanted to get my hands on. We met at A&W Petaling Jaya and the first sight of her was simply breathtaking. Who would have thought frame-less doors on such a sedan like body could look so good ,Every time I pulled opened the doors it was like seeing Julia Roberts transformation from slutty street girl to elegant sophisticated lady in Pretty Woman. The interior was not in top notch condition but her sexy black leather looked so typical classic Mercedes. Below the interior,

     

Now it was time for the first test drive, Being a Mercedes made her easy to operate unlike some other classics made before 1985, She had power assisted steering, automatic transmission and no nonsense 2.8cc in-line 6 cylinder engine. The test drive went well as expected from such a bullet proof model, This car was so well built that you could not break anything even if you wanted too.There were no loose panels and all the electronic worked  including the sunroof. The price was discussed and we came to a settlement. We were so keen on the car that we took her back on the same day.

Restoration step 1 was changing the sad undernourished metallic silver paintwork to a more bold metallic Mocha Brown seen it the first batch of the Proton Waja CPS. Rust was not an issue with the car but we did find a very bad repair job on the rear quarter panel which needed a whole panel replacement.Stripping her down for her new coat,

Putting on the Anti-rust coating gave us another idea of how we could still retain a two tone exterior, so now the lower body will be metallic Mocha and the roof will be painted Sapphire Black.

Now was time to paint,

The first view on the paint on the car,

And the completed Baby,

I lost most of the pictures on work done to the interior and engine when my computer decided to clash. The work done on the engine was a full engine service , New plugs , ATF oil replacement and of course a new Air-cond compressor which cost a bomb. The front signals were changed from the standard amber type to a more modern white type. Interior was cleaned up and the door panel leather was replaced.Once all were done the car was put up on the market to find a new home.The new owner is a  Mercedes benz collector and I believe she is now parked at his garage with other classics like the ever famous Mercedes Benz SL. She is now only driven once a month to golf course.What a way to retire from being a daily driven workhorse.

Before

After

The End. Next week will be the BMW E36 328i Cabriolet restoration.Till next week, Take care and god bless.