Thursday, July 02, 2009

BMW 318i (E46 Year 2000) Black

I drove this black 4-door sedan with curiosity. It was made in South Africa but it was nicely and elegantly put together. Even after 9 years there was still some freshness left. The 1.9L engine was surprisingly refined and completely devoid of vibration typically associated with 4-cylinder engine. Its 4-speed transmission was smooth and seamless and behaved like a gear-less transmission. Despite its humble 1.9L capacity, it has certain degree of flexibility for everyday use and it is willing to rev so the car itself pick up the pace quickly. What it lacked is the power and the effortless fast acceleration required during overtaking. It has to be planned ahead and executed without deviation.

The chassis was solid but yet light weight, reminding me of a Golf or VW construction. There was a lot of refinement in the front seat while at the back the road noise ate away the comfort by a small notch. Handling-wise surprisingly it was not so engaging, perhaps because of the aging shock absorbers which did not damp the car motion well in half of the situation. However the ride was good enough in all situation but the road noise was sensitive to the road surface. As I remembered it wore the Continental Contact Sport 205/50R16 on original BMW 16" alloy rims.

After 500 kms and 10 days I sold the car to a new owner whose family perhaps found themselves to be the first time owning a car or a BMW. I could sense their excitement and happiness around the BMW. It reminded me that I have lost this kind of feeling for a long long time, only slightly reminded when I saw the faces of the new owners when they received the car keys from me.

Good Bye C36 (March 2006 to July 2009)

This would be the final blog entry for the C36. At least in theory unless I have something to write about. Because of the nature of business I am in, I would not be needing the C36 they way I needed to. After considerable thoughts, I was ready to find it a rightful owner. I had the confidence that none in the market would have any C36s (1995) would top off mine in mechanical condition. I would not low-ball the price. I simply asked for an owner who would continue to take care of it, and who would pay a reasonable price. I knew already that unless one is a big fan of C36, he or she would not pay this price for an almost 15-year old. But then again, who would want to pay the huge price tag in 1995 back then for a family sedan with a big 6-cylinder engine.

I have asked myself many times why I not keep the C36, with the hope of it becoming a future classic. Well, then, I think 40 months and 40,000 kms are enough time with one car if one is living in the moment while owning and driving it. My curiosity towards other cars have grown. It is time to move forward.

The C36 AMG has finally left. We advertised and completed the sale in one week. We found a nice couple who would take good care of the C36. All seem satisfied. And I was slightly proud of the fact that the C36 passed the detailed inspection at HP Auto with satisfactory result and condition. Just minor oil marks and very slow leaks were reported. Anyway it was finally gone and we would both miss it.

Replacing the 1995 C36 at this moment is a 2000 BMW 323Ci convertible. It is completely different car as it lacks the punch and power of the big straight six of C36. The power delivery can only be said as gradual, ultra smooth and creamy at best. I would say it is a kind of slow. However it comes back with a rare sense of luxury and elegance seldom found in most of the other luxury cars, even though many times the price of the 323Ci. It is a total relaxing drive all the time.