Whoa... It's been way too long...

We're back in business and a lot (and I mean a lot) has changed. I figured out my password again, while Matt still has to find his. We are anticipating a trip to the upcoming autoshow in January (I think). I also have sold my BMW project and purchased a working BMW :) happy day! Anyways, while researching what the next post should be, I am writing this to let the readers know we are still here, just kinda lazy. God bless!

2010 Portland International Auto Show #1

Yes, that’s right!  Jay and I were able to go with my friend Jake to the Portland International Auto Show on Saturday, January 30th!  We had a great time looking at everything from a 2003 Ferrari Enzo and the 2010 Porsche Panamera to the 2011 Ford Fiesta and a 1932 Packard.  There was everything from exotics to pickup trucks and hybrids to tuner cars.

In this episode I will try to incorporate a few pictures as well as a couple of videos. First, I would like to pay tribute to the third member of our blogging trifecta who was not able to join us because of a previously scheduled engagement. Eddie asked me to take pictures of the new Porsche Panamera so I did! I also did one better and took a video too! Here’s to you, Eddie:

2010 Porsche Panamera

Ok, well I totally wasn’t expecting the video to be that huge on the screen! Ha ha! Oh, well. I will continue my pictures and videos in my next postings…

Headway!!!

Yay!!! The BMW project is making some headway.  This simply is because of my weakness in spending money (or is that a strength?).  Well, a few days ago I was scoping out the craigslist adds like I have been for the past couple of months, and came across an add for a motor for a 1998 323i for $200.  So, I began some research on the motor, which brought up some interesting stuff…

The engine in my car is the M20B27.  It was a common engine that BMW put into their 325e and 525e cars.  In 1987 BMW also came out with the M20B25, which was from the same series of engine, but was .2 litre’s less and was also tuned differently to put out nearly 50 more horsepower than the M20B27.  1991 was the last year for the M20B25,  ending the era of the M20 motor.

Next came the M50 engine.  This series was offered as the M50B25, and the sport S50B30.  As you probably have guessed, the M50B25 displaced 2.5 litre’s, effectively pushing out 189 hp.  BMW’s M-Tech division also put out an S50B30 version of this motor with upgraded cams.  These engines were offered in the American market starting in 1992 and ending in 1995.  After this BMW made some refinements, as well as added some different gear to meet new emissions standards, and came out with the M52 series.

This is where my thinking that I knew everything about the history of these engines was traumatically smashed.  The M52 was offered as the M52B28 and the S52B32 from 1995 to 1998, or so I thought.  The M52B28 put out 190 hp as well as a huge amount of torque, all while being burdened by an OBDII emissions system.  What really changed my world was the fact that BMW offered another type of M52 engine, and I never knew it. This is known as the M52B25, the engine I have eventually purchased to put in my E30.   Although the previously mentioned M52 engines really only lasted until 1998, the M52B25 lived on until 2001 in the BMW 323i sedans, coupes, and convertibles. 

Shouldn’t the engine be 2.3 litre’s then?  I mean, if the car is a 323i then it should.  The 325i had a 2.5 litre, 328i had a 2.8 litre?   Normally this would be the case, and purists would certainly wish that BMW kept its car naming nomenclature, but the 323i offered in 1998 was the beginning of BMW naming their cars something different from what was under the hood.  This was simply BMW trying to create a larger gap between their 2.8 litre cars and their 2.5 litre cars.

So, I got the engine, and a lesson at the same time.  This particular engine I purchased was originally from a convertible 323i from 1998, and needs a new head gasket.  No biggy, as all OBDII emissions parts are going to be replaced with their OBDI equivalents, so the head gasket wont be a problem.  That is why the engine was listed at $200, which I offered $100, and we met in the middle at $150.  So I now have some work cut out for me.  Wanna help out Don? ;)

Who Owns What?

Over the years I have found confusion in knowing which corporation is behind many automotive brands.  Considering the huge change in the American automotive industry in 2009, it makes things nearly impossible to sort out.  So, I’m going to figure out who owns what and post it right here! 

Europe

Audi:  Simply owned by Volkswagen.  Volkswagen has owned 99.55% of Audi since 1964, after it was purchased from Daimler Benz

BMW:  This brand appears as itself, save for a tiny percentage of shareholders.

Jaguar:  British right?  Nope.  Since 1989 this luxury brand has been owned by Ford Motor Company.  So it’s American?  That’s not right either, as of 2008.  Ford sold the company to Tata Motors of India in 2008.  So technically Jaguar is an Asian brand (although it is still manufactured in the U.K.)

Mercedes-Benz:  Ok, there is so much confusing corporate stuff I could cover here that has happened in the last year.  But, lets save it.  The manufacturer is owned by Daimler AG in Germany.

Porsche:  Awesome cars.  This manufacturer is family owned by the Porsche family descended from Ferdinand Porsche, with large amounts of the company also in the hands of the German public

Saab:  Currently owned by General Motors based in America, GM reports possibly closing down the popular Swedish brand.

Volkswagen:  Appears as itself in this cast list.

Volvo:  Currently owned by Ford Motor Company, Ford reports being in the process of selling the Swedish brand to Chinese car company “Geely”.

3 Litre’s of Dual Turbocharged Power PLUS a Blue and White Roundel Emblem = Pure Joy!

In 2005 BMW introduced a new engine designed for the latest generation of the BMW 3 series.  This was the new N54 I6 engine.  This engine for the last 5 years has shared a spot in the 3 series along side the N53 and N52.  Two things differentiate this power plant from others though.  The first you may have already noticed; as BMW has changed the nomenclature used to name their engines from using the letter “M” to using the letter “N”.  This seems odd and out of tradition, until you find out the second difference in this engine from its mainstream cousins.  Not only did BMW introduce turbocharging technology for the first time in almost three decades, but the N54 sports two turbochargers!  This is old news though, so why blog about it?  Sure, it is old news.  So are the cars the engine debuted in, the M3 and the 335i. 

   Last week BMW introduced the new 2011 BMW 335iS sport coupe and convertible.  These cars introduce the middle-ground between the 335i and the M3.  The differences between these cars are only slightly cosmetic, as the N54 engine has been upgraded, as well being given a new “overboost” feature giving the car an additional 37 pound feet of torque.  How much torque and horsepower does the car put out?  The previous version of the N54 placed just over 300 horsepower, with the torque being just below that number at 295.  The new 335iS with upgraded N54 engine puts out 322 horses with 332 torque.  That puts overboost at 369 torque!  This “Ultimate Driving Machine” has the ability to use its 6-speed transmission to get from 0-60 in 5.1 seconds, and if its wrapped around a new 7-speed automatic it is able to do this in 5 seconds flat.  With the upgraded engine the suspension has been beefed as well, resulting in less body roll and more control in the corners.  With this car in mind, we can all be assured that BMW still spells performance.  The 335iS is aimed at American audiences, so you can be sure to see them on showroom floors in the summer of 2010.

Greetings!!

I would like to take a few minutes of your time to introduce myself and the line of cars I will be researching, test driving, and subsequently blogging about for your enjoyment and knowledge.

I currently live in Oregon and have always been interested in airplanes and that interest may eventually involve a spinoff blog relating to that. I have taken some Aviation Maintenance classes and hope to be able to continue that phase of my education in the future. However, that is not what brings us here today. 

I have always been somewhat interested in European cars. My favorites, mainly because of the styling, have always been the Lamborghini (especially the Diablo). They are just fun cars to drool over and wish in your wildest dreams that maybe some year you might be able to SIT in one!  But if you’ve come here for reviews on the exotics…. you, my friend, have come to the wrong place.

The main focus for my contribution to this blog will be much more practical for 95+% of those interested in European cars.  In the course of this venture with Ed and Jay, my assignment is to research, test drive, and blog about the performance, safety, features, and everything else Volkswagen and Audi. My reviews of Volkswagen, translated from German as “the people’s car,” will be just that: for the everyday, ordinary person to come and find some good practical information about a car they may be interested in buying or just have a casual interest in. The reasoning for reviewing Audi is simple: they are made by VW. Audi is to VW what Acura is to Honda, what Lexus is to Toyota, what Infinity is to Nissan, and what Lincoln is to Ford. You get the idea, though Audi goes beyond that and does compete in the exotic class against the Lamborghini and Ferrari as well.  One cannot see as close a resemblance of Audi vehicles to VW’s in their body styling as easily as can be seen with the other manufacturers and their luxury brands. 

I volunteered for these because of my experience in my girlfriend’s 2007 VW Rabbit.  My next couple of blogs will be about that car and comparing it to the old Rabbit of the 1980’s and to the new 2010 Golf (they only brought back the Rabbit name for 3 model years). In future blogs I will break down the ins and outs of the 4 main trim levels for the new 2010 Golf especially the new addition of Volkswagen’s famous TDI (diesel) engine. Eventually, I also hope to be able to blog about the other models in VW’s lineup and break into to the Audi realm as well.

Welcome to the “Das Auto” portion of our blog.

Thank you for putting up with my ramblings!

Until next time….

3 Pot Brewing...

BMW has some new ideas coming down the pipe for their upcoming line-up of cars. The company has always been big on designing better, more fuel efficient cars as well as streamlining the company itself for efficiency. One can just visit BMW’s website and see that its middle name is efficiency. For years BMW has proven itself to be one of the greenest car manufacturers in the world. The company has also always been big on choice, offering customers the sportiness of a 325i compared to the fuel efficiency of a 318i, the looks of a coupe compare to the usefulness of a sedan, or the ruggedness of a crossover compared to the luxury of a European touring sedan.
BMW is continuing this legacy with a revolutionary but controversial new idea. This is the idea BMW is marketing in regards to the introduction of a new series of three cylinder engines for the economy minded customer. That’s right, a three cylinder BMW. The engines are based off the company’s trademark six cylinder engines which have evolved over the years from the very first 3 series BMW. The new engines have the same inline cylinder design, but have stopped at three cylinders, instead of continuing to six. BMW’s idea behind this is simply, less cylinders equals less fuel used. The idea makes sense and opens the line-up to green minded customers who otherwise would never even think of looking at a power hungry, luxurious BMW.
Many followers of the Bavarian brand are not as open to the idea. BMW has always spelled “performance”, but three cylinders seem to have a hard time fitting that standard. BMW also has always been known for not only the power of the engines it produces, but the smoothness and crispness of these motors. In contrast, three cylinder engines have never been describe as smooth, but rather the opposite. Many believe that the economy engines BMW will be marketing will not be any different. This scares many who love the beautiful cooperation of all the BMW’s systems to make a truly unique driving experience. Many of this is speculation, as these engines have not debuted in the cars that they serve as of yet. But the crowd is most certainly torn.
Even though the size is small, these engines are reported to still have a great amount of horsepower, ranging from 167 hp to 241 hp. But to those purists out there, BMW still offers the six cylinder engine in its automobiles, and actually is making many advances with those engines. These range from greater power, to greater efficiency, and even greater drivability. So, no matter your poison, BMW still offers the car to meet your cravings.

Ed

A Hearty Welcome...

Welcome to Triple Quote! This blog has three writers, all of which have a love of all things cars, especially those imported from Europe. This blog will cover as many of these Euro cars as can be crammed in, and vary from new to old. At the moment one writer is working on an oler classic BMW. Another is in the process of purchasing a newer BMW (an doing many test drives on the way), and still another is just dreaming of such cars, but all of us have a passion for these imports and everything about them.

I purchased a 1987 BMW 325e in November of 2009. For the last year I have wanted one of these 2nd generation E30 body style BMW’s, which were made from 1984 to 1991. The car was based in Portland Oregon, but had seen most of its life in Florida. I bartered the owner down from $1300 to $700. From all appearances, it seemed as though he wanted the car gone. It ran and drove fine, the transmission shifted, and according to carfax as well as the posted mileage on the odometer it only traveled 142,000 miles during its lifetime. I saw this 325 as a great blank to start with for a fun project car.
The car is a wonderful red, but really needs to be repainted. It also needs many of the systems around the engine updated or refurbished such as the cooling system, ignition system as well as accessory belts and the timing belt. The interior smells very used and needs to be restored, as well as seals around the windows. It’s certainly a project. I purchase it to drive, not to restore, but at the same time I want to do different projects over time to not only bring up the value of the car, but also the drivability of it. After all, it represents the “Ultimate Driving Machine” of the 80’s.

Ed