Howdy! Just Bought a 135is!

[mabutler308@yahoo.com]

Congratulations!! I can't say enough about the 135is... I love this car.

[Chunner]

WELCOME! Do the launch control thingy... !

[mabutler308@yahoo.com]

Awesome! Congratulations! I love my 135is

[JeffyD]

Thanks for the warm welcome, gang! The only reason I didn't post a picture is because I figured no one needed to see another shot of a 135.

I busted out my D800 kit earlier today to take some more interesting shots (well, try to, at least. I bought the camera, but my box didn't include any talent with it), but I ran out of light before I ran out of errands... So tomorrow it is, then! Probably going to do a tiny detail, run her up to around Kanan/Decker Canyon area, and wait for sunrise to get some nice metallic shine light. Hopefully some overcast will still hang around before burning up so I can get some saturation details.

I flipping love the paint so much. I love the car in general, actually. I've had so much fun driving it that it took me a couple days to get around to doing the "gadget" stuff, like phone pairing, and trip computer calibrating. I still haven't bother to look up how to do the garage opener linking. Whatever.

The drive is unlike anything I'm used to. The only cars I've owned before my M coupes were a '94 Toyota Tercel base model in '01, a '92 Lexus SC400 back when it was legally able to buy beer after joining the military without parental approval, and a ?? Mazda DX from the late 80s that my dad totaled before I could take my first lesson I it. The I got the coupes - S54 being the one I bought first, just last year, and learned driving stick with using google since no instructors could be found. Those S engines are screamers- they need the revs to get up and go. You need to know where you are and where you will need to be I the power band while driving those. Which is awesome, but can be obnoxious on the streets of Los Angeles, where road quality is awful and suddenly variable, and on the streets of Ventura County, where it seems people need to be mentally unable to drive well to operate a car there legally. Causes some outbursts of frustration.

But this thing... Unh! Gobs of torque and power wherever! A shift so smooth, and a clutch so dead of perfect for the way I drive. And the engine always makes me feel like I picked the right gear around a bend, even if I know otherwise. It's kinda like a good girlfriend - although you know for a fact she's exaggerating or flatout lying to you, you still appreciate it when she fakes an astonished tone when informing you how you're the biggest and best she's ever had. Thank you, car, and bless your heart for the ego stroke.

I don't know. Every time I get in, look at, or drive the car, I notice something new that I hadn't noticed prior... And, surprisingly, is has, thus far, always managed to be pleasantly appreciated. Also, other complaints people may have, like the B-pillars making the seatbelts annoying to reach for, don't annoy me. So, there's that.

I don't know. A car this great, with the neatest gadgets, and none of the stuff on it that I'd rather wasn't - like nav screens... I'm just so content. Also, this is dumb, but the fact that the passenger side mirror automatically swings down to show you the curb when you're reversing... Hahaha, I thought that was so freaking cool, I was smiling like kids do in school photos up until they learn that they most likely aren't as completely precious, intelligent, creative, and super attractive as their mother led them to believe. Like, I was almost as genuinely pleased with that little detail as a kid is to be going to Disneyland. Priceless bliss.

Yeah, I say very little with very many words. Sorry. Long story short. Car perfect. Me happy. Better pictures coming.

Oh, and, someone asked, I believe - yes, the only modification I plan on doing is getting a set of Pilot Sports. But I'll wait until I've used up more tread on the crap it came with because, so far, they haven't gotten in the way of my fun. Though a LSD could work into the plan if I wind up feeling the need for it. My upgrade and free money are pouring into my M coupe track project. So, as far as this sweet thing is concerned, I actually wind up needing to remind myself DDers don't NEED some stuff. But, eh.

[JeffyD]

Also there are these until I can take some shots with my SLR.

[m981addicts]

Estoril 1 used to be my fave blue. LMB is now.

[JeffyD]

I'm going to drive by my clownshoe momentarily on my way to the spot I plan on taking pictures at. I think I'm going to do a comparison shot. Not that they are mistakable for one another in the slightest, but because it's weird to see how different the metallic flake looks between the two.

Estoril is still, and always will be, the best blue. But LeMans may just beat out my old second favorite, Interlagos. Also, I am the only person on the planet that finds Laguna Seca blue to be the "meh"est of the blues.

Wish they'd do a rerun or Technoviolet, though.

[doublevanosrc]

She's a beaut!! Man I'm counting down the days to get back into an E82 again!

[BimmerE82]

Love that color!! Congrats! Lets see how long it takes before the mod bug bites you!

[JeffyD]

I actually am trying to get the mod bug to bite me, but, I've taken a little time to explore options, and nothing really seems to pique my interest. Maybe I'm not used to being satisfied so completely after purchasing a car. I mean, the S54 M coupe, sure, still blows my face open with smiles every time I see her and drive her, but I bought her at 11 years old. I knew that I wouldn't be enjoying the modern conveniences that newer cars offer and are taken for granted as standards.

But I liked that. This is completely different. Effortless driving, and most of the trappings of gizmos. Though, thankfully, I bought a newer car without a nav screen - a huge plus in my opinion. So the only things I wish I could change about the car are minor. Like I wish I could control my music via voice commands - because I wear fancy pants- or the business class radio display didn't make me scroll through two lines of artist at a time. My phone has over 3 thousand of them on there...

So, yeah, wish it had better phone integration just for ease of access in selecting particular songs or artists. The only other thing is the lack of bass. The audio system is great for when I'm playing my 80s pop synth stuff, screamy punk nonsense, ridiculous rock and metal crap. But I also have found myself listening to various genres of EDM the last few years, and so I wish the subwoofers could push more air and make a greater kick in the cabin. What would kids call it these days? I need more of da wubz, d00ds.


Buuuut, I didn't buy a rolling sound system - I bought a car. And, as a car, nothing has popped up in my head that's made me think of changing a thing. Maaaaaybe aero bits, but that's just because I'm a dork with bad taste. Oh, and of course pilot sport tires are definitely going on when the tread goes on these run flats. But that's not a mod - that's fixing a factory error.

Anyway, took better pictures. Having them upload via 5 hear old laptop. So I'll link to the album when that gets done.

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys - I was kind of fearing that the 1er kids might not be as friendly as the m coupe dorks. Thankfully, you've all shown that to be not true.

[johngrossi]

Love the LMB! Congrats on the great buy

[JeffyD]

Ooooookay. Wrote a long post and it didn't send. Awesome. Haha.

Okay, I'm just going to bullet point this instead of typing all that out again.

I have two questions, so thank you for indulging me with any opinions or answers?

1. Have HiFi system. Don't want to deal with the details of building my own system, and don't trust most installers out here. Never heard of them before my research today on the topic, but if came across Musicar. Say, stage 3, upgraded rears, and stealth trunk sub, four channeled... Not thinking about money, would you go for it? I'm more concerned with will it be good enough to not need to think more about the audio system, and less so about the price. Especially if it means not screwing up any other onboard equipment.

2. Did a VIN look up finally over at a site I like. S902A came up. I'm unfamiliar with it. "Special Press Inspection Vehicle." As in, it was a review car, or is that just a catch all phrase for Bmw and it's fleet cars? It's confusing. It's also apparently a warm weather climate car. Haha, good to know, I guess?

Thanks, guys.