Even if the Autobahn gets speed restrictions, that’s not gonna stop people from driving fast... radar detector sales will just go up drastically, haha.

I had a 1992 BMW 525i wagon for a while, and it was a whopping $350. Sure, I had to put some work into it to make it decent, but you could easily pick up an E34-generation wagon (1992-1995) for well under that budget in nice condition, with plenty left for maintenance. It fit tons of stuff, was already super beat up…

Whether this is fake or not, it does remind me of my time working an office job... everybody that got a $40k starting salary immediately went and blew it on financing a $30k car they could barely afford. Meanwhile I rolled around in a $350 wagon that had more bare metal than paint, dents on literally every single…

My biggest problem with Cars & Coffee is the fact that it’s early in the morning on a weekend... that’s a damn travesty in my book. Maybe it’s because I’m not 55, but getting up at 7am on a Saturday is nowhere near my definition of a good time. So I stick to car shows that are either in the late morning or in the…

Italian SUV with a proven American drivetrain for under $3k? NP for sure. It’s got total Radwood vibes and is pretty darn unique.

Ratchet straps are your friend for keeping engines in place! Thankfully the E34 wagon has 4 solid hook points in the cargo area that are specifically meant for that.

Nah it runs, I just don’t own it anymore.

I mean, if you wanna get really technical, BMW can fit two under the hood, as their V12 is basically two straight 6's joined at the crank.

As you can see in the picture, I used two sheets of plywood + a cheap Harbor Freight moving blanket. The plywood distributed the weight and prevented the cargo floor cover from breaking, and the blanket allowed it to slide in so I could just load it in with the engine hoist and then pull it into the car the rest of…

I don’t have the Range Rover anymore, that’s why. That being said, it’s still easier to put an engine into the wagon because it sits lower... the Range Rover is still fairly high up even if you air out the suspension, so you’ve really gotta crank that engine hoist up high to load it in.

I agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly. Here is a BMW S50 straight-6 in the back of my E34 wagon:

Even though I no longer live in NYC, I’m happy to see the R42's back in service, if only for a little bit. I always liked the R42's, but the R46/R68 were my absolute favorite subway cars. They had the right smell, the orange seats were lovely, and they held up really nicely. When the Q train switched to the awful R160 …

Gonna have to go with CP, because getting one of these with an auto is a sin. It really does take all the fun out of the experience. If I really wanted an SS, I’d hold out for one of the later year models with a manual.

645csi’s are sweet, but definitely going up in value. Best to find one that’s been owned by an enthusiast... don’t fall into the trap of buying some low-mileage “barn find” that’s been sitting for ages, otherwise you’ll be replacing every single rubber seal and bushing for an eternity. The drivetrain in them is stout—…

Why someone thought an auto-dimming mirror was worth it over just one of those standard, flippable mirrors is beyond me.

Wonderful article! It’s pretty inspirational to see somebody succeeding in a niche business, especially as I’m trying to get my BMW shop off the ground here in Phoenix. Right now I am begrudgingly fixing other European makes (Mercedes, Audi, VW, Land Rover), but I hope to eventually be known for just working on…

I mean, Michigan is kinda the worst state to raise speed limits in... y’all have tons of snow, bad road quality, tons of uninsured drivers, and so many rust heaps on the road with bald tires that are barely holding together.

That’s why I try to buy vehicles that are not too far in either direction... something that isn’t necessarily a pile, but isn’t perfectly mint. I just try to find reasonably nice 25-30 year old BMW’s, where they still have decent paint but have some minor dings or body damage to where I don’t feel bad daily driving…

Is there a way to see how many comments one has left? I’m curious to see what my count is, as I was quite prolific when I worked a desk job... 40 hours a week meant lots of time to read and comment on Jalopnik, ya know?

Agreed! My car is 25 years old and has a perfect headliner, no interior creaks, and everything still works— including the factory keyless entry!