Agree about the half dash. It’s the only thing good about the 996 interior, but I still consider it to be the worst 911 interior by far. Even my 951’s interior currently feels better than my 996’s did, and it looks better, too.
dudr13
duder13original
Yeah, I happen to have an 8 year old BMW, too, and while that’s true for the water pump and a few other things, it’s not true for control arms and the clutch. Plus, the cost to repair a Porsche is significantly more.
This can work both ways. When I was growing up, my black next door neighbor (I’m white) wanted to build an ice skating rink in his front yard (his daughter was training as a skater.) My mom was skeptical, being a real estate agent and understanding property values, but we had a good relationship with the neighbor, so …
When my 50k mile 996 was only 8 years old, I was already replacing control arms, clutch, water pump, Targa top track, and some other things, and I never even had to deal with the IMS. Total POS. My 35 year old 944 Turbo has less issues than that thing.
As someone who owned a 996 ten years ago, I’d still say it was the worst of all 911 interiors. It has bulbous, ‘90s Ford style and isn’t built very well. The 997, on the other hand, is better built and returned to classic, straight 911 interior lines. I actually prefer it to the 991, which felt to luxury car glitzy.
The design for the 928 goes back to 1971, or 2 years before the Pacer design, so it might be possible that Teague did a little borrowing for the Pacer, rather than the other way around.
When comparing the LP400 and LP500, I’m not sure which I’d choose. My tasteful adult side prefers the 400...but the ‘80s kid in me would go crazy for the 500.
Yeah, to make the 135i perform like an M car, you’ve gotta give it an M car-like setup. Those M3 arms will give a little more camber and sharpen up steering feel, but that’s not getting you close. Swapping in poly/delrin or M3 sub-frame bushings is the single biggest suspension improvement you can make to that car,…
What a trip. I spend a lot of my time driving the same roads and ending up at See Sees (albeit in a car.) Too bad you weren’t here this week, because the weather is phenomenal right now. Great review! 👍
Just bolt one of these on...and done!!
It’s not just the weight. The M2 is a longer car with a longer wheelbase, and the steering isn’t great.
Yes, the M235i is worse.
I also have a 135i (albeit with the whole suspension reworked,) and I wouldn’t trade for an M2, let alone if I had a 1M. The M2 feels bloated, comparatively.
Come check out the old 1er/E82 forums. We say the M2 it feels dead and bloated all the time. :)
Check it out!
Here is an interesting old thread debating Castrol and Texaco. It seems Roundel magazine said Castrol, but it could be a mistake. https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=248769
I can’t remember if I read it or saw it in a doc, but I believe Texaco bailed really early on, maybe even before actually racing, but who knows???
According to Hemings and a few other sources over the past decade, the story is that the Texaco partnership was short-lived, and, once it ended, BMW bought the rights to the stripes (or maybe even that particular red.)
That dude is more John Cena than John Cena.