BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

dave330i

I believe the history goes something like this (I'm sure Chris will correct me when I get it wrong). Each country has its own color, Italy is red, GB is green (I believe this is where BRG came from), and Germany used to be white. Then the US joined and white was given to the US, and Germany got silver. So technically, both white & silver came be claimed as Germany's color.

brave1heart

dl7265

What Dale forgot to tell you is the LOJACK was installed and u will be picked up shortly .lol

Well back from San Diego and doing some catch up.

I happen to own a 99 Sport Silver/Grey leather.
In Texas its a awsome color. If you are anywhere as meticulas as i am the Silver is very rewarding in keeping it looking clean. Far as the Grey interior, Make sure you look at the new Grey its not near as light as the pre 99 cars was. IMHO the dark colors make it look quite a bit more smallish , besides the heat factor here.

really i like all the color combos on this car, id say Red on the sedan is my least favorite but looks good on the coupe.

Shipo: good move to try the Sport , the roads around me are terrible but the chassis is so firm the ride is still great. Although i have the 225/50/16 not the new 235/45/17, wish they still offered the old package, not sure id go for 45 series myself.

Later,
DL

rednblack

Thanks for the input guys, didnt think it would be this tough to choose a good color combo.

HIPPO168....if you could post some pictures of your steel gray/black...that would be fantastic!

dave330i

The problem with too many great choices. My co-worker looking at the 5-series has the same problem.

mlash

Guys,

I live in Chicago, and am thinking about ordering the 325i. does this car do well in the winter time with snow and ice?

I don't want to spend the extra for the ix. I hear the new 2002 traction control does well.

Please advise

shipo

Before moving to the NYC area, I lived in and around Chicago for over 12 years. Given how flat the roads are there, I think you would do just fine with a 325i. As for the Snow/All-Season tire debate, in the Chicago area, I remembers winters that had all of 6 Flakes of snow and winters that had 6 Feet of snow. For a 6 Flake winter, the standard All-Season rubber is more than acceptable (assuming you do not get SP), for a 6 Foot winter, go with the snows, the only problem is that you cannot predict.

Best Regards,
Shipo

genie1

I got my snow tires put on, and we've had the driest, warmest fall in about 100 years (and no, I wasn't around for all of them).

Of course I know that if I'd decided against winter tires, it would have been the worst winter ever.

So I'm happy.

mlash

Thanks for the snow advice. I think I'll buy and switch tires seasonal.

genie1

I just booked a 2 1/2 week trip to India for Jan/Feb 2002 (thats next month!). Woohooo!!

I am excited as I haven't been there since 1993. I will be visiting Bombay and Goa, the weather will be pleasant and the food will be great.

shipo

When you are in Mumbai sitting in front of a plate of Vindaloo or Masala, Naan in hand ready to dig in, please, just think of us poor sots over here who have to deal with the watered down curry that is generally available. Just for a moment, then, Enjoy! Have a Great Trip, I am envious.

Best Regards,
Shipo

P.S.
I hear that SPF100 may not be enough this time of year in Goa, take care.

dave330i

Sounds like fun. Have a great trip. BTW, sounds like an awful long flight.

genie1

Yum, you're making me hungry. The Indian food in Toronto is pretty authentic (not truly hot, but I can't handle that anymore, anyway).

I still call it Bombay and probably always will. I also plan on stocking up on Indian sweets.

SPF100 is for the tourists that go there in May. I will pack at least SPF45 though.

Hey, I'm not leaving just yet, you know!

genie1

Its about 18-20 hours depending on stop-overs. Which is why I haven't been there for so long.

Two days to get there and back, three days to get over jet-lag, doesn't leave much time in the standard issue North American vacation.

shipo

Just sleep on the beach, maybe you should bring the SPF100 along just in case. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

dave330i

I've flown to Korea couple of times. Thinking about flying there next May (cousin's getting married). It's 13.5 hrs from East Coast. About 8 from this side (still too long).

I used to like flying when I was a kid, but don't fit in the seats anymore.

genie1

When I was a kid, we would try to visit a couple of countries in the Far East every year...Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, HK(pre-handover) . We never made it to Japan or Korea.

I've heard it's lovely.

shipo

I used to work with an "Ex-Pat" Brit who once commented to me that "I cannot wait to get back to England so that I can eat some great English food."

To which I replied, "Great English food?!? I have never had the pleasure, what is it?"

To which he simply replied "Curry."

Nuff said.

Best Regards,
Shipo

genie1

Ain't it the truth. When I was in London, that's all we ate, because the rest of it was unpalatable.

We had a lot of expat Brits in the Middle East. They all wanted Land Rovers and a villa with a houseboy. Nice life if you can stand it.

dave330i

"I've heard it's lovely."

If you can find a piece of green, yes. It's usually very loud, crowded, polluted, etc at most places though.

vishnu11

Two years ago, we visited London and did the touristy thing of hopping onto a double-decker tour bus.

What was interesting was that tour guide said that numbers-wise "Chicken Tikka Masala" had replaced fish-n-chips as the Brits' most popular food.

shipo

I love it, England tried to make a permanent Colony of India via military force, and now India is taking over England via their food. I know which way I would rather be conquered. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

genie1

<<It's usually very loud, crowded, polluted, etc at most places though. >>

That's what I'm afraid of in Bombay as well.

riez

My wife's '00 323iA is titanium silver exterior with black leather interior. Looks very classy & sharp and stays clean. My '98 540iM is jet black exterior with black leather interior. Looks almost as sharp but gets dirty while you clean! I much prefer her exterior color! Why do almost all the 540i manuals seem to be black on black??? I'm jealous.

brave1heart

I love Indian food myself. No more Vindaloo for me, though. This story is a little embarrassing for me to tell but I thought you might find it entertaining. I was coming back home from work late one Friday evening and was very hungry. I had just had some Indian the previous weekend and my mouth watered at the thought of the meal that I'd had - Lamb Rogan Josh, some pakoda and khema naan. I couldn't remember the name of the meal I'd had, though, and as I was driving and had no menu in front of me, I decided to take a chance. I asked the guy on the phone to read out the lamb meals they had and he mentioned Rogan Josh, Vindaloo, Masala, among many others. I still couldn't remember the exact name of the meal I wanted but thought it was the Vindaloo, so I ordered that. The meal I'd had a week ago was mildly spicy and when they asked how spicy I wanted it, I thought I could handle a much spicier meal and boldly stated I wanted it spicy. "Are you sure?" I heard the cautiously hesitant voice over the phone. Yeah, I am, I said, thinking "Geez, they always have to warn me a few times that my house will be on fire as soon as I enter the building with the meal in hand." I got home (it was ~ 9:30) and set out to devour the meal in a few minutes. Well, big surprise - this thing was so spicy, my mouth started burning as tears started rolling down my cheeks. Well, too late to worry about that now, I am way too hungry, so I'd just have to eat real fast and it will not burn my mouth as much that way. I drank a lot of water along the way and finished it all in about 15 minutes. Then I just sat there on the couch drinking water by the gallon, my stomach all bloated and most of all, on FIRE!!! I felt like I was 8 months pregnant... the food was not being digested and I kept drinking water to put out the fire. Somehow, I managed to fall asleep after midnight only to wake up around 4 AM, as my stomach insisted on having a little talk with me. The stomach had a weak spot for toilets... This may be considered a very social place in StomachLand but not my first choice for a "conversation".... So we "talked" for a while, we both felt better and I managed to go back to bed and sleep for a couple of hours. Woke up to go to work at 7 and it was clear that there was no way I was going to work that day - I had a fever and probably had a stomach flu of some sort, as I had to take the next TWO days off. From that day on, I only visit Indian restaurants that are strategically located next to a fire department.

dave330i

meal too spicy yet. Odd spicy yes (Thai comes to mind), but too spicy, never.

Brave: next time drink milk. It's better than water when you eat something too spicy.

P.S. we're less than 10 posts from passing the 300M thread.

brave1heart

Maybe I should start going to the grocery store more often )

genie1

LOL

A couple of suggestions to make your next spicy meal easier to digest:
Make sure you eat plenty of rice/bread in proportion to the curry (I use the term generically)
Drink milk instead of water if it's really spicy
Eat Indian sweets for dessert (chocolate will do in a pinch)

(I don't drink milk myself, but I do follow the other two suggestions)

genie1

Ice cream would do the trick too

dantlo

I have a 325i Steel gray/blk, Liked it alot because there is not alot out there. I had 2 blk and 1 artic siler before, this is the best color so far in my own opinion and it does not get dirty like a blk car.
Dan

genie1

Also, at Indian restaurants, as you leave, they have a platter of roasted cumin and other little things(red/green/silver balls). Grab a handful as they are very good for digestion.

dave330i

dairy product for that matter. There's some chemical in milk which helps loosen spice from your palette.

genie1: Don't have any ice cream at home (never is). Still haven't really gone grocery shopping since I got back.

brave1heart

cuz if it does, I'd be eating a lot of spicy food from now on ;o)

genie1

Kingfisher beer (Indian) tastes good with Indian food on a hot summer day.

Doesn't help the spices, though!

Hmmm, sitting on a beachfront patio, with a beer and some grilled spicy tiger prawns...Can't wait

brave1heart

shipo

In 1987, I was doing a lot of work in Mexico, at the same time my (then) girlfriend (Mom, first gen Mexican-American, Dad, well, he swam the river (Rio Grande) to date Mom) was living in Austin, TX. During that time, I was consuming VERY hot food at what would have been a seriously FATAL rate just a few years prior. Late in 1987, I had to take a trip to London, where I met a young couple in a pub who invited me out to dinner a few days later.

The dinner was at a restaurant called Khyber Pass (I think), and Gary and his mates ordered me my first curry meal ever, Lamb Vindaloo. Several times during dinner, somebody would ask me how I liked my meal, and if I was doing all right. I was thoroughly enjoying myself, and the food and told them so. After dinner, Gary asked me if the Vindaloo was too hot. I replied &#147;No, why?&#148;

Gary told me that most Yanks couldn&#146;t take even the mildest curry, and that a London Vindaloo was far from mild. He also said, &#147;We always feed Vindaloo to unsuspecting Americans, and they always run for the bathroom half way through dinner.&#148; ;-) I told him that if he thought what I had just eaten was supposed to be hot, then they missed the mark by a wide margin, because it was &#147;Wimpy.&#148;

In 1990, I made another visit to London, and Gary and Caroline insisted that I join them for dinner again (along with all of their friends). Needless to say, by this time I was no longer dating my Mexican Sweetie, and of course, they took me back to the same restaurant from 1987. Apparently Gary took the waiter aside and said, &#147;That bloke over there says that your Vindaloo is Wimpy! What else do you have?&#148;

When my meal came, I just assumed it would be about the same as my previous experience (silly me). NOT! I was served what I think they termed a &#147;Double-Phal&#148;. Not wanting to loose face, I ate it, it tasted REAL good, however...

For the remainder of the story, simply refer to Brave1hearts confession from above, the next 12 hours are almost identical. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

genie1

You mentioned a studio at Carnegie Hall in a previous message...whats that all about?

tenet1

debate over my other passion.

Being Indian, I obviously love the stuff.
Brave and Shipo - Next time in Manhattan, make sure you go to Jai-ya for some excellent Thai (unless you have been there already) and ask that the food be very Spicy (not mild or medium). Insist on it even if the waiter double checks with you. Probably the best experience you will have.

I can handle pretty much anything, but I had too had a terrible experience once. My buddy and I who also loves hot stuff walked into a "Cluck U Chicken" once and got the hottest wing sauce (that was not even listed on the menu). After signing a waiver freeing them of any liability we ordered 20 wings.

My buddy gave up after 1 wing and I went upto 6 until I started to cry and then my face went numb. I grew uncomfortable to the point that it was unbearable. I figured it was now time to stop and accept defeat.

For the next 3 days my body did not feel the same. I could not feel my face when I shaved and my lips were absolutely numb. My stomach shut down and went into hybernation, but came back somehow. My sense of taste....gone.

Cluck U apparently pulled that sauce and I haven't been able to find it ever since.

dave330i

Cluck U is great stuff. Always go for Thermo Nuclear. They don't have any out here though.

P.S. we passed 300M easily.

shipo

In the early 1990's I had been doing the computer consultant thing for nearly 15 years and was looking for a new business that would allow be to get some exercise at the same time (several years of travel and expense accounted meals caused my belts to shrink). Also at that time, my Mother had just left the IS world, after a 20 year career, and was looking for a new business opportunity. She found that there were franchise opportunities throughout North America for an exercise business called Callanetics, which was the very exercise regimen that she followed during her various business travels, and thought that it might be fun to teach exercise for a living for a while.

We pooled our resources and bought the franchise rights to Manhattan, cleaned up our affairs in Chicago, and moved to the Big Apple. Given the zoning corruption of the time, we found it impossible to lease space for our business (which was zoned the same as massage parlors) without paying LARGE bribes and other &#147;Fees&#148; to have the various governing bodies in the city government &#147;Look the other way&#148;.

This being contrary to our way in doing things, we found that above the auditorium in Carnegie Hall, there are many &#147;Artists Lofts&#148;, full of some very eclectic businesses (everything from Actor/Actress wannabee training to rehearsal space for some of the most famous singers and musicians in the world). The best part about Carnegie Hall is that the City of New York is the landlord, if they rent to you, your in, period. They did, and we did. We opened our doors the day Billy Bob Clinton got elected. ;-)

If you were about to be impressed with me being some kind of a musician or other musical talent, Sorry, I am just your basic computer geek (and part time Callanetics instructor), however, I can play my stereo very well. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

brave1heart

We are earlobe in talents here on the board - from inventors to part time Callanetics instructors. And that's only one poster, think about how diverse our collective talents will be ;o)

raavir

I just got my tickets a 2 1/2 week trip to India for Dec/Jan 2001/2002. Before going there thinking of taking a test drive and place an order for BMW320i with
Transmission: 5-Speed Manual
Packages : Sport
Options : Glass Sunroof
Interior Auto Dimming Mirror
Rain Sensor
Xenon Headlights
Low On-Board Computer
Harman Kardon Sound System

not yet decided on color any suggessions on (black/blackeete) or (black/beigette) or (orientblue/beigette) or (Silver/blackette)

silverprincess

Where can I find instructions on how to hook up my motorola startac to use the steering wheel's hands free option? i have a 99 323i. Thanks.

brave1heart

We'll try to give you a more definitive answer on the steering comparison after the back-to-back drive tonight.

nyccarguy

I was just looking at the BMW world site. I know there's probably a small market here, but I'd love to see a 318Ci here in the US. I guess the pricing would put it too close to the Mini. It'd be a great alternative to some Japanese FWD cars. Too bad us Americans value "off the line pickup" more than high end horsepower. No 318Ci for us!

nobee

I've been experimenting with a sauce called "Dave's insanity sauce." I love any type of food that's hot, but Dave's insanity sauce is most likely THE hottest sauce I've ever tasted! There's a warning label that declares preganant ladies and people with weak hearts should consult their physician before tasting....yikes!
-brian

dave330i

For those of us with a 3rd pedal, ever notice the difference your footwear makes? I've been wearing boots the past couple of weeks do to poor weather (rain). On the first clear day in recent memory, I chose to wear my running shoes. Everything feels a little sharper now. The shift points, the throttle response, etc. I wonder what racing shoes feels like?

genie1

Have fun tonight

Dave:
I try to use thin rubber soled shoes when driving (and change to dress shoes later) as I get a better feel for the car. My very trendy square-toed, bubble soled boots end up getting stuck, get scuffed and I use up more gas (more heavy footed movements).

This way my dress shoes don't get scuffed up either.

dave330i

Us men folks (or is it just me), don't care if our shoes gets scuffed up a little. Plus, I'm just too lazy to switch shoes for driving.

genie1

guy shoes are just so much more practical. Try driving with 2-inch+ platforms.