Am I GRM enough?

I'm pretty active on other forums (like Bimmer Forums with 5k posts), but I figured I'd swing by here and see what GRM's all about. I've read a couple of awesome threads on here (especially Mazdeuce) and I'm wondering if I should start posting here about my own car adventures.

I've owned and rebuilt 11 BMW V8's at this point (chain guides, heads, rod bearings, etc.) so I guess you could say I'm somewhat mechanically savvy. I read Mazdeuce's R63 engine rebuild thread and thought it looked pretty easy, given that I've done a partial rebuild on an M5 and owned a BMW V12 before.

I daily drive a 2000 BMW 540i Touring (wagon) with 193k miles and I do plenty of burnouts in it, though I've been wanting to take it to an autocross at some point to see what would happen. I also have a 2003 X5 4.6is that I've rebuilt the engine, transfer case, and driveshafts on, currently sitting at 215k. And a 1987 Porsche 944S that hasn't ran in years. And a clapped-out 1996 Mustang GT 5-speed which I use strictly for burnouts and not much else.

I've previously owned a 1995 BMW 750il, a 2003 Mercedes S500, a 2004 Range Rover, a 2000 M5, and more 540i's than I can count. So you could say I'm a bit of a Euro car masochist, but lately I've also been thinking about buying a beat-up old American muscle car and shoving in a ginormous engine for drag racing and even more burnouts.

I don't have a cool garage though, it's more of a shack in my backyard. It leaks every time it rains, which thankfully isn't too much, given that I live in Phoenix. Wrenching in 115ºF weather is not uncommon for me...

Anyways, that's my intro. I'm digging what I see so far here, I love that there are all sorts of different cars discussed on this forum, as opposed to the more brand-specific forums that I'm used to.

Sounds like you will fit in pretty well here. Welcome aboard!

You could have stopped after the first two paragraphs and we would have said "yes, you are GRM enough".

Welcome!

When you own BMW's and don't take them to the dealer? Not only that but you rebuild the powertrains in a leaky shed in 100+ degrees?

Yeah, I'd say you pass!

(Even if you're only contribution is answering my BMW questions!)

Write about your Range Rover experience! I love complaining about mine.

I didn't see Miata mentioned at all. I'm on the fence.

If you need to ask....

dannyzabolotny wrote: ...I do plenty of burnouts... ...I use strictly for burnouts... ...even more burnouts... Anyways, that's my intro.

This is all I see. Welcome aboard.

Aaaaand, pics or it didn't happen.

Welcome home danny!

Yes, of course. Welcome to the club and thanks for joining us.

They put up with me and I didn't even have a car for the last five years. I think you'll do fine. Welcome!

You've met the BMW requirements with extra points for the Land Rover, all you need to do is pick up a Miata and I'd say that you're in solid.

If you want additional points. be sure to buy a new Mini, complain that you don't understand all of the trash talk about them, then replace everything that falls under your gaze, all the while explaining that simple preventative maintain is all that's required to keep them in top running condition.

Try to spend on repairs alone what you originally spent for the car.

Do this and you'll likely get elected Mayor of GRM.

If you like cars, you're GRM enough. In fact, we encourage people with limited knowledge to hang out and learn some stuff. It sounds like you're already well advanced in your insanity.

EastCoastMojo wrote: Sounds like you will fit in pretty well here. Welcome aboard!

Thanks!

RossD wrote: You could have stopped after the first two paragraphs and we would have said "yes, you are GRM enough". Welcome!

Haha, good to know. Thanks!

ebonyandivory wrote: When you own BMW's and don't take them to the dealer? Not only that but you rebuild the powertrains in a leaky shed in 100+ degrees? Yeah, I'd say you pass! (Even if you're only contribution is answering my BMW questions!)

Awesome! I'm happy to answer any BMW questions, I've worked on quite a few of them, ranging from Z3 M-Coupes to X5's to 750il's. Right now I'm helping my friend fix up a $2500 E36 M3 (the car, not the swear word) that he bought.

I've been working in the Arizona heat for three years now. Everyone said I was crazy for moving here from NYC, but all I see is a nice warm place where I can daily drive a RWD car all year round!

dculberson wrote: Write about your Range Rover experience! I love complaining about mine.

Haha, people always ask about my Range Rover! I bought it for $3000, fixed it up, drove it, and sold it for a decent profit! I wrote about the first part of my ownership experience here: http://dannyzabolotny.kinja.com/how-i-bought-the-worlds-cheapest-range-rover-1786632002

I do miss having a Range Rover though, the X5 doesn't quite fit the bill. It's a lot faster but it's nowhere near as good at everything else. I'll get into another Range Rover sooner or later.

Stampie wrote: I didn't see Miata mentioned at all. I'm on the fence.

Isn't a 944 technically just a German Miata coupe? RWD, little 4 banger, manual, sounds like it just about fits the bill!

Two_Tools_In_a_Tent wrote: You've met the BMW requirements with extra points for the Land Rover, all you need to do is pick up a Miata and I'd say that you're in solid. If you want additional points. be sure to buy a new Mini, complain that you don't understand all of the trash talk about them, then replace everything that falls under your gaze, all the while explaining that simple preventative maintain is all that's required to keep them in top running condition. Try to spend on repairs alone what you originally spent for the car. Do this and you'll likely get elected Mayor of GRM.

Funny you mention Minis, my buddy is a full time BMW mechanic and he says that Minis are what pay his rent because of how leaky and troublesome they are. A former co-worker of mine owned a Mini Cooper S and it was constantly in the shop for 4-figure repairs, much to my amusement.

And I've done the whole spending more on a car than I paid for it thing, got the t-shirt and everything (along with a healthy serving of debt). I paid $5k for my 540it, and I think I have like $7k or more into it, not including the purchase price. Nothing major broke either, I've just been upgrading it and modernizing it.

Brett_Murphy wrote: If you like cars, you're GRM enough. In fact, we encourage people with limited knowledge to hang out and learn some stuff. It sounds like you're already well advanced in your insanity.

Gotcha. My initial hesitation was because of the name of the forum, I guess. I thought I had to be a diehard weekend racer to participate. I'm still just a weekend wrencher in the meantime, though eventually I do want to start racing for fun.

Thanks for the warm welcome, everybody :) You guys are awesome!

They've made me feel welcome and I currently own a Yukon XL Denali and a free 1980 Suzuki GS850.

I'm more of a rock crawler 4x4 type and the only thing I've competed in as an adult is Highland Games but the people here are so cool with whatever you drive so I found a home here.

Welcome from a serial BMW and p-car owner. You definitely fit in. Now where's the pics?

Robbie wrote:

dannyzabolotny wrote: ...I do plenty of burnouts... ...I use strictly for burnouts... ...even more burnouts... Anyways, that's my intro.

This is all I see. Welcome aboard. Aaaaand, pics or it didn't happen.

Oh I have plenty of pictures, get ready for some spam...

2000 BMW 540i touring with 193k miles - daily driver.

2003 BMW X5 with 215k miles - moderately fast SUV-type thing.

1987 Porsche 944S with 114k miles - bought for $1k, hasn't run in 6 years. This is the nicest it's ever looked, the day I hauled it home on a sketchy U-Haul trailer (I told them I was towing a Civic, haha).

1996 Ford Mustang GT 5-speed with 180k miles (odo is broken though). I lowered it with a friend by cutting the springs and cut off the mufflers. Somehow it survived a grueling trip to and from LA.

And now my formerly owned cars:

2004 Range Rover HSE with 160k miles. I bought this for $3000 because of a bad fuel pump. $150 later it ran and drove. Eventually I rebuilt the leaky BMW V8 and took it off-roading. Then I sold it at a profit. I miss it dearly.

2000 BMW M5 with 101k miles. Bought this for $7000 because it needed the rod bearings replaced. I replaced them myself in my garage because why not? The engine was perfectly fine after that and I took it to Bimmerfest West a week after completing the rebuild. Sadly I needed money at the time so I sold it at a handsome profit. Eventually I'm going to swap an M5 drivetrain into my wagon and the spirit of the M5 will live on.

2003 Mercedes S-Class with 96k miles. Bought this for $7k and it was honestly the best car I've ever owned in terms of reliability and low maintenance costs. Never had any problems with it, it was like driving a big couch on wheels. Ultimately I got bored of it, though I did take it on a few road trips and got a gnarly speeding ticket with it. It was so easy to do 120mph in that car, you could still have a quiet conversation at that speed.

1995 BMW 750il with 188k miles. I bought this for $1500, it was such a good bang for the buck. Where else can you find a running V12 for that little? The engine itself never gave me much trouble aside from some vacuum leaks and a bad MAF (it has two MAFs, good luck finding which one is bad). I got it running super well though, and replaced every single bit of fuel hose in the car along with the fuel tank (now that was a fun job). The current owner loves it and has over 205k miles on it last I checked.

2003 BMW 540i/6 M-Sport with 200k miles. This was the first real BMW I owned, and the first manual car I ever owned. I had to learn how to drive stick to drive it 40 miles home when I bought it. It took me about an hour and a half but I managed, and within a week of daily driving it I was pretty solid at shifting. The 320lb/ft of torque made it a very forgiving car to learn on, because you could start it in almost any gear without stalling it. This was was probably one of the nicer ones I owned— it only had 2 previous owners and came with a very thick stack of service records. That being said, I still plenty of work to it. I rebuilt the engine, replaced the motor and transmission mounts, replaced all the interior trims, and a bunch more stuff.

I may have owned a few more cars in the past few years but these were the ones worth mentioning. I love to take pictures so you'll see plenty more of my current fleet.

ebonyandivory wrote: They've made me feel welcome and I currently own a Yukon XL Denali and a free 1980 Suzuki GS850. I'm more of a rock crawler 4x4 type and the only thing I've competed in as an adult is Highland Games but the people here are so cool with whatever you drive so I found a home here.

That's what I like about this community, there's no elitism here. I'm more into big luxury cars and sedans than little sports cars, but I still have fun at the end of the day :)

oldtin wrote: Welcome from a serial BMW and p-car owner. You definitely fit in. Now where's the pics?

Wow, serial BMW owner almost sounds like a crime, haha. But I'm definitely a criminal if that's the case!

I already have a 944 as my cheap intro to Porsches, though eventually I want to buy a 911 of some kind. Most likely a 996 due to them still being cheaper than the rest. I don't need a turbo, just a nice NA coupe with a 6-speed.

How do you feel about Maserati BiTurbos?

Appleseed wrote: How do you feel about Maserati BiTurbos?

I'd probably buy one if I could find one cheaply enough! I loved the Grand Tour episode about them. The Biturbo has that same sketchy reliability and 80's feel that an old Jag V12 has. If I truly go off the deep end I'll end up with a Biturbo and a XJS V12.

ooo another BMW owner! welcome!

I think I'm up to 26-28 BMW's over my lifetime now, this is the current project:

Welcome! I like your 540i touring. The world needs more bright red rwd wagons

If you ever wanted to sell the 540i touring to someone that would take it to the $2018 challenge I am your man.

dannyzabolotny wrote:

Appleseed wrote: How do you feel about Maserati BiTurbos?

I'd probably buy one if I could find one cheaply enough! I loved the Grand Tour episode about them. The Biturbo has that same sketchy reliability and 80's feel that an old Jag V12 has. If I truly go off the deep end I'll end up with a Biturbo and a XJS V12.

Welcome.