"Fookin' Prawns" (gluglu)
10/15/2013 at 07:28 • Filed to: None
4
22|
"Fookin' Prawns" (gluglu)
10/15/2013 at 07:28 • Filed to: None | 4
| 22 |
It all started from an offhand comment: "You know, your mom and I saw something you might like when we were on our way to Costco. " That thing happened to have five gears, four wheels, three pedals, two doors, and one previous owner.
( Full disclosure: BMW wanted me to drive their 1994 325iC so badly that they built it nearly 20 years ago, and sold it to someone that happened to live in my neighborhood, who then parked it on the street with a "FOR SALE" sign in the window. Predestination is real, people.)
The first time I drove it, I really didn't want to drive it ever again. Out in an empty stretch of gently-curved road in a nearby office park, I sat sweating in the seat, both from the weather and my own nerves. My dad gives me some instructions:
"OK, so give it a little gas [revs to approximately 2500] and let out the clutch a bit [releases clutch too far and releases the gas, causing the car to buck and stall]. I told you, you have to let it out slowly. You're going to fast." Repeat x20. At that point, automatic transmissions were singing sweet two-pedal nothings into my ear. But I had to persevere, stalls be damned, because I wanted to be an enthusiast. After about an hour of belting around the vaunted Playa Vista Office Park Circuit (it's in the 2014 F1 provisional calendar, just after Korea and the Sesame Street Circuit), my dad thought I was ready for the ultimate challenge: the actual road. With TRAFFIC. With a firm hand on the wheel and a less-shaky foot poised on the third pedal, I was ready to direct my steed to the desired destination.
But the clutch is a harsh mistress. And with approximately 10,000 cars lined up behind me (OK, maybe only 5,000) I managed to stall not once, not twice, but three times. Shakily, I drove to my grandparents' house nearby, eager to show off my new skill...and nearly drove through their garage door when I let off the gas with the car still in gear. Whoops.
Hey, baby bro!
My mom proved a somewhat better driving instructor, probably because she taught my dad how to properly drive stick, and drove a V6 Euro-spec Ford Capri back in the late 70's (and also got several speeding tickets in a V6 Euro-spec Ford Capri back in the late 70's). In fact, I have a suspicion she supported the purchase just so she could steal it away from me occasionally. But under her guidance I became more confident with starting and downshifting, though she wisely decided to take over after we could smell the clutch overheat during hill-start practice.
Speaking of abusing the clutch, on my third day of driving on my own the car decided to strike back. I pressed the clutch in to downshift into second...and it had lost almost all pressure. I managed to nurse it into my college's parking structure, and when I tried to get it back into gear after my morning class, the clutch pedal just sank to the floor, as did my stomach. Dejectedly, I called AAA and had it towed to a mechanic after class (kudos to the tow truck driver-how he managed to maneuver within the structure was probably black magic) I learned that not only had the clutch slave cylinder sprung a leak, but the transmission oil seal was leaky, front control arm bushings shot, and the driveshaft coupling had a chunk taken out of it. The Ultimate Repair Bill, indeed.
Slowly but surely, I managed to get less jerky with starts and shifting into 2nd, though not before completely embarrassing myself in front of several girls by stalling at a 4-way stop, restarting the car, nearly stalling again, and finally bucking away in shame. Something I noticed about driving a convertible is that you start to tan while you drive, which leads to burning. So much burning. I think the "M" in "BMW" may stand for "melanoma", which is why I have a tube of industrial-strength sunblock in the poor excuse for a center console.
Which brings me to the main gripe: the freaking cupholder. Not the sagging glovebox, nor the blown speakers in the back, nor the convertible top that smacks the cover when it lowers, nor the weird squeaking sound that's probably something loose somewhere-those are part of the character. But the sorry excuse for a Big Gulp holder is the fly in the ointment. Not that I can have a sip of tasty beverage on the move anyway, because my right hand is already occupied with the-shifting-and-the-singing-and-the-moona-and-the-juna, but it's also right where my elbow is. It's like the engineer, quite hungover from a night filled with bier und bratwurst , snapped in his daily design meeting after one too many discussions with BMW's focus gruppe . "Fine! You want cupholders? You want CUPHOLDERS? How about in front of the center console so you hit your drink with your elbow every time you shift, a rschloch. " So you have to improvise:
Pictured: precious cargo .
It seems the same engineer was in a similarly-grumpy mood when he designed the back seats, which are suitable for children/double amputees who enjoy the sun in their eyes and the wind in their hair and not many others (how this guy still has a job I'll never know). But I digress: when the only thing you can complain about is the cupholder, in a jokey way, you know you've really found a car you can care for.
Over the summer my car saw the highways and byways, and managed to ascend the hills of the Beach Cities without rolling backward too often and obnoxiously revving in a desperate attempt to halt the rearward motion. It saw girls and guys, sun, surf, sandy feet, and always managed to put a smile on our faces with a throaty burble from the exhaust. I absolutely love it, and I love the connection I have with it with my right hand and left foot. Manual, for me, is the way to go for the foreseeable future.
Turk
> Fookin' Prawns
10/15/2013 at 08:27 |
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Sounds like you're doing pretty good for 6 months of manual driving. Also, nice of your folks, and nice car... I don't actually know, but I would guess manual transmissions in convertible E36's is not too common in the states assuming you're in the states?? otherwise driving manual would basically be an expectation ...
Next thing to do... try tackling some small repairs yourself (/with a cousin / neighbor / etc if no one in your household is thusly inclined). E36s should be pretty OK to work on and have less of the really goofy smog gear than E30's and other nifty 80s toys.
Kugelblitz
> Fookin' Prawns
10/15/2013 at 08:52 |
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" Full disclosure: BMW wanted me to drive their 1994 325iC so badly that they built it nearly 20 years ago, and sold it to someone that happened to live in my neighborhood, who then parked it on the street with a "FOR SALE" sign in the window. Predestination is real, people."
Oh this cracked me up.
bkempert
> Fookin' Prawns
10/15/2013 at 09:04 |
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Which brings me to the main gripe: the freaking cupholder
You spoiled kids and your drink holders. Imagine holding your drink between your legs while you shift like in the E30. That's a terrifying experience, both for the prospect of a wet lap but also the ever worse fear of losing control and hitting something or someone. It gets to the point where you just don't bring drinks into the car.
Great little read though; I enjoyed it.
Z_Stig
> Fookin' Prawns
10/15/2013 at 09:12 |
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I love how you secure your In-N-Out.
Also, I want to add you might want to look for an updated center console. I think it was in '96 when the E36 got a modular console, so you can arrange everything the way you want.
Audio Tachometer
> Fookin' Prawns
10/15/2013 at 10:56 |
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Man, I can't wait to get out to the sesame street circuit.
ddavidn
> Z_Stig
10/15/2013 at 11:02 |
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My '95 has it too, I think.
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ddavidn
> Fookin' Prawns
10/15/2013 at 11:06 |
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Welcome to the E36 family! Bring me some In-N-Out! Sorry that your car got upset and complained about your shifting. They are very temperamental creatures. You'll have plenty of opportunities to care for her in the coming years.
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Fookin' Prawns
> Z_Stig
10/15/2013 at 12:40 |
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Oh, that's helpful! I was surprised how easy it was to remove when I pulled it out to try to lubricate the little coin holder things. I'll be on the lookout for the updated one, thanks!
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Fookin' Prawns
> Turk
10/15/2013 at 13:15 |
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Yeah, I'm in the States. I'm not sure what the take rate for the manual was, but I just took a look at some production figures and the lion's share of the car's produced had the manny tranny (something like 2.3 million out of 3 or so), but I can't help but think it was as popular in the US as elsewhere.
And in terms of small repairs, I've already replaced the radio base/mast/grommet and had to re-insert a small plastic tab that's used in the convertible top folding process. I think it was placed there by Satan himself, because I had to remove some upholstery just to get to it...and discovered it was nigh impossible to slot back into place. I really, really, really hope it doesn't come loose again.
Bruno Martini
> Fookin' Prawns
10/15/2013 at 13:17 |
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You know you mention cup holders. I have the second iteration of my car, with the first having cup holders right at the elbow. The second iteration has them in the same place, but with the added benefit of having a door to close them. Best design element ever. I do not drink soda at all, but coffee I drink a bunch but never in the car its a hassle. However I have a box of water bottles in my trunk. And at any given time I have at least one cracked opened sitting in the back seat because I hate using the cup holder. I say turn the cup holders into something more useful. Drinking can wait, and enjoy the driving.
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Fookin' Prawns
> ddavidn
10/15/2013 at 13:17 |
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Thanks!
Captain_Overboost
> Kugelblitz
10/22/2013 at 16:41 |
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Kudos to the author on that one. Big grin was had by all or, at least, us. lol
RazoE
> Fookin' Prawns
10/22/2013 at 16:47 |
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I remember learning stick. I was trying to let the clutch out TOO slowly, while at the exact same time, give it gas. I just sat there, motionless for about 2 minutes, trying to synchronize everything exactly. Then I figured out as long as you let out the clutch slow enough, even if the RPMs are stupidly high you will crawl. BAM.
After about a day, I was driving 10 miles on the freeway to work. It was great.
Tried teaching my daughter stick (and driving in general) she did great. Only stalled the 4th time around because she forgot it was still in gear when she let the clutch out (thought she was in neutral). I also discovered that day that my IS 300 won't stall if you let out the clutch in gear slow enough without giving it gas. In fact it seems to accelerate!
Stef Schrader
> Fookin' Prawns
10/22/2013 at 18:38 |
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I'm jealous. I'm kind of bored of my slushybox.
Tom McParland
> Fookin' Prawns
10/22/2013 at 19:15 |
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Excellent write-up! I take it since this is your first car you are a probably in your late teens. Kudos on being a great writer at such a young age, looking forward to hearing more from you. :)
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Fookin' Prawns
> RazoE
10/22/2013 at 19:17 |
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The whole "let go of the pedal in order to move" thing really threw me for a loop at first. And kudos to your daughter! Very impressive to pick it up so quickly.
And you have a manual IS300, you lucky dog. I saw a near-mint one today in a parking lot and I think I must have circled it 5 or 6 times just to check it out. Great looking car.
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Fookin' Prawns
> Tom McParland
10/22/2013 at 19:26 |
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Thanks! I've always wanted to jump into the Oppositelock community, and as I learn to work on the car myself, I'll be posting stuff about that, too. Kind of a fun side-project to my college stuff.
The BMW is actually my second car, but my first was a Prius (paying my dues), which doesn't really count on this site (though it's perfect for a teenager because it's cheap to run, slow as hell, and can fit 4 other friends with ease). This one is really all the stuff I wanted in a car: sporty convertible with a manual gearbox. I'm going to try to push it to 250k just to wring all the fun out of it.
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Fookin' Prawns
> Stef Schrader
10/22/2013 at 19:28 |
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In traffic, though, or when you're really tired, is the perfect place for a slushbox. I'll be honest: there are times I wish the car would handle the shifting for me, like in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
NoahthePorscheGuy
> Fookin' Prawns
10/22/2013 at 20:59 |
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The cupholder is in a spot in my Fiesta that if you utilize the paring brake for either parking or impressing women, the cap of whatever drink is in the cupholder will fly off. I keep scraping my knuckles on my coffee and then burning them after it spills.
highpsi
> Kugelblitz
10/22/2013 at 21:42 |
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That is one of the best versions of "they wanted me to drive it so badly" I have heard yet.
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Fookin' Prawns
> NoahthePorscheGuy
10/22/2013 at 21:53 |
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If only there was a CamelBak in the seat...it would make everything so much easier.
rodassecondo
> Fookin' Prawns
10/23/2013 at 04:13 |
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Well done ! soon you wont even have to think about it. It is like riding a bicycle.
And E36s are great ! I keep an old 325i myself for going to work and have fun.