Rant

[Mordan]

hey,

I'm just pissed off. they want us to give away our old car. they give us a bonus so we can buy a new car. Mercedes is doing so in Germany. A bonus if you crush your car and buy a new one. The DIY philosophy dies with all the so called wonderful electronics bringing you comfort and safety!

they pressure us in doing so by calling us names such as egoistic polluters. They scare us with high premium taxes on old polluting car. And soon they beat us at the MOT tests.

Ecologic Terrorism.

My car is no more accepted in Berlin, hefty fines are given to people driving without the 'green' sticker.

Some green politician is betting her career by bringing those measures in Brussels the Capital City of Europe.

I hate bureaucrats. I hate planned economies. If some car companies have to fail, so be it. Why should my tax money should be given to them? **** THE GOV. The name game now is Who has the most friends in Congress/Parliement.

Gasoline and Car taxes should ONLY AND ONLY be used to repair roads.
It is not supposed to pay for wars or social security.

by the way I just watched They Live from John Carpenter and I'm the kind of guy who wants to keep my BMWs my whole life (60 years) and give the middle fingers to crooked mechanics, government and brain dead consumers.

rant over

[Ross]

Crushing old cars in California has been going on for years. $700 for your polluting old car. Gearheads have been known to hang around the drop off points and scoop up some decent old cars due to the mild climate.

I see people here in Chicago driving vehicles absolutely without any merit or redeeming value. It completely baffles me, even while gas was twice what it costs now someone would be spending ~$100 to fill the tank of some giant, decrepit, rusty, unsafe, gas sucking old heap of crap to drive another 200 miles or so. It would please me to personally press the button to crush those and turn 'em into soup cans.
Are E34s viewed this way in Europe? It would certainly explain why they are a dime a dozen there.

[tim eh?]

by the way I just watched They Live from John Carpenter and I'm the kind of guy who wants to keep my BMWs my whole life (60 years) and give the middle fingers to crooked mechanics, government and brain dead consumers.

+1 and to any lurking hostile aliens

2 cents...

person#1 drives a powerhouse whatever gas guzzler (or maybe just a 525i ) 10,000 km a year and keeps his car in top running shape.

person#2 drives a chevy bolt or smart car or whatever puts 30,000km on it, never even checks the tire pressure or oil and drives 2 blocks to get groceries.

person #1 gets the short end... booo.

[Mordan]

Are E34s viewed this way in Europe? It would certainly explain why they are a dime a dozen there.

right now E34s are cars

1)
you buy on the cheap and drive until they die. nearly no maintenance. gas is too expensive and taxed here to give a 525i a good rep. Diesel is cheaper here.

2)
you buy for fun for max 10 000km per year (my 325i)

3)
you are a fan, you redo your cylinder head with stellite valves seats and you install liquid gas (not fuel) in order to drive more cheaply. Liquid gas here is 3 times cheaper than fuel gas.

my 518 E34 = 3.
my 325 E30 = 2.

average joe = 1.

here though E34 are not so popular. People like E30s here. E32s are very rare. It is all because of our government who puts very high taxes starting on 2.5L engines.

you got to be filthy rich to own an E34 540 or 535.

[Kibokojoe]

I guess I am filthy rich

[RallyD]

by driving an older model car and keeping it in good running order, I am helping the environment. I am not consuming raw materials, or putting trash in landfills. What about all the pollution it takes to manufacture a car, transport it across continents. Besides, car salesmen are polluting the environment just by existing.
I just don't think I'd be as happy with a newer car.

[Mordan]

I guess I am filthy rich

where do you live?

[whiskychaser]

where do you live?

When he says where he lives I will beat you to the draw and nick his wheels

[Mordan]

When he says where he lives I will beat you to the draw and nick his wheels

i meant country. in luxembourg. you can own a 6L engine and pay 100 euros in taxes

[leicesterboy15]

In the UK any car built after April 2001 (I think) is taxed on its emissions. All pre 2001 cars fall into one of 2 brackets: under 1500cc and over 1500cc and thats it, so my 540i (being 1996) costs the same to tax for a year as an escort 1600. If it was built after 2001 I believe it would cost me £440 per year instead of the £200 I am paying now.

Its really a false economy that driving a new car makes you more eco friendly, changing your car every 3 years means you are accepting the emissions from the manufacturing and distribution every 3 years. You can drive an older car or even a car with a huge engine and still pump out less emissions than someone in a newer car by doing less mileage. My car is not eco friendly but I know I offset that by doing more than my fair share in other areas. I am far more eco friendly than a lot of my friends but all people see is the car with the big engine and not the bigger picture.