Has it always been this quiet ?

[martyyn]

A comment in one of the 'win a t-shirt' threads got me wondering if its always been this quiet on here ?

Ive only been active a short time but each time Ive logged in I see 30-40 people viewing but only 2-3 new threads.

Does everyone have perfectly working e34's ? Or have I missed something ? Ive tried reading some of the old threads to get a handle on it as Im aware there was a split from another forum but they are all from such a long time ago.

So far Ive seen some great threads, there are obviously some very knowledgeable people and I now have four lovely new door handle gaskets from Shogun I wouldnt have found anywhere else but it does appear to be just rolling along....was it always this way ?

Cheers

[BigKriss]

no, about two years ago it was a lot busier, but now its quiet. I'm still around though.

[632 Regal]

A few years back this place used to be many peoples home page. To sum it up in one word "Gayle" happened.

If you can find anything with that user name you can pretty much put it all together.

[dacoyote]

There is also the people that don't own an e34 anymore, and thus don't post :-)

[shogun]

well, don't put all the blame on her. She is long forgotten by most of the users now or many have never heard of her.
There are many reasons. First of all there are many more forums out there compared to 10 years ago. E34 in use are not becoming more but less.
I see the same on 7 series E32 forums. Less active. E38 7 series forums are becoming more busy, the newer models not yet. E34 are also now changing from daily use cars to cars hobby cars.
So there are less users, less posts.
Same happened to the E28 before, now there are only real fans which own these cars, same will happen in the future with the E34.

In the end there will be the real E34 fans sticking around, which love this car and keep it.

[BennyM]

I agree with shogun. I was absent for the Gayle conflict, but I think there are more significant reasons for the lack of traffic here. Because of the wealth of information that has accumulated here (and because many people moved on to newer cars), I haven't had as much of a need to post anything new. My 525i has been pretty well behaved and usually when there is a problem, I can find a solution quickly in the archives (hence the 30-40 people viewing and not posting).

[BMW4LIFE]

So I have been around for a LONG time and I am not sure anything about this Gayle...can someone fill me in? :]

[caf2461]

I check this forum everyday. I find it very educational and some very good information is available for when I have to work on the e34. Sorry I don't have much to contribute. Currently I am at the point where I am just driving the car and basic maintenance.

My 93 is rock solid reliable but has been through many PA winters and is always parked outside. I bought it 13 years ago as the "wifes' car as it had an automatic and my e36 had a stick. I sold the E36 a long time ago and when the wife went to an suv I enherited the e34. The car grew on me and I found it nicer and more capable than I ever gave it credit. It is starting to show rust in the doors and the rocker panels have rust holes in them behind the rear wheels.

The only thing I have replaced this year is the radiator and rear suspension beer can bushings. I saved $700 on the beer can bushings by doing them myself. It was a dirty all day job using an electric jig saw and an air hammer chissel. I used the BMA poly bushings as they are two peice and do not need to be pressed in.

Some minor but costly things (like rear window regulators) need replaced but I am at the point where putting money into the car has to be evaluated vs it's expected life span. I will not sell it as it's value to me is more than what anyone would pay so it looks like this will be the first car I have owned long enough to drive into the ground since I was a teen (35 years ago).

[Grantus]

I have recently moved over to the E38 forum, because I have yet to sell my E34 I occasionally drop in here.

Shogun's take on it is accurate in my view.

[dt8068]

This forum used to have much more traffic 5 years ago. I never posted much but I always lurked around a lot, haven't been on here in a few years, since i stopped driving my e34.