Ekona

Booooooring. This will be the first Aussie gp I’ve missed live for years this year, I cba to get up early and watch it before I go to work at 0630, just seems pointless. I’ll watch the highlights instead.

I say go see them both, drive them both and then make up your mind. Adverts are only a guide, and the best ads hide a myriad of sins.

I love F1, but this season is dull as anything. Precious little action at all in the first two races, at this rate I hope Max wins every race just so we have something to remember from this year. 2026 can’t come fast enough.

Changing the MAF may not have done anything, I would always go OEM if you think it might be the issue as non-OEM MAFs are notoriously unreliable (trusted brand or not). Been there, done that! See if someone local has one you can swap over quickly to test? I’d still go back with a can of brake cleaner and run it over all the joints to confirm there’s no leak, can’t hurt and it’s an easy one to rule out.

You say new MAF, OEM one? Could also be something as simple as an air leak post MAF too, worth checking that out as well.

If it is, it’s strong stuff then. Also why would you dry your wheels before using fallout remover? You can wash, rinse, apply fallout remover, then go do something else while it works (I like to get a small brush and some APC and do the little bits like badges and grills ).

Owned? No. Driven extensively? Yes. You all know how much I adore 911s, but that was a silly comparison. Might as well say you’d rather have a McLaren F1 at that point, if we’re playing the prefer game 😂

For twice as much? Certainly not twice the car.

I could’ve sworn there was a pax airbag switch on my old one, I apologise if I’ve got that wrong though as it’s been a while since I owned it! Having a couple of young ones of my own, I can safely say that having two cars (fun one plus a diesel barge) is infinitely more interesting than one compromise. If the kid is in the car you’re not driving fast any way so it doesn’t have to be dynamic, and then you have the option of enjoying your hobby when time permits.

You know you can put a child seat in a 350, right? But that won’t get you round needing to take the missus with you I know! 335i is a hoot and a step up whilst being practical, wouldn’t look past an A5 3.0tdi either. Personally I’d pick up a barge to go along with the 350, spend 8-10k on that which gives you the budget to run it for years.

I quite like the brake tests, as no one else does them.

Hey, it’s the only kid-friendly swear word I can use these days after they started calling random strangers d*ckheads after copying me 🤦‍♂️🤣

If you have time and space then strip and sell, if not then I’d be ringing a scrappy and getting shot of.

CarWow is the least intellectual car channel I’ve ever watched. It’s dumbed down to the point where I can feel myself dribbling whenever I watch one of their vids. And yes, that does mean that sadly I do secretly enjoying watching the odd drag race episode 🤦‍♂️ the line of 911 Turbos was a good idea, just a shame it’s presented by absolute boofheads.

TG was never about having the first review though, as you say because of the schedule they’d always been behind magazines and streaming media. If people did watch it for a review (and most didn’t, tbh) then they watched it for the definitive review.

He has, and he did.

Still got it, the 5er is the family wagon. MX5 is going up for sale shortly as I fancy something else, but it’s been an absolute blast owning it. Pound for pound I’ve never owned a more fun or complete all round car.

That’s the point though, the hard work is what makes it fun for us luddites. The 370Z has just a fraction less torque than an E92 M3, so the BMW would be just as easy to pootle around in with either gearbox.

I’d love to try it in a manual, I bet that would be epic though. Then again, I’m the guy that has a manual 520d Touring and adore that, even though I know the auto would suit it much better 🤣

I owned an E92 DCT coupe for 16 hours, before I realised I wasn’t thrilled about the purchase so got my deposit back, popped over the road and bought a 997.2 instead. Not an ounce of regret. And yet, as I get older I almost wish I’d kept it longer. As a car, it ticks every single box I would ever want from one: high revving V8, stunning chassis, will cruise in comfort or play the hooligan. My loss. The 911 was a much better car in every aspect though

Actually A Plan are a good shout, I’ve used them before and they were decent on price for modified and fun stuff.

Also a lack of parts means people are having courtesy cars for much longer, and that has to be paid for somehow…

All insurance has gone up by around 30-40% in the last year, so honestly £1500 for a 24yr old isn’t too bad. Sounds like you’ve done your homework already, not much you can do now I’m afraid but suck up that cost

LUK would be the DMF I’d go for. Upgraded clutch isn’t necessary at those power levels, so pick whatever fits your price range really.

In fairness, and I’m actually being genuine on this, maybe it’ll be like the Bangle BMWs and many years down the line we’ll actually appreciate it more? Cos it’s not horrendous, it’s just not stunning.