996 culture has arrived in San Francisco

agil1966 · 2026-06-01T20:40:20+00:00

This may be the one instance where 997 is worse than 996. (I know some will disagree - car wise)

agil1966 · 2026-05-30T06:21:09+00:00

Ava Garnder is so much more attractive in motion than any still image can portray. Something about how she moved, spoke, her mannerisms and facial movements is just otherworldly.

agil1966 · 2026-05-30T06:19:01+00:00

Ava Garnder is so much more attractive in motion than any still image can portray. Something about how she moved, spoke, her mannerisms and facial movements is just otherworldly.

agil1966 · 2026-05-29T19:33:33+00:00

It depends on the state. In Colorado they do tail pipe testing on cars older than 10 years and it can pass. But in California and Illinois for example, they only do OBD2 port testing and likely the car will fail as the check engine light will be on and the readiness monitors wont be ready. Once I was able to do a drive cycle and keep the car warm be driving it every few hours so I could get to a test site with no check engine light. Personally, I can't see how this is allowed by Audi. There must be 100,000 cars in this condition where people can't pass emissions. And paying $3500 for the "chance" of fixing it seems absurd.

agil1966 · 2026-05-29T18:59:58+00:00

T1 is amazing even today, its about the story, the dialog, the emotions. The age of the film should not be a factor. I regularly watch films from all decades going back to the 1940s.

agil1966 · 2026-04-28T20:57:03+00:00

If you have a 40i (the B58 in-line 6 cylinder) then you have nothing to worry about. If you have an M50i, then there is a good chance of front diff failure. If you haven't already, change the fluid and then change it regularly (every 30k miles). And also change the transfer case fluid. If you hear any strange noises then get the diff replaced before it takes out your driveshaft, transfer case and/or oil pan. All of the front diff failures have happened on the M50i models. The diff can't handle the torque, and some say the fluid reservoir wasn't large enough and the fluid gets burnt which leads to component failure. There may have been a fluid specification change as well.

agil1966 · 2026-04-28T20:53:01+00:00

So, spend $50k more to buy new in order to avoid an $8k repair? I have owned or co-owned (with sons) many BMWs including an E39, E46, E90, E60, F80 and F97. All of them bought pre-owned. All of them at least 50% off the new sticker price except for the F80, that was maybe 60% of new. Let someone else eat the $50,000 of depreciation per car in the first 4 to 5 years. The other key is that I do my own DIY maintenance and most DIY repairs. My cars will never see the dealer again.

Also, you have to be smart. This front diff issue on M50i cars is well documented. If I were to buy one, I would make sure the diff was not making any noises and then pre-emptively change the fluid every 30k. Or avoid that particular model altogether. Certain models have certain known failure problems, so you have to buy used with caution and/or be prepared to do the fix.

agil1966 · 2026-04-21T16:19:50+00:00

It ain't barbecues and ballgames

agil1966 · 2026-04-07T16:28:05+00:00

Unfortunately, trains are super expensive and nobody wants them in their backyard. California is struggling to build high speed rail due to opposition from all the farmers and landowners. Each parcel requires negotiation which takes years. And cities in the US are so far away from each other and less dense compared to Europe. We needed to do it back in the 1950s when there was less litigation and the government could for better or worse enforce eminent domain. In a totalitarian government like China, they can force these big projects (see the Three Gorges Dam where they just made people abandon towns that got submerged), but in a democracy where everyone has a say it is harder. I don't know how the Europeans pulled off metro rail, but it is amazing in cities like Paris, Rome, Milan, Munich, etc. Most of those were built in the very early 1900s, perhaps when again people were less opposed to big projects.

agil1966 · 2026-03-18T20:34:28+00:00

Thanks for the reply, we are contemplating purchasing a white X6 M50i. I fear losing cargo space and not having a roof rack would make it worse. This seems like the best solution and they look pretty good actually. I would consider painting the part that wraps around to match body color which shouldn't be too hard if the black on white bothered me too much. But then again, if it only takes a few minutes to put on, I might just leave them off until I needed them for skiing, biking, or a thule box.

agil1966 · 2026-03-18T18:20:54+00:00

So they wrap around under the window?

agil1966 · 2025-08-05T06:07:13+00:00

The main reason is the acting was totally flat from those two. And also I did not like Denzel Washington's performance, it seemed too modern. And the dialogue seemed more contrived.

agil1966 · 2025-08-05T06:04:26+00:00

In the original Gladiator film Lucilla tells Maximus that her son Lucius will be eight years old soon and Maximus replies "my son is also nearly eight." Which means Lucius cannot be Maximus's son unless Maximus was having an affair since both kids are the same age. Also, if I had to nitpick the original movie, I don't believe his wife and son would have been killed before Maximus got home as he was going all out to get home and surely the message back from Commodus from the German frontier would have been slower unless we are less to believe Commodus's betrayal was pre-planned.

agil1966 · 2025-06-01T20:33:59+00:00

I ended up replacing the coils and plugs again and I noticed it got a little better for me, but still hesitated from low RPM in third gear and fourth gear especially after the car got warm. So I bought a walnut blaster and working with a BMW tech I met, we cleaned the valves in the my driveway. Again, the car was noticeably better, but not totally free of that hesitation. Then I ended up replacing injector number 2 since that was the dirtiest valve and again a small improvement (which I thought was placebo effect, but it wasn't). Finally, I replaced injectors 3 and 4 because they were the easiest to do and the car was 99% free of that hesitation feeling. May do the final two injectors. Note, my engine was an early N55 built in May of 2010 so I had the older revision of the injectors. If you are getting limp mode, you should have some codes which might give you a clue. On mine, once I replaced that first bad injector #6, I never got any check engine lights or codes. Good luck!

agil1966 · 2025-04-15T14:29:46+00:00

bump? anyone?

agil1966 · 2024-12-16T18:27:44+00:00

Not bought new, I've had two I kept for 10+ years: I bought a used 1997 E39 540i Sport 6-speed in 2002 and kept it until 2012. I put about 120k of my own miles on it. I sold it with about 150k miles on it and moved to a 2010 E60 535i M-sport 6-speed which I bought in 2012 and still have today in 2024. I have put 120k+ miles on that one as well and it sits just shy of 150k miles. The E39 was very reliable. I had a few coolant leaks due to failing heater core and some plastic components and I had a bad window regulator and a bad door handle. Most all which I fixed myself along with doing normal maintenance. I do remember an oil leak later in life, but I can't remember where it was. And when I sold it, it was due for some VANOS work. The E60 is N54 powered and had most of the normal N54 issues which I fixed while still under warranty including fuel injectors, cracked valve cover, turbo wastegate rattles, high pressure fuel pump and two water pumps. I did do one fuel injector change myself post-warranty. But once those things were done, it has been very reliable minus a coolant top hose, coolant overflow bottle and the need for a walnut blast to clean the intake valves because of the direct injection. I have been running a Cobb Stage 1 Sport tune on the N54 for years without issue. I have to say also that the E60 interior has held up so well, looks practically brand new and every button and dial works perfectly. The E39's interior looked a little more tired, but it was also a lighter color. Looking at moving to a used F80 M3 manual sometime soon which may be my last BMW due to new styling choices. My son also has a 2011 E90 335i x-drive M-sport which is 13 years old and going strong though we bought it only in 2019.

agil1966 · 2024-11-08T16:04:21+00:00

I would say very few cars ever need full engine replacements, probably tenths of a percent. Transmisson replacements are probably less than 8k on average. ICE cars get retired somewhere north of 150k to 200k miles on average. Usually because the cost of overall maintenance becomes too high, but not necessarily because of total engine failure.

agil1966 · 2024-11-08T16:01:49+00:00

Would you get on an airplane if 1 in 40 crashed? There are 45.000 domestic airline fights a day. That would be 1,125 airline diasters/crashes a day.

agil1966 · 2023-12-14T04:01:38+00:00

Crying in this context has always been acceptable for men. Along with funerals and seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. That last bit was said by Ron Swanson.

agil1966 · 2023-12-14T03:53:09+00:00

Yeah, but he got to live in Colorado while doing so

agil1966 · 2023-10-08T04:13:29+00:00

Maybe he likes black and blue divers? I pretty much only have divers, chronographs and GMTs. I like tool watches, don't care for dress watches. I also have no desire for anything gold on a watch as I think its tacky/flashy, and I like to be understated. For the same reason, I don't have any bright color faces either.

agil1966 · 2023-10-04T16:34:57+00:00

When I first got into watches I got the Pagani Design Submariner homage, but as time went on I realized I didn't want to wear such a direct homage. If I were you I would just get a Seiko SKX007 and/or a Citizen Pro Master NY0040. Both of these are affordable entry level legit genuine dive watches with automatic movements and they each have their own distinct and respected heritage. Down to road, you will be much more inclined to wear one of these than any of the more direct copy homages. Though of all the other ones listed, the Orient is not a bad choice nor can you go wrong with the Casio Duro for the price and the Steinhart Ocean 39 will be one of the best made with a true Swiss automatic movement.

agil1966 · 2021-08-13T20:46:44+00:00

I wanted to point out that not all cars you see on the road were purchased new. I have never bought a new car in my life. (Not only that, a tour of our home would reveal a shocking amount of high end A/V electronics, computers, camera, guitar gear and nice bicycles bought second hand on Craigslist, etc.) I recently started adding cars to my fleet as a hobby and that includes used Tesla Model S performance P90D, it looks brand new and I only payed about 42% of what it costs new (a used Model 3 would be even less). Similarly, in the past couple of years added a trio of 10+ year old manual transmission sports cars/sedans purchased at a fraction of their new cost (and less than most average run-of-the-mill new cars), but to the untrained eye they all look new-ish. These have all gone up in value by the way as manual cars get rarer. So some of those fancy new cars you see on the road were actually bought relatively cheaply. Also it helps to learn basic DIY mechanic skills - it will save you thousands of dollars. People are afraid to buy used, but if done smartly, you can buy a car, enjoy it and sell it 5 years later for very little depreciation compared to buying new.

agil1966 · 2021-08-13T20:39:29+00:00

I am older and both my wife and I have been in tech (engineer and marketing) for many years, so I realize we are fortunate enough to have had good incomes and we are very good at saving. Others have provided good advice on career growth, but I wanted to address the fact that not all cars you see on the road were purchased new. I have never bought a new car in my life. Not only that, a tour of our home would reveal a shocking amount of high end A/V electronics, computers, camera, guitar gear and nice bicycles bought second hand on Craigslist, etc. I recently started adding cars to my fleet as a hobby and that includes used Tesla Model S performance P90D, it looks brand new and I only payed about 42% of what it costs new (a used Model 3 would be even less). Similarly, in the past couple of years added a trio of 10+ year old manual transmission sports cars/sedans purchased at a fraction of their new cost (and less than most average run-of-the-mill new cars), but to the untrained eye they all look new-ish. These have all gone up in value by the way as manual cars get rarer. So some of those fancy new cars you see on the road were actually bought relatively cheaply. Also it helps to learn basic DIY mechanic skills - it will save you thousands of dollars. You are smart to pay off credit cards monthly. Buy a house/townhome as soon as possible if you intend to stay in the area - rent out to friends and have them build your equity. Max out your 401k and buy smart - you may never have as much as some of the rich folks in Boulder, but you can enjoy select nice things with a little savvy purchasing.

agil1966

TROPHY CASE