Steve van hool

Seems I got my wires crossed, apologies.

It does sound like you had your pants pulled down, and bent over with people taking the proverbial Duncan. We like to think insurance companies are definitely on our side in the case of a no fault claim, it's a salutary lesson to all, and certainly opened my eyes 're insurance companies.

Mine too, still enjoying 3 years on

I don't think the e39 M5 will ever mirror the e28, 34, and 30 M's, in terms of value, simply because they will never be a rarity, a lot more of them rolled off the production line. The e39 M5 is actually one of the most affordable M cars for anyone wanting to sample the delights of bmw Motorsport driving, and engineering. They have however, long since finished depreciating, and are now appreciating, have a go in one in case prices go silly.

I have to agree here, that any engineer involved in road, rail, air, or sea transport will say that when anything is mothballed, recommissing to a greater or lesser degree is needed when you want to use something that hasn't been used for a while.

I would try and keep the car running through the winters months, bad weather and all, its your call but no car likes being stood for months on end, it's not just rust, but ancillaries seizing up, exhaust rusting from the inside out, all through not being given a run out occasionally, and getting everything up to temperature.

He ruined his old one checking the resistance of the pantograph, and overhead wire, and is still suffering shakes, lol

Sounds like a very interesting job, civil engineer? aren't wcml and ecml already electrified. We like to travel by train when going to London or Edinburgh, you get a nice ride on the Virgin Pendolinos, the windows are not as big as on the old 125's, but much safer carriages.

The Pinto was a good pokey 4 cyl engine for its time, but liked to eat camshafts, blocked oil spray bar? The 2.3 like it's sister the 2.8 was a v6 Cologne when most cars just had a 4 pot under the bonnet

Was through hard work more than jami ness, that I got it.

A while ago I had a 2.3 Ghia mk5 Cortina, not a bad car for a 20 year old to smoke around in the 1980's, till I discovered bmw, when build quality was light years ahead of Ford.

You don't look at the mantle piece ........ fire, lol Remember the mk 4 Cortina dash, it won best design awards, fuel, temp, rev, speed, and that was your lot along with warning lights for oil, charghing etc.

I bet you like Mark, would rather it be a coolant temp gauge Andrew.

I always thought the small right-hand gauge on the F10 was for coolent temp, seems not, it's for the oil temperature, and yes, a glaring omission.

I absolutely concur with the post, all that's needed are gauge's for fuel, speed, revs, and coolant temp, anything else is an unnecessary distraction? Most BMW's from the 1970's onwards have had an excellent dashboard, the e60 was a blip.