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Am I nuts?

P

Phil Rohtla

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
Mar 26, 2002
Messages
1,108
Location
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
As those who know me are aware, last summer I bought a 1997 BMW 540I Sport. Thus far, I haven't sold my old SVT Contour. The other week, I was doing a little cleanup on the SVT to prep it for sale, and I took it for a spin, just to scrub the rotors a little ;), and I started having these thoughts.....thoughts of selling the BMW and fixing up the SVT to bring it back on the road.

She has a bit of rust on the door bottoms and trunk lid, and she could stand some other parts as well, but despite the fact that the SVT is slower -- much slower -- than the BMW, and, believe it or not, gets worse highway gas mileage than the Bimmer, I felt myself gravitating towards it again. It feels so immediate compared to the big 540.

So, back to my title question: am I insane for thinking like this?
 
In a word, nope.

I've owned my SVT (Laura) for years now. She's in wonderful condition and drives as new. I love driving the car. That said, I've made no secret on this forum of my affinity for automobiles that sometimes fail to pique the interest of most people. This is how I came to own a beautiful, low mileage '93 Lincoln Town Care recently. I like how both cars go about their business. They're very different, but both are fun to drive.

If one turns you on more than the other, keep that one. :cool:
 
Nope, not in the least. I've had my SVT for 3 years now and love it, that being said I have been toying with the idea of getting a 540i and still can't commit because I just can't let go of the SVT right now.

Sometimes I think I'm going to be her last owner and just keep the damn thing forever; Maybe to collect dust in a barn so that one day I can tell my grandchildren about gas powered vehicles, and how I owned one of the cooler late 90s cars and if they're lucky she'll still turn over then. :)
 
If u can keep them both,this is the best thing.

I have 2 Contours(1 is SVT) and a BMW and u know what driving a BMW means... Brake My Wallet :laugh::laugh::laugh: ... just kidding!

A big,powerful V8 with great handling..that's how i see the 540!
 
petar_velichkov said:
I have 2 Contours(1 is SVT) and a BMW and u know what driving a BMW means... Brake My Wallet :laugh::laugh::laugh: ... just kidding!
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Amen...and how!

I can't keep both -- just don't have the space. The SVT is in storage right now. I also have my late father's 1988 Country Squire at the cottage. Lots of cars, with lots of maintenance. I need to trim the total to two cars, and I just can't sell that wagon -- too much of a connection to my dad.

Both cars have their pluses and minuses. The BMW has the pluses of luxury, power (yee-haw!) and safety (4000 pounds of German steel makes one feel very secure). The minuses are the little things that need fixing can cost an arm and a leg, and the fear that "the big repair" is just around the corner. If I keep it, I'll be doing the intake manifold gasket very soon.

The Contour has the pluses of being reasonably cheap to repair and own (no $90 oil changes!), and of course that sound :D, the really good steering feel, and the exclusivity, but it needs work too. The ABS unit is on the fritz, there is some rust (not bad, but really annoying), and I don't feel as safe in the SVT. That said, I don't have the fear of "the big repair" like I do on the Bimmer.

Both are really fun to drive, which is an absolute prerequisite for me.

On the upside, while I turn this over in my head, I win either way! It's kind of a nice problem to have.
 
The obvious answer to the stand-alone question you ask: "am I nuts?" is, of course, yes. :)

On the other hand, "World of Wheels" magazine identified the SVT Contour as one of seven possible "future classics" in its Nov 2005 issue. I think I might just keep mine forever - as a previous correspondent noted, something to amaze the grandkids some day.
 
Rara said:
Fwiw, I enjoy driving CSVT's quite a bit more than my E46 M3 . . .
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I have been driving the SVT a bit over the last couple of days (cleaning the rust off the brake rotors, you know how it is...;) ), and i have to say, I am really enjoying it. Blipping the throttle on downshifts makes a really cool noise.
 
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