::.. Turbo or Skirts?

[Qube]

Yay! Another poll!

So I'm getting married in a short 7 weeks. I have enough funds stashed away in my private cookie jar to get one of two things done... and probably only one ever. During the honeymoon, I will either leave the car for a TCD Stage I install or full respray and install of the ACS body kit (sans wing).

The pricing for both is roughly the same. If I get the kit installed, I might as well hold out for a respray, as the car has already been resprayed, and the last lazy ass just masked off the trim. Of course, this paint is now starting to chip, flake and generally fall off around all the edges. After another winter, I can't imagine what it will look like.

So, the choice is either a TCD Stage I, or full respray and install of the (Erebuni) ACS kit. I doubt I'll have cash or permission (mainly permission) to do the one I don't choose in the future.

Concerns:

1. Turbo - Servicing will get more complicated as I wouldn't trust my indy to go 10ft near that install afterwards. I'll have to source Bruno and my buddy to do any repairs or work with me. Ultimately the install of the turbo will see a full replacement of hoses, radiator, etc.

2. Respray - I won't be able to see much 'immediate' benefit, except for what should be a sick 'dropped' look overall. It will exaggerate the rake and look great. Of course, this respray will be European Autobody perfect... everything pulled off... sanded... all trim including grill replaced with new. The existing trim is either cracked, warped, rusted, or falling off. Of course, I do my best right now to 'fake' it looking good ;) Maybe euro bumpers as well.

Ultimately, it's a choice between looking good and going fast in usual rush hour traffic... or going slow but looking great in pothole city.

[nizmainiac]

turbo everytime, i always put performance before looks, a pair of skirts ain't gonna make you go fast , a turbo on the otherhand will, and servicing won't be that different , if at all

[Qube]

turbo everytime, i always put performance before looks, a pair of skirts ain't gonna make you go fast , a turbo on the otherhand will

If the kit and respray is done, the point isn't to go fast anymore :) Just look pretty and smile for the ladies ;)

[nizmainiac]

thats all well and good , but you need the go to back up the looks, looks tend to come last in my books, but then i am an ugly bastard

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

Buy her a BMW

[Paul in NZ]

i beg to differ,kit and respray for me,qualified with that you intend to keep her
Turbo would be nice....but lets face it day to day,price of gas etc aint a 535 fast enough........They can never look good enough

[nizmainiac]

don't they look good already though, i prefer the sleeper look, pretty much bog standard with a few subtle mods but with performance that kicks ass:D

[Michael999]

Im with paul, go the kit and respray, its going to look nicer, stay looking nicer for longer, and your going be get a big smile everytime you walk up to the car.
Turbo is just a long future of increased repair costs and reduced engine life.
Depends if you wanna go faster, a 535 is pretty fast for me :)

Other option (what id do), get the turbo, wait 6 months, and start whining about the paint and trim on your car, even start rubbing it down yourself, and then tell your wife that its too hard and you've ruined your car and need a proper job done. Beg.

Both are then done :D

[angrypancake]

If the kit and respray is done, the point isn't to go fast anymore :) Just look pretty and smile for the ladies ;)


you mean smile for the lady ;). she'd whoop your ass for taking your car out and showing it off to the single ones.

[Ted K]

Turbo More go- Show later.

[Ted K]

You don't want to just be a poser. Your car looks great now go for go.

[632 Regal]

This is already a bad start, I've been married so many times I dont remember loosing my balls in any of them.
I doubt I'll have cash or permission (mainly permission) to do the one I don't choose in the future.

Id go paint and kit :D

[Ross]

Neither, save the dough in your PRIVATE cookie jar.
What are the three rings of marriage?

Engagement ring
Wedding ring
Suffering

[Alan_525i]

I'm pretty sure that Erebuni kit is fiberglass. You don't want fiberglass. It is BAD. The real ACS kit is still available in Europe if you hunt for it. IMHO, its worth it.

[Qube]

Yes, the Erebuni kit is fiberglass. That's one of the worries... how will it survive in Canadian winter?

I'm pretty sure though a real ACS kit would far exceed the turbo plus install. I mean, I got the Erebuni kit next to nothing (whoops :) )

[angrypancake]

sell the erebuni kit, and then you could get the real ACS kit. www.orange-tuning.de has it. I don't believe they have a rear bumper atm, but they are around. it would probly run about $2k, and you'd still have some left to buy her something.

[Gayle]

Where would you drive your turbo to take advantage of it if you went that route?

[angrypancake]

Where would you drive your turbo to take advantage of it if you went that route?


everywhere!

[Qube]

Gayle's right. The only place really, would be at a stop light... and on the 407 whereby with my STi (Beltronics), 180 kph isn't unreasonable. I think I mentioned it above.

In regards to selling the kit... it will barely cover the SHIPPING for any kit! :) It's not really an option. See... a respray and install of kit and all that jazz runs into about $4000 or so. Remember this is for the absolute BEST paint job/body work/replace trim/install kit. This is the cream of the crop, shops. Given that, getting a 'real' ACS kit is much, much over my cookie jar.

[Gayle]

Which choice would make your heart skip more???

I would go for the paint job just because I have paint lust after seeing liquidtiger and brandon j 's cars.

aston_jag_tech has turbo lust and plans to turbo his car. I, of course, don't get this, since I already beat people at the stop light and there is no place that I could drive any faster than I already do if I had more under the hood. I wouldn't get any incremential benefit.

But that said, there are car choices that are heart choices--not head choices. My eisenmann was in that category.

Do what makes you skip.

[Wes F]

Gotta agree with Gayle here. It depends what you really want. To me, if you want more go, either buy a used m5 engine and drop-in that baby, or sell your car and use that plus your extra dough to buy a 95 540iM, M5, or Alpina if you can find one. Otherwise, a turbo to me is just asking for a 10-fold increase in maintenance - it would be badass, but not something you want for a daily driver. A nice respray and kit on the otherhand would give you a smile everytime you're near the car, while maintaining the car's original excellent reliability and decent performance - after all, you've got an m30 with 5sp, not exactly the m20 auto. Just sayin' ;)

[Jon K]

In reality the issue is this-

You've seen an ACS E34 and you liked it.

You've not been in a turbo charged E34 have you ;)

See sig - your reaction will tell you what to do

[angrypancake]

you might be able to grab this cheap (http://cgi.ebay.de/BMW-E34-M5-Schnitzer-Frontschuerze-Stossstange-wie-neu_W0QQitemZ270019845582QQihZ017QQcategoryZ40203Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)


see sellers other items he has teh full kit. a lot of times willing to ship outside germany.

[Gayle]

If these guys are right about a 10 fold increase in maintenance, is that how you want to be spending your time as a newly wed?

[Qube]

Damn in Jon K! I love your sig pic... as much as I love angrypancakes!

I haven't ridden in a turbo e34, but I've had my time in a boosted and sharked Passat, and a boosted MKIII Golf. Sure, they may ride like crap, but it's fun :|

[jjdickm]

At least from your pics you car looks pretty nice, I would turbo and worry about the looks after.

[Qube]

Somehow, I think most folks are voting with their butts (butt-dyno) rather than money sense ;) Currently 19-8 turbo-kit heh. If I didn't have to take care of what's under the hood afterwards, it's a Turbo, hands down. On the flipside, I worry about the lower clearance during salty/snowy Canadian winters with the kit :|

[nizmainiac]

go the turbo route, you know you want to :)

[DanH]

Buy her a BMW
I'm with Bob on this one.

[granit_silber]

I vote turbo.

Yeah, FI'ed engines generally don't last as long, but neither does an engine that's burning it up from every traffic light. I'd love to have a turbo for the feeling of moderate boost and the sound of the turbine spooling. I love FI sounds! I still play Jon's video from when he first super-charged his engine just to hear the whine. And isn't a stage 1 turbo meant to work with stock pistons and the like? To me it seems that a stage 1 set-up wouldn't effect your long-term relability too much.

Just 'cause you have a turbo doesn't mean you have to do holeshots all the time. ;)

But, I'm also not a fan of fiberglass.

good luck choosing.
-ashley

[Thayne]

Other option (what id do), get the turbo, wait 6 months, and start whining about the paint and trim on your car, even start rubbing it down yourself, and then tell your wife that its too hard and you've ruined your car and need a proper job done. Beg.

Both are then done :D


Sounds like a winner! :D