https://www.stihl.com/engine-technology-fully-electronic-engine-management.aspx

It claims a 20% fuel savings, but the big deal is reduced emissions.

California's banning small gasoline engine sales in 2024. I suspect every commercial user will stockpile as many gasoline powered implements of destruction that they can afford in 2023.

My 22 year old Honda string trimmer is leaking oil. It's on its third carburetor. The carburetors last about ten years, and the last one was hard to find.

You got cheap down to a science....not an insult

You would think someone that cheap, again not an insult, would be driving a MB versus a BMW. Only reason I can think of that he don't is because a 24 yr old E300 don't attract the hotties like a late model BMW

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Jim

Back in the early 1980's, all M-B's in the US except 240D's had automatic transmissions, and they were horrible. All the mid-size M-B's back then had diesels, which were also horrible. So, I became a BMW guy early on.

M-B fixed their problem diesel and automatic-only problems with the 190E.

My first BMW was an E46 M3. I was parking it one day at work when the UberMILF was walking across the parking lot. She came over to look at the car, jumped in the drivers seat, and started bouncing up and down and turning the steering wheel back and forth like a kid would do. She said "I bet this car is fast."

I said "Yeah, but the best thing about it is that it's a babe magnet."

She turned the rearview mirror so that she was looking at herself, fluffed her hair, and said "Yes, it is."

The UberMILF was a 40-something former stripper turned mathematician.

A few weeks later, our tree-hugging, socialists secretary also had to sit in the car.

It's more of an efficiency thing, which combines money-hugging and tree-hugging.

On Planet Putzer having an old car in great shape is a status symbol, a sign of diligence and intelligence. The converse is also true. I average about ten years and 115k miles out of cars.

I guess the money-hugging and tree-hugging carry over into my gasoline powered implements of destruction. I kept my first lawnmower 18 years and 150 hours, and only got rid of it because I couldn't get parts anymore and I needed a mower that mulched and/or bagged.

My current gasoline powered implements of destruction are:

Honda string trimmer, bought in 2000
Stihl edger, bought in 2011
Honda lawnmower, bought in 2013
Stihl leaf blower bought in 2013
Stihl hedge clipper, bought in 2016

With the exception of the Honda lawnmower, everything is "professional grade." Most consumer-grade stuff is crap. My Honda lawnmower has about 120 hours on it and doesn't burn oil. My consumer-grade B&S lawnmower was smoking by then even using synthetic oil in it.

Honda consumer-grade lawnmowers (~$500) are so good that a lot of landscapers buy them instead of the Honda professional-grade ones (~$1000).

The tricks to making gasoline powered implements of destruction last are to buy professional-grade stuff, and use synthetic oil and fresh non-ethanol gasoline.

We're on our second set of Seed Queen commercial-grade washing machines and clothes dryers. The first set lasted about 25 years, limited by the lack of spare parts.

Lol, I sure would like to see pic. My first new car was a 74 BMW 2002tii. That is one I hate I sold.

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Jim

M3 or UberMILF?

UberMILF ex stripper.

I'm cheap that way too. Got a Stihl chain saw and Kubota diesel zero turn mower but I do pay to have a kid cut grass with it. Don't know when I'll be able to run the chain saw again. It only gets the hi octane, zero ethanol store bought fuel. That is one of the keys to keeping it going.

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Jim

What did you have strapped to the seat? I beg to differ about the W126 transmissions.

My 535i has the massaging seats. In eight years and 76k miles, I've never had a hottie in the car unless Frau Putzer was also there. If that ever does happen though, I'll ask the hottie if she wants her butt massaged. If she gets pissed, I'll tell her about the massaging seats. If she doesn't get pissed, I won't tell her about the massaging seats.

My mother had back trouble, and the seats in her 1976 Mercury Monarch (Ford Granada clone) were horrible. She rode in friends' W123 240D and was ready to buy a Mercedes-Benz on the spot just because of the front seats. But, that's when they only sold mid-size sedans here with diesels.

That was my dream car in high school. A few years ago, somebody found a 2002tii barn find in one of the Slavic countries, but it was in bad shape. He asked a BMW forum if it was worth buying. Somebody pointed out that the OE wheels were worth more than the owner was asking for the car.

BMW Classic (then BMW Mobile Tradition) built a 2002tii from new parts and a 1974 body shell. They used the shell to have a VIN and only have to meet 1974 emission and safety reg's. They replaced the rear bulkhead with one for a pre-1974 to get the round taillights, and they added a 5-speed transmission.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOB_l5SAlwQ

There was a 2002tii at the museum at BMW Spartanburg. I took a friend up to pick up an M235i in 2014. They were having a press event for the M235i's release, and they gassed up the 2002tii for the reporters to compare to the M235i. It was cool seeing the 2002tii getting semi-flogged on the track up there.

I have it on authority that most BMW owners are not cheap. When women get intimatly involved with them and want the lights off. The owners usually close the car doors.

Seriously though more and more consumer goods are verging on being throw away. Repair costs approach replacement costs. We are a conservative couple and have always tried for value. Possibly getting harder as time moves along.

The Stijl M Tronic has been out for several years. They had trouble with it at first but now it is quite impressive. Fuel savings is not the advantage though. How much fuel can you save running a chainsaw anyway?

It starts first time every time. I do volunteer disaster relief work with a group that has a trailer full of new saws all with M Tronic and they are all awesome.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

That's something. Carbureted Stihl's are a PIA to start. Carbureted Hondas start on the second pull, but Honda doesn't sell politically incorrect or dangerous gasoline powered implemented of destruction (chainsaws, leaf blowers, stick edgers) in the US. They do make a four-stroke leaf blower but they don't sell it in the U.S.