WHEN YOU BUY a new car, especially if that 'new' car is an old car, you need all the advice you can get. And when I bought my BMW Z4, I found the Z4 Forum (Z4-forum.com) really helpful: so much knowledge, insight and buying advice. Full-service history is the big one: regular oil changes are a must, obviously, but has the DISA valve been changed?
The what? In essence, it's an electronically controlled flap in the intake manifold that opens and closes depending on what the ECU tells it, for more torque at low revs (staying closed, so the intake runner is long) and more power at high revs when it opens.
Ideally buy a car that's not on run-flat tyres, check it has the wind deflector... I compromised on these, but I did so knowingly. Well, you have to know the rules to break the rules, in graphic design (that's my role at Octane) at least. And I think that goes for buying cars, too.
This story is from the September 2022 edition of Octane.
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This story is from the September 2022 edition of Octane.
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Will China Change Everything? - China is tearing up modern motor manufacture but is yet to make more than a ripple in the classic car world. That could be about to change dramatically
China now dominates the automotive world in a way even Detroit in its heyday would have struggled to comprehend.Helped by Government incentives, the new car world is dominated by China's industries: whether full cars that undercut Western models by huge amounts, ownership of storied European brands such as Lotus and Volvo, or ownership and access to the vast majority of raw materials that go into EV cars, its influence is far-reaching and deep. However, this automotive enlightenment hasn't manifested itself in the classic world in any meaningful way - until now.
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