That's interesting. I should try to flush the transmission on my Legend, which now has 201K miles. Because I was ignorant about such things, I drove the car from 150K until now without ever changing the fluid
. It started slipping in second and shifting 1-2-4 and refusing to downshift very much around 180-185K. It's the same way now, but still driveable even after I hit a truck back in April
. Perhaps by flushing it I can improve the poor performance (although I wouldn't blame the transmission because it HAS lasted over 200K).
Now that I know all this, I'll take really good care of my 535i transmission, especially since that car only has 138K. I've been told that flushing it twice a year and using Amsoil is great to extend its life.
E36 M3's are still very expensive for me ($10-15K). My mechanic has a 1997 coupe he's bored and stroked to create 300 hp. That's the only M3 I've been in so I can't compare to stock, but it's CRAZY fast! When he accelerated hard, I felt my grin widening until I think it actually passed UNDER my ears!! I couldn't help myself!
My budge for my next car is only about $5K, but I think I can get a nice 1993-1994 325 coupe or sedan for that (manual of course). I may get a second generation Legend instead, as I really love the way my 1990 drives and will miss it when I finally get rid of it. I guess a few test drives will make my decision.