After spending a bit of time scrolling through several pics of both US and UK members on this forum, would I be correct in assuming the Guys and Gals in the US are more adventurous when it comes to modifying their cars. Is it that because the majority of 5 series owners in the UK are running company vehicles or are we just a bit boring?????

Or is that we see the 5 Series as a stunning and capable car in its own rights and dont see the need to spoil it looks?

 

I recently added the msport bodykit to my 525d, but to be honest the main reason i dont get too adventurous with the mods is the ridiculous insurance costs in this country. For adding the msport kit my insurance renewal went up by ?100 and they set the excess up to ?600, i got my insurance from Norwich Union in the end for ?360. I cant imagine what they'd be like if i had a petrol 4.5 with NOS. Dont get me started on the Road tax subject, the tax that doesnt even get spent on repairing or improving the roads.

If it werent for the road tax and insurance my car would be a 550i, kitted out with a 110 shot of NOS or something similar.

I hate this country for things like this, the guys in the US are lucky being able to drive anything they want and mod away till their hearts are content.

 

With this current regime, U.S will have those ridiculous taxes soon too.

 

We are a nation of individuals. Europeans seem to have more of a collective mentality. The "rugged individualism" is what made the US what it is. Since we don't need to be rugged any longer we modify our cars.

 

 

I think people mod their cars for individuality, uniqueness, and to basicically personalize their car.

 

Europe does heavily regulate what you are "allowed" to drive by the tax structure. They make it so expensive to own a nice powerful car only the very wealth can afford to drive them.

Here in the US you can buy a used V8 E60 or new loaded Toyota. Unless you do a ton of miles the difference in gas cost is negligible. There is no tax penalty for owning a powerful car. Insurance is a bit more.

The new administration may think its going to tax us all into Hybrids but I wouldn't count on it yet... Like the motto on New Hampshire license plates says "Live Free or Die". Long live high HP cars...

 

I wouldnt say we had a collective mentality couldnt be further from the truth, more like we are beaten down and live under regimes that we have little power over. The UK government just sees the motorist as a cash cow, they force policies on us because they have little to fear from the public its not like we have a constitution. They didnt allow the people to vote on joining the EU treaty because they knew that the public would have rejected it, we have a PM who is shit scared of calling an election because he knows he'll lose . I could mod the ass out my car but i would end up paying over a grand for insurance for a year which I dont think is reasonable.

I'd move to the US in a second but its not that easy + its nigh on impossible in the current economic climate.

Apologies for wandering off topic, but people looking at the UK from outside dont get the full picture. We dont all wander about in tailored suits and wear top hats, we are ordinary people like you but with a shit government and no hope of the next being any better. Now where did i leave my rope....

 

to be honest there is so little hardcore decent mods around for the 5 (IMHO anyways) that us guys in the UK hardly get a chance or option to do something more adventurous, for example if a nice Carbon bonnet and CSL bootlid were availible for the same prices as in the USA in this country I would jump on them, im not paying the stupendous shipping fee's to have one tho, almost 60% of the cost of the Carbon parts ffs, for example......

 

Interesting that you put that Mark as BMW UK have just released a performance kits for various models within the BMW range which include lots carbon parts. I have attached the link below.

http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/index/performan...G4ubmV0,00.html

Hopefully there might be something on there that you could use.