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Come on. There's not much of anything from the 80s that's going to appreciate in value, no matter how well it's restored. And it's a Malibu, no less. The only domestic car (or any origin, for that matter) from the 80s that comes to mind for appreciating in value is an unmolested, unrestored, pristine Buick Regal Grand National, GNX, or T-Type. And quite possibly an '89 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA.
Lexus GS300 w/ ML Nav Package, Moonroof, Rain-Sensing Wipers, Parking Assist, Ventilated Seats, Spoiler, Power Rear SunShade = MSRP of $50,215 and Invoice of $42,542 (Note this config is the only way to get Nav thru Gulf States Toyota).
Infiniti M35 w/ Journey, Nav, and Full Size Spare = MSRP of $45,740 and Invoice of $41,795.
Nothing new here just a little ranting Any ideas on whose willing to deal the most in the Houston area??
Tick tock.
Your slight of the Malibu name displays some arrogance &/or naitivity. Documented Malibu sale prices are well into six digits. I know those are earlier vintages. I mention it only because of your slighting of the name.
I considered the GNX. Around here Regal G-bodies are lowrider favorites. I can't get past the lowrider association. Also it's far more difficult to restore a GNX, especially under the hood. I prefer a strong V8 over a smaller turbocharged V6. I prefer instant torque vs. turbo lag.
If appreciation was a primary goal I admit the Bu is a bad choice. Even though OEM trim has been ideal for appreciation in the past, currently the resto-mod cars are appreciating. People want drivers, & OEM is inferior in that regard. All of the cars mentioned by you & me are pretty awful in OEM trim.
For several good reasons the modified Malibu is perfect for me. I wanted a good daily driver. I fit far more comfortably in the Bu vs. any B-body. Finally, as a daily driver this modified Bu will blow away either of the cars you mentioned in OEM trim.
Actually I see ZERO relationship to this thread's subject cars :confuse: Good luck with your restore; I'm sure restoring old vehicles is a worthwhile and rewarding hobby. I sometimes long for another '74 Olds Cutlass Supreme - my first car But an '80 Malibu and my old Cutlass are not related to an LPS theme in any way whatsoever!!
Good luck with your restore, but there isn't anything relevant to what you are doing that fits in with the subject of this discussion. I'm not sure if it can help you, but I think the best resource we have to offer to you is the new Speed Shop: Tuning & Modification board. Otherwise, the search features on the left side of the page will help you hunt down the Malibu discussions.
If you want to pursue this with me, feel free to drop me an email - just click on my name to view my profile.
Good luck with what you are trying to do.
Also, Mark, have you been in the A6 lit up at night? With the newer style of center console that comes all the way out, it really does look more like an A8 inside. Also, what is your opinion on the wood kits for the dash that I have seen in some cars? Are they just a cheesy add on or will it give it a rich look like in the A8?
My Audis and my wife's BMW always display the lawyer screen and require the push of a button to "accept."
It is not a big deal as far as I'm concerned.
The aftermarket wood applications usually look just a step or two above contact paper and I would avoid them. If you want wood, get the Premium pack option.
For anyone looking at getting a nav in their new car I would consider getting an after market version instead. I travel all over with my job and have owned a Garmin Street Pilot III ( now superseded by newer versions) for over 2 years and it works great. The real advantage is that it is not tied to the car, when travelling in Europe I just load the European maps and I am in business. Battery power also allows it to be used out of the car altogether.
With OEM units running $2000+, the $700 paid, plus the flexibility, make the Garmin a great deal, and more than makes up for the minor inconvenience of it resting on the dash or center consol.
Just a thought, and no, I don't have any stock in Garmin!
Working on the voice activation -- love Sirius and the bluetooth phone capability.
After a 6spd manual 2.7T allroad, the 3.2 is, um, more leisurely but certainly "adequate." Oil is $60+ today. The rating on this 3.2 is up to 26MPG.
I'll take decent, adequate power if I can spend a bit less money and time at the pump.
Beautiful interior. This is one aspect of the M35X vs A6 that I am convinced the A6 has won.
Cambridge Green pearl
Amaretto comfort seats
Premium
Cold
Convenience
Advanced Key
Speech recognition
Parktronic
Premium leather
18" wheels UPH all seasons
Sony Ericson cradle
All the standard stuff
MMI is like a new version of windows -- fairly intuitive.
One small wish -- radio buttons.
However, the steering wheel seems to have buttons and dials and wheels, or whatever that MAY mitigate this.
Best of luck!
Enjoy!
- Ray
Gone over to the "Dark Side" . . .
2005 A6 3.2 Green Pearl, Amaretto Premium Leather - comfort seats
Premium
Convenience
Cold
Sat Nav
18" UHP All seasons on 18" optional wheels
Parktronic
Sirius Sat Radio
Pushbutton Start
Voice activation of most of the stuff the MMI does control.
In armrest phone mount for Sony T637 bluetooth phone
I think that covers the layout.
The M35X I had ordered was Liquid Platinum, Bourbon
Journey
Tech/Sirius
Rear Spoiler
The MSRP of the two cars was ~ $50,250 M35X ~ $53,290 A6.
The mo pay on the Audi with no upfronts, no sec dep and only first mo: $669/36 months 15,000 per year. This is $8.00 less than the Infiniti would have been and the Infiniti would have required a sec dep. At those deltas, the Infiniti would have been a 39 month lease, too.
The Infiniti has a 60,000 warranty, the Audi, 50,000 miles.
The Audi will have no charge maintenance. The Infiniti would have had yes charge maintenance ("yes charge?")
The Infiniti would have had more electronic stuff (and I love gadgets). The Inifiniti would have been able to play my small collection of DVD-Audio discs, the Audi will not. The Infiniti would have had 280HP (the Audi has 255HP) and probably achieved speed about .5 seconds quicker (to 60mhp).
The Audi has a 6speed auto, the Infiniti a 5speed auto -- both manumatics.
So far no tip lag on the Audi, but I will not be shocked if it happens. Ditto on the Infiniti had I gone that way.
Where the Audi has parktronic, the Infiniti would have had a rear camera. The Audi's door locks are able to be set for auto or manual, etc.
Audi charges $750 for push button start -- it is "free" on the Infiniti.
The Audi's steering column is manual tilt and telescope, the Infiniti is power actuated. The Audi has front and rear heated seats, the Infiniti would have had front only heated and cooled seats.
Both have lots of airbags.
The brakes on the Audi are (depending on who you read) superior. This may be a draw.
The Audi has glossy wood panels, the Infiniti flat finish wood panels.
Lane departure warning system and automatic cruise control Infiniti only.
Better gas milage (probably 2MPG) for the Audi.
Net net: you get and give when you are in this class of cars -- perhaps Lexus or Mercedes or someone has figured out how to be all things to all people. Beats me.
I would want a power steering column and a heated steering wheel having had these features previously in my Audis.
Now that I have learned how to change radio stations this is just a comment: What on earth would be wrong with having a few radio station buttons? The Audi does not have any. Although you can use the thumbwheel on the steering wheel to easily (really) change stations and the voice command to do so is very cool too.
I don't know if the Bird's Eye View Navigation on the Infiniti is better than the one in the Audi -- the one in the Audi is great and I love the secondary screen in the middle of the dash that uses arrows and text to compliment the voice commands. The map is cool (I set it to .6 miles) and is a useful tool to get a bit further overview of what you will be doing in .6 miles or so.
The materials used, fit and finish, switchgear, even the stitches on the seats in the Audi are second to none. For all I know, they are equal in the Infiniti. I did take several test drives in the Infiniti and I felt at the time that Infiniti had done it right, too.
Personal preference -- the Audi's interior lighting scheme is more to my taste, but this is on a scale of one to ten an eleven, so that would not be either a turn on or turn off.
The Audi with the UHP 18" tires is very quiet. Yet, when I drove the Infiniti M35X, I thought it was pretty quiet too other than a bit more engine noise than I can provoke from the 3.2 Audi powerplant.
The layout of the controls in the Audi will be easy to get comfortable with quickly -- but it is a far cry from my gone but not forgotten 2003 allroad (which was essential an A6 on the inside).
The seats are the best I have ever been in. This time I did not want the sport seats, since even the comfort seats are well bolstered for my 53 year old butt.
The Audi seems stiffer (non sport suspension but 40 series UHP tires) than my memory of the M35X. The turn in is sharp and precise. But, but, but -- I know the Audi is nose heavy(er) than the Infiniti and of all my academic gripes about cars, I am probably more prone to beat the drum for better F/R weight distribution than almost anything else -- because it effects the "balance" (read understeer/oversteer tendencies) perhaps more than anything else.
Knowing the quattro system is a nominally 50 50 torque split and that the Infiniti is rear biased (30 70 (?) -- and actually almost "nominally a rear wheel drive" car except when needed), is more of something to discuss over drinks at "the club" rather than a practical matter for me to worry about. I am more wishful for a better balance of weight than a bias of drive. Heck, even the Volvos and Acuras some being 95% FWD can be engineered to do just fine IF their weight balance isn't too much front end biased. BMW is the champeen here as far as I'm concerned.
The car seems adequately powered -- I have driven it in "S" mode except when I am on the interstate to keep the torquey feeling I had been used to in the 6speed manual 2.7T allroad.
Sound system is possibly an A-, definitely a B+.
It is smooth.
It is more luxurious than I had expected from Audi -- but it does have that "solid" and nearly stiff feel that Germans just seem to have developed into a high art form.
Duly submitted.
I can see it now..but what does Wards say?
Somehow I am not surprised by this news.
Congrats Mark!
(Will you take another tour of the Castle?)
Not knowing how other car's work, I can simply say the effect has value -- yet unless or until you can test this out back to back with a car that does NOT have it, you may think nothing at all of this feature. It just seems to be as Mr. Tucker wanted those many years ago.
Might this explain why I barely see my fog lights (02 530)? The ones on my Lexus are much more noticeable.
AUDI 56,298 (+17,2%) 270,388
MERCEDES 53,870 (-12,7%) 283,178
BMW 57,779 (+22,7%) 272,847
Best regards,
José
Another factor is the degree of turning that the lights can do. If I recall, the A6's lights can turn up to 15 degrees, 17 degrees for the Infiniti M, and 23 degrees for the Lexus LS/GS(?). Those numbers are from rough memory from my testing all the cars and reading up on them. One really cool feature I like on the A6 is how the self leveling system will dip the headlights down and bring them back up when they first come on. Really neat looking; almost like the car is taking a bow for you. :-)
Yeah the C is old compared to the new 3, but to the A4, they're only a year apart in age. The E-Class will get a facelift sooner or later, but the drop off in Europe has more to do with engines being reshuffled, both diesel and gas, plus a new 3-Series, an even bigger event "over there".
The current E500 will no doubt get the 388hp V8 from the new S500 within the next year.
M
http://www.ukintpress.com/engineoftheyear/
Best regards,
José
With the M, make sure the car is in drive (the lights don't swivel otherwise), and only the right one will swivel while stopped. The left swivels only while in motion, though I'm not sure what the minimum speed requirement is.
All in all, it's a useful function when taking sharp turns in dark settings.
If you really want to see it work, find an empty parking lot after dark.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/26/automobiles/26AUTO.html?pagewanted=1&8dt&emc=dt
Infiniti's total performance is mostly being carried by two models--the M and the G sedan. (The QX has also sold relatively well---with sales above 6,000 units YTD--in spite of its Armada gene pool.)
Until Infiniti rolls out a true flagship to replace the Q45, and given the questionable staying power of the FX, I'm not sure we can conclude that Infiniti is on a roll quite yet. But thanks primarily to two models, Infiniti sales are up +5%, which is very decent overall.
Nissan is the bigger winner. Their car sales are up +8%, and truck sales are up +30%! Total Nissan/Infiniti sales are up +16% YTD.
Now, Ghosn gets to try to do his magic with Renault. A bigger challenge, for sure.
Well, actually the C got its facelift for 2005 also, interior, grille was changed from 4 slats to 3 (I know very subtle) and the engines are an 06' change. The C also got suspension changes for 2005 so there is nothing any more "new" about the A4 than the C other than them being a year apart at introduction.
M
Merc, so does that mean the C is also at least "60% new"? Or is Audi counting mostly sheet metal?
2003: 27,637
2004: 30,964
2005 pace: 26,340
Competition from the new ML, as well as some cannibalization by the M, no doubt put a dent in FX sales, but it's not too bad.