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:confuse: I've never heard of anyone buying a car to save for later :surprise: :confuse: I mean, don't get me wrong, I stock up on a lot of stuff at the grocery store when it goes on sale - but I've never stocked up on cars before Good luck on your M when you finally get around to driving it (before the '07s arrive I hope).
If my 545i is boring, give me excess of it!
:confuse:
Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com
The M is a nice car, but it was a clear second choice for me to the BMW 530xi I bought (first time BMW owner) because of the lack of a manual transmission, the awful gas mileage, the blah styling, and the overwrought interior with the canted-to-the-top console.
Oh, and BTW, the extra 25 HP in the M35x does NOT make it faster than the 530xi because the M weighs almost 400 lbs more than the 530xi. In a previous post I had mentioned that the lbs per HP that each car has to move are pretty much exactly the same. So they are both equally fast, and the BMW has a MUCH higher fuel efficiency -- go figure!!
Every once in a while I have to put out a post like this after reading a hundred posts from M owners claiming they have the best car on the planet. Not true, just personal opinions like mine, of course!
Now of course, my 40 year birthday gift, which comes in 7 more years is decided. Well it was decided when i was 13... It is a jaguar XJR van dan plas or whatever the long version is with supercharger is... that is of course assuming jaguar is still around. of course, if i was to buy purely for "fun to drive" and "as passionate as a lover" reasons, then it has to be a 750i or whatever is the equivalent at that point (and not the longer version).
But since I've 7 more years to go for 40, i'm still in the sub 7/S category... and who knows, by the time I'm 40, gas might be so expensive that maybe BMW might be marketing the 730i in the US again??? hahahaha
either ways, today, my ksoman id on edmunds turns 7 years. I'd another id for about 6~8 months prior to this id, but this id still made the 7 years. So i hope in another 7 years, i'll still be using this id on edmunds, ocassionally contributing "nothing" to the forums and hopefully driving the car i dreamed of since i was 13...?
cheers!
ksso
In the only timed test so far that featured both the M35x and the 530xi, the M35x was half a second faster to 60 than the 530xi.
http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/vdp/articleId=106555/pageNumber=9
I'll say it again, the logic of Lexus' engine juggling between the IS and GS still completely escapes me. If I were in charge, the IS would have the 3.0L as the base engine, and the 3.5L would come with a six-speed manual from day one. If Toyota doesnt have one thats suitable, buy one. I would also launch an IS350 AWD a year after the initial intro. Save the 2.5L for Japan and Europe.
The GS would intro with just one engine, a 306+hp GS350 and GS350 AWD. The GS400\430 has never sold well, and surprise!, the current one is not selling well. Lexus crippled the V6 version of the car (which makes for some 90% of sales) with a weakest in class engine, when they could've had the most powerful engine in class. Just skip the V8 until the 4.6L is ready. I doubt anybody would notice anyway.
I have to say, an XJR VP (or maybe a Super V8 Portfolio), is not the type of car I would expect a 13 year old kid to be drooling over. When I was 13, I wanted a 550 Speedster. Keep in mind that even with the highest end XJs you will still want to buy at least a 2 year old car. The blown Jags dont depreciate quite as badly as the NA versions, but the 1-3 year hit is still huge.
I felt both the BMW and Infiniti were fine cars - the Infiniti was just a better fit for me but I'm sure I would have been just as happy with the BMW.
Lexusguy, About your comments on GS, i've to agree, the car does look prettier in person than in pictures. I personally think both the RL and M look kinda ummm, un-intriguing and un-passion-worthy. Personally I like the looks of the 5, despite all the criticism, atleast it's not another blah nobody in a nobody body. i was quite shocked by the performance of last year's 5, but with the new engines, it's starting to get it's sensibilities together. I love the E, from a looks perspective, i find it droolworthy and that's certainly my exclusive opinion. Recently i was offered a lease through MB employees that i could not have refused. It was ummm so cheap, i'm afraid to quote it here for fear of ridicule. I backed off literally at the point of signing on the paper, only because of the zillion torture cases i've heard of from the reliability point of view. having one painful bmw convertible in the house is enough... but yet, despite the horrendous quality experiences, i'm in no way going to throw out my bmw... geez.. that's the car that automatically puts a grin on my face the moment i start it up... nothing else ever did that to me... in the car world... hehehe
ksso
The current 2006 BMW 750i gets 17/25.... Not too bad for a 4.8L V8.
So far 1200 miles driven in my 545i and no problems to report.
The best part is the young pretty girls driving slowly behind me in the parking lots while I sit in my E60 and wait endlessly for my wife to finish shopping to check out which 5 series I got-if I spent the major bucks(545i and possible sugar daddy) rather than the minor bucks(525i).
a $20 investment in home depo will save a future re-currence of this.
Get that solid black rubber whatever they call it. Take a good glue like gorilla glue or something and glue it down to the floor of the garage at the appropriate location, so that you can drive right upto it till it stops the wheels from moving forward.
I love it more than my wife now... errr..
ksso
Good advice. I have the same rubber "speed bumps" but haven't found a way to fix them to the floor (and I'm not eager to drill into the cement of the garage). I'll have to try that gorilla glue.
Happy 7th! :shades:
That is definitely missing in this. Also, the door handles in the old Jags were all leather, and not plastic on the inside. I was just floored at that, that they would use such a cheap Kia style plastic on a part of the car you would literally use at least twice a day. I tapped it with a finger nail and it had a nice hallow "this part cost us 3 cents" sound to it. Fortunately the new XK is a big step in the right direction.
I've been using a tennis ball for years But it works :shades:
unlike some of my neighbors, my cars go right back into the garage, they don't sit outside because i've a life's worth of useless stuff packed into the garage.
ok, ok, if i wasn't married to my wife, my garage would be filled with gunk i dont use, but since i'm married to her, my life is in order. there, i made up for my previous wife comment.
either way, to keep this comment on topic, the A6 and the bmw, both get parked with the aid of the bump.
ksso
(I only keep the 2x4's in the garage, and they are only somewhat moldy...I still have room for the cars).
My brother took the rubber mats to the next degree and bought a cement parking lot pillar and put it in his garage. The thing is so heavy, it doesn't need to be secured or fixed.
I doubt I would ever buy a cadillac due to it looks and interior but those car sure handled well. Especially compared to the GS300 and E350 demo they had.
It was fun to be able to get out on a track and push cars harder then I would ever do in real life.
Like I said I would still probably never but one but it was still fun. :P
My latest experience was the BMW show. It compared the new 330 vs the Audi A4 3.2 and the Infiniti G35 (all had similar HP). I thought the car choices were good, but wondered if the "competitor cars" were somewhat detuned or at least had suspension altered. The G in particular was the most spongy drive. I was afraid it would rollover around corners!
Last year I want to their "Autoshow In Motion" event. I mean GM has big pockets and they put on a hell of an event for people who want to see all of their cars in one place, but they never have the correct competition for you to drive.
They had a 530i to be driven against the STS V6, which was correct, but they also has a STS V8 of which there was no 545i like the previous poster stated.
They also had a Luxury model C320 and plain Jane 325i to be test driven against the CTS 3.6 model with a Sports Package.
For them to put a CTS-V against any Mercedes other than a C55 or E55 shows that GM will never change. Same old lame company as before.
I'll never forget 1995. This was the year I went to an event to test drive the Olds Aurora. They had a LS400, S320, and a Acura Legend there also. Everyone there including some of the GM/Olds people thought the other three cars were better. They had a bumpy road section set up and the Olds rattled like a tin can while the other three cars, especially the S320 and LS400 went over the bumps as if they weren't there. The Olds person riding in the Aurora with us was so quiet to the point of embarrasment. Maybe this is why they purposely stack the deck at these events now. Still though I don't know how they could have thought an Aurora was competition for a LS400 or S320 at the time.
Its things like stacking the deck at ride-n-drive events and GM's big mouth that have always made me dislike their cars even when they're pretty decent. The only GM car I truly would want is the Corvette, its been that way for years.
M
That sounds like the same kind of GM thinking that thought the Allante was a match for a Benz SL. The '90s is not what I would call their "best work".
M
"BLOOD IN THE WATER". :P
ksso
Two pieces to my answer.....
First, when the traction/stability control is engaged on the Lexus it starts beeping and flashing all crazy. Most people find that distracted or, at the least, very annoying. If you could turn it off, then you wouldn't need to deal with that....
Second, for drivers that like to "let loose" and have a free spirited drive, some people will deactivate the traction/stability control so that they can swing out the rear end. As long as you still stay in control of the car, you can have a lot of fun with that. You can't do any of that if you can't turn it off....
In general, you wouldn't normally deactivate the traction/stability control for regular everyday driving. Obviously you'd want the safety features in place for normal driving, just in case you need the safety. But some people want to turn it off for the above reasons.