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Also, the metallic paints all look drab to me, so I'm considering the plain red, but I have read a couple of posts here questioning the durability of the nonmetallics. Any consensus on this?
Thanks very much.
I just came back from the dentist. The receptionist at the dentist office looked and acted just like Sheri Oteri from SNL - you'd think these people only exist on TV. So I was very amused and she thought she was getting attention or something and showed off her neurotic skills to their fullest potential. I'm glad she wasn't the dentist, that would've been scary. I was laughing all the way back to work, what a character...
Let me try another guess: there are a lot more men drivng the 5-series? Be careful what you say because my friends in NJ have a 528 and a 328 and guess who owns the 528?
Jingu Maru is Jinsei Maru's cousin!!
Now, back to those upfront design/engineering costs. Since BMW has been a tried-and-true designer/manufacturer of RWDs for years and years, they are WAY along the learning curve -- the next RWD will cost no less to design than the last one. Not so for FWDs -- given their experience level with FWDs, they may actually be on a steeper part of the learning curve, where the first few have higher design costs than the next generation, and so on. BUT there is a key caveat associated with this: thes assumptions typically apply more to technology that is RELATIVELY NEW TO THE INDUSTRY. FWDs have been around for years and are no longer considered new technology. Hence, BMW can probably design a new-for-BMW FWD as cheaply as Honda can design their 178th iteration of FWD. So in today's automotive environment, upfront design costs for RWD or FWD are probably a wash, too.
Bottom line: neither configuration likely offers any significant manufacturing or engineering cost advantages over the other.
BTW, this kind of stuff is part of what I do during the day, so to speak. Although I do not currently work in the automotive industry, these are principles that can be applied to many design and manufacturing processes (another "pseudo-disclaimer").
Jingu Maru is Jinsei Maru's what? What's their father called then - Jingle Mells? I'm getting all confused... That's more like the sister...
leather vs. 'ette (mine); after driving the 40 miles home, I got out of the loaner and guess what... my @ss felt neither more refreshed nor more sophisticated after being on leather. I'm glad I saved the $1.4K!!!
SP (mine) vs non-SP; The highway ride with no SP was definitely gentler. The tires were quieter and the suspension was able to soak up road imperfections better. However, as soon as I got onto Mountain Rd (10 miles of perfectly paved, twisty road), I knew I made the right decision. The handling, while not bad in non-SP, was vastly better with SP. The performance rubber probably would account for much of this. The 4-point steering wheel in the non-SP was just plain ugly and the buttons confused me (okay, so maybe I am just a little on the simple side ;-)). The seats in the non-SP bothered my lower back after about 30 minutes of driving. I do have a pre-existing back problem, but I have yet to notice the sport seats aggrevate it.
coupe (mine) vs. sedan; The sedan is definetly better for loading and unloading the family. I also like the smaller doors (I'm guessing 1 - 1.5 feet shorter) when getting in and out in the garage and tight parking spaces. The sedan was Orient Blue on Gray and was very classy looking, but I prefer the sportier look of my Topaz/black coupe. I think when driving the coupe, it feels sportier too simply because you sit lower (but I had more headroom in the sedan).
3.0L (mine) vs. 2.5L; This one is a little harder to qualify since I have a 5spd and the loaner was Steptronic (tiptronic?). The one point I would make is that even with an auto, the 2.5L is by no means under-powered. I never felt I NEEDED more power, but there were times I WANTED more power. My 330 would easily out accelerate it, but coming from my 2.5L 4-cylinder (5spd) Altima, the 323 has some serious cajones!
The funniest thing about having this car was that my wife got a chance to drive it. She's never driven mine because she can't handle a stick (not like that you pigs! :-)). I let her drive it on Mountain Rd mentioned above. When she got done, I asked her what she thought. Her answer... "well, it's not bad, I guess. But I'd rather drive my Odyssey" ?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Some people just don't get it, I suppose.
Tom
she can't handle a stick (not like that you pigs! :-))
ROTFL. :-)
jnscheong
Although FWD cars could plow through more snow and crusty ice better than a RWD, I can't remember the number of times my stomach jumped into my throat when I tired to brake and turn or accelerate and turn only to find myself going straight. I learned to never touch my brakes in a turn and before any turn, to make sure there was a clear path ahead in case my steering wheel had no affect.
I look forward to seeing if I get the best of both worlds in my 325xi this winter.
Delivery on 7/20 might be tight. On www.wlna.com (the shipping company that BMW uses), the next shipping date is 6/11 to Port Hueneme for all west coast deliveries. That will put the arrival date on 7/9. The next arrival date after that will be 7/16 (shipping date will be 6/18). And from what I have heard, the delay from arrival to delivery at your dealership is anywhere between 4 days to 1 1/2 weeks. Looks like if you can get on the ship on 6/11, you should make it.
jnscheong