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Given that my lease agreement states that I am liable for any damage to the 328i while in this 10-day state of limbo, I suggested that I would be willing to garage the car and not drive it for the duration. He seemed to think that this was a good idea, and offered to tell the agent scheduled to call today to confirm that they were in possession of my car that he did in fact have it. He then told me that he would call me with the date of pick-up as soon as he got the word, giving me enough time to hop in for one last drive.
So, I took a couple of shots of the car, and fired them off in an E-Mail to him along with a complete description of the car, the options and the estimated mileage when the car actually appears on their lot (current mileage plus 11 for the last drive = 39,465), so that he could sound as convincing as possible when the call came. I hope this all works out. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
Wabends, sounds like you got a cool car!
ddblue, I agree with you 1000% on buying your own car. Having things given to us at a young age, we don't often appreciate the work and effort that goes into buying and maintaining something like that. I totalled out 85 Mazda 626 2 months after my parents bought it. When I got my own car, a 76 Monte Carlo, I babied it like it was a Rolls. I thinking having to earn it does make it that much sweeter. I can drive my car knowing I've worked my tail off since college to afford the things I wanted to get.
BTW, that car looks really bad. The color of both interior and exterior... ugh... looks like a baby spewed strained peas and corn on it. All the gizmos tell me one thing about this guy, and it isn't good. I'll refrain from any further comments about it :Z
-Paul
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
As a poll, if I put a page up there for cars, would you guys like to use that spot to host pictures of you cars as well? That way, we'd have one spot for all of our pictures. Just let me know either here or on email.
-Paul
-Wabends
Love your baby pukeage comment. I can't say I wouldn't want an M3, but geez, pick a color that doesn't say, "Ah, to be without taste!!"
Right now I am thinking that I will just have a page for the BMW people with a link to their name. When that name is clicked, it will either list the directory with the images, or I could do something like putting thumbnails up there. I'm not really sure which yet. I might even try to set something up so that you can upload them yourself. But it is still in the idea stage, so recommendations or ideas are appreciated.
-Paul
http://community.webshots.com/user/skimblz_
I took a shot from the 3 Series owner photo gallery (derprof1) as a quick test to see if it works. Let me know what you think. Webshots is really a good place to get the shots. Right now, it is set to public, but we could make it private and just invite people here into it. Your call.
Let me know what ya think. If you don't wanna do it, that is fine, but I thought if we could put our pics in 1 spot, it would be easier.
Shipo, if you want to post your pics, I could create a separate photo album for your stuff and I could post it for you.
-Paul
Best Regards,
Shipo
http://www.picturetrail.com/bigkutta/610760
I'll do photos after I get mine. Erickpl, Webshots sounds good.
I have about half a roll to shoot in my Minolta at home, so when I get back and get it cleaned up (car that is) I'll get some shots inside and out. The natural brown is a REALLY nice interior, a bit darker than the tan, and blends with the wood and black trim quite well.
I was proposing a central place for all of them.
-Paul
ddblue: Is Xymol really better. I am meticulous about my cars (both my wife's maxima and my E36) and wash them every week and wax them every 2-3 months. One motivation for buying a 3 series rather than a larger BMW is that it is easier to wash and wax which I insist on doing myself -- I could never let a commercial car wash do the job. I have tried many products and have some opinions.
Soap: Inexpensive car wash soap seems ok to me. Use plenty of it.
Dry: I use a genuine lambskin chamoi (sp?) and it does wonders for my wife's jet black maxima
Wax: I like Meguires PASTE wax. I think most waxes are similar, but universally I have found that a PASTE wax in the can rubs off effortlessly. My maxim: Never ever use a liquid wax. Should I consider xymol -- what is the advantage?
Tires: Meguire's Gold Class Endurance Tire Gel -- It really does last weeks not days. It lasts forever, even if you wash the car, it does not wash off. I still give it a light refresher every week. I can drive through a rainstorm and my tires still are black and shiny. My maxim: Do not use a SPRAY ON FOAM silicone--it runs onto the rims and collects brake dust in a few miles and makes your rims look dirty, and it looks BROWN when you get it wet.
ddblue - let me know what you think.
erickpl - I would post some pics on your site. My '95 325 with 92k miles on it looks brand new and I love it. (A testimony to washing and waxing).
butmywife - Another great ED testimonial. It sounds like a great idea. My only reluctance is I think I would go crazy when I had to turn the car in and come home without it. Could I just buy one here, fly to Europe for vacation, rent a bimmer and come home to find one waiting for me? Can you rent one in Germany?
M3boy: One lucky fellow. I like my slow climb up the ladder though. It is nice one rung at a time and very rewarding when you make that next step. wabends knows what I mean. I still wouldn't mind having an M3 dropped in my lap -- of course I haven't checked my mail today yet, maybe there will be an M3 coupon waiting for me there.
316i -- $350/week
318i -- $375/week
320i -- $425/week
323i -- $550/week
328i -- $675/week
I suspect that these prices have gone up since then, and as you can see, a couple of weeks with a decent rental car can add up, especially when you consider that by using ED, you save quite a bit of money (in my case, I save $5,300 off the MSRP).
Best Regards,
Shipo
316i -- $244 per week -- Germany
316i -- $315 per week -- Austria
316i -- $388 per week -- Denmark
316i -- $597 per week -- Poland
318i -- $482 per week -- Hungary
520i -- $557 per week -- Finland
728i -- $679 per week -- Switzerland
These folks must be absolutely the least expensive European Car Rental agency, because these prices are significantly less expensive than I remember.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I, too, use the Meguiar's Gold Class Endurance Tire Gel. Unfortunately, unless I let it completely dry, it splatters on the rocker panels, door and rear bumper behind the wheels. Easy to wipe off, though. For the interior, I swear by Son of a Gun Protectant (do NOT use Armor All--dries out surfaces and causes cracks over the long haul). I use Lexol leather cleaner and conditioner for the seats. Nothing works better.
Hopefully, this helps. I'll be doing this all on Saturday as the weather is now prime.
A month after owning the es300, I regret buying it. The transmission kills the enjoyment of this car. If it were as smooth as last year's model and if it were as quiet as most people claim, it would be perfect for me. But it turns out that all the things that made me choose the lexus isn't exactly true. I now even think it's a damn ugly car. It looks like a bigger corolla for 35K!
One of my biggest complaints: it makes me feel old! I'm 29 but when I drive this thing, I feel like I'm 50!
If I knew then what I knew now, I would have picked the bmw over the lexus and be taking delivery of an Orient Blue 325xi next week. Aaaaarggh!!
Reading the posts of owners on this board, I think most are very satisfied with the 3 - a stark contrast to the es300 board forum. Most people in the es300 forum are complaining (including myself) of the transmission and other little things.
My mother will be buying an es300 this october and I will see if she can get a 325xi instead. We can trade. She continues payments of the es and I start anew with the bmw. If that doesn't work out, I'll have to wait until 2007 before my next car. Hopefully my wife doesn't convince me to get a minivan instead.
With the tire gel, what brand of tires do you have? I try to put it on lightly and have not had this problem. I will say the the Michellins on my car have shallower sidewall grooves than my wife's car which still has the original Goodyear's which tend to collect excess gel moreso than the Michellins. I have found a way to put it on to help prevent this problem, even on her goodyears.
-Paul
I am 30 and have feelings very similar to yours. Here is some of my story. I am nearing the end of my medical training which began 8 years ago with medical school and I still have 2 years left to go (working 100-120 hours a week for about $7 an hour). I have been married for 8 years and I am still crazy about my wife. Three years ago we bought her a 2000 maxima which was a great car purchase for the 2 of us. It was roomy enough to start a family and was very sporty and kept me from feeling too old. 2 years ago we purchased my E36 325i from my in-laws and life has never been the same. I love the car. It drive like a sports car and we use it to go on weekend dates and I can still put my 11mo old little girl in the back seat if I find myself baby sitting. The car is awesome and I have never been happier. It has 92k miles on it and this fall I am going to get a loaded 330i to replace it.
This is my take on things--I see lots of people who have their lives cut short in a totally unexpected way and I find it tragic to see these terrible situations made worse by secret feelings of remorse or regret that somehow they were cheated out of the experiences that they could have had. I think that you have to get the most out of every day. Live without guilt, love your family, and others and enjoy life. I happen to have fallen in love with cars and for me the BMW is a terrific machine for the money. Everyday when I drive into work it is like therapy. I love the drive and I get excited about getting out of bed and going to work because it is another opportunity to drive my car. It is like having a full time psychiatrist working on you for 2 thirty minute sessions a day--making the car an even better value.
Don't get me wrong. A car is not as important to some people and they should focus their finances on things that make them happy. I probably have some kind of illness, but I just happen to love and appreciate a wonderful automobile. It fits into my overall plan of overcoming the mid-life crisis - it is better not to have one. Of course an automobile can land you smack in the middle of debt and to me there is no better way of creating a crisis than this, so I hope I am not misunderstood.
The great news for you is this opportunity to do the switch with your mom - I hope this works out and I think you will never regret the switch.
By the way, why are you thinking of the xi?
I have two ways I could do this:
1. Allow people to post the information, which means I really couldn't use webshots. I don't want to give people my ftp password for uploading shots and html, so I couldn't really put it on my web server.
2. Find a place where pics can be posted and comments aded by the uploader. Any ideas?
-Paul
(stolen from theme song of Enterprise)
I'm no html guru, but I'm pretty sure that there's a way that you can create a form that people can fill out, and then that info can automatically be formatted into a web page. You could have the form contain spaces for things like name, location, model/year, options, rants&raves, etc. We'd fill out the forms, and they would be automatically converted to a page on your ISP, and that page could contain a link to a site/album that hosts the photos of that person's car. Each member could also post about their experiences or things that they've done, like all the ED experiences, any DIY, etc.
I think that it would be a neat resource for the members of this board--you could look there and know who to ask about what.
Just my $.02
chewie5: You are right about using forms to append text to the photos. Creating a form page might not be too difficult to do if your ISP allows you to use the cgi bin.
No matter what, I think Paul is heading in the right direction!
Regards,
Wabends
Can't say as the inside release is critical, but I'm so used to having had one in all my American, Japanese, Korean, and German cars over the past 17 years that out of habit I tend to open the 540i6's driver door, hit the button, and then go open the trunk. But since the key fob will open the trunk and there is the nice exterior release available when the doors are unlocked, think I could learn to live without the inside trunk release.
After 8 months of relative surety that I would get a 325i, I just can't stop thinking that I should look hard at the Audi, especially since I can get an A4 3.0 FWD CVT, w/Xenons and Bose, for $33,100. The 325i I was looking at, w/Step, SP, HK, Xenon, and Power Seat stickers for $32,700. Then I have to add the armrest, aftermarket, which gets me to about the same price. The Audi is the top-of-the-line A4 (versus the entry 3-series), w/more horses, more torque, and more features/dollar.
The problem is that I know you should never compare cars to a BMW. If you do, you'll never buy one, because on paper, the Bimmer always loses on features for price. That's why I have to be sure I can live without a BMW before test driving an A4. It doesn't help that all of the comparisons/reviews include the 330i, never the 325i.
Is there somebody out there that has cross shopped these two cars (the 2002 A4, please, no previous models), and chosen the BMW? I need someone to talk me down off of the ledge.
I take it that a quick two day trip to Munich is out of the question, otherwise, you could consider a 330i SP via ED. That would totally change the price picture to such an extent that you can get said 330i SP for $31,350 (assuming $1,500 for dealer profit), plus about $700 in travelling expenses.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Shipo - for me ED is out of the question.
Ken
You can learn more about this if you want to understand it, go to www.autocareonline.com and you will understand the new meaning of car cleaning which also can be confusing as well. Too many products and definitions.
When I ordered the 525 in August of 2000 BMW was having production problems in France with the all wheel drive system. This prevented any sort of reliable delivery schedule and I was sold on the dsc system ability to handle slippery conditions, etc.
In fact it has performed beyond expectations on ice especially.
I still would like an xi.
Has anyone had experience with the 325,330 xi and can attest to its strengths and/or weaknesses.
Is it able to handle the extra power of the 330?
I do not note that BMW has ever used an all wheel drive system with the power levels of current engines.
Thanks.
My tires are 225/40-17 Continental Conti-Sports from the SP. Deep grooves collect the tire gel in globs. Anyone else think the stuff smells like grapes?
Thanks for the advice, I will go to autocaroneline to learn more.
rtorreca - I was asking why you were looking at the xi instead of just the i. Most people don't need the AWD unless there is a good chance you will be stuck in the snow. Driving on snowy and icy roads with the traction control and the and dynamic stability control will be pretty good with the RWD. If you will be driving on icy and snowy roads frequently then the AWD might be better. Where it comes into play more is if your car is parked in a few inches of snow and you are trying to drive across or through a few inches of unplowed snow, then the AWD is probably a must. Why do I care?--I was just trying to think of a way to save you some money.
Does anybody know the best way to contact Pacific and Circle BMW? I'm shopping for some accessoreis (universal transceiver, armrest, tail pipe tips, etc.) and attempted to e-mail Pacific yesterday to request some prices and availability (via "parts inquiry" on their web-site), buy my e-mail was returned undeliverable for some technical reason that I was not able to decipher. I didn't see any toll free phone numbers on their web-sites, at least for retail customers (would it p--s 'em off if I called the wholesale toll free number?), and I am, after all a tightwade accountant.
erickpl-
Like the idea of a site to post pictures. Suggest that owners be pictured with their cars (or would this limit participation too much?).
The wait for the car will be long but not unbearable (famous last words?). I really noticed how good the 3'er drove when I got back in my Accord. It felt like a soap box derby car constructed by 11-year-olds in comparison.
I appreciated the discussion on posting pics because as a fellow computer parasite (I just hang on for the ride while really not understanding how the host actually functions) I was wondering how to get some pics up.
Shipo- How about the "smart" cars? I took a picture at Harms in Munich with two of them parked back to back in one spot! They are probably very practical for inner city driving where gas is $4/gallon, eh? Judith, my advisor at ED delivery said she has worked for BMW for 19 years and still doesn't have a Bimmer because the trains/subways are so cheap and plentiful.
vkwheels- I, too, love the odd plate of food. I am a sucker for good pig meat so the farmer's plate at Schneider's in Munich was appreciated. (Pork sausage, roast pork, and pork in three ways I never dreamed possible over a bed of kraut with a hint of juniper berries topped off with a fairly dark beer tasting of cloves). All food in Italy was great but didn't care much for the melted cheese (Raclette) of Switzerland as it reminded me of melted cheese on my "Vac-U-Form" childhood toy. Anybody remember those?
erickpl: The car handled beautifully in the snow. I actually got to test out a loaner in February here at home and climbed my driveway in 14 inches of snow up a sharp incline with two switchbacks. You will not be disappointed.
Got to get to work. I'm really behind but can't seem to wipe this smile off my face.
ButMyWife
As for sights to see, all you have to do is drive in any direction, and you will not be disappointed. Good luck on your trip, and have fun.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I am back looking at 323/325/328s in the 99-00 range. Would love a 330, but need to be at $28,000 when all is said and done.
Couple of questions if ya'll don't mind. Is there that much of a difference between the above referenced models? I will only drive a manual unless I get some great deal with a lot of extras on an auto (the wife would like an auto better, butit's my turn!). I am reading that SP (sports package?) is a must if driving enjoyment is a concern (which it is). is that true?
I have been doing a lot of looking on E-Bay and prices seem to be much more reasonable than at certified dealers. Is the certification and warranty that valuable? If bimmers are truly that reliable, should warranty be that much of an issue?
Has anyone had any success/horror dealing on E-Bay?
Really related to leesonmd's story as I just lost two good friends in 40s and early 50s to dreaded "C" disease and I am a true automobile lover.
Please bear with me as this is my first purchase of a car over $20,000 (things like a nice house and daughter's college education came first).
Thanx in advance for your help and understanding as I'm sure I'll be asking many more questions
be well,
Jbreez1