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Comments
Cnorthrup: Thanks for the key programming url. Now I'll have time to think about what I want programmed as it ships over.
leenelsonmd: Remember, "y'all" is singular and "all y'all" is the plural. The pluperfect subjunctive is difficult even for a southerner to pronounce and was banned about the time Elvis hit the airwaves.
BTW: My favorite sign in Germany: "gros fahrte verboten." I don't know what it means but I feel confident I would back it in a referendum.
Thanks, ButMyWife
I think this is a good thing. Paying sticker just plain makes me boil - on principle alone. Anyone remember the late '70's and early '80's when Japenese cars all had markups OVER sticker. Talk about arrogant. They still make good cars, but look what happened to their ecomony.
And I thought our favorite sign was "Ausfahrte", however, your "gros fahrte verboten" is WAY better (funnier). ;-)
BMW323is,
In 1978, I was looking for a new Camaro in Los Angeles, the car was just a basic Camaro, with a 305, Automatic, crank windows and a fair stereo. It had a sticker of something like $7,700, and a "Dealer Markup" of $1,300! Needless to say, I was a little reluctant to buy for OVER sticker, and I said so. The salesman then offered to trim the markup by $300, leaving ONLY a $1,000 markup. I kept my Challenger instead. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
This salesman made several comments I didn't like so I didn't buy the car from him.
A friend of mine called it "gun metal blue", certainly not a chick color.
I've had nothing but compliments on the color of my car. My only regret/disappointment is seeing minivans and Ford Taurus' with similar colors!
-murray
Any newer car you buy will lose thousands of dollars in two years. Personally, I would never buy a newer model car with the intent of selling it in two years. I might buy a 5-7 year old car if a totaled my car and needed something to drive. Even then, I wouldn't buy a BMW but rather a less expensive car.
Put your cash and payments in a money market account or CD for two years and you'll easily be able to afford more options on your 5 er. Don't let your emotions rule your financial decisions! I waited over 2 years between wanting a BMW and taking delivery.
which would give the most value from the needs I have listed
In my opinion, you haven't listed your "needs" but rather your desires. There is a difference.
-murray
Unfortunately, we had the worst luck with the weather - it kept pouring all day and some sections of the track had standing water, which was very dangerous. The worst puddle was located right where you go into the straightway where you'd be most aggressive on the throttle in dry weather. My first run I went hydroplanning for about 10 ft but luckily I was going straight and the car recovered well. The track conditions kept getting worse: 4 other cars weren't that fortunate: 2 cars (a gorgeous M coupe and an E30 M3) hit the wall after a tailspin at about 50 mph and got damaged pretty bad. 2 other cars (E36 M3's) spun off the track and sustained minor damage to the air dam and front spoiler. Yet 3-4 more cars spun off but got away with sand and grass on the wheels only. All of this happened within 2 runs (~ 1/2 hour). The organizers called off the school at that point and some people left. 10 min later, the rain slowed down and they determined that they could seal off the puddles with cones. We were back for a last run of the day but some people decided not to run. I spent the last 1 1/2 hours of the day flagging in heavy rain and I got completely soaked, esp. my feet.
Rain and crashes notwithstanding, I loved being out on the track and I felt very comfortable with my 325i. I learned a lot about car placement, corner setup, exit speed, passing, and tracking in general. I also learned that I drive way too aggressive for my skillset. As my driving instructor put it at the end of the day, "You drive much better than a novice but your skillset is at 5 and you're trying to drive like someone with a skillset of 10." It was a fair assessment and as much as I loved catching some oversteers and getting the back end to come out slightly while exiting corners, I have a lot of learning to do before I am entirely comfortable doing that.
FWIW, I think $115 for a full day of school with experienced instructors of this caliber is a steal!!
If you want a 2004 5 series you can:
1) Invest and wait
2) Buy a 98-99 model car - I would try the 3 series since it is a lower value car and its depreciation over the next two years will be less than a 5 series of the same age.
3) Buy my car -- I am going to sell it as soon as I can order a 2003 3 series. hehe :-)
I agree with your plan though, I would try to wait until 04 to get the 5 series.
Why do you want the 5 instead of the 3? Is it for the family or mostly just for you?
Best Regards,
Shipo
I used the included microfiber applicator pad and purchased 3 microfiber towels for wiping off. I also followed one of the tips and used a quick detailer spray on the pad with each dab of All-in-One.
Thanks shipo and others for the recommendation; I'll have to trust you guys that it lasts as long as you say since it seems almost to easy to work that well.
-murray
Best Regards,
Shipo
Thanks for your help!
HPMan
-nobee
So here's the crazy idea. If anyone in the DC area is interested in realizing a $2500-3000 ED savings in exchange for covering my airfare from the east coast, I would be willing to pick up your ED Bimmer and do a same-day Harms drop-off in Munich on your behalf. I speak German, I've done an ED before so I know the drill, and I have a demonstrated ability to keep a new Bimmer below the recommended break-in speed and RPMs ;-)
Since I'll be picking up a car for my father, I've done some investigation into the logistics with my dealer and it can be done. Although I haven't thought through all the added complexities of setting up something similar with a 3rd party, I think it's do-able. If anyone in the DC area is interested, drop me an e-mail and we can investigate it together.
Best Regards,
Shipo
In my case, maybe it is just age, however, as much as I loved my 328i (and I did), I found myself loving the 530i even more (while I had it, that is), and am waiting anxiously for it to appear here State side.
Best Regards,
Shipo
As for the $189 doc fee, that dosen't sound too bad, it seems to me that I paid $250 over at Prestige in 1999 for my 328i, which makes the $189 a little more attractive. That said, I am sure that Park Avenue has at least a little profit built into that number, just not enough to make me fuss about it. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
http://community.webshots.com/user/butmywife
The album's name is BMW ED and has 10 pics. Could someone please try this to see of it works?
Thanks, ButMyWife
IMHO, your best target market is to bring back a 7 series (if you can stand being seeing alive in one) or a M-3/5 and target high income/net worth customers who don't necessarily need to take out a car loan.
Regards,
Wabends
- I bumped off rides from other drivers so I'd see the course at speed. Everyone except for one pompous guy was very helpful.
- I got a ride in an E46 M3 (only 5K miles on it). This car handles incredibly. I saw for sure that the tach was > 8K RPM's at one point!! I also got a ride in an E36 M3 and they are both so fast off the start, they almost turned my stomach upside down. I loved riding in these cars as much as I enjoyed driving mine. When you are a passenger, you can actually relax a lot more and think about the course. When you drive on the track, you don't see nearly as much.
- Pretty much all 3-series (excl. the M's) with street tires are in one class. Other than mine, there was only one other E46 325. We were running at 94-95 sec on our best runs which I think was at mid-pack or better (the results get posted on the website in a few days). I didn't see any 3-series below 94 but that's not to say there weren't any. It seems that the 330's did not have a substantial advantage over the 325, although the sample may not be statistically representative.
- Most stock M3 on street tires were running a couple of seconds faster (92-93), and those with racing tires were at about 86 - i.e. in this type of events, the tires make a much bigger difference than the size of the motor.
- I am very happy to be able to run with the caravan in my second event. As with anything else, I reach my peak pretty fast but unfortunately I plateau fast as well (my last 5 runs were in the 95-96 range). I hope that instructors' feedback will help me improve further.
- I managed to chirp my 325's tires upshifting into third for the first time!! The fact that they have < 4 mm of tread left on the outside grooves probably helps ;o)
seivwrig: Yeah, I got the 5 speed. All five of my cars have been manuals 'cause I just like to drive that way. I also got the premium package and glad that I did. If I had it to do over I would have tried to get the sport seats but not the sport pacakge---I don't like the looks of the sports steering wheel and don't think I'm sophisticated enough to enjoy the sport suspension.
Did you keep your Euro license plate? If so, what are you doing with it?
Thanks, ButMyWife
Do to the Texas heat , i prefer light colors But was wonding what color interior would look best with it .
My last free service is in one month. My last loaner was a 3.0 Z3, wonder what i can snag this time
DL
Thanks. I'll check it out.
Hey derprofi, if you find a way to circumvent the whole identification thing during an ED pickup. I might have to quit my day job and fly the friendly skies with you. I can pickup a car and drive to Antwerp or Bremerhaven for a dropoff. I'll even drive slow, to minimize damage from flying debris.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD