Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

driver100

graphicguy said:

laurasdada said:

Jelse about it was cheap; too much $ for such cheap materials and questionable build quality. So, GM...

They hate the Bangle era BMW styling, of course the Bangle Butt.

I didn't like the Bangle look at the time but I think it holds up pretty well today, and a lot of companies have adapted it for their cars too. There is an added feature too, the taillights are visible from the side view too.

laurasdada

e-road signs in DE: "Camp in our parks, not in the left lane. Move over."
I think I'm falling for this state.
But, what will Delaware? Idaho; Alaska.

laurasdada

And, egads, Bjs PUG went up .18/gal while away! ($4.18 as of today's fill up).

104 mile round trip, slightly different routes going/coming to pick up dog from my son:
54 mph avg.
51 mpg avg.
8+miles/kWh
85% highway.
45 minutes, 3.021 free kWh bug juice charging while quick lunching, awaiting son/ dog arrival.

ab348

graphicguy said:

Was thinking about this the other day after passing my local BMW dealer's showroom. As much grief as BMW received from the Bangle styling era, I'm pretty much appalled at the current styling trend....

I saw one of these facing me at a stoplight last week. I found it quite alarming.

mjfloyd1

@laurasdada said:
Well, I think my 2er vert is a beauty! I may paint myself Estoril Blue, love the color so much...

Don’t let anyone catch you huffing the estoril blue spray can😂

fintail

stickguy said:

gas engine cars can catch on fire too! But assuming a battery does not spontaneously combust (in which case you will not be replacing it anyway), they usually degrade over time, not just suddenly stop working and strand you on the side of the road.

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

laurasdada said:

Jelse about it was cheap; too much $ for such cheap materials and questionable build quality. So, GM...

They hate the Bangle era BMW styling, of course the Bangle Butt.

I didn't like the Bangle look at the time but I think it holds up pretty well today, and a lot of companies have adapted it for their cars too. There is an added feature too, the taillights are visible from the side view too.

That's a better angle of the E60, IMO the headlight design and interior hasn't aged well, but it looks good from the side.

This is the real Bangle Butt:





I guess it was daring? Maybe in another decade it'll be a funny nostalgia thing like the bustleback Seville.

I think the rear lights thing has been around for awhile, here it is in 1973:

laurasdada

mjfloyd1 said:

@laurasdada said:

Well, I think my 2er vert is a beauty! I may paint myself Estoril Blue, love the color so much...

Don’t let anyone catch you huffing the estoril blue spray can😂

Yeah, just like Woodstock, beware of the Estoril Blue acid, man!

jmonroe1

@venture said:
I got the title to the Ascent, a month or so ago, after almost 9 months. I just got another one.

————————————————
Now that’s what I call efficiency. If you made a copy of your title they’d put you in the big house.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

@tjc78 said:

@carnaught said:
Food prices are higher everywhere and quality is down it seems.

I’ll agree the prices have gone up, but I haven’t witnessed a quality drop. All our regular places have maintained consistency.

————————————————
When we were at Myrtle Beach we were hesitant about going to one particular restaurant because a couple of us thought it was going down hill. We decided to go anyhow. Big mistake. We aren’t going back and I predict it might be out of business next year. In addition to not being very good they had an adder on the bill I never saw before; a built in “3% kitchen appreciation fee”. They damn sure didn’t deserve that and I was going to protest it but it was decided we’d pay it so we didn’t have to wait for them to adjust the bill since my grandson wanted to get back to the pool.

If @qbrozen wants the name I’ll give it to him if we can do that in here.

jmonroe

roadburner

fintail said:

I think the rear lights thing has been around for awhile, here it is in 1973:

Federal safety standards have mandated side marker lights since 1968; the standards can be met with separate lights or with tail lights that are visible from the side.

laurasdada

Should I run, don't walk, to my local Exotics dealership for this bargain of a lifetime?

Nitrogen Tire Fill
$299.99
4 Tire Nitrogen Fill

andres3

laurasdada said:

Should I run, don't walk, to my local Exotics dealership for this bargain of a lifetime?

Nitrogen Tire Fill
$299.99
4 Tire Nitrogen Fill

is that Audi Nitrogen or BMW nitrogen? MB nitrogen might cost the most.

qbrozen

@jmonroe1 said:

@tjc78 said:

@carnaught said:
Food prices are higher everywhere and quality is down it seems.

I’ll agree the prices have gone up, but I haven’t witnessed a quality drop. All our regular places have maintained consistency.

————————————————
When we were at Myrtle Beach we were hesitant about going to one particular restaurant because a couple of us thought it was going down hill. We decided to go anyhow. Big mistake. We aren’t going back and I predict it might be out of business next year. In addition to not being very good they had an adder on the bill I never saw before; a built in “3% kitchen appreciation fee”. They damn sure didn’t deserve that and I was going to protest it but it was decided we’d pay it so we didn’t have to wait for them to adjust the bill since my grandson wanted to get back to the pool.

If @qbrozen wants the name I’ll give it to him if we can do that in here.

jmonroe

Just came from The Grumpy Monk. I’m not sure why my family likes it there but I’m outvoted. Believe it or not, 801 Bowling has decent food, and they have a Crazy Mason in there, too, which is pretty amazing. Our standy is Sonic. Seems to us it is better here than anywhere else.

tjc78

My family and I pretty much like all the same places down here except for one…. naturally it is the restaurant footsteps from our house. They have awesome drinks and water views (sunsets too) but the food is just “ok”. Wife and kids think I’m crazy for saying that.

cdnpinhead

laurasdada said:

Should I run, don't walk, to my local Exotics dealership for this bargain of a lifetime?

Nitrogen Tire Fill
$299.99
4 Tire Nitrogen Fill

It's a P. T. Barnum moment.

snakeweasel

laurasdada said:

Should I run, don't walk, to my local Exotics dealership for this bargain of a lifetime?

Nitrogen Tire Fill
$299.99
4 Tire Nitrogen Fill

Such a deal I have for you, for only $199.99 (66.7% of the price) I'll put 78% nitrogen into your tires including the spare. Thats 11.3% for free. And as a bonus I'll put 78% nitrogen in your cars cabin and trunk.

fintail

roadburner said:

fintail said:

I think the rear lights thing has been around for awhile, here it is in 1973:

Federal safety standards have mandated side marker lights since 1968; the standards can be met with separate lights or with tail lights that are visible from the side.

yep, makes it easy to determine year of certain 1967/68 cars that look very similar aside from sidemarkers (Mustang comes to mind).

I was thinking in terms of it being a single illuminated unit.

stickguy

always how I differentiate a Camaro or Firebird too.

driver100

andres3 said:

laurasdada said:

Should I run, don't walk, to my local Exotics dealership for this bargain of a lifetime?

Nitrogen Tire Fill
$299.99
4 Tire Nitrogen Fill

is that Audi Nitrogen or BMW nitrogen? MB nitrogen might cost the most.

You have to register BMW nitrogen.

laurasdada

Good nitrogen comments; I may buy the spare cannisters they sell for only an additional $249. Now, that's a savings!
My former local Ferrari/Maserati dealer; even with 20%! off coupons they email me for branded gear, but as they said in "Used Cars," "Too fx7!ing expensive!"
But, it's a nice place to walk the lot, the only car I was actually considering buying there was a BMW i8 (again, the whole Rube Goldberg of that car appeals to my sense of odd). Had an appointment for a test drive, but when I arrived, a guy too big for the car was struggling to get out, looked at me and said he had just bought it.

driver100

fintail said:

stickguy said:

gas engine cars can catch on fire too! But assuming a battery does not spontaneously combust (in which case you will not be replacing it anyway), they usually degrade over time, not just suddenly stop working and strand you on the side of the road.

driver100 said:

graphicguy said:

laurasdada said:

Jelse about it was cheap; too much $ for such cheap materials and questionable build quality. So, GM...

They hate the Bangle era BMW styling, of course the Bangle Butt.

I didn't like the Bangle look at the time but I think it holds up pretty well today, and a lot of companies have adapted it for their cars too. There is an added feature too, the taillights are visible from the side view too.

That's a better angle of the E60, IMO the headlight design and interior hasn't aged well, but it looks good from the side.

This is the real Bangle Butt:

I guess it was daring? Maybe in another decade it'll be a funny nostalgia thing like the bustleback Seville.

I think the rear lights thing has been around for awhile, here it is in 1973:

I think the 5 Series Bangle looked OK. The 7 Series is too extreme, especially on the convertible, it doesn't even look like part of the same car. The 73 Mercedes will always look good....just a simple plain design that will stand up over time.
A side view of a 2008 model looks better than most cars on the road today:

....and this shows how nice a 2010 can look;

They were ahead of their time in many ways....actually too early, and the 7 Series went over the top.

roadburner

Good catch; those 7 Series convertibles are extremely rare!

graphicguy

Sliding off topic...

@roadburner ....thought about you as I have been sucked in to the show SUITS, which hasn't been in production in a while. I didn't know it existed but I got sucked into it with the recent surge of interest given it has Megan Murkle as one of its stars.

Not a bad show about a high end legal team. They just keep regurgitating the same 3 or 4 plot lines though.

Question I have, is it like that? Beautiful women who support their flawed men, some of them being real idiots? Some pretending they're Harvard Law grads? They all get paid exorbitant amounts of money to get their clients in, and then out, of trouble? They are driven around in high end Lexi by chauffeurs? Drink high end scotch in the office?

What say you? Is that your daily routine?

roadburner

I don't know about flawed men, but there are more than a few really attractive women attorneys who work in my general area. One of my assistants could have been a model but went into law instead. One intern we had from a local law school was brilliant AND a complete knockout.
It would be almost impossible to pull off what Mike Ross did for as long as he did.
Lawyers in the big firms are essentially indentured servants(60+ hour weeks, 1/2 day off for Christmas) until they make partner.
No chauffeured attorneys in the Louisville area.
No drinking in the office, but my staff and several from the defense bar often get together after work for a few drinks. Sometimes the Judge joins us.

Michaell

Loved watching Suits, and I enjoyed LA Law, back in the day. Diana Muldaur's tragic ending on that show was one for the ages.

I got the phone call yesterday that no child wants. My mom passed away peacefully yesterday morning, after battling Alzheimers for the past few years. 85 years young. Born in NE Tennessee, and moved to CA when she was 9.

Even though my sister and I had been preparing for this day for a while, it's still a bit of a shock when it happens.

sda

Michaell said:

Loved watching Suits, and I enjoyed LA Law, back in the day. Diana Muldaur's tragic ending on that show was one for the ages.

I got the phone call yesterday that no child wants. My mom passed away peacefully yesterday morning, after battling Alzheimers for the past few years. 85 years young. Born in NE Tennessee, and moved to CA when she was 9.

Even though my sister and I had been preparing for this day for a while, it's still a bit of a shock when it happens.

Sorry to learn, my sympathies to you and your family.

jmonroe1

@Michaell, my condolences to you and your family. It’s never easy, we’re just not wired for this no matter how much we think we are.

Your poster buddies are here for you.

jmonroe

carnaught

@Michaell, my condolences for your loss. It sounds like you “lost” her years ago, but the finality is a shock. Now you should remember her fondly for who she was before the illness.

Michaell

Thanks - it was a year ago that I last saw her. She was still pretty active then - took her to lunch at Dennys one day, and dinner at Olive Garden on another.

qbrozen

Sorry to hear, @Michaell . It is never easy.

driver100

@Michaell
Sorry to hear Michael........that takes time to get over.

28firefighter

So sorry for your loss, @Michaell

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

@venture said:

I got the title to the Ascent, a month or so ago, after almost 9 months. I just got another one.

————————————————

Now that’s what I call efficiency. If you made a copy of your title they’d put you in the big house.

jmonroe

Does that mean he can sell it twice?

oldfarmer50

jmonroe1 said:

@tjc78 said:

@carnaught said:

Food prices are higher everywhere and quality is down it seems.

I’ll agree the prices have gone up, but I haven’t witnessed a quality drop. All our regular places have maintained consistency.

————————————————

When we were at Myrtle Beach we were hesitant about going to one particular restaurant because a couple of us thought it was going down hill. We decided to go anyhow. Big mistake. We aren’t going back and I predict it might be out of business next year. In addition to not being very good they had an adder on the bill I never saw before; a built in “3% kitchen appreciation fee”. They damn sure didn’t deserve that and I was going to protest it but it was decided we’d pay it so we didn’t have to wait for them to adjust the bill since my grandson wanted to get back to the pool.

If @qbrozen wants the name I’ll give it to him if we can do that in here.

jmonroe

When I charged my lunch at Paneras yesterday a tip request came up on the screen. I refused just because of the audacity of it.

I’m back to using cash from now on.

roadburner

I’m very sorry @Michaell. You will be on the prayer list.

driver100

What a way to try and get me to buy a car;
2023 BMW M5
Competition

Competition
With Trade-in
Lease
$3,198 Monthly
for 48 months
Finance
$1,356 Bi-weekly
for 84 months
This is based on me trading in a 2012 535 that was 3 cars ago and I no longer own.

2012 535i xDrive
Payment
Paid Cash
Est. Mileage
201,524 km / 125000 miles

If I paid cash for my 2012 what are the odds I'll be leasing or financing a new one....the ad is meaningless to me. Those are prices with my trade-in....I sure don't want to pay $1356 bi-weekly for 7 years!

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

Loved watching Suits, and I enjoyed LA Law, back in the day. Diana Muldaur's tragic ending on that show was one for the ages.

I got the phone call yesterday that no child wants. My mom passed away peacefully yesterday morning, after battling Alzheimers for the past few years. 85 years young. Born in NE Tennessee, and moved to CA when she was 9.

Even though my sister and I had been preparing for this day for a while, it's still a bit of a shock when it happens.

Very sorry to hear that.

dino001

My condolences to you, Mitchell.

explorerx4

@michaell,
Sorry to hear about your Mom's passing. It feels weird to not have parents anymore.

[Deleted User]

Sorry for your loss @Michaell.

dino001

My six-plus-year-old BMW is falling apart inside . First went the door trim (small scribe separated from the door), then the passenger door handle plastic started melting, probably several months of 100-plus temperatures and UV finally got it (btw, driver's side had the same problem earlier, so it's clearly bad material). Just today I got the message that the computer lost signal from the parking sensors. Another victim of heat? I was planning to sell/trade the car in a few months for a new one (same model), but I was waiting for the market to come closer to normal, as local dealers are still acting like its; 2022, especially with such low BMW inventory, adding all kind of worthless crp to them.

All these things that failed are unessential, but combined they will add up to a decent hit against the trade value, or I'll have to pay up to fix them. It's really disappointing that an expensive car like this can't hold its interior whole for seven years. I'm now second guessing my choice for the next car, too...

fintail

Michaell said:

Loved watching Suits, and I enjoyed LA Law, back in the day. Diana Muldaur's tragic ending on that show was one for the ages.

I got the phone call yesterday that no child wants. My mom passed away peacefully yesterday morning, after battling Alzheimers for the past few years. 85 years young. Born in NE Tennessee, and moved to CA when she was 9.

Even though my sister and I had been preparing for this day for a while, it's still a bit of a shock when it happens.

Condolences, think of the good times and that you were able to prepare

driver100

@dino001
That's a tough one dino. I lie BMWs and Audis, but MBs have served me well, and the dealer is a lot closer to my home. But, if I had that many problems, I'd probably switch. To me, those 3 makes are almost interchangeable, depending on which one suits your needs the most.
Unless you really want to go for reliability and buy a Lexus.

fintail

driver100 said:

What a way to try and get me to buy a car;
2023 BMW M5
Competition

Competition
With Trade-in
Lease
$3,198 Monthly
for 48 months
Finance
$1,356 Bi-weekly
for 84 months
This is based on me trading in a 2012 535 that was 3 cars ago and I no longer own.

2012 535i xDrive
Payment
Paid Cash
Est. Mileage
201,524 km / 125000 miles

If I paid cash for my 2012 what are the odds I'll be leasing or financing a new one....the ad is meaningless to me. Those are prices with my trade-in....I sure don't want to pay $1356 bi-weekly for 7 years!

I wonder what's the rate and sales price of the M5. If they are just sending these out to random past customers who didn't buy tuned cars, sounds like their targeting could use some work.

roadburner

dino001 said:

My six-plus-year-old BMW is falling apart inside . First went the door trim (small scribe separated from the door), then the passenger door handle plastic started melting, probably several months of 100-plus temperatures and UV finally got it (btw, driver's side had the same problem earlier, so it's clearly bad material). Just today I got the message that the computer lost signal from the parking sensors. Another victim of heat? I was planning to sell/trade the car in a few months for a new one (same model), but I was waiting for the market to come closer to normal, as local dealers are still acting like its; 2022, especially with such low BMW inventory, adding all kind of worthless crp to them.

All these things that failed are unessential, but combined they will add up to a decent hit against the trade value, or I'll have to pay up to fix them. It's really disappointing that an expensive car like this can't hold its interior whole for seven years. I'm now second guessing my choice for the next car, too...

Our 2009 E90 was the only BMW we have had that started to look sketchy on the inside; the door pulls really looked worn. In contrast, the 2009 Clubman's interior looks almost new. Go figure.

ab348

Sad news, Michael. My condolences.

mjfloyd1

@Michaell - so sorry for your loss

mjfloyd1

@driver100 said:
What a way to try and get me to buy a car;
2023 BMW M5
Competition

Competition
With Trade-in
Lease
$3,198 Monthly
for 48 months
Finance
$1,356 Bi-weekly
for 84 months
This is based on me trading in a 2012 535 that was 3 cars ago and I no longer own.

2012 535i xDrive
Payment
Paid Cash
Est. Mileage
201,524 km / 125000 miles

If I paid cash for my 2012 what are the odds I'll be leasing or financing a new one....the ad is meaningless to me. Those are prices with my trade-in....I sure don't want to pay $1356 bi-weekly for 7 years!

Well, at least it would have been in Canadian funny money😂

ronsteve

Not getting the mailers too often from dealers wanting me to trade, but I did get one today from Acura service. They’re still trying to tell me my 15 RDX is past due for a GDI fuel system service, to the tune of $231.95.

Thing is, that version of the J35 engine is still PGM-FI and not DI.

stickguy

So sorry to hear Michael. Condolences.