Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

graphicguy

roadburner said:

Hang in there GG, cases like yours are tough. Family Court is never fun...

Thanks, RB. Tough indeed! I'll be alright.

BTW...what do you think of the M235 i (xDrive) 'vert as a 4 season car?

nyccarguy

@roadburner - fantastic review! I'm glad you are happy with your ///M235i

@graphicguy - we are here for you when you need to vent. Not only is roadburner very happy with his ///M235i Coupe, but edmunds recently wrapped up a long term test of an ///M235i Drop Top. Not that I'm an enabler or anything;)

graphicguy

Stick...Driver...you have my thought process down to a science. I've been hanging out with you guys too long.

Snake....OldFarmer......My long time BMW sales guy shot me some numbers yesterday after the test drive. Bottom line, $3,500 off any M235i I want from their inventory. Sounds kind of paltry to me. But, I haven't done any research on it, so not sure.

I like the car, a lot. But, as others said, not sure it's a 4 season daily driver. Will I love it for 7-8 months/year? And, curse it the other 4-5 months?

CTS is doing fine (getting an oil change today...driving an SRX loaner....blech!).

Maybe the Cobra is the car for the "play dates".

BTW...saw my abuse flags yesterday. Wearing them as a badge of honor.

Michaell

graphicguy said:

Stick...Driver...you have my thought process down to a science. I've been hanging out with you guys too long.

Snake....OldFarmer......My long time BMW sales guy shot me some numbers yesterday after the test drive. Bottom line, $3,500 off any M235i I want from their inventory. Sounds kind of paltry to me. But, I haven't done any research on it, so not sure.

I like the car, a lot. But, as others said, not sure it's a 4 season daily driver. Will I love it for 7-8 months/year? And, curse it the other 4-5 months?

CTS is doing fine (getting an oil change today...driving an SRX loaner....blech!).

Maybe the Cobra is the car for the "play dates".

BTW...saw my abuse flags yesterday. Wearing them as a badge of honor.

6% off sticker is a pretty good opening offer for the 2-series.

We tell folks that 5-7% off a BMW is a good price.

Glad to hear that the track weekend went off without any hitches, @roadburner

Going from a mid-sized sport sedan to a much smaller convertible seems to be a big leap. I could see getting some sort of 2nd car for airport / hauling duties, and leaving the 2-series as the fun, almost-every-day car.

graphicguy

Michaell said:

graphicguy said:

Stick...Driver...you have my thought process down to a science. I've been hanging out with you guys too long.

Snake....OldFarmer......My long time BMW sales guy shot me some numbers yesterday after the test drive. Bottom line, $3,500 off any M235i I want from their inventory. Sounds kind of paltry to me. But, I haven't done any research on it, so not sure.

I like the car, a lot. But, as others said, not sure it's a 4 season daily driver. Will I love it for 7-8 months/year? And, curse it the other 4-5 months?

CTS is doing fine (getting an oil change today...driving an SRX loaner....blech!).

Maybe the Cobra is the car for the "play dates".

BTW...saw my abuse flags yesterday. Wearing them as a badge of honor.

6% off sticker is a pretty good opening offer for the 2-series.

We tell folks that 5-7% off a BMW is a good price.

Glad to hear that the track weekend went off without any hitches, @roadburner

Going from a mid-sized sport sedan to a much smaller convertible seems to be a big leap. I could see getting some sort of 2nd car for airport / hauling duties, and leaving the 2-series as the fun, almost-every-day car.

Michaell....you're right. Big leap. Maybe a used Camry or Accord for grocery getting/airport duties.

I'm sure if I made an offer of $4K off, they'd accept. I really do like the car. Living with it every day? That's the real question.

graphicguy

Bradd...you? An enabler? Say it ain't so!!!!!!!

Michaell

graphicguy said:

Michaell said:

graphicguy said:

Stick...Driver...you have my thought process down to a science. I've been hanging out with you guys too long.

Snake....OldFarmer......My long time BMW sales guy shot me some numbers yesterday after the test drive. Bottom line, $3,500 off any M235i I want from their inventory. Sounds kind of paltry to me. But, I haven't done any research on it, so not sure.

I like the car, a lot. But, as others said, not sure it's a 4 season daily driver. Will I love it for 7-8 months/year? And, curse it the other 4-5 months?

CTS is doing fine (getting an oil change today...driving an SRX loaner....blech!).

Maybe the Cobra is the car for the "play dates".

BTW...saw my abuse flags yesterday. Wearing them as a badge of honor.

6% off sticker is a pretty good opening offer for the 2-series.

We tell folks that 5-7% off a BMW is a good price.

Glad to hear that the track weekend went off without any hitches, @roadburner

Going from a mid-sized sport sedan to a much smaller convertible seems to be a big leap. I could see getting some sort of 2nd car for airport / hauling duties, and leaving the 2-series as the fun, almost-every-day car.

Michaell....you're right. Big leap. Maybe a used Camry or Accord for grocery getting/airport duties.

I'm sure if I made an offer of $4K off, they'd accept. I really do like the car. Living with it every day? That's the real question.

And here you had a clean, low-mile Accord just sitting in your garage.

Think your dealer would let you take it out on an extended test drive?

It must really be special for you to consider trading in the CTS for this.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

0-60 in 4 with only 320 hp.? What does it weigh? That's pretty impressive. I'd love to have a convertible but $58k is out of my range.

BMW is notorious for underrating the power of their engines. Also, the engine develops 330 ft lbs. of torque from 1300-4500 rpm. Finally, the 8 speed ZF automatic takes maximum advantage of all that flexibility.

nyccarguy

graphicguy said:

Bradd...you? An enabler? Say it ain't so!!!!!!!

Is there a better "reason" for a CCBA card punch than: My wife left for China & never came back gift.

Just breakin your chops! You are a good dude and don't deserve the headache.

nyccarguy

@Mr_Shiftright - not sure if this is out of there scope of your expertise, but I've got a question about early '90's Camaros. When we were 16 (in 1992) & got our licenses, my best friend wanted a Z28 Camaro & I wanted a Mustang GT (or an LX 5.0). He got a 1992 Honda Prelude Si, I ended up with a 1992 Chevrolet Beretta GT. He's turning 40 in October & is "on the hunt." He could definitely be a CCBA member. What he's looking for is out of his price range ('91 or '92 Z28 Coupe with T-Tops, 5 Speed, & reasonable mileage). He's willing to compromise (which is very unlike him). He's willing to look at automatics & convertibles. Is there anything that he should look for other than normal "stuff" on a 20+ year old domestic. He's working closely with a trustworthy GM service advisor he's friendly with who is willing to go with him to check out the car. Thanks!

qbrozen

speaking of buying and selling homes, I met with a realtor yesterday at our old house to put that back on the market. The renters aren't interested in staying past their current least. I hope it sells this time because I am really not cut out to be a landlord. Too much stress taking care of 2 houses.

stickguy

Good luck selling Q. I don't think I could do that either.

Bradd, I could go for one of those camaros. But I think finding a non T top model (did they make those) is better. They were not all that structurally sound to begin with!

graphicguy

Michaell said:

graphicguy said:

Michaell said:

graphicguy said:

Stick...Driver...you have my thought process down to a science. I've been hanging out with you guys too long.

Snake....OldFarmer......My long time BMW sales guy shot me some numbers yesterday after the test drive. Bottom line, $3,500 off any M235i I want from their inventory. Sounds kind of paltry to me. But, I haven't done any research on it, so not sure.

I like the car, a lot. But, as others said, not sure it's a 4 season daily driver. Will I love it for 7-8 months/year? And, curse it the other 4-5 months?

CTS is doing fine (getting an oil change today...driving an SRX loaner....blech!).

Maybe the Cobra is the car for the "play dates".

BTW...saw my abuse flags yesterday. Wearing them as a badge of honor.

6% off sticker is a pretty good opening offer for the 2-series.

We tell folks that 5-7% off a BMW is a good price.

Glad to hear that the track weekend went off without any hitches, @roadburner

Going from a mid-sized sport sedan to a much smaller convertible seems to be a big leap. I could see getting some sort of 2nd car for airport / hauling duties, and leaving the 2-series as the fun, almost-every-day car.

Michaell....you're right. Big leap. Maybe a used Camry or Accord for grocery getting/airport duties.

I'm sure if I made an offer of $4K off, they'd accept. I really do like the car. Living with it every day? That's the real question.

And here you had a clean, low-mile Accord just sitting in your garage.

Think your dealer would let you take it out on an extended test drive?

It must really be special for you to consider trading in the CTS for this.

Michaell....not like that fact was lost on me.

Bradd....No Problem, my friend. I have to laugh about the absudity of it all.

graphicguy

OldFarmer.....RB sums the M2 up well. It will run with any Challenge, Camaro, Mustang, and probably most, if not all, 'Vettes!

suydam

qbrozen said:

speaking of buying and selling homes, I met with a realtor yesterday at our old house to put that back on the market. The renters aren't interested in staying past their current least. I hope it sells this time because I am really not cut out to be a landlord. Too much stress taking care of 2 houses.

I wish you the best of luck. It took us a year to sell our house, and not at the price we thought it would bring. But it is nice to only have 1 house payment and not to be long distance landlords any more.

Mr_Shiftright

nyccarguy said:

@Mr_Shiftright - not sure if this is out of there scope of your expertise, but I've got a question about early '90's Camaros. When we were 16 (in 1992) & got our licenses, my best friend wanted a Z28 Camaro & I wanted a Mustang GT (or an LX 5.0). He got a 1992 Honda Prelude Si, I ended up with a 1992 Chevrolet Beretta GT. He's turning 40 in October & is "on the hunt." He could definitely be a CCBA member. What he's looking for is out of his price range ('91 or '92 Z28 Coupe with T-Tops, 5 Speed, & reasonable mileage). He's willing to compromise (which is very unlike him). He's willing to look at automatics & convertibles. Is there anything that he should look for other than normal "stuff" on a 20+ year old domestic. He's working closely with a trustworthy GM service advisor he's friendly with who is willing to go with him to check out the car. Thanks!

I can't think of too many serious issues. There is of course the kind of cheesy Camaro build quality of that era, so you might want to check things like door and panel fit, door lock and window operation and evidence of water leaks.

As far as the LT1 engine is concerned, the Camaro used aluminum heads, so any kind of overheating is bad news. If you see any coolant/rust deposits around the radiator, or on the underside of the hood, that's a bad sign.

The OptiSpark distributor gets a bad rap but I think there are aftermarket solutions to that.

Otherwise, I think it's all a matter of finding an early 90s Z28 that hasn't been beat all to hell.

They only made about 17,000 of the Z28 coupes in '91-'92, so they might not be too easy to find anymore. I'm sure there was a high casualty rate.

stickguy

Here you go. Pricey, but hey, if you want a nice one, and how much more non molested can you get than original tires? I wouldn't pay for it but dang, I like this!


https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/671557087/overview/

Mr_Shiftright

I think a $15,000 offer is fair enough if it's not all rotted out in terms of seals, bushings and gaskets. I wonder if it even runs? I guess, since the photos were taken outdoors?

nyccarguy

Interesting @stickguy. He said he saw the exact car yesterday for $26,500 & kept going. I wonder what the 411 is.

Mr_Shiftright

Carfax says miles are as low as stated. NY car.

Mr_Shiftright

Here's one for PF:

Indy 500 History

qbrozen

stickguy said:

Here you go. Pricey, but hey, if you want a nice one, and how much more non molested can you get than original tires? I wouldn't pay for it but dang, I like this!


https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/671557087/overview/

The Car has been garaged and care for, it even has the original Eagle GT gatorback tires.


So, by "care for," you obviously don't mean maintained.

jmonroe

PF_Flyer said:

There are mistakes you make that you can learn from, and mistakes that you have to learn from when other people make them. Drinking and driving is a very unforgiving mistake to make.

The other one that people don't seem to get is seat belt use "Ejected" is almost always fatal.. The first car our family ever had with seat belts was the '66 Newport that had lap belts. We probably used them 80-90% of the time. When my brother-in-law was doing his ER rotation as an intern, he came away from that a confirmed seat belt user and we've been so ever since. If there was a car accident and they brought the injured to the ER, those wearing belts were generally treated and released. Those not buckled in generally got admitted.

It even feels odd to just shuffle the cars in the driveway if I'm not buckled up

I'm with you about moving my car without putting on my seat belt. So much so that I almost feel like I'm naked when my belt isn't on. I've been using seat belts since 1962.

As I have mentioned before I was crew member when I was in the Navy so that's when I got my first set of government issued seat belts.

It all started after we had to make a hard landing due to cross winds. We were flying a 2 engine prop job known as an R4Y. We picked up about 30 passengers and cargo when we left our base at Pax River Md. As we were about 10 miles out of Norfolk NAS, I informed the passengers that we were going to try to make a landing in about 30/40 MPH cross winds so "be sure to get your belts on and brace yourself". After I got to my seat in the back of the plane, on the right side, I see a sailor (Seaman First Class) undo his belt and the buckle flops over the left arm rest. I jump up and run to the front to tell him and the others to get their belts on and keep them on. Everybody was bucked in except for this one dope. He now puts his belt on and I go back to my seat. No sooner than I get buckled in, he undoes his belt again. As I'm looking through the cockpit window and I can see we are waaay into final approach but I run up again and tell this guy not to play around and he buckles up again. By the time I get back to my seat we are only about 100 yards from the runway. You guessed it, he takes his belt off again. This time I stay in my seat.

We made a hard landing but not as hard as some that we made in cross winds but this guy, that was not buckled in or bracing himself, was thrown right out of his seat into the baggage rack directly in front of him. As I walk to the front of the plane to see how everyone is, he is the only one that is hurt and he is rubbing his shoulder. I said something to him that I can't say here and I follow that up with if I had the time I would write him up for not obeying a direct order but his Chief Petty Officer says, " I'll take care of that for you, don't worry about that part". I found out when they got to the terminal, this wise guy had a broken collar bone.

When we got back to our base a couple days later I went into the aviation equipment department and talked to a friend that worked there and I ask him if he could give me a couple pairs of seat belts that had frayed belts that could no longer be used so that I could use the buckles and then buy some belt material and make seat belts for my 1956 Chevy. He says, "measure how much belt length you need and I'll get some tie down strap material and sew them up for you". I took him up on his offer and I installed them the next time I went home for a weekend. Like I said, this was back in 1962 and when I got another car in '63, just before I was discharged, I went to an auto parts and got color matching belts for that car. I didn't think the government issued green tie down straps would look too good with the blue interior of my new wheels.

I learned a lesson from someone else and I have never driven a car without seatbelts since then and I made sure to pass this lesson onto my sons and they passed it onto their kids.

I make this post hoping that the law of statutes has expired on government issued property by now. If not, I'll have to talk to our resident judge for advice.

jmonroe

roadburner

graphicguy said:

Thanks, RB. Tough indeed! I'll be alright.

BTW...what do you think of the M235 i (xDrive) 'vert as a 4 season car?

I don't see it as being an issue; throw some Pilot Sport A/S3+ tires on it and drive the wheels off of it.

andres3

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

The TTS is too fast for sport-bikes to get in my way in the twisties, I didn't flash them today, but I will in the future to signal they shouldn't try to stay in front of me. Mesa Grande and Palomar mountain have great roads.

Sports bikes should leave you far behind in the twisties. They have a much higher power to weight ratio, low center of gravity and a high degree of lean. If you kept up with them they either wern't trying or were not skilled enough.

Hmmm... well, it seems even the most aggressive sport-bike drivers/riders don't want to push 2 wheels as fast and confidently as 4 wheels on the ground. I realize with the weight on mostly 2 wheels the inside wheels don't do much, but this is a real-world road, not a track. Very tight turns, turn after turn.

henryn

stickguy said:

Good luck selling Q. I don't think I could do that either.

Bradd, I could go for one of those camaros. But I think finding a non T top model (did they make those) is better. They were not all that structurally sound to begin with!

My son bought one of those shortly after getting out of college. Maybe '95 or so?

Someone ran into him, hitting the passenger side A-pillar. The damage was minor, but after 4 or 5 repair attempts the insurance company finally totaled the car. When my son would pick up the car from the body shop, the passenger side door was fine. Within a week or two, it would "drop", you would have to lift up on the door in order to shut it.

With the T top, there was just not enough support for that door pillar, and once the integrity was breached, it could not be fixed.

sda

My mom had seat belts installed in her 63 Olds when they bought it in 65. If you rode with her and sat up front, you wore your seat belt. So I learned early at age 6 to wear my seat belt. When we were living in France, I unfortunately witnessed a crash happen just in front of us. It was at an intersection and a car was given the all clear when it wasn't which resulted in a broadside collision. As it happened, it seemed like it was in slow motion, I saw the passenger go thru the windshield and then fall back into the car. That's all it took for me to make be a believer of the importance of wearing a seat belt.

graphicguy

stickguy said:

Here you go. Pricey, but hey, if you want a nice one, and how much more non molested can you get than original tires? I wouldn't pay for it but dang, I like this!


https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/671557087/overview/

You're going to need a mullet just to test drive that sled! Not the best example of the breed, for certain. They really didn't start living up to the name again until the next gen came out.

driver100

stickguy said:

Here you go. Pricey, but hey, if you want a nice one, and how much more non molested can you get than original tires? I wouldn't pay for it but dang, I like this!


https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/671557087/overview/

Looks nice, like that blue. Actually looks too good of a blue....as in repainted. But, I guess even if perfect that would be necessary.

I like the GLK behind it...looks like my wife's car, which she really likes now. First she thought it was too big, but, now she is used to it, and it is shorter than most medium (C Class, A4, 328) size cars.

driver100

qbrozen said:

speaking of buying and selling homes, I met with a realtor yesterday at our old house to put that back on the market. The renters aren't interested in staying past their current least. I hope it sells this time because I am really not cut out to be a landlord. Too much stress taking care of 2 houses.

Been there and done that. If the market is rising quickly it can pay off....otherwise, it is a lot of extra stress.

What I see sometimes though is people hold out for more than the house is worth, and they lose money since the place doesn't sell for 2 years while they are still paying for the maintenance and taxes etc. These people in Florida wanted $125k for a double wide a few years ago when they couldn't go to Florida anymore. They had an offer for $115k which they turned down. But they kept the place for 2 more years, paying out about $8k a year in fees. Then sold for $119k. Well, they held out and got more, but really lost in the long run.

nyccarguy

The blue Camaro is a no go. He hates blue. Only wants red, white, or black. And this one (even though it has ultra low miles & a stick, doesn't have the T Tops). The search is on!

andres3

driver100 said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of buying and selling homes, I met with a realtor yesterday at our old house to put that back on the market. The renters aren't interested in staying past their current least. I hope it sells this time because I am really not cut out to be a landlord. Too much stress taking care of 2 houses.

Been there and done that. If the market is rising quickly it can pay off....otherwise, it is a lot of extra stress.

What I see sometimes though is people hold out for more than the house is worth, and they lose money since the place doesn't sell for 2 years while they are still paying for the maintenance and taxes etc. These people in Florida wanted $125k for a double wide a few years ago when they couldn't go to Florida anymore. They had an offer for $115k which they turned down. But they kept the place for 2 more years, paying out about $8k a year in fees. Then sold for $119k. Well, they held out and got more, but really lost in the long run.

A house is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I wish all sellers understood this.

stickguy

guy sounds like quite the pill.

there is actually an IROC Z in a driveway around the block from me, but it looks kind of rough. Plus, it is blue!

Mr_Shiftright

Interesting Fixer-Upper With Good Options

Nicer One But a Pimped Out

These cars tend to suffer because many of them fall into the hands of people who can't really afford to fix them up right.

berri

I think it is fairly common that when people look at how much they made off of a house sale, they tend to just compare purchase versus sale prices, forgetting things like buying and selling costs, major repair and update costs, etc. A house is an asset, but it mostly tends to be a place to live and that's not a bad reason to buy one.

driver100

Talk about pimped out;


Don't these cars look best when they are all original?

btw...what are the steps for copy and pasting with Chrome. I have to keep going back to Firefox to copy and paste using "view image info".

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

OldFarmer.....RB sums the M2 up well. It will run with any Challenge, Camaro, Mustang, and probably most, if not all, 'Vettes!

There's a guy at work who has his own backyard repair business and claims to have modified his 3.0L BMW 3 series to get 390hp at the wheels so I guess it can be done.

stever

driver100 said:

btw...what are the steps for copy and pasting with Chrome. I have to keep going back to Firefox to copy and paste using "view image info".

Have you tried just dragging the pic into the post box?

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

@Mr_Shiftright - not sure if this is out of there scope of your expertise, but I've got a question about early '90's Camaros. When we were 16 (in 1992) & got our licenses, my best friend wanted a Z28 Camaro & I wanted a Mustang GT (or an LX 5.0). He got a 1992 Honda Prelude Si, I ended up with a 1992 Chevrolet Beretta GT. He's turning 40 in October & is "on the hunt." He could definitely be a CCBA member. What he's looking for is out of his price range ('91 or '92 Z28 Coupe with T-Tops, 5 Speed, & reasonable mileage). He's willing to compromise (which is very unlike him). He's willing to look at automatics & convertibles. Is there anything that he should look for other than normal "stuff" on a 20+ year old domestic. He's working closely with a trustworthy GM service advisor he's friendly with who is willing to go with him to check out the car. Thanks!

Here's a few. Some aren't even blue.

http://www.listingallcars.com/results/Used

Dang, it won't list my year selections but you can plug those in yourself. I found about 4.

fezo

houdini1 said:

fezo said:

Nope. Still good but there are 2 abuse things on there only one of which shows why and it was ancient and a guy with absolutely zero sense of humor wanting people to diagnose his dead dashboard lights.

If you have an abuse with no explanation, it was from a host.

Well, that certainly stinks. I defy anyone to call my posts abusive and it ticks me off that those are there.

stickguy

I thing calling it abuse is what gets people upset. a more appropriate name ("out of bounds?") would go down better!

fezo

driver100 said:

stickguy said:

GG, my guess, you would get tired of having a "fun" car as your only wheels, and would look to move on sooner than normal. Or, to fill up your 2nd garage bay with a practical car of some kind, keeping the convertible for nice days.

and if that is the case, might as well keep the caddy for now (at least until you find another practical car you like better) and get a cheaper toy, like that Cobra, to serve as the toy.

Good advice. I got my 2008 BMW 328 Cabriolet as a fun car, and it was fun. But you can only put the roof down about 10 to 20 days a year, The rest of the time not much room inside, and a little tiring getting in and out. 90% of convertible buyers don't buy another one. I enjoyed the 328 vert, but, I prefer the solidness and comfort of the E400.

I dunno. I'm on my 4th.

stickguy

so Fezo is the 10% solution.

fezo

Yeah, and up until the Miata they were year round cars.

driver100

stever said:

driver100 said:

btw...what are the steps for copy and pasting with Chrome. I have to keep going back to Firefox to copy and paste using "view image info".

Have you tried just dragging the pic into the post box?

That doesn't seem to work.
Any other ideas?

driver100

90% of convertible buyers don't buy another one. I enjoyed the 328 vert, but, I prefer the solidness and comfort of the E400.

I dunno. I'm on my 4th.



Not counting you the average goes up to 94%

stickguy

driver, copy the address of the picture. hit the down arrow on the place above that looks like a piece of paper (just to left of the page orientation section). Paste it at the bottom (where it says "image URL") and hit enter. That just put the link into the comment box, and the picture will show up when you post the comment.

driver100

stickguy said:

I thing calling it abuse is what gets people upset. a more appropriate name ("out of bounds?") would go down better!

How about;
An "Are You Sure" button?
Maybe "Do You Really Think So?"
Or "Do You Want to Rethink That"

Shouldn't be called "abuse", just "Politically Correct Challenged".

stickguy

whatever makes you happy.

driver100

Say what?

Thanks Stick! I reread and tried it, worked like a charm. Just have to remember how to do it now.