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Thanks.
Btw, you don't seem to like anyone - lawyers, insurance companies, car dealers, securities dealers! lol Anyone on your "A" list these days?
My wife just came back from a 3,872 mile 2-week vacation in her '00 BMW 323iA. She ended up getting 28.31 mpg overall. [At my request, she saved every gas receipt and on each one she wrote the total miles shown on odometer and the trip odometer reading, reset after each full tank fill.] Her best two tankfuls were 29.74 mpg and 29.50 mpg. Worst two tankfuls were 26.37 mpg and 26.90 mpg. She was driving in the 74-79 mph range, using cruise control most of time. Her car will easily cruise 500 highway miles on a tankful
2100 at 60 mph
2500 at 70 mph
Milage can't be much. It' surprising how fast that gas needle moves. This has been mostly city driving.
I'll take a road trip this weekend and see what I get. Fill up, drive and come back and fill up at the same pump. That way you know that the pump shut off is set at the same point.
And, since I have no paperwork, is 92 octane the recommended fuel?
Just got a call from local dealer that they have an STS to test drive, I guess a bunch came in, orders, and some for sale. One guy cancelled his STS order after the test (said it was too rough riding) and is now waiting for a reg.
Silver/black, Aero, Prem, STS, Xenon. Looks great!
How you feel about hog ridin lawyers woth verve for what they do and who drink beer and play pinball? I know a couple like that who are cool.
Now, onto 'important' stuff.... ;-)
Also on the "bad person" list are county workers who use cement dust to cover, not absorb, disel fuel spills from logging trucks here in Clackamas county, Oregon. That seems to be what got me and my wife airborne, eventually, on our new 2001 Goldwing, and landed us both in the spring thaw swollen Clackamas river. Wasn't pretty, and it's a wonder we're both alive. Broken bones in the double-digits, for both of us. I basically drowned, and started breathing after I heard nobody knew CPR, as the story goes, and my wife did some raft-less river rafting through the rapids with her pelvis broken in three places, a knee basically shattered, and an ankle which had bone hanging out of it. It gets fused at 9am, tomorrow, so, no inclines for her.... It's odd how many people are surprised we're walking, that should tell me something. What's really strange is, except for the compound fractures, of which I had at least three, there wasn't a scratch on us. Good gear does pay off...my helmet, a month old, looked like The Terminator smacked me with a sledgehammer.
Would I ride again is a question I've been anticipating, so I'll try here, for grins? Heck, I've got my long-distance (search 'iron-butt' on the web) bike still in the garage, and have been kicking around the idea of a sidecar for it. Might just get sold for a motorhome, instead. Something about wheeled travel really appeals to both me an my wife, which is good. She digs on looking around, I love to drive. Always will, it seems.
Let's see. Lawyers are scum, don't get me started on ins. co's., car dealers (ugh), stock salesmen (just car dealers who sell paper instead of metal, wearing nicer clothes, *maybe*)...hold on... Most everyone I work for in my office is highly cool. No, make that everyone. Not a complaint one. Some orthopedic surgeons rock, those who care about what they do. Actually, anyone who has a 'verve' for what they do gets an "A" from me, even if it's scraping bird crap off street signs. I have a weakness for pinball machine designers...Pat Lawlor in particular. I have two of his in the dining room. Hmmm, not motorhome material there...might have to re-think that whole mobile-house thing....
The guy who figured out how to accurately can Guinness beer is a good dude, in my book....
The guys over at Car and Driver have been getting an "A" from me since 1979. Jeez, I was, uh, 11. Wow, *that's* scary. I have every issue since, and except for a period in the late-80's when they got a bunch of new people, and had to 'break them in', I'm cool with 'em. Hey, come to think of it, they're the only people I've not see complain about the orange dash, in print. Both MT (losers) and R&T (Euro hypesters) assaulted the orange gauges. Now, my wife thought them rather, well, downright ugly, but they weren't a problem to see. There isn't much direct sunlight here in Portland, which I hope to change one day, by going back to the Front Range of CO. Might make for some interesting trips with RWD....
Okay, enough rambling.... Y'all aren't going to see anything from me for a few days, at least, as I'll be killing time in a Vancover, WA hospital, waiting for my wife to be 'move-able'. I hear sighs of relief from here.
You'll never cheat the dealer on a trade-in (unless the ABS hyd actuator is shot and he doesn't know it)--Long story, tell ya later.
I think come fall...the lots will be full, and the prices will be falling. Not to mention the soon to be released FX45, G35 coupe and 6 spd models, and the 350. No way can they demand MSRP.
To gain market share, you need big - big numbers. That's why many business will sell at a loss to acquire the all mighty market share. I'm a die hard INFINITI guy, but to get a BMW fan to change brands...it's going to take more then that lovely 260HP. Most car people are brand loyal, and it usually takes a lot ($5-$8K BMW/G35 diff) to get them to switch.
I think they are better off, putting the cars on the street and lots of them, and 3-4% over invoice or a nice incentive/rebate will do the trick. Maybe I'm just wishing, but I will find out this fall when I go get mine.
Any thoughts on this penalty stuff?
However, I have been offered a discount off MSRP from 6 different dealers. It's not easy to get the discount, and I don't believe any of them would offer the discount in a casual negotiation. However, if there truly was some kind of penalty involved, I doubt I could have negotiated a discount from any dealer...
Besides, wouldn't that be collusion or illegal price fixing???
Not to be obvious, but the article on the home page of Edmund's is all about the Kelley pricing system and how/why it is different from the Edmund's "True Value." A quick summary: the Kelley tries to track what cars are *listed* at; TMV tries to track what cars SELL for. Different objectives which often result in discrepancies of thousands of dollars.
Take care.
Joe W.
And no matter how many times people mention how much they love the G's engine, you bring up your little jejune comments about 0-60 times. Shockingly, a car's powerplant is good for more than stoplight stomps. Go figure.
I don't see the reason why Infiniti thinks that one would want to see 4m on the display while the car is truely in 1st at a stop light.
Speed <---- loves the G.
1. the nearest Infinity dealer is quite out of the way for me and my work when it requires service, it will be fairly inconvenient to get there and back. The BMW dealer is less than 5 miles from my house as are some other dealers.
2. This is the first year of production for the car. I tend to stay away from first year productions. Although Nissan does make good cars.
3. I will be needing a new car and my wife loves the BMWs also. (Although when push comes to shove who knows)
4. I've stated the 0-60 times have little to do with a cars price and they mean less to me than these same times do to some others.
5. I'm excited about some of the upcoming rumored enhancements to the 3 series. Although I will be in mid-lease for the model years they are rumored to arrive in.
6. Is the G35 a BMW killer? Is any car a BMW killer? Yes and no. Yes if you don't want to spend the money for a Bimmer, or if you think 330i=G35 with 5 grand left over. No if you love driving Bimmers and that's the car you want. We could be having the same discussion about the Subaru Impreza except it's $15,000 cheaper than the Bimmer and $10,000 less than the G35.
But I love looking at new car models and window shopping and trying them all. Eventually I'll seat myself in one. Of course now that the G35 is here other manufactures will follow suit with RWD vehicles. While people say the pics don't do the car justice, and they may not, from the pics the car looks like an upgraded Altima, especially from the front. So yes, I was initially interested in looking at the G35 and found the "BMW" bashing (which is to be expected because they're top dog in their class) to be amusing, but after thinking it over decided to pass. I guess I got a kick out of some of the posts who said the 330i, especially the 325i wasn't worth the money for various reasons. But you could say something about any car, couldn't you?
Do tell more, Speedracer.
For the cachet,sir, for the cachet. For some, that's the major turn-on.
It seems everyone is hott on this car, what don't people like about it?
I was fed up with high lease payments and wanted something more reasonable. The best BMW could counter the G35 with was a 325, with cloth, no nav. for the same lease rate as the G35. A 540i would have cost $450 per month more than my G35., which I picked up today. You can't beat the V-8 of the BMW 540 for raw power, and clearly it would have been my preference over the G35, except for the price, $35k Cdn more then the G35 similarly optioned. Even a 530 was $25K Cdn more.
If I would rate the 540i, 9.5 on a scale of 1-10, I would have to rate the G35 as an 8.0, considering a variety of variables. So the BMW wins, but for one crucial factor; value for money. Considering this parameter, I chose the G35. That doesn't make it the right decision for anyone else, but is a choice from someone who has owned 7 BMWs since 1985, and driven several auto and manual 3 & 5 series as loaner cars during service.
I also concur with others that maintenance after warranty would be a concern with the BMWs. Even during warranty, each car I have had needed several visits for warranty items, mostly electrical. Recently my 750 had a recall on a recall, one month apart.
KD, I think you posted some great reasons why you're a Bimmer man (I love the blue and white prop cars too) but I still can't understand the choice to avoid driving a G. What does it hurt? I had no intention of plunking down 40k on the 330i I test drove, but that didn't keep me from taking one for a hard test drive.
Say what? If you havent' driven the G35, then why should we care about your opinion? YOu're baiting us into an arguement that has no fact to support your opinion. If you think the reason why people buy G35 is because of 0-60, then you are absolutely clueless. Please educate yourself and go out test drive it yourself.
where are the fogs??? what is a sports sedan without some fogs. even the sentra SE-R looks better than this car IMHO.
KD- it is a good thing the bmw dealer is in close proximity to your house because the odds are you will be visiting the service dept. every month.
i do agree with you that the G35 is not better looking than a 330i. the bimmers are just refined civic shells and that is why they appeal to the masses. this G35 is a dressed up altima and that should appeal to most people. hey beauty is in the eye of the beholder and at least a IS300 doesn't look like any other toyota unless you want to count the altezza which would be ridiculous. the 3 series looks like the 5 series looks like the 7 series. the G35 looks like the altima and audi and even a touch of C-class. the audi's look like volkswagons and ironically look all the same just the length of the car differs. i forgot about mercedes and volvo. they are no different from one car to the next it seems. this is the age of cookie cutter manufacturing in my opinion.
with the G35 the irony is the altima just may be its own worst enemy not the 3 seriess or IS300.
vtec
Guys, these are all just cars, take a look at our wives or girl friends, some have bigger headlights than others, their rears come in all shapes and sizes,some like tongs others prefer boxers and we do just fine with them. At least our cars don't talk back. To EACH THEIR OWN!!!!
That's what makes the world go round.
V_tech, Just a short note to tell you the "FOGS" are there, they are incorporated into the Xenons, have a seperate switch to turn them on and from a drivers perspective are very cool and light up the road very nicely. They are not your conventional lights tucked under the bumper, but hey the G is not a conventional car.
- Cars do break down and need service, the only car that's ever given my trouble was a '96 Maxima. Consumers Reports rates the current crop of BMWs highly. Even my '99 GRand Cherokee that's been bottom rated by CR has only had one unsecheduled dealer item, the rotors resurfaced once. Point - still like to be close to the dealer.
- Reliablity has nothing to do with lease vs. buy. Because of my situation I've been leasing since '96. And I get new cars every 2-3 years as a bonus.
- Anyone see that article in the WSJ about BMW? That's why they are on top of the game.
- I never denegraded the G35, I'm sure it's a fine car. Again you can state an opinion, how does one chose which car to drive from the hundreds of models out there? Conversely could I affort my dream car, I know what it is without having driven it and would buy/lease it without a test drive. You could drive the 330i and say what is this all about? No interior room, no pickup, interior lacks refinement, car doesn't handle, etc. People pay much more money for cars with much less space. You could say that same thing about any car, there is no one absolute. If you're on a Hyundia budget you could find a lot of faults with the G35. If you don't think the BMW is worth the money, you can state your case.
My guess is some would like to see BMW fall for what it supposedly represents (which someone please explain to me who forces you to buy a BMW or Mercedes or Infiniti, etc.). In actualily it's Nissan that is in a bad financial situation. I've owned 3 Missans, on average they make great cars. BMW also makes great cars, enjoy them both.
By the way, I'd take the 540 any day if I could afford it. Even with the extra service visits there are not too many finer choices for a car. However, I can't afford it and I think the G35 is the next best thing.
By the way, v_tech, nice try at baiting almost everyone who has been posting on this board.
gabman
And don't fall for the theory that going just by the numbers is all that counts. Does having 260 HP guarantee great acceleration? Won't know till the test results are published. Does having X cubic feet of reported interior space or trunk room automatically mean that the space is comfortable or the room is fully & easily useable?
Scott
media campaign commencing on April 1/02(not an April Fools Joke) also television spots starting at same time. If anyone cares all this info is on Infiniti's web site under "News or Press".
That is *precisely* how I felt when I test drove the 3er. Underwhelmed to say the least. The only thought that kept crossing my mind during the whole test drive was - "This is it?! This is what the hoopla is all about?"
I promptly canceled my subscription to Car and Driver - they praise the Bimmer like its the next best thing to sliced bread, and it wins just about every luxury sedan comparo. After my 3er test drive, I came to the conclusion that the editors must be smoking something when they were evaluating Bimmers.
Now before you jump on my case and say I should be test driving myself instead of listening to the opinions of car editors, I must state that I do not go out and test drive every new car that comes out, especially when I am not in the market to buy. That is why I rely on car mags - and why I don't read C&D anymore.
You asked me yesterday about coming out of a stop on manual mode. Well I tried it yesterday in a parking lot. From a stop I put the car on manual mode the readout says 4m. I lightly hit the gas and I could fell car move up the gears from 1st to 2nd etc and also saw it on the tachometer. I tried this a few this each time a little more aggressive and it did the same thing. So the read out says 4m but the car does start from 1st gear on manual mode from a stop. Why it says 4m I have no idea. On the highway though it does go from 5th gear (if that what your at) to 4th gear when you go from auto to manual mode. I guess this is cool for passing situations.
Stooge2000:
You asked the other day about the date my car was built since my vin # is 000605 well I check it this morning and I remembered correctly 1/02 so it was built in January.
To Gabman or someone else with the car:
I have a question about the BASS on the Bose. I don’t really like heavy pounding BASS. I’ve always set my bass on either 1 or 2 if it’s out of 5. On the G35 I keep lowering it, I now have it on –1. Any song with BASS I can feel the pounding of the BASS on the speakers. Is your BASS as sensitive as mine? The sound system is great just notice this quirk about it.
Thanks.
protective cover on the hood, top and trunk-which i could hear flapping very loudly...
Since I moved out (over 20 years ago), I have owned both VW's and Audi's and thoroughly enjoyed driving them. However, I also owned a racing suspension Mazda RX-7 and enjoyed it, to say the least.
Since I became aware of the bias that familiarity breeds, I started to change the way I bought vehicles because I wanted the best VALUE I could find (especially since I can now afford more expensive vehicles, or my wife can since I'm now a full-time PhD student in Production/Operations Management). (NOTE: In POM we view Value as Performance / Cost, where Performance = Quality + Flexibility + Speed/Time/Velocity + Service + Information.)
Anyway, my point is that this is why we drove so many vehicles this time around. By doing so, we have found, many times, that it is often the vehicles (especially brands) that we never thought we would like are EXACTLY the ones we end up liking. Examples would be the Chrysler Sebring (never new it existed when we started looking and found it by chance, the first month it appeared... sounds familiar) and the Acura 3.2TL Type-S and the Infiniti G35, with the Infiniti winning because of its handling, warranty, and many other minor reasons.
As kdshapiro noted, in effect, "to each their own".
Scott
dafreak... Are you talking about '94-'96 Impala SS w/5.7L V-8? Think it had 260 HP and about 330 lb-ft torque. Best 0-60 mph time I've ever seen was around 6.5 seconds in C&D, but nearly all the rest of the published results had it in the 6.9-7.2 second range, with many at 7.0 seconds. Top speed around 143 mph. EPA sticker was 18/25 mpg.
I actually have a Q45 and 911 C2, but would NEVER drive them in such a fashion on city streets. Perhaps you should get a Yugo so our lives are not imperilled by drivers like you.