Luxury Lounge

dewey

Mary Kay Pink Cadillacs are being substitued with Audis and Lexuses.

Ok just kidding, some cars do not look good in every colour and that includes the Audi R8 (although I could not find a picture to post here)

louiswei

Ahhhh.... My eyes!!

Poor Lexus, that Audi deserves it though. :P

tagman

Never like the idea of a white Porsche though. Hopefully Tag's 911 is not white...

No, not white... much more daring than that! My very first one, however, was Guards Red, second one was Silver... so I went for this "show car"... it was displayed and roped off at the International Auto Show. I got a call that I could buy it, and when I saw the matching exterior/interior gauges and seat belts and carbon fiber treatment, I was sold.

Here it is (pic borrowed form the Porsche website)...



BTW, esf, you did a great job of posting all those pictures... and they all fit!! Thanks for all that work. Of course, the R8 can look good in ANY color. As I posted earlier, the R8 is sooooooo stunning that I'm convinced it was crafted by God himself!

Lou, I'm still suspicious that there is something wrong with the CarSpace pictures when trying to embed them in the post.

TagMan

pat

Okay, you're 'bout back in the doghouse for THEM, sheesh!! :shades:

pat

Maybe try reporting the problem at the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page?

roadburner

Problem with the 318Ti during the 90s was that it was a hatchback and not available as a 325Ti.

Most people don't realize it, but the ti actually hit most of its sales targets. The problem was that BMW NA priced the car very aggressively with the hope of bringing first time BMW buyers into the fold, and then moving them up the food chain. While there were a few conquest sales, most of the buyers were already BMW owners who bought the ti to use as a track rat(like me) or as a second or third car(like my wife). BMW NA quickly tired of offering the low margin bobtails once it became evident that they were "selling to the choir" as it were. On top of that, BMW Financial(now Bank) didn't get the memo and failed to offer competitive financing to the twentysomethings who were the prime demographic for the car. A friend of mine saw some 325ti evaluation cars at BMW NA in the late 90s, but NA decided that a 325ti would only cannibalize 325is sales.
A lot of self-proclaimed "experts"(most of whom haven't even sat in a ti- never mind driven one) like to slam the ti as a failure. Well, look at a few contemporary press accounts and see if they are describing a failure...

"...it's the real thing, an honest BMW, forged with the firmness of a
540i and the presence of an 850CSi. Has BMW built the modern GTI? Not
really. BMW has built a great little BMW."
Mark H. Schirmer, "Small Wonders" Automobile 12/95

"Gimme the Bimmer! I need that car! Give it to me! I won't ask for
anything ever again. Maybe a little more engine... ah, who cares? It's
the best! It's a slot car! GIMME ONE!"
Eddie Alterman, "Small Wonders" Automobile 12/95

"Many cars may be faster, but few reward this type of driving like the
Club Sport. The steering is perfectly weighted and unencumbered by
front-drive torque steer. Strong brakes inspire confidence... There are
certainly faster cars, but this one makes you feel like a pro at more
sensible speeds."
Larry Webster, "BMW 318ti Club Sport" Car and Driver 6/96

In an ideal world, we'd put the VR6 engine in the 318ti chassis and
create our own hot hatchback. But since this can't be done, we'll pick
the BMW 318ti as the winner here."
Andrew Bornhop, "BMW 318ti vs.Volkswagen GTI VR6" Road & Track 8/96

"The firmer Sport suspension, as fitted to our test car, help makes the
most of the 205/60 R 15 tyres and contributes to steering that's quite
the the crispest and sweetest of any current 3-series this side of an
M3, and possibly any 3-series full stop."
"For those who value cars as objects of desire, the Audi A3 SE is the
best car of our trio. But for those who really understand, who love
driving cars and interacting with them, the BMW wins and the Alfa 145 is
a price-busting runner-up."
"Giant Test: Audi A3 1.8 SE v BMW 318ti Compact v Alfa 145 Cloverleaf"
CAR Magazine(England)8/96

Disclaimer: Yes, I am biased; I am the original owner of one of the @300 Club Sports built through the BMW Individual program in late 1995. Mine is one of less than 10 built without a sunroof(thanks to the determination of my salesperson). I'm keeping it forever. In a couple of years it will get an M42 2.1 liter stroker motor and maybe a six speed. Then it will be perfect. My son won't get to drive it until/unless he inherits it. :P

tagman

OK, thanks Pat!. Previously, I tried everything to embed those pics from my CarSpace album in the post on this forum, but they would disappear after a while. It was weird, and that's why I finally resorted to posting those oversized ones... which I won't do again for fear of that horrible doghouse.

TagMan

tagman

Any chance you could post a Pic?
TM

tx_buzzard

The color really looks nice! IMO two-seater sport cars look so much better in a bright, aggressive color. Good choice Tag.

roadburner

Any chance you could post a Pic?



My ti looks identical to this one except that mine has E36 M3 mirrors and no sunroof. One of my friends thinks that only three Club Sports were built sans a hole in the roof, but I tend to believe that there were at least a couple more.

blckislandguy

You know, often it isn't the MB that exudes "hey, I'm the king" but the terribly insecure guy behind the wheel. I am as impressed by the MB heritage as I am unimpressed by the crowd that seems to always lease them. Show me an S Class and I'll show you one parked illegally in front of a public venue. The leasor is either parked there because they think they have a divine right or they just want everyone to know that they are spending $1500 a month on a lease.

But then again, what do I know? I get up in the morning and put my khakis on one leg at a time.

cdnpinhead

Amen.

I want to talk with the folks who actually buy Mercs. They do exist -- I think there are nine of them. They love the brand & can tell you just exactly what to look out for. Sadly, it's quite a lot these days.

tagman

Show me an S Class and I'll show you one parked illegally in front of a public venue. The leasor is either parked there because they think they have a divine right or they just want everyone to know that they are spending $1500 a month on a lease.

I doubt that the S-class owner parks illegally all that much more than anyone else. Heck, some of the old junkers are parked illegally, too, but they don't get your attention near as quickly as the S-Class owner does. Now, I have talked to some owners of nice cars that are terrified of door dings... so I suppose THAT could be a reason.

Case, in point... when you get a parking ticket, do you think that people pay attention to you more? How about if you were driving a Bugatti? Do you think that people would pay attention more to a Bugatti getting a ticket? Well, the answer is YES they do!

Here's a picture of a crowd cheering as a Bugatti gets a ticket for being illiegally parked. If the car had been an Impala, I guarantee no one would have raised an eyebrow. So, the S-Class gets noticed more... that's just how it works. The car has presence!! Maybe not enough to draw a crowd, but I'm sure you get the idea.



crowd-cheers-as-bugatti-veyron-gets-parking-ticket

TagMan

tagman

Wow! Now THAT's the red I was originally hoping for, but they don't offer it on the 135i, so the white will have to do.

That's a great car, and to think that it was so limited in its production. I had no idea just how special that car is. I think we can safely say now that we will start to see more small coupes (hatchbacks, I'm not so sure of) over the next several years.

Today I saw a pristine black Z3 coupe. I don't run across many of them, and I think the body style could be contraversial. I'm guessing that not many of them were produced, although I doubt it is a rare car like yours is.

Thanks for the pic!

TagMan

blckislandguy

Tagman, good point. But, I think that to a large degree S Class leasors share a Type A personality which is competitive in nature and S Class leasors are found in occupations/professions (given the utter comercialization of most "professions" these days it is hard to tell the difference) which emphasize individual achievement and personal success.

esf

It is worth noting that that picture of the E92 M3 is computer generated... I had the same reaction, but then realized my mistake.

Let's hope it looks that fantastic in person, though! :shades:

'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet

esf

You simply must post a picture of your Porsche (real-life). I'd love to see the color. I see that Porsche USA picture all the time.

BTW, esf, you did a great job of posting all those pictures... and they all fit!!

I try.

As I posted earlier, the R8 is sooooooo stunning that I'm convinced it was crafted by God himself!

Ja, but I'm not quite sure whether even God himself would pay over $100K in markups!

'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet

roadburner

Wow! Now THAT's the red I was originally hoping for, but they don't offer it on the 135i, so the white will have to do.

The official name is "Hellrot"- Bright Red. I love the color, but I must note that the only BMWs that I've been ticketed in were red- in the ti it was for 91 in a 65. That's one reason my commuter is a discreet shade of blue/grey... :P

I think we can safely say now that we will start to see more small coupes (hatchbacks, I'm not so sure of) over the next several years.

I actually prefer hatchbacks, but they do have a downmarket image in the US. I still wish the five door 1er was coming to the US...

Today I saw a pristine black Z3 coupe. I don't run across many of them, and I think the body style could be contraversial. I'm guessing that not many of them were produced, although I doubt it is a rare car like yours is.

They aren't all that common either. I'd have an M Coupe in my driveway if I could justify a two-seater. Like the ti, they have kind of a cult following in the BMW CCA and are very popular at autocrosses and track days. I drove an M Coupe in an autocross once- as one Brit mag put it,"Place on Ground. Light fuse. Get Away!!!"

tagman

I understand your point, and I agree that it makes a lot of sense for them to go hand-in-hand... that being the S-class and the successful professionals. Afterall, motivated individuals (and overly motivated type As) do generally tend to become successful.

I do not know, however, that successful people are any more insecure than the percentage of insecure people from other economic brackets. If anything, they may have more confidence, and thus become more successful... So, I really couldn't say factually without looking into it. That said, I personally believe that insecurity as well as other personality traits can generally cross all socio-economic boundaries... and therefore drive all types of cars.

TagMan

dewey

Roadburner,

I couldn't agree with you more. I love hatchbacks and I personally prefer the wagon version of the 135i just like I prefer the wagon version of the 3 series and 5 series. I did not buy a 3 series wagon because here in North America they assume a wagon driver is no thrill seeker . I would be driving a 335i touring instead of my 335i sedan if such a thing existed here.

dewey

Based on an Economist article about various studies (link is below) the following conclusion was made:

People do not just say they enjoy expensive things more than cheap ones. They actually do enjoy them more even if that more expensive thing has lower quality than a cheaper competing product.

Is Ferarri's sucess mainly due to its high pricing?
Will the Hyundai Genesis flop because of its low pricing?
The answer is YES if the study below applies equally to cars as well as wine

A wine study made from cabernet sauvignon grapes, people enjoyed the $10 wine more than the $90 wine when they were deceived into thinking that the $10 wine is more expensive than the $90 wine.

What makes this study real interesting is that the above results were identical whether the study participants werea "wine tasting club members" or just a "everyday casual drinkers"

link title

blkhemi

I see that the gang is still at it. just looking at all the posts. WOW!

Just unpacking from my 6-continent "world tour". I'll chat with you guys later..

louiswei

Same can be said to those people who lease BMW or any other expensive imports I guess. But I guess since MB and BMW (don't know about Audi) have the highest lease rate, their owners are the worst offenders.

I love those 10k miles/year lease programs, why would I buy a 335i sports if I am only going to use that as my daily commuter? :confuse:

tagman

Just unpacking from my 6-continent "world tour".

Whoa!... you'd better have a lot to tell us.

Welcome back.

TM

tagman

I heard that report on KCBS Newsradio last week as I was driving to work.

According to the report, just the perception of being expensive affected the brain in a way that the wine tasted better... the power of suggestion isn't anything new if we stop and think about it... only now it's "proven" with a scientific study using wine tasting. I wonder if our tax dollars funded that "study", as they do so many worthless studies... LOL.

TagMan

louiswei

Hey Tag, given that you live in SF do you personally know any vineyard owners in Napa Valley?

tagman

Hey Tag, given that you live in SF do you personally know any vineyard owners in Napa Valley?

Lou, I live in the Bay Area, but not in SF. I hate cities as a place to live. SF is an incredible city to visit, but I could never live there.

My brother lives in Napa, and he knows more about it than me. Also, I have some friends that do actually know some of the owners, but I do not personally know them.

Why do you ask?

TagMan

louiswei

Okay, Bay Area, San Jose, to me they are all part of the metro SF. :P

The reason I asked is me and my friends are thinking about exporting Cali wines, especially Napa wines so we would like to talk to some owners and see what's the possibility of that.

I don't want to hog the board for this so if you got more for me here's my email address: louis.wei@yahoo.com

Thanks a lot.

tagman

I completely understand. Quite honestly, I am not the level of resource you need as far as your aspirations are concerned, and my connections to the wine industry are limited to none. If I should run across something of value to you, I will gladly pass it along. BTW, I'm not sure about this, but you may want to consider in the future that you post your CarSpace email instead of your direct email. Whatever you do on this, I wish you the best of luck and success!

TagMan

louiswei

Ah shuck, I am just a poor little engineer, what are they gonna do with my email address...

Thanks for the reminder though.

lexusguy

Is Ferarri's sucess mainly due to its high pricing?
Will the Hyundai Genesis flop because of its low pricing?
The answer is YES if the study below applies equally to cars as well as wine

There's a lot more to it than that. It's the pedigree, the reputation, the brand, and the cars. People are willing to wait two years and pay well over sticker to get a piece of that legendary Ferrari history, and the performance of its cars. Ferrari never phoned it in. Aston Martin, Maserati, etc. on the other hand lost their way and both went bust, high prices or no.

dewey

It's the pedigree, the reputation, the brand, the cars

Pedigree, reputation, the brand? Reminds me of a old BMW ad from the 80s with the following slogan (although I cant recall the exact words since I was unable to google it):

Some cars define themselves by the ornmament over their hood. Their existence is based on their history and pedigree. At BMW we are different. We define ourselves by what is not over the hood but under the hood and that is why we are called Bavarian Motor Works.

Now what about the car itself? The Nissan branded GT-R makes the Ferarri look less exotic IMO. But then again there will be wine tasters who will swear that it's worth spending the extra bucks on their favorite vintages just like there will be Ferarri fans who will cringe in horror when you compare their cars to a humble Nissan.

esf

And there's something about a Ferrari that gets me every time.

The GT-R? It's fabulous, but it all seems so calculated. It's "programmed" to do this, "engineered" to do that.

But Ferraris are so organic. They just do. And they do it well. I really want one, still.

'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet

tagman

You guys enjoy the Ferrari and the wine... I completely understand.

But... I'll take the GT-R and a cold beer, thanks!

TagMan

esf

I think we should have a little picture session.

I have the S4 in storage, and am driving the A3 right now. I know you guys aren't interested in seeing pictures of a salt-caked Audi A3 on these pages. I also know that a good portion of us live in cold, cheery places like Chicago and New York... so it would be good to wait until Spring.

But who is interested in showing off a few shots of their ride? Hearing about all the variety on this forum makes me want to get a look.

I will certainly do an X5/S4 photo shoot.

'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet

esf

Or a Porsche 997?

Better yet, an Audi R8...

'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet

tagman

I will be glad to post pics. I don't have a camera, but my wife and daughter have a little basic digital they use for family events.

One of my associates just bought some high-end digital SLR. One day, after the 135i comes in, I'll take pics of it and the Carrera and the Jag.

BTW, in a complete 180 degree turn, I have changed my 135i color to black... It is the best looking, IMO, but I had been afraid of tiny spider line scratches. I decided to go for the best look and just be willing to wax the heck out of it.

TagMan

louiswei

Can I have the NSX with the wine...

Or better yet, make it LF-A with Merlot.

tagman

LOL... sounds cool.

houdini1

BTW, in a complete 180 degree turn, I have changed my 135i color to black..

Good grief! You are worse than my wife!

laurasdada

"BTW, in a complete 180 degree turn, I have changed my 135i color to black... "

Zaino, Tag. Zaino...

tagman

Zaino, Tag. Zaino...

I always heard it is an awesome product, and now I will have the perfect reason to use it. Thanks for that tip! If I like it, I'll use it on the other vehicles as well!

I guess you've used it?

TM

tagman

Good grief! You are worse than my wife!

Oh man, I was bad. I was all over the map after that Sedona Red was not good. I had fully expected it to be the color I wanted, and then after ruling it out, I was really lost. But I spent time at the dealership today, and really sorted it out. The Alpine White would have been fine, and in fact, on a 1-Series forum, it was voted three-to-one the favorite.

But, I know that black cars are gorgeous, and I'm just going to put my fears of those little scratches aside and go for it.

The fleet manager had some fun poking at me, of course, and I just have to laugh at myself over this... he's really a super nice guy, and I'm glad to buy the car from him.

So... black it will be... Final Answer!

You guys can all take a shot at me... I deserve it!

TagMan

esf

Good grief! You are worse than my wife!

+1

'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet

blckislandguy

Yes, good point. Afterall , the many, many guys in New England and beyond who commute in an F350 with a 7.3 Diesel aren't exactly a model of social-psychological security. (I've always thought that to spend 7K of post-tax, W2 money just check off the diesel option on your pickup wasn't exactly the most enlightened blue collar decision ever made.)

tagman

Oh, that 's a real good example. I'll take your word about the Northeast, but I have witnessed in other areas guys driving extreme major heavy duty work trucks that have never seen a speck of dirt... and I mean the owners and the truck both have never seen any dirt. And those giant trucks that have major lift kits on them that have never been off-road for even a minute, and you have to crane your neck just to see the driver way up there... what's that about? I mean there's got to be a thrill in there somewhere, or they wouldn't be doing it, right? More than just a tax break.

Now, I do not know your situation, but I do know that a more civilized standard duty pickup truck can make for a darn good ride (at a good price, as was recently shown) and also can be handy when those times present themselves to haul or move things that are too large for an SUV, and only a truck can do it. Very legitimate, and it makes sense to me.

I suppose if I had to venture a guess, I'd imagine that the same kicks that some of us get from driving high performance cars are similar kicks that those guys get from driving their "monster trucks". Which boils down to just another way to have fun on the road.

Some get their kicks from sports cars, and others from monster trucks, and some from ultra luxury cars. And some don't get kicks at all from the driving experience!... and I suppose I feel sorry for them, as they are truly missing out. But from their perspective, they wouldn't understand, and they might think some of us are crazy for loving to drive the way we do... or caring so much about certain cars the way we do. I guess to them, sadly, a car is just an appliance.

TagMan

houdini1

Black cars can be beautiful. I prefer the glossy deep black as opposed to the hard shiny black. I don't know how else to explain it. Probably just my perception.

Black is a good choice for California as opposed to more extreme climates, but you will have to deal with those old "vinyl seat alerts" when it's HOT.

tagman

I do know what you mean about the color. There are two blacks that they offer. The deeper black is called Jet Black. The other is Black Saphire Metallic and is not nearly as deep, but has a little sparkle to. I went with the Jet Black after seeing the two side by side. It is definately what you are talking about, and I agree completely. It shows off a beautiful rich lustre.

Going with real leather option will be a lot easier than the "leatherette" when it gets hot.

Thank goodness, I'm finally settled on this!

TagMan

houdini1

Lustre is a good description. It's as if that particular black absorbs light rather than reflects it.

When will it arrive?

tagman

Sometime in February or March, I hope.
TM