Luxury Lounge

dewey

Wild idea. Investing or gambling?

Let's just say that if I had seriously suggested this idea to my clients I'd gamble my whole business away.

dewey

Audi certainly does make fantastic R8 ads especially if you are a Godfather fan.

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dewey

Despite all what has been said here nothing is going to change my mind.

My brain is wired a special way with regards to what a BMW must have:

Manual tranny
Sport Package
Black on black

Unless someone surgically rewires my brain I will never change my mind.

lexusguy

Audi certainly does make fantastic R8 ads especially if you are a Godfather fan.

This is part of Audi's huge new advertising push in the US. It will be interesting to see if it does anything for sales of the A6 and A8.

tagman

Despite all what has been said here nothing is going to change my mind.

My brain is wired a special way with regards to what a BMW must have:

Manual tranny
Sport Package
Black on black

Unless someone surgically rewires my brain I will never change my mind.

LOL! So far, I agree... but the proof for me will come in about six weeks.

Interestingly, most of the essentials that typically define the Sport Package are STANDARD in the 135i as opposed to the 128i. So... opting for what is called the Sport Package in the 135i only leaves:

- a "sport" seat, which is so narrow between the bolsters that I personally can not fit in it...
- shadowline trim, which simply replaces the brighter piece of trim around the window with a darker piece of trim... and that can always be changed later, if desired.

BTW, the standard seat in the BMW is awesome, thankfully! I just read a review yesterday which discussed the exact same situation with the seat.

Also... Every manager, at the BMW dealership that I am buying from, owns or drives a black on black BMW. Coincidence?

TagMan

tagman

Highlighting the R8 as a luxury car? I find that interesting. :surprise:

TM

tagman

Time to leave for a Super Bowl Party... I'm late and they're probably already getting juiced up. I'll have my mobile with me, and will be checking in here from time to time.

Two Eastern teams... man, this will be tough out here in California... but just for the record... Go New York!!!

TagMan

houdini1

Tag. I hope GOD did not design those rope lights on the front. Just a little over the top for me.

tagman

Those were designed in Las Vegas, of course.

What? You don't like the bling?!!

TM

houdini1

If you would buy me one I could live with the lights!!

dewey

Also... Every manager, at the BMW dealership that I am buying from, owns or drives a black on black BMW. Coincidence?

Hopefully this has nothing to do with the fact that they couldn't sell those black on black BMWs to actual paying customers.

dewey

Audi is trying to spread the message that the R8 is all about redefining luxury.

Luxury is being redefined as we speak. The luxury segmnet now is no long longer dominated by yacht-like sedans with cozy reclining seats. Nowadays luxury is dominated by performance and driver-focused considerations.

And as we speak even that is starting to change as auto luxury now is becoming green tinted and there is already talk that the very same jet setters who travel the world in private jets that consumes fuel by the thousands and thousands of gallons and emits oodles and oodles of carbon are stricken with such guilt that they want to buy luxury cars that can save a gallon or two. :surprise:

dewey

This is part of Audi's huge new advertising push in the US. It will be interesting to see if it does anything for sales of the A6 and A8.

Humour can go so far. But at least this particular ad is a big improvement when compared to those Audi ads of the past.

Humour ads works well with Volkswagens. Question is will they work well in the luxury segment. Infiniti years ago tried to use humour in their ads( remember that ad with the recently divorced man who did not want his wife to get the better share of his wealth so he chainsawed his residence in half but refused to chainsaw his Infiniti in half ? ).

Those Infiniti ads flopped!

dewey

Congratulations to all NY Giants fans!!!

lexusguy

Infiniti years ago tried to use humour in their ads( remember that ad with the recently divorced man who did not want his wife to get the better share of his wealth so he chainsawed his residence in half but refused to chainsaw his Infiniti in half ? ).

Those Infiniti ads flopped!

Clever ad or no, car companies still need product at the end of the day. Infiniti essentially had nothing before the '03 G35 and FX. The J was dead and was never great when alive, the M30 died in the early '90s, the G20 was basically a Sentra in a micro-Q body, and the I30 was a Maxima clone. The best ad in the world won't be able to sell garbage like that.

Audi has some great products now, so it's definitely the time for them to start spending some actual money on advertising.

bristol2

Judging by Yahoo's selection of best superbowl ad and the front page of the online NY Times, it looks like Audi and the Giants won the Superbowl.

That strikes me as an incredibly effective use of the halo car. Clearly Audi doesn't need to find new ways to sell the R8 but the R8 is dong a good job of helping Audi sell their other vehicles. Even the non-car folks at the Superbowl party I was at were stunned by the R8 with much ooohing and ahhhing that it was an Audi.
Finally, the LED lights under the headlights are a signature shared across all of Audi's new models and I would guess that is the reason that they got their own close up.

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tagman

I thought the ad was effective, even based upon the reaction it got at the party I was at. Even the gals liked the car... "What was that", a number of them asked, showing serious interest, and most of the guys, of course, were impressed, except a couple of them that don't know a car from a washing machine... both appliances.

Reading the second article you linked, I noticed many of the comments were actually negative, however, with regards to the Audi and the Audi ad. :surprise:

Go figure.

TagMan

louiswei

Okay, not exactly...

I had the Eibach springs installed on Saturday and it might be an exaggeration to say that it feels like a totally different car but to be quiet honest, that statement might not be that far from the reality.

I was surprised to find out that the springs actually give the car a smoother ride quality than before, I wouldn't call it softer but it is definitely better. The old artificial stiffness and isolation feeling was gone and replaced by a more engaging experience. The best part is that now the car can go through turns and corner with much less body roll and is much confident. To put the difference in perspective, for you Bimmer guys the difference is much greater than a sports vs. non-sports BMW. Also, the steering response is improved slightly as well.

On top of the improved handling, the lower stance due to the springs (1" front and 0.8" rear) is just the icing on the cake. It indeed looks sleeker than before.

Based on this experience I would recommend aftermarket performance springs like Eibach and Tein to anybody who is looking for better handling or to transform the car for the better without breaking the bank.

bristol2

Talk about not enough information!....

louiswei

That was the tease. :P

No, I clicked the "Post" button by accident, the rest is up now.

louiswei

The clock is ticking and very soon BMW will not only be the number one luxury car brand in the world but also in the USA.

With the model lineup BMW has and soon to have compare to Lexus', it ought to.

If I am the CEO of BMW I would consider anything other than number one luxury brand in the US as a failure.

dewey

If I am the CEO of BMW I would consider anything other than number one luxury brand in the US as a failure.

In otherwords:

"Who cares if that sprinter wins a gold, his so good that having a silver medal would be a failure".

louiswei

Congratulations to all NY Giants fans!!!

I am no fan of either team but I was glad to see the Giants won. Patriots (and those Boston fans) was in need for a reality check.

By the way, where's Laurasdada?

:P

louiswei

Audi is trying to spread the message that the R8 is all about redefining luxury.

Okay, if R8 is redefining luxury then what will the LF-A be?

Re-invent luxury?
Re-discover luxury?

How about the invention of the word "lexury"...

laurasdada

Right here, Louis! I never expected them to go 19-0 (well, I didn't expect 16-0), but after finishing the regular season 16-0, there was no choice. I also knew it was going to be a good, close game. But, to be honest, the outcome does surprise me. I thought it would be 28-20: Pats. But, growing up a Giants fan, I'm only 99.5% heartbroken... It really would have been something, 19-0. Not to mention no longer having to hear from Mercury Morris!

So, the best team won yesterday. Manning out Brady'd Brady and the Jints D was spectacular. The Patsies had several chances, but Championship teams take advantage of those opportunities (Samuel intercepts that sideline pass, history is written. Tyree doesn't make that spectacular, Super Bowl highlight reel forever catch, Manning doesn't pull a Houdini just before the great throw/catch...).

And as far as a reality check? Reality is just that: reality. For 18 games this year, the Pats were undefeated. Each game was mutually exclusive, past performance is no guarantee of future results. In the biggest game of the year, the Pats appeared to only bring their B game.

The Pats weren't bad. They just weren't perfect.

See y'all next season!

And I still don't mind grey interiors. Even in an R8! (Or XK, XF, S5 or Cayman S, if offered. I had hoped to parlay my SB winnings into a new car, but well, you know... :sick: )

tagman

Okay, if R8 is redefining luxury then what will the LF-A be?

I don't personally think it's all about luxury, as much as performance and style.





This car overflows with both performance and style , IMO, especially in that red. It's beautiful.

TagMan

tagman

Good to see you here... It was an exciting game alright! Brady's career has a long successful road ahead, but it takes an entire career to become the number one QB of all time... something I tried to explain recently.

So... you mentioned Zaino, and I thank you for that idea. Have you had good experience with the stuff?

TM

louiswei

It is indeed a beautiful car, now all Lexus has to do is bring it to production.

Here are some inside info I got from someone who's friend works for Lexus corporate office.

1. The GS-F is going to happen, expect to see it on 2010
2. The SC line will be gone
3. There will be an IS coupe and hardtop convertible, expect it to be in your local dealership by late 2008 as 2009 models
4. The LF-A (or whatever they'll call it) will have a MSRP around $130,000

I don't know how accurate those infos are so don't hold me accountable...

tagman

Well, to be honest, I can only hope that the rest of the lineup looks better.

There hasn't really been any Lexus other than this LF-A, that has had any engaging and exciting style, IMO. But, this LF-A is stunning without any doubt, and it's hefty price tag will most likely limit it's sales and status to halo car, and that's about it. The Acura NSX could be in the same boat, if they can ever land on a design. If I were to predict, however, I would bet that the NSX will not be nearly as good-looking or as well-received as the LF-A. Acura is obviously stumbling all over themselves on the NSX. But we will see.

If they build the LF-A as it now looks, it's going to be a wonderful addition to the lineup... much needed.

BTW, have they left out the manual tranny AGAIN? :confuse:

I am guessing that the IS convertible could be a good looker... I can see that possibility.

The SC coupe? Goodbye forever!! And don't come back until a total makeover!!

GS? What's the point?

TagMan

louiswei

You are right, the LF-A will be nothing but a halo car just like the R8 is to the Audi. Looks like the L-Finesse design works best on smaller and lower cars. Case to the point: LF-A and IS are the two best L-Finesse execution IMO and the GS is not that bad. L-Finesse just doesn't work on larger cars (with the exception of LS) especially SUVs, I love the interior of the LX570 but the exterior can use a lot of improvement. The ES is probably the worst out of all current Lexus sedans style wise.

Yes, the LF-A won't be coming with a manual tranny (it is a Lexus after all...), it will come with a DSG.

I hope the SC won't be gone forever, with the L-Finesse touch, improved handling, 400HP V8 I can see it be a real contender in the large luxury coupe segment. However, you are right now, Lexus needs to just spare the current SC from its misery.

Personally I think Lexus should wait until the next GS (hopefully it'll be a better 5-fighter) to introduce a F variant. However, from what I heard the GS-F will be based on the current model. Don't quiet understand that move either...

laurasdada

Well, I don't know who will be the ultimate arbiter of "the number one QB of all time..." I was just hoping he would be the number one QB yesterday. But, he came in a close second... I don't think Brady's standing was too tarnished yesterday. How many QBs would have performed as "well" (no interceptions, gave 'em a chance for perfection) as he did given the Jints ferocious D?

Zaino: Excellent product. Even after a couple of months of Boston snow, sleet, slush and slop, after a cleaning the Zaino shine (Abyss Blue TL, handsome car) looks good as new. It's been at least four months since the last coat went on...

Look forward to Spring and some Z-5 to try to cover up some of the light scratches courtesy of Winter and the pinheads who just push their shopping cart out into the lot once they've unloaded 'em... :mad:

Check out the zainostore.com website, peruse the Zaino forum here. A lot of big fans. Some of the products are time consuming to apply properly, but the results are worth it. And it is not price prohibitive for the folks on this board (well, besides me, that is... )

laurasdada

Well, at least return the SC series to it's orignal glory as a style and performance leader (original SC400)...

Any details you can provide on the IS HT Convert would be cool...

tagman

On a different day, it might have been a different result. Two amazing teams yesterday, that's for sure. I enjoyed that fourth quarter as much as any game in a long while.

Thanks again for that info on Zaino. I'll check out their website. I checked out some different forums, and Z-5 (whatever that is) seems to be the hot ticket. Your personal success story means more to me than any of the commercials or ads!

TagMan

lexusguy

The SC line will be gone

That's a bit of a surprise. The current one is a mess, but I had assumed that they would try again. Though considering they benchmarked the last XK with its 33 year old bones and still failed miserably at producing a car that looked or drove nearly as well, I'm sure there's no way they could make a worthy competitor to the new XK.

I think the GS-F will bomb, but I still hope it pushes Infiniti to come up with an S6 competitor.

houdini1

I have heard Tag brag about the joys of living in California. And it is indeed true. When we lived up in Sonoma County we had warm days this time of year or we could drive for about 45 minutes and be at the beach. Then we could always drive east to the mountains if we wanted snow.

Kansas City is much more convenient and varied however and you don't have to drive all over creation. Yesterday we had rain, sleet, snow, hail, and very heavy fog. Heavy fog this morning again.

Then we got a south wind, the fog blew away, the temp soared up to 72 degrees and I had a great round of golf, cleaned all the muck out of the garage and had a very pleasant day.

I just saw the forecast for tomorrow. Winter storm watch. Accumulating sleet in the morning changing to snow late afternoon with 6 inches plus of snow expected overnight. All this variety and I don't have to drive all over!

Just to stay on track. I like the LF-A, the R8 is great, but (I sort of hate to say this) I would take a Porsche over both of them. Uh Oh, the temp just dropped 20 degrees in the last hour, down to 51.

louiswei

The closest Porsche to compare to the LF-A will be the GT2.

That's indeed a tough choice.

tagman

Houdini, I thank you for that interesting post, and I know very well about your weather. I visit the South frequently, and often I have heard it said, "If you don't like the weather here, just stick around, cause it's going to change real soon anyway".

There's a lot of truth to that.

You live in a beautiful area with lots of hunting, fishing, outdoor activities, and natural woods nearby. I hope your round of golf went well.

TagMan

tx_buzzard

You won't regret the color choice. My 550 is Jet Black with the natural brown leather seats, yet the dash and floor are black and only a smal portion of the doors have the brown leather and the rest is black... just enough. I also had the windows tinted, and can tell you... you will love the look! :shades:

tx_buzzard

For what it is worth:

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/gheumann/zaino_test/

Interesting, if nothing else! :confuse:

houdini1

Wow! Thank you very much for sharing this. I have learned that I do not want a black car and that I will stick to Turtle Wax!

houdini1

For the course conditions (wet) I played way over my head and shot a 75. Three over par. Getting to play at all this time of year is a treat. We had a chance to play a week ago. It was very windy and I shot a disappointing 88 so I was very pleased with the 75 today.

My two buddies worked me over pretty good a week ago but I exacted my revenge today.

laurasdada

I agree with you about a black car. Great color, but I'm not emotionally equipped to handle a car that only looks shiny 1 or 2 days of the week...

As for Zaino, that article is certainly one man's opinion. I like Zaino and in my experience it outlasts the other products (waxes) I've used in the past. That article must be a bit old, because you no longer have to wait 6 hours between coats... But, as I suggested, it's free to check out the Zaino site, lots of neato pictures and happy campers. There is no wrong answer...

And as for reviews, from the Zaino site (note that I'm not familiar with The Wax Test or Guru Reports. Or the linked reviewer. Nor am I affiliated w/Zaino. There, that should insulate me somewhat from the lawyers! ):

"Most recently, we were also named #1 by The Wax Test and Guru Reports who tested 46 waxes, so you don't have to!"

Still in mourning re: The Imperfect Season. I'm giving it 48 hours, then moving on to the UConn Huskies hoop teams...

tagman

That letter is indeed older than the current products, which supposedly do a better and faster job. Certainly I have to imagine that there must be one product that stands above all the rest. Kind of like the radar detector tests that filter out the genuine superior product... Valentine One.

I must consult with Consumer Reports on this matter to see if they have tested all these products and if they provide unbiased reliability data or test results on which are the best car wax & paint sealant products. :P

It's also clear I will have to sell the black car, as I can't imagine that I or anyone would ever want to own one after reading that letter... it's sure a good thing that I have now learned how to hide all those ugly scratches before I sell it to some poor unsuspecting victim who mistakingly thinks black is a beautiful color for a car. :surprise:



TagMan

anthonyp

Having lived with the black interion in the past Lexus I found it to be suttle and pleasing for the four years....I further find the Zano products to be fine and I still use them...It does take a bit of practice not to put too much on at one time...A very little bit goes a long way...The BMW and the Audi are both fine cars, although I am like Hpowders in that a new car is much desired after a couple of years .Tony

laurasdada

It's not the color black, it's me... My Abyss Blue TL is my first dark color car in a while (whites and silver variations for years) and when it is clean and shiny I am one proud papa. But when it's not, I'm an emotional wreck. And, living in New England, I go through some long months of clean car unhappiness. So, a black car for me? Not gonna happen. It is, however, a fab look for most cars... Especially with a long lasting Zaino shine!

Ok, I exaggerate some (about my emotional instability, that is)... Hey, I tried Turtle, Raindance, McGuires. I like Zaino. Is that so wrong?!

If only Samuel holds on to the ball during the last Jints drive...

clembo

I agree, Zaino works the best. Especially on my black car, the shine is unmatched and it seems to last a long time - and I share Dada's winter weather.

Tag - you should order the Zaino package for your new 135, you'll need it to make that black shine.

tagman

Thanks, Dada, Clembo, Tx Buzzard, and Tony (who hasn't been here enough lately!)... I appreciate those Zaino recommendations. There definately seems to be consensus here on this forum... and lots of black and very dark cars, too.

I'll give it a go. And still, nobody has checked with Consumer Reports! Ha!

TM

tagman

OK, I Googled best car wax products and sure enough Consumer Reports came up. Their recommendations? Black Magic and... are you ready for this?... Turtle Wax!... LOL. :surprise:

TM

clembo

Tag, you know that I agree with you on the CR subject but for those who may feel that they are an accurate rating agency...check out their June 1996 report on the Best Tasting Beer - Old Milwaukee won!

Now as a disclaimer I must admit that I have probably consumed more Old Milwaukee than anyone else on our Forum, but that was 20 years ago when I was in college and broke.

PS - I was at the BMW dealer Saturday working on a deal and the guys were raving about the 135, they said it is an absolute blast to drive.

tagman

Man, those college days were something else. I consumed more beer than water. I am grateful at times to just have survived college, heck with the degree... LOL.

Good to hear all the excitement about the 135i... So much positive response to this car!

Quite honestly, I haven't been this excited about a car since 1994, when I placed a deposit on a 1997 Boxster... three years in advance!! THAT was a long wait! This is a lot of fun! Six weeks isn't all that bad.

TagMan