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Comments
If I couldn't bring Merc back, I don't think you can pull off the trick either Charlie.
OAC - great to see you again.
The world Series match of the eons would be the Red Sox against the Dodgers. I bet Manny gets booed out Boston is this is the match-up. I think this meeting has a decent chance of coming to fruition.
Guys,
From a NY perspective Dodgers and Torre vs Yankees is a much bigger headliner.
After I noticed your edit, I made a phone call to my Dad to ask. He's got no idea as he bought the car from a friend, who acquired it in California from the original owner.
I did just learn from this phone call that the original color was a shade of yellow, was painted a different color after that, & it was my Dad's choice to go with a Hunter Green after that.
I've come across Merc1 postings on another board while looking for other S5 postings/info & have to assume it's the same guy. If it's okay to say where, let me know if anyone is interested....
The bumper regulations that you're thinking of took effect in 1973 (I think) - after this car was built.
Am I alone in this dilemma? I'm sure there must be other tall people out there. Sitting on a hard surface, it's 38.4" to the top of my head, sans hair, which, luckily, I still have a fair amount! So, the Mercedes paltry 37.9" of headroom is just not going to cut it. It appears the extra cost Panoramic sunroof has a little more, but going by the German price list, that's about $3k over what the car would be without any sunroof, and, give industry leading headroom of 41.3". But, you can't buy it here...I'm bummed out. So few choices. The MB coupe is out, since I want a usable backseat, and a door to get there for real adult passengers.
Agree. There is little point to arguing about whether or not enough research was done before purchase. What's done is done, the car was bought, the key is to move forward. There is also little point to telling us over and over how bad BMW is and how all European cars are worthless rot-boxes sold by swindling bastards.
You're not the first person in the world to buy a car that has a problem. It actually happens rather frequently. If you're unhappy with your dealer's response, try another dealer. Get on BMW North America. This message board can do nothing to solve your problems. They can. Supposedly BMW NA has gone so far as to completely replace the car for those with particularly bad examples. Find out what they are willing to do.
I think that either scenario (Red Sox or Yankees against the Dodgers) would be a TV ratings bonanza. I bet it would be the greatest viewership ever for a World Series.
Go Red Sox! And, I might also add Go Patriots!
Coincidentally The Flying Circus was introduced in 1969 the very same year of that wonderful Jaguar. Your dad's Jag is strikingly beautiful and I yearn to buy a vintage car like that one someday in the future if I know how I can find spare parts.
I admire you folks here with all your interanl combustion engine car dreams of the future but my dreams of such cars are of the past like your dad's Jaguar
Batteries will soon be the new thing to boast about when buying a car. Dont believe me? Just visit this forum in a few more years and you will find me annoyinglt repeating the same following words: "I told you so". The Bunny in the Energizer commercial will become the new Playboy Bunny of the 21st century.
Back to the Future:
In 1899 an electric car was clocked at 100 MPH and today everybody is talking about how slow hybrids are?
Detroit Electric almost 100 years ago managed 211 miles on a single charge and what about the Volt? 30 miles or was that 50 miles? What the hell happend this past century?
Or what about the modified Opel T1 that achieved 377 MPG in 1973? My Prius if lucky gets 50 MPG, wooh, wooh ain't that something.
We've gone a long way since those days. Except the way has been backwards not forward.
"all European cars are worthless rot-boxes sold by swindling bastards."
I just said that I don't see the reason to buy European as the difference, if there is any, in the drive quality is far overshadowed by the lack of reliability and premium price.
That's a reasonable proposition and one that faced Detroit in the last century. History may not repeat but it does echo. The Chinese want to buy Volvo so who knows what will be available at Walmart soon.
A friend of mine bought a very similar '71 S2 E-type a little while back. The car is still being restored by the previous owner, supposedly it's around 80% finished. I think he paid somewhere around $35K, and now he's busy collecting little pieces like tools from the original tool kit one at a time. Eventually he wants to get everything factory correct, including the A/C system, and turn it into a $90K show car.
I certainly understand the appeal of an E-type, or at least the appeal of a pre S3 E-type, but I don't envy anyone who has to deal with those carbureators and Lucas electrics. Ironically, the most valuable early S1s with the flat floors are horrible to actually drive.
Pale yellow and GB racing green, both are very elegant colors IMO for an E-Type Jag.
Sure, as you and LG said, such a car should be one that must be dominated — not suitable for an easy driving. A bronco. Or, rather a capricious, whimsical, obstinate sort of beauty?
Regards,
Jose
Regards,
Jose
Well, then you did not drive many cars to notice. Compared to US cars up until 2008, BMW literally blows away anything made in the US in driving dynamics and precision suspension systems in mainstream sedans. Ditto the Asians.
If you don't think so, why did you even bother with a European Marquee???
Regards,
OW
Ferrari was heavy with V8, Lotus was ultra-light with 4-cyl. Ferrari was 5-speed with inverted pattern and difficult shift, Lotus was 6-speed, normal pattern and smooth shift. Both were high-rev., but Ferrari had somewhat better torque. Pedals were easier on the Lotus. Ferrari steering was precise, but Lotus steering was direct and even more precise. Ferrari interior was something to behold, Lotus interior was lacking, yet cool, but that's the whole idea.
Ferrari was an awesome driving experience, but Lotus was even better and made you want to go to the track. Ferrari felt fast, but Lotus felt like it could dance around a Ferrari and be a pest. At the limits, Ferrari could get away from you, Lotus felt predictable and more under control. Ferrari could instantly get a date with a beautiful woman, Lotus could start a conversation just about anywhere... of course I was younger and better looking when I owned the Ferrari, so maybe that had something to do with it...
Ferrari cost a lot of money. Lotus was a bargain. Ferrari service costs would have been off the chart. Lotus service costs would have been more manageable. Ferrari workmanship wasn't as good as it should have been. Lotus workmanship was much better, but not incredible.
Ferrari was comfortable interior, Lotus was comfortable, but after a while I needed to get out and stretch... also, it's suspension transmitted everything in the road to the driver. Ferrari was a quieter interior. Exhaust notes were awesome on both cars, but Ferrari sounded more dangerous... and it was.
You asked which one was easier to drive? Just cruising... the Ferrari. Combination driving... the Lotus, hands down.
Fun factor? Lotus! Lotus!
This may be hard to believe, but overall, I don't miss the Ferrari all that much, but I always miss the Lotus... always!
TM
I'm sure he'd agree with you if we were discussing sedans. After all, he previously drove & apparently liked a 5-series sedan. Unfortunately, though, we're talking about the X3, which is not one of BMW's better efforts. I'm as big a BMW fan as anyone here, but I wouldn't buy one of these dogs with your money.
I probably won't get an argument from you when I say that Toyota & Honda build better SUVs than BMW & Mercedes. The Germans haven't figured out this category. I wish they'd stick to sedans & coupes.
I caught that before you removed it. Let me say that I totally understand what it's like. For me... I am a total car addict, and for many years I burned through cars like they were cheap shoes. I cannot do that any more, as I have important responsibilities to others. It was selfish of me to a certain extent, as I could have really used that money when the economy took that dive. Reading all these posts often makes me want to go get yet another car I don't need... I must be always fighting a compulsive urge... yet I will fight it... just like you will fight the urge to get that S4, and stick with your Prius... at least for now.
But, you can certainly still be a part of this forum, as I have proven that myself. Heck, I am probably more obsessive compulsive than you are... and I'm still hangin' around.
TM
Content in my book = happy.
Although choosing the car over the girl, well....
link
My last car, a BMW 5 series, as I have said before, was the best-handling and most comfortable (for me) car I had ever driven. Before the X3, I never would have thought that BMW could make a car this uncomfortable and fraught with driving problems. BMW has never been particularly reliable and often very expensive to maintain but since I do not put 20K miles/year on cars these days I thought any problems would begin maybe 4-5 years down the line....not in the first month.
Caveat BMW.
Just a note, I have also driven truck-based SUVs. Their rides were superior to the X3...now that is saying something so it is not the difference between sedans and SAVs.
On top of everything, for goodness sakes BMW the X3 is a tall 3 series sedan. It isn't even a truck!
That reminds me a story about of a couple, both good friends of mine.
Since their first day together, my male friend keeps telling his wife " my darling, I am the one who has the brake under the foot!"
May be I'd have chosen the car too.
Regards,
Jose
Regards,
Jose
Their rides were superior to the X3...now that is saying something so it is not the difference between sedans and SAVs.
I believe you. The only nit that I'd pick here is your use of "SAV", which is a BMW-concocted marketing term with absolutely no intrinsic meaning. BMW cooked up this silly acronym 10 years ago, when they introduced the X5. Fearful of offending purists (like me) who didn't want to see the company go into the SUV business, BMW's marketing gurus came up with "Sports Activity Vehicle". What is an "sports activity vehicle", pray tell? It's a sports utility vehicle from BMW - nothing more.
On top of everything, for goodness sakes BMW the X3 is a tall 3 series sedan. It isn't even a truck!
I think that if you dig a little deeper, you'll find that the X3 & the 3-series sedan differ significantly. For one thing, the X3 is more than 400 pounds heavier than an x-drive 328i sedan. That's the equivalent of 2 big men in the back seat. To handle that weight, BMW had to rework the suspension in ways that are making you (& many others) uncomfortable. For another, a taller vehicle has a higher center of gravity, which is never good for handling.
These are just 2 of the more obvious differences between the X3 & the 3-series. Taken together, they translate into very different driving experiences.
Right now, you're in the automotive equivalent of a bad marriage. Get out of it. Dump the X3 & buy something that you can live with.
The SAV is based on a car and is more car like. The CR-V OTOH is neither SUV or SAV but a minivan. The Infiniti EX-FX is a sedan with a hatchback as is the Audi Q5. I don't know what kind of creature the BMX X6 is except that it looks like a huge egg...neither sporty or active but I haven't driven one so I can't say for sure.
If you place a 200 pound person in the passenger seat of a 3 series sedan and another 200 pound person in the back seat of said sedan, do you think it would develop the drive problems of the X3? I get ball-like bouncing and sideways swaying and the occasional bucking from the front so I am now thinking that there is something wrong with the damping or dampening system.
So you are saying that BMW engineers are so incompetent that they should not be allowed to make a car taller than 58"?
Maybe that is the case.
I agree there are compromises with center of gravity and additional vehicle weight but there is no excuse for the automatic transmission problems.
you read that embarrasing post I had deleted
Oh well let me assure I will not escape to North Korea in order to avoid seeing any Audis. Where ever I look here in Toronto I see advertisments for an Audi s4. It is driving me nuts.
Exactly... :shades:
TM
such misery.
such agony.
such pain.
What? And you still own it.
Festering problems get only worse in time and seems to me you are not going to survive another one week with the X3 without losing your mind.
If you dont sell that X3 soon you will make everyone in this forum lose their minds especially mine.
I'm already there... So, just continue to lust after these wonderful and seductive machines and realize how lucky we already are. I'd sure love to have an R8, an M3, or even another Lotus again. I just keep dreaming.
I remember your recent post about your lifestyle in Toronto. More than enough to appreciate and be content about.
If you truly can't contain it... then OK, let's face it... you're gonna get the car... but when you drive it, enjoy it, and don't take yourself on a guilt trip.
TM
If you are able, I highly recommend a Lotus test drive... one in which you can really put it through its paces. When you are finished, you will have a grin that goes from ear-to-ear. Be warned though... don't bring your checkbook with you, or you will buy it immediately.
TM
The term "SAV" is meaningless marketing hype. I've never seen it used in print anywhere outside of BMW's promotional material.
So you are saying that BMW engineers are so incompetent that they should not be allowed to make a car taller than 58"?
Maybe that is the case.
My guess (and it's just that - a guess) is that within BMW's corps of engineers, SUVs are considered tacky - nothing that a real driver would be interested in - so the top engineers work on the high performance M-series cars, while the newbies & the guys on probation are stuck with working on SUVs - the engineering equivalent of latrine duty.
But that's just a crazy hunch. (Then again, we know that for years, German engineers refused to design decent cupholders for the American market because, as everyone knows, real drivers don't bring beverages into their cars.)
I agree there are compromises with center of gravity and additional vehicle weight but there is no excuse for the automatic transmission problems.
I'll have to take your word for this. I'm a bit of a purist, so it'll be a snowy day in Calcutta before any BMW in my garage has fewer than 3 pedals on the floor.
In any case, I believe that you're genuinely unhappy with your car. Now I want to hear what you plan to do about it.
My experiences with a Lotus at a California track event at Buttonwillow are very different then my experiences with a Lotus on I696 in Michigan. That said, the spinal compressions only mildly dampened my enthusiasm for the vehicle. It is part go-cart, part 1st generation MR2, and part modern mechanicals.
Actually I think the couldn't even get those folks to do it. BMW acquired Land Rover to develop and produce the X5, then turned them lose (and onto Ford, and ultimately, Tata).
Indeed, there are brutal moments... but as you said, they only midly dampen the enthusiasm.
The suspension settings are adjustable... set them firm for the track and softer for the interstate.
Unfortunately, most owners just leave them firm and take the punishment rather than crawl under the car and make the 20-second adjustment at each corner.
BTW, the Willow Ranch Barbeque restaurant, which is a couple of blocks off the Buttonwillow exit at Highway 5, offers some of the best barbeque and home cooking. Next time you are in that area, check it out. You'll thank me.
now... back to the Dodgers game.
TM
Actually all of the cars you are describing above are basically the same. SUVs really only come in two categories: crossovers - unibody based, typically but not always derived from sedan platforms, generally unsuited to real off-roading though there are exceptions such as the Toureg and its ilk, and traditional ladder-frame based SUVs that are usually derived from pickup platforms.
The X3, Q5, GLK, RDX, EX35, and XC60 all fall into the compact luxury crossover category. The RX350 is also sometimes included in this group, though really it's more of a midsize crossover since it's the same size as the ML and X5. The X3 and RDX are the oldest and worst of this group. The Q5 is IMO the best. The EX is good effort but badly executed.
As has already been said, "SAV" is just a marketing term invented by BMW because they didn't want their badge associated with things like Chevy Tahoes. As for the X6, I believe it exists because BMW is stupidly going down the same path that Mercedes did a few years back on a reckless "a BMW for every driveway" model expansion that is creating mutants like the 5 series GT.
Thanks!
Charlie,
I was never big on a correction down to 9100 or 9200. I always thought small adjustment and then back up we go. My belief was tried to stronger than expected earnings (thanks to all those job cuts unfortunately, plus high incremental margins) and some optimism on future revenue growth. So far the little bit of earnings news we saw is bearing that out. Unless we see some real negative news here or a geo-political issue, I'm going to say that we may have seen the fall back bottom out already. If earnings are more robust we may end up nearer 1200 on the S&P and 10,750+ on the Dow by year end or early Q1 2010. That's my thinking now.
Oil - jobless recovery, and it'll stay that way for awhile, so we are still on the decline in demand but the weak dollar and a lot of excess speculation based on demand rising with the Dow, S&P etc is supporting it so far. Whether that cotinues or not is dependent on whether or not investors keep buying in the face of such horrible demand. Any of those factors stop and oil has a long way to fall.
Inflation - D'ont see it, never did. Until jobs recover significantly I can't see anything inflationary, which is also why I think oil and commodities have caps and trading ranges tied to the dollar and a lot of hope, and have nothing on fundamentals.
I changed my perspective about a correction and got back in stocks recently, after the recent dip. I think it was enough. I should have posted about it, but now that I've read your post, it gives me reason to talk about the market.
I think that the trick moving forward is to be very selective with the stocks. I did manage to get in on Alcoa before their announcement, and picked up a quick and nice boost on that one. Even Apple has brought me some good reward already, and I bought some with the concern that it was already too high, but then I factored in that the entire Chinese market just opened up to the iPhone, and there is a new very cool tablet-type of product coming out early next year, so that makes Apple have even more potential upside, IMO.
Then there's Google, which is in the stratosphere now, but Android is going to come on strong, so that makes Google still have even more upside, IMO, and sure enough it is already rewarding. Bank of America is another I own, and Brocade is another, and the interesting thing about Brocade is that it has suddenly run up in value and is on the block for sale, and HP and Oracle are interested. It is a risky stock, but I am well ahead on it, and if it falters I'll still be ahead, but the upside is more likely, IMO.
I told everyone here about GE long ago, and I hope that some of you listened, because GE has been doing well, and I believe if anyone is willing to hold GE for the long term, it will continue to do very well. It has lots of upside. I also bought Ford again, because I really believe in the company's future.
Intel is another one I like, although I don't expect rapid growth, but I do expect growth over time... new chips are just out, and more are on the way. Also, I expect significant gains from Activision/Blizzard, the gaming software giant. This industry is still growing quickly, and this company is one to put some money into.
There are others I own, and I am currently researching an auto-related stock that I find very interesting, and I will share it with everyone next week, after I've done the rest of my homework... but now I'd like to hear some of your recommended picks Len. Lets get specific here, as I have done, and tell us where you are actually putting your own money.
Charlie, don't wait too much longer.
TM
In that case the BMW wagons should also be pure ****.
Even, as this speculation goes, the worst engineers are given the task of designing the X's and the wagons, that doesn't explain how these things get past upper management and QA. The X's and the wagons still wander the earth with a BMW logo and have to be maintained under BMW warranties.
What does that say about anything in BMW's future? It's all just a c*** shoot.
This is my point about the European car industry. If you can't trust it once, why should you ever trust it again? Going with the marriage analogy, if you married one psychotic gal (or guy) are you really going to try again with the sister (or brother) when there are perfectly nice families with nice offspring down the road?
The XC60 is a nice looking station wagon although the XC70 is the one that goes off roading. There really aren't many choices in this category.
The X3 has the square back and decent interior space that I needed. In this category there are very few choices. Although the Lexus is somewhat larger, it isn't much more expensive than the X3 once you add in the options. IIRC it is Lexus' best selling model.
This is my point about the European car industry. If you can't trust it once, why should you ever trust it again? Going with the marriage analogy, if you married one psychotic gal (or guy) are you really going to try again with the sister (or brother) when there are perfectly nice families with nice offspring down the road?
Well, you had a nice girl (your 5-series) before then ditched her for a psycho (your X3.) Now instead of ditching the psycho and going back to the nice girl to be happy again, you choose to stick with the psycho and just complain incessantly and drive all the rest of us to the brink of madness and want to throw our computers off a tall roof for fear of having to suffer through more of your whining and complaining about a vehicle that you simply REFUSE to get rid of no matter how much pain and agony it brings you and US!!!
For the love of anything good in the world, PLEASE get rid of your X3 or just stop complaining about it and MOVE ON! As far as I know, not a single one of us here works for BMW and can do absolutely nothing to appease your frustration w/ your X3. We didn't design it, build it, market it, or sell it to you. So why, then, must we suffer for your abject lack of prior research and dissatisfaction with it???
Your problem is not summed up by the BMW X3.
It's summed up by your quote above.
Based on your quote above you despise the whole category that the BMW X3 is in. And if you honestly believe you will get superior performance and handling in a Lexus RX or a XC60 then you are doomed to visit future forums with complaints about your new RX and new XC.
Here's my conclusion:
You are going to keep the BMW X3 because there is no better vehicle in its category that will satisfy you more. And as you keep your X3 you are going to continue complaining bitterly because no SAV or SUV will ever make you happy unless it's in the same shape, weight and size like your old BMW 5 Series.
You're asking the wrong question. You might learn more from your mistakes if you asked yourself why you bought an SUV from a company not esteemed for its offerings in that category.
If I buy something that fails to satisfy me, I immediately suspect that the shopping process that led me to choose that thing is flawed, & I look for ways to fix it. I think that way because I've been in IT for many years, but that's how you should think, too. If you don't overhaul the way that you go about shopping for new cars, sooner or later you will once again spend a lot of money on something that you hate. So ask yourself where you went wrong. Did you overlook valuable sources of information? Did you pay too much attention to looks & too little to specs & reviews?
Your current car shopping process - if, indeed, you have a process - clearly doesn't work. Otherwise, you'd be happy with your selection. Change it before you waste any more money.
In any event, I agree with Derrick: we're bored with your complaints. Tell us what you'll do next.
Honestly, I wouldn't waste your time with Intel. I've been watching the company for a long time, and they did well for me back in the Pentium and Pentium II days. I don't think that kind of stock growth for them is ever coming back though, even with Intel seeking to challenge AMD and nVidia more directly in the graphics space.
Their "tick-tock" strategy has been so effective that AMD has essentially been eliminated as a mainstream and high-end competitor. The only way to make money on Intel in recent years has been in the rare instances when AMD has beaten them up, most notably during the Pentium IV debacle. Intel never goes above $25, and without AMD as much of a threat, they won't be going down into the teens any time soon.
If you want to make money on chips, look to mobile focused companies like ARM. That's where the growth is in the future.
TM
European wagons — BMW ones but also Audis, MBs, VWs, Peugeots, Citroens, Renaults and a long et caetera — are just variations from their sister sedans. It is like that and it has been so always (or at least since I have my reasoning). Wagons have been engineered in parallel to their sister sedans for almost every model of any European car. Hatches are not less but not more than a hybrid between a sedan and a wagon in entry models. Other then than less body rigidity, wagons and sedans share all fundamental characteristics of a given model or series. Everyone in Europe expects that buying a wagon is like buying a sedan with more cargo capacity and almost the same driving, riding and handling than the equivalent sedan.
This not the case of SAVs, SUVs or whichever they can be named, which are newcomers to most European brands. May be only Rover really evolved by its own a military "SUV" for commercial purposes. The rest of the brands have just hurriedly dived in what was an unknown ocean for them. At least MB, Renault and some others had truck divisions; BMW hadn't. At least VW (Touareg) started a racing division which has helped them to develop a SUV which now has won very hard cross-county rallies in tough concurrence with Japanese SUVs; BMW didn't.
In brief, only buying a BMW sedan, wagon, hatch, coupé or convert one is buying a true BMW. Not even the 7-series is a true BMW, IMO. If I wished to own a SUV, I would buy a Mitsubishi, a Rover or a Touareg. (Please, don´t criticized me, I don't want to buy a SUV and therefore I couldn't care less to know which SUVs are the best in the market; my brain and my time is of limited capacity.)
Regards,
Jose
The Infiniti and Audi are sedans which is why they drive like sedans...because they are sedans. I think there are other sedans which have backseats that flip down so that you can put things in the trunk and have them extend into the cabin. If I wanted a hatchback sedan I would have bought a station wagon.
What I disagree about is that auto engineers are incapable of making a tall sedan - not even that much taller - that can handle like a sporty sedan AND have a good suspension system that sufficiently dampens the springs to make for a competent ride. The X3 has its battery in the back, under the cargo compartment supposedly for better weight distribution. I believe that is a fairly unusual configuration so is that making things better or worse?
You did say you had a 5-series, right? If so, you'd know that's not "an unusual configuration." Don't all the European manufacturers put the battery in the back? It's the typical configuration for BMW, Mercedes, and Audi. Heck, even the Chrysler 300 has the battery in the trunk. Many other manufacturers are gravitating toward the same thing.
I think you're just reaching desperately for any and every thing to nitpick. Either that or you're trying to punk everybody here.