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Comments
I can't wait to check out the fabulous one and only BMW 335d when it finally arrives here, hopefully within the next year and please, BMW, leave the blue-tinted mirrors behind! :sick:
Competition is good for all of us.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
TagMan
Jose
I have confirmed (via several high-speed chases and some dubious time spent loitering in car parks) that the last generation 3 series absolutely has a light blue tint on the side mirrors.
I attempted to verify the same with a 5-series (last generation) but traffic demanded more attention to the road than the color of the mirrors....
Too bad Ford has no plans to bring it across the pond, especially after my apparently wasted energy of writing its name so I now know how to spell it!
I can also attest before a forum of my peers that there is absolutely no tint on the side mirrors of "my" 2005 545i. However, they are perfect in size, unlike the 3 Series.
See, when you are a good BMW customer, they don't give you the royal screw...err...I mean...blue!
http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2007/112_0708_alfa_romeo
Alfa Romeo coming back to the U.S. and bringing their beautiful 159 sedan and 8C Competizione.
Don't know how the reception will be in terms of reliability and all that but it will be nice to add some Italian flair to the Germany vs. Japan lux-market (if you count Alfa as a lux brand).
Thoughts?
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
If the Mondeo was really good, I don't think Ford would have a problem bringing it here, especially if it had blue-tinted side mirrors.
You tell me the 2005 545i has blue mirrors, you WILL get my pictures!
There's a rather lousy photo of my 545i on my carspace page, by the by.
That seems a bit fishy to me. A turbo is not quite the same thing as brake pads or windshield wipers.
I partially agree with TG. Fords sales are going down. Peugeot has had a new surge in recent years. I do not know how is Vauxhall in the UK now, but Opel is doing well in the continent. Giving way to BMW and MB, however. Still more Mondeos, etc, than 3, but I feel they are loosing the battle trapped between German cars on one end and Japanese on the other.
Jose
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/BMW_Series6_silver_h.jpg
There is a clearly visible bluish/silver tint to the color of the side mirror that is not a reflection of the vehicle color.
Another:
http://www.bmw48.com/bmw/bmw-7-series-cars.jpg
Again, a sort of iridium blue tint on the mirror.
Surely that is a blue tint on this BMW M3 aerodynamic kit piece:
http://www.eurocarmotorsport.com/Image/a05.jpg
Just to prove the M5 is not off the hook:
http://www.eurocarmotorsport.com/Image/a04.jpg
On an English 8-series- again with the iridium blue....:
http://www.thermite.co.uk/DSCF1060.JPG
I accept that it is perhaps a silver blue but there is not a doubt in my mind that there is a tint treatment applied to (at least these examples of) BMW wing-mirrors.
Regards,
Jose
They'll have to improve the performance in order to really be taken seriously. Cars like the 159 and Brera certainly look good, but they are heavy front-drivers trying to compete with the likes of BMW and Mercedes. The 8C is an absolutely stunning car, but unfortunately all 99 are already sold. Also, you can expect Maserati levels of depreciation on the Alfas.
BUT what surprises me most are some members who think a turbo will self destruct or turn into a money pit after two to three years?
Yes there is more wear and tear involved with turbos.
Yes there is more wear and tear involved with sport suspensions.
Yes there is more wear and tear for any engine that is tuned for sport performance.
BUT is it such a big deal? Who the hell cares unless your sole objective is longetivity. In that case I do have a turbo 83 MB 300D to sell you (most reliable car on earth).
It is an an act of great hysteria to even think that a great number of turbos and sport suspensions will self destruct after only a few years of ownership? Almost 25 years ago I used to drive a 83 turbo Volvo GLT (as a borrowed family car) and my youngest nephew still currently drives that very same turbo Volvo. And up to now I have no major engine problems to report about that VOlvo's engine.( althought there are many other problems not engine-related).
In fact I fantasize about destroying the engine of my twin turbo BMW within a few years with major aggressive driving. Unfortunately our legal enforcement officers will stop me from doing so
How come I wasn't told about these?
Do I not bleed? Is my leasing money not as good as the next fella's? :mad:
This lack of communication is not enough to create the second major great schism, but I do feel since I have been a very good customer over the years, I should be made aware of all the possibilities.
Next time at the dealer, I will inquire whether they have some kind of special order catalogue in which I can find blue-tinted mirrors. I will post what they tell me at that time. Nice to know, before I lease my next vehicle.
I agree, its a non-issue for the original owner of the car, and if you're going to buy used and you're concerned about turbo wear, buy a 328i instead. Simple as that. Used German luxury cars aren't exactly the greatest choice for the "run 'em into the ground" crowd anyway.
Depends on the German model and the year of the model. But overall you are definitely correct.
The best description of a car with longetivity will be a car that will soon sell on our shores: A 4 cyl. diesel Honda Accord with with a stick (automatic tranny repairs can be expensive). Long-term maintenance expenses for such a car should be minimal.
LONDON - Middle Eastern investment funds are targeting Jaguar and Land Rover, the British luxury car brands that U.S. owner Ford Motor Co. is considering selling, the Observer newspaper said on Sunday.
Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Development Company and Dubai International Capital have instructed financial advisers to drawn up plans for bidding for one or both companies, the newspaper said, without citing sources.
No one at the funds could immediately be reached.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19536716/
Regards,
Jose
Regards,
Jose
It depends on how they want to run the show. If they are simply going to put up the cash to keep the lights on and let the Jag guys run the actual operation, it could work. What does Cerberus know about making cars?
The dyno results seem to indicate that the test 335i was producing at least 325hp at the crankshaft. 300/300 seems a little too convenient from a marketing standpoint to be the actual number.
Items of best sellers, new passenger cars sold in Spain in the first semester of 2007
Citroen: 84,988
Renault: 79,000 (?)
Ford: 78,387
Seat: 75,194
Most of these cars are actually made in factories settled in Spain (Vigo, Valladolid, Valencia, Barcelona, respectively).
Seat is now concentrated on small sporty cars aimed to the youth.
Regards,
Jose
However, If you are a dealer and know a leased vehicle will have to be sold in 3 years, hopefully, quickly, wouldn't you prevent the lessee from being made aware of any option which may detract from unloading such vehicle quickly? Blue-tinted mirrors would qualify, IMO.
I do take grave exception to the idea that the 'BMW Blue' on the mirrors may actually detract from a quick sale however.
The more I research the blueing of a reflective surface the more I become convinced that it is driven by some pretty high-powered research in optics.
I think you may find that adding the blue tint actually improves your golfing handicap, among other benefits.
I will be asking my dealer about the mirrors. That you can be sure of. It MUST be a special order.
I had succeeded in doing both those things. By accident I can sometimes be a man of few words.
Now for my question: David who ? :surprise:
Despite auto financing and owning auto suppliers Cerebreus is also a D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R waiting to happen.
Paying cash so both the Chrysler and Jag guys can run the actual operations is just not going to cut it for both these marques. For private equity firms financial considerations are more important than any operational considerations. Toyota intentionally exposed themeselves to losses with hybrids. Such long term strategic considerations would never be undertaken by any private equity firm. Why would any private equity firm spend billions and lose billions on HSD when instead they can immediately pocket those billions as dividends?
The upside to private equity is that it does not have to please share holders or publish expectations. That actually frees up private money to be more long-term aware than public money is. If you are public and post a bad quarter you lose invested value. If you are private, as long as you can keep your creditors happy you are in the game.
I've owned BMWs for so many years and all this time I've experienced the injustices of being deprieved of blue tinted side mirrors.
A warning to all Tampa and Toronto BMW dealers. Be ready for the wrath of at least two rebellers who've been tinted deprieved all this time..
TagMan
Excuse me, Dewey. I forgot again to put my head on my shoulders this morning. :sick:
Regards,
Jose
Good for the long-term? Based on recent trends the duration of private equity holdings have decreased substantially. Some private equity firms will extract billions as dividends while keeping their holdings for only a few months and then selling them to another fund or selling them back to the markets as an IPO. So the words long-term in the private equity industry is not quite as applicable as they were in the old days.
The reason private equity is expanding in such untraditional industries like auto and technology is because of cheap credit. God-forbid if interest rates rise or creditors become more sceptical during August when Cerebreus issues tons of debt.
So, reading between the lines of your vitriolic response tinged with just a wee bit of concentrated acid, I take it that you can confirm that I do not stand alone in being passed over by BMW regarding the blue-tinted mirror treatment?
BMW will hear from me in early 2008 regarding this problem.
Americans hitting the road for July 4 are being told Tuesday by an insurance industry research group that 35 of 87 sport utility vehicle, pickup truck and minivan models tested do a poor job of protecting occupants from whiplash in rear-impact collisions.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates seat and head restraints in another 18 light trucks as "marginal." Seven were deemed "acceptable," and 21 of the 87 are rated "good," based on evaluations of their seat/head restraint assemblies.
Models rated good included the Acura MDX and RDX; Ford Edge/Lincoln MKX, Ford Escape and Freestar and Mercury Mariner; Honda CR-V, Element and Pilot; Hyundai Entourage and Santa Fe; Kia Sorento; Jeep Grand Cherokee; Land Rover LR3; Mercedes-Benz M-Class; Mitsubishi Outlander; Subaru B9 Tribeca and Forester; Toyota Tundra; and Volvo XC90.
The newly redesigned Tundra was the only pickup truck whose seat/head restraints were rated good.
Vehicles rated poor included some popular and otherwise highly regarded models such as the Toyota Sienna, 4Runner and Highlander; Lexus GX 470 and RX; BMW X3 and X5; Ford Explorer, Sport Trac and certain F-150's; Mercury Mountaineer; certain Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravans; and Nissan Frontier, Xterra and Quest.
Some of the results had been released previously in connection with other institute reports.
The institute said the poor designs should be of particular concern to drivers in congested areas. "In stop-and-go commuter traffic, you're more likely to get in a rear-end collision than any other crash type," David Zuby, senior vice president of the institute's Vehicle Research Center, said in a statement accompanying the results. "It's not a major feat of engineering to design seats and head restraints that afford good protection in these common crashes."
The institute rates auto seats with geometric measurements of head restraints and, in most cases, with simulated 20 mph crashes of seats mounted on test sleds.
Toyota noted in a statement that the institute tests seats outside the vehicles. "We are confident our Whiplash Injury Lessening system and vehicle design will perform well in the real world," it said.
Nissan said its vehicles "are designed and engineered to meet or surpass government safety regulations as well as our own rigorous internal safety requirements," but added that it would study the institute's results.
Ford spokesman Dan Jarvis said the company's vehicles are being redesigned gradually to meet the institute's criteria but said, "All of our seats and head restraints at Ford are designed to provide good safety performance in the real world."
The Arlington Virginia-based insurance group often has been critical of vehicle seat and head restraint designs. It said neck injuries are the most common injuries reported in auto crashes and account for 2 million insurance claims each year, costing at least $8.5 billion.
Comments?
TagMan