-June 2024 Special Lease Deals-
2024 Chevy Blazer EV lease from Bayway Auto Group Click here
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee lease from Mark Dodge Click here
2025 Ram 1500 Factory Order Discounts from Mark Dodge Click here
2024 Chevy Blazer EV lease from Bayway Auto Group Click here
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee lease from Mark Dodge Click here
2025 Ram 1500 Factory Order Discounts from Mark Dodge Click here
Options
Comments
But I'd suspect that they're betting that you're not going to contest it, being an "out-of-stater".
-hh
Keep contributing.
However, if you can prove in court that "... he got me at a 90% angle (him on side of road) across 3 lanes in a pack of 3 cars and 2 motorcycles", that should be sufficient to get you out. According to the inventor of V-1 Mr. Valentine himself, it is impossible to clock anyone's speed from the side - it is only possible to measure it accurately directly from behind or in front. Another general rule is that the officer must maintain contact with your vehicle at all times. It would have been next to impossible for him to maintain contact with your vehicle across 3 lanes in a pack of 3 cars and 2 motorcycles. It seems that you were singled out because of out-of state plates. If you have the opportunity, you should fight this ticket - it seems that you have a very good chance of getting out based on what you're describing.
530i (Invoice) 35,665 + 1,300 = 36,965
330xi (MSRP) 36,385 - 500 = 35,885
If you start tacking on options, paying MSRP on the 330 and invoice on the 530, it wouldn't be too tough to make up that ~$1,100 difference.
RedNBlack -- Steel Grey looks like a dull black to me, and sometimes at night like the Steel Blue. I'm leaning toward Silver myself.
Brave1Heart -- Thnx for the FAQ 325 vs. 330 link recently. You make good points, but the 330's engine still beckons...
My first question would be, were you going 86mph in a 70mph zone? If you were, I personally think, pay the fine and move on. The only way I might try to get out of it would be if my license was at risk. I am by no means saying that speeding is inherently wrong or that it's 'fair' that you were picked out of the crowd, but you probably knew that if you were caught driving that speed it would cost you. I engage in the 'sport' of high-speed highway cruising on a near daily basis. With the help of a radar detector, a little common sense, and a big dose of luck, I've never been pulled over. I imagine if/when I am, I'll pay the fine without a fight.
That being said, if you weren't going that fast, fight with whatever ammo you can find.
(climbing off the soapbox now)
By the way, what do you think the fine would be for doing 70mph over the posted limit on a bright red motorcycle?? ;-)
I am guessing about $650. I thought you get suspended for 25-30+ mph over the speed limit in most states, so you'd be extremely lucky to keep your license with that kind of ticket.
Last time we checked your age you were 35 or so. Funny thing is, that was 6 months ago. You may be living in a warped time zone or something ) Second, it's OK if you look like a skunk - just as long as you don't smell like one. I am sure your wife has to put up with a lot worse than your appearance anyhow ) I know mine does.
Oh, one more thing PLEASE buy all the RED cars you want , that is the most rediculous old wives tales ive ever heard . although i agree Bright Red in the 3 sedan isnt the most attractive.
on a side note, after 26k miles on the clock i finally replaced the worn Bridgestones with Yoko AVS DB, on a 500 mile trip for the holidays they lived up to their claims, allthough at 7/10th cornering they sqwak a bit more than the summer tires, but then again we are getting freezing rain in Dallas now ! yikes,
Drive safely,
DL
Are the Yoko's noticeably quieter?
How do they feel when driving?
Do they corner as well as the Bridgestones?
Where did you buy them?
How much were they?
Best price I have found was Tire Rack @ $153.00 ea. including shipping. That is for a 235/45/17
My local Discount Tire center is asking $193.00 ea.
Sorry to go off-topic, but this one hits close to home.
I was pulled over for 86 in a 55 and was looking at a $400 fine and 5 points. Since it was my first offense, I went to court admitted my mistake and apologized, but asked for lineancy. The judge was in a very forgiving mood and let me off with a warning. Give it a shot.
you pay...
as for "fighting it"... look yourself in the mirror... say to yourself, "self, was i speeding and breaking the law?".... self says "yes, i was"... does self then say "i do the right thing and pay the ticket and live with the more expensive insurance" or does self say "i'm more important than everyone else, laws don't apply to me"...
i guess if you answered the second way, you were happy when oj walked, because, hey, he fought it and got off, right?
-Chris
what i have a problem with is the "how can they prove i was doing it, he picked me out from everyone else, yada yada yada"... as if you are saying, well, yea, prove i was doing it... that, i have a problem with... it's called "personal responsibility" folks... i know it's lacking in today's world, but i doesn't hurt to practice it a little bit...
-Chris
This officer was more than a little belligerent practically screaming at me that I had been going 17 over in a 35 MPH zone, “52 MPH, you ought to know better than that”. All the while, my girlfriend had a very smug look on her face sorta “I told you so!” Needless to say, I felt that the best policy was to keep my trap shut and let the storm pass.
On hearing day, sitting in the courtroom, I watched the Judge make his entrance as was immediately struck by just how singularly un-attractive this man was. His face was fairly distorted and he had a large purple birthmark that covered at least a third of his face. What made my heart sink even further was the positively nasty scowl on said face, which screwed up his features in such a way to make him appear REAL nasty.
Before Mr. Judge started hearing cases, he started with a fairly funny (dark but funny) monologue about how “We may believe that we were innocent regarding the tickets in our hands, however, we all know that over time, we have broken the law upon occasion, and today, we are going to face the music. I don’t want to hear about good driving records, 100 years without any tickets or any other sob stories of that ilk, I simply want you to accept your fate.”
True to his word, he sentenced every person who came up in front of him, including “Little Old Ladies” who had been driving for decades with no tickets and had “Illinois good driving certificates” (I did not know there was such a thing ;-)). During the proceedings, I noticed that my ticket DID NOT read “52 in a 35 zone”, but instead read “17 in a 35 zone”! Now what do I do?
When my time came to talk to Mr. Judge, he said, “Mr. Shipo, how do you plead?”
I responded with “Your Honor, I am really not sure.”
Mr. Judge got a fairly aggressive look on his face as he picked up my ticket so that he could confront me with the facts. He had just started lecturing me on accepting my responsibility (the same lecture he gave everybody else who did not immediately plead ”Guilty”) when he saw what I was charged with. Mr. Judge then slumped back in his chair and put a very funny grin on his face and said to me, “Mr. Shipo, I agree with you, I would not know how to plead either.”
The prosecuting attorney was about to say something when Mr. Judge spoke and after hearing what His Honor had to say, Mr. PA stopped talking and looked at the ticket as well. He then asked His Honor for a moment to consult with the complaining officer. When Mr. PA got to Mr. Officer, said Mr. Officer looked at the ticket and did a double take that would have made Curly Howard proud. Mr. PA, then re-approached the bench and told His Honor that he wished to dismiss the case.
Mr. Judge then said to me, “Mr. Shipo, you are a very lucky man, I had no intention of letting anybody go today.”
When I talked to my girlfriend later that day, I avoided the subject of the ticket, simply because she had been teasing me about it for several weeks. When she finally brought up the subject (assuming that I got a fine and all of that) I told her that the case was dismissed. She did not talk to me for two days. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Several years ago, I fought a local ticket in Pgh city court. It was $159.00 and 5 points, for 62 in a 35 zone (ridiculously low limit for the road). I basically threw myself on the mercy of the court, and argued that I had never had a ticket and that there were a bunch of mitigating circumstances (I don't think you can win on technicalities like arguing that it wasn't your car clocked, or the speed measured was wrong - that's a loser every time). While I was there, I heard the judge shut people down for that after three words. I came across as very upstanding and sincere (by contrast, you should see the collection of losers that are obvious regulars at traffic court). The judge seemed genuinely sympathetic, and reduced it to $50 and 2 points. I considered that a big win, and well worth the effort.
If it isn't too inconvenient - I'd fight it. After all, if you wear a suit, are very respectful, and seem remorseful and repentant, the judge will almost always reduce the fine and points - even if you don't get it kicked.
-Chris
A lot of it is luck, knowing where the speed traps are, and speeding in residential area isn't a good thing in the first place.
Things are still pretty expensive in NoCal. You might get ~1k or so off MSRP.
Specifically, the GA ticket was one where the reported geometry of the participants would have resulted in a significant cosine error even if you eliminated the extra lanes of blocking vehicles.
FWIW, I don't know if you've driven in Georgia, but there are some small towns that have extremely gross examples of "revenue generators". It is the only place that I've ever seen a Government-posted sign that says "WARNING - SPEED TRAP AHEAD" (ironically, this sign was placed in the neighboring town, so as to deny this hamlet the illicit revenue, along with a string of speed limit signs to get everyone slowed down before they crossed the border).
-hh
the original poster ADMITTED they were speeding, and was trying to invent a way to get out of it... that's what set me off... again, personal responsibility...
also, the example at hand isn't a small town sheriff set up... do i agree with those? well, i don't like 'em, but georgia IS part of the usa, and in the usa, towns are allowed to set their local traffic laws... fwiw, we've got those in our small towns in jersey as well... you know what? you slow down to the posted limit...
-Chris
fwiw, you can't be "somewhat" guilty... you either are or aren't...
I personally wouldn't buy from the Mountain View or Santa Clara/San Jose dealerships, because their service departments are chock full (month+), and service is likely to be 2nd rate. I have also heard plenty bad about both dealerships. However, if you want to buy from Allison, I recommend Dave Parker. He's been there for years, I know others who've bought from him, and his name has come up in various places. When I talked with him he didn't give me any nonsense.
I don't know anyone at Stevens Creek, because the person I would recommend (Lenny Witana) moved to Allison.
Navi Jax at Weatherford. Seems to be (have been) the internet guy there; low pressure, gentlemanly, colleague bought from him and thought the same.
There's a guy at San Mateo, but I don't know too much about him. I can't recommend the San Mateo dealership, because they stole my car key :-) and were otherwise nasty (and smarmy).
I personally wouldn't go to the dealership in Fremont. The exceedingly nasty people who were there are almost certainly gone; but I wouldn't care to find out who's there now.
I would urge trying Sonnen BMW, I haven't been there but I've heard good things about them. I don't know much about Concord or Pleasanton (East Bay BMW); I was at Pleasanton once for service and found they outsourced their tire work, and they really scratched up my wheels. Otherwise however their service was OK.
Good luck!
This M3 was a '95 with only 45K miles on it. The clutch was heavy as a rock. You really feel your leg getting a good workout, especially when shifting into first and second (shifting is always quicker in higher gears). The take-up feels incredibly precise and every shift is totally orgasmic, especially past second. My 325i's clutch felt a little mushy after the M3's but I can see how the M3 would be a lot of work to drive in stop-and-go traffic. Shockingly to me, the M3's steering felt much lighter than my 325i's retrofitted steering, probably about as light as my pre-retrofitted steering (March '01 build). Road feel was great but I honestly could not say it was better than my 325i SP's. It's hard to tell from a 15-min test-drive but it is likely the 325 SP is working harder to reduce body motion because of the car's increased weight thus creating the wrong perception that it is tight(er). I was surprised that the steering wheel did not telescope but other than that, the heritage is there and could be felt throughout the whole cabin. The interior was a little worn out and there were squeaks and rattles coming from all over. I was happy to be back in my new 325i. The M3 is very raw in a great way; the 325i SP feels very refined by comparison. Different cars for different purposes but it's fair to say that the M3 was a rush to drive. Best lunch break I've had in a while... Still smiling...
Good Morning,
You Worm Your Honor
The man who now stands before you
was caught red-handed showing feelings...
showing feelings of an almost human nature...
The evidence before the court
Is incontrovertible
There's no need for the jury to retire
In all my years of judging
I have never seen before
Of anyone more deserving
The full penalty of the law...
OK, please don't correct me, I'm sure I got most of it wrong...Guilty as charged.
I have gotten the feeling from reading many posts here and elsewhere that it might be a good idea to change the oil about half way between the scheduled oil changes at the dealer or at about 7500 miles.
I have read that the easiest way to drain oil would be with a device that sucks out the oil through the oil fill opening?
If so... then any suggestions as to what device and where to get such device?
CNorthrup
http://www.overtons.com/cgi-bin/overtons/order/pdetail.cgi?26696++
It works fine on my 1995 3er and 1997 5er. In both cases the extractor gets all the oil out. FWIW, BMW uses a similar device to remove the break-in oil from E46 M3s while they are at the VPC, so if it's good enough for Munchen...
its MUCHO easier than attempting to get at the drain plug on a 95 or after convertible, or if youve installed a x-brace on your coupe/sedan, because the x-brace runs directly underneath the drain plug, and you gotta be a contortionist to get at it...
dont forget to use a torque wrench when tightening the filter cover and to use oem filters... you can get oem filters in bulk cheap (well, relatively cheap) from ultimate garage... the oem filters come with a new o-ring and washer, use them... you can also get them from the dealer at a discount if you are a member of bmwcca...
good luck.
-Chris
ps i have the Sport Package
the only negitive if this is one is like i mentioned i feel a slight break away in extreme cornering compared to the er30 's but your talking a treadwear rating of 140 compared to 320. Far as pricing tell Discount tire what the internet price is and they should match it plus $5.00 for shipping , they have allways done that for me.
RE: traffic citations, i commend you all all this board for being professionals and taking responsibilty, i have never written anyone that was truly sorry and admitted responsibilty for their actions, in extreme cases yes but not very often, after all compliance is what we are after not to hammer someones pocket book, however sometimes that the only way to get someones attention. Many moons ago as a teen i had my share of violations and deserved them all and them some.
Shipo thats a funny story..
Take Care,
DL
"Mr. Woolf,
Thank you for your patience. The Service Bulletin #720101 does not specify production dates. If you are experiencing problems with the seat belts in your vehicle , please contact the Service Department at your authorized BMW Center.
Thank you for contacting BMW
Customer Relations
800-831-1117"
According to them, there is NO date range on the service bulletin.
Good luck, I hope this helps.
You can do much better than a 7% reduction on a European delivery.I received an 10.5% reduction in Huntsville Alabama.My best qoute however was from Craig Kadell in Temple Texas; 11% reduction with a 50$ doc fee.
His phone # is 254-771-0128
Good luck!!!
BTW any opinions on selecting the Steel gray metallic with Black Leather.Any comments would be appreciated.
Maybe I missed it before, but based upon your last post, I get the impression that you are a Police Officer somewhere in Texas. Yes, No?
I liked what you said about " never written anyone that was truly sorry and admitted responsibility for their actions".
When I was young, I too received many citations (not the good driving kind either ;-)) and probably should have received a few more as well. One day, I had helped a friend buy a 1970 Dodge Challenger 383cid from a gas station, which was selling the car because of a "Mechanics Lien". Among other problems, the car had a broken left side motor mount, so, we immediately drove the car over to my house and replaced said mount (it took 2 hours and several cuts and gashes on my hands, not to mention a few nicely chosen words). Given that I owned a 340 Challenger at the time, I wanted to find out how fast the 383 was, so, time for a “Test Drive”. As soon as I pulled out on to the local main road, a 340 Duster pulled up next to us wanting to race. About a mile down the road was a new sub-division being built, at that point in time, only the roads had been put in, but not so much as a single foundation had been poured, we decided it was a perfect place to race.
My friend (the one who owned the car) gave the sign and away we went. The Duster was clearly faster by a substantial margin, so at 85 or so, I shut down, just as a San Diego County Sheriff pulled up to a cross street, OOPS! Maybe he did not see the Duster, but he sure as hell saw me, I pulled over on the spot and got out of the car and waited for him. When he got out of his patrol car, I noticed that he was a very buffed looking (ie. lots of muscles) Asian man with a stature of only about 5’ 5”. He came up to me, looked me in the eye, and did not say a word. He then walked around the car, made a few notes, and then asked me for my license and the paperwork on the car. I told him that I had left it all in my car, and that the car was un-insured and had just been bought off of a lein.
Mr. Officer looked sort of disgusted and said, “Lets see now, 85mph in a 25mph zone, Excessive Acceleration, Speed Contest, Reckless Driving, Excessive Smoke (a radiator hose blew during the race and was spraying coolant on the exhaust manifold), Bald Tires (wear bars on three of the four tires), Driving Without a License, No Registration, Expired License Plates AND Driving Barefoot."
I had no idea "Driving Barefoot" was illegal, however, my response to him was, “Guilty as charged, what are my options?”
Mr. Officer said, “Well, I *HAVE* to get you for not having a Drivers License.”
I quickly suppress a big smile and said, “OK!”
After he wrote me my ticket, he said, “I have to tell you, you knew you were toast, and you did not try to weasel out of any of the charges, that was cool. I just pulled over a man who was a retired San Diego cop for a minor violation, and he started yelling at me that I had no right to give HIM a ticket. In fact, he told me that I had no right even being in this country much less giving ANYBODY a ticket. Needless to say, I looked for, and wrote him up for every violation I could. Besides, I have a Plymouth GTX at home that I like to race from time to time, so I have a soft spot for people who drive MOPARs.”
Whew, I *SHOULD* have been toast, but he was very cool.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Sounds good to me.
I am trading in a '90 Toyota 4 cyl. that never saw the inside of a dealership, 165,000 miles and the engine still runs perfect, body is shot. I changed the oil and filter every 3500 miles. Of course that was with regular oil. The more I can do myself the better from a $$$$ point of view and for my piece of mind.
I can only hope I have the same luck with my new car. But a hands on, pro-active approach should give me the advantage.
Any thoughts on oil? Mobil 1 or should I go with the dealer's stuff?
CNorthrup
I recently ordered a new 318 my 2002 "valvetronic" (I'm based in Europe)and I would appreciate some feed-back about the debated issue sport suspension (within the SP), handling, comfort etc.
I know that the US version of the 325 with SP comes with 205/45 r 17 tires, while my one will have 205/55 r 16 (with sport suspension), but nevertheless I'd like some info possibly in terms of comparison with other cars rather than personal feeling. I had an Infinity G20T and I wonder if it could be taken as reference to match the said characteristics (ride, comfort etc.)
By the way, you do not imagine how different (bad) is the treatment in Europe from dealers. Forget about test driving .......
-Chris
TIA
the big advantage is that it's REAL easy to do with the extractor... no oil spills, no nothing... pump it into the extractor, dump it in your oil container and take it to the local autozone (or whatever) for recycling...
-Chris