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Comments
I noticed my throttle being little slow in on the skidpad, and was wondering if it was related or not.
You guys just have to do this if you ever get the chance. You can also rent a Nurburgring taxi (an alpine white M5) that can seat three plus the driver for around 120 euros.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
-nobee
Colt.
Any news on the 2003 3 series? Where can I find some news?
Is the SMG coming down to the 330? I have heard very unreliable rumors that this may happen. This would certainly be a performance boost.
Will they tweak the engine for a little more HP? The '03 Infiniti and Acura have 260HP. I know that you do not shop for HP alone, but it makes it tough to claim the ultimate driving machine if you are left in the dust by all of the new cars.
Will they make a in-dash CD changer available in '03? It is standard on every competing model.
I have '95 325i (190HP) and my wife has a '00 Maxima (222HP) and my car wins in every respect even though it is 5 years older and has twice the mileage.
Actually, the sound system in the Maxima is superior.
I am stuck on the 3 series and I am going to order the '03 330i the minute a dealer will let me.
That said, I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for." There are a bunch of neat things that are standard on every BMW since the 80s that you can't get on some of the competitors.
One example would be the sensor in the brakes that informs you when you're due for new pads. It isn't inexpensive, but it is a really nice touch.
I think that SMG, while very cool, is not the manual transmission I would want in my 3. A lot of the fun and the skill in driving a stick is working the clutch.
Just look at how many Firebird's and Mustang's Detroit has sold over the years, and yet what percentage of them could actually manage to make it around a decent corner?
Ultimately, any vehicle is a series of design compromises and trade-offs and what the blend is is what the designer considers "best". To a great degree, it is really nothing more than a personal opinion, biased by those things that we're able to measure (such as HP & 0-60).
And even if we're able to measure something doesn't mean that its the right thing to measure. For example, it has been said that people 'buy horsepower, but drive torque' and in many of the one-upmanship car-vs-car discussions you hear, you'll hear HP numbers bandied about, but rarely is torque ever mentioned.
Personally, I use rules of thumb when looking at various cars. For example, a power:weight ratio of 20-25 lbs/horsepower is more than adequate, although I also double check that its ~0.67 ft-lbs/HP or better. Overall, if you do the basics correctly, the "magazine numbers" will follow in due course.
-hh
Second car - Bronco II SUV. Good transport, not fun. Enjoyed the higher view. Missed the performance.
Third Car - Mustang GT 5.0 Convertible, Fast, Fun, Better handeling than my prior cars, Bright Yellow (What was I thinking) - not very refined, but fun.
4th car, BMW 300i, to me the ultimate driving machine. Reliable, Great performance, Luxury, Quality,... This would not have been anything I wanted when I bought my Camero, funy how the what is our Ultimate Driving Machine changes over time.
Next car ? I bet another Bimmer.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
-nobee
Thanks,
Bob
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Thanks,
Bob
'77 VW Rabbit--fond memories of college days
'74 Opel Manta--sister's car, very fun to drive
'85 Prelude--my fave, everyone else's too as it was stolen 3 times
'91 Vigor--foray into luxury-land that did not work out for me
'95 Nissan SE-R--my current baby is old but it's been reliable & fun.
My first awareness of BMW was in the 8th grade, math teacher Mrs. Tom had an orange 2002 & it was very cool. She was a trendsetter. As for me, I think the 325i says lasting quality, great handling & balance, plenty of amenities & safety features and plenty of HP, esp. compared to what I have now. Expensive yes, but $1200 over invoice seems to be a good price. If I order this week, dealer said I should get it mid-June.
Overall, I have found that this is pretty much a European attitude towards cars, whereas the 0-60 & 1/4mi "open road" metrics are very much the American ones.
The product's genesis came first from its most local environment. Europe has many old cities and towns with tight centers and twisty country roads that favor handling, whereas in the USA, wide open spaces favor cruising in land yachts, and they aren't penalized in the cities because our post-Industrial Age cities are more open.
FWIW, you can find parallels in racing: Europe does road courses, whereas NASCAR just makes left turns all day :-)
In terms of "vehicular genealogy", our last non-European car went away in 1990.
-hh
I guess I never thought I'd seek to own one, to begin with. I always liked BMWs, but never really dreamed of having one. My first cars were Pontiacs (UGH!)--a Sunbird (angry wedge) and a Grand Am, b/c they were hand-me-downs from my parents. My third and fourth cars were both Honda Accords. When it came time to look for an upscale sports coupe, I had to look at the BMW 3. I had sat in BMWs that my friends owned but had never actually driven one. Then I drove the E39 528 and loved it. It felt like another world, to be honest. I had never experienced anything so solid yet so capable. I had driven a Mercedes E320, and it felt like tank but something was missing--the agility, and some indescribably quality than seems to be solely BMW. I then test drove a 328i (non SP), and was convinced that the 3 had to be mine. I ordered a 2001 325Ci (SP) and waited over three months. Some say that the longer you wait for something and the more you think about it, your disapppointment increases when you get it. WRONG. I never imagined it would be as amazing at it is. There isn't a single day that goes by when I don't LOVE driving it. It's awakens something in you that surpasses mere description. Sure, the 3 is not the fastest, most expensive car out there. But it is pure BMW. It does what I tell it to do, it responds, AND it is not transportation. It is an experience in driving all by itself. Other cars get you there, get you there in style, or get you there fast. This car does more than that. It makes you want to drive with no particular destination in mind. You don't drive it b/c it cradles you in luxury or b/c it looks great. You drive it b/c it begs to be driven and rewards you for doing it.
Am I crazy? I think not. I'm just a believer.
I had a front-end collision accident in '98 with my little car & in testing out new ones today really appreciate the solid feeling in the BMW. The Merc's I drove had it too but everything else felt muffled or dampened (& no CD player in a 25-30K car?--come on).
I guess I never thought I'd seek to own one, to begin with. I always liked BMWs, but never really dreamed of having one. My first cars were Pontiacs (UGH!)--a Sunbird (angry wedge) and a Grand Am, b/c they were hand-me-downs from my parents. My third and fourth cars were both Honda Accords. When it came time to look for an upscale sports coupe, I had to look at the BMW 3. I had sat in BMWs that my friends owned but had never actually driven one. Then I drove the E39 528 and loved it. It felt like another world, to be honest. I had never experienced anything so solid yet so capable. I had driven a Mercedes E320, and it felt like tank but something was missing--the agility, and some indescribably quality than seems to be solely BMW. I then test drove a 328i (non SP), and was convinced that the 3 had to be mine. I ordered a 2001 325Ci (SP) and waited over three months. Some say that the longer you wait for something and the more you think about it, your disapppointment increases when you get it. WRONG. I never imagined it would be as amazing at it is. There isn't a single day that goes by when I don't LOVE driving it. It's awakens something in you that surpasses mere description. Sure, the 3 is not the fastest, most expensive car out there. But it is pure BMW. It does what I tell it to do, it responds, AND it is not transportation. It is an experience in driving all by itself. Other cars get you there, get you there in style, or get you there fast. This car does more than that. It makes you want to drive with no particular destination in mind. You don't drive it b/c it cradles you in luxury or b/c it looks great. You drive it b/c it begs to be driven and rewards you for doing it.
Am I crazy? I think not. I'm just a believer.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Hey, ya did just fine! Keep it up.
BTW, I did find one bad thing about the wife's car being European, namely the complaints I hear from her after she gets back home from a business trip! Virtually every time, I'll get some new critique about how lousy her rental car was :-)
Now if I can only get her out to the Autocross.
-hh