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As far as the incentives and sales, you can check the sales figures. BMW for the last few years has been offering attractive lease deals on all of it's cars.
Sarcasm again? You make it sound like it’s arbitrary and subjective. It’s more than that. The BMW “feel” means there certain build qualities, materials, specifications and tolerances that are engineered for performance. It does not reside in the imagination.
For instance, go look at any BMW with it’s front wheels fully cocked. They have the caster of a performance car aka sports car. This enables them to corner better. Also compare steering ratios of BMWs to other vehicles in their class. BMW’s have tighter ratios. This makes them more responsive. That’s just a few things.
From the shocks and springs, to the suspension settings, to the steering ratios, to the materials, to the gearing of the drivetrain et al, these are the things that comprise the “feel” of a BMW. Maybe some people don’t know what’s behind what they are “feeling” but they like it nonetheless. You don’t get this in a Toyota product. That’s why many people buy BMWs.
Give my thanks to your uncle for his service; fighter jocks put their lives on the line every day. As for my Turbo Coupe, I liked everyting about it but the brakes-one stop from 80 mph and they were done; it reminded me of the European auto engineer who told me: "Europeans don't mind if the brakes squeal, just as long as they stop the car. Americans don't care if the brakes stop the car, just as long as they don't squeal."
My 330i w/sport won't be here until the end of January
A very nice choice. The E90 is a great car. Buy it. There will be no regrets-unless of course you drive a Yaris first... :P
According to some reviewers (and my cousin), the X3 ride is harsh and brittle especially with the sport package.
I haven't driven an X3 with the SP, but I can tell you that my wife and I think the standard suspension is fine. Our X3 is a bit stiffer than the 528i it replaced, but we actually prefer the taut feeling.
I personally haven't set foot in it yet. SUV or SAV are not my thing. :P I prefer seating closer to the ground.
Well, as I said earlier, my wife also wanted to be able to make it out our half mile gravel driveway/farm road when the winter weather hits. That said, the X3 doesn't sit all that high.
Others believe Bose sounds better than Thiel.
And there are those who prefer Toyotas to BMWs.
That's what makes life interesting.
FYI: BMW no longer offers the X3 with the 2.5L engine, nor with plastic bumper covers.
My favorite quote:
...if you hypothetically flang an X5 sideways back onto the road ahead of an eighteen-wheeler bearing down on you at a hypothetical seventy miles an hour on the North Slope Haul Road in the hypothetical AlCan 2000 Winter Rally, and you floored the X5 to hypothetically haul your butt up the road right pronto, the thing would just squat there like a shivering cockroach waiting to be squished.
Ask me how I know... :surprise:
Thanks for the kind words. I live through his memoirs of the war every time we have a chat. But I tell you: he was a speed devil back in his younger years. A ride with him was like one of the rides at the amusement parks. Now he drives a Lincoln Town Car. God bless his heart.
The E90 is a great car. Buy it
Yeah, if I was single that E90sport would be my weekend/fun car. But the two snow falls we had this month sent my wife back into the dealerships--dragging me along--to look a for a small SUV so that she can make her whopping 3 miles trip to work.
my wife also wanted to be able to make it out our half mile gravel driveway/farm road when the winter weather hits
I guess we're on the same page.
Seriously, as we enter our 7th month of bliss with a 2005 X3 3.0 with "virtually" every possible option except tinted windows and automaitc transmission, this is a competent sports sedan that happens to have at some prior time been bred with a competent but not particually off road inclined SUV.
In black gloss with the terracotta leather sat nav and all the option boxes checked, the ONLY thing that de-luxes this little dude is the too big graining on the dash covereing -- and, this year now that all colors get the painted bumpers, even that little niggling complaint has been nullified.
Wishes: 255HP 3.0 and a 6spd SMG or 7spd step or at least retain the competent but not stellar 6spd manual. And, oh yea: voice command of the phone and sat radio and nav system.
Couldn't say enough positive about this car! :shades:
Oh, Bodble, there you go again!
No, car companies aren't stupid. Neither are consumers.
A huge ad budget doesn't do much for you if it isn't backed up by something car companies spend even MORE money on: product development. Ultimately, what matters is the power of ENGINEERING.
If you can't discern the difference between the way the X3 drives and the way the RAV4 drives, then buy your Toyota.
And consider this. If you were right, and purchasing decisions were driven by nothing more than advertising, everyone would be in a Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, or VW. Those five companies (and others) all have ad budgets that DWARF BMW's.
No, the real "power of persuasion" lies beyond advertising.
Car buyers who place a particularly high value on performance and handling (the "driving experience") buy BMW's.
"Rob Mitchell himself was reminded, while driving from the hotel, of the sobering physics that are bound to bite any complacent drivers of xDrive cars. That is, their stability is so reassuring, their stance so solid, their traction so unassuming that you may forget that actually it’s still winter out there."
Ask me how I know... :surprise:
OK, I'll ask, and I'm waiting patiently. ;-)
hehe... don't even make me go there... :P
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I was a transit driver/navigator in that particular X5 during the "hypothetical" rally. Here's how I described the incident in a June 2000 Roundel story :
We have more excitement when Russ decides to pass a trucker who is apparently well and truly ticked off by the hoards of rally cars buzzing down from the Arctic Circle and sporting 100w driving lights. As Russ pulls out to pass, the trucker crowds us onto the snow covered shoulder. Russ completes the pass and cranks the wheel hard right to get the left wheels out of the snow. The X5 gets quite a bit sideways and the DSC-apparently flustered by the combination of speed, steering angle, and yaw rate-chops the throttle way back. Fortunately, the X5 decides to relinquish control to Russ just before we get up close and personal with the front grill of the annoyed trucker.
I can laugh about it now... :surprise:
The principal reason is that the RAV4 V6 hasn't even been introduced yet. Bobdle is all hot for the RAV4 and ready to talk trash about the X3 based on pure spec. The RAV4 V6 won't be in dealerships for months.
Right now, the 'nicest' RAV4 is the 4x4 Limited with its FOUR-speed automatic transmission.
Steve, Host
By the way, Edmunds gives the RAV 4 a great write up in the test drive section, but it still seems a little Toyotaish in many ways.
And one more thing, I have enjoyed reading every ones comments, thoughts, and writing styles. Even this issue about comparing two different makes has made me think about why some people will pay twice as much for one car over another. I have no doubt the X3 is the finest car you can buy for that price (or probably more) and I think it is worth every penny. Happy Holidays and happy driving into 2006!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Thanks in advance,
Happy Holidays!
newBmr
I'm curious about this note in the guide:
"free full maintenance service is provided by the vehicle manufacturer for four (4) years or 50,000 miles, whichever occurs first."
That's not your deal?
Steve, Host
1. Replace oil and filter
2. Reset SI Indicator
3. Replace microfilter
4. Check brake pad lining thickness and replace if needed
5. Check parking brake actuation and adjust if needed
As Steve stated, the service is free for four years/50K miles. You DO know that the oil should be changed every 12 months even if the SI indicator hasn't called for one? It's still covered by BMW free maintenance.
And, while you will find differing opinions on the subject, I prefer to change the oil/filter at @7500 mile intervals using a BMW filter and Mobil 1 0W-40 oil. It's a dead simple job, so I perform the changes between the ones called for by the SI indicator.
Why?
Dealer said BMW uses Castrol "exclusively" and there is no reason to mix additive packages -- no harm, in a pinch, in doing so though.
At 12,000 miles, the X3 3.0 (2005) needed a "pint" literally a pint of oil. Drove all over the place trying to find Castrol, figured I'd "settle" on Mobil1, went into Wal-Mart (yes, Wal-Mart) and they had at least 3 or 4 full syn oils to choose from including Castrol.
Coulda saved a lot of running around time going to Auto Parts store "du jour" (most of them only carry Mobil1 and perhaps Quaker or Pennzoil.)
I personally like to change the oil 5000 to 7500 miles with either BMW or Mobile 1 so the LL/Long Life rating may not do much good for me, but that's just me. Oh, and the fact my M5 engine costs > 25 large makes me a bit conservative.
With today's lubricants, "mixing additive packages" is almost never a concern-especially when you are making a complete changeover at an oil change. If mixing oil brands actually caused problems, my 130K 528iA would have gone to that great Bimmer Boneyard in the sky long ago-since I ran BMW/Castrol, Mobil 1, and Rotella Synthetic in it at one time or another.
As I said, reasonable minds differ on this subject, but I prefer running Mobil 1 in all my four wheeled vehicles(including my ZTR mower). That said, the Speed Triple still gets Rotella synthetic. :P
I read with such fear and trepidation all the crap about companies NOT honoring the warranty "on a technicality" that I averted my eyes and dutifully hunted for Castrol.
Now, we have a short term lease and BMW will pay for one oil and filter change every 15,000 miles (and then they will CPO the car for the next guy.) Yet, this still somewhat defies logic -- but I can see NO justification for paying for extra oil changes if BMW is able to comfortably warrant a 45,000 mile car that has had but three oil and filter changes.
Paying for the next owner's peace of mind just doesn't seem, Mr. Spock, "logical."
Having said this, were we to buy and hold one of these cars, I would think 10,000 mile oil and filter changes (using the BMW part nos) would be a prudent and sagacious course of action.
Thanks for any help!
The Auxiliary Input Accessory Kit - $195 (incl. installation)
The iPod Interface Kit - $350 (incl. installation)
Q1 - Anyone on these boards have experience with either kit and want to recommend one over the other? (I'm concerned this is something BMW and Apple rushed to market and have not improved. The Walt Mossberg (Wall Street Journal/Personal Tech) review (I think of the iPod Adapter) was not positive, and it seems odd that it's an option that remains IN-compatible with the nav, sat. radio, and premium sound system.)
Q2 - Anyone have any other pricing info? Given that the BMWUSA website says that the "Auxiliary Input Adapter Cable" (the only iPod accessory listed) costs just $40, $155 in labor to install seems high.
Q3 - Is this something BMW and Apple rushed to market and then haven't improved?Anyone know why the iPod Adapter won't work with the Nav, Satellite Radio, or the Premium sound system?
I'm new to this fourm. I have a 2005 X3 3.0. Does anyone know if there is a rear bumper protector. I've seen them on the Lexus SUV's. They look like a small brush guard. I live in Chicago and having extra protection from the a**holes who can't paraell park would be priceless. Let me know. Thanks Ryan
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I usually average right at 20 MPG.
I think we added 3 pounds to our 18" sport tires.
It is a BMW and NO BMW rides cushy, soft, etc. Some BMW's ride firm, firmer, firmest. The X3 with Sport rides firmest.
I don't know if the baby and car seat materially effect the car's ride in any way. I work with a man who has an X5 and a Ford huge pickup -- he has baby seats in both.
To me the truck, rides, er, like a truck. The X3 even with sport rides like a car.
I think he meant to ask if the ride is too jarring for a baby. The baby, and car seat should have ZERO effect on the ride, unless the baby is a baby sumo wrestler! :P
Comments, however, still stand -- the X3 rides like a BMW 3 series -- only somewhat stiffer, and with the sport setup stiffer still.
I don't think it would be harmful or unpleasant for a baby -- but only the baby will be able to determine this. I don't have any around to test this out, so my comments are more general and should be taken thusly.
The BMW 3x suvs look wonderful to me but I have read bad reviews regarding reliability issues of the 3x so I am hesitant to buy one. I am afraid of buying an expensive lemon. I am a housewife in Houston. I rarely do freeway driving, most of my driving is from stop light to stop light, so performance is not an issue but reliability is. I am seeking an attractive, reliable midsized suv. I am trying to avoid Lexus b/c everyone in my neighborhood drives an RX or GX.
Again, please excuse my lack of BMW savy. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions that you have to offer. Thank you in advance.
I'll let others chime in with their opinions.. but, I will mention...
All BMWs come with a 4yr/50K mile warranty, plus all maintenance is included for the same 4yr/50K period.. The only thing you will have to pay for is tires...
Welcome!
kyfdx
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Where did you read that the X3 was unreliable? Even the nerds at Consumer Reports rate the X3's reliability as average.
Had the wiper blades replaced (no charge) at 10,000 miles.
Increased the inflation in the tires to make the handling just a smidge sharper.
Have had NO problems, no reliability issues.
We have a 2005 X3 3.0 6spd with Premium, Sport, Cold Weather packages -- we added about $11,000 worth of options in total to an MSRP just under $47K.
36 mo lease no upfront money other than sec dep and first mo payment of $581 (miles per year @ 15K).
More like a near lux car than an SUV.
We tested with both auto and stick -- big difference, but if you are not concerned with somewhat lower peppiness, the 5spd auto will probably not be a negative.
If you like to use a telephone in the car while driving, consider the optional in arm rest adapter for the Sony Ericsson phone which then makes the phone work through the sound system.
Also, upgrade the sound system, the stock system even is only fair on AM radio -- the upgraded system, however, is quite good.
The deals seem plentiful and you already heard about the 50k maint and warranty.
You can't go wrong with a 3 litre, but it isn't necessary for mostly short city trips.
If you think it has too many problems you can still trade it in on a new car after over 4 years of warranty covered driving (and it will hold more of it's value than most cars). My guess is a Lexus or Accura will have fewer mechanical problems, but you will not have the same level of enjoyment in driving them.
Just go for a test drive. I thought a car is basically a car....and I didn't like the idea of being a yuppie with a Bimmer....but once I drove it I didn't want to give it back, and I can't imagine anything better!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250