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Comments

  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    I would concur...the word "Hooey" does apply! ;)
  • msu79gt82msu79gt82 Member Posts: 541
    I have only driven it home and docked in the garage. I will continue to use my '00 Maxima until I am ready to part with her, a loyal and faithful partner for five years.

    :confuse: I've never heard of anyone buying a car to save for later :surprise: :confuse: I mean, don't get me wrong, I stock up on a lot of stuff at the grocery store when it goes on sale - but I've never stocked up on cars before :blush: Good luck on your M when you finally get around to driving it (before the '07s arrive I hope).
  • hpowdershpowders Member Posts: 4,330
    With my 545i I get 20 mpg in combined city highway driving and 27 mpg on the open highway from the unbelievable BMW 8. What kind of mpg have you been getting in your superior M 35 with the Infiniti 6? 15-17 mpg?
    If my 545i is boring, give me excess of it!
    :confuse:
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    A reporter is looking to interview folks who recently bought, ordered, or are considering ordering an AWD BMW 5-Series, Cadillac STS4, Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic, Audi A6 Quattro or Lexus GS300 AWD and is getting the car to replace an SUV. Please respond to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than Thursday, September 15, 2005 with your daytime contact information and the makes/models of the vehicles coming and going in your life at this time.
    Thanks,
    Jeannine Fallon
    Corporate Communications
    Edmunds.com
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    I agree. The GS is probably the least entertaining car to drive in this class, (well except for maybe the base STS that I believe was bashed in C&D) but this is a class of VERY entertaining cars. Fortunately it sounds like Lexus has gotten the IS350 right. C&D had a few nit-picks in their review, but they did not bash VDIM other than to mention that there is no off switch. Its 306hp was good for a class busting 5.1 second 0-60 sprint with an autobox, beating the G35 6MTs 298hp by a good second or so. It sounds like the IS is packing BMW horses and not Infiniti ponies. I'm itching for a test-flog.
  • freddybbfreddybb Member Posts: 95
    And I am getting an incredible 30-33 mpg on the highway in 6th gear with my manual transmission BMW 530xi. My average over about 400 miles for the past four gas tank fill-ups is about 24-25 mpg -- very respectable for an AWD car.

    The M is a nice car, but it was a clear second choice for me to the BMW 530xi I bought (first time BMW owner) because of the lack of a manual transmission, the awful gas mileage, the blah styling, and the overwrought interior with the canted-to-the-top console.

    Oh, and BTW, the extra 25 HP in the M35x does NOT make it faster than the 530xi because the M weighs almost 400 lbs more than the 530xi. In a previous post I had mentioned that the lbs per HP that each car has to move are pretty much exactly the same. So they are both equally fast, and the BMW has a MUCH higher fuel efficiency -- go figure!!

    Every once in a while I have to put out a post like this after reading a hundred posts from M owners claiming they have the best car on the planet. Not true, just personal opinions like mine, of course!
  • ksomanksoman Member Posts: 683
    Thought the chances of me buying the GS are almost close to 0, i've to say, it looks far better than either of it's japanese neighbors. If you were to ask me a year and half ago which car excited me the most, it'd have to have been an RL, but, right now, sadly none of the 3 japanese cars stir my soul. i can bet, they will not break for twice as long or maybe 4 times a long as any of the 3 german contenders, from personal experience. I personally am unlikely to want a 8 cylinder in this category, i'd lie if i said i dont love power, but, my sanity prevents me from buying gas guzzlers and i honestly can say i'm one of the few who despite a family and two incomes still has never bought an SUV or dont plan to buy one in the known future.

    Now of course, my 40 year birthday gift, which comes in 7 more years is decided. Well it was decided when i was 13... It is a jaguar XJR van dan plas or whatever the long version is with supercharger is... that is of course assuming jaguar is still around. of course, if i was to buy purely for "fun to drive" and "as passionate as a lover" reasons, then it has to be a 750i or whatever is the equivalent at that point (and not the longer version).

    But since I've 7 more years to go for 40, i'm still in the sub 7/S category... and who knows, by the time I'm 40, gas might be so expensive that maybe BMW might be marketing the 730i in the US again??? hahahaha

    either ways, today, my ksoman id on edmunds turns 7 years. I'd another id for about 6~8 months prior to this id, but this id still made the 7 years. So i hope in another 7 years, i'll still be using this id on edmunds, ocassionally contributing "nothing" to the forums ;) and hopefully driving the car i dreamed of since i was 13...?

    cheers!
    ksso
  • jrock65jrock65 Member Posts: 1,371
    "Oh, and BTW, the extra 25 HP in the M35x does NOT make it faster than the 530xi because the M weighs almost 400 lbs more than the 530xi."

    In the only timed test so far that featured both the M35x and the 530xi, the M35x was half a second faster to 60 than the 530xi.

    http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/vdp/articleId=106555/pageNumber=9
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    I definitely like the GS better in person than I do in pictures, which make it look kind of tubby. The M35 is a little more anonymous, but I do prefer it to the looks of the RL and 5. I would like the A6, but I still havent warmed to the Cyrano de Bergerac nose.

    I'll say it again, the logic of Lexus' engine juggling between the IS and GS still completely escapes me. If I were in charge, the IS would have the 3.0L as the base engine, and the 3.5L would come with a six-speed manual from day one. If Toyota doesnt have one thats suitable, buy one. I would also launch an IS350 AWD a year after the initial intro. Save the 2.5L for Japan and Europe.

    The GS would intro with just one engine, a 306+hp GS350 and GS350 AWD. The GS400\430 has never sold well, and surprise!, the current one is not selling well. Lexus crippled the V6 version of the car (which makes for some 90% of sales) with a weakest in class engine, when they could've had the most powerful engine in class. Just skip the V8 until the 4.6L is ready. I doubt anybody would notice anyway.

    I have to say, an XJR VP (or maybe a Super V8 Portfolio), is not the type of car I would expect a 13 year old kid to be drooling over. When I was 13, I wanted a 550 Speedster. Keep in mind that even with the highest end XJs you will still want to buy at least a 2 year old car. The blown Jags dont depreciate quite as badly as the NA versions, but the 1-3 year hit is still huge.
  • drtraveldrtravel Member Posts: 395
    Through the first 5K miles with my M35 I have averaged 18.5 MPG in combined city/highway driving. On a road trip I averaged 25 MPG on the highway.

    I felt both the BMW and Infiniti were fine cars - the Infiniti was just a better fit for me but I'm sure I would have been just as happy with the BMW.
  • ksomanksoman Member Posts: 683
    I was 13, 20 years ago. For some reason that I never particularly researched, i'd a bunch of people in my extended family who had all the famous collectible Jaguars from the 50s, 60,s 70s etc. The shape of the jaguar has always been something that i found very very ummm, alluring (?) and it represented a part of the pinnacle of what hard working people in my family achieved in the 70s and 80s. Not a bad goal to have for a teenager i bet. So i just decided that rather than be swimming in money in old age, i wanted to be comfortable to do whatever i want in life from the time i was 25 and have more than enough bandwidth to buy a XJR at 40. As i said, who knows if Jag will be around 7 years from now, but if it is still making some good "cats", i'm in the market.

    Lexusguy, About your comments on GS, i've to agree, the car does look prettier in person than in pictures. I personally think both the RL and M look kinda ummm, un-intriguing and un-passion-worthy. Personally I like the looks of the 5, despite all the criticism, atleast it's not another blah nobody in a nobody body. i was quite shocked by the performance of last year's 5, but with the new engines, it's starting to get it's sensibilities together. I love the E, from a looks perspective, i find it droolworthy and that's certainly my exclusive opinion. Recently i was offered a lease through MB employees that i could not have refused. It was ummm so cheap, i'm afraid to quote it here for fear of ridicule. I backed off literally at the point of signing on the paper, only because of the zillion torture cases i've heard of from the reliability point of view. having one painful bmw convertible in the house is enough... but yet, despite the horrendous quality experiences, i'm in no way going to throw out my bmw... geez.. that's the car that automatically puts a grin on my face the moment i start it up... nothing else ever did that to me... in the car world... hehehe ;)

    ksso
  • bdr127bdr127 Member Posts: 950
    But since I've 7 more years to go for 40, i'm still in the sub 7/S category... and who knows, by the time I'm 40, gas might be so expensive that maybe BMW might be marketing the 730i in the US again??? hahahaha

    The current 2006 BMW 750i gets 17/25.... Not too bad for a 4.8L V8.
  • hpowdershpowders Member Posts: 4,330
    The point is that I am getting 27 mpg on the highway from a BMW 8. The Infiniti 6 results in 25 mpg. I agree that the BMW 5 and Infiniti M are both fine cars. I drove them both and actually prefer the brakes in the M to the 5 series.
    So far 1200 miles driven in my 545i and no problems to report.
  • hpowdershpowders Member Posts: 4,330
    The E60 is just not photogenic. I was struck at how dramatically aggressive it is in person and I of course had to have one( 2005 545i).
    The best part is the young pretty girls driving slowly behind me in the parking lots while I sit in my E60 and wait endlessly for my wife to finish shopping to check out which 5 series I got-if I spent the major bucks(545i and possible sugar daddy) rather than the minor bucks(525i). :blush:
  • rich545rich545 Member Posts: 386
    ...and even worse it's self inflicted. I remember a while back we were agonizing about the first ding on new cars. Well, I had no dings on my '04 545 until this Sunday. I drove the car into my garage which is somewhat shallow. It had been a long weekend and I was tired so I didn't check to make sure it was in far enough. Should have because it wasn't and the rear bumper is too high for the garage door sensors. I noticed after putting the garage door down that it went back up. Then I saw why. A screw on the door left a scratch about 1/4 inch thick and 5 inches long down the middle of the bumper and the door handle left a nice dent in the top of the bumper. That's going to be a costly first ding I'd say! I'd take a small ding on the door anytime over this one. Dumb!
  • ksomanksoman Member Posts: 683
    Awww, sorry to hear that. My first time on the A6, i dont remember, but with the bmw, i remember my wife came home with the top down and the entire front bumper stowed in the back seat...

    a $20 investment in home depo will save a future re-currence of this.

    Get that solid black rubber whatever they call it. Take a good glue like gorilla glue or something and glue it down to the floor of the garage at the appropriate location, so that you can drive right upto it till it stops the wheels from moving forward.

    I love it more than my wife now... errr..

    ksso
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Um, that's not exactly the way to go about making sure you're around for the next seven years, now is it? At least not if your wife sees that comment! :P
  • liferulesliferules Member Posts: 531
    Ksoman,

    Good advice. I have the same rubber "speed bumps" but haven't found a way to fix them to the floor (and I'm not eager to drill into the cement of the garage). I'll have to try that gorilla glue.

    Happy 7th! :shades:
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    I understand. There was definitely a time when an XJ12 was the status mobile. Unfortunately it seems like Jaguar has not been able to obtain that status again since the Ford buyout. I wouldnt touch any Jag 12 with a ten foot pole though. Talk about a maintainance hog. I still miss those pre-Ford interiors too. There's just something about this:

    image

    That is definitely missing in this. Also, the door handles in the old Jags were all leather, and not plastic on the inside. I was just floored at that, that they would use such a cheap Kia style plastic on a part of the car you would literally use at least twice a day. I tapped it with a finger nail and it had a nice hallow "this part cost us 3 cents" sound to it. Fortunately the new XK is a big step in the right direction.

    image
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    Rubber "speed bumps" and Gorilla Glue are great but if you want to keep your floor clean try hanging a ball from a rafter where you want it to nudge your windshield. I use a racquetball on a fish line. I haven't researched the safety hazards but we don't have children running around in our garage so it should be OK. :P
  • cmybimmergocmybimmergo Member Posts: 265
    When I was a kid, my dad penciled an arrow on the wall. This was his cost- and hassle-free way to mark how far in to pull the car. I know which stud I need to pull up next to to be in far enough, and I usually take a quick peek behind the car to be sure I'm inside the door's path (even when I'm tired ;) ).
  • msu79gt82msu79gt82 Member Posts: 541
    Rubber "speed bumps" and Gorilla Glue are great but if you want to keep your floor clean try hanging a ball from a rafter where you want it to nudge your windshield. I use a racquetball on a fish line

    I've been using a tennis ball for years :blush: But it works :shades:
  • ksomanksoman Member Posts: 683
    well, ok, i'm one of those nuts who hoses down and washes the garage floor once a month, once in two months if i'm too busy... but i'm ok with spoiling the garage floor, because either both me and wife are out of the house and then the kids aren't in the house too, so no chance of a visitor seeing the bumps in the floor, or if we are home, the car is sitting atop the bump hiding it.

    unlike some of my neighbors, my cars go right back into the garage, they don't sit outside because i've a life's worth of useless stuff packed into the garage.

    ok, ok, if i wasn't married to my wife, my garage would be filled with gunk i dont use, but since i'm married to her, my life is in order. there, i made up for my previous wife comment.

    either way, to keep this comment on topic, the A6 and the bmw, both get parked with the aid of the bump. ;)

    ksso
  • marleybarrmarleybarr Member Posts: 334
    I never could understand the logic of having a garage filled with "merchandise" that apparently has more value than leaving 2 cars sitting outside exposed to the elements 365 days a year, especially in Minnesota !
  • docnukemdocnukem Member Posts: 485
    Yeah, but at least you can lock the cars. If you leave the bent hula-hoops, deflated basketballs, rotting 2x4's, and broken appliances out there, anybody could come along and swipe 'em.

    (I only keep the 2x4's in the garage, and they are only somewhat moldy...I still have room for the cars).
  • lovemyclklovemyclk Member Posts: 351
    I was going to recommend a tennis ball... same concept! Just be sure to stop when it touches the windshield :)
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    Most people in our area of the country have basements so it's hard to figure how all that "Stuff" that never gets used is piled to the rafters in the garage with the door raised most of the time. Speaking of 2 X 4's, when we had our last home built I managed to squirrel away a bunch of them plus a lot of other wood that most carpenter crews move to their next job or take home themselves. Recently my wife is asking me what my original intent was to use this wood for and I'll be darned if I can remember but I think it had something to do with a state of the art workbench in my garage ...but now the RL needs lots of room (so it doesn't get Door Dings) Maybe that workbench will best be built in the basement...one of these days. :P
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    I'm sentimental...Racquetball has been bery bery goood to'meeee....many years on the court and the knees are still holding up and the arteries are keeping the cardio surgeon from visiting a 2nd time. That little Blue Penn ball greets the RL windshield like an old friend welcoming us home. :)
  • liferulesliferules Member Posts: 531
    Well...I gorilla glued my mats down tonight. I personally like the rubber "speed bump" mats better than the tennis ball idea as they are more hidden and don't make themselves seen as much. I am NOT one to wash my garage floor monthly...or annually for that matter...

    My brother took the rubber mats to the next degree and bought a cement parking lot pillar and put it in his garage. The thing is so heavy, it doesn't need to be secured or fixed.
  • ksomanksoman Member Posts: 683
    he lifted it in place? :surprise:
  • ksomanksoman Member Posts: 683
    any epoxy based glue works. i like gorilla cuz i like the picture on it. i've actually used gorilla on one bump and regular super glue on the second, but of course, i ran through 3 tubes of super glue for that one.
  • liferulesliferules Member Posts: 531
    he and half a dozen other guys! :sick:
  • rats13rats13 Member Posts: 42
    Not sure is they qualify but I went to a Cadillac demo event this weekend. Drove the CTSV. WOW talk about driving a race car. It was insane.

    I doubt I would ever buy a cadillac due to it looks and interior but those car sure handled well. Especially compared to the GS300 and E350 demo they had.

    It was fun to be able to get out on a track and push cars harder then I would ever do in real life.
  • rich545rich545 Member Posts: 386
    I'll tell ya, it certainly is cheesy how Cadillac seems to intentionally stack the deck against the competition at these demo's. Seeing as the CTS-V is a limited production car shouldn't they have a E55 AMG there to compare it with? The E350 has a much smaller engine and is not limited production, nor is the GS300. I mean, at least come close to being fair and have the E500 and GS430 there for comparison. Let's see, a limited production V-8 competing against two V-6's that probably weren't even sport tuned. Gee, good job beating them Cadillac. It's just this type of thing that makes me not buy American cars. We can't beat the competition so we'll just set up the test so we have and unfair advantage. I actually disgusts me that American car companies would CHEAT this way.
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    The CTS doesnt even compete with the GS and E. Isnt that what Cadillac has the STS for? If it was STS-V vs. E350 and GS300 it would still be totally unfair, but at least it would be cars in the same class. I have to assume Cadillac will not set up any comparison tests against the Audi RS4 and the next V8 powered M3. Things wouldnt look so good then.
  • bdr127bdr127 Member Posts: 950
    I could maybe see comparing the CTS-V to the E350 only because the price is around the same.... but the GS300? Come on, that's just not even a comparable vehicle. Why didn't they just throw in an Acura TSX or something to compare, as well? :P
  • rats13rats13 Member Posts: 42
    Yeah they didn't have an M5 or AMG for us to drive just a 330i GS 300 E350 and an ES300. The least they could have done is had a GS430. They also had STS CTS and XLR there and of course the cadillac were triple in # to the competitor car. But then again it WAS a cadillac event.

    Like I said I would still probably never but one but it was still fun. :P
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    Actually, if I were Cadillac I think I would've brought a GX470 as a comparison. It has a similar price and is "a Lexus", what else do you need?
  • liferulesliferules Member Posts: 531
    Yeah, I have to wonder about these auto shows that I receive invitations in the mail for...don't get me wrong, I enjoy them, anytime I can drive someone else's car fast around a track, I'm in... but the shows are always comparos sponsored by some company to try to show why their car is better than another.

    My latest experience was the BMW show. It compared the new 330 vs the Audi A4 3.2 and the Infiniti G35 (all had similar HP). I thought the car choices were good, but wondered if the "competitor cars" were somewhat detuned or at least had suspension altered. The G in particular was the most spongy drive. I was afraid it would rollover around corners!
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    GM does this all the time.

    Last year I want to their "Autoshow In Motion" event. I mean GM has big pockets and they put on a hell of an event for people who want to see all of their cars in one place, but they never have the correct competition for you to drive.

    They had a 530i to be driven against the STS V6, which was correct, but they also has a STS V8 of which there was no 545i like the previous poster stated.

    They also had a Luxury model C320 and plain Jane 325i to be test driven against the CTS 3.6 model with a Sports Package.

    For them to put a CTS-V against any Mercedes other than a C55 or E55 shows that GM will never change. Same old lame company as before.

    I'll never forget 1995. This was the year I went to an event to test drive the Olds Aurora. They had a LS400, S320, and a Acura Legend there also. Everyone there including some of the GM/Olds people thought the other three cars were better. They had a bumpy road section set up and the Olds rattled like a tin can while the other three cars, especially the S320 and LS400 went over the bumps as if they weren't there. The Olds person riding in the Aurora with us was so quiet to the point of embarrasment. Maybe this is why they purposely stack the deck at these events now. Still though I don't know how they could have thought an Aurora was competition for a LS400 or S320 at the time.

    Its things like stacking the deck at ride-n-drive events and GM's big mouth that have always made me dislike their cars even when they're pretty decent. The only GM car I truly would want is the Corvette, its been that way for years.

    M
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    "I'll never forget 1995. This was the year I went to an event to test drive the Olds Aurora. They had a LS400, S320, and a Acura Legend there also. Everyone there including some of the GM/Olds people thought the other three cars were better. They had a bumpy road section set up and the Olds rattled like a tin can while the other three cars, especially the S320 and LS400 went over the bumps as if they weren't there. The Olds person riding in the Aurora with us was so quiet to the point of embarrasment. Maybe this is why they purposely stack the deck at these events now. Still though I don't know how they could have thought an Aurora was competition for a LS400 or S320 at the time."

    That sounds like the same kind of GM thinking that thought the Allante was a match for a Benz SL. The '90s is not what I would call their "best work".
  • merc1merc1 Member Posts: 6,081
    Well we all know how that one turned out, Cadillac got their lugnuts handed to them. In their defense GM doesn't seem to be that dumb anymore. The XLR and the rest of today's Cadillacs in general are much better cars, if completely unattractive and plain as hell to look at inside and out, of course imo.

    M
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    Yeah, they've gone from pathetic to at least competitive. The problem is to succeed in today's automarket you have to be setting the bar, not playing catch up.
  • jjacurajjacura Member Posts: 807
    Rats13....Thanks for re-energizing the LPS forum ;) ...mentioning Cadillac in here is.....
    "BLOOD IN THE WATER". :P
  • rats13rats13 Member Posts: 42
    LOL I had no idea that Caddys had so many "fans" here on the board. :P
  • ksomanksoman Member Posts: 683
    atleast you proved my theory wrong, that the number of messages on LPS are inversely proportional to the "gas" price...

    ksso
  • lexusguylexusguy Member Posts: 6,419
    Pretty similar to what C&D had to say. Fun, but a little too disconnected at the limit. They also wished for an off switch for VDIM and a stick for the 3.5L engine.
  • liferulesliferules Member Posts: 531
    I see this complaint in auto mags for several cars... Personally, I've never had a desire to do this. Why do they consider it so important that they actually "ding" a car in a review for lack of the "off" switch? Does the general public really turn off safety features that often that the lack of a switch is a negative finding?
  • bdr127bdr127 Member Posts: 950
    I see this complaint in auto mags for several cars... Personally, I've never had a desire to do this. Why do they consider it so important that they actually "ding" a car in a review for lack of the "off" switch? Does the general public really turn off safety features that often that the lack of a switch is a negative finding?

    Two pieces to my answer.....

    First, when the traction/stability control is engaged on the Lexus it starts beeping and flashing all crazy. Most people find that distracted or, at the least, very annoying. If you could turn it off, then you wouldn't need to deal with that....

    Second, for drivers that like to "let loose" and have a free spirited drive, some people will deactivate the traction/stability control so that they can swing out the rear end. As long as you still stay in control of the car, you can have a lot of fun with that. You can't do any of that if you can't turn it off....

    In general, you wouldn't normally deactivate the traction/stability control for regular everyday driving. Obviously you'd want the safety features in place for normal driving, just in case you need the safety. But some people want to turn it off for the above reasons.
  • kdshapirokdshapiro Member Posts: 5,751
    And third, that's what the competition offers.
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