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http://home.attbi.com/~bernhard36/honda-ad.html
Notice the subject line; it says 'One "Take"', I did not say "Take One". In fact, this video was take 606. Wow.
Best Regards,
Shipo
http://www.ferrariownersclub.co.uk/happenings/2003/february/Hamle- tFerrari.mpg
Best Regards,
Shipo
Anyone had a set of these? On what? What mileage did you get out of 'em? Comments? (Believe they came out in Europe in '01 and then America in '02.)
Seem like a decently priced maximum performance summer tyre. Less expensive than Pilot Sports. Made in Germany. European Car's comments have been positive. (Of course, the material on Continental's web site was all positive.)
Thoroughly recommended if you can find a venue in your area. Can't wait to sign up for the next level, it's done in M3's.......
PS - Snagiel, let's hope that the creatures who stole your car rot under the rocks they crawled from. My sympathies.
Regards...JL
I had my 1998 Avalon with 8600 miles stolen by flatbed in 2000. It was on my driveway! I customed a variety of custom security features myself so tradition breaking in was somewhat unlikely. I was really shaken up when my car was stolen. I always put my two nice cars inside the garage which is blocked by two more. Its a pain to dig my two babies out by moving cars. Its tough to enjoy my cars with the current car thefts problem in urban areas.
I wasn't the only one. My friend's Nissan Max was stolen by a tow truck dragging his car out of his driveway. Big dark tire marks can be seen on the driveway. I heard another friend of mine had her 330i flatbeded as well. Its more common than most people think.
In reference to the programmed BMW keys & duplications... What about that little credit card key? Is there technology inside that little key? It doesn't appear to be any so I presume that they key could be dup. easily by an unscrupulous person. I was very surprise that card key can start the engine which is illogical. My Lex has that key also which can open the doors but not turn on the engine.
The next morning, I came out to the curb in the Marina, and the car was gone. It was recovered hours after it was stolen, by SF police who had been tracking someone who had a penchant for nice-looking Japanese street rockets. The police told me they thought it would have been stripped by morning, and that I was lucky it was recovered on a Sunday evening.
My first car, a '76 2002, was also broken into, and the thieves stupidly destroyed the dash while lifting the stereo. It took a few months to get a replacement dash unit from Munich.
All of these incidents paled in comparison to yours--so I can only imagine your pain. Good luck with the replacement.
Re stolen car, check out:
http://www.boomerangtracking.com
Interesting technology. Seems that it works using an embedded cell phone system (rather than the usual GPS) that's activated and the owner notified if the car moves without authorization. The company is based in Montreal but they claim that they are able to track across North America.
No mention of any US distributors. May be an opportunity for a few entrepreneurs out there.
..g
So, even with this system, it seems pros could do a fair bit of damage and potentially get away with it if they're quick enough.
And, it is any advantage on getting your ride after you are done with it, GO Michigan!!!
Mark
Anyone lease a CPO before?
I came across a sweet Black Sapphire/Charcoal 2002 530 - Sport,CWP,Xenon, Step, moonroof - with 10K miles on it. We are just starting to negotiate leasing rates now!
Since it does not have the Premium Package - am I losing much by not having the "on board" computer in the car?
TMV/CPO on this car is $41,400 FYI!! I am also considering buying it as well -although I think the price of $43K is to high!
Additionally, the car happens to be at the one dealer I really want to buy from - as they are very well respected and have a fantastic service department, etc.............so what is that worth - I don't know!
Thanks
Hope this helps,
Jack
Riez - I have the Contisports on a '02 530ia, pp, sp, cwp, step, xenons, split seats, approx 15,600 miles. I've just developed a whir, whir, whir from my pass. rear tire (at least I hope it is the tire). Other than that, the tires are great & still stick on my favorite 40mph off ramps that I take at 65mph. I would recommend them, although I want to see what the stealer says about the noise.
Colt.
My Yokohamas (think they were AVS Decibels) had mainly worn out in the rears. Making a pronounced tyre moan, most prominent at low speeds. Primarily the inside portion of both rear tyres. Practically worn out. I know the tyres had at least 21,000 miles from me but no sure how many on them before I bought the car CPO.
Talked to the service writer and repair tech. Both said 540i's tend to wear the inside rears out first. Due to suspension set up (camber, etc.). They said the same would happen to the Contis. Just comes with the car.
I bought my tyres thru my BMW dealer. He bought them thru Tire Rack. Had dealer mount & balance along with full 4-wheel alignment.
From what I've read in Roundel, Bimmer, etc., seems like periodically ensuring proper 4-wheel alignment (which I do about every 10,000 miles) is one of the best things you can do. In addition to taking care of the tyres (pressure, etc.). And since I have staggered tyres, with the rears being bigger, there is no way I can rotate. (Not that I'm a fan. I kind of agree with BMW's logic regarding tyre rotation issue. There is a nice piece on the subject in the current issue of Bimmer magazine.)
[Aside: I know we Americans spell the word "tire". But sometimes I like to pretend to be English and these tyres are made in Germany and also they say "tyre" right on the sidewall.]
The insurance adjuster finally saw my car this morning. She noted everything (visually) that was damaged or stolen (essentially same as my list), and tallied up the parts on her computer. Fairly quickly, she ran up to $27k (including standard labor installation rates). From her experience, she said she would expect at least another $6k or so in hidden/overlooked damage and missing pieces, meaning they'd have to pay at least $33k. The salvage value turned out to be $12k, so...
They totalled the car. I was fully expecting an uphill battle in getting fair value for it (i.e. the amount it would cost to buy the same model CPO at a dealer), and I collected as much KBB/Edmunds and CPO locator pricing as possible to help my case. It fortunately proved unnecessary, as she came back with an offer of $43,300, plus sales tax and title fees.
I was floored. I'd already spoken with a lawyer, who advised me not to take the first offer. But, this was almost too good to be true: I paid just three grand more for the car 16 months (17,000 miles) ago. Who says BMWs don't hold their resale value well?
Hopefully I'll have a check within a few days, but so far my experience with Travelers insurance has been phenomenal. It's been a quick and painless process.
I'd love to tell everyone I'll be honoring my E39 with a similar replacement, but I'll probably be stepping in another direction. Frankly, I don't like used cars (regardless of their certification), and I believe the market has changed some against BMW's favor in the past year. No need to elaborate, but I believe there are good values that lie beyond the roundel. But, I haven't even test-driven anything else yet, so we'll see.
As far as the theft itself, there's still precious little known about who stole the car, or how. A detective called me today and mentioned a couple of other BMW's have been stolen after recent service visits to a certain Atlanta-area dealer, but unfortunately I've never had my car serviced there. Hopefully they'll catch up with these thugs sooner or later.
Thanks again to everyone for their sympathies, encouragement, and advice.
Cheers.
Paying people for things is necessary, but collecting the information is optional. Since you've driven your 540 for several 10K increments, how stable is the BMW suspension? If you have the alignment "done," and it's unchanged, the car's suspension is robust. If not, I think there are those who would like to hear how it changes. There's that "which wheel went how far out each time, and did it come back in later?" thing.
Where I work we track this sort of stuff. How's it going? Those of us who drive vehicles that actually benefit from four-wheel alignment are curious.
And. . .on a whole separate subject, all of us who have had scum steal things that we've worked for wish that snaigel comes out of this at least approximately whole.
I'm hoping I get at least 25,000 miles on the CSC2s. If not all 4, then at least fronts. I never asked the selling dealer how many miles were on the tyres when I bought her. I wanted some more aggressive rubber than the Yokohamas, so I was looking for a reason to get new tires. But I'm also a bit frugal so I went 20,000 miles.
I haven't had any issues with the suspension or steering.
Went on a quick 150 mile business trip today. Beautiful weather, if a bit windy. The ContiSportContact 2s gripped like magnets. Had a blast on some nice favorite stretches of rural road in middle of nowhere. Some nice Ss and one big 90 degree sweeper.
Conti SportContact's bad rep. has been that it becomes very noisy after about 8,000 miles and starts losing grip fairly quickly after that. However, I do remember reading from a magazine that Continental has corrected those issues and improved the wet traction with the CSC2. I am inclined to go with Bridgestone or Michelin when mine wears out, but keep us posted on how yours work out. I did notice this weekend that mine were starting to get noisy, and I have only about 6,000 miles on them.
I agree with you about the used car. Dealer can do its diligence with the car to make it presentable and provide warranty, but the unknown is how the previous owner has treated the car. Anecdotal evidence from the owners and the BMW mechanics suggests that break-in is crucial, especially with M models. Many who didn't follow the procedure properly often seem to complain about excessive oil consumption problem.
So where about DC area are you moving to? I am probably going to be back in that area in about a year as well. I used to live there for 16 years, and it is a nice area but getting too crowded, and the housing price is just ridiculous. One word of warning, many people there just can't seem to drive, and the traffic is quite bad.
http://www.discover.com/may_03/gthere.html?article=featoil.html
Edmunds says no - but they may be a week or so behind in updating their site - and I can not find anything on BMWUSA.com
I just got a 530i, 5 spd, SP, PP, Zenon. The low rate made it very good.
Hope this helps,
Jack
Would you share your months/miles per year and payment info?
Thanks
Alas, across the street was an Infiniti dealership. I thought I'd check out the G35 Coupe 6MT. (I can already sense the horror in those who spend quality time in the the G35 vs. 3-series/5-series boards...)
First off, the weakpoints: The interior is interesting but certainly falls short of the material quality used in the 5-series. And the engine--while very powerful--doesn't sing as sweet or smooth a note as does the venerable BMW inline-6.
But, it's gorgeous car, handles and brakes as well as the 3-series, accelerates like a 540, has terrific navigation and stereo systems, and offers it all up for several grand less than a loaded 330ci. Demand is high on these relatively low-volume cars, so I'm paying sticker of $37.5k.
By no means am I back here to troll, brag, or otherwise try to degrade the 5-series. Regulars here should know how much I respect BMW, and how much I loved my 530i. At this time, however, it simply made more financial sense to me to go with a different make that offered excellent performance for the dollar.
loss. Hey, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a G35 Coupe, I'm very
seriously thinking of selling our little '02 Civic EX and getting one. I hope
to keep my Bimmer for at least 3 more years, its an '01 and only has
13,400 miles on it. Will be sorry to see you go from this board, hope
you do hang around. Maybe in the near future you'll return to the
roundel, sure hope so.The G35 is a Gorgeous car !
With a little negotiation on cap cost, and by putting in the extra security deposits, you should be under $500 / month with 15k / year.
BTW, the 530 SP 5 speed is a blast to drive! At least for this 54 YO.
Jack
Are multiple security deposits allowed in all States? I live in Illinois!
Actually, this is our second new BMW in 7 weeks. My wife just got an 03 X5. So, our family plan is maxed out for now. Anything for the family!
Good luck,
Jack
Thanks
..g
Snagiel, congrats on your choice. If my kids were older I would probably do the same.
John
1. How long do you plan to own the car?
2. How many miles will you drive during the time you will own the car?
3. Do you take good care of the cars you drive?
4. Is the car you plan on buying likely to depreciate quickly?
5. Are there any incentives from the manufacturer that advantage one over the other?
Personally, I think leasing makes since if you like to trade vehicles in every 3 years or less and you don't put too many miles on the vehicle per year and you take good care of the car and if the car is likely to depreciate a lot.
A key to avoiding depreciation is to buy cars that tend to hold their resale value well. Too bad so few cars made today have that potential or are likely to be classics.
The incentives can work to make one more attractive over the other depending upon how generous they are.
But I'm also a big fan of buying one or two-year old used cars, preferably CPO thru manufacturer's dealer. You avoid the depreciation hit, get most of the warranty, can get some incentives, etc.
So don't forget about CPO.
Thanks again.
fo
I'm not sure of the financing on CPO. I'd check with a dealer. BTW, I have an 03 530i, and my wife has an 03 X5. Both nice. You can see the common ancestry, but they are very different. 530i = sporty, fun, smiles. X5 = capable, luxurious, roomy (not in cargo area, but in the fromt and back seating area). Both very nice. You can't go wrong with either one. Drive both and see what suits you best.
Hope this helps,
Jack
At the suggestion of a friend of mine (whose mother works at a BMW dealership in Chicago and swears these cars are next to impossible to steal), I contacted the dealership where I bought the car (but have never serviced) to run an inquiry on my keys.
Only ten keys can be made for every BMW, and all requests have to be made by the owner, through a BMW dealership, and straight through BMWNA. An hour later, the dealer called and confirmed that a copy of my key had been ordered (I have never ordered a copy), but no additional information was available to him.
Now, I'm in touch with the legal department at BMWNA, who'll be researching this and getting in touch with local police once they determine where and when (and by whom) the key copy was made.
I'll keep you apprised...
That's kinda creepy!
How are BMWs next to impossible to steal?
I always believe all cars can be stolen as long as the thief is skilled and wants it bad enough. Living in NYC, I have enough locks in my car to keep me occupied for a while before I pull out of the parking space when I go out.
In my case, I had driven the new CLK500, but the 12-month wait and the optioned price that took it beyond my threshold made it a no-option in my book. New E is beautiful, but wanted to wait until it develops in the market for a couple of years. MB is also pretty proud of their pricing with the E! Great car, though.
Allow me to say that I've learned what so many have been saying about BMW... that it is one of the finest overall driving experiences on the road. Purchased a 2003 530 Sport (Silver/Charcoal) with all options but Nav. What a sweet driver... terrific balance, steering, ride, etc. Got 3.9% year-end money and closed the deal in January. Have had it long enough to heartily recommend to anybody!
Sport seats are wonderful, overall sense of quality is apparent, engine is smooth and responsive, enjoy the DSP sound and hope to enjoy until after the new 5er has gained its legs in the market. Like the situation with the new E, would not want to buy a 1st year car, but this experience tells me that BMW builds a heck of a car in the 5 Series! Will be interesting to see if/how they improve on this experience.