Re: Any opinions re: X3 vs the following competitors?
RX330, and here's why.
After purchasing (not leasing) 3 Bimmers, which handled beautifully but all seemed to fall apart well before warranties expired, I went Lexus for my last 3 cars. Two coupes, then the GS300, and now have ordered an RX330. Yep, I just drove the X5 and the X3, and yes, I sure could feel every twitch in the pavement thru the steering wheels. But what good is feeling the road if the &*(! Bimmer is not ON the road -- it's always at the dealership waiting on a part? What good is cornering if the lame-[Oops!] a/c can't keep my 530i interior cool in North Carolina summers? What good is BMW heritage if the depreciation is so bad after 2 yrs that even the dealers are embarrassed?
Maybe you guys who lease don't notice such stuff, but go out and purchase these cars with cash and you'll feel my pain. Go buy a Lexus and try to remember the last time you even thought to open the hood, or be concerned about driving it to Florida without worrying about some part failing, or get thoroughly spoiled by no-rattles no-road-noise driving. It's amazing how much road noise attributes to stress on trips, and how soothing it is to drive listening to a quality Mark Levinson system (versus those pathetic optional radio systems in the BMWs).
I will buy a Bimmer again, but only when they provide me valet and loaner service like Lexus does when it needs service. [Yep, they come to my office, pick up my Lex, and leave me a new Lex to drive while they fix the seat belt tension or whatever minor thing they decide to tweak.] Until BMW matches the Lexus service, I'll keep buying the sure thing. I've been burned too often, have waited too many cold mornings idling outside the BMW service dept garage door at 7:30am waiting for them to finish their coffee and let me in so they can listen to the rattling precision of the compressor on my 3-month-old $56,000 German driving machine.
i'm sorry, but what's the reason again why you're
I\'ve posted before that Germany\'s AAA..
indicates that "satisfaction" with German car owners - this year - say the top 7 cars sold in Germany are Japanese; and they only have 10% of the market!
Porsche rates 8th in satisfaction; BMW ranks 11th and VW, AUDI, and Mercedes are 30th+ in owner satisfaction!!; per European Car; April '04 issue.
Guess you gotta love Bimmers for reasons other than owner "satisfaction".
Larry, Albany, NY
94 740i (very "satisfied"... but evidently newer models don't bode too well?!)
wow,that is statistical anamoly based on my 9 BMW>
Nine BMW's owned since 1987...some repairs, but I can only think of one--water pump implosion on '91 M5 at 66K miles--which actually prevented me from driving the vehicle....NO repair issues which have ever left me unable to proceed during a roadtrip.
Time in shop actually LESS than 2 Acura's owned mid 90's.
That Lexus loaner/valet policy of which you avail yourself is a thing of beauty....I <i>know</i> that the Lexi dealers in my area don't offer door to door delivery for service appointments, so obviously you have found your home with Toyota/Lex.
Re: BMW X3 versus Lexus RX330
Are you kidding me? A more fair comparison would be the X5 3.0 Inline 6 to the RX330. The X3 is a failed project if you ask me. It's a low end BMW for an individual who yearn for a German car and money is an issue. X3 is a slow boring tiny SUV; a V-6 RAV-4 sport is more fun to drive.
You fail - 6 year old thread