Doubt I'd keep my 335xi w/o a warranty....

[rustyh]

talking in general terms/joking around, not calling you out in particular.

That said, I like manuals. And if it weren't for the fact it would be just one more pricey repair job waiting to happen one day, I'd be happy with hill assist. And I can assure you, I'm not a wuss and I've never been called one. At least to my face. lol

In fact, it's kinda funny to think that someone could somehow base how much of a man someone is on whether or not he enjoys fiddling with a clutch on a hill. But again, I'm assuming his comment was just a joke. Before you responded in fact, I only saw it as a joke.

Btw, you'll also hear people occasionally suggest that you're not a real man unless you drive a manual. Those same people may one day find out why the older guy is driving an auto, and we'll just have to wait and see if they enjoy hip or knee replacement surgery as much as the guy they're making fun of with the slushbox. :-)

Rusty
'05 330i ZHP in Imola

[tna333]

Next gen Legacy GT's should be a very good car. Coming out in 2010. I even like the current gen, very good build quality and performance. I passed for an 07 328i CPO with just 8000 miles on it. Didn't want to get a Sub on its last year.

[JamesS3]

one.
No, it's not a BMW. But it's also 15-20K less. In this day & age, that's important. I love BMW, but they're just getting way too expensive to keep & maintain IMO.

A clutch in a Subaru is probably HALF what BMW would charge. I'd get AWD, decent acceleration & a nice enough interior. We'll see what happens in 2 years....

[JamesS3]

for a daily driver. Got to be a PITA when driving with kids.

[FloydR]

Just last month, friend bought a brand-new loaded Outback. 138 miles in, wouldn't start. She was *PISSED*.

[Stinger9]

Not even a comment directed at Jonathan to be sure, however I'm free with my apology if he wants one!
Boards by definition are for short quick posts frequently, so I don't write tomes. For clarity: I just meant that driving a stick is relatively simple, and I resent all the dumbing down of practically all that a chip can be inserted into.
And I love manuals myself, but would be the first to recommend an auto or hill hold to someone if that was best for them. Maybe me someday!

Jonathan, it's easy to take something short here as an insult, but after a while I came to the conclusion that 99% of all of us come here to learn, help, share, and have fun. I enjoy the fraternity. Hope we can start fresh.

[Socom]

"It's not who you are, but what you do that defines you"

[BG]

Sounds like another doofy clever solution to a problem that barely existed (like run-flat tires, tire pressure monitors, rain-sensing wipers, auto-dimming mirrors). Great for the dealer's profit margin when repairs are needed after a few years.

[JamesS3]

They did the best they good w/ paintless dent work. It is barely visible, not that is was big to begin with.

They did the right thing & I told them so. So far, so good! At least I FINALLY got rid of the annoying creaking driver's seat. Wow, that was irritating. Creaked like an old wooden sailing ship. They had to install a new frame or the like.

[Alex]

Not to mention the price you'll pay when things will go wrong. Leasing or CPO is the way to go.

Alex
www.fairbmwlease.com/guide.html

[peripherique]

Over 50 yrs old & just ordered my first automatic :( The traffic in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. has just gotten to bad for a manual

[Stinger9]

err, ahh, I forgot, I do love the rain sensing wipers!
First fell in love with them on the Autobahn in a light off and on again rain at speeds close to one hundred mph over extended periods of time. Try it and you'll see the real worth of them.

[embarrased to tell you what I got - Tony]

Oh what the heck... I got A Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X MR. I love the thing!! I've had several 335i loaners and this thing easily out handles the 335. There are plenty of luxury items that aren’t available on the EVO that the BMW’s have. Things like Auto-dimming mirrors, power/heated seats, One touch up and down on all four windows. There’s also a little bit more road noise but I don’t really mind it. It makes me feel like I’m actually driving!

But the main thing that I love about the car is the Dual-Clutch transmission. It’s unbelievable. You can leave it in “normal” and drive around quietly like a regular auto. The shifts also seem to be smoother than a regular auto. And then there’s the throttle matched downshifts. On sport mode the down-shifts sounds like a race car driver is doing the shifting for you. I can’t wait for BMW to release their version.

I’m not ruling BMW out in the future but like you, the prospect of owning one past 100k miles is scary (I think that could apply to all cars, but BMW’s just cost more to maintain).

This is a list of items that needed to be replaced on my BMW. Leading me to eventually get rid of it:

Car had 107,000 miles on the ODO
1) Head Gasket = Not sure about price, guess = $3000
2) Clutch = $2,500
3) Usual front end work = $1,700
4) The heat stopped working ( I checked the coolant)
5) Windshield washer fluid leaks (empty in a day). Problem with washer nozzles $325 to fix. This is the second car that I’ve had with headlight washers. Both cars started leaking after 3 years (last car Audi A4)
6) Rust in rear quarter tire arches ( $450 to repaint)
7) There was some other $5,100 repair that the dealer did for free (past warranty). I signed a paper stating that I wouldn’t talk about it.

So I had a choice. Spend $8k to fix the car (car was only worth $7,200. That’s what the dealer gave me) or get a new car.

I considered the 335xi but I’ll be honest, compared to the EVO MR the 335 seemed soft and not as precise. Even the ride on the EVO is far from harsh. The only worry I had about the EVO X was the boy racer look. But after seeing the car it looks more M3 than Civic.

I’ll probably get the next 3generation 3-series but only if it has a dual-clutch transmission.

And oh yeah… The EVO is horrible on gas. I’m getting like 16mpg! Hope it gets better. My 330i reported 16mpg at first but eventually went to 21.9.

Later

[JamesS3]

I totally understand the Mitsu. Not a good choice for me as I have kids. Still-- when my lease ends in 1 3/4 years I'll either get it CPO'd or walk away & get a Subaru or something.
With the economy as it is I can't see going along with BMWs ever higher and valueless pricing. A well equipped 3 series is now in the mid 50s. That is NUTS. Add in the ridiculously high repair costs and they can keep it.

[Tony]

They had a 0% financing deal (along with $1k below invoice) that I could not pass up. Plus I really like the car. I also looked at the Subarus, specifically the Legacy GT. That car does the business and has a nice interior. My only concern was that the design has been out since 2005, and it does look a little generic on the outside. Oh well. .. Maybe I’ll get a convertible BMW or something when the economy picks up and my daughter gets out of school. Either way I’ll still remain highly interested in BMWs.

Take Care

[Socom]

I'm thinking the 135i would've been more of a 'apples to apples' comparision to the EVO.

"It's not who you are, but what you do that defines you"

[Tony]

[AussieBob]

The German tanks were superior, agile and the Russians were stuffed during the summer, but along came the Russian winter and the German tanks stopped (even their guns were not firing I believe, I wasn't there so don't know for sure)

German = high tech, low tolerance, complicated systems = no good out side of ideal operating conditions.

Russian = lower tech, high tolerance, cheap messy crap, but they WORK.


This labour rate thing sure pains me, $150? an hour!!!! even when they're scratching their heads, arse and stuffing the car up. Probably 6 minutes of the $150 is in the toilet time, I know my shlt stinks.
But the Stealer business owners are on a good thing - the cost is not $150, and BuyMoreWarranty just adds the warranty costs to the next model list price.

[AussieBob]

@@@@ STEALERS DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR THEY CARE ABOUT YOUR MONEY @@@@

With a nice shirt and tie and a cup of warm coffee, they smile and talk shlt !!!!



Car colours can hide dirt, panel designs can hide dents - my 94 BMW was perfect for 14 years, a Stealer did't do it because I've never taken this car to the Stealer but probably some passenger dickhead in a carpark (and I think I know the one, because I very rarely park in off-street car parks) put a dent in the driver's door. Good thing though with the E36 design you have to get it at the right angle and lighting to notice it, I didn't at first but my sister did, and she hates cars.

[AussieBob]

Electronics and insults work together as well, and those new modern electronic military weapons - fark me