Oh, and don't get me started on the adaptive headlights ... amazing. Even a slight turn of the steering wheel (like to switch lanes) and the headlights swivel ... very cool stuff. Not sure how USEFUL this is yet in real driving, but it's scores a 10 on the cool factor.

 

awesome car...

 

awesome! Thanks for the comparison. Did you consider the usual others? G35, A4, C-class, etc?

I know what you mean about the 3 series torque. It's a flexible powerplant but not as much kick in the pants as the 3.5, though subjectively around the same as the 3.0. I agree that the 3 series is faster of course.

 

I remember this meet. That car was sick in person. Congrats on your new purchase. Are you still in Tampa?

 

Heavily considered a G35 coupe (Audi would have been S4, but they're too much and Mercedes? Cmon man ... I bought a Bimmer ... I'm not about to drive a Merc ) but by the time I really found a dealer to give me a 2 year lease for a decent price, I had already decided to finance and was prequalified looking for used Bimmers. Infiniti dealers are fking terrible. Just as bad as Nissan.

New G35c I was trimming out was about $35k after discounts, it was so appealing because I was going to have to do nothing with it. Bluetooth included, Sirius included, 6MT, etc ... it was going to be perfect. Then I couldn't get the color I wanted due to availability, then they were killing me on shipping in cars from other dealers, then they were fking me on the financing, etc. The lease is actually 2 separate transactions and I was getting fked on one or the other by all dealers I spoke to.

Back to my point ... I've loved the G35c since they came out in '03. But nothing calls to me more than a Bimmer. And when I knew the G35 was going to be a hassle, I turned to BMW. I looked at the 335i, but the lease on that was $650 and I wasn't prepared for that kind of a lease payment. Only thing left for me was the 330. Once I found the wheels I liked, I knew what trim they came with (ZHP). I found about 4 of them with ZHP, lowballed all the dealers, and the one I bought my car from was the one who didn't act so shocked I lowballed them and shot me a counteroffer. 3 phone calls later and I was locked at $31k shipped. 14k miles????? Wow man ... I'll tell you what, it's as brand new as you can get. The car stickered for over $42k new.

Consider any other cars you want, but when it comes down to it, nothing else is a Bimmer. S2000's are nice, WRX's are sweet, EVO's are super hot, 350z Track edition is sexy too, but none of them feels like a Bimmer. Doesn't make them better or worse, it just makes the Bimmer 100% DRIVER oriented. Window switches on the gear shift to keep your left hand free to steer, a small, concealed and handy toolkit on the trunk lid, lots of low end torque so you can drive in the gear you want, a suspension tight and solid but no real ride compromises.

Even the german creature comforts ... a first aid kit under the passenger seat, rear seat fold down latches that are labeled, solid pieces of plastic that are in plain view once you open the trunk, foot well lighting, trim pieces as stated earlier, trunk release ON the trunklid, battery located in the trunk ... the list goes on and on and on and on and on ....

If you don't like Bimmers now, then you likely never will, and that's OK. But if you have driven them and TRULY love them, you need to just buy one and stop convincing yourself that they're a wise purchase, because they aren't. Once the maintenance goes out, they're expensive to maintain, but people who LOVE Bimmers simply don't care.

With all that said, let me also say:

 

Thanks man, yeah ... I am still in Tampa. You guys having a meet soon?

 

Big Ham -- I don't remember interacting with you directly, but your presence was known. I always respected your 4G, amazingly clean car.
Good choice on the bimmer, and nice 1/4 time! How is the 330 launching? I can only imagine how smooth the I6 is. I hope that my new car will give me the same joy when I get her running...I have no doubt that it will.

 

Thanks BigLou

The time I gave in my quote was that of the author, not myself. I've not been to the track in this car yet. I can tell you it launches great so far, but I've only had it for 5 days, so I have a lot to learn. The 255's in the rear make it pretty easy to hook up tho.

 

Man I just found this thread... good to see you end up in a car like that. I'm still rocking the 4th gen, creaks, rattles and all. I helped my brother buy a new(-er, 2005) Legacy GT turbo yesterday and it's got me foaming at the mouth for something newer and faster. If something ever does happen in Tampa without my car experiencing mechanical failure (or driver error involving concrete) I'll be there.

 

Thanks weasel!

Glad to see you're still rocking the 4th gen. Legacy GT turbo is SWEET!

Patience, my son ... get done with school, get a good job, then step up to a 5.5 gen. Drive that for a few years and a Bimmer is within reach ...