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Luxury Performance Sedans

10338 messages,  Last post on May 01, 2013 at 3:12 PM

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What is this discussion about? Lexus GS 430, Acura RL, BMW 5 Series, Volvo S80, Audi A6, Infiniti M35, Infiniti M45, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Cadillac STS, Sedan

Messages Page 369 of 1034

#3681 of 10338 Re: Bose or B&O [bfeng7] by ksoman

Aug 19, 2005 (6:27 am)

Replying to: bfeng7 (Aug 18, 2005 9:35 pm)
Damn, I couldn't agree more. I have had a 7.1 system since late 1999 and I cannot believe I spend just 3K on wiring and cables... but then again, I was under 30 back then so we'll write it off to careless monetary abandon and immaturity.
 
Getting back to cars, I think for the few hundred or at most 1000 bux that you pay for a premium sound system are entirely worth it. The only exclusion will be the harmon kardon tin-pots that crackle in my wife's bmw.... it is the boomiest, ugliest sounding premium system i've every paid for... overall if you see, the mark levinson's in lexus or even the bose or non-bose systems is acura are absolutely UP there...
 
i personally think the german car's are a little behind on this front.
 
my person 2 cents.
ksso

#3682 of 10338 Re: Hybrid tax credit [quasiactuary] by ksoman

Aug 19, 2005 (6:33 am)

Replying to: quasiactuary (Aug 19, 2005 5:53 am)
funny i was reading about the new law yesterday and it dawned that it has flipped from being a deduction to a credit... don't we love tax credits instead of deductions... but sadly toyota buyers will be losing their credit rather rapidly.
 
from what i read, anytime a manufacturer hits 60K sales of hybrid, their customers credit will start sliding down a curve along a formula. so i guess honda and ford have some more time to entice customers into their shop for hybrids, but toyota will be losing the tax credit luster too. did anyone read the law in detail and get the same impression on the hybrid tax credit? Basically the way I read it, this credit was an incentive to the "other" manufacturers who are sitting on the sidelines without any real hybrids on the market. to me that is a smart move to get more manufacturers to commit to hybrids and really "broaden" the hybrid movement rather than just rewarding the few smart ones who anyway did it on their own.
 
this reminds me of the faux-pas in Arizona some years ago. I wish i was smart enough back then to drop money on a 5K electric golf cart and get a 5K tax credit instead of spending zillions on the 7.1 surround system. It took an entire year for AZ to roll back the mistake they made but i'd scores of neighbors who bought golf carts and took entire 5K credits on taxes (not deductions)... bless scottsdale... i miss it.
 
ksso

#3683 of 10338 Re: Top Tier Gas [maxhonda99] by ksoman

Aug 19, 2005 (6:42 am)

Replying to: maxhonda99 (Jul 05, 2005 1:16 pm)
"Speaking of BP, starting I believe next year, all Ford branded vehicles will have the BP logo on the gas cap!! "
 
Interstingly my wife's bmw's engine oil cap has been saying "castrol" to me since we bought it in the summer of 2003.
 
seems like ford got a lot of flap for their announcement on co-branding with BP, but others have been quietly doing it for a while now.
 
Depending on what part of the country I am in, I tend to develop an almost superstitious belief that certain gas stations/companies give me better HP or mileage. Do any of you get religious like that? (and i'm an aethist)....
 
When I lived down in scottsdale AZ, i was a fan of cheveron and tried to get gas at a certain station on scottsdale road up north of 101.
 
in my distant life in NJ, i remember i used to get my gas at a mobil station on route 10 just off 287 in parsipanny.
 
lately, i try to get my gas at a BP station and interestingly, I find they are cheapest compared to the surrounding shell's, mobils, exxons and GETTY too???? I find it unusual because I've seen BP's in most other places at price par with the mobil's and exxons.
 
i wonder if my cars care more or less what they are fed...
 
ksso

#3684 of 10338 Re: Bose or B&O [bfeng7] by hihomike

Aug 19, 2005 (6:44 am)

Replying to: bfeng7 (Aug 18, 2005 9:35 pm)
You seem to be "up" on audio systems, to be sure. I just got a 530i with Premium Surround Sound with Logic 7. The MSRP on that system was $1800 and dealer cost was about $1650.00. I've listened to some outstanding audio systems, and I consider this one, from my standpoint, extremely well balanced and accoustically refreshing.
 
What's your assessment of this sytem, the price paid for it, etc? I'd be very interested in your opinion.
 
MLS

#3685 of 10338 Re: Top Tier Gas [ksoman] by cmybimmergo

Aug 19, 2005 (7:04 am)

Replying to: ksoman (Aug 19, 2005 6:42 am)
i wonder if my cars care more or less what they are fed...
 
Didja take a look at this website (in the post immediately preceeding the one you answered): http://toptiergas.com/
 
It says cars do in fact care. The following are recommended companies:
 
QuikTrip
Chevron
Conoco
Phillips
76
Shell
Entec Stations
MFA Oil Company
 
I haven't compared mileage/performance as it relates to brand of gas (I pretty much stick with Shell), but I derfinitely have found that my bimmer really, really likes to go fast. If I do too much local stop-and-go driving, it gets sluggish and starts hesitating more on acceleration (and of course the mileage plummets). The best remedy is to get on the highway and open it up.

#3686 of 10338 Re: Real Wood Trim [bondguy1] by msu79gt82

Aug 19, 2005 (8:09 am)

Replying to: bondguy1 (Aug 18, 2005 5:59 pm)
A lot of people don't like shiny wood trim because of the cheap aftermarket kits that are available. ... If, however, you get a Mercedes Benz or Audi or BMW or another high end car, you basically know it's real wood... I like non shiny wood too...but if you look close at the M35's wood, if I can call it that, it looks like plastic...I'd rather have plastic that looked a lot like wood than wood that looked like cheap plastic.
 
Subjectivism run rampant If you can call it that? Come on, you don't have to like it but it is OBVIOUSLY real wood and not plood To me (I admit subjective here) the "real" wood in the BMW 5-series looks just like the "real" wood in the Acura RL which looks just like the plood in my MDX. So how am I to basically know that the BMW uses real wood since it looks like plood? Just because its a BMW I guess
 
Thats the problem with subjectivism - its subjective (atta boy yogi). You don't like the matte finish in the M35 and thats OK for YOU, but you will never convine ME that it looks fake, because it does not

#3687 of 10338 Re: Top Tier Gas [cmybimmergo] by msu79gt82

Aug 19, 2005 (8:26 am)

Replying to: cmybimmergo (Aug 19, 2005 7:04 am)
Virtually ALL gasolines are refined from the same basic stock on a regional basis. Note that I did not say that all gasolines are the same at the pump, but they are all derived from the same basic gas stock.
 
What makes Shell different from Chevron different from Exxon different from etc etc are the additives. Proprietary additives are blended into the basic stock (the primary, but not only, additives are octane boosters, oxygenators, and detergents). In my opinion the most important additive is the detergents. For example other than higher octane the biggest difference between Shell Regular (87) and Shell V-Power (91+) are the detergents to keep you engine "cleaner" Or at least thats what Shell claims. From a legal marketing perspective I have no doubt that Shell V-Power is different than Shell Regular, but I am not sure V-Power will keep my engine significantly cleaner that Regular.
 
Top Tier gasolines have proven engine detergents in them and can be trusted (and recommended by auto makers), that is not to say that other gasolines will not keep your engine clean either.

#3688 of 10338 Wood Trim and Leather inserts by docnukem

Aug 19, 2005 (8:35 am)

Matte finish is clearly not for everyone. Most people like the wood in the M; obviously some people don't. The only problem with glossy wood is that it is hard to judge if it is real wood under all the acrylic ( which is plastic, by the way). Matte finish in a car is foreign to most people, so it may seem odd to those people who have preconceived notions about what wood is supposed to look like.
 
As to the leather door handles and shift knob, I guess I don't understand the problem. Leather is far more warm and comfortable than plastic or wood for these gripped surfaces. Just as a leather-wrapped steering wheel is favored over plastic or wood wheels, it seems natural to put leather where you are going to be gripping surfaces.

#3689 of 10338 How different we are by hpowders

Aug 19, 2005 (8:43 am)

Amazing how folks see things differently.
The wood in my BMW 545i looks like real wood to me.
The wood in the M35/45 looked like cardboard to me.
Different strokes for different folks.

#3690 of 10338 Re: How different we are [hpowders] by msu79gt82

Aug 19, 2005 (8:45 am)

Replying to: hpowders (Aug 19, 2005 8:43 am)
Amazing how folks see things differently.
 
That was my point exactly
By the way the same goes for hearing too, thats why there is so much disagreement regarding sound systems. There is no accounting for personal taste - literally, we all have different tastes in foods.
 
Thats the problem with subjectivism - its subjective

Messages Page 369 of 1034

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