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BMW Driving Experience

84 messages,  Last post on Jan 18, 2013 at 3:29 PM

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What is this discussion about? BMW 3 Series, BMW 5 Series, BMW 7 Series, BMW X5, BMW Z4, Car Comparisons, Performance Mods, Scheduled Maintenance, Motorsports, Coupe, Convertible, Sedan

Messages Page 5 of 10

#32 of 84 Re: GM UAW Contract [fintail] by uplanderguy

Sep 20, 2011 (3:43 pm)

Replying to: fintail (Sep 20, 2011 2:50 pm)
Rental cars are a tough call, who knows how they have been abused. I remember a Malibu rental in 2003 that was awful, many systems didn't function at all and the temp light was on all the time, an obvious defect. But I wouldn't judge the car on that. Had a Kia about 4 years ago that was an Enterprise car and was pretty trashed - but I didn't hold it against the car.
 
Certainly true, but it was distinctly worse than every car I had the several weeks immediately preceding, and immediately afterwards. I also don't know what kind of 'spirited driving' would make the traction control light stay on, nor wear out the control arm bushings in 15K miles.

#33 of 84 Re: GM UAW Contract [andres3] by uplanderguy

Sep 20, 2011 (3:44 pm)

Replying to: andres3 (Sep 20, 2011 9:36 am)
Is the track any worse that 5.5 years on the pothole-ravaged roads of the northern midwest, in all kinds of weather? Just askin'.

#34 of 84 Re: GM UAW Contract [circlew] by andres3

Sep 20, 2011 (3:57 pm)

Replying to: circlew (Sep 20, 2011 2:33 pm)
I agree the maintenance/repair costs are higher but if you are a driving enthusiast, there are few US models that can even come close.
 
While I agree my German car has been more expensive to maintain, I'd argue it is far cheaper to keep running and REPAIRED than a domestic vehicle. At least in my anecdotal experience with a sample size of one each (well, two for the Germans if you count my parents '87 Jetta GLI when I was a kid).
 
You can take the '87 Jetta and '06 A3 and combine the repair/maintenance costs and they still won't equal the '95 Neon.
 
2006 A3 = 82,500 miles
87' Jetta kept to just over 101,000 miles before being traded in.
Neon = 65,000 miles at 4th towing and final straw.
 
I, however, don't include maintenance costs into my "costs" normally as all cars have them. But yes, driving a German car the way it is meant to be driven will require replacing tires on a regular basis $$$$$$. Driving a Toyota like it's a Buick might get you 80,000 miles on the same tires!

#35 of 84 Re: GM UAW Contract [uplanderguy] by andres3

Sep 20, 2011 (4:08 pm)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Sep 20, 2011 3:44 pm)
I imagine driving in sub zero temperatures might be hard on a car (at least at start-up).
 
However, all States have their share of potholes as the gov't would rather waste money on radar dectector dectectors in Virginia than on fixing our roads.
 
I think Track use is unique and definitely requires a well built and engineered automobile. If one drives for short 20 to 30 minute intervals a few times for a few days on a couple of occassions each year at the track, I'd imagine it is not particularly hard on a "high quality" car. But a low quality car might have issues day 1 lap 1 on the track.
 
Some have argued my domestic car was a lemon because I've flogged it as a teenager. I've countered that a properly engineered car has no issues being driven any which way it can be (such as on a Track; my A3, or as a teenager, my friends Corolla/Prism.) He flogged his Prism 500% more than my Neon, and my A3 is used probably 150% more spiritedly than the Neon (even though I'm older now), yet we all know which 2 could handle being driven by a real driver.
 
His Prism was flawless to 100,000 miles despite full throttle acceleration being the normal course of business for it.
 
If a car can't be driven any which way it lets you without falling apart, then the engineers at Chrysler should have set the rev limiter at 3K, the top speed at 55 MPH, and the price tag at $999.99.

#36 of 84 Re: GM UAW Contract [uplanderguy] by fintail

Sep 20, 2011 (4:46 pm)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Sep 20, 2011 3:43 pm)
I bet a nice curb smack could mess up those suspension bits. For the traction control, probable defect...Camrys aint what they used to be
 
Traction control light on my MB comes on a bit...but that's because of how it is driven

#37 of 84 Re: GM UAW Contract [fintail] by dieselone

Sep 20, 2011 (5:49 pm)

Replying to: fintail (Sep 20, 2011 10:35 am)
Yeah, huge difference between any BMW and a Cav, from complexity to driving enjoyment.
 
Until this conversation came up, I've never heard the words Cavalier and BMW in the same sentence before. The spare tire in a BMW probably utilized more engineering resources than a whole Cavalier;)

#38 of 84 Re: GM UAW Contract [dieselone] by circlew

Sep 20, 2011 (6:23 pm)

Replying to: dieselone (Sep 20, 2011 5:49 pm)
Until this conversation came up, I've never heard the words Cavalier and BMW in the same sentence before. The spare tire in a BMW probably utilized more engineering resources than a whole Cavalier;)
 
ROTFLMAO!! ULG compares his stellar repair costs to the 318ti Club Sport which RB modified for track days. How long do you think a Cavalier would last flogging 5 times per year on a road coarse at 10/10ths of it's capability???? The mod for the Cav would be a tow truck to bring it to the shredding center!!
 
Not too long and the cost would lend itself to disposal after only 1 year, I would guess. Of course, you could mod the Cav but the mod would be a tow truck to bring it to the shredding center!!
 
Hardly an apples/apples comparison we all know ULG stands behind. Let's call a spade a spade and an appliance an appliance.
 
Everything is relative and there are basic efficient transportation and even then, those that costs more to repair in the same class. Corolla vs. Cavalier, for instance.
 
Value for the Money
Compared with its most natural rival, the sportier-natured Dodge/Plymouth Neon, the refined Cavalier puts comfort and utility ahead of performance and style. All told, however, it doesn't match the refinement of the Toyota Corolla. For a reasonable sum, however, you get a car with dual airbags and antilock braking, even if it isn't quite as much fun to drive as a Neon.
 
Regards,
OW

#40 of 84 Re: GM UAW Contract [roadburner] by dieselone

Sep 20, 2011 (6:49 pm)

Replying to: roadburner (Sep 20, 2011 10:45 am)
RB, very nice car. The first BMW I ever got behind the wheel of was a 1990 318i which a older friend of mine bought new a year or so out of college. Wow, that car blew me a away. Having mainly driven domestics I'd never experienced a car that performed so effortlessly. It's something that's hard to describe, but the feel of the car was like nothing that I was accustom to. I think the only word that came out of my mouth after driving it was "wow".
 
No it wasn't particularly fast, but it was the way it went about its business that thoroughly impressed me. It was extremely solid and everything about the powertrain was precise and smooth. It felt like you couldn't drive it hard enough to break it.

Messages Page 5 of 10

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