[NefCanuck]

naz,May 2 2008, 12:30 PM Wrote:nef i agree you about the dash and in fact i think your car is nicer all around because i have the 'leatherette' (ie fake pleather) seats.  :ph34r:  (team poser™ FTW)  :ph34r:

after driving it for a bit though i think i see where the money went.  the revs rise and fall between shifts FAST.  like it reminded me of a s2000 (or maybe i've been driving a heavy flywheel wrx for too long).  the power delivery is linear and there is torque everywhere.. the motor is butter smooth from idle to redline.. the body and ride control is great and the ride isn't harsh.. 

i think i could have gotten much more luxury for (much?) less money or much much more sport for less money elsewhere definitely.. but for a 'sport lux wannabe' commuter with some legitimate track ability.. i think its pretty compelling
[right][snapback]263448[/snapback][/right]

Hey The Fusion only has "Leather seating surfaces" which for a car that (in my case stickered at nearly $40K before the discounting) is kinda chintzy :P

Yeah, even though I have the AWD, I'm not sure how much of a track beast my car actually is (though I am going to the STVOA Track Day this year and intend to find out :lol:) what I wondered is whether it would be possible to get the SAP suspension setup and dump it in my car (Much like I did with the Focus and putting the SVT running gear under it)

Now that might be a track monster ;)

NefCanuck

[naz]

hahah paulicat no worries.. non poser cars are welcome in this thread too!!

nef.. last i heard cars turn into track monsters because of the nut behind the wheel so yea definitely take your car to the circuit and see how it does... one day i hope to achieve enough skill to be able to go fast in any car..

i just got a rude wakeup call in how pitifully far i am away from the goal since i pretty much have no clue how this RWD thing works. i can't predict how my inputs affect anything. i can't even friggin identify the weight transfers.. and i am not sure i would be able to save this car from super fast yaw rates :( :(

must.. track.. rwd.. car....

[paulicat]

naz,May 2 2008, 05:17 PM Wrote:hahah paulicat no worries.. non poser cars are welcome in this thread too!!

nef.. last i heard cars turn into track monsters because of the nut behind the wheel so yea definitely take your car to the circuit and see how it does... one day i hope to achieve enough skill to be able to go fast in any car..

i just got a rude wakeup call in how pitifully far i am away from the goal since i pretty much have no clue how this RWD thing works.  i can't predict how my inputs affect anything.  i can't even friggin identify the weight transfers.. and i am not sure i would be able to save this car from super fast yaw rates :( :(

must.. track.. rwd.. car....
[right][snapback]263474[/snapback][/right]

Lol, spend a few winters in a 5.0l Stang and you'll get the hang of RWD REAL quick. :D
No traction control, way too much torque, stupid light rear end...you get the picture.

[naz]

dude.. haha. yea i bet!!

this car has much less body movement than the sube so the weight transfer is harder for me to catch.. and the feedback is so muted i'm afraid i'll miss the "we're at the traction limit" signal

[NefCanuck]

naz,May 2 2008, 04:17 PM Wrote:hahah paulicat no worries.. non poser cars are welcome in this thread too!!

nef.. last i heard cars turn into track monsters because of the nut behind the wheel so yea definitely take your car to the circuit and see how it does... one day i hope to achieve enough skill to be able to go fast in any car..

i just got a rude wakeup call in how pitifully far i am away from the goal since i pretty much have no clue how this RWD thing works.  i can't predict how my inputs affect anything.  i can't even friggin identify the weight transfers.. and i am not sure i would be able to save this car from super fast yaw rates :( :(

must.. track.. rwd.. car....
[right][snapback]263474[/snapback][/right]

That's the thing.... I've never driven an AWD car (Always been FWD since I was licensed) the few times I tried a RWD vehicle it was one of my dad's work trucks and an unloaded F-150 when you're 14 is a recipe for disaster (Nothing was ever broken, bent yes, broken no :P)

The AWD system in the Fusion is "on demand" and right now I can't think of a situation in normal driving where I'll trip the thing off (Come winter however that's another story)

NefCanuck

[2001 ZTS]

"You'll pry my Subaru out of my cold dead hands"

I agree with naz for getting the BMW, I am thinking 1 series "off lease" myself to replace the Ford in a year or two. I'll always have a Sube though, I'd be dead by now twice over if I didn't. Road travel is part of my job and things only go wrong in s*** weather a couple thousand kilometres away, it's some sort of rule?

[naz]

2001 ZTS,May 2 2008, 11:24 PM Wrote:"You'll pry my Subaru out of my cold dead hands"

I agree with naz for getting the BMW, I am thinking 1 series "off lease" myself to replace the Ford in a year or two. I'll always have a Sube though, I'd be dead by now twice over if I didn't. Road travel is part of my job and things only go wrong in s*** weather a couple thousand kilometres away, it's some sort of rule?
[right][snapback]263484[/snapback][/right]

andrew... even though i've gone over to the 'dark side' .. i still believe that nothing is better than a turbocharged subaru with long wheel travel for covering ground quickly on unfamiliar 'real world' (dirty, rough, snowy, gravely, etc etc etc) roads.. i will surely be using my local short term rental car service to get into a Sube Forester when i need to make a trip into the Tahoe this winter

you should proceed with caution when going with an off lease BMW.. especially a model like the 135 that is aimed squarely at the rabid enthusiast market.. many people will really drive the crap out of a leased vehicle since it is free maintenance, full warranty. a lot of leased bimmers are used hard and maintained (IMHO) very poorly (the factory maintenance schedule calls for servicing only once per yr or every 15k miles in order to be in compliance with warranty requirements) most will not pay out of pocket to further maintain a rented vehicle

i'm becoming a believer in the bmw image of a 'swiss army knife car' (daily drive to work, take clients out, rock out in the canyons/circuit) i think you'll really enjoy it!

[darkpuppet]

2001 ZTS,May 2 2008, 07:24 PM Wrote:"You'll pry my Subaru out of my cold dead hands"

I agree with naz for getting the BMW, I am thinking 1 series "off lease" myself to replace the Ford in a year or two....

yeah... the focus probably doesn't get much props from the school kids.

I say go for it... you'll be the only person there who can say they 'own' the bimmer they just parked out front. :P

i keed, i keed

[NOS2Go4Me]

See, I love Beamers, but I can't bring myself to buy one. I know they're the "Swiss Army Knife" of Euro cars, but that just means I'll lay more of a beating on it!

Congrats on the new ride! New cars are always a good reason to smile!

[Flofocus]

Congrats! I'll be going shopping in the states with my father for a 335i soon. Cant wait!

[naz]

darkpuppet,May 5 2008, 07:00 PM Wrote:they 'own' the bimmer they just parked out front.  :P

i keed, i keed
[right][snapback]263611[/snapback][/right]

depending on how the previous owner treated the 'off lease' vehicle 'owning' a bmw could get you 'owned' :ph34r:

long term maintenance cost of rigorously maintaining and repairing bmw is $$$$

IMHO, ownership is awesome and renting is bad almost 100% of the time when it comes to real estate.. when it comes to cars or any other heavily depreciating asset... not sure the situation is that clear cut

flo.. you shopping for an off lease 335i? re-read my post to 2001 zts for my thoughts on that

[Flofocus]

naz,May 5 2008, 04:42 PM Wrote:flo.. you shopping for an off lease 335i?  re-read my post to 2001 zts for my thoughts on that
[right][snapback]263624[/snapback][/right]

Not me, this would be for my father, but yes, we would be looking at something sligthly used with under 40K on it.

Saw the 1 series here at work and I gotta say....I 1st loved it, now it just screams woman car to me. :unsure:

[NefCanuck]

NOS2Go4Me,May 5 2008, 02:13 PM Wrote:See, I love Beamers, but I can't bring myself to buy one. I know they're the "Swiss Army Knife" of Euro cars, but that just means I'll lay more of a beating on it!

Congrats on the new ride! New cars are always a good reason to smile!
[right][snapback]263613[/snapback][/right]

Thing is though as nice as bimmer looks, owning one on this side of the pond takes a level of commitment and care bordering on the obsessive/compulsive. It truly has become a niche driver's car over the years here, which is sad IMO...

I dunno if the 1 series can change that, but we'll see (Does the 1 come with the free scheduled maintenance? :unsure:)

NefCanuck

[naz]

NefCanuck,May 5 2008, 09:51 PM Wrote:Thing is though as nice as bimmer looks,  owning one on this side of the pond  takes a level of commitment and care bordering on the obsessive/compulsive.  It truly has become a niche driver's car over the years here, which is sad IMO...

I dunno if the 1 series can change that, but we'll see (Does the 1 come with the free scheduled maintenance? :unsure:)

NefCanuck
[right][snapback]263628[/snapback][/right]

yea the 1 series has the free maintenance too.. in the US minis have then for 3yr/36k miles too

for long term 'keeper' i would definitely have looked much much harder at lexus or infiniti.. i'm not sure i trust bmw/mercedes for long term durability of random stuff like electricals etc..

i don't think the 1 series will be any cheaper to maintain than the other bmws.. the only thing cheaper is the initial purchase price

flo.. im sure you and your father have thought this through.. but IMHO.. off lease 335 is a scary thought. almost sure to have been driven hard, strong chance it had at least a chip... and i've heard many anecdotes of chipped BMWs running into oil overheating / limp mode issues.. IMHO a 335i will get $$$$ as it gets older if you will keep for a long time.. if you have the cash flow for an old 335 may want to consider a 911 C2S or C4S instead.. at least those have proven long term durability to go with the $$$$$ maintenance cost

if you are set on the 335 .. at least make you the one you get has OE oil cooler installed. early build vehicles did not have this from the factory (needed to be dealer retrofit)

couple of those thoughts.. 335 built after mar08 supposedly will go into limp mode if you chip them.. and many cars have the rear diff welded to the subframe so its pricey to swap to a LSD if you were thinking about doing that

[dad]

congrats Naz....German cars rock....I am on my second Benz , my first was an '02 CLK320 convertable (black) and now an '05 clk320 convertable (white)....just finished putting a Brabus front and rear fascia on it and new dual exhaust. If I had a clue how to post a pic on this board I would ....Anyway hope you enjoy the 3 series is a nice car

Edit....I should change my signature under my posts that car was split in two

[DD1]

dad,May 5 2008, 07:35 PM Wrote:congrats Naz....German cars rock....I am on my second Benz , my first was an '02 CLK320 convertable (black) and now an '05 clk320 convertable (white)....just finished putting a Brabus front and rear fascia on it and new dual exhaust. If I had a clue how to post a pic on this board I would ....Anyway hope you enjoy the 3 series is a nice car

Edit....I should change my signature under my posts that car was split in two
[right][snapback]263641[/snapback][/right]

plus it has the 3rd brake light delete mod LOL

[naz]

dad,May 6 2008, 12:35 AM Wrote:Edit....I should change my signature under my posts that car was split in two
[right][snapback]263641[/snapback][/right]

hey haven't seen you posting in a while!

split in two.. as in.. you got into a bad crash? if so glad you are ok

i looked at MB's briefly.. i really like the CLK500 and CLK55.. but then i realized that no one would right mechanical breakdown insurance for the CLK55 and the premium for the CLK500 were like 4-5x the premium of other comparably priced cars... so.. i decided real fast i did not want to use my cash flow that way hahaha

[dad]

naz,May 5 2008, 09:13 PM Wrote:

dad,May 6 2008, 12:35 AM Wrote:Edit....I should change my signature under my posts that car was split in two
[right][snapback]263641[/snapback][/right]

hey haven't seen you posting in a while!

split in two.. as in.. you got into a bad crash? if so glad you are ok

i looked at MB's briefly.. i really like the CLK500 and CLK55.. but then i realized that no one would right mechanical breakdown insurance for the CLK55 and the premium for the CLK500 were like 4-5x the premium of other comparably priced cars... so.. i decided real fast i did not want to use my cash flow that way hahaha
[right][snapback]263650[/snapback][/right]

I gave the car to the ex-wife (as well as most everything else) and her and my oldest son got severly t-boned . the only thing holding the two halves of the car together was the eibach front sway bar....quite the sight. She got badly brused up my son (20 years old) had two fractured vertabra and spent 16 weeks in a brace , he has made a full recovery :).
Saddly she died last december after a 9 month fight with multiple cancers so the car was of little consequence.....dispite my indifference to her a would prefer the kids still had there mom. I do miss the focus , it was a fun car the way I had it set up. It was a fantastic momentum car, one of the best I ever owned actually.
fortunately insurence costs amd money are not really an issue these days but yes a benz can be expensive to insure when compared to others, however I guess I will have to tough it out ey....

We looked a various BMW's and just could not agree on which one and we loved our first Benz so the decision was kind of a no brainer....Although I do believe most BMW"s represent a "better" driving experience I have come to completely enjoy the very paired down luxury/engineering of the Benz....it is impossible to explain until you have xtended seat time in these cars. Position of switch gear, road feel , turn in (for a heavy car) and the crazy thing is the seat position. I actually did not initially like the seating but what you come to realize is that after a 3 hour road trip you havent wiggled ,shifted had a numb arse or had any occasion to move or shift the seat....as a big guy this is a first for me . This is the thing the german cars do well , engineering that stealthly adds to the driving enjoyment.

anyway, enjoy your car it is a far cry from a focus (no offense guys) Oh and yes I have modified the benz it looks exactly like the blue convertable here......

http://www.brabus.com/index_usa.html including the wheels which I just bought today :)

[darkpuppet]

is it me, or are brabus cars a tad overpriced?

Quote:BRABUS ultimate 112 

  Print the offer


Engine: 3-Zylinder Turbo Mileage: 10 km
Engine size: 999 cm³ 0-100 km/h:* 9,5 sec
Power:* 82 KW/111 PS Vmax:* 170 km/h

Offer price** € 45.900,00  incl. 19% VAT
Export price** € 38.571,43  (which is 59,407.72 Cdn at this hour)...

[naz]

dad,May 8 2008, 03:49 AM Wrote:snip

[right][snapback]263831[/snapback][/right]

dad sorry to hear about your wife. glad your son made a full recovery. someone was looking out for him up there

nice wheel$

i agree MBs make some awesome luxury touring cars, especially the AMG products. i have started going to lapping schools regularly so i wanted a car that was sorted at the traction limit (i think BMW does a much better job with this than MB) prior to the bimmer i had a WRX.. loved the car great school car. but maintenance was killer and clients could not get over the hood scoop.. time to grow up a bit so i ditched it