woofersus

iTrader: (3)

This is why I didn't buy one the last time around...

I'm torn here. Lots of bad experiences to go around in my research, but most of them are from the N54 era and especially M cars. All quantitative data I can find suggests BMW is basically middle of the pack in quality at this point, and I think there's reason to believe the B48/58 engines will be better. That said, I still wouldn't consider getting a "bargain" by buying one that's 4yrs old and out of warranty, like I did with my G. VAG doesn't have the greatest reputation either, but my wife's MK7 GTI has been flawless through 85k miles thus far, and friend of mine has a 2014 328i and he hasn't had any major issues either. But I know if it does go wrong it's more expensive. The CPO program is attractive to me because it would give me coverage of the more catastrophic types of failures for an unlimited number of miles, and I drive a lot of them. (33k/yr) Even with it's limitations it would make me feel a bit safer.

I'm really struggling with this. Part of me thinks I should just go buy a recent Civic Si for ~$18k and save my money until next time. Another part of me wants to splurge and get the ATS-V. I can get an M240i in the low-mid $30's but I'm afraid to pull the trigger.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

They are "all-season" not actual all season tires. I saw the "all-season" printing on the side of the tires and laughed pretty heartily when I looked closer at the actual tread on the tire. They are summer tires with rain grooves.

What year was your M3 and what problems did you have? I had an '05 M3 and it was bulletproof. It could have had an issue with the rear subframe or the vanos, but didn't.

Your guess of luxo-boat is accurate. It reminded me of a newer version of the Infiniti M45. Nice comfortable car with decent power, but not really sporty at all. It reminded me of taking my couch for a drive down the highway. Although, these will probably be the types of cars I look for once I get older and really want a quiet, comfortable, and relatively quick car.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

I'm 55, so.... yeah, I'm starting to lean that way for Next Car. The heart still wants a F-Type, but the old man I'm becomming would rather have a high-powered luxo-boat. I think I already bypassed the mid-life crisis car moment by modifying my G.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

The Genesis is a really nice car and still really underrated. Now that I think about it, it is probably a bit more fun to drive and nicer than an M45 which just feels like a big boat to me. And I'm not just saying that because I could sell you one if you ever made your way out to Wisconsin.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

I finally found a decent salesperson who gets in a lot of ATS-V sedan 6spds. He let me know about 2 cars that came in recently that are very close to what I am looking for. The black one below has every feature I want, except the Performance Data Recorder. The PDR, Recaro seats, and Safety & Security Package (gives you the heads up display) are deal breakers for me. I would really prefer the car to have the carbon package and that may be a deal breaker too. I want the red Brembos, polished wheels, and microfiber steering wheel/shifter too, but I might be able to live without them.

So if the car I wants ever turns up I might just snap it up knowing how hard they are to get. However, this puts me in a bit of an odd spot with the G. I just ordered a carbon hood for it and I only have a few things left to do with it. It is in perfect shape and I think it has a lot of life left in it so I am not really ready to sell it, but I guess I would if I found the right ATS-V. Crazy...

https://www.sewellcadillac-dallas.co...-TX/3482877723

2GoRNot2G

iTrader: (5)

Yeah, the new "all season" tires look just like Michelin's Pilot Sport 4S tires except with added sipe lines for inclement weather. Here's a great picture illustrating this. The C8's new all season Michelin's are on the left and the Pilot Sport 4S on the right.




Mine was a 1998 E36 M3, so I didn't have to worry about the Vanos system. It was about 2 years old when I bought it and only had 18K miles on it. The previous owner was a Dentist and all he did was drive it back and forth to the office, so although I don't think it was coddled, it wasn't ridden hard either. I bought it to be a track car to replace an Eclipse GSX that I had just sold to a good friend, but it was in the shop at the dealer for over 180 days accumulative out of the ~2 years that I owned it, so I didn't actually get to drive (or track it) much! Problems ranged from power sunroof and window motors failing to 3 cracked water pumps to a stuck caliper to a lower sub-frame problem that took them literally months to figure out, etc, etc, etc... You get the idea! I even hired an attorney and tried to get BMW to buy the car back under the Lemon Law. And the dealer even wrote a nice letter siding with me, but BMW corporate deemed that all of the problems I had were "normal" for that year and model... WTF! Thankfully BMW finally sent a Master Technician up from South Carolina and he was able to figure out the problem with the sub-frame and I finally sold the car while it was still running perfectly and before I had another problem with it. Ironically, I ended up selling it for nearly $5K more than I paid for it to an out of state buyer that was specifically looking for one in Dakar Yellow... and yes, I even disclosed all of the issues I had with the car, but even with that I still had multiple buyers interested so I was able to sell it for well over asking price.

I'm 6 or 7 years behind you, but I'm still right with you on this thinking. I've been looking for the perfect next car for the past year or so now and the F-Type SVR and AMG GTS were at the top of my list. That was until I drove a Lexus LC500 , Porsche Panamera Sport Tourismo GTS and Mercedes S63 AMG Coupe. All those cars are highly refined grand tourers that really satisfied the "old man" in me, but they also seem to have enough of the performance quotient to keep the "teenager" in me happy as well. So now I'm starting to completely rethink what I want in my next car. But then Chevy has their big press release on the new C8 a couple weeks ago and that just blew all that new thinking right out of the water. LOL

I'm in the same boat as you. Been looking for the perfect car to replace my G, but just can't seem to find exactly what I'm looking for. I've spent the last 10+ years getting the G just how I want it and I still really enjoy it. Plus, it's still in great shape and only has about 60K miles on it so that's all making it very hard to replace. I don't really "have" to sell it, so I tried talking the wife into letting me keep it, but she says I already have enough cars so I'm not allowed another one unless I get rid of one. Oh well, it was worth a shot!

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

I couldn't see the innermost tread of the tire when the car was on display, but that tiny section is the only part that is even remotely "all season." Maybe the extra weight of the mid engine will help, but I would be surprised if that tire allows the Corvette to move more than a few feet in 1/2" of snow.

I have heard of lots of issues with E36 M3s. Really most German cars in the 80s and 90's had lots of electrical issues. What was wrong with the subframe? Lemon Law is only for the 1st owner of a new car so I am not surprised that you did not have any luck there.


I know what you mean. If I buy a car that is on the road right now it is ATS-V sedan 6spd. all the way. The other side of the coin is the fact that lots of cool cars are coming out in the next couple of years. Do you snap up an ATS-V if it becomes available or chance it on a future car hoping the tech is even better? Million dollar question.

Don't you have twin turbos on your G? How is that holding up? Did you replace engine internals?

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Hey super sleuths, there's tire compound to consider, too. An AS tire needs to be able to function in feezing temps.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

That's a given because every all-season tire has to function in freezing temps. The tread design is what really dictates usability in actual winter conditions. Years ago I got some Pirelli "all season tires" that were absolute garbage in the snow even with my AWD car. Fortunately, Pirelli had a warranty at the time that allowed you to return their tires if you were not satisfied (maybe they still do?). I replaced them with another all season tire that was much better in the snow and the only real difference was the amount of siping in the tread blocks.

I remember looking at the pictures of the Pirellis online and asking the guy at the tire rack if they were any good in snow because they sure looked like they would be awful. He swore up and down that they were great in snow- probably because they were on sale and they got some spiff to sell those tires instead of others. Ever since then I have paid very close attention to the shape, design, and tread wear rating of tires over everything else and it has yet to steer me wrong. I can usually just look at the tread of a tire and know if it will be fast or not compared to reading 1,000 reviews. I think this is also why my cars are usually able to lap cars that are much more capable than mine at track days- tires.

Epiphany

G80 with some nice wheels and an exhaust might just be one of the better things you could do next...

JSolo

iTrader: (14)

G80 is one heavy car.. ~4500# curb weight. That's a boat anchor in my book.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

No argument about that. But that's also kind of the point, forgoing precision driving for comfort.

More often than not, sometimes I realize as I'm driving the G that I'm all tensed up, fingers and toes clenched as I drive. And I have to consciously force myself to chill. Now sometimes that's part of the fun of having the car I have, modified the way it is. It's intentional. And sometimes I'm just exhausted about the whole thing... cause I'm getting old.


Exactly my thoughts on the topic (lately). A nice, rumbly exhaust and some classy aftermarket wheels with summer tires on a car like the G80 5.0, or the Q70 with the V8... that sounds damn appealing to me. Luxurious, spacious comfort, straightline power to dig hard into the on-ramps, and some performance rubber for a little extra grip.

JSolo

iTrader: (14)

Is it the car or the environment that's making you all tensed up? I only got that way when attacking corners. Still had to remind myself to breath through the corner and remain relaxed. On the bike, tensed up == more likely to crash in a corner. I generally steer with the left hand, arm resting on the window sill. This yields a surprisingly relaxed driving dynamic. I also keep a large following distance regardless what I'm driving. Sometimes cars will pass me on the shoulder in heavy traffic. I don't care.

I hear you about getting old. I came " " this close to buying that k1600gt (motorcycle) the other day ( you might of seen the deleted post in here). It was a stupid deal to pass up, but the parental figure threw a tantrum and begged me not to get it. Given the circumstance of the past few months, I had to honor that. The bike was fully loaded with all the options available and price was right as was mileage (2015 model, 3K miles). On one hand I regret it, on the other I keep reminding myself of why I stopped riding in the first place - this area is just plane boring, and to get anywhere decent takes too much time and energy.

So, no large purchases for the next 6-9 months. Then, we'll see. I still would love a camaro ss 1le (maybe one a year old). That would give me all the performance fix I need.

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

I go back and forth on the Camaro SS and Mustang GT.

I'm about 46 months out from getting a toy car and I'm largely settled on getting one or the other. I think either would make a fun 2nd car and keep me content for quite some time. I hesitate to say 'forever', but as manuals get more and more scarce, it would be nice to have something tucked away in the garage just for fun. And in a pinch, I could fit my kids in the back.

I kept my '94 Firebird for 12 years, so it's entirely possible I'll ride whatever fun car I settle on into retirement.

JSolo

iTrader: (14)

^^The mustang is definitely the better car in terms of outward visibility, but the camaro has everything else going for it, chassis, engine, more performance bits. Albeit if i'm still in the chicago area, an AT would be more welcome.