BMW Drive For A Cure

[heliochrome85]

Although Lola-less, i never the less, decided you guys should hear about this. Being appreciative of fine sports cars, i can not discount how much BMW pursues performance and sport. You can hate on their owners all day and night, and much is sadly deserved, but man, their cars are noteworthy. I drank infiniti kool-aid for a while, and sadly, bmw's is just a bit tastier.

So....

Today, i dropped by the dealer with my dad for BMW's Drive for a cure. in this program, you drive their vehicles, and for each mile you drive, they donate a dollar in your name to the susan b. komen breast cancer research foundation. seeing how i like tata's enough to save them, i figured this was a win-win. So off i went.

what did i drive today?!?!?!?!335i-Coupe AND convertible135i Coupe AND ConvertibleX6X5 4.8i AND 3.0iand 535i

what did dad drive?!?!650i Coupe650i Convert750li sedanthe new M3and B7 Alpina...

was it sex?indeed.

some pics...

What was my fav?

BY FAR---135i Coupe

So much power, such a small car. got to love it.

Infiniti has a ways to go, almost there, but its that X factor thats missing and good god does it make a difference.

so whats the moral?Go drive these cars. save some tatas. be a hero for a day...

Linky...http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard....aspx

[heliochrome85]

the fleet they had available, just so you know...128i coupe and vert135i coupe and vert335i coupe and vert535i 550i sport650i coupe650i vert750li760liB7 AlpinaM3X3 3.0siX5 3.0iX5 4.8iX6 3.0X6 5.0Z4 Vert 6-speedZ4 Vert AutoZ4 3.0i Coupe

not a bad lineup...

[SVTCOBRA]

Nice Pics!& Good Job saving tatas!!

[rn79870]

So for 40g was the 135 worth it? I've had a vert for a week and I've got vert fever. The 135 vert looks pretty good, even the 128 vert looks great.

So tell me why I don't want a 1 series convertible.

I have it when I get this fever. Cold showers don't help one bit.

[Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT]

Very nice!

Must have been Fun!

DJ

[Jacko3]

Heliochrome:

Nice pics! However, from the purchase price down to maintenance cost, the G35 still beats the BMW. The G35 is unrefined, and that is how i think a sports car should be. I bought my G partly because I got tired of a smooth ride. And the G-35 seems to hold up in reliability and punshment.

[heliochrome85]

maintenance is free for the first 4 years. that includes rotors, pads etc. see though, its not about refinement for me. when you sit in your car, you can tell the differnece. infiniti designed a 3 dollar part for the sunglass holder. what about the storage binabove the cd player? its those little things that if infiniti hadnt designed it on a kia-style budget, it would have been a bit better. for me, as much as i love infiniti, you cant excuse a premium product at a premium price for cheap buttons and trim. sorry, thats not how you win a segment. that being said, it does put on a good effort though. trust me, do this drive for a cure when it comes to town, and see if you arent thinnking the same thing.

RN:

Is the 135i vert worth 40k? NO. But is it fun as hell? yes. twin turbo I-6 that puts out over 380 with the ECU Chip, NOT BAD AT ALL. Personally, i think i had more fun in the 1series than in the 3 series. it feels like a mini on crack. cant get that feeling out of my skin.

i miss lola

[Jacko3]

Heliochrome:

I just happen to be one of those guys who isn't particular about small stuff in a car. When I buy a car, I only have three questions.

1. Can the manual transmission hold up under intense stress, because I will take the car to its design limits---I don't know why I do this but I do.

2. Will the engine hold up beyond red line and not give up? Again, I will take it to its limits. Can't give you an answer why i do this.

3. Is the price commensurate with the driving experience? For a g35 the answer is yes.

I usually drive with my windows down and i drive like a criminal---looking everywhere for cops, and looking for where I can go WOT and make some noise with my sweet, sweet stillen exhaust. The cars that fit this bill I talk about are cars like the Mitsu Evo, Subaru WRX Sti, G-35, 350Z.

The BMW regardless of model and year, has a type of upper class personality that if one drives it like a criminal, you are viewed like a criminal or a lost soul. For the other cars I mentioned, when you drive them like a criminal, people actually think you are normal, or just a tad bit eccentric, or just having fun.

The small stuff matters very little for me. A real fun car should look and feel rugged and not refined. I had the money to buy a 3 series, but i declined because it did not fit my mental state and personality. And if i had the same problem witht he BMW as I have had with my G, i would be twice as upset. I have heard tons of BMW owners who complain about taking the cars to the shop all the time---not the same with Infiniti. And in my opinion, the 135 is too small because I have seen a few around my area. Whatever feeling you had in the 135 should have been extended to the 335. Just my 2 cents.

[heliochrome85]

i definately understand what you mean. for me, i cant handle a 10/10ths car all the time. thats why i didnt go for a 350z. somedays you have a bad day and you just want to relax on the way home. and when you are on one of those days, the squeaks, rattles and thunks of the interior of the G got on my nerves. My seat always rocked and squeaked when i sat in it. The sunglass holder chattered like teeth when my glasses were in it, because infiniti couldnt be bothered to put some felt around the edges of the holder to keep it quiet. stuff like that got on my nerves quick. but, the price and quality made it worth it. they were little niggles but after time they get annoying.

i got the same feeling with the 3, but it was somehow more concentrated in the 1. is it worth the sticker? no. is it pretty? no. but boy was it fun.

[Jacko3]

I would generally agree with you. BTW, I have always loved the looks of the M3s. If I had not bought a G, I probably would have been looking at an M3.

[Sentientbydesign]

i definately understand what you mean. for me, i cant handle a 10/10ths car all the time. thats why i didnt go for a 350z. somedays you have a bad day and you just want to relax on the way home. and when you are on one of those days, the squeaks, rattles and thunks of the interior of the G got on my nerves. My seat always rocked and squeaked when i sat in it. The sunglass holder chattered like teeth when my glasses were in it, because infiniti couldnt be bothered to put some felt around the edges of the holder to keep it quiet. stuff like that got on my nerves quick. but, the price and quality made it worth it. they were little niggles but after time they get annoying.

i got the same feeling with the 3, but it was somehow more concentrated in the 1. is it worth the sticker? no. is it pretty? no. but boy was it fun.

I guess NICO taught you nothing

The noisy seat was a TSB covered under warranty. Mine MAY move 1/16 of an inch now that it's been fixed.

I've had 2 different pairs of sunglasses in the holder and neither has ever made a noise. BTW, felt is cheap. Could have done an easy fix.

My biggest annoyances with my G:

Heavy doors that won't stay open (I have plans for this).A tuning fork noise at 77mph.Windows rattle when down and chassis flexes

[heliochrome85]

i had the seat taken care of. it returned a few weeks after. trust me. i know about infiniti TSBs.

my point was that when you price a car as nissan does with its infiniti line, why cant it add in the felt? why should i have to buy it at my own expense? lexus does better job. hell, toyota does a better job on its corolla.

[Sentientbydesign]

You do it at your own expense because the G35 barely qualifies as a luxury car. Also because Nissan doesn't over-engineer it's cars like the germans.

I'll agree that the Infiniti mark has gotten kind of sloppy since 2000 when they started in the complete wrong direction, but they are improving and doing so at a much more affordable price, and with more reliability.