Porsche passes Lexus

I've had the opposite experience - neither of my Bimmers has missed a beat since I owned them, and I'm already planning to upgrade to a newer Z4 (3.0si) towards the end of the model run. For a sedan, I would also consider the Audi A4 (maybe S4?) and Infiniti G35, and I like the looks of the Cadillac CTS but didn't test drive one. Going used, I'd probably go with the E39 M5 - I prefer it's understated looks to the current Bangle version. One of my neighbors has a black one and it's gorgeous. If I were limited to one car (shock! horror!) I'd likely have gone for that, since the E46 M3 wasn't offered in sedan version this time around :(. epbrown

-- "Everybody wants a normal life and a cool car; most people will settle for the car." Chris Titus

Let me clarify a bit...I understand BMW's are great right out of the chute, but it has been my experience that they don't age gracefully. Emanuel has newer versions, and I am sure they are bulletproof, but, as they get older items such as plastic water pumps, brittle plastic radiators, multiple sensors and "lifetime" GM transmissions (Yes, that is right, GM makes the auto transmissions for BMW and the sole reason you hear to avoid them because they are the weakest point of the car.) that will definitely fail at one point. I expected a bit more quality than I got. My 1990 Porsche was a definite step up from my current 1995 325is, no doubt, hands down. Then again, the BMW is easy to drive, gets me up the 405 everyday and has luxury features that the Porsche did not have.

As for a new 4 door sedan...The Infinity is attractive, the S4 is nice, but for some reason I like the S60 T (high output) from Volvo. It is unique, yet attractive.

I've been impressed with the newest Volvos - they've really left that boxy styling behind, haven't they? epbrown

-- "Everybody wants a normal life and a cool car; most people will settle for the car." Chris Titus

"Devils944S2" wrote

The 4L30 was used from around '92 to '99. It was never a "lifetime" transmission. Current auto trannies in BMWs are Getrag. My '91 525i with manual tranny has fewer problems than any Porsche I've owned, and has aged better than my friend's '90 911, which is falling apart - granted the drivetrain is doing quite well.

FloydR

Yeah, I guess it all depends on which set of Internet disinformation you come across. I heard the Cayenne powerplant part also, so maybe that's valid...............

Bad news since I don't have $125-$150K burning a hole in my pocket......................

"ForAFunTimeCall" wrote

I noticed an interesting fact today:

The new survey *KILLED* BMW and Mercedes-Benz, because of the complicated (iDrive, etc.) controls.

FloydR

I hated the left handed key for oh -48hours, now I wonder why all cars aren't like that. And yes I'm right handed.

Yeah, thousands of BMW owners learned that lesson the hard way. It was advertised as such (and there is no ATF filler on the car, anywhere), but tended to fail at a much higher rate than even a non "lifetime" versions. Now there is a procedure for filter changes and fluid changes for the "lifetime" models. ATF fluid is added via a port in the side of the tranny and is monitored by a computer thru the interface under the hood, or by simply filling the fluid with the car lifted until you see it reach the bottom of the filler port. A pretty genuine pain in the ass. Besides 92 thru

Yeah...the S60 R is even more impressive.

Thanks, guys. Now you have me looking at Volvos. I'm going to have to buy a corduroy jacket with elbow patches and start smoking a pipe.

The new body style on the Bimmers doesn't appeal to me much (I liked the older body better) and the Japanese cars somehow (to me) don't have the styling and interior quality that I like. It seems overpriced and cheap. I could be wrong, but everytime I've rode in one, I get that feeling.

The S60R seems cheaper than it's European competitors and about the same for the Far East models. There's a Volvo dealer down the street. Not quite ready to plonk down the dough, but I'll probably start laying the groundwork and make a visit anyways. Any ideas on reliability and maintenance and where to get a good coruroy jacket?