BMW 328i Sedan

I was gonna say, my Mom and Dad bought a 1979 Fiat Strada last time Fiat had dealings in America and it didn't exactly leave the best impression on me. :???:
 
Yeah that's why he is defending his competitor's product...
No. _xxx_ is being honest, because the reliability and build quality of Mercedes has been sub-par for the last few years. BMW is still doing well, although it isn't in the same class as Toyota, Honda and Subaru.
 
No. As said, better is a relative term which has to be looked at in proper context, which is not the case here.

For example, the ESP in Merc and BMW is a gen ahead of anything Lexus has to offer. Or the new AWD from BMW (X-Drive), which kills every other system out there. Or things like nightview, or less visable stuff like reactive seats, adaptive air suspension, Flexray-based ECU network and on and on - the list is long.

Again, Japanese could do it just as well, they just choose to go minimum risk/max revenues way, while we usually choose to be on the forefront of the technology. Pure matter of politics.
True. But, taking AWD as an example I know, it has taken BMW and Mercedes quite some generations to get it up to par (although the Audi quattro system is still very good). And while some of the recent high-tech ones beat the simple mechanical ones, the difference is slim. WHile the high-tech ones break down much more often, and are much more expensive.

And anything that uses the brakes for anti-lock fails in my book.
 
I can imagine. :)

Can anyone on this thread actually say they would buy a Japanese car over others because they are more reliable ? Anyone just selecting a car on reliability alone has to have their head examined. Most cars nowadays are pretty reliable ( except Aston Martin .. ho ho ) so the over riding factor for Digi should be a car that does what he needs it to do and given that then secondary one that he feels good about.

When I bought my Japanese Yaris I bought it because I needed a small Citicar and I liked the Freetronic gearbox idea for city use also. It also did 50mpg and cost not that much. Reliability was well down the list.
If you're going for an all in lease, who cares? But if you have to pay all the bills and suffer the inconveniences, it's definitely something to think about.

Cars are first and foremost to get you from A to B at all times, for most people. Reliability.
 
We're looking for a little more than that. Reliability is a given, we want something we'll like too.

I'm still pushing for a cheapy little car, that'd be my fave solution to be honest. Something cheap & decent.
 
I thought porches were notoriously unreliable. The Boxter, for example, had a bad problem with its engine block (or cylinder lining, or something). My friends engine died at 40K miles.
 
I remember Porsche having an awful rep for reliability in the late 70s/early 80s, but the Hamster seems to be quite found of them now and I tend to trust him. ;)

Still, no way I'd get a Porsche. I want something people don't stare at me in going down the road, it makes me feel weird.
 
I thought porches were notoriously unreliable. The Boxter, for example, had a bad problem with its engine block (or cylinder lining, or something). My friends engine died at 40K miles.
They're still refining the original design, that was pretty bad at first. But it did get better and better over time. It has become a really great car to drive.

But they're much more into driving and engineering excellence than reliability.
 
We're looking for a little more than that. Reliability is a given, we want something we'll like too.

I'm still pushing for a cheapy little car, that'd be my fave solution to be honest. Something cheap & decent.
How about this one:

1.jpg


Bigger, more reliable, AWD, cheaper and more practical.
 
Can't do DiGuru, my wife hates how Subaru's look. I love them, but she does not.

Fords we both refuse to do, we're both GM people on the USA side of things. ;)

Besides, it's a royal pain in the butt to find standard transmissions on most US manufacturers anymore. :(
 
I'm still pushing for a cheapy little car, that'd be my fave solution to be honest. Something cheap & decent.
Any cars like the Peugeot 307 CC or the Renault Megane CC selling in the USA? These are 4-seater hardtop cabriolets that are much more practical than cars like the Z, but have a great cruising feel and still retain a little bit of the sporting look. I've been seeing a lot more of these around Northern Europe lately as they're relatively (to roadsters) cheap in many countries (probably because of they end up in a favorable tax-bracket with 4 proper seats and comparatively tame engines). I kinda like them.
 
my suggestion would have been a Peugeot 407 coupé, but in the BMW 3 category rather than the cheap one

http://fr.cars.yahoo.com/mtlgd/ess/52/0.html
http://motoring.independent.co.uk/road_tests/article318540.ece
Automobiles Peugeot has sold vehicles in the USA from 1959 to 1992, mostly 403, 404, 304, 504, 604, 505 and 405. It is represented by Peugeot Motors of America, Inc , which maintains an inventory of replacement parts and documentation necessary for the maintenance or repair of the most recently sold vehicles and provides technical support
to a network of service points in the USA and Canada.

Automobiles Peugeot does not manufacture vehicles that conform to current United States regulations. For this reason it is unfortunately impossible for anyone to import a Peugeot model into the USA . Should anybody attempt to do so, the vehicle will be blocked at the port of arrival and will not be allowed to be operated in the USA and Canada .
Peugeot is out just like Alfa, but it is a cute car. Thanks.
 
For someone who has been picking Nissan for the last few years because they are reliable you sure are picky digi ! I think you use reliability as an excuse to buy the car you both really want ;)

On a slightly different subject, as you know I live in Germany ;) and for the third week running I have hit over 140mph whilst just going to work and back, so it takes a pretty determined BMW pilot to get past me on the motor-er-bahn

:D
 
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