At 3:08 on 11/07/2010 I became bored with BMW

You can't say you're bored with BMW until you've autocrossed an E66 750Li. 4550 pounds on that much wheelbase should not get around cones that well. Maybe the 360hp/360lb-ft helped I'm definitely not bored...

In reply to pigeon:

Well, maybe I am just bored with the BMW inline 6 mated to a manual transmssion, but saying that would be sacrelige.

I can comisserate that they never really excited me that much.

Even when I was 16 (Year 1999-2000) shuttling them from the dealerships to the body shop I worked. The only ones that stood out was the M5 and M Coupe. Running around in BMW's should have been a dream. It was nice but not overly impressive.

I also never liked the shifters in any BMW. They shift fine but there is a very rubbery feel to them. No clicking into gear just bleah.... Interior longevity is also another huge complaint of mine.

Great driving cars just not really my cup of tea.

Otto_Maddox wrote: In reply to amg_rx7: I've always wanted an FD. How much does a decent one go for these days? Have all the early "issues" been ironed out enough that you can drive one reliably?

Prices range from $12k ish to $25k for a decent to great one depending what you are looking for. The aftermarket has addressed some of the issues but they are 15 year old cars so other age related issues exist.

Reliability is all about the maintenance and there is a lot to maintain. The first year or two with mine required some attention to fix issues from the previous owner's shop and age related stuff. Beyond that, the car has been much more reliable than my e36 was. The e36 was a much better daily driver though. I don't enjoy DD the FD in stop/go traffic at all. The car likes to stretch its legs.

Is it just me or has nobody explicitly claimed the answer is E30?

i think that's just assumed

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I had an Italian made girlfriend once. She tried to kill me. I imagine the cars are a little like that too.

That so needs to be in the "Say what?" section

nderwater wrote: It's next to impossible these days to find a new car which captures the raw fun of our favorites from the 80's and 90's.

I respectfully disagree. my 09 wrx is every bit as "raw" as my 80s integra and crx. Not very refined, some cheap materials, basic seats, some road and engine NVH, not terribly stylish. Except its about 10x as fast as my integra and crx were, lol....and always fun to drive IMO. And they ONLY come in a 5MT to boot. And I don't care what anyone says, I will take AWD over RWD any day of the week and twice on sundays, unless the RWD is a vintage sportscar.

There are still some cars out there that allow the driver to drive without 100 electronic nannies, sophisticated drivetrains, a million interior amenities, and other things that I don't need. The WRX is one of them. The Cobalt SS is another if one doesn't mind FWD.

Of course, this will take it back to the stigma I get from alot of friends about the possibility of them switching from a Euro car (mostly VWs, Audis, BMWs) to a Subaru. Like they think it's a step down to go from a mid 00s 325ix or a GTI to a newer WRX. They think that until they drive it and rediscover what fun is. The eurocars are nicer, but "fun" isn't what I think when I drive a newer 3-series or Audi, honestly.

Funny how this works - the seller really wants to sell the 525i and asked me to make an offer. The idea of getting it at a bargain price suddenly makes it seem a little less boring.

Money has a way of doing that!

Stupid fat fingers

As an interesting comparison, driven back to back with my G35, there are some similarities and a lot of differences. I drove Dad's 5 yesterday when I picked it up at the dealer, then my G back home.

First, the BMW just drives better. It has better steering feel and better brakes. The G35 will absolutely blow it into the weeds though in sheer speed. It feels and sounds like a hot rod in comparison. And the dash and some of the materials are nicer. Of course some of the 5 materials are nicer too.

The G has a lot softer springs for better or worse. Nissan has an affinity for making front suspensions too soft in my opinion. I've been debating putting on a set of Konis, so maybe that will help a bit with front control.

Price wise, I could have picked up a decent 5 or 3 for the price I paid for the Infiniti, but I'm happy with the purchase. So far it has been very reliable, gets decent mpg, and is suitable for a daily driver to visit customers. It's decently fun, but was never meant to take the place of a toy.

However, I still really want that M Coupe!

In reply to irish44j:

I haven't driven a WRX since 2004 and need a refresher. Live anywhere near Atlanta? ;)

In reply to racerdave600:

I had a new G35 back in 2005. I sold it when it was less than a year old as I didn't like making car payments. My experience was pretty close to yours.

As with my GS400, cars that will easily smoke the tires make me happy.

^Hehe, I purchased a 2006 350Z in April, it was gone by June.

My E36M3 (conv) was likely the best daily driver I've ever owned. It did nothing wrong, did a lot of stuff right, and was a joy to own.

My wife (an E30 driver) didn't really like it for the same reasons that I prefer the E36 over the E46 though i conceed the latter is the superior car.

I got bored with it after a few years and moved on to something else (wife is still with an E30). I've not found anything I like as well since.

A few months ago I traded for a Z3M Roadster.

It's completely different from the M3 despite the shared drivetrain. It's certainly not boring in any way. And my wife likes it much better than the E36 (in fact she's driving it this week while we do a timing belt and rear wheel bearing in her E30... the wheel bearing being the first necessary repair in the 80,000 miles we've put on the car... currently at 180k total).

Ironically though, the Roadster makes me want another E36... but has increased my distaste for the E46...

I have never heard anybody calling a Z3M boring.. they are widow makers

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I had an Italian made girlfriend once. She tried to kill me. I imagine the cars are a little like that too.

This needs to go in the magazine!

In reply to speedblind:

It does. Because my Italian-made wife has come close, and nobody believes me.