Inabj2

nose and chin up in the air.

Status status status!!!

How about you get a car youll enjoy driving and not worry so much what the guy next to you thinks?

doug_999

BRAVO! Excellent post.

JZA80MHU38

Agree with Inabj2.

A person who needs a car to show his "status" really need to get some self esteem. A lot of people got a 7 or 8 year car loan to get themselves into a "premium brand" vehicle, living in a junk place and on cup noodles on a daily basis is just laughable to me.

I don't look down on 18-yr old kid driving a Bentley. I just blame my father for not working harder so I could have been in the same shoes of that kid.

Inabj2

IM 22.. I rent a house with 2 friends and roomates.

And my inspirational/motivational drive is going around the neighborhood looking at the big million dollar+ homes, helps me to be more motivated at work.

And I notice ... some of these people have much crappier cars then I do.. but look at their houses!

newr

what make you assume so quickly that people buying these cars because of its status?

It's a C-class for godsake.... Status does not start there...

diablo1

I would never get my kid a Bentley, no matter how rich I was. They have to grow up feeling like they need to earn the things they want. Otherwise they won't be motivated to do anything, like the thousands of trust-fund babies here in NYC. I personally don't think I would enjoy my Lexus as much if it wasn't my reward to myself for years of hard work in school and at my job... But maybe that is just me.

If you can just enjoy your ride without wondering AT ALL what the next guy over thinks of you, bravo to you. I hope you only buy clothes at K-Mart, and get your hair cut at an $8 barber. But I don't think you need to accuse people of low self-esteem just because they sometimes think about the image they are projecting. Especially for people who use their car for business, image can be very important.

To the OP - I guess it depends how old you are. I think most people in their 30's and up would not view 3-series and others in its class as status cars. But both the 3 and IS are great cars, and you'll have fun with either one. You could also look at an M3 or S4 for serious fun with a decent back seat, in a slightly higher price bracket.

linh811

When the tach hits 10K I'm already hanging on for dear life. One of my riding buddies has an 05 gixxer 1000 and we frequently swap, the K5 is at a totally different level, I couldn't imagine any more power. The acceleration of a modern liter supersport bike is freakish, they'll run 9s in the quarter and will easily hang with a 800hp car up until ~150mph.

With that being said, my favorite bike is still the Viffer. Comfortable enough for 400 mile days, sporty enough to drag pegs through twisties, and the V4 growl is intoxicating

Inabj2

Because seems that some people are almost... well theyre noting that the entry level luxury cars do not have enough status.

Some people consider the brand themselves to be ... associated with something only succesful individuals drive.

I dunno, the guy next to me can think that if my soon to be running 240sx is a pos. That can suit him just fine.. to me its one of my street/track car, same can be said about my obsolete lexus.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Is that one or the other?

Right well that's the first problem. If you buy a car to 'display your success' the only friends you'll have will be equally shallow. Buy a car YOU LIKE.

OK, almost all convertible coupes have almost useless back seats so you need to decide which is more important, 4 usable seats, or a convertible. Exceptions might be a CLK convertible or the Volve C70 (don't look down on it, it's pretty nice). I don't know about a convertible 650i but that's a PILE of money.

The SEDAN has cramped back seats, so a coupe, let alone convertible is likely to be less comfortable in the back.

Gojirra99

I agree, but there are people who still think any Benz is a status symbol .

chiawei

1. what vanos issue? There have been one or two cases that the early 545i v8 had minor issues with valvetronics. The early vanos issue from 6 years ago was minor and has been fixed.

2. Door seals issue on the early E60 has also been fixed since 05. Window regulator i have yet to seen a big issue on the e60.net.

3. I-drive issue has also been resolved since late 04.

The E60 are quiet bullet proof right now.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Good post. People like to have long memories on brands they don't like, and short memories on ones they do.

SteVTEC

Yeah that's why people are still having problems and some tech heads on roadfly just went public with their findings after BMW was not responsive.

roadfly.org:6-cyl double vanos problem assessment - FEB 2006

Cliffs: The VANOS piston oil seals do not hold up, bleed off pressure, and results in erratic or non-functional VANOS operation, and on certain engines cold start and stalling issues also. Can also result in degraded powerband, poor mileage, and poorer emissions also since the engines use internal EGR via double VANOS instead of external EGR on a lot of other cars. Those are not E60's, but designs and technology all carries forward.

They're also new cars. How do you know they won't develop the same problems. Are the window regulators the same problematic designs as older BMWs? If so they'll probably have the same problems.

yeah that explains why just the other day I saw on a BMW site a thread about a lot of E60 owners waiting for a software update to fix false alarms on high current drain, and wondering if they're going to walk out to their cars and have a flat battery or not, from 2005/2006.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=103405

Here's another one: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=132416

Nice, brand new 525 with engine problems and stalling. Maybe that guy had an issue with the VANOS getting stuck due poorly designed seals.


Absurd statement and impossible to backup considering the cars are brand new, there is a lot of unproven hardware in it (like the durability of the magnesium alloy blocks), they've already had a fair number of issues, and that 2 yrs just isn't a very good timeframe to be judging long-term reliability and whether or not the car is "bulletproof". Maybe it's a relative term, but my definition of bulletproof is most Toyotas and Lexus. Average to below average reliability on the E60's as per Consumer Reports is NOT bulletproof.

You have zero credibility as far as I'm concerned, and you're also the same chap that told me that an N52 could be stretched to 3.5L via a 90 mm bore with "no probems", nevermind the fact that the internal dimensions of the engine do not allow that.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...2&postcount=60

You clearly do not do your homework on things, and speak of which you simply do not know. BTW as it stands right now I'm still planning on giving the E60 a try, but it certainly won't be on your advice.

LexFather

The 5 series is a great car but no where near bullet proof. It WINS sports sedan comparos, it loses in reliablity ones. That is a fact. The 5 hasn't been recommended in CR or been near best in class for reliablity since I can remember,

You don't buy BMWs to be reliable.

doug_999

The 5-series is now a Consumer Reports recommended choice for those who are interested.