whitels

No, not at all. Discussion really helps to bring out the best - it can get heated sometimes - but such is the nature of the beast. In the end, most people tend to benefit. Cheers

KKelly

Totally agree. As long as people refrain from name calling (like "only old men who can't drive a manual and wish they could afford a Mercedes would drive a Lexus") you can usually learn something from the other guy.

I was just kidding. You know that right?

thirdeyebrian

Go back a bit to 1985...
BMW offered the newly-created 325e, the high-powered sports sedan-the 535i, luxo-cruiser 735i, and the sporty 635Csi.

Toyota, well, they "countered" with the sub-100 h.p. "Japanese Cadillac" first-generation Camry (boxy, slow), Corolla (boxier-slower) and the truly pedestrian Tercel (puke!) Of course, that is also the year the MR2 was introduced (yeah, yeah, Corolla GTS had same whopping 110 h.p. revalot motor.)

BMW vs. Toyota...has that much changed? Let the arguments begin...

Brian

thirdeyebrian

Man! I had forgotten all about that...originally from Nashville I remember the photo in The Tennessean (Nashville's daily newspaper) of rows upon rows of Saturns still on the factory lot to be sent to the crusher, thus preventing them from ever reaching the public and tarnishing Saturn's image. Subsequent reports from Saturn owners did nothing to maintain this image for me, but at the time I was in Saturn's awe (orbit?)...Brian

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Iceman
You're right, Brent, that Lexus might act the same way. I would like to HOPE not, but that's the kind of idealistic fool I am sometimes.

Did you know that during the first model year (1991) of Saturn, they had a huge quality problem? Apparently their antifreeze supplier sent them a bad batch and this stuff would eventually eat through hoses and whatnot. It couldn't just be flushed out--the potential for eventual damage was already there. Being a brand new company trying to prove the GM really could make import-quality cars, and knowing that their reputation was for incredible customer service, they recalled over a thousand cars and gave the owners BRAND NEW ones. Keep in mind that this problem hadn't yet caused a single failure and that some of these cars had been on the road for almost a year. They took a HUGE financial hit, but it was the right thing to do and now they have a story to brag about. They even took the returned cars and sent them to dealers with parts cut-away so customers could see the inner workings of a Saturn on the showroom floor. Brilliant! In the years since, Saturn has had two scandals similar to the BMW M engine debacle (an electrical problem with cars spontaneously catching on fire and a clutch problem with failures at around 60K miles) which they tried to cover up, refused to pay for, and eventually were embarassed into fixing. By that point, of course, the damage is done. Customer loyalty is out the window and the reputation is lowered for a generation of car buyers. BMW just screwed up--would Lexus? Or knowing what you know about them and their focus on building the best cars then backing them up with the best service, would they do the right thing? [/QUOTE

whitels

You might be referring to the Cressida as the "Japanese Cadillac".

Silver Ghozt

If I were in your position, I'd get the m3. I'm fiending for a car that is more agile and quicker. I also very much miss a manual transmission. Plus, the m3 to me just looks awesome. My vote as a gs400 owner: M3.

whitels

The SMG is sweet. It's a gotta have with the M3.

BLiu

OK, now whitels we are disagreeing again !!! J/K!

I, personally, want to row my gears if I am driving a sports car. Although, it's very trick, it's also a $2,500 option...For me, those two factors convinced me to get the 6speed manual instead...

Brent

Silver Ghozt

Agreed. For me it's manual tranny all the way.

CamRen

i dunno wut every 1 eles said....

but i would pick the M3

GunnerMac

I would pick the M3 also...if I wanted a sports coupe. But, if I wanted a luxury sedan, I would go with the GS430. Like many have already said, they are two different types of car...have you decided what kind of car you want?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yup, if i already have a sedan, of course i will get a sport car. but if this is going to be your only car, that's a different story

Toog4me

I don't know if this has been said already, but the M3 is more of a weekend car. The GS is more of an everyday car. I can't imagine driving an M3 everyday just because it's a SPORTS CAR, A highly tuned sports car.

Moving stuff from your house to your office or wherever to wherever will be pretty hard because of the lack of space.

Im not sure about mileage, but which one gets better milage? (sp)

And last, if something happens to the M, I would think that it would be a lot harder to get fixed because it's not a stock car.

CamRen

what do u mean its not a stock car?? (it comes outta the factory with most mods)

i can picture my self driving an M3 everyday...
i drive my modded lexus everyday...
so why not a m3.. ..

now if it was a ferrarie...

it would be a diff. story.

Toog4me

Well, it is a limited produced car. The amount BMW sells is no where close to the number of 3 series or 5 series sedans. And it is not a 3 series. Its an M series. Or better yet, if something were to go wrong on it, you could not use parts from a 330 on it.

I spoke to a guy at BMW and he said this same thing to me.

So by not an everyday car, I mean that if something goes wrong with it, you will be stuck without a car for a lot longer than if you had a GS or even a 330.