Cars and other kinds of motoring gibberish

This is the wagon I would have liked...

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:doh: I should've brought it up here: my car needs new suspension bushings, front control arms, and rear shock tower mounts.... $1K. :sweat:

There goes my HDTV... :puppydog:

it would appear that cracks are forming in their relationship....

Ferrari has offered mild criticism about Formula One tyre supplier Bridgestone's selection of compounds for the final races of the 2008 World Championship.

The Italian team's technical boss Aldo Costa told Auto Motor und Sport that the choices were not what they had hoped.

"[The selections], to us, seem too hard for some circuits," he said.

Japanese manufacturer Bridgestone, the sole provider for the sport, recently announced its selection of compounds for the remaining grands prix.

The softest tyres available will be on offer in Singapore, while at Fuji the compounds will be one step harder.

Hard and medium tyres will be used in China. For the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix, Bridgestone has elected to go one step harder for 2008 compared with last year.

Bridgestone chief Hirohide Hamashima defended the change.

"This race can be very hot, as we saw last year, and our data from the thrilling final race of last season showed us that this change would be beneficial for the teams," he said.

Renault's engineering boss Pat Symonds backed Ferrari's stance.

"The selection for Hockenheim was definitely too hard," he said. "Also for Spa and Monza a step further on the soft side would be sufficient."

F1 Live / Eurosport

^ I guess Bridgestone can do that when they're the only tire supplier in town. :sweat:

I'm surprised F1 would allow Bridgestone to monopolize that... Unless no one else (Michelin, Goodyear, Pirelli, etc.) wanted to compete. :sweat:

Alrighty, so I've written off the BMW 3 series Coupe. I went to the dealership today and the guy helping me was a total dick. Not only did he treat me like a kid, but he had the nerve to... UGH! Never mind.

They didn't have Mini Coops there so I couldn't check them out.

I went to Nissan and fell in love with the Altima Coupe. I think this is the car I wanna get. The sales person was very helpful. He sat me down and told me the differences between leasing and financing, and all about different features and extra packages, etc. He was very thorough and very pleasant to talk to, unlike that BMW jerk. I've made a test drive appointment with him for Saturday.

I visited Honda, but I don't think I want the Civic.

Tomorrow I'll visit a few other dealerships, but I think I'll get the Altima in the end. It's sexy and affordable, which is good.

Wynter wrote:Alrighty, so I've written off the BMW 3 series Coupe. I went to the dealership today and the guy helping me was a total dick. Not only did he treat me like a kid, but he had the nerve to... UGH! Never mind.

They didn't have Mini Coops there so I couldn't check them out.

I went to Nissan and fell in love with the Altima Coupe. I think this is the car I wanna get. The sales person was very helpful. He sat me down and told me the differences between leasing and financing, and all about different features and extra packages, etc. He was very thorough and very pleasant to talk to, unlike that BMW jerk. I've made a test drive appointment with him for Saturday.

I visited Honda, but I don't think I want the Civic.

Tomorrow I'll visit a few other dealerships, but I think I'll get the Altima in the end. It's sexy and affordable, which is good.

Don't blame the car just 'cause the salesperson is a jerk... Go to another dealership or tell the salesperson he's being a dick.

You're the buyer: he should be at your mercy, not the other way around.

Not all BMW dealers sell MINIs...

http://downtown.mini.ca/en/pub/home/home.aspx

http://www.performancecars.ca/mini

bmwracer wrote:
Don't blame the car just 'cause the salesperson is a jerk... Go to another dealership or tell the salesperson he's being a dick.

I really was going to tell him where to shove it, but my mom was there so I thought I'd be respectful. I'm not usually one to hold my tongue.

You're the buyer: he should be at your mercy, not the other way around.

Yea, mebbe I'll try another dealer. The thing is, I like the look of the Altima more than the BMW. It's also a lot more affordable. Altima base package also includes a whole lot more than the BMW.

krim wrote:Not all BMW dealers sell MINIs...http://downtown.mini.ca/en/pub/home/home.aspx

http://www.performancecars.ca/mini

WOW! A lot of dealers have them! I'll check through the list. Thanks!

Wynter wrote:Yea, mebbe I'll try another dealer. The thing is, I like the look of the Altima more than the BMW. It's also a lot more affordable. Altima base package also includes a whole lot more than the BMW.

It's ALWAYS been true that you get more "stuff" for your buck with a Japanese car than a European car.

Thing is, you get something more that is beyond mere "stuff" with a European car.

But I suppose only a car enthusiast would know the difference.

bmwracer wrote:
It's ALWAYS been true that you get more "stuff" for your buck with a Japanese car than a European car.

Thing is, you get something more that is beyond mere "stuff" with a European car.

But I suppose only a car enthusiast would know the difference.

Yea, I don't get the difference. What do you mean? Like the type or quality of hte actual stuff?

Wynter wrote:Yea, I don't get the difference. What do you mean? Like the type or quality of hte actual stuff?

Mystique.

History.

Understatement.

Less is more.

bmwracer wrote:
Mystique.

History.

Understatement.

Less is more.

Do you get that in a Skoda? :hehe:

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Anime Dad wrote:Do you get that in a Skoda? :hehe:

Those wheels look like cross-cut logs. :hehe:

bmwracer wrote:
It's ALWAYS been true that you get more "stuff" for your buck with a Japanese car than a European car.

Thing is, you get something more that is beyond mere "stuff" with a European car.

But I suppose only a car enthusiast would know the difference.

I don't know if I agree with this. Nissan has always had fantastic base level packaging. Their base models often come with things most other manufacturers tack on as extras. Volkswagen is much the same. In other words, even at the "base model" you get everything you want in it and if you don't want to get leather to get power windows, you don't have to. (I really don't like leather seats and it'll probably determine what cars I can get in my future)

And to be honest, while I'm personally not a huge fan of the Altima coupe's visual design or packaging (though I would say definitely try out the 4 cylinder engine if they have it - the V6 is probably overkill), if you like the way it looks it'll probably serve you quite well. It's going to be quite reliable and probably pretty fun to drive.

In fact, you may find it more fun to drive than you would find a Mini. Unlike the German cars, most Japanese cars have a much lighter steering feel which I have that found many ladies seem to prefer prefer. The Mini will likely have a coarser ride quality and more transparent road feel. Beem and I would probably prefer it in a heartbeat, but it's not for everyone.

Try both before deciding :) The more you experience the better.

And Beem is totally right - if the dealer is a prick, find a new dealer or salesperson - there is no reason to go to a dealer you don't like. There's nothing better than buying a car and being happy with the whole process because the dealer was good. You'll come back for service and recommend them to others. If the dealer isn't smart enough to treat you well, they aren't worth your business.

bmwracer wrote:
Those wheels look like cross-cut logs. :hehe:

They probably are ;)

phlargo wrote:I don't know if I agree with this. Nissan has always had fantastic base level packaging. Their base models often come with things most other manufacturers tack on as extras. Volkswagen is much the same. In other words, even at the "base model" you get everything you want in it and if you don't want to get leather to get power windows, you don't have to. (I really don't like leather seats and it'll probably determine what cars I can get in my future)

Well BMWs have been packaged quite well (IMO), but from her post she said that she "gets a whole lot more," implying that "getting more stuff" is more important than anything else.

A friend of mine bought a Acura TL over a 3-Series for essentially the same reason: "stuff." She admited that she like the handling and the manual tranny of the BMW, but chose the AUTOMATIC (manual tranny had to be ordered) Acura, since it had more gadgets, er, stuff.

She might as well have bought a Buick. :shakehead:

bmwracer wrote:
Well BMWs have been packaged quite well (IMO), but from her post she said that she "gets a whole lot more," implying that "getting more stuff" is more important than anything else.

A friend of mine bought a Acura TL over a 3-Series for essentially the same reason: "stuff." She admited that she like the handling and the manual tranny of the BMW, but chose the AUTOMATIC (manual tranny had to be ordered) Acura, since it had more gadgets, er, stuff.

She might as well have bought a Buick. :shakehead:

A friend of mine bought his wife a TSX for exactly the same reason - she wanted the navigation and leather seats and the upgrade price on the TSX was the least compared to the other cars.. so they chose that one :) Actually, I think they really liked the way it drove as well. He's got a '07 GTI, which is so much more fun to drive in!

Anime Dad wrote:

Do you get that in a Skoda? :hehe:

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I love those Pirelli tires...

:hehe:

Tu_triky wrote:I love those Pirelli tires...

:hehe:

Those must be the Sequoia Redwood model. :beaten: