New ride in a week early!
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New ride in a week early!
Okay, this'll be a long one, bear with me...
After much deliberation, I went with a new G35SC over another 330ci. Lemme give a breakdown, for anyone interested, on my takes on the ups/downs of the two cars, and some of the features I like/dislike about them:
Things I Won't Miss On BMW
1) Automatic headlights. Yes, that's right, a luxury sedan with just about all their bells n whistles, that never turns its lights on when it's dark. Ever. What a joke. My father's '92 crown victoria had this feature!
2) Their sales department - cocky, to a fault. Had one say, when I'd told him I wasn't coming back for another BMW, that "BMW's are like cocaine... you'll be back." True story.
3) The co$t - When I priced out an equivalent BMW to the G35 I have now, it was over $8k more expensive, and that's not counting VPP, which knocked almost $4k off the G35 beyond that...
4) THE TRANSMISSION. OMG, the BMW manu-matic ("steptronic") is an ABSOLUTE POS. According to online sources, the manual versions of the 330i and 6MT are dead even in 0-60 (about 5.9). Well, the steptronic made the engine a dog, never applying power when I wanted it, erraticly shifting gears when on a hill and left in a high gear, and you could feel the potential of the engine... that never got used because it had to power the tranny. The test drive with the G35 was with an automatic, and it was WORLDS better than the BMW's auto. Though I don't like how it pushes to the right for manu-matic mode... I would prefer it pushing to the left, to be closer to the driver, like the BMW's is. Odd, how most of the major buttons and controls work towards the right (manumatic, volume, temp, nav joystick), but I digress...
5) Single disc CDplayer - that had a tendency to not want to eject my discs, even after replacement. Also wore the tops of my CD's quite a bit.
6) Interior - back seat had 0 room in the coupe. About all it was good for was stashing stuff that I needed to take with me.
7) Service department - was inconvenient to drive to and had a crappy waiting area (for BMW standards). Further, loaner cars were nonexistent. I felt like I was in a Chevy dealership or something.
Things I WILL miss on BMW:
1) Rain-sensing windshield wipers. Still had to manually turn them on at "launch," but at least they were fully automatic after that.
2) Brand name - more recognition, and everybody holds them up to a higher standard, but with the G35 out there, they've got some big competition. In the 5 series, I don't know why anyone buys a 525 or 530 - they should all be looking at an E-class MB.
3) Service - yet to work with my local service team on the G35, of course, but the BMW guys - if you complained about any little squeak, they'd replace or do ANYTHING to get an "all 5's" service review. Though their service department had the foibles above, it was still good when it came down to the actual repair and the service people themselves.
4) Instrumentation - the color of the guages and the ergonomics of all the buttons was a bit better on the BMW than the G35, IMNSHO.
5) Digital clock all the time. Don't care for the analog on the G35. Though I'm glad I got an '04 G35SC, because I don't like where they placed the clock in the '05's.
6) Multifunction computer in the speedometer - could constantly have one of five or six things displayed. Now, granted, some are always displayed in the central display of the G35 (such as external temp), but one that I used, all the time, was miles-to-empty. While my 6MT has nav, and therefore the miles-to-empty, it's not all the time and not right in the instrument cluster. Same goes for the instantaneous MPG gauge.
7) Fullsize spare. 'Nuff said.
8) The front end. Like the look more than the G35. Just my take. Though it's not as aerodynamic, to be sure.
9) Trunk. G35 has, shall we say, NOTHING in the way of room back there!
Things about the G35 (thus far):
Okay, I've only had the car, oh, less than 24 hours at this point. But here's my take on a few things...
1) I'm scared of the car. More accurately, the transmission. Yes, I'm a 28-year-old male that has never owned a stick before. To make matters worse, my house is on a hill!
I feel like putting a sign in my rearview that says "Please bear with me, I'm still learning stick" but that's just not...cool. Would prefer people never riding my ***, though.
2) In concert with that, the car is freakin' fast. My friends drove it a bit hard yesterday, and chirped tires in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd without hardly trying. I'm getting a hang of the stick, just need the weekend (and an oh-so-pleasurable-yet-nerveracking-at-stoplights-and-hills couple of hundred miles) to figure things out.
3) Okay, again... What's with the FLIPPIN' SMALL TRUNK? Lucky for me I never carry much, so this isn't a big deal, but... damn!
4) While I noted above I'm not the biggest fan of the front end, the a$$ end rocks the party that rocks the party. Esp. with the spoiler.
5) Brakes - Good golly, miss molly. Love 'em. On par, or better, than BMW.
6) Tires - is it me, or is there hardly any tread on these things, even when they're brand new? Well, they grip like crazy, because my one friend had trouble doing doughnuts in the parking lot, even with the recent rain!
7) Audio - Okay, I've read a lot about people ******* the sound system on this car. Now, I'm not an audiophile, by any means, but if I put in a song with a lot of bass, my door about punches me with every bass beat. Great sound, certainly comparable to the BMW's Harmon Kardon. At least, again, by the comparison of my non-audiophile ears. On 15, the car is rockin' and I couldn't ask for more bass or treble.
8) Interior - definately on par with BMW. I would suggest adding an optional wood kit for the 6MT in case owners want it, but other than that, the 6MT interior rivals the BMW, easily. I would prefer the addition of power lumbar, instead of manual (and memory seats!), but put it this way - I'm 6'8" with size 15 shoes and a 38" inseam - and I move the seat up (just a smidge)! Plus, someone with short legs could actually sit behind me, a feat impossible in the 330ci.
One quick question - my parking brake doesn't hold the car, AT ALL, on even slight inclines. Slows it down, but doesn't stop it. Slips like crazy. Now, I always park the car with 1st engaged so it won't roll, but I'm concerned I got a bum brake. And yes, I make sure it's always disengaged when I start rolling - I may not know clutch that well, but I at least know that!
Other than that, it's a great car. no rattles or complaints yet (knocks on wood). Have to put on my grounding kit and wheel locks this weekend and pay the last $1K of my down payment this morning (oh, I have to drive my car again? Darn!).
Final note/side story - one of my friends at work just bought a CTS-V, and when I offered a drive after another Vette owner had driven, he turned me down, saying, "Nah, I'll do it some other time... after that run, I'm scared that I'll drive it and like it so much that I'll regret spending the extra fifteen grand on my CTS-V."
Oh, and in case anyone wants to know, it's a Twilight/Willow 6MT, Nav, Prem, Splash, Aero... basically everything but the front spoiler and satellite radio.
...and yes, there is a lot of brake dust already (about 100 miles) and the car is filthy (darn darker colors!).
Now, off to shower and drive around a bit. A bit being a couple hundred miles... turning in the BMW will be guilt-free after I get the hang of this manual tranny.
Ender
After much deliberation, I went with a new G35SC over another 330ci. Lemme give a breakdown, for anyone interested, on my takes on the ups/downs of the two cars, and some of the features I like/dislike about them:
Things I Won't Miss On BMW
1) Automatic headlights. Yes, that's right, a luxury sedan with just about all their bells n whistles, that never turns its lights on when it's dark. Ever. What a joke. My father's '92 crown victoria had this feature!
2) Their sales department - cocky, to a fault. Had one say, when I'd told him I wasn't coming back for another BMW, that "BMW's are like cocaine... you'll be back." True story.
3) The co$t - When I priced out an equivalent BMW to the G35 I have now, it was over $8k more expensive, and that's not counting VPP, which knocked almost $4k off the G35 beyond that...
4) THE TRANSMISSION. OMG, the BMW manu-matic ("steptronic") is an ABSOLUTE POS. According to online sources, the manual versions of the 330i and 6MT are dead even in 0-60 (about 5.9). Well, the steptronic made the engine a dog, never applying power when I wanted it, erraticly shifting gears when on a hill and left in a high gear, and you could feel the potential of the engine... that never got used because it had to power the tranny. The test drive with the G35 was with an automatic, and it was WORLDS better than the BMW's auto. Though I don't like how it pushes to the right for manu-matic mode... I would prefer it pushing to the left, to be closer to the driver, like the BMW's is. Odd, how most of the major buttons and controls work towards the right (manumatic, volume, temp, nav joystick), but I digress...
5) Single disc CDplayer - that had a tendency to not want to eject my discs, even after replacement. Also wore the tops of my CD's quite a bit.
6) Interior - back seat had 0 room in the coupe. About all it was good for was stashing stuff that I needed to take with me.
7) Service department - was inconvenient to drive to and had a crappy waiting area (for BMW standards). Further, loaner cars were nonexistent. I felt like I was in a Chevy dealership or something.
Things I WILL miss on BMW:
1) Rain-sensing windshield wipers. Still had to manually turn them on at "launch," but at least they were fully automatic after that.
2) Brand name - more recognition, and everybody holds them up to a higher standard, but with the G35 out there, they've got some big competition. In the 5 series, I don't know why anyone buys a 525 or 530 - they should all be looking at an E-class MB.
3) Service - yet to work with my local service team on the G35, of course, but the BMW guys - if you complained about any little squeak, they'd replace or do ANYTHING to get an "all 5's" service review. Though their service department had the foibles above, it was still good when it came down to the actual repair and the service people themselves.
4) Instrumentation - the color of the guages and the ergonomics of all the buttons was a bit better on the BMW than the G35, IMNSHO.
5) Digital clock all the time. Don't care for the analog on the G35. Though I'm glad I got an '04 G35SC, because I don't like where they placed the clock in the '05's.
6) Multifunction computer in the speedometer - could constantly have one of five or six things displayed. Now, granted, some are always displayed in the central display of the G35 (such as external temp), but one that I used, all the time, was miles-to-empty. While my 6MT has nav, and therefore the miles-to-empty, it's not all the time and not right in the instrument cluster. Same goes for the instantaneous MPG gauge.
7) Fullsize spare. 'Nuff said.
8) The front end. Like the look more than the G35. Just my take. Though it's not as aerodynamic, to be sure.
9) Trunk. G35 has, shall we say, NOTHING in the way of room back there!
Things about the G35 (thus far):
Okay, I've only had the car, oh, less than 24 hours at this point. But here's my take on a few things...
1) I'm scared of the car. More accurately, the transmission. Yes, I'm a 28-year-old male that has never owned a stick before. To make matters worse, my house is on a hill!
I feel like putting a sign in my rearview that says "Please bear with me, I'm still learning stick" but that's just not...cool. Would prefer people never riding my ***, though.2) In concert with that, the car is freakin' fast. My friends drove it a bit hard yesterday, and chirped tires in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd without hardly trying. I'm getting a hang of the stick, just need the weekend (and an oh-so-pleasurable-yet-nerveracking-at-stoplights-and-hills couple of hundred miles) to figure things out.
3) Okay, again... What's with the FLIPPIN' SMALL TRUNK? Lucky for me I never carry much, so this isn't a big deal, but... damn!
4) While I noted above I'm not the biggest fan of the front end, the a$$ end rocks the party that rocks the party. Esp. with the spoiler.
5) Brakes - Good golly, miss molly. Love 'em. On par, or better, than BMW.
6) Tires - is it me, or is there hardly any tread on these things, even when they're brand new? Well, they grip like crazy, because my one friend had trouble doing doughnuts in the parking lot, even with the recent rain!
7) Audio - Okay, I've read a lot about people ******* the sound system on this car. Now, I'm not an audiophile, by any means, but if I put in a song with a lot of bass, my door about punches me with every bass beat. Great sound, certainly comparable to the BMW's Harmon Kardon. At least, again, by the comparison of my non-audiophile ears. On 15, the car is rockin' and I couldn't ask for more bass or treble.
8) Interior - definately on par with BMW. I would suggest adding an optional wood kit for the 6MT in case owners want it, but other than that, the 6MT interior rivals the BMW, easily. I would prefer the addition of power lumbar, instead of manual (and memory seats!), but put it this way - I'm 6'8" with size 15 shoes and a 38" inseam - and I move the seat up (just a smidge)! Plus, someone with short legs could actually sit behind me, a feat impossible in the 330ci.
One quick question - my parking brake doesn't hold the car, AT ALL, on even slight inclines. Slows it down, but doesn't stop it. Slips like crazy. Now, I always park the car with 1st engaged so it won't roll, but I'm concerned I got a bum brake. And yes, I make sure it's always disengaged when I start rolling - I may not know clutch that well, but I at least know that!
Other than that, it's a great car. no rattles or complaints yet (knocks on wood). Have to put on my grounding kit and wheel locks this weekend and pay the last $1K of my down payment this morning (oh, I have to drive my car again? Darn!).
Final note/side story - one of my friends at work just bought a CTS-V, and when I offered a drive after another Vette owner had driven, he turned me down, saying, "Nah, I'll do it some other time... after that run, I'm scared that I'll drive it and like it so much that I'll regret spending the extra fifteen grand on my CTS-V."
Oh, and in case anyone wants to know, it's a Twilight/Willow 6MT, Nav, Prem, Splash, Aero... basically everything but the front spoiler and satellite radio.
...and yes, there is a lot of brake dust already (about 100 miles) and the car is filthy (darn darker colors!).
Now, off to shower and drive around a bit. A bit being a couple hundred miles... turning in the BMW will be guilt-free after I get the hang of this manual tranny.
Ender
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Joined: Sep 2004
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Re: New ride in a week early!
Wow great comparion. Just a quick comment for you about your e brake. I had the same problem, until I really started to pull up hard on the sucker. It finally kept the car from rolling with the brake up. Just pull reallly hard.
2003 6MT Laser Red Coupe, Premium, Chrome 18's, JWT Pop Charger, Z Tube
2003 6MT Laser Red Coupe, Premium, Chrome 18's, JWT Pop Charger, Z Tube
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 523
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Re: New ride in a week early!
Right, you have to give the parking brake a good hard tug and it will hold. My brother's driveway has about a 30 degree incline and it holds fine there. Of course I always leave it in gear as well.
Regarding the small trunk, remember it's a sport coupe (with a very strong emphasis on sport - much more so than a BMW), not a sedan. My '95 BMW 325is had about the same capacity IIRC. I'm sure you know the G coupe's back seats fold down, giving you a nice flat surface and plenty of room for stuff, although admittedly not with the easiest of access.
Regarding the 6MT, it's not a great learner car, that's for sure, but you'll get the hang of it just fine, and it does get smoother as it breaks in. By about 3K miles my clutch got noticeably easier to modulate. I'm 52 and I've never owned anything but manual cars, but the G36C's gearbox took some time to get used to. I dumped it quite a few (embarassing) times in the first couple of weeks.
Regarding the small trunk, remember it's a sport coupe (with a very strong emphasis on sport - much more so than a BMW), not a sedan. My '95 BMW 325is had about the same capacity IIRC. I'm sure you know the G coupe's back seats fold down, giving you a nice flat surface and plenty of room for stuff, although admittedly not with the easiest of access.
Regarding the 6MT, it's not a great learner car, that's for sure, but you'll get the hang of it just fine, and it does get smoother as it breaks in. By about 3K miles my clutch got noticeably easier to modulate. I'm 52 and I've never owned anything but manual cars, but the G36C's gearbox took some time to get used to. I dumped it quite a few (embarassing) times in the first couple of weeks.
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Re: New ride in a week early!
Thanks, all - good to know. I find the G's clutch to be a bit stiff, too - I practiced a bit on my friend's Corolla and Jetta, and my first "attempt" was with a Z4 at the dealership - my buddy kept yelling at me "FEATHER it!" I finally yelled back, "What does the word FEATHER mean?!?!?!" Apparently, I'd thought the clutch was an on-off switch. Big mistake...
To make it easier to start off, I always turn off VDC. In the dealership parking lot, as I was to drive away for the first time, I had a bit too much throttle going and it chirped the tires - which of course turned on VDC and anti-slip, which screwed up my whole 0-1st transition. I highly recommend to any new driver to always disable this - it'll make starts much easier.
I'm sure I'll get used to it... I just need to practice more on hills so I don't roll as much. I've already put almost 300 miles on the car in two days, quite a lot considering at least 50 of those are within a hilly parking lot.
Oh - and the brake - I've been working with it and it seems a bit better now. Might've also been all the darn rain we've been getting here in NC. Pulling up hard seems to have worked it in a bit. Thanks again for the suggestion.
Well, off to practice a bit more!
Thanks,
Ender
Apparently, I'd thought the clutch was an on-off switch. Big mistake...To make it easier to start off, I always turn off VDC. In the dealership parking lot, as I was to drive away for the first time, I had a bit too much throttle going and it chirped the tires - which of course turned on VDC and anti-slip, which screwed up my whole 0-1st transition. I highly recommend to any new driver to always disable this - it'll make starts much easier.
I'm sure I'll get used to it... I just need to practice more on hills so I don't roll as much. I've already put almost 300 miles on the car in two days, quite a lot considering at least 50 of those are within a hilly parking lot.
Oh - and the brake - I've been working with it and it seems a bit better now. Might've also been all the darn rain we've been getting here in NC. Pulling up hard seems to have worked it in a bit. Thanks again for the suggestion.
Well, off to practice a bit more!
Thanks,
Ender
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Posts: 523
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Re: New ride in a week early!
Regarding VDC, be aware that numerous owners have gotten way too up close and personal with curbs and the like in rain or when driving agressively with it turned off. The penalty is many thousands of bucks and possibly a never-the-same-again car. VDC is there to prevent you from losing control, and it's very good at it.
If switching it off makes it easier to learn the clutch, then great. I suppose you're not likely to go flying around corners in the rain as you're learning anyway. Take the advice from those who've learned it the hard way though (although thankfully, not me): leave VDC on all the time except in controllable, safe conditions.
If switching it off makes it easier to learn the clutch, then great. I suppose you're not likely to go flying around corners in the rain as you're learning anyway. Take the advice from those who've learned it the hard way though (although thankfully, not me): leave VDC on all the time except in controllable, safe conditions.
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