2006 325xi

 

My short list included the 335i and the Corvette C6.
I didn't care for the complexity of the twin turbo design and the 335i doesnt come with a limited slip diff. Also cost seemed too high for what you get.
The 335i is lacking headroom!

I'm a huge vette fan. The C6 is refined and very quick.. but I wanted something more "normal" and useful after recently owning 3 corvettes. Compared to the G35, the vette seemed lacking in comfort and refinement.. but its an awesome car.

 

Yep, I guess you could say that Alex. Truthfully though, no other car in it's class visually appeals to me any more than the G. All the other cars in the same class are great cars, but they just don't turn my crank like the G does.

 

There was no competition and I didn't bother test driving any other cars as part of my "window shopping".

There simply is no other car out there in this price range that offers this kind of performance and technology with that kind of tag price.

 

330i sedan

But I just couldn't bring myself to spend MORE for a car that I don't like the way it looks (Bangled), has less interior room, to get a little extra performance.

 

That about sums it up.

We test drove the G three times, even though we knew we were buying it already...just because it was so damn fun!

 

LOL! I can imagine the salesperson's reaction. "Damn. Here they come again for the third time!"

 

We looked at a few cars however the 330xi (335i wasn't out in May) was the best of what we looked at. We just didn't like the BMW enough. Nice car but too small for our needs in the back.

The same thing happened in 2002 and we went with the G35. I really wanted a car last summer but decided to wait for the 2007 G. No regrets here!

 

Subaru Legacy GT spec B
Evo IX
Lexus IS350

I wanted largest gas tank, and The interior and all options and they're costs really sold me on it. I ordered the 6-mt before I even drove it. then I had a chance to drive one while I was waiting and I was sold.

 

Ditto

 

We bought our G35S a little sooner than we had planned even though I had been "researching" cars for the previous 6 months.

My "shortlist" and opinions:

330i - Awesome car, but ultimately outside the budget. Also skeptical of first year build quality (coupe).

300C SRT - Love the look and performance, but maintenance costs seem to be on the high side (20"tires and brakes). Though the SRT isn't targeted at the "older" market, I still feel a little too young to buy one (I turned 40 last summer).

CTS-V - Probably the car I wanted most because of the performance and exterior "look". Build quality literally took this car of of the list plus a very "low rent" interior. Lots of horror stories about rearends made of "glass".

IS350 - Interior not as nice as the G35. No manual tranny. Tough to justify the extra $$ when comparing to the 07 G35.

TL S - Actually liked the looks of the base TL better than the S version.

G35S - My wife actually fell for the car first. I quickly joined her after visiting the Charlotte auto show and seeing one "in-person". We sat in most of the competitors that day and went home pretty confident that the new G was going to be the next car. A test drive confirmed our feelings and bought an IP/G 6-sp. Could not be happier with the decision!

 

There's no doubt bmws are great cars, but it's hard justifying the extra $$ you gotta pay for it. The G won out for me because it was the best bang for the buck.

 

I think the closest competitors were the Acura RL and the Mercedes CLS500. I thought those would be the best beside the G35S Fully Loaded .

 

Yeah, it's definitely the best bang for the buck. After agonizing over the decision between the two I decided to leave it up to the car gods and decided whoever offered what I was willing to pay first would get my business.

My last car was was a 325i and I loved it. After being used to that car, I've found that the more I drive the G and get used to it's different handling characteristics, the more I like it.

 

That is worthy of quoting again