Car Advice

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"I would really like to know under what metric a BMW is better quality than a Honda."





What a bizarre sentiment! People rarely buy anything based on objective measurements. Is that one particular TV better than another based on its Consumer Reports reliability report or how high its resolution is? Or does one just have a better picture in the store you happen to be shopping in? Or does your husband/wife think one set is just better looking and will fit into your family room better? Or perhaps you just trust Sony? How about that watch you're wearing? Did you check how well it keeps time compared to any other watch? Or how long its battery will last? How many jewels in its movement?





By your point-of-view, people should not buy anything that goes beyond their most basic needs. Why get a Rolex when you could pay 1% of its price for a new Timex that will keep on ticking even after a licking? Why pay for a first-class ticket when coach will get you there in the same time? Why pay for a fancy meal when its going to come out the other end pretty much looking the same no matter what you eat?





Perhaps some people do drive BMWs solely because of the brand and the cachet it carries, but then again, this is a free economy, and as long as they are able to afford the car, more power to them. I'd like to think quite a few people drive BMWs because they actually enjoy the way the car drives and they view the machine as more than just a way to get from point A to point B. And if you cannot appreciate the difference in the way the two cars drive, then, by all means, I would recommend you stick to buying Hondas. Or Toyotas. Or whatever.





As a disclaimer, I don't own a BMW. You don't want to know what I own, Tyler, you would find it even more outrageous.
 
<p>Bentleys pfft that's for people who can't afford the real deal. Phantom convertible FTW.</p>

<p><img alt="" src="http://img104.mytextgraphics.com/photolava/2007/08/26/rollsroycephantom100exusversion-1ikx5tey.jpg" /></p>
 
Mendelssohn





I think you are making the argument that because Chinese worship a mass murder (Mao), it is OK for Japan to worship theirs as well. I can't agree with that, furthermore, I deeply resent that view. Labeling Mao is a mass murder is not a universal view, and arguments are still being made on both sides. To make a lawyer's argument, Mao is not convicted yet, the murders in that temple were convicted war crimes. To worship a bunch of convicted murders as national hero are not in line with what a civilized nation should be doing. I hope we can at least agree on that point.
 
Eva


Actually 318 is the best of the BMW family, it has a highly flexible engine that can be tuned very effectively. The profile gasket problem I understand was mainly due to the gas, and I was under the impression it primary happened in UK due to the harsh North Sea oil. BMW 4 has a very long history, and it is the best engine to enjoy a BMW legally. The chassis is very balanced due to the light weight of the engine, and you really need to know how to drive in order to go fast.
 
Laing_lies:





"I didn't see any negatives about consolidating into a 30-year payoff plan".





If the rates are low then its not a big deal, but I don't like debt and I'd like to be debt free as soon as possible. Consolidating into a 30-year loan, seems to encourage one to keep the debt around longer. Also, I find it a bit funny that


under the 30-year payoff plan you won't be done paying off your student loans until you're in your 50's.





Irvine Allergy:





I don't think you understand my comments. I'm not claiming that people do this and that, if people acted rationally marketing would be much less effective. In the Toyota/Lexus case price differentiation works because


people don't act rationally, they are willing to pay a premium for what is essentially a Toyota with a Lexus logo on it. With BMW (like all luxury brands) you pay not only for the product but also the image behind it. It is paying more


for a very similar product that I don't understand. Your examples are totally different, you are focusing on functionality rather I'm talking about marketing two similar products at much different price points. I have no problem paying


4x more for good beer vs crap like Miller, Bud etc. But that is because Miller etc taste nothing like the more expensive beers, although I would have no problem getting a cheaper product if I could find it (I was able to in PA actually, but


I just got back to CA and haven't found any good cheap local breweries).





Janet:





I didn't call anybody in particular fiscally irresponsible, nor did I claim everyone that posts is such. The key issue is affordability, and to me if you have to finance a car you can't afford it.
 
<p>I bought a Toyota Pick-up in 1985 for five grand. I paid for it in cash after a summer of detailing in Newport Beach. I still drive it, it has 243k miles, still has the original drive train (22r engine), it's on the 6th alternator, it's been registered in 6 states, and her name is "Betsy". </p>

<p>BMW's are very nice-to-drive cars because they are engineered that way, much the way dragsters are fast and H2's are ugly. BTW, if you think the BMW cars are nice, try one of their motorcycles sometime. </p>

<p>But comparing Japanese luxury cars and German luxury cars is like comparing a Vista PC and an iMac; ostensibly they do the same thing, but they approach it from two different philosophies. The "better" choice is going to depend on who is asking the question. In my own view on vehicles, "better" means less maintenance, less expensive maintenance, and room in the back for hauling a hundred boardfeet of hardwood. Which means every car mentioned in this thread "sucks" in comparison to my Betsy</p>

<p>Tyler, quit trying to shove your particular values onto other people who don't share them. No one cares what you think other people should think and your obnoxiousness isn't helping you convince anyone that you are right.</p>
 
<p><img alt="" src="http://www.funimported.com/image%20files/JollyDanny.JPG" /></p>

<p>maybe a pink one, awgee?</p>

<p><img alt="" src="http://www.vea.qc.ca/vea/v/fiat500jolly60.jpg" /></p>
 
<p>"Even if you want to consider artwork an investment of sorts (I don't), "</p>

<p>Ironically, one of the primary reasons the rich get richer and the poor get poorer is art and other useables. The rich put real art on their walls which typically has a resale value at or above the purchase value. The poor ge a reproduction from a mass market store which immediately has a resale value of $0. The same goes for home furnishings, the masses buy ticky-tacky from Target and the rich buy original pieces or antiques.</p>
 
<p>Tyler,</p>

<p>I kid. I kid IrvineRenter!</p>

<p>That was not a jab at you. </p>
 
<p>Tyler,</p>

<p>I was also not lying about getting financing at 1%. </p>

<p>It is with BMW Financial Services, and at the time, was their best rate. </p>

<p>It's not polite to call people liars.</p>

<p>If someone is paying 1%, and getting an investment return higher than 1%, it is a fiscally responsible move in my book.</p>

<p> </p>
 
Tyler -





I disagree that my examples primarily compared functionality rather than branding/marketing. Sony LCD TVs cost more than certain other brands, yet their panels (and therefore a good chunk of the evenual picture quality and set reliability) are often manufactured by other companies who put the same panels in their cheaper TVs. Rolexes do not do any more than a Timex does (well, depending on the model), which is to say, tell time, yet cost upwards of 100x as much. As with every luxury item you can buy, and homes are included in this, there is an incremental increase in utility with a much disproportionately larger increase in cost as you go up the price scale. Whether or not you're willing to pay $50k for a BMW as compared to $30k for a Toyota that provides the same room inside is up to the consumer. I don't think that makes the BMW buyer any more a tool of the advertising industry than the Toyota buyer who passed up the Hyundai for $22k.





I also feel that while it is not optimal to pay interest on something that is guaranteed to depreciate, the reality of American consumerism dictates that loans are necessary for most people for cars, homes, and unfortunately, their higher education as well. Of the three, only the last nearly always guarantees an increase in net worth.





BTW, I feel that the 7 for all mankind jeans I'm wearing right now are completely justified in their cost.
 
<p>Ah, premium denim.</p>

<p>I didn't get it - until I found the perfect pair for me.</p>

<p>Ladies will get more out of it then the guys. It's a hips/thighs/butt thing. </p>

<p> </p>
 
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