adorshki
Reverential Member
Groans like a hive of angry frogs at redline?You know I'm extremely impressed with the Milan Al. Please do not miss a chance to remind me its performances.
The cars are "Bimmers''. The motorcycles are "Beamers".How you like the beamer?
How many times we gotta remind you 'bout that? :highly_amused:
Not that I'm gonna turn into one of those BMW fetishists.
I just got peeved at the Milan when it developed a power steering leak (105k) and decided to see what was out there in the category I'd consider owning: Beautifully styled rear wheel drive with IRS that I could pay cash for.
BMW was on the list and lo and behold, there's a low-mile BMW (115k on an '01) at a dealer. With a decent-looking CarFax.
So it's a pleasure cruiser, at least until I develop more confidence in it, and the Milan's daily reliable transportation and who cares if it just gets used up? It'll never have the intrinsic desirability (resale value) of the BMW.
How do I like it? It's like a cross between my top two all time favorites, the T-bird Supercoupe and the '81 RX-7. But if I had to settle on just one I could have back it'd still be the T-bird. Although I heard recently the original Tokico electronic shocks just aren't made anymore, sooo.....I guess all good things must pass.
Amazingly somehow the BMW didn't get the adjustable lumbar support in the seats and they're rock-hard, and for that reason alone I'll probably wind up replacing it at some point, but I got to check BMW's off the bucket list cheap.
5 speed auto, fine with me. Actually has a manual override mode too. I got 29mpg in my first week on winter gas.Is it auto or manual? Speaking of 4 banger,
The "25" in 325 is a 2.5 liter inline 6. Actually develops better torque at a lower rpm and over a flatter/broader curve than the Milan which actually develops higher peak ouputs. If you can stand to listen to 1000 groaning bullfrogs.
So the BMW has better throttle response, subjectively if not actually...
Plus it stays flat in corners. THAT's my single biggest criterion these days, handling.
In general I'm not a fan of turbos as traditionally you had to wind 'em out to get into the torque, which puts 'em right at their thirstiest. Both Ford and GM have addressed that with twin sequential turbos which allow development of boost more smoothly starting at lower rpms.I test drove the new 2015 Mustang (after I saw how hot she looked now, I got curious about this 305HP turbo 4 cylinder) tell you what. I loved it.
Never felt a 4 that "torquy" before. Huge low and mid range push, really fun to drive in city.
Still I think I'm gonna wind up preferring the quieter low-end grunt of a 6, especially a supercharged as opposed to turbocharged.
It's not that I want to hear the rumble of a V8, I just don't want the "buzz" of a turbo 4 cylinder, but I'm open-minded about it until I try one of the newer generation.
Back when Ford first put out a V6 GT in '93 I think it was, I always felt it was the perfect balance of weight to output especially for handling. So I'm assuming the current V6 GT is gonna be the right fit for me.
Just like the Supercoupe, tool around all day at super-economical low rpms knowin' the big gun's in the holster if I need it. :chuncky:
Comin' from you that's high praise and you probably remember it's been on my list ever since they annouced they were finally gonna give it IRS.felt that the loss of weight in the front (compared to the V8 GT) combined with the now independent rear suspension was a enormous improvement in handling. That thing is tight!
Oh I thought you already sold it? Oh, I guess "replacement" doesn't neccessarily imply "still own it"...Reminds me my good ole' 3000GT will be up for replacement soon.... hmmmm...... damned cars! :biggrin: