Cars that compete with the 128

[mistermojorizin]

you should have made it to infiniti. the g35/37 is a better car in many ways. for example, better steering feel than my 135 - i felt this from day 1 and recently read a major magazine review that confirmed my suspicions. also, the g will be much more reliable than both german offerings.

[ptack]

More reliable than the 128i? That's conjecture. As for the handling, I have never found any Japanese car (Acura, Inifiniti or Lexus) to have replicated the balanced feel of a BMW. They can offer different feels (typically lighter), but whether they are better is subjective.

[mistermojorizin]

Originally Posted by ptack

More reliable than the 128i? That's conjecture. As for the handling, I have never found any Japanese car (Acura, Inifiniti or Lexus) to have replicated the balanced feel of a BMW. They can offer different feels (typically lighter), but whether they are better is subjective.

statistically, bmw's, and all german cars for that matter, have more issues than infiniti. i pay attention to consumer reports. the bmws are much more likely to have brakes squeaking, and sirius radio failing, and idrive failing, comfort access stops working, rims get bent, tires pop, and the ipod songs not coming up even though infiniti's come with more technology, lol. Also, when you do go for service, infiniti will give you a loaner even if you didn't buy the car from them. but bmw will not unless you bought your car there. i think its because the infiniti dealers have less demand for loaners since infinitis require less service.

i didn't say that inifiniti has better handling. just better steering feel and LSD option.

the way i look at cars - if you want handling go with an s2000, if you want luxury, go with a lexus, if you want a balance of performance and luxury, go with infiniti, if you want power go with german or american, but know you're going to take a huge hit in reliability. if you don't want power, you can find whatever you're looking for in a japanese make with a lot less headache. but to each their own, this is just my opinion.

[imported_mega]

Originally Posted by mistermojorizin

statistically, bmw's, and all german cars for that matter, have more issues than infiniti. i pay attention to consumer reports. the bmws are much more likely to have brakes squeaking, and sirius radio failing, and idrive failing, comfort access stops working, rims get bent, tires pop, and the ipod songs not coming up even though infiniti's come with more technology, lol. Also, when you do go for service, infiniti will give you a loaner even if you didn't buy the car from them. but bmw will not unless you bought your car there. i think its because the infiniti dealers have less demand for loaners since infinitis require less service.

i didn't say that inifiniti has better handling. just better steering feel and LSD option.

the way i look at cars - if you want handling go with an s2000, if you want luxury, go with a lexus, if you want a balance of performance and luxury, go with infiniti, if you want power go with german or american, but know you're going to take a huge hit in reliability. if you don't want power, you can find whatever you're looking for in a japanese make with a lot less headache. but to each their own, this is just my opinion.

bmw owners make claims on things like rattles, squeaks I can tell you first hand I know lots of Japanese/American owners that wont, because expectations are not nearly as high

that's just how it is, look at what's failing and you get a compeltely differnet picture of reliability, and bmw is way up there

actually overall reliability bmw is doing better than most brands now, unless you still quote 1995 reliability figures, as of 2008 times have changed

performance + luxury and you mention infinity and not bmw? biased much? that is bmw's niche not infinity

[VFX]

If it's a choice between A4 & 128 then it depends on your priorities.


Comfort, AWD option, Space & refinement - A4

I've spend hours & hours at a time at the wheel of an A4 & didn't have a single ache.

The interiors are extremely solid, it comfortably seats 5 adults & the trunk is huge compared to the 128.

Conversely, the A4 bored me to death! It has over assisted brakes with very little feel, the steering is numb & it has front heavy understeer biased handling.


Performance & handling - 128i

The 128 handles much better than the A4. The engine is much sweeter & gives better performance than the Audi equivalent.

However, it only seats 4 people, has a small trunk & will not be as comfortable over a long distance.


The G35 sedan is almost as boring to drive as the Audi. The G37 Coupe is pretty damned good & definitely worth considering.

.

[mistermojorizin]

Originally Posted by mega

bmw owners make claims on things like rattles, squeaks I can tell you first hand I know lots of Japanese/American owners that wont, because expectations are not nearly as high

that's just how it is, look at what's failing and you get a compeltely differnet picture of reliability, and bmw is way up there

actually overall reliability bmw is doing better than most brands now, unless you still quote 1995 reliability figures, as of 2008 times have changed

performance + luxury and you mention infinity and not bmw? biased much? that is bmw's niche not infinity

american cars have crap reliability, same as german cars. I am not biased, i don't think. I have had an american car, a japanese car, and now a german car. my parents have always had german cars and recently switched to japanese cars. I have been following modern reliability trends. german cars have much poorer reliability than japanese cars. german cars are better in that they give use twin turbos for under $40 g's. luxury is on par with japanese - actually lexus is more luxurious. The performance of 128 is very comparable with the performance of a g35 (actually g35 is a little faster and comes with lsd). Luxury is the same (actually g35 has more technology). Reliability of g35 will likely be better. That's all. Just my opinion. Compared to a n54 the g35/37 are slow with no mod potential.

[1HungryMan]

Originally Posted by VFX

If it's a choice between A4 & 128 then it depends on your priorities.


Comfort, AWD option, Space & refinement - A4

I've spend hours & hours at a time at the wheel of an A4 & didn't have a single ache.

The interiors are extremely solid, it comfortably seats 5 adults & the trunk is huge compared to the 128.

Conversely, the A4 bored me to death! It has over assisted brakes with very little feel, the steering is numb & it has front heavy understeer biased handling.


Performance & handling - 128i

The 128 handles much better than the A4. The engine is much sweeter & gives better performance than the Audi equivalent.

However, it only seats 4 people, has a small trunk & will not be as comfortable over a long distance.

Couldn't have said it better, as usual! :smile:

[VFX]

Originally Posted by mistermojorizin

american cars have crap reliability, same as german cars. I am not biased, i don't think. I have had an american car, a japanese car, and now a german car. my parents have always had german cars and recently switched to japanese cars. I have been following modern reliability trends. german cars have much poorer reliability than japanese cars. german cars are better in that they give use twin turbos for under $40 g's. luxury is on par with japanese - actually lexus is more luxurious. The performance of 128 is very comparable with the performance of a g35 (actually g35 is a little faster and comes with lsd). Luxury is the same (actually g35 has more technology). Reliability of g35 will likely be better. That's all. Just my opinion. Compared to a n54 the g35/37 are slow with no mod potential.

From experience & from the experiences of family & friends... High end Japanese cars tend to have less faults then high end German cars.

Parts on German cars tend to wear out quicker.

Non of this is fact, just from my own experience.

.

[imported_mega]

Originally Posted by mistermojorizin

german cars have much poorer reliability than japanese cars.

wrong, have you read any of the jdpowers or edmunds or the other reliability stats trackers this year?

[mistermojorizin]

Originally Posted by mega

wrong, have you read any of the jdpowers or edmunds or the other reliability stats trackers this year?

jdpowers is BS. read consumer reports.

[imported_mega]

Originally Posted by mistermojorizin

jdpowers is BS. read consumer reports.

I said any others, jdpowers is not actually one I've read

but sense you mention consumer reports...


The V6 version of the company's top-selling Camry, and the four-wheel-drive V8 version of the Tundra pickup, both redesigned for 2007, now rate below average in Consumer Reports' predicted reliability rating. (This rating does not apply to previous model years.) In addition, the all-wheel-drive version of the Lexus GS sedan also received a below average rating. Because Consumer Reports does not recommend models with below-average reliability, these models no longer make CR's "Recommended" list.


bmw has now moved up the list and are now above average or better on almost all models, they are better than honda, and nissan


the people that keep bashing bmw for reliability have not been doing proper research, saying things like "bmw parts wear out faster" is completely uneducated and wrong

[VFX]

Originally Posted by mega

saying things like "bmw parts wear out faster" is completely uneducated and wrong

Who said that?

.

[mistermojorizin]

here's a fine example of 128i reliability: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14359

[mistermojorizin]

Originally Posted by mega

I said any others, jdpowers is not actually one I've read

but sense you mention consumer reports...


The V6 version of the company's top-selling Camry, and the four-wheel-drive V8 version of the Tundra pickup, both redesigned for 2007, now rate below average in Consumer Reports' predicted reliability rating. (This rating does not apply to previous model years.) In addition, the all-wheel-drive version of the Lexus GS sedan also received a below average rating. Because Consumer Reports does not recommend models with below-average reliability, these models no longer make CR's "Recommended" list.


bmw has now moved up the list and are now above average or better on almost all models, they are better than honda, and nissan


the people that keep bashing bmw for reliability have not been doing proper research, saying things like "bmw parts wear out faster" is completely uneducated and wrong

you missed the most important part for our discussion:

"Despite these problems, Toyota (including Lexus and Scion) still ranks third in reliability among all automakers, behind only Honda and Subaru."

and this:

"Reliability remains a forte for most Japanese brands. Twenty-three of the 33 models in our “most reliable” list are from Japanese automakers. Moreover, we’ve predicted average reliability or better for all Honda and Subaru models based on our most recent survey."

[imported_mega]

Originally Posted by mistermojorizin

you missed the most important part for our discussion:

"Despite these problems, Toyota (including Lexus and Scion) still ranks third in reliability among all automakers, behind only Honda and Subaru."

and this:

"Reliability remains a forte for most Japanese brands. Twenty-three of the 33 models in our “most reliable” list are from Japanese automakers. Moreover, we’ve predicted average reliability or better for all Honda and Subaru models based on our most recent survey."

that article said honda was below bmw now

[ptack]

Originally Posted by mistermojorizin

jdpowers is BS. read consumer reports.

Perhaps you should do the same. They put the 1 series at the top of their list - not the Infiniti coupe.

[spudw]

Originally Posted by mistermojorizin

statistically, bmw's, and all german cars for that matter, have more issues than infiniti. i pay attention to consumer reports. the bmws are much more likely to have brakes squeaking, and sirius radio failing, and idrive failing, comfort access stops working, rims get bent, tires pop, and the ipod songs not coming up even though infiniti's come with more technology, lol. Also, when you do go for service, infiniti will give you a loaner even if you didn't buy the car from them. but bmw will not unless you bought your car there. i think its because the infiniti dealers have less demand for loaners since infinitis require less service.

i didn't say that inifiniti has better handling. just better steering feel and LSD option.

the way i look at cars - if you want handling go with an s2000, if you want luxury, go with a lexus, if you want a balance of performance and luxury, go with infiniti, if you want power go with german or american, but know you're going to take a huge hit in reliability. if you don't want power, you can find whatever you're looking for in a japanese make with a lot less headache. but to each their own, this is just my opinion.

I don't mean for this to be provocative, but I'm confused as to why you've chosen to drive a 135i.

[lib]

Originally Posted by mistermojorizin

you should have made it to infiniti. the g35/37 is a better car in many ways. for example, better steering feel than my 135

Did they greatly improve the steering feel of the g37 over the g35 coupe?

A couple months ago a friend with a g35 coupe came with me to an all-day autocross practice and we took turns driving each others cars. The agreements we came to were:

• The g35's steering felt good but communicated less information.
  • I was presently surprised at how well the g35 handled and how planted it felt - for some reason I expected it to feel like a much larger car in the corners. Very well balanced overall though the steering was a little too light for my taste.
  • The g35 driver commented on how he loved the road feel communicated through the 128's steering. He also used that as an excuse for spinning the 128 his first time behind the wheel - he went far too fast into a few corners and claimed it gave him so much confidence that he became too cocky for his own good.
• The g35's gearbox and clutch were garbage compared to the 128's.
• The g35 had a bit more power than the 128.
• Both had similar grip around corners. I would probably give the g35 the edge here but I would also blame it on the horrible runflats on the 128.
• Both managed to pull similar times but the lights were broken for half the day so we couldn't get any consistent results.
• The 128's trunk was bigger than the g35's - we go mountain biking each weekend and I have a much easier time fitting a bigger bike into the back of the 128.

[BimmerKid87]

^The new G's steering still feels that way...the 1 series has a better feel. I guess it's all a matter of personal taste.

[gio]

I realize that this thread has gone in a different direction, lol, but my brother ended up buying a SGM 2008 128i coupe with premium, cold weather, iPod and automatic. He got a pretty good deal on it and 0.9% financing so he's pretty happy. He picks the car up on Saturday. (And to think, I paid MSRP, 4.25% financing and had to wait 7 weeks for mine!)

[mikeo]

Yes, me to. Patience has its rewards I guess.

[ptack]

Originally Posted by gio

I realize that this thread has gone in a different direction, lol, but my brother ended up buying a SGM 2008 128i coupe with premium, cold weather, iPod and automatic. He got a pretty good deal on it and 0.9% financing so he's pretty happy. He picks the car up on Saturday. (And to think, I paid MSRP, 4.25% financing and had to wait 7 weeks for mine!)

Glad to have another believer. Make sure he joins us here. Mass is on Sundays.