[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by jgoens

I buy my cars with every option and then I add mods to that. I just prefer the car to be the best it can be for as much as I want to spend.

I find that the best a car can be is often a spec with less stuff on it. To the point of the OP - extras can take away more from the enjoyment than they add - regardless of money.

[whosagrubb]

Last week I went from an incredibly "low-optioned" '07 328i to a CPO '15 435i GC that was more or less fully loaded, and while I'm not sure I see the value in everything it was ordered with I don't know that the extra equipment detracts from it being a "driver's car". (Not having a manual option on the GC however does!)

The 328i was ordered as a RWD, 6MT car with Sport Package, heated front seats, sunroof, Sirius radio and bluetooth. When I picked it up CPO the dealer almost didn't want to show it to me because "it doesn't have the Premium Package". I loved it because it had everything I wanted and nothing more, got a really good deal on it, and went on to put 120k miles on it.

The GC on the other hand was ordered with:

M Sport Package: Coming from my previous car with the sports package and considering I ended up with a BMW Performance front bumper, M Sport rear and 193M wheels on the E90, I was looking for a M Sport car this go around.

M Sport brakes? Bigger is better, but having just bought winter wheels and tires, being able to run a smaller wheel than 18" would have been nice.

Cold Weather Package: Heated seats are a must. Obviously they're mainly for the cold NE temps here, but I tend to use them year round. Heat the seats when you're on a long drive and they tend to help me focus, especially if I'm starting to get a little tired. Try it.

Drivers Assistance Plus: A rear view camera is hugely valuable for me (3 more kids running around the house since I bought the E90) but I started to really appreciate blind spot awareness when we got my wife's Benz. I wouldn't have considered this to be a must have in the past, but again now that my driving habits have changed and I do a lot of day trips between NYC and Boston or DC, I'm starting to feel this is a must have for me. PDC and top view camera? no so much.

Dynamic Handling: Kind of cool, but I don't have enough time to really judge. Probably wouldn't go out of my to order this based on current experience.

Lighting Package: Adaptive LED lights are pretty cool. Definitely better than the halogens in my E90. I'm sure HIDs would be as well, or actually I've heard HIDs are better, I will say I like the look of the LEDs

Technology Package: I didn't *need* NAV but appreciate having it, and I'm starting to like the HUD.

Dakota Leather: I had to do a double-take on this one. I took delivery of the car and 2nd guessed whether or not I was correct when I read the car description as I couldn't find much difference between upholstery in my sensatech equipped E90 and the new car. It's almost a shame cows had to die for these seats.


Someone pointed out resale early in this post. That's definitely something to consider. My E90 was a steal when I picked it up almost 8 years ago, and it's worth pennies now. I'd expect the GC to hold it's value better. That said, I'm not really looking at it that way either.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Fun thread. My takeaway is some people are easily annoyed & distracted while others are looking for a brand new 1952 car, but then the AM radio might be a distraction with that Rock & Roll stuff that is starting to come out..

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by BEAR-AvHistory

Fun thread. My takeaway is some people are easily annoyed & distracted while others are looking for a brand new 1952 car, but then the AM radio might be a distraction with that Rock & Roll stuff that is starting to come out..

Are you planning to add driver assistance to your Cobra?

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by whosagrubb

It's almost a shame cows had to die for these seats.

They most likely died for their burgers and steaks, and there's a good chance they did so in China. So rather than Dakota leather it would probably be more properly labeled Dongguan leather.

[whosagrubb]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

They most likely died for their burgers and steaks, and there's a good chance they did so in China. So rather than Dakota leather it would probably be more properly labeled Dongguan leather.

God I hope not! Given the quality of the seats, I can only imagine how awful the steaks would be.

Reminds me of this quote from Caddy Shack: "This steak still has the marks from where the jockey was hitting it!"

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by whosagrubb

God I hope not! Given the quality of the seats, I can only imagine how awful the steaks would be.

Reminds me of this quote from Caddy Shack: "This steak still has the marks from where the jockey was hitting it!"

Have you eaten in China? They will eat anything. When I was in South Eastern China, the locals told me a joke. The reason dragons don't exist in China anymore is because the people of Guangzhou ate them all.

[Billfitz]

Two sounds you'll never hear in the vicinity of a restaurant in China:
'Woof!' and 'Meow!'

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Originally Posted by metallicpea

Are you planning to add driver assistance to your Cobra?

Nope no nannies or power equipment at all other the a fuel cut off at 7800RPM.

Did do a major sellout into the 21st century & canned the AM radio for High Tech touch screen entertainment.



Felt really bad about selling out so have some 1950's look black face gauges coming for Christmas from the family.

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by BEAR-AvHistory

Nope no nannies or power equipment at all other the a fuel cut off at 7800RPM.

Did do a major sellout into the 21st century & canned the AM radio for High Tech touch screen entertainment.

Felt really bad about selling out so have some 1950's look black face gauges coming for Christmas from the family.

BTW, did you build it yourself? That is an empty nest plan of mine. Looks like quite a modern engine. What is it from?

Edit: Nevermind, I see it in your signature. Now I have some reading to do. I may PM about it if you don't mind.

[dogmush]

Nope. I bought a Luxury Sport Sedan. It's supposed to be Luxury AND Sporty.

I like that when I'm cruising along and not hooning on it, it'll remind me there are people in the next lane if I missed seeing them. I like that if I'm worried about hitting the splitter on a curb I can push a button and see from the top down. I like that I can make the suspension feel different based on my mood and where I'm driving. It's been cold in FL this week, and the heated seats and wheel were really nice. I like that I can hit one button and the car will show me a map with current traffic on it so I can choose my best route home after work.

Not one of those things gets in my way or distracts me from enjoying the car when I do find a good road and get my sporty on.

Honestly, one of the reasons I picked this car after a very long search was it does a lot of different things very well, so I don't have to compromise on one aspect of driving for another.

I've owned no-option sports cars. Fun on a Sat cruise, but much less so day in and day out in traffic to and from work. I'll keep my gadgets.

[jgoens]

Originally Posted by dogmush

Nope. I bought a Luxury Sport Sedan. It's supposed to be Luxury AND Sporty.

I like that when I'm cruising along and not hooning on it, it'll remind me there are people in the next lane if I missed seeing them. I like that if I'm worried about hitting the splitter on a curb I can push a button and see from the top down. I like that I can make the suspension feel different based on my mood and where I'm driving. It's been cold in FL this week, and the heated seats and wheel were really nice. I like that I can hit one button and the car will show me a map with current traffic on it so I can choose my best route home after work.

Not one of those things gets in my way or distracts me from enjoying the car when I do find a good road and get my sporty on.

Honestly, one of the reasons I picked this car after a very long search was it does a lot of different things very well, so I don't have to compromise on one aspect of driving for another.

I've owned no-option sports cars. Fun on a Sat cruise, but much less so day in and day out in traffic to and from work. I'll keep my gadgets.

Exactly how I feel.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Originally Posted by metallicpea

BTW, did you build it yourself? That is an empty nest plan of mine. Looks like quite a modern engine. What is it from?

Edit: Nevermind, I see it in your signature. Now I have some reading to do. I may PM about it if you don't mind.

No problem. The builders all help each other out. Some of the build pictures got killed off on the site but if you need any questions answered just PM.

It is a DD weather permitting, no roof & track tires being the limiting factors. The BMW's have gotten a lot less use since I built it, but like the others who posted if you are going to get a BMW I see no reason not to get a well optioned comfortable performance car that fits the pre marketing department bastardizing of old classic "2+2 Grand Touring Car" definition to a T.

[terryd5150]

Originally Posted by jgoens

I buy my cars with every option and then I add mods to that. I just prefer the car to be the best it can be for as much as I want to spend.

+1.

Same here.

I count the cost of retrofits into the price of the car when I'm car shopping.

[jtbazz]

Not me. I go for options. Most recent purchase 2016 340i x drive I bought stickered at $66000 and only had 2000 miles on it at purchase. I got almost every option and paid $42000 and it's a 2016 certified car. Thank God for BMW horrible resale. Traded in a 2015 golf r and almost got what I paid 3 years later LOL. I think it comes down to being patient and letting someone else take depreciation on the options.