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Lieutenant Junior Grade
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Yeah, I was wondering what that car was like...so pretty nice, huh? How much power/how many doors/how much is MSRP/what options? I was looking at getting a new car too, but I might not be able to go into a car. I've driven SUV's since high school, don't think a little wannabe sports car would fit my life...
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i'm considering of getting these baby myself... good ride... though the pushing button for the stick option is boring.....
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I thought I saw a $5 off coupon somewhere, but it might of been for the Lexus 400.
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Lieutenant Junior Grade
Here's the verdict from my test drive:
(Thanks for the crazy salesman that let me bust up the car pretty good)
Price: $33,740 msrp (absolutely no discounts!)
Very short review:
Handling is truly amazing. I did turns at 30 miles/hr and did not loose the road at all. Acceleration is also fairly quick for the automatic mode. Yes, I agree, the push button "tiptronic" is a bit boring but then again it worse if it didn't have that function. The anti-lock breaking worked extremely well. We scare the **** out of the old lady on the next lane. Wow, what an experience! Truly a BMW 3 series killer!
sklim
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I think the bimmer still rules. Looks and Performance hands down.
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Personally, I am not a fan of the way that the Lexus looks. The back looks a lot like the GS series, which is not a good thing.
Basically, the IS is a baby GS.
Unless you are in your thirties or older, stick with the BMW or the Audi. The lexus is for OLD people!
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Here is the deal, get the BMW 328 and you'll have the ultimate driving machine and a great deal. The Lexus looks all right but, its automatic. Manual is the way to go for a true sports sedan. But its your cash so good luck in finding a good price, highly unlikely since it is selling well, if anything dealers will be inclined to sell way over retail.
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And at band camp. . . http://www.geocities.com/bandtour99
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I just picked up an Audi A4 sport edition, Flush Yellow color. I love it. Had it for 2 weeks now, and can't get over it. I test drove the BMW, and the Lexus, all which fall to the power of the 2.8 V6 Audi. I'm not here to compete my results with others, but the options for everything were so very similar, 3 yr full warranty on everything, (BMW LEXUS AUDI). I also got the 34,000 car for 28,600. I bought it from Midwestern Auto Group in Dublin, OH, in Northwest Columbus. Supposedly they have the largest inventory for BMW, AUDI, and VW cars, not to mention all the other european cars, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche, etc. Check them out if you are near the area. Also, check out the Audi, you'll be surprised. Mine is exactly like this one..as soon as the ground effects come in, and get painted and applied. Same color and everything. http://www.erebunicorp.com/new/audi.htm
BTW Chicks dig it...and I love it.
Also, forgot to say this. I did 120 in 4th gear, 85mph on a 30mph exit ramp, and never got the tires squealin'. It handles better than my eclipse ever did, but that is probably because of the sport package. Also Xenon lights own me.
Main reason I chose A4, had everything I wanted for the best price. I was honestly stuck between the three cars. The info about the lexus and BMW was deceiving, so since the Audi was straightforward I went for it. Not to mention nearly 5.4k off the retail price, and dealer inventory price was 28,400. So, if I had to do it all over again, I'd have another headache for a week figuring out which to get. Good Luck, and no matter which you choose, you'll be happy with it.
resented
<meta http-equiv="Refresh" content="0; URL=http://www.audiusa.com">
[This message has been edited by resented (edited 06-28-2000).]
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Lieutenant Junior Grade
Ok, just to be fair to you Beamer and Audi folks, I will test both of them. One factor every one I think over looking is reliability. Call me a bigot but I think Japanese engineering and reliability is top notched.
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Ensign
Go to www.edmunds.com, and go to the townhall forums. This is one of the biggest car sites on the internet, ask questions, the locals know just about everything you want to know for leases of purchases. You should also do a search, someone might have started a thread for the Lexus IS 300 already. Do you homework here, you might get a better deal, but keep in mind that the IS 300 is a hot car right now.
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Lieutenant Junior Grade
Y'all, Lexus cars are for middle class folks pretending to be upper class. In other words, they're for buttholes. If you don't want to look pretentious, go with the BMW. Besides, they kick serious tail. They last for freakin' ever! And, man, can they handle the road.
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NOTHING BEATS GERMAN ENGINEERING!!!
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Sure Japanese cars are reliable, but nothing beats German Engineering. Look at Mercedes for example. Those automobiles have to be the most reliable on the road. In my area there are a bunch of Benzes running around that are at least 20+ years old! My friend has one thats about 15+ years I think and has over 250,000 miles and is still running great, never a major problem. BMW is improving since they are a fairly new company and Audi's are great when you need a four wheel drive car. Hey resented, is that Audi you got a quattro? Thats a great deal you got. For a 2.8.
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Lieutenant Junior Grade
I have been really impressed with my friends 328, but I still think I would buy an S4 if I had the money he did.
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<font size="10">BMW!!!!!!!!!!!!</font>
here i am guys, i dont visit the hot deals forum as much as i should.
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<BODY TEXT="#ffffff" BGCOLOR="#000000" BACKGROUND="http://www.bmw.com/bmwe/common/images/idmodul_logo.gif">
<font size="20">The Ultimate Driving Machine</font></body>
[This message has been edited by hapoo (edited 06-27-2000).]
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muhahahahahahahaha 
(are the subliminal messages working or are they too obvious?)
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First off, let me say "Where's Hapoo in all this madness?!?"
Hmm, I think this thread should be moved to the cars section. Since it had an initial deal pretense, I'll commense posting.
Unless you know a Lexus deal or get carried away with "Gone in 60 seconds", this is the cheapest way I know how to get a car. Go to autobytel.com and pick exactly what you want on the car. Send in the request. A dealer will call you and ask if you're ready to buy. Only guy if you're ready to sign that day or they get pissed. Go there, check out the car for any damage, test drive just to make sure nothing rattles on your car, and buy it. Depending on how hot the car is you might be able to get it anywhere between $500 below invoice to $300 above. I got my Contour SVT via this method for $400 below invoice - and the dealer still makes money, but from Ford and not me hehe.
With regards to the IS, the second I saw their commercial talking smack about "my" 328i I went to the Lexus dealership in Cerritos. BTW, I live in Cerritos and have no life, so all the car dealers (25) know me on a first name basis hehe.
Anyways, I checked out the car. I was willing to give Lexus a chance after I saw the GS400. It's probably the only Lexus I would consider buying. This car looks like a Lexus on the inside - I need not say more.
As far as sport is concerned, you can't select the gear so don't bother trying to race this thing on Auto-X. I coerced the Lexus dealer into letting me burn a little rubber around the 91/605 area (after all I helped them make 14 GS-400 sales via referrals).
My conclusion is the car is the first car that is not Lexusy if that is a word. You can actually hear an exhaust! 
The car grips, it responds, it does what you want it to do. BMW it is not, however. Lexus may claim to to better the 328i on the track, but the Beemer just gives so much more pedal feel, road control and feedback to the driver that the Lexus still seems distanced.
Here's the biggest problem - the rear seats are small. For me this isn't a problem as I don't have kids and don't haul people. Lexus is a people mover, this car isn't. This might be the downfall of this car. If they do try to lengthen the wheelbase the handling will undoubtedly decrease.
The IS and the 328i compete for the above $30k performance sedan category. In the under $30k the Infinit G20, Audio A4, and Ford Contour SVT compete. I've driven all three of these, and own the Contour.
If you don't want to shell out more than $21K, the SVT is the way to go. With less than $800 in mods I got my car up to 146mph and 176 HP at the front wheels on a dyno. Too bad 2000 is the last year for this car. Like the IS, it had to small rear seat space.
Check out Edmunds' review for a comparo http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/whitmor...ti.G20.rt.html
I love Audi's styling and their use of Aluminum, but I would have to say their best cars are their station wagons. Take one of those bad boys down to Baja or there desert and drive like Mad Max 
Anybody who makes generalizations like German or Japanese or American cars are this and that isn't a true car enthusiast. I found happiness driving a station wagon today, and later on I drove my SVT at around 130 mph on the 57
'nuf said.
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Ço£o§§ü§ - yeah you can read into it...
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Ensign
FYI http://www.valueconsumer.com/eDeals/Auto.htm lists FF miles and cashback choices for using auto buying services.
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Personally, I believe that any car over $10,000 is a ripoff; but then , they don't call me cheapskate for nuthin'.
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Ensign
I've owned a Lexus SC400 for about 5 years now, and it is a fabulous car. I would not hesitate to recommend any Lexus model on the basis of the excellent experiences I've had with my car, both in terms of service, performance, reliability, and workmanship. Others in my family own late model Mercedes-Benz, and they are a world of grief in comparison to my car. I don't know much about BMWs (never owned one), but they seem overpriced in comparison to what you can get in a comparable Lexus.
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I did not get the Quattro, to save a little on Insurance. However I test drove both cars, in manual, and it "feels" as though without Quattro you have more power. It's because its a pull from the front only. I went with the 2wd also because of the Gas price Gauging that is going on here. I have to buy 2.10 Premium, and I get ~27mpg average, with the Quattro you get 4 less. It's pennies but in the long run a savings.
My mother has an Infinity, I30t, and loves it. It's too much of a family car for me, so I looked at the G40? which is similar to the 30k sportier cars. I didn't care for it still from the fact it felt family. My audi has superb suspension, sport bucket seats, and after testdriving the IS300, the Audi I have kills it because its manual. Funny how they compare the Audi A4 on the Lexus website, with the smallest engine, vs the the bigger engine Lexus. Compare it to the V6, I dare them. As I have said before, I was stuck between these three vehicles, BMW, Audi, and Lexus. Final decision was I got the 34k car for 28.6k . If BMW or Lexus had that same deal, I would have been choosing the cheaper. Neither one did. MAG in Columbus sells BMW and Audi, and basically said they don't have leverage in prices for BMW's like they do Audi's. From what I hear, not many people buy Audi's, instead they get BMW.
A co-worker of mine has the 328i. In 2001, they will drop a BMW line for a 330, so I am told. We always dig at each other about features etc etc. Overall, I have been able to find more features in mine, that the BMW does not have. I also have the Navigation GPS system, which neither cars had for the price.
Choosing between these three will make life hard, unless your a die hard BM'r or Lexus person. I had no real preference between the three.
Enjoy your test drives. And Good luck
resented
P.S. As far as reliability, BMW and Audi are some of the longest lasting cars on the road today. For instance, a 5 yr old BMW with 50k miles on it is worth 3k less than MSRP. Go figure, but its true. I had an Eclipse before, (I know made in IL but its supposed to be jap) and I had quite a few troubles with it. In the end, I could tell it wasn't nearly as good a car I thought it was. If you pay 30k for a car, expect good reliability, they call the BMW and Audi a 3 yr test drive, because you can drive it for 3 yrs, if ANYTHING happens they repair or replace parts for free. (yes even windshield wiper blades)
[This message has been edited by resented (edited 06-28-2000).]
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Ensign
The deal on buying a Lexus is to buy a Toyota. It is the same car, but with leather seats. I have a 99 Camry and it's a nice car.
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First off, BMW's are NOT in the same price range as the Lexus IS. It always annoys me that BMW can get away with their BS base pricing. Whatever price you see as the base of a BMW, tack on 5k, because that's how much the "options" (like leather) will cost in total.
Also, people always seem to confuse Japanese reliability as including Mitsubishi, Subaru, Mazda, etc. Japanese reliability only applies to Toyota, Nissan and Honda. The others are as reliable as any other American car besides Saturn.
And regarding places like autobytel, I've had no luck with those. They're just referral services, the dealer doesn't have to do squat, and they don't. If you want to talk to a dealer, just walk in. Its all the same, you'd get the same deal and you have to fight just as hard for it. If you want no hassle, go with carsdirect or greenlight.
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DevynS:
The deal on buying a Lexus is to buy a Toyota. It is the same car, but with leather seats. I have a 99 Camry and it's a nice car.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
This doesnt work because there is no Toyota equivalent to this car, at least on this end of the Atlantic...
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ken:
First off, BMW's are NOT in the same price range as the Lexus IS. It always annoys me that BMW can get away with their BS base pricing. Whatever price you see as the base of a BMW, tack on 5k, because that's how much the "options" (like leather) will cost in total.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I hear the base 323ci is a nice car still for alot less....if you can stand leatherette interior...
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Lieutenant Junior Grade
BMW's aren't all that. Except for the M5 that car is the bomb.
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Lieutenant Junior Grade
Nicely said, Ken. Reliability is not based on one person, your grandma, the person you know next door. It's based on thousands of customer over a long period of time. If you look at JD powers stats for the last ten years, you will more Japanese makers than anything else particularly Toyota and Honda.
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