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Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by RobH, Aug 23, 2007.

  1. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

    BMW trolls on PC? LMAO!

    I find it interesting that they are just as misinformed as the redneck monster truck guys that occasionally show up. Too funny.

    Have fun educating them. I'm going to do something more productive with my day. :)
     
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  2. Blackmamba

    Blackmamba New Member

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    ^ I know right!! There is something so obviously great about the Prius that they'd bother to come on our forum and stir trouble. HAHA! Pick on somebody in your own class?

    It's so funny everytime gas goes up we see more jealous flamers.
     
  3. kos

    kos New Member

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    Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

    the thing is we are not bothered by "gas" prices.

    as for picking on some one your own class, one a prius is in a far lower class than any bmw, two its members on this forum claim that a prius is luxury car, how do you come to that conclusion ?
     
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

    It's probably the type of brake pads that BMW (and MB) uses. My smart fortwo collects brake dust more readily than our other Toyotas. I read about it in the smart forum and someone mentioned that it's the manufacturer of the brake pads. There are some aftermarket pads as a solution.

    The Prius is kinda exempt in a way that the brake pads aren't used to stop the car unless you're driving like Schumacher. Because the electric motors work as a generator to slow the vehicle, you don't use the pads until about 8mph so yeah, brake dust isn't an issue.
     
  5. caffeinekid

    caffeinekid Duct Tape Extraordinaire

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    The most reliable and least costly BMW that I had was an e36 hatchback- a 318ti California edition to be precise. And even that one needed a new retractable roof TWICE, front rotors on a regular basis, multiple window actuators (obviously cheap flimsy design), suspension work, etc.. The most expensive was the e39. And even then the 5 and 7 series were known money pits among the local BMW fan base and service techs that I dealt with. Despite this, I had owned pretty much only German engineered vehicles with the exception of a couple of Peugeots and Fords up until the Prius. I have never been a big fan of Japanese cars and still don't dig them that much for the most part, BUT the Prius has been THE MOST efficient and least costly car to date outside of the Fords by a long shot. I still have a Jetta TDI that now has over 110K miles and I would not be understating if I said that it has had some stupid issues like glove box doors falling apart, rear brake piston replacements, odd electrical issues with relays intermittently clicking and windows that wont close, etc...and don't get me started on the Beetle TDI that I had. Yeah. I like the German handling and fit, but I have come to the point in my life that I've realized how much money I have wasted that could have been set aside for savings and retirement, so its no more rolling money pits for me.

    My take is that if you have a BMW, enjoy it. The Prius is a totally different ballgame with different applications and targets. The two are not comparable in any sense other than economics and technology. I am not sure who asserted that Prius is a "luxury" class car, but that much is certainly silly.
     
  6. SW03ES

    SW03ES Senior Member

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    BMWs are great cars, they are great to drive. The 3 series doesn't appeal to me, its too small and sporty, but the 5 is a car that one day I'm sure I'll have in the garage. The 7 is a great car too...

    However...to me BMWs are great cars to lease. Free maintenance for the first 50,000 miles...and at the end of the lease...turn it back in. I have a coworker that just traded his 2003 530i on a Lexus ES350 exactly like mine (same colors and all), it has 150,000 miles on it. What he was spending on repairs was just staggering...probably over the last 3 years...$10k? My '03 ES300 by comparison had 155k when I got the 2010 and the only repair...ever...was new lower control arms for the front suspension at 120k miles for a whopping $1200.

    He loves his new Lexus and says he will never buy another BMW product as long as he lives.
     
  7. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

    A Prius, when driven sensibly, uses regeneration above 7 MPH and friction brakes below 7 MPH. You just don't generate much brake dust below 7 MPH.

    Should you descend more than 600 feet (about 200 meters) then engine braking will attempt to assist friction braking, as the HV Battery will be filled as much as the computers prefer, so even in this extreme, you have much reduced brake dust.

    I feel sure that by driving the Prius as if it was on a race track, not a public road, you could indeed get brake dust in a Prius. Happily, that happens rarely. The Prius is not an obvious choice for those tempted to drive as if they are racing.

    Prius brakes tend to last so long that most Prius will only need one brake job every 175,000 miles. Brake dust does not worry me, but only paying for new pads and rotors every 175,000 miles brings a glow to my pocketbook. Fuel Economy is only one of the money saving parts of a Prius.

    Like all those here who have not modified their Prius to allow pluging it in, my Prius has never had 'electrical assistance'. In 2012 Toyota may introduce a plug in hybrid Prius that can get electrical assistance.

    If you are referring to the battery, how many MPG does your BMW get without it's battery? Same for me, without the battery I can't start it. 100% of all energy in a stock Prius (like mine) is from gasoline.
     
  8. Flying White Dutchman

    Flying White Dutchman Senior Member

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    Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

    :rolleyes::deadhorse::ranger:eek:mg haha your so funny
    so what is the prius in your eyes? a mm aaa..mmm shopping cart?
     
  9. kos

    kos New Member

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    It's certainly not a luxury car as some members on this page have posted, 3 posts up to be exact , the cars are two completely different animals, so by that logic they should not be compared unless you look at the only comparable model which the north amercican Market does not get, it's a shame you do not have the likes of the 118d or 320d ED

    As far as brake dust goes, I'd like to think you wash your cars so some brake dust is hardly the end of the world.

    I'm glad to see some good pro bmw comments on this page, it shows how well regarded a bmw is. Some of the problems highlighted like e36 window regulators are common complaints, but I've not experienced it.
     
  10. TouringTrash

    TouringTrash New Member

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    Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

    Good morning all, well the Canadian and US boys and girls. I'll start by coming clean and say I'm also a 'Zoner' from the UK and have an E30 or two, or three. And found here due to Kos and the zone, due to its top ranking in google's latest algorithm. Bought the first E30 as I didn't have much money due to spending 5 yrs based in Ft. Laud, FL and trying to move money from Bank of America to the UK caused alarm bells within the Feds systems. Within my time in the US I saw fuel prices rise a fair bit and by comparing the figures it makes sense to switch to what works. I'm lucky that I can walk the two miles to the shops and use the car only when needed, so pointless for me as I get my kicks driving and am lucky enough to be in a recession proof job. As for locking the thread isn't it one of the core ideas of a forum to impart wisdom to the idiots? From reading all these pages this idiot has increased his knowledge and I'll thank you guys for that. To return the favour I'll get an honest answer about those bolts for the cam being replaced, though Kos may have a better idea than me. And for the pissing competition of who's cars the best, surely its horses for courses. If a car does its job isn't that alone enough?
     
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  11. sitruc

    sitruc Junior Member

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    Now there is a reasonable post. All of us 50 somethings have probably owned many different brands, some have been lemons, most not. I can see great loyalty to your friends and family, but a machine?
     
  12. swi66

    swi66 Member

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    Gee, my wife just bought a Mercedes.
    1979 W116 SEL DOHC 6 banger with fuel injection.
    Some work needed, but something different to play with.

    Crude compared to the Prius...........maybe.
    But one of the best from another era.

    A BMW crude?
    She bought the Mercedes because she couldn't find a beemer in the range she bought this.
     
  13. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

    It's an economy car with a Hybrid power train. And a good one at that.

    One doesn't need to be a fanboi to appreciate it for what it is.

    Something the fanbois don't get is that the Prius being what it is doesn't make other cars worse and other cars being different don't make the Pius better.
     
  14. SW03ES

    SW03ES Senior Member

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    Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

    Um, three posts up from your post is my post...and I said absolutely nothing about the Prius being a luxury car...nor have I ever done so...

    Nor did anyone who posted before me or after me either.

    Brake dust on BMWs...and to a lesser extent Mercedes vehicles is REALLY bad.

    Actually it shows how the people here trying to incite a brand war are BMW owners...not Toyota owners.
     
  15. TouringTrash

    TouringTrash New Member

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    Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

    A W119 is a great panza wagon for the US, well at least Florida by the driving standards/crashes I saw and will keep the Mrs out of trouble keeping the brightwork sparking. On the all BMW owners want to start a war, maybe it comes from driving any German car for too long, personally after a very long drive I get the urge to visit Poland :Roll: I own three bmw's all E30's and in touring guise and haven't yet instigated a slagging match. For fuel economy the Prius adds up and is a fine and clever engineered machine at a cost, but then again all cars apart from super exotic hyper cars are run over by accountants today, hence why I drive a well thought out, easy to fix and has no resemblance to the Euroboxes that clutter up our little roads. But as a long term energy solution battery power isn't the way forward (battery technology doesn't provide enough grunt for long enough and even with the very, very latest innovations that have only recently been awarded patents it looks doubtful to me that batteries ever will, though the recharge times and length of service life will jump a great deal in the next two years) just a deviation in the same way that may be said of hydrogen due to what was said before about the production costs, but and a big but at that if opec keeps insisting that oil fields are running very low (which I firmly do not believe to be the case) we may end up with hydrogen as a fuel source with the huge costs that come with it. Personally I doubt that a better solution will be found as the big players keep the best minds working on what may in the future be seen as distractions from the breakthrough needed. ps And as for the US getting all its refined crude from the middle east isn't this off the mark now due to the high cost of crude oil making some large fields in the US financially viable to mine? Granted its not billions of barrels a day being pumped, but it would go a fair way to keep your central government running if everything did go tits up in the middle east. I say the above not as an engineer for a company but a guy who has a trade/practical work equivalent of an electronics degree and three more within the electronic industry,coupled with a five year stint playing, fixing Marine Vessels and then as a Y4 Marine Engineer. And I also love a bit of Hard Sci-Fi as long as engineering issues are delt with in the same manor as the celestial, paradox and anthropology issues. pps how do you start a new line? I appolgise for the one block of txt, thats a pita to read
     
  16. TouringTrash

    TouringTrash New Member

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    Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

    To be honest the e30zone.net has its fair share of geeks, nerds, kids with silly ideas, men old enough to know better, a handful of people that wouldn't be out of place at NASA and run of the mill weirdos all messing with E30's and even one who rebuilt a track prepared Renault 5 (You guys are lucky enough not to get caught up with that French maker) running on E30 front and rear geometry. Please come and have a look at us weird lot if you get the most precious commodity available to mankind, Time. Its in the process of having its servers moved half way up the country, which is down the road for you guys but will be up and running by March 7. just come and see how strange it is to have a Chesticle and nice person area in KinderGarden on a classic car forum and how some of the younger members want to buy bonnets to rust them up as its a cool thing to do. Hopefully you'll never have to suffer this kind of indignation so best have a look and keep your site and cars away from these numpties.
     
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    well said.^ all the best to you.
     
  18. vertex

    vertex Active Member

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    Look Kos, here in the US, you cannot get the high mileage BMWs you have on your side of the pond. You also cannot get the lower end models. BMW only sells us their high end stuff, and desiels are very limited. Go to BMWUSA and see for yourself. We have a very limited selection of the cool stuff available on your side. Most of the US does not have the high speed driving with 55 MPH, or 65 MPH being the limit. A few places are now creeping up to 75 MPH, but I haven't seen it yet up in the north east.
     
  19. flareak

    flareak Fleet Captain

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    Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

    You know, some of these diesels you mention we cannot buy in the US. There's a 335d that you can buy for 45k and gets 23/36 city/highway. Also keep in mind that you're probably using imperial gallons which is different than our values. 50mpg in the US isnt the same as 50mpg in the UK
     
  20. kos

    kos New Member

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    Re: Drove my wife's BMW. Boy was it crude.

    loyalty is earned, be it by family/friends/machine. i have now reason to not be loyal to bmw's

    they me in some peoples eyes be crude and driven by sterio types but they satisfy me needs and then some. while a prius may have its place in the automotive world it, i wouldnt buy because they are not an attractive car to look at. occasionally looks grow on you as does a cars personality but the prius has no soul and no driving pleasure

    try one post above yours.....

    does brake dust bother you that much, if it does then that also makes you vain as the bmw owners inciting this so called brand war

    whats the availability of migh mileage bmw's got to with anything ?

    as stated before, it is a shame you do not get some of the smaller engined cars, they are great machines and will still embarrass some cars percived to be superior in the performance department.
    i am aware of what bmw usa sells, and i think that they could sell the smaller engined onse by the 1000's.

    as for speed limits, i know it varies from state to state but, thats got nothing to do with any of this, if anything its more of a reason to have smaller engine bmw over the bigger engined ones.
    if there is such a low speed limit, why do bmw/bm import their big engiened and M/amg models. the US brands are still making hot rods, the likes of the new mustang/camero are examples of this.

    in the UK we have a speed limit of 70mph, but that doesnt mean we will buy a car that can only do 80/90/100 mph. almost every car available today will do 100mph.