Traded my 2004 325i for a LGT Ltd. (AT)

And my wife is still shaking her head.

I pick it up Tuesday.

Fact is, the Legacy stacks up to a 2006 330xi, except for some of the Dynamic systems and the "sex appeal". Boo hoo. I'll be driving a 40k car that does the same and possibly more than a 55k car and enjoying myself!

Figure this - 40,000kms/year divided by 70km/h average speed equals about 23 24hr driving days a year. Think I should enjoy my car, right?

What didn't I like about the BMW? The accelerator position. Could never get comfy. The power, 187hp for 40k, these days? And the new 325 is still only 215. The rear wheel drive - I thought I could handle it this past winter, but I got sick and tired of it towards the end.

I had to modify the shifting (short shifter etc) to get it quick enough. The stock shifting was long and annoying.

Anyway, you get the idea.

Thanks to my friends in the pre-purchase questions area for your help last week.

Your wife may be shaking her head now but just wait until she wants to drive it in lieu of the X5

Congrats on the LGT.

Dave.

Thanks Dave, in fact, she may be shaking her head now, but when the turbo snaps her head back in to the headrest and she can't wipe the Holy Crap grin off her face, I'm hoping she'll come around.

She can have her X5!

Although I did get the AT to make her happy (and the shift buttons to make me happy!)

you will miss some of the finer luxury details of the e46 --but i promise you that you won't be thinking about that the first few times you merge into traffic and realize how nice it is to have so much reserve passing power.

:-D

speed is FUN.

the "balance" that BMW sells sometimes makes me gag. balance is more often than not marketing euphemism for lack of power and speed.

:-P

What I find fascinating is that so much of which BMW claims to have exclusivity over is run-of-the mill. Their marketing machine is insane (awesome).

I realize a lot goes into one of those cars, especially the new ones, but they have left my demographic behind with the new one. I'll never want a bluetooth, or an iPod, or "Comfort Access", or a DRINK COOLER under the armrest...what were they thinking?

And the new power figures? The 325 should have 250hp, and the 330 should be at 300!

I'll never want a bluetooth, or an iPod, or "Comfort Access", or a DRINK COOLER under the armrest...what were they thinking?

You could apply this to Acura as well. When I was shopping around I looked into the TL and the salesman was spouting off all these great luxury options. I was getting annoyed as I am not into all the "Me too" gadgets being stuffed into cars these days. I told him I didnt need or plan to use those anyway. The navigation screen in the dash is just a distraction rather than a feature. Tell me about real automotive technology and I am all ears. The BMW 3 series was also crossed off my list for the same reasons listed. It's a curse and a blessing that the Subaru product line is for the most part unknown to the mainstream public except for maybe the Outback.

it's why M, originally for "Motorsport", is wonderfully defined now as "Marketing".

BMW's dominance is well-earned and the E46 and E90 will still be the dynamic benchmarks. but it speaks to the strength of the segment now that instead of 10 out of 10 autowriter and potential buyers opting for the 325 or 330, now maybe 6/10 or 7/10 will.

i, too, am underwhelmed by the 325, which outsells the 330 by 3.5:1; the 325xiT that used to grace the driveway had very little features and was slow. low on feature content is forgivable, but slow is a cardinal sin.

i agree that the new valvetronic BMW engines are also underwhelming. that they are light is an engineering feat, but really, the new 325 e90 is still a 3.0litre detuned engine with only 215hp and 190 ft#'s....are you kidding me? a 3.0 litre engine with less than 200 ft-lbs of torque in this modern era? what a farce. and the new 330 3.0litre engine is still only 255hp and still 221ft#'s.....again, are you kidding me?

i've owned multiple BMWs but i won't ever go back unless they present a compelling reason to do so. even the new M cars are completely underwhelming to me.

ohhh booger. my wife and i just test drove a 2005 325i executive edition and it was ok. i wasn't expecting it to be LGT fast. but it was alright. BMW canada is having a big sale on these e46 325i. they are decked out with all sorts of stuff.

but come on.... 3.0l that pushes 255hp ain't that bad. Nissan's VQ 3.5l V6 maxes out at 300hp and that's 1/2l more than the inline-6 from bmw.

ohhh booger. my wife and i just test drove a 2005 325i executive edition and it was ok. i wasn't expecting it to be LGT fast. but it was alright. BMW canada is having a big sale on these e46 325i. they are decked out with all sorts of stuff.

but come on.... 3.0l that pushes 255hp ain't that bad. Nissan's VQ 3.5l V6 maxes out at 300hp and that's 1/2l more than the inline-6 from bmw.

i find all of the BMW engines underwhelming and i've been an inveterate BMW owner. they're all too cammy and soft in the low end, even the v8s.

but the new class of straight sixes are probably rated low so they have room to power up during the e90 model run; right now, they're not all that impressive to me.

why?

torque.

the issue with valvetronic is that it cannot breathe well at high rpms (it's why valvetronic is trashed in favor of single throttle bodies on the new M motors) and yet, as you can see from the engine's output, it's still only 221ft#'s of torque. gearing and low torque can only do so much and i'm not a big fan of BMW's new approach.

i wish for sure they had bumped up the displacement.

I cross shoped the 325 with sport package before buying my LGT limited. I drove it twice along with the following cars;

acura tl and tsx

mercedes C230 sport

infinity g35

audi a4 ultra sport

someone suggested I drive the Soobie and I scoffed, but went. my initial reaction was "WOW!"

I have no regrets and $4-5k more money in my pockets!

Oh, and I still grin everytime I romp on the accelerator!!!

ohhh booger. my wife and i just test drove a 2005 325i executive edition and it was ok. i wasn't expecting it to be LGT fast. but it was alright. BMW canada is having a big sale on these e46 325i. they are decked out with all sorts of stuff.

but come on.... 3.0l that pushes 255hp ain't that bad. Nissan's VQ 3.5l V6 maxes out at 300hp and that's 1/2l more than the inline-6 from bmw.

3.0l that pushes 255hp is indeed not "that bad"... it's also in the 330, NOT the 325. The incoming 325 is 215, I think... the outgoing one is 185ish. Sooooo... the car that's "only a few thousand" *cough* more than the LGT Ltd is making just a little more hp/torque than a Legacy 2.5i... BMWs are nice for impressing your neighbors and automotive writers (neither of whom is paying for them) but they don't make sense to me for owning a new one.

DKB

3.0l that pushes 255hp is indeed not "that bad"... it's also in the 330, NOT the 325. The incoming 325 is 215, I think... the outgoing one is 185ish. Sooooo... the car that's "only a few thousand" *cough* more than the LGT Ltd is making just a little more hp/torque than a Legacy 2.5i... BMWs are nice for impressing your neighbors and automotive writers (neither of whom is paying for them) but they don't make sense to me for owning a new one.

 

DKB

i think it's not for most of us to tell other people this, however. it's something that one has to learn empirically for one's self --and if the extra money is well spent, then what can anyone say?

it's so important for some people to have status, so much more so than quantitative performance. it's not something i can understand all of the time, but intangibles do mean a lot to some people.

Even last friday, when I was at a red light in downtown Montreal, a nice older couple kept staring at my shiny black ( and well kept) Bimmer. I thought something was wrong, until the lady turned around and gave me a thumbs up and mouthed "Nice car". I doubt that will happen too often with the Legacy. The 325 (especially in black) oozes sex appeal, somehow...my wife loves the lines of the car, and I admit I like the way the front end is styled and the way the front wheels kind of bulge out of the body. I like the Xenons too, especially on the dark nights in winter in the country on my way home (please tell me I won't miss them too much!).

But I have never bought cars to be admired in. I buy a car that impresses me. I want to get in the car and every time I fire it up I say "Damn, I paid what for this?", and then when I get going the old poop eating grin gets going again.

We were just at dinner in the village of Hudson and there was a loaded graphite 545 parked behind me. Maybe in three years when my lease is up I'll look at the AWD version of the 5 series as a used car...that's how I got the X5, 3 years old and 32,000kms, only a sunroof as an option, and a tow hitch. We bought it on the spot, it was exactly what we needed (and she wanted).

But in three years who knows how the Legacy will evolve? It might be eating 5 series cars for lunch by then!

Yeah but look at the LGT tuners dream.

Add the following:

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TBE

I think PDX tuning did one similar to this and got like 275lbs of tq & 245 WHP. So for about $1500 installed you can jump the LGT power by about 25%. The only thing you can do to the BMW is ummm ummmm for that price nothing.

Then you can really go and have fun. Put on a 20G and TMIC and get closer to 300-350WHP. You could easily outrun a BMW M3. Add lets say add $4500 total and we are sitting at $30-32,000 for a car that is capable of high 12 second Et's. Screw BMW

I cross shoped the 325 with sport package before buying my LGT limited. I drove it twice along with the following cars;

acura tl and tsx

mercedes C230 sport

infinity g35

audi a4 ultra sport

 

someone suggested I drive the Soobie and I scoffed, but went. my initial reaction was "WOW!"

I have no regrets and $4-5k more money in my pockets!

Oh, and I still grin everytime I romp on the accelerator!!!

This is very interesting, because I:

didn't want Acuras (no more FWD for me)

can't afford a Mercedes (can't drive a 2-door)

Hate the Infiniti interior (although the price is right these days, even for the 'x')

Don't like Audi nor VW

Thought briefly about a Volvo AWD xc70, terms are great 'cause no one is buying them

Anyway the truth is I've been sucked in by all that rally stuff and I'm a huge Lance armstrong fan. I would drive an Impreza but then it would really be divorce!!!

Yeah but look at the LGT tuners dream.

 

 

Add the following:

 

Downpipe

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TBE

 

I think PDX tuning did one similar to this and got like 275lbs of tq & 245 WHP. So for about $1500 installed you can jump the LGT power by about 25%. The only thing you can do to the BMW is ummm ummmm for that price nothing.

 

Then you can really go and have fun. Put on a 20G and TMIC and get closer to 300-350WHP. You could easily outrun a BMW M3. Add lets say add $4500 total and we are sitting at $30-32,000 for a car that is capable of high 12 second Et's. Screw BMW

Truth. for 5k Canadian you do the full Stage 1 package from Dinan. Chip, muffler, strut braces (wasto money), throttle body and Cold Air. Whaddya get? 20hp. Now you're at 207....wow. Then you have to do suspension, wheels, brakes....I'll take a Sti for that $$$$, less the Roundel.

To their credit BMW has a fantastic Stability Control which works well in summer (and too well in winter). I believe it is used on the M cars, no? I think that could save one's ass a times in a high powered car, eh?

But that seems to be what the auto industry has found out. A good solid car with tons of power and potential doesn't have to be 80k, and Germany had better wake up and smell the nitro!

i find all of the BMW engines underwhelming and i've been an inveterate BMW owner. they're all too cammy and soft in the low end, even the v8s.

 

but the new class of straight sixes are probably rated low so they have room to power up during the e90 model run; right now, they're not all that impressive to me.

 

why?

 

torque.

 

the issue with valvetronic is that it cannot breathe well at high rpms (it's why valvetronic is trashed in favor of single throttle bodies on the new M motors) and yet, as you can see from the engine's output, it's still only 221ft#'s of torque. gearing and low torque can only do so much and i'm not a big fan of BMW's new approach.

 

i wish for sure they had bumped up the displacement.

Lemming, you clearly read a lot! As the E90 was prepared for launching I got myself all stirred up to be bedazzled by it and for a while I wondered how I could resist the temptation to get one right away. After the drive event last Monday I realized that it wasn't for me (althought the hostess was awesome!).

I agree the tech stuff in the engine, braking, Run flat tires etc, are great, but the interior is cold, and the seats and steering wheel are okay. I prefer the LGT's seats and wheel.

The 255hp felt pretty good, even at take off. My 325's low end was downright boring. At high speed it can really take off to pass, but I have to floor it to go, and even then there is some lag, not unlike WRX lag, but without WRX kick.

Check out the reaction of my Bimmerfest forum friends to this news...

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98688

Lemming, you clearly read a lot! As the E90 was prepared for launching I got myself all stirred up to be bedazzled by it and for a while I wondered how I could resist the temptation to get one right away. After the drive event last Monday I realized that it wasn't for me (althought the hostess was awesome!).

 

I agree the tech stuff in the engine, braking, Run flat tires etc, are great, but the interior is cold, and the seats and steering wheel are okay. I prefer the LGT's seats and wheel.

 

The 255hp felt pretty good, even at take off. My 325's low end was downright boring. At high speed it can really take off to pass, but I have to floor it to go, and even then there is some lag, not unlike WRX lag, but without WRX kick.

if BMW builds the twin turbo straight six that they say they are developing, that would be a reason to return back to the BMW fold for me.

there are a lot of things I miss about BMW ownership, but my wallet speaks, doesn't it? i'd rather drive a subaru wagon....for now.

if BMW builds the twin turbo straight six that they say they are developing, that would be a reason to return back to the BMW fold for me.

 

there are a lot of things I miss about BMW ownership, but my wallet speaks, doesn't it? i'd rather drive a subaru wagon....for now.

At the E90 launch they were showing off a 530xi wagon. Yes, you read right! It was gorgeous.