Folk,
The Buick Regal Era (2014-2019) has come to an end. On Friday I traded it in on a CPO 2015 BMW 328i sedan, gold over cream. Five months are left of the original warranty, and I have twelve months of CPO warranty to boot. When I called my regular mechanic on Thursday to ask his opinion, he asked, "Is it the 335, the six-cylinder?"
"No."
"Good. Those sixes are hard to work on. I work on those turbo fours all the time, just regular maintenance. My wife has one."
"Parts are about the same as for Mercedes?" I asked.
"Cheaper."
With that encouragement, and news from my insurance company that my premium increase would be reasonable (for Lousy-ana, that is), I took a test drive. A few miles, street and Interstate, Comfort mode and Sport mode, was all I needed to decide. I'd expected the car to ride stiffly with the run-flat tires, but they are 17" and higher-profile than the 18" ones on my Regal. And the power . . . 245hp compared to 180? Now I understand why the ancient Greek sailors were so easily seduced by the Sirens.
I'm still learning all the features, but I took a smooth, relaxing 30-mile Interstate run on Saturday and did some regular errands on Sunday. The car is luxurious, but put it in Sport mode and it leaps like a jaguar after prey. No doubt when I have to gas up with premium every couple of weeks I'll think fondly again of the Regal. But for now I begin to understand why BMWs have such a strong following. (I hate the orange instrument lighting and wish it were blue or white. But I knew about that going in.)
Needed: Window tinting, a clear bra on the front end, floor mats, and a sunshade that actually fits (the one from the Regal, believe it or not, is a bit too big!). Otherwise, I'll give it a polish and wax this weekend, make sure the tires are properly aired, and maybe drive to the north shore of the lake for breakfast on Sunday.
Any other BMW people here? Is it worth joining the BMWCCA? And what oil do you run in yours?
The Buick Regal Era (2014-2019) has come to an end. On Friday I traded it in on a CPO 2015 BMW 328i sedan, gold over cream. Five months are left of the original warranty, and I have twelve months of CPO warranty to boot. When I called my regular mechanic on Thursday to ask his opinion, he asked, "Is it the 335, the six-cylinder?"
"No."
"Good. Those sixes are hard to work on. I work on those turbo fours all the time, just regular maintenance. My wife has one."
"Parts are about the same as for Mercedes?" I asked.
"Cheaper."
With that encouragement, and news from my insurance company that my premium increase would be reasonable (for Lousy-ana, that is), I took a test drive. A few miles, street and Interstate, Comfort mode and Sport mode, was all I needed to decide. I'd expected the car to ride stiffly with the run-flat tires, but they are 17" and higher-profile than the 18" ones on my Regal. And the power . . . 245hp compared to 180? Now I understand why the ancient Greek sailors were so easily seduced by the Sirens.
I'm still learning all the features, but I took a smooth, relaxing 30-mile Interstate run on Saturday and did some regular errands on Sunday. The car is luxurious, but put it in Sport mode and it leaps like a jaguar after prey. No doubt when I have to gas up with premium every couple of weeks I'll think fondly again of the Regal. But for now I begin to understand why BMWs have such a strong following. (I hate the orange instrument lighting and wish it were blue or white. But I knew about that going in.)
Needed: Window tinting, a clear bra on the front end, floor mats, and a sunshade that actually fits (the one from the Regal, believe it or not, is a bit too big!). Otherwise, I'll give it a polish and wax this weekend, make sure the tires are properly aired, and maybe drive to the north shore of the lake for breakfast on Sunday.
Any other BMW people here? Is it worth joining the BMWCCA? And what oil do you run in yours?
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