For all of those considering the competition - The Picture Says It All

[CAPSGOD]

Never thought I'd see the day when a Merc SL looks smaller than a Skyline and what is essentially an A4 coupe..

[piloto]

Guys posts a pic, and we jump to conclusions. Nice.

My ideal garage would have all of these cars. Each has a separate purpose, and none are M3 competitors. The GTR is in a different performance league, the SL AMG is a highway cruiser and torque monster, and the S5 is a grand tourer (more on the touring side than sporty side). If those spots were filled a CTS-V (bitchen car) or C63 (another bitchen car), then we'd have something to argue over.

[IFX]

Originally Posted by 997GT3

Talk about trading down. A couple of people must be in financial trouble.

another thought I had as well..

[scheherazade]

Originally Posted by IFX

another thought I had as well..

I was actually thinking that someone bit off more than they could chew.

I.e. They wanted "a fast car", but once they got one, they decided that they couldn't live with the inherent compromises - so they went back to a couch-on-wheels.

-scheherazade

[Nine]

Originally Posted by scheherazade

I was actually thinking that someone bit off more than they could chew.

I.e. They wanted "a fast car", but once they got one, they decided that they couldn't live with the inherent compromises - so they went back to a couch-on-wheels.

-scheherazade

Right, because it would be impossible that somebody just didn't like the GTR.

I'm just waiting for you to turn this thread into another, "here is why the GTR is the best" thread.

[scheherazade]

Originally Posted by Nine

Right, because it would be impossible that somebody just didn't like the GTR.

I'm just waiting for you to turn this thread into another, "here is why the GTR is the best" thread.

I think I just gave one [rather important to some people] reason to not like the GTR.

Originally Posted by scheherazade

I was actually thinking that someone bit off more than they could chew.

I.e. They wanted "a fast car", but once they got one, they decided that they couldn't live with the inherent compromises - so they went back to a couch-on-wheels.

-scheherazade

Once you get a loud, rough, performance focused car, you can't turn those things off.

If you're driving, it's loud. You'll have to speak up when you're talking, you'll have to turn up the radio volume, and you'll have to endure it for the duration of your trip.

If you're driving, you'll have to suck up a few bumps. No one makes a 'comfort' suspension setting so soft that it equates to a 5 series luxo barge.

Plenty of people go for a test drive, have 'fun', and after they take it home they realize that 'fun non stop' isn't as 'fun' as they expected.

You really have to want that experience. If you don't, you'll wear out.
That goes for all [true] performance cars.
(definition : true='purpose made performance car' - not a 'regular car with a sporty looking chassis'.)

-scheherazade

[paradocs98]

Another possibility...they're planted by the dealership to generate discussion and increase business. The dealership wants someone sitting on the fence of a car-buying decision to say, "Wow, someone traded in their SL/S5/GTR to get a new BMW instead. BMWs must be better/more desirable. I'm getting a BMW!" Obviously BMWs are fantastic and we love them, but I suspect this is the dealer being clever. I started thinking about this recently when I noticed our local Aston Martin dealer always has Mercedes SLs, BMW M6s, 911s, Jaguar XKRs, and the occasional 360 Modena sitting out front. At first I wondered why they would be advertising pre-owned cars from other manufacturers, and then I realized that they're playing a psychological game. Sure, some of those cars may have been genuine trade-ins, but I'll bet a significant number are staged. It reached a ridiculous extreme, however, when I noticed that the local TOYOTA dealership has a Corvette, a 911, an E92 M3, and other high-profile cars out front in the pre-owned section. "I traded in my M3 and got me this here Highlander!"

[Dave07997S]

Originally Posted by elp_jc

Probably one of those 'mega dealerships', with Porsche, Audi, BMW, and possibly Ferrari, Maserati, etc.

No this is just a BMW dealership, looks to be Center BMW.

Dave

[SCCAForums.com]

Originally Posted by 997GT3

Talk about trading down. A couple of people must be in financial trouble.

[Erhan]

Originally Posted by 997GT3

Talk about trading down. A couple of people must be in financial trouble.

Oh yeah it makes perfect sense to buy a bmw when you're in financial trouble

[SoTempted]

Originally Posted by paradocs98

Another possibility...they're planted by the dealership to generate discussion and increase business. The dealership wants someone sitting on the fence of a car-buying decision to say, "Wow, someone traded in their SL/S5/GTR to get a new BMW instead. BMWs must be better/more desirable. I'm getting a BMW!" Obviously BMWs are fantastic and we love them, but I suspect this is the dealer being clever. I started thinking about this recently when I noticed our local Aston Martin dealer always has Mercedes SLs, BMW M6s, 911s, Jaguar XKRs, and the occasional 360 Modena sitting out front. At first I wondered why they would be advertising pre-owned cars from other manufacturers, and then I realized that they're playing a psychological game. Sure, some of those cars may have been genuine trade-ins, but I'll bet a significant number are staged. It reached a ridiculous extreme, however, when I noticed that the local TOYOTA dealership has a Corvette, a 911, an E92 M3, and other high-profile cars out front in the pre-owned section. "I traded in my M3 and got me this here Highlander!"

+2.
Never really thought of that but it makes perfect sense.

[991GT3]

Originally Posted by erhanh

Oh yeah it makes perfect sense to buy a bmw when you're in financial trouble

Depends on how severe the financial problems are and which bimmer they traded for. The only way that wouldn't be trading down is if they people trading them wanted something completely different (eg a 760 or X5M).

[Dave07997S]

Originally Posted by 997GT3

Depends on how severe the financial problems are and which bimmer they traded for. The only way that wouldn't be trading down is if they people trading them wanted something completely different (eg a 760 or X5M).

True, I could afford the M3 payment while the 997S payment was hard to justify while my wife had to drive a Ford Focus. She wanted something better, had to free up some cash flow and hence the M3. Although that being said I feel the M3 was a better fit anyway.

Dave