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-   -   Buying, Owning, Driving and Maintaining a car in North America (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/international-automotive-scene/7893-buying-owning-driving-maintaining-car-north-america-110.html)

May be the impact is not as huge as a secured credit card but i don't think it doesn't affect at all. If you see a credit history, your unsecured credit cards are also listed on that including whatever claims you have made on those cards like reporting it stolen/broken or missed a payment due by due date. If there was no history being build based on those cards, i don't see why it would be used so much by everybody.

I think I didn't convey it correctly. What I meant was if you have no Credit History some banks provide cards(others simply refuse) which have higher limits but these specific cards do not have any impact on your Credit score.

Again, this is based on what I was told by a few friends & the Adviser at BofA.

Currently in LA. Let me know if you plan to visit Boston area anytime.

I was in LA (Artesia to be precise) on 31st. :D

I was in hurry as i was just passing by otherwise we would have met.

May be in May when i may come there again.

Don't tell me you came in Corvette plsss :D
Yea will PM my number give me a buzz anytime you are here.

Toying with the idea of trading in for a sport sedan, I did a few test drives. Just thought of sharing my observations. These are my own purely subjective observations and not intended to please or offend anyone. Welcome you opinions on this.

Note: I have a huge obsession for steering feel, and generally tend to give too much importance to this one factor. A direct, connected, sharp steering blows me away to the point of overlooking other factors. That's just my personal bias.

1. BMW 335i: test drove a 2007 coupe and was completely blown away by this car. The steering has incredible feel and made me feel like "this is what a car should be". It has loads of torque in all rpms and found myself speeding on freeway ramps with a stupid grin, and had to control myself. Al I had to say for an hour after the test drive is "wow". No other words.

2. BMW 328i 2007: great car, liked this next to the 335i. That same steering feel is there. But maybe because I did this back to back after 335i, I felt I had to wring the power out of the car, not easily available like the 335i. It's almost perfect, except that I can't help comparing it with 335 every time I sit in one, if I buy it.

3. Infinity G35 2007 sedan: this car feels sooooo powerful! I did a couple of inadvertent drifts! It has gobs of power throughout the rev range and purely engine-wise I like it as much as the 335. Unfortunately the steering, though it is better than others, isn't up to BMW standards. Like I said, I have a thing for steering feel...

4. A Benz C250 and a Benz C350 (both 2007): both these cars interiors impressed me, but that's about it. Steering feel is not up there (still not as bad as Toyota/Nissans) but worse than Mazda and even the G35/37. Acceleration is un-exciting too. I had a lot of expectations from the name "Mercedes Benz" but was very disappointed.

5. Audi A4 (2 litre turbo) and A6 (3.2 litre v6), both 2007: Audi turned out to be the most disappointing! I didn't like either of these cars at all. Steering feel is non-existent, just feels numb. Some Toyotas I have driven are better in this aspect. The acceleration is smooth and interiors are good. Best navigation system of the lot. Both cars felt easy to get comfortable throwing around and braking is excellent. Sill, me being a steering-feel freak, conclude that Audi is the most disappointing brand for the name and repuation. (A side note, I've driven a Q3 before and felt the same way, but had reserved judgment till I had a chance to test drive sedans).

All the cars are 2007, 20-25k price range, 50-60k miles.

So... Left with the feeling that 335i is right for me. Unfortunately can't find any sedans around the 20k price point with less than 60k miles. There are a few coupes on the market. One sedan came up on autotrader but got sold the same day. My mind is vascillating between waiting for the right 335i to "settling" for a 328i to not upgrading at all :-).

Another surprise factor is the lack of good steering feel on other cars except for (all) Mazdas. I had great expectations from Ford after the Ikon, Fiesta and Figo. Looks like American ford doesn't share anything with those cars. Mazda seems to come much closer. Of course, brands like Porsche and Lotus aren't in my radar. Only sedans.

Just thought of sharing my perspective. Like I said, this is just my personal taste. Comments and counter-opinions welcome.

Boston is not very far from where i am. I will pm you my number.

Thanks for sharing. The 335i seems like a great choice.

Just a few more options if you haven't tested them already:
Ford Focus ST & VW GTI - though both are hatches.
Ford Fusion (the new one 2013+) is based on the Euro Mondeo.
VW (Jetta) GLI.
Dodge Dart R/T (This one should be on sale soon).
Buick Regal GS.
Mitsubishi Lancer Rallye or Evo GSR & Subaru Imprezza WRX (The Evo MR & STi versions are too hardcore for daily use I feel).

Since you've driven the 3-Series you'll be hard-pressed to find a car that handles equally well.
The 328 is a lovely car but (if you decide on it) make sure you get the manual version - the GM automatic transmission does not impress. If you find a power deficit, there are a whole lot of aftermarket tunes available.
For a 335 I'd recommend model year 2008/9+ as some of the earlier models had fuel pump issues (that were fixed by recalls).

Credit score is determined by the following factors and weightages.

• Payment history (35%)
• Credit utilization, or how much of your credit you're using (30%)
• Length of credit history (15%)
• Recently issued credit (10%)
• Types of credit used (10%)

It doesn't matter if you have a secured or unsecured credit card. The trick is to take a card, and use it minimally. Preferably for automatic payments such as utility charges and make sure you pay on time. See the link below for some good tips to improve credit score.

http://www.myfico.com/CreditEducatio...YourScore.aspx

No, i was there in G35. 3 adults can't fit in a corvettelol:

I do hope to come there in May in Corvette.

You have chosen great cars. I would hardly call all of the above sports sedan. Only the G35 and 335i are <6 seconds cars and they are fast and can get you in trouble very quickly.

I had the same feeling as you when i test drove all of above. C350, IS350 and A4 2.0T and 3.2 were no where near the 335i and G35. You should try the IS350 too. But you won't like its steering feel.

I have a couple of suggestions. Major engine and model changes happened in 2008 and up. So i suggest you try 335i - 2008 and up and G37 -2008 and up. The difference is huge overall. I love the steering feel of G35 but i found G37 to be better and at par with 2008 335i. If interior space is of little concern, you will find it more in G35 than 335i. Also, equipment of G35 is more than 335i.

Also consider that 335i's asking price will be $2k-$5k more than G35/G37 in used market for similar years and miles. That is what i found 1.5 yrs back when i was in market. I don't know if there are any changes in price since then.

In your price range ($25k) you can easily get 2008-2009 models of these with a little above of 65k miles.

I can assure of G35's reliability though. It is easy to maintain but do look into maintenance of 335i. I was considering one and it had huge issues with lots of problems even at <100k miles. I am sure you will do research but just thought you should know.

I am also throwing in an idea. You can also get M35 or E350 or 528i or 530i in this price range. Not sports sedans like 335i but very close and great drives nevertheless.

I can vouch for that idea :). I'm a living example of that. I was in the market for a 335 or G37 yet ended up getting an M35 because I felt that it has similar performance yet is more luxurious and a lot more exclusive than the other two, and best of all, came at a price not too far higher than the G37!

Just for comparison, try a Jaguar XF.
Enjoy!

Jeroen

Thanks. I did drive a few VWs recently, forgot to mention. In fact my friend was so impressed he booked a GTI immediately. I liked GTI of the lot. Test driving the Golf R I realized I have completely forgotten how to drive a stick :). All the VWs feel good in terms of steering (as in "better than Audi") but still not comparable with bimmer or Indian-Ford/Fiat. IMHO, of course.

Didn't try Dodge Dart but did try Dodge Charger. Was very impressed with this car, except for - you guessed it - steering feel. Is Dart very different? Do Regal and the Mitsu/Subarus have good feel?

Thanks. I was thinking same engine in a bigger car should be slower, so favored the 3 series over the 5 series. Still considering a used 550i, but wary after reading bad things about V8s from BMW.

Thanks. Do you know if it has good steering feel? If it blows away all the other cars but lacks only in steering feel, it is not for me. After all, Audi already does that, doesn't it? :)

Oh and one more thing: Thinking about it, my regular commute is very short (2 miles). The long drives are in the weekends. So this means a LOT of short-distance drives, meaning the engine is cold most of the time.

Is this a bad idea for turbos?

Is that enough of a factor to consider a non-turbo car (328i/550i/G37) instead?

The Charger is available in RWD / AWD. I haven't driven a Dart or the GS but considering that they're both FWD and reading test-reviews for the Regal GS, it does suffer from under-steer.
So yes, steering feel will suffer.

I haven't driven the WRX or the EVO but I have friends who own one of each and neither complains about any lack in steering feel.

A 550i (you're considering the E60 550i, I presume) is a powerful car that handles really well for it's size as long as you don't expect it to be as chuckable as the 3.
I haven't driven the current generation Jaguar XF but Jaguars have been good handling cars all along - one positive they have over BMWs is that they ride really comfortable too.

Not really specific for a turbo car per-say but any engine will suffer more wear and tear when cold - high performance engines even more so.

My daily commute has always been between 2-5 miles for the past 5 years and I haven't faced any turbo or engine issues due to that.
These modern engines warm up pretty quickly.


But for the kind of steering feel you're looking for you'll definitely be much happier with a MX-5, a S2000 or an Elise, or one of the older M3s. :)


If a sedan is a must, then I'd even recommend an older E39 series 540i (5-speed manual with the M-Sport pack) or the M5. Look for VANOS issues in the E39 series though.

A good thing is that the aftermarket suspension parts are freely available and the choice is huge so you can modify almost any car to suit your handling tastes.