I have to disagree here. First the 330ci is a pimp ride. And you A6 4.2 is a DOG. The only A6 worth considering is the 2.7T.
I agree with some of your points and I DON'T think he got a good deal on the 330ci. But I think he got a hell of a car.
And I gaurantee that on the street and especially on the track that your A6 would be toast.
That being said I love the interior on the Audi but your wrong if you think it is a better car than a BMW 5 series.
And your comments make our site sound like its full of judgemental idiots. Try to look at both sides and stay away from comments like its a "hairdressers and poseurs" car. Great way to win an argument.

 

The Audi A6 4.2 Quattro is a 300HP V8. If you think it's dog, drive it back to back with a 350Z (which I do all the time). I think you'll eat your words. The 2.7T can't hold a candle to it....and I did drive them both before purchasing. The Audi was also stickered at $49,000, and I paid $42,000 for it. Makes that deal on the 220Hp 6 cylinder, non-all-wheel drive $44,000 BMW 330 sound even worse......and the Audi S4 with the 344HP V8 is a helluva car.

Sorry....didn't mean to offend you with my "hairdressers and poseurs" remark. So which one are you? A hairdresser or a poseur? And don't roll your eyes at me, young man!!

 

Richard:

Thanks for the background on your previous BMW ownership history. It puts your statements concerning the comparision of the BMW 3 series and the 350Z in perspective. With the exception of the new M3, you seem certainly qualified to compare the 3 series and the 350Z. Have you happen to drive the new M3 with 333hp? If so, what was your impressions?

Jeff

 

I always thought the Bimmers were more for woman, at least when I was spending substantial time working in the Northeast. Maybe it is because the tampons don't fall out.

Am I wrong

 

I just looked up some stats. The 4.2L is alot faster than I thought. Its just that the 2.7L is so easy to tweek. That Bi-Turbo can be turned into a real monster for less than 5K.
Here is the #s I saw on ur car:
Year 2001
Make Audi
Model A6
Trim 4.2 Quattro
Transmission 5-speed Automatic
Theoretical Top Speed 144 mph
Limited Top Speed

0-30 mph 2.10 s
0-40 mph 3.10 s
0-50 mph 4.70 s
0-60 mph 6.50 s
0-70 mph 8.50 s
0-80 mph 10.90 s
0-90 mph 14.30 s
0-100 mph 17.90 s
I must say at least to 60 it is impressive.

 

This is kindof a rediculous argument but I couldnt help but talk being I have owned a bmw and z... My BMW was the biggest POS i ever have owned. The leather inside peeled so many times I had to have my side panels replaced at least 4 times.. NOT to mention it is a FACT 7 series have one of thee worste resell values of any high end luxury cars.. Look it up its horrible.. I dont even consider the 3 series a bmw. Thats just my oppinion however resell value is true, you came in dissing peoples Z and saying your BMW rides nicer and will resell for more, you dont buy a car as an investment they all lose mad value.

 

And with the Quattro drive, the car is awesome in the twisties. It's not a lightweight, tossable car by any means, but for a solid, vault-like sedan, it's amazingly gracefull.

 

For about the same price as the 911, I'd rather have the 2005 Aston Martin AMV8. I'm putting my order in.......

 

Ok i see it turned into a pissing match....i'm done with this thread...can't play nice.

 

If you went to the BMW M Coupe or Roadster, you'd get that bumpy ride back. It's not the same bumpy as the Z (different wheel base), and it's a better car with a smooth handmade I6, but it's also more expensive.

 

It rides like a two seater sports car. And I love the ride. Enjoy the Beamer. Maybe your Z will now get an owner that appreciates the true value of the Z

 

I love Ferraris more as well, but you won't find a new one for $80,000! Yeah.....that's the price. It' s designed to go head to head with the 911 and they hope to dramatically increase the production volume of AM's with this car. It's an 8 cylinder with about 400HP. It won't be a Vette eater, but damn...the styling and the interior are to die for.

Do a google search for AMV8 and a bunch of stuff comes up.

 

To each his own! Personally, I will NEVER even consider a BMW. I have never liked the way they look...so it doesn't matter how they ride or perform. I ain't gonna own one...period!

I love the look of the Z! I like the way it handles and performs. I'm not crazy about the bumpy ride, but I like to feel the road too so.....I can live with the bumps! I like the way the car turns heads. A BMW will never turn a head! (well, unless you paint it pink!) and I LOVE my Nav...hehe!

The car is a freakin toy folks! When I tire of it, I'll get a new toy!

 

I got an observation. It seems like everyone I see driving a BMW in Calif never smiles and is so busy looking cool (with their $300 sunglasses) but to me they just seem like they are stuck up and jerks. I know it is a stereotype but I can’t help it, they seem arrogant to me.

Actually, I like the idea that BMW is a performance/driving oriented type designed car. I just can’t shake the attitude many of their drivers project.

I was recently told a joke; what is the difference between a porcupine and a BMW? The porcupine has the ****** on the outside.

BTW, as much as I dislike the attitude of the drivers that I see in BMW's, I do respect the performance of the M3. When I am modding my Z, I look at specs of the M3 and Z06 Vette as benchmarks. Great to see Nissan release the G35 sedan, coupe, and 350Z. This is providing an alternative to expensive German cars for handling and performance.

You might think a 350Z is not as good as a BMW (for those BMW fans) but I can tell you this, the sales of the new Nissans have BMW and Porsches attention. Competition is good. The 350Z will make BMW's and Porsches better than they already are jut like MB's became better soon after Lexus products entered the market.

 

Good point, Zland. I was also considering used 330CI in mid 30k's before I got a Z, but 225 hp (Although HP is not all about the car) and waaaaay to common 3 series on the street made me drive away to the Z. (Well, honestly, the moment I saw the Z in the dealership last October, I forgot everything about Bimmers and wrote a check for deposit for the Z the day after). I know I would definitely pick up M3's if I had 55K, but that's waaay out of my price range. I truly repect and love those M version Bimmers especially M3's and M5's, but not yet. Maybe unless BMW fires freakin' Chris Bangle and get back to their design where it used to be (aka current 3 series before facelift or previous E39 5 series), I wouldn't buy any other Bimmers in the future either.

BTW, I recall a comment about BMW 3 series in Car magazine when I had a trip to Europe. It said: "Every man and his dog has one"

 

Honestly, I think the bmw will lose it's value as fast as the 350z(more or less)... and a lot faster when the new 3 series model comes out...(next year?)

Nissan sportscar hold value pretty well

 

I agree, the previous designs of BMW were classic. The current designs are a hugh step backwards IMO. Now, if I was going to buy a BMW, it would be for the performance aspect only and I would by it inspite of its looks.

I feel the same about the Civic. The current one is not near as attractive as the one it replaced.

To me, right now is a good phase in automotive design. Designers are taking chances and some are hits, others are Aztecs!

Nissan is cutting edge to me just like they were in the early 70's when the 510, 240Z, and mini truck were first released. It will be interesting to see how these designs affect their sales. Does anyone know if Nissan sales are increasing and Toyota and Honda sales are dropping at the same time? In otherwords, is Nissan sales at the expense of other Japanese products? I have a hard time thinking a majority of Nissan current sales are from the traditional american car buyer.

I am also interested to see if the Titan will pull a lot of sales from the Ford 150 market. This is a relatively "american only"group of trucks being the Toyota is slightly smaller. The Titan is going for 3/4 ton sales more even though it is not quite rated that high.

 

Chris Bangle has got to have a Swiss bank account....one that is being filled up with piles of cash by Mercedes. No one could have done so much damage to a line of cars unless it was intentional. The Z4 looks like a bad kit car design, and the 7 series looks like Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein. But the cars are still selling well....BMW owners...go figure.

 

I got to hand it to MB's, they are beginning to add a lot of hp to their car line up. Not to happy about their oil leaks and price of cars though.

 

Historically, moderation sells. Even with the Z, people complained of the harsh ride thus softer ride introduced later.

The big experiment is Nissan because they have become more cutting edge. It will be interesting to see if Toyota sells grow more than Nissan during this time. Toyota is more conservative in design while Nissan has also become more performance oriented.