The O.C.

Ahhh......but good ole GM won't let us get NAV in a CTS with the top (V6) suspension/chassis/Sport package..... My car's MSRP was about $41,000 loaded.....a comparable BWM is about $45,000 (new one WITH the twin-turbo I6.)

As much as I love my CTS, it's still not as accomplished of a luxury/sport sedan as the 3-series. (And I'm comparing it to my "old" bodystyle 330Ci I had....) 1) It's not as firm and solid (even with the "Sport" package) and has more float and roll and understeer than a 3-er 2) Engine is not as smooth or willing to rev to the redline....CTS higher weight blunts performance also comparatively speaking 3) Interior quality is in a whole 'nuther spectrum with the 3-er 4) The breakdowns mentioned in the article were not necessarily indidicative of 3-series quality (the two I had were flawless) Let me put it this way......I probably agree with C&D's ranking of the CTS and the 3-series......but I love my CTS far better than that ranking indicates.....

My comment about Corvette "not" being a status symbol has to be taken in perspective.......sure, my car gets attention when I pull up at the valet......but what about the "guy" that really wants a Corvette, but decides to buy a Boxster or 911 "because" it's a "Porsche....?" All I meant is that the guys that buy Corvettes are because they are Corvette enthusiasts (I don't think "status symbol" is the same as being an "enthusiast") or they simply see the value in the car versus Porsche, BMW, Benz sportscars....

Height adjustment CAN be a definite need! How about the passenger who wants to get their butt off the floor so that they can sit more in a sitting position, instead of the seat being low to the floor and forcing them to sit with a "legs out" posture? Whenever I'm in a friends' car with a power passenger seat, I always adjust the height.....or at least the height of the front side of the bottom cushion (to put me more in a "V" position and to give my lower thighs more support.)

How many of those above are 4-way fore-and-aft AND up-and-down (but with a MANUAL recliner?)

Because it's one more example of GM missing the details.......it's the way they cost-cut thinking no one will notice or care...... It's hardly "insignificant."

I don't really see people buying Corvette for status or fashion at all.......people buy it because they respect what the car is and what it can do....... I don't see anything special status-wise about any Saab..... Hummer? Maybe a bit.....but do people buy Hummers for status or fashion.....or is it just another popular large SUV?

GM WISHES to high hell they had a car that "status seekers" would buy. There's not a GM car on the market (maybe Escalade) that people buy for "status/fashion" reasons.....not even CTS. If BMW has endowed the populace with THAT high of a regard for their marque, then I give them 100% props for that.......

The effing car only came out in 2003...... Most people haven't disposed of their first Mazda6 yet.... WHAT's YOUR POINT?

At the world’s biggest auto show, there will always be automotive bliss like the Jaguar C-XF and Ford Interceptor. There will also be grand disappointments like the Acura ASC or the Ford 500. Occasionally you get cars like the Nissan Bevel. Floating there like a turd in a punch bowl. *May not be re-published without consent.* © 2007 Chris Doane Not NEARLY the world's biggest.........that would be Frankfurt, my friend.....and I'll be going again this September......

Then.....how do you classify GM's spending levels.....at almost three times Toyota's?

My WHOLE point! Thanks for a wonderful explanation! Let's just call them both good.....the CTS roomy, and the 3-series amazingly comfortable considering it's smaller size.....and move on...!

Not actually..... I began this whole "argument" because Reg said that "...people don't want a small, useless car like the 3-series" which is kindof an (sorry Reg) ignorant statement to make.....when you see how many of them BMW sells..... My whole argument was that the current 3-series, while a bit smaller dimensionally than a CTS, IS pretty much as comfortable in the back seat (okay for two occupants....I'll give you that) as the larger CTS......and that wasn't always the case with the previous-gen 3-er.....but the new one is much better. There.....debate over.

OMG......and just HOW much of a LARGER and LONGER car is a W-body compared to a 3-series? The 3-series back seat is WAY more hospitable for the relative size of car it is than a W-body's rear seat is for a car as big as a W-body....

Happy belated birthday..... ....you big, muther-f*cking A HOLE.... (JUST kidding........you 'da best....hope you had a great day....!)

I had one! I bought a 2002 Ford SVT Focus......bright red with the black (with red inserts) interior. They had massive rebates and stuff......the MSRP was $19,500 at the time.....and I got it for like $15,800 (!). I sold it a year later for $17,000 (!!!) to a "fanatic" that flew down from Seattle to buy it off of me.... Best car purchase ever.....(from a money standpoint.) I LOVED the SVT.....it drove like a little BMW....very solid chassis, with a sweet and tight powertrain (engine, clutch, shifter.) Plus, the audiophile system in that car with the gonzo subwoofer in back really rocked too.....it truly felt like I was driving a very high-quality little car. I even liked the oddball "curvy-shaped" dash that those first gen Focus' had.... To this day, I still miss that car.....

I think it's time for a bare-chested, tight-shorts-wearing mud-wrestling battle between Turbo and Croc...... I'm sure there are certain members of C&G that would pay the money to watch such a spectacle....! (j/k boys.....heheheheheh)

Dude I'd love to meet up! I'll PM you with my cell phone.....just call me sometime Friday and we'll figure out a way to connect.....

Two words.... "Jobs Bank" Tells you ALL you need to know about U.A.W. culpability in GM's current financial woes.....

Donald sucks......who else would name his new son, "Baron?" And you don't think that chick in her twenties (I forget her name) actually LIKES having sex with that man? You know who I hate maybe even more than Trump? RUSH LIMBAUGH.....!

I'm not sure if I already posted this one....... Me and Man's Best Friend......my boy, Jefferson. (He's just a dumb jock....LOL)

My pseudo-sexy, "laying in bed" pic.....

This is a pic of me with my best friends' daughter.......

I doubt it..... MRC has nothing to do with the way the engineers tune the suspension components.....the Super will probably still be tuned way to the soft side, definitely compared to GXP and I bet it will still be a bit softer than the SS. I'm betting comparisons will show it similar to the ES350 from a ride-and-handling standpoint.....solid, quiet, but soft and uninvolving.