Dc beg to differ run flats are standard on the convert no room for a spare, also my C5 vette has run flats and has a great ride. Also SMG convert falls on it face off the line and then catches up at about 1500 RPM. This is with traction control off. Oh you can use the so called launch control and get the RPM up to 1500 and then it has enough power to spin and launch hard and spin, but doing that is only something you are going to do on a drag strip. Why do i want the car I just paid 65K to have enough power to spin the tires, what I wanted was power off the line and a near 4000 pound car that is limited to 900 rpm and has no torque converter or a way to ride the clutch and only has a little over 200 ft/pounds of torque is going to be a rat without a clutch. The M-3 BMG convert is a rat off the line and has no punch at 60 mph, all the BMW guys brag about how it handles and that I agree it is a great handler, but on the street leaving the toll booth, or rolling on the power at 60 it is a pooch. I expect BMW will like MB stop playing with the little zinger motors and go to a V8 in the M-3 in the near future, then it may be a real world class car, but even then it will be over priced and will cost a three times what it should to add a few ponies. If you like BMW's and MB's give them your money, be happy, I have my share and I think it is all hype and they are a rip off. Got to admit my Silver M-3 Convert was just about one of the best looking cars I have seen, and when you read the press you have to think it is great, but if you spend time on BMW news groups you will find many others who see it as I do. Problem is if they speak out they get bashed like there is no tomorrow, seems you are not allowed to speak out for long if you have any thing bad to say about the car. If I would have bought a stick instead of the SMG I think I would still have the car. The Convert is just too heavy and the six has too little torque for the SMG. The Convert weights 3800+- I way 250+ thats too much for the motor with that trans. I did not want a car that I had to do tricks with just to get off the line, some others don't think it is a problem and those i talked to with others that were non-converts and they said they could smoke the tires off the line. Smoking the tires is not the issue, having power to smoke the ties or launch hard was. Cost me $7000 to drive my M-3 800 miles.
John D. 03 H2 03 C5 Vette Convert, 02 ML55 (wife) <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by John D:
Argonaut,
Case 2, In March this year I spent 65K for a new M-3 convert with SMG, after waiting till it had 800 miles of breakin I punched the car off the line. What a disappointment, the car could not spin the tires until you reached 10 mph. Also the car had run flats which gave it the ride quality of solid rubber. With 800 miles and one month old i traded the car for a 03 C5 Vette convert 6sp, this car I love, lots of power and torque and if I want more it is cheap. Much better ride quality, better car all around. The BMW M-3 may go around corners like few others, but like most people I do not live on a race track and I want a car that is fun to drive all the time not just when it finds a track.
Case 1, Last year my wife wanted a new SUV she had a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee (great car) and i thought she might like one of the Germany hot rods, well we bought a new 65k ML55, great motor, great tires for the rain, great traction control in the rain, but the ride sucks the Vette and my old 02 Subaru WRX rode much better, the germanys have a wierd way of doing just about everything and few are good an most suck. The cruise control stick sucks, the lack of personal setting by fob sucks, the lack of a place to store the book size owners manual sucks, most of the controls and switches suck, fit and finish is OK. The engine is the best part of the car and if I was allowed to abuse the car i could over look alot of the other short coming. MB service does not suck, they pickup the car at the farm leave a loaner travel 30 plus miles to dealership and bring it back serviced washed and detailed, that anyone is going to like. The car is fun to drive hard, the motor is great, but in normal driving the ML55 is sub standard. The wife loves it so i guess we are going to have it a while. PS The Dunlap tires it comes with have no snow rating so we had to buy 4 winter tires and (4) rims because no one makes witer tires to fit the ML55 rims ($1800). After many disappointments I have bought my last new import, they cost too much new, they cost too much to soup up and they are not any better then their American counter parts in normal use.
John D.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by argonaut:
I hate to disagree with you DRTY, but the handeling on the SL is just not very good. On a straight away it has a lot of power, and is really fast (fun to drive too, I like stealing my dad's) but once you hit the curves it really sucks. a stock bottom of the line BMW 3 series will out handle that merc any day of the week. The sad truth. Now if you aren't on the track, or driving curvy roads, that Merc would be ideal. And besides, it's an automatic. I guess that is my biggest beef with mercedes. they are no fun. All you have is an automatic and traction control that you can't turn off. What fun is that? The TC kills a lot of the torque of those cars. Now if mercedes offered a manual or at least and F1 tranny, and a button to turn the TC off like on the BMWs then I would run out and buy one because I think they are absolutely beautiful cars, and not girly at all.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>