[Jomz]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Never give up!

You would probably want something that is as good as, if not better than, the SHO. Maybe Subaru WRX? It doesn't really meet the 250 bhp criteria but i doubt you would complain. You should be able to get a decent BMW 3 series as well.

WRX is 265bhp.
WRX resale values are crazy high. It is hard to find a recent low mileage WRX within 20k. On the flipside, buy new- lose maybe 4-5k in 3 years.

[amitoj]

We do have a WRX owner as well
But if you want to go the BMW way, please dont go for the 328 series. It has appeal only among the desi brand conscious crowd.

[ToroRosso]

Originally Posted by amitoj

please dont go for the 328 series. It has appeal only among the desi brand conscious crowd.

No compromise on the Full size, so basically what I really need is a Full size muscle car that handles really well.

WRX's resale value is crazy high. and I was hoping to cap my limit to 22-23K.

TL 3.7's reliability kinda spiked my interest and it would have already hit the depreciation curve. 2012-2013 SHO and TL retail around the same range.

[rajushank84]

Originally Posted by amitoj

We do have a WRX owner as well
But if you want to go the BMW way, please dont go for the 328 series. It has appeal only among the desi brand conscious crowd.

I completely disagree with this. The 328 is most popular among people who appreciate good handling, crisp steering and an overall refined and superior feel when you drive. Its the same sort of people who buy G35/G37. Just head over to f30post, hardly any desis there.

On the other hand if you want great straight-line performance, a lot of noise when you rev and a floaty ride, get a charger/chrysler 300/taurus, something like that.

[deltheking]

The 3 series is the base BMW car. Plus the cheapest. No wonder it is the most leased BMW. Helps people to put their foot into the BMW brand - so to speak. And relatively, it is the most reliable of all the BMW's.

The Aura TL's reliability should be pretty good. Cant say the same for the Dodge Charger .

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

No compromise on the Full size, so basically what I really need is a Full size muscle car that handles really well.

WRX's resale value is crazy high. and I was hoping to cap my limit to 22-23K.

TL 3.7's reliability kinda spiked my interest and it would have already hit the depreciation curve. 2012-2013 SHO and TL retail around the same range.

Are you back in the market for a lease? The Chevy SS is available with a big stonking v8, handles rather well for its size, is a very comfy big car, has the magnetic ride suspension and comes with a manual transmission. It is probably the best handling car of that size, because of the magnetic suspension. And yeah, it's not untame-able horsepower like the hellcat or so. I believe Chevy is not selling it as well as they would have liked, which means there is money on the hood. Are you allowed to buy Chevy or is it Ford only if American?

Note - I don't know when the SS with the manual will go on sale. It has been rumored, tested and reported by a large number of media outlets. It was expected early 2015. Read more here - Motor Trend 2015 SS first test

[ToroRosso]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

Are you back in the market for a lease? The Chevy SS is available with a big stonking v8

Thanks Vineeth. I really dont want to go the lease route (SHO lease has made me wiser, I would in all probability end up paying around 1500$ in overages).

I was looking at pre-owned (Preferably <23K).
I heard a lot of good things about SS, but was unable to find any used in my budget.

Oh and regarding the second point, yes preferably Ford, if non American I would have to park in the Non Ford parking lot. My Commute would come down in another 2-3 months, so i can go back to my truck as my DD.

Last resort option is buying the SHO at the lease end.

[rajushank84]

Originally Posted by deltheking

The 3 series is the base BMW car. Plus the cheapest. No wonder it is the most leased BMW. Helps people to put their foot into the BMW brand - so to speak. And relatively, it is the most reliable of all the BMW's.

The Aura TL's reliability should be pretty good. Cant say the same for the Dodge Charger .

Except of course, there is a 2 series and an X1 before the 3 series . Before, there was the 1 series which will soon be re-introduced too.

Seems like there are a lot of misconceptions and incorrect stereotypes about the 3 series / owners of 3 series among the uninformed desi crowd.

A lot of hardcore bimmer fans prefer 3s and M3s over the rest of the lineup (5s, 7s nd the Xs) because of its nimble handling. However, now the new 2 series and 4 series are slowly eating into enthusiast mindset.

It is the 5 / 7 / X series buyers who are buying it for the brand.

Oh and Charger is horrible. Dodge reliability is... well, dodgy.

[Jomz]

Stock Dodge Hellcat, Kills a new c7z06.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qLYvNjoLR0

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Seems like there are a lot of misconceptions and incorrect stereotypes about the 3 series / owners of 3 series among the uninformed desi crowd.

A lot of hardcore bimmer fans prefer 3s and M3s over the rest of the lineup (5s, 7s nd the Xs) because of its nimble handling. However, now the new 2 series and 4 series are slowly eating into enthusiast mindset.

It is the 5 / 7 / X series buyers who are buying it for the brand.

Oh and Charger is horrible. Dodge reliability is... well, dodgy.

There is a world of difference between 3 and M3. The 328 is nothing but a poor man's luxury car. I see absolutely no value for money in it. Option it out with a few luxury features and it becomes ridiculously expensive. It is a bait to lure people into the BMW fraternity, which many fall for, specially with new gimmicks like switching to Sport setup at the press of a button.

You may be an exception but most of the people i know who bought a 328, bought it without any research, going just by their own set of misconceptions.

Speaking of misconceptions, what do you know about Charger's reliability? I personally know of several Charger/300/Magnum owners who have crossed 200K miles with just regular maintenance.

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

No compromise on the Full size, so basically what I really need is a Full size muscle car that handles really well.

WRX's resale value is crazy high. and I was hoping to cap my limit to 22-23K.

TL 3.7's reliability kinda spiked my interest and it would have already hit the depreciation curve. 2012-2013 SHO and TL retail around the same range.

Ah, full size should make it really easy for you, since there arent that many choices. But it is difficult to find a good handler in full size sedan. How does the SHO compare with Chevy SS or the ScatPack Charger?

Originally Posted by Jomz

Stock Dodge Hellcat, Kills a new c7z06.

There is also a video of a Hellcat being smoked by a Tesla. The Hellcat had a horrible launch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG6veF_34QE

[ToroRosso]

Originally Posted by amitoj

How does the SHO compare with Chevy SS or the ScatPack Charger?

Darn!I was hoping you could tell me that. None of my buddies have an SS or ScatPack, there is a colleague with an SRT 392, I will check with him . And the good thing with the Charger is almost all of them are unmolested.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Darn!I was hoping you could tell me that. None of my buddies have an SS or ScatPack, there is a colleague with an SRT 392, I will check with him . And the good thing with the Charger is almost all of them are unmolested.

SRTs are RWDs. So are the ScatPack R/Ts.
That will be a problem for you?

[aah78]

Originally Posted by amitoj

But if you want to go the BMW way, please dont go for the 328 series.

Originally Posted by amitoj

There is a world of difference between 3 and M3. The 328 is nothing but a poor man's luxury car. I see absolutely no value for money in it. Option it out with a few luxury features and it becomes ridiculously expensive. It is a bait to lure people into the BMW fraternity, which many fall for, specially with new gimmicks like switching to Sport setup at the press of a button.

Disagree!

The new one F30 with the 2.0l turbo, I'd maybe agree with you but the previous E90 with the N/A inline-6 was a fantastic handler on back roads, especially equipped with the 6-speed manual. The GM automatic was lethargic though.

Originally Posted by rajushank84

It is the 5 / 7 / X series buyers who are buying it for the brand.

Hey, not true!

Originally Posted by amitoj

How does the SHO compare with Chevy SS or the ScatPack Charger?

Looking at the specs, the SHO seems to be the heaviest of the lot (yes, more than the Charger) and the least powerful, plus with a FWD-biased AWD system.

The Dodge, the most powerful but still a good 250lb heavier than the Chevy.

Looking at paper alone I'd say the Dodge will probably win a drag race, while the Chevy will win handling race but then what do I know.
Let's wait for the magazines to do a shoot-out.

[rajushank84]

Originally Posted by amitoj

There is a world of difference between 3 and M3. The 328 is nothing but a poor man's luxury car. I see absolutely no value for money in it. Option it out with a few luxury features and it becomes ridiculously expensive. It is a bait to lure people into the BMW fraternity, which many fall for, specially with new gimmicks like switching to Sport setup at the press of a button.

You may be an exception but most of the people i know who bought a 328, bought it without any research, going just by their own set of misconceptions.

Speaking of misconceptions, what do you know about Charger's reliability? I personally know of several Charger/300/Magnum owners who have crossed 200K miles with just regular maintenance.

See that's the problem with a lot of desi car shoppers, you go into a bmw showroom expecting every model with the roundel to be a racing car. The 328 is not one. It is a family car with comparatively nimble and fun to drive handling, that's it. Just like the A4 / C class / G37. I'm not an exception, all the 3 series owners I know wouldn't drive anything else because they are so addicted to the steering and handling manners. When I say handling here I don't mean everyone is taking their cars to autocross every week (although some of them do that). They enjoy the way the car drives in day to day conditions. The feel it gives is way different from way other cars drive. But yeah only an enthusiast will understand. Cars like the GTI have a similar appeal to some extent.

Some of the hardcore bimmer fans who've owned bimmers for 10 or 15 years still buy the 3 though they can easily afford something else from the bmw lineup, but they say that the bigger bimmers kill the point of buying a bimmer- the 5 and 7 are more floaty and deliver less of that tight feeling. To say these people are buying it for the brand is just ridiculous.

The last two 3 series I helped my friends choose were priced around 55k each. My friends wouldn't even look at anything else (well except g37) because nothing comes close to that feel. Its not about bhp or 0-60, it's something more subtle and refined than that.

The sport mode is not a gimmick, it's awesome (in a properly equipped car). It tightens the steering, tightens the suspension and changes shift points and makes it totally fun to drive.

Whatever stereotypes you are trying to spread about the 3 are completely misinformed and just that - stereotypes. I've seen these stereotypes only among the desi crowd.

Oh and come on, everyone know about dodges and chryslers and jeeps. My American friends wouldn't touch these with a ten foot pole. Only (a few) desis look at these in awe. You can give these a v16 engine, they will still be the same cars.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by aah78

The new one F30 with the 2.0l turbo, I'd maybe agree with you but the previous E90 with the N/A inline-6 was a fantastic handler on back roads, especially equipped with the 6-speed manual. The GM automatic was lethargic though.

But do you disagree that the E90 in the M avatar was in a different league compared to the NA version?

Originally Posted by aah78

Looking at the specs, the SHO seems to be the heaviest of the lot (yes, more than the Charger) and the least powerful, plus with a FWD-biased AWD system.

The Dodge, the most powerful but still a good 250lb heavier than the Chevy.

Looking at paper alone I'd say the Dodge will probably win a drag race, while the Chevy will win handling race but then what do I know.
Let's wait for the magazines to do a shoot-out.

Actually, it seems the Charger wins the road course as well.
http://www.torquenews.com/106/2015-d...thousands-less

Originally Posted by rajushank84

The last two 3 series I helped my friends choose were priced around 55k each. My friends wouldn't even look at anything else (well except g37) because nothing comes close to that feel. Its not about bhp or 0-60, it's something more subtle and refined than that.

The sport mode is not a gimmick, it's awesome (in a properly equipped car). It tightens the steering, tightens the suspension and changes shift points and makes it totally fun to drive.

Oh and come on, everyone know about dodges and chryslers and jeeps. My American friends wouldn't touch these with a ten foot pole. Only (a few) desis look at these in awe. You can give these a v16 engine, they will still be the same cars.

55K for a 328? This just proves my point that if people were to do a proper research, keeping their biases aside, they will get a much better car for a lot less than that!

It is funny how you say that my opinion about the 328 is stereotyped but then end your post with probably the most uninformed opinion yourself!