[F30Toad]

I was dreading having to drive it into the slop until the moment I started driving it in the slop, then I realized it was all worth it. What a pleasure to drive, couldn't be happier.

The thing I do dread is that the 162's come off today and on with the snows. Might make it more bearable to go through the 1200 mile break in period knowing I don't have the tires to have fun with anyway.

Thanks for your amazing tracking skills during our journey wistarf, made it quite a bit more fun.

[FIREBALLER]

Originally Posted by E90Toad

I was dreading having to drive it into the slop until the moment I started driving it in the slop, then I realized it was all worth it. What a pleasure to drive, couldn't be happier.

The thing I do dread is that the 162's come off today and on with the snows. Might make it more bearable to go through the 1200 mile break in period knowing I don't have the tires to have fun with anyway.

Thanks for your amazing tracking skills during our journey wistarf, made it quite a bit more fun.

Congrats to all of you! The delivery of the vehicles in great shape from Germany via boat/cranes/trucks to the home garage is truly amazing if you stop and think about it. I am waiting as my ship, the centaurus leader, crosses the Atlantic on the way to the canal. If there are any more pics POST EM. The are fun to see!

I am so glad I don't have to deal with snow!

[kodiak]

it has been a blast following along with you all while i was waiting for mine to be built. glad to see everyone is now comfortably enjoying your new rides!

have a safe and happy new year!

[scottwww]

Originally Posted by FIREBALLER

If there are any more pics POST EM. The are fun to see!

Tomorrow I should be done with the detailing and Zxilon treatment I started today. It's a lot of elbow grease, but it should be worth it. I'll see if I can post a couple more pictures with my blue looking good.

This is more of a car than I expected it to be. When I was first shopping for my new car I wasn't considering BMW because I had a couple other Germans (Audi and Porsche) that had become money pits. I was pretty well sold on the Japanese, but Acura (front wheel drive) and Lexus (no MT) just didn't measure up. I wouldn't consider Infinity because there isn't any stealer in the area. The other cars I liked were all two-seaters, but I couldn't get that past my wife (no room for three). I guess she didn't want us to always have to drive her RX8 when we go somewhere together.

I'm really surprised that I like this car so much! Even after reading many reviews, I wasn't quite certain. Now, I'm a believer. I just hope it turns out to be as reliable as the Toyotas I have had.

Of course, it's performance. But it is also the electronics. Comfort access is great! The cabin is really quiet. The Logic 7 stereo sounds really good. The Bluetooth is cool. I just love the Montego Blue paint. The interior is very comfortable, and the cream beige leather is just right. Etc. Etc. The style of this car is better in person than in pictures.

I think I would have to spend a lot more money to get much more car than this.

It's tough to keep it under 4500 RPM FOR 1200 MILES. It seems to get to 5000 in nothing flat. I hope this soft break-in doesn't need to be too soft. I just can't drive it like that yet. Not until I'm bored with it. The last car I was able to drive like an old man was a Ford with an auto trans.

Enjoy the wait!

[wistarf]

Scottwww, I liked reading your thoughts about this car.

This is probably better saved for a separate topic, but since the suspense of our deliveries is over, it might be interesting to hear what everyone test drove and considered buying before choosing this car - and the thought process that led you to this buy.

For some reason I seem to have put more time and effort into this car purchase than any other. At first I considered a wide variety of cars because I wasn't sure of what I really wanted or how much money I was willing to spend on a depreciating asset, but I'm lucky to have a lot of dealers within minutes of my office and home, so over the course of the last 12 months, I managed to test drive the following models one or more times:

- 06 & 07 Acura TSX (MT and auto)
- 06 Acura TL (auto)
- 06 Audi A3 (MT)
- 06 & 07 Audi A4 2.0T (MT and auto)
- 06 BMW 325 (MT and auto)
- 06 BMW 330 (MT and auto)
- 07 BMW 328 Cp (MT and auto)
- 07 BMW 335 Cp (MT and auto)
- 06 Honda Civic (MT 4 door and 2 door)
- 06 Honda Accord (4cyl & V6 auto)
- 07 Infinity G35 (MT and auto sedan)
- 06 Lexus IS250 (auto)
- 06 Lexus IS350 (auto)
- 06 Mazda 3 (MT)
- 06 Mazda 6 (MT and auto)
- 06 Mercedes C230 (auto)
- 06 Toyota Prius (auto)
- 07 Camry Hybrid
- 03 VW Jetta MT
- 06 VW GTI MT

I think I took about 20 test drives in just the various combinations of 3 series models and transmissions. And basically the more I drove the 3 series, the more I liked them, while the more I drove all the others, the less I liked those in comparison.

In the end, none of the other cars on this list came close to the 3 series when weighing the total package of attributes that were most important to me such as safety, fuel economy, steering/handling, styling, comfort, performance, build and material quality, sportiness, visibility/greenhouse, quietness, roominess, ergonomics, turning radius, driving pleasure and overall value.

The runners up were the Audi A4 2.0T and Acura TSX as possible economical alternatives to the 335. I ruled out the IS250/350 because of cramped interior, video-game steering, cheap plasticky center console and controls, and cramped interior, and oh did I mention cramped interior? Rejected the G35 coupe without driving it because of small back seat, the G35 sedan because I found the MT very difficult to shift - the engine held onto revs when upshifting and I couldn't distinguish the gears because the shift points were all too close together, the car felt big & heavy too (though it's not), and interior styling is not to my taste. Never been a fan of Nissan interiors anyway. I think they way overdo the aluminum/chrome trim and gadgets. I prefer the very simple and clean interiors of BMW and Audi.

Acura TL felt big and the dash displays looked a bit tacky to me. Not as fun as the less powerful TSX either. Accord lost out after a couple of test drives revealed that this is NOT my beloved Accord of old. The interior design is insipid - materials like the fake wood trim and colors scream "economy", and the expansive greenhouse and great visibility I loved in my old Accords is now gone. The leather seats are uncomfortable - a bothersome seam runs right under my butt, just like in our Odyssey. I think the exterior styling is quite boring too. The Civic was fun to drive and economical, but bizzare interior and dash (I thought the tacky digital speedometer displays of the 1980's had been mercifully banished forever), cheap cloth interior, lack of torque and lack of back seat space killed that idea. The Mazda 3 handles OK, but overall quality seems like even a step-down from the Civic. The Mazda 6 looks nice on the outside, OK on the inside and handles well for a FWD car - but the high levels of road, wind and engine noise and paper-thin doors indicate a disappointingly low level of quality underneath the skin.

The Merc C class just put me to sleep. Toyota Prius is good for what it is, but rear view visibility is poor and tiny saucers-for-wheels give it a Flinstonemobile look that I just couldn't stand. Plus, I'd go for the new Camry Hybrid over the Prius any day. It's a pretty good car, however I found the occasional lag in the powertrain and the unpredictable and non-linear response when braking or accelerating very annoying. Maybe it's a matter of getting used to it.

The Jetta, well, the used '03 model I test drove was a total piece of junk. The new GTI was fun and responsive but the front seat was awful. The seat bottom was far too long and after all possible adjustments, it still inclined too sharply downward towards the rear so that the front edge of the seat was way up high cutting off circulation to my legs. That test drive didn't last too long.

That left the Acura TSX and Audi A4. The TSX has the same uncomfortable leather seam cutting across the seat as the Accord. Otherwise it's a fine car and good value, though it suffers some from being FWD and underpowered. The Audi has a very nice interior, looks great outside too, and has an excellent MT with pleasant shifts, but the 2.0 engine was kind of noisy and the car tended to nose-plow into certain corners. The 3.2 engine would solve the engine noise problem, but at that price I'd rather have a BMW. I think next year's A4 with improved balance and possibly? RWD could be a stronger contender.

Oh, and none of these cars handled nearly as well as the 3 series. Some handled pretty well, but pretty well isn't much compared to the sublime ride/handling of the new 3 series which is probably the best reason to own one.

I was lucky to have been given the opportunity to take several extended solo test drives in both the 335 MT and AT coupes. Those drives convinced me of two important things 1. The AT is very good, but I definitely preferred the manual. 2. The 335 MT was so comfortable and intuitive to drive, it felt like it was designed just for me - like a finely tailored custom suit - all the controls like extensions of my own limbs, all at once comfortable, intuitive and familiar. When driving away in my own car after one test drive, my own car felt very odd and unfamiliar all of a sudden. That same day I picked up the phone and without any further hesitation placed the order for my car. I was done test driving.

[F30Toad]

I, on the other hand, did very little testing. Drove a E90 330i a year ago and knew I wanted it. Sold my M3/4 thinking I would get one in a few months and then put that on hold when I heard rumor of the 335. I have loved BMW's for a while and drove G35 and Audi 3.2 and 2.0T, as well as considered and drove an E46 M3. None really swayed my love for the E90, so end of story.

[scottwww]

wistarf, that's a lot of shopping!

I found this car just a couple weekends into my search, and it wasn't much more than a week after that I had made my decision. It's good to see that a much more thorough survey came to the same conclusion.

[wistarf]

Yeah, I did some pretty in-depth car shopping, but since I had a whole year to shop for the car, I was able to do it all by casually stopping in for test drives once or twice a month during my lunch hours. It's the only kind of shopping I actually enjoy, except maybe for home electronics.

[scottwww]

Originally Posted by FIREBALLER

If there are any more pics POST EM. The are fun to see!

I had time to wash, clay bar, Nu Finish Scratch Doctor (to remove the scuffs that came with the car since I wouldn't let the dealer use a buffer), and to apply the Xzilon to the paint, glass, plastic and chrome. Not enough time to do the wheels yet. I think it turned out really good.

It was heavily overcast yesterday, so the pictures were rather muted. The Christmas lights had come on adding a little to the ambience. There was no time to take her somewhere for scenery as the daylight was going fast. And I had a Fiesta Bowl party to go to. Hurray Broncos over Sooners!

[F30Toad]

Multi-colored LED window surrounds, the next big mod for those who want BLING!!!!!

Car looks great, nice shine. I have to look at the dirt covered side of mine each day due to all the melting snow. We won't have dry streets around here for a month or more. I am a bit jealous, or maybe it's bitter. It all goes away when I'm driving though.

Saw a 6 series with the Beige Cream leather when I picked up mine, very nice color.

[wistarf]

Wow, the car looks great Scott. Early morning and late evening are always the best times for photo shoots and cloudy skies don't hurt either. Just ask all the swimsuit models who are always freezing to death at 6 AM on the beach.

You seem to know a lot about car care. Where did you buy the Nu Finish Scratch Doctor and Xzilon? And how do these products work? So far, my car drives flawlessly, but the finish is far from flawless anymore - mostly due to dirt and dust, but also a rock chip or two, and I don't even drive in grime and snow!

[MrRipfrog]

Hey scottwww, your car looks great! Good job. I am interested in where you picked up the products and your application process as well. The paint looks deep now. Nice!

I am waiting to get my car cleaned for a nice photo shoot but the weather has been just so so. I am leaning more and more to trying the Xzilon when I get a chance.

wistarf- You did some serious shopping around. Glad to hear after all that, we share the same car. Thanks for sharing. Sucks to hear you already have a couple chips in the paint. That’s what comes with using them I suppose.

As for me, I had an 05 G35, which I lemmoned and got all my money back. The airbags continually failed. Not deployed, I would just get the indicator light. Infinity surprisingly purchased it back with no headaches. It was a very easy process actually. Turned out to be the best deal I have ever had. I used a G35 for 18 months and all I had to pay for was gas and insurance. Everything else was reimbursed. Granted, interest free loan, but hey…

Back in 05 when I was searching for my next car, I test drove a 330i and it didn't seem to have the power the G35 had. I was coming from a 91 Z28 with a moded V8 and I didn't really want to take a big power hit. I did love the way the 330i drove, but it just didn't seem to have the oomph...

I test drove an Audi S4, which did have plenty of oomph, but being 6'4" I found the car to be designed for smaller people. I like to drive with my left arm on the armrest and with the drivers seat all the way back, there was nothing to rest my arm against.

Nothing else really sparked my interest so I ended up going with the G35 and actually enjoyed the car.

But now with this baby, it doesn't even compare. This car handles so much better I can't even begin to give a comparison. The corners where the G35 would squeak and feel like it may give, the 335 just asks for more. The power band on the 335 is just amazing. And I have only barely taken it past 4 grand so far. The seats and interior seem roomier and more comfortable especially with the thigh extension. The sound system is great, much better than the G35 Bose system. The idrive is intuitive for me. I don't have any problem navigating through the menus where the G35's navi seems almost chincy now. I used to like how it tucked away but the 335 just seems a part of the car instead of an afterthought.

Never lookin back and probably won’t change for some time… Maybe to get a new model…

[scottwww]

I thought the girls were photographed in the chilly air to give them goose bumps.

The photos I showed on 12/28 were shot about noon under bright sunlight. These from 1/1 were at about 5 PM with a heavy overcast. Some of the difference in the look of the finish should be due to that.

From Auto Zone I bought Mothers California Gold Clay Bar Paint Saving System and Nu Finish Scratch Doctor. I found the Xzilon on Ebay. Four bottles were less than $30. What I put on this car was maybe 1/2 of a six ounce bottle.

Since this is a new car, the whole thing was pretty easy. Just gave her a good bath (in under freezing weather) with Armor All car wash (and micro-fibre towels from Walmart for both wash and dry). Used the leaf blower to get the water out of her crevices.

Followed up with the clay bar to remove what the wash missed (It didn't look like there was much for it to remove on the new finish).

Inspected her top to bottom and front to back looking for any little blemish. Used a micro fibre applicator with the Scratch Doctor wherever I found scuff marks (a few on the rear bumper, the lower edge of the passenger door, etc.). Scratch Doctor also worked very well to remove something that looked like drip tracks and didn't come out with washing or clay bar. scratch Doctor didn't remove some small scratches on the rear bumper, but it did minimize them. I'll probably never notice them again.

I cleaned the glass with Windex, although I wasn't 100% satisfied that I got rid of all the water spots.

I dusted off the whole car twice with micro fibre towels.

In the morning I backed her out of the garage for both me and my wife to inspect her under daylight. We only found a couple more small blemishes that were fixed with Scratch Doctor in no time at all.

After putting her back in the garage, it was so cold that I wasn't sure about how the Xzilon would react, so I opened the door into the house until it was warmed up.

After dusting her off a couple times again with micro fibre towels, it was time to get her done.

The last time I applied Xzilon (to an older car) my wife assisted. I applied the Xzilon and she wiped it off.

It's really quite simple. By myself it was still pretty easy on the bimmer. Wear rubber gloves. The Xzilon applicator is a little red square of micro fibre you wear on your hand like a mitt. Keep a clean micro fibre towel in the other hand. Pick up the bottle of Xzilon to cover it with the mitt and turn it over to wet the applicator mitt. Rub the Xzilon on a square foot or two of the car body, glass, chrome, and plastic. (I think it would be best to avoid the rubber, but how do you do that?) Once it's rubbed on, and rubbed in just a little to make sure it's coated, wipe it off thoroughly with the micro fibre towel in the other hand. It's a lot easier than applying wax because it is just a thin liquid, and you don't wait for it to dry before wiping it off (waiting would be a mistake). There is nothing to remove from crevices like with paste wax, paint cleaner, or polish. The Xzilon application itself took maybe two hours (that's including applying it twice to the hood, top, and trunk). I still need to do the wheels.

Xzilon is not supposed to affect the finish quality. What it does is protect what you had before you put it on.

This was only my second car where I have applied Xzilon. It's really easy. The hard part is all the prep work. Don't put it on unless the surface you are applying it to is what you would always want it to look like.

Since I don't have much experience with this stuff, I don't know how long it lasts, or really how durable it is. It doesn't look like much when putting it on, but there is some information on the web that supports it's benefits.

In the last couple months I have read a couple books on detailing cars. I've read through several forums on detailing. What it comes down to is that if I can use Xzilon and not have to use wax much - if at all - then I will be way ahead. I have generally not been one to meticulously detail my cars on a regular basis. I tend to think that an occassional power wash is a good stop-gap, and a thorough hand-wash is top notch. The books and the forums have a different perspective. It's not something I could likely do on a schedule like is layed out.

If Xzilon is good enough to save time/effort/money on commercial aircraft, I hope it will be good enough for me for the same purpose. Time will tell. I'll always take the easy way when it works as well as the hard way.

I like the way she looks, now, and I hope she doesn't lose those good looks with age. I am not one to provide high maintenance.

Here are links to a couple websites I kept to use when I get ambitious with detailing:

http://www.web-cars.com/detail/
http://autopia.org/

About Xzilon:

http://www.aviationtoday.com/am/cate...ercial/85.html

Maybe I will still put on some Carnauba wax for more shine, but maybe I won't.

This spring I might put in all the work to get rid of the dealer installed swirls on my wife's black RX8, and then Xzilon it. The RX8 has the clear bra. I don't know whether I want it on MY baby. You can see the line. But if it really protects against rock chips, it could very well be worth it.