poleposition

It seems a nerve has been struck. I would say you're right to an extent. I would also say, the members of this forum are NOT the ones who enjoy the ownership over all other reasons. I would think if you're a member of this forum, you're into the car and the brand and beyond the snobbery you speak of. I know my reasons for driving these cars (this being my 9th one) is because I truly appreciate all of the engineering and attention to detail that has gone into them. The testing and design from BMW is second to none. The cars drive like no others and the company represents my lifestyle. Does this make me an elitist? I could choose other cars to drive with prestigious names but I prefer BMW. Am I a snob or an elitist because of it. I dont think so. I think the type of person you refer to is the one who buys a Ferrari or Lamborghini and knows nothing about them nor how to drive them but can afford them and thats it. Thats the guy who leaves the garage door open. I think we all know a few of those. Some of them are my neighbors.

All the best

gene1

No need to be a show off about the fancy neighborhood you live in.

poleposition

Richard in NC

I have several points to the G8 vs 550i.

1. IIRC, the Automobile magazine test did show the 550ik to be marginally quicker. To 60, 100, and beyond. The 550i also out handled and out braked the G8 by the numbers. Per the test, the 550i rode better too.
2. For feel, one would have to drive them back to back and judge for them selves but I have no doubt the 550i would be a more satisfying drive on the interstate, on twisty roads, and on the track.
3. The materials, fit & finish, quality and solid feeling of the 550i would not likely be in the G8. GM is catching up but still behind, even sourced from a Holden.
4. The 550i does have more high tech and state of the art features and options. The cost of this has to be passed to the consumer. Whether they are worth the extra cost is up to the buyer.
5. As in most things in life, you do get what you pay for. As prices go higher, there are diminishing returns but the more expensive item usually is the better overall item, especially referencing quality, not value.

For example, I would be curious how much each of you would pay for the following items. <- Note this is rehtorical, don't answer.......
Watch: $20, $100, $500, $2000, or $10,000
Car: $5000, $20,000, $70,000, $120,000, or $400,000
Wine (by the bottle): $7, $20, $50, $200, or $3000

I'd bet each item is better as you go up and price. I'd also bet each person has their own idea of what is reasonable to pay for the better item.
I'd also bet that the average person on this board would spend more per item than the average Joe. Not just because of their salary but because they feel they can get a better product when they spend more.

Bottom Line:
Until proven otherwise, I'd not ever say the G8 is a better car. I would say it appears to be quite a nice car, a great value, and worthy of consideration if one couldn't afford (or didn't want/need) the extras (seen & unseen) of the 550i.

skylolow

I understand when Auto. mags. try to compare cars like BMW, MB, Porsche, Audi, Lexus, Lamborghini, Ferrari, etc. to GM and Ford products. But the reality is the buyers are two completely different kinds of people. I don't think to many BMW 5 owners would even consider the G8 or in general any car from GM or Ford (not incld. the trucks). A guy buying Rolex's for half his life isn't all of a sudden going to buy a Seiko no matter how great it maybe is. Same with many products.

I've owned and know more then enough people through the years that have owned and currently own GM and Ford products and quality of build is just not even on the same level. Brand new the GM and Fords may appear solid but I've yet to see one that is 5 to 6 years old with 100,000+ miles on that drives/look anywhere near as good as it did with 10,000 miles on it (hell you could say even 3 years with 40,000 miles). Yet many of your pretigous brands are as solid as day one as they are at 5 years. We don't even need to get into resale value because that isn't even close.

In the end I'm sure the G8 is a great car out of the box but it isn't going to be taking very many sales from the pretigous brands.

advancedlogic

Of course, I agree with most of this but so far, my now 50K mile 10/2003 build E60 has had:

Complete reprogramming to correct transmission "slam" issue (3 days)
Replacement of faulty thermostat (1 day)
Rattle in sunroof, right pillar, and steering column
Micro Power Control module failure
PDC control module failure
TCU module failure
AS failure when driving. Steering change. Performed lock-to-lock reset - no further issues.

I cannot: Add bluetooth without a major expense. Add MP3 without major expense. Wipe my butt without having it reprogrammed. I am worried that if I keep this car past 100K (the end of my extended warranty period), I may have to mortgage the girlfriend's house (I'm NOT mortgaging mine lol). But, I LOVE MY BEEMER!!!!

skylolow

Ouch....Sounds like you got one with issues. I've always found with BMW that you either get a great car with limited issues or you get a head ache that never goes away. I had a 7 series that was a shop whore. Dumped after like a year in half beacuse I had enough.

But I'm sure when your car is running perfect it drives and feels like new and that was more of my point over reliablity. By the way love the look of your car.

phantom5

Hello All, haven't posted in a while but I still lurk. Anyway I test drove A G8 GT on Sat. Bottom Line: the car is a verv tight package. True it does not have the polish of my 545, but at 32k fully loaded that can be overlooked. The cars are very comparable. The G8 feels a lot sportier, is fast as hell and has nice exhaust sounds as well. I could be happy there as well. Im a car enthusiast first and foremost so I check out all cars and call it like I see it. The G8 is a overall nice package. Not as polished as an e60 but not supposed to be either. The sat radio and nav are all relative. When the G8 GXP comes out, I'll be there to check it out too, and it might end up in my garage too.

sbdon

I haven't driven a G8, but I didn't buy my 530i for going straight. I like driving a car, not riding one. If nothing else, the brakes and the steering on my e60 are what give me great pleasure. I would be very surprise if I stepped into this Pontiac and had a similar or better experience when traveling through the hills. There are many cars I could have bought for less, but none brake and steer like my car (among many other features I enjoy on a daily basis.)

vrondados

couldnt have said it better myself