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Old 03-27-2004, 05:26 PM   #1
TD
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Well, I just drove the R32.

I liked it. I mean I REALLY liked it.

This is bad.
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Old 03-27-2004, 05:28 PM   #2
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Now I'm off to go try to test drive an Evo8. And I'm taking MY car (I was in the Saab when I visited VW - and, yes, it was the same dealership that said no one could drive them).
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Old 03-27-2004, 05:29 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TD
Now I'm off to go try to test drive an Evo8. And I'm taking MY car (I was in the Saab when I visited VW - and, yes, it was the same dealership that said no one could drive them).
I'm actually suprised you went back.

Anyways, I hope to see a more detailed review.
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Old 03-27-2004, 05:56 PM   #4
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I'll type up more later. I just got home again (back from the Mitsu dealer) and as long as it's THIS beautiful outside, I'm not sitting inside and typing.

BTW, I did not drive an Evo.
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Old 03-27-2004, 07:07 PM   #5
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Re: Well, I just drove the R32.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TD
I liked it. I mean I REALLY liked it.

This is bad.
I'm still trying to figure out what the R32 offers that a 330i doesn't.
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Old 03-27-2004, 07:19 PM   #6
nate
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Re: Well, I just drove the R32.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick325xiT 5spd
Quote:
Originally Posted by TD
I liked it. I mean I REALLY liked it.

This is bad.
I'm still trying to figure out what the R32 offers that a 330i doesn't.
It is ricier, smaller, and heavier.

What's not to like?

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Old 03-27-2004, 07:21 PM   #7
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Okay, I'll keep this short.

I had read a lot about the car and sort of thought I knew what to expect. There were a couple of things I was expecting to find a problem with and, surprisingly, those were the areas I really didn't.

Every VW I had every driven, I hated the clutch take-up and travel and the rubbery-ness of the shifter. This clutch had very short travel and the shifter was precise. Total snick snick.

And I expected it to be slower than my M3. And it might be. But it didn't feel slower. And it really didn't feel 3400 lbs heavy.

I was very impressed.

HIGHS:

-Clean, handsome appearance, inside and out. Exterior doesn't look too garish and the interior is just gorgeous.
-The seats are awesome.
-Power and torque both are very impressive. It pulls hard. And I was immediately able to pull off perfect shifts.
-The exhaust note is intoxicating. Throaty without sounding ricey.
-Great, practical package for such a strong performing car.

LOWS:
-Power still feels ever so slightly limited (I've become a HP junkie).
-Brakes felt weak. I assume new pads would help as the rotors are pretty large.
-In the limited lane change exercise I tried (with a salesman in the car), I noted more body roll than I'd want.
-I don't care to have bright blue painted calipers and springs.
-Lease rates are AWFUL. Payments on a 35 month least with 15K miles/year with only fees/etc down at inception would run over $600/mo. Hell, lease payments on a new M3 (at sticker) are only just over $800/mo. (I expect awful depreciation and difficult resale so I wouldn't want to own one outright -Granted that awful resale would account for the lease payments being so high).

Still, I'm planning on spending time listing my car on Autotrader tonight. I don't think I would miss my M3 if I had the R32. And that's a huge admission for me. I really enjoyed driving that car.

That's not to say I WILL buy it.
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Old 03-27-2004, 07:25 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TD
And it really didn't feel 3400 lbs heavy.

-Brakes felt weak. I assume new pads would help as the rotors are pretty large.
:roll:
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Old 03-27-2004, 07:27 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TD
-In the limited lane change exercise I tried (with a salesman in the car), I noted more body roll than I'd want.
Did he let you go around turns?
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Old 03-27-2004, 07:30 PM   #10
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Okay, I guess it's dead. But only because of the lease rates.

I just played around at bmwusa.com and a fictitious ZHP (silver grey, nat brown, CWP, moonroof) with an MSRP of $43,770 produced a lease price of $569/mo with identical terms. The exact R32 figure was $636/mo.

Kids, that's just silly. I'm not paying MORE for a car that cost $15K less.

But before I get a ZHP, I'll just keep my E36.

Thanks for nothing.

Grrr....
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