[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by ndinh

Nice. Another ornamental with full sleeves That's always my dilemma....spending money on more tats or buying car parts.

My problem too! Car parts & Tattoos! Can't get enough of them buy the wifey drew the line and said only your arms so nothing on my back, chest or legs.

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by Bbb34

Sheesh man, imagine if you had "different kind of import"

I know right?!

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by dadysev

lol!! CTS-v is the only one I could consider buying myself!
I'm just a Bimmer nut. Name another manufacturer with so many OEM mods we can interchange?
Such a huge OEM wheel assortment. I'm just geeked on Bimmers, since the 80s. always have, and most likely always will, (even with all these new turbo engine issues! but )

Maybe a CTS for me too? But idk

[ndinh]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

My problem too! Car parts & Tattoos! Can't get enough of them buy the wifey drew the line and said only your arms so nothing on my back, chest or legs.

Nice work. Love the colors and details.

[Gpfarrell]

I'd ignore it.

I have BMW acquaintances that make fun of pick up drivers. My 550i shares the garage with a 19 year old F250 that would look at home at any feed store. 99% of BMW drivers don't think that way and 99% of those Ohio drivers just go about their business.

The GM parking lot stuff is crazy... but GM went bankrupt so they got theirs!

Enjoy your car!

[kinerin]

I've run into the same reaction numerous times, but mostly when driving in the midwest.

My wife and i have owned German cars for twenty-some years. Also german motorcycles. Additionally, we also own a Chev Silverado and a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

My response has always been......"I'm as American as anyone. I've served my time. (Have you.???). As soon as America builds a car like this (or bike), I'll be the first to buy it."

Usually ends the discussion.

[PJinCA]

Originally Posted by kinerin

I've run into the same reaction numerous times, but mostly when driving in the midwest.

My wife and i have owned German cars for twenty-some years. Also german motorcycles. Additionally, we also own a Chev Silverado and a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

My response has always been......"I'm as American as anyone. I've served my time. (Have you.???). As soon as America builds a car like this (or bike), I'll be the first to buy it."

Usually ends the discussion.

^^^Completely agree with this. As a combat veteran it would seem silly to question whether I am "less of an American" because I enjoy driving German cars. And yes, nearly all American cars are crap, that's another reason I drive a BMW.

[Ahmad310]

What part of Ohio you in?

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by Ahmad310

What part of Ohio you in?

I'm close to Toledo just 3 hours north of Cincy

[Gpfarrell]

Originally Posted by PJinCA

^^^Completely agree with this. As a combat veteran it would seem silly to question whether I am "less of an American" because I enjoy driving German cars. And yes, nearly all American cars are crap, that's another reason I drive a BMW.

Thank you for your service.

I disagree with your summary on nearly all American cars being crap.

My '03 Marauder, '07 Navigator, '11 MKS Ecoboost, and '14 Fiesta ST have all been far more dependable than our '08 535, '12 535, and even the '12 550 we just acquired.

I like the BMWs, but calling all the American cars crap puts you on an awkward parallel with the redneck in the beginning of this thread.

[snowmuch]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

i don't think i could ever get into a Mercedez? not to offend anyone but i thought that was the car old people retire in

Try a C63, it makes m3 looks soft.

[PJinCA]

Originally Posted by snowmuch

Try a C63, it makes m3 looks soft.

This is true, in a straight line. However, straight line performance is never what BMWs are tuned for. On a track the E9X M3 slaughtered the C63 (by 4 secs a lap on Top Gear). The same used to be said for the old E55 AMG, the numbers said it should have been faster than the E39 M5, and it was - in a straight line. Around a track it was slower. I like Mercedes, they are making more strides towards enthusiast cars than BMW is at this point. We will see where BMW goes with the G30 5 series. The F10 was designed to increase sales, and it shows, it did create record sales - at the expense of enthusiasts.
If straight line speed is what is most important to you then there are cheaper options than either the C63 or the M3. The Challenger HellCat is about the same price as a loaded M3 or C63. If I didn't have a family I would be driving a GT-R without a doubt. The GT-R is the best bang for the buck badass car hands down, period. It has the straight line speed and the AWD cornering.

[DLerner]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

"Hey Buddy, Buy American you Dumba$$!"

Not to apply rational thought to irrational behavior, but...car companies are global brands now. They build and assemble cars where they make the most profit based on labor costs, the fluctuation of currency and most importantly - where there are favorable tax laws. The American big three build, market and sell cars around the world as do the Germans, Japanese, Koreans, Italians, British, etc.

Chrysler is owned by Fiat - when you buy a Chrysler or Dodge, are you buying American?

GM uses engines and transmissions built in Mexico, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, etc. Are you buying American when you buy a GM vehicle that was assembled in the U.S. with a foreign made engine and transmission? http://www.howtobuyamerican.com/cont...db-autos.shtml

"94 percent of Honda and Acura cars and trucks sold in the U.S. are made locally in North America. Over the past three years, Honda has invested more than $2.7 billion to expand its U.S. and North American auto production operations." The profits are being reinvested here in the U.S. If you buy an Accord, are you anti-American? http://ohio.honda.com/article/honda-...t-imports-from

Lsturbointeg's BMW may have been assembled in Germany, but BMW is now the biggest auto exporter of cars from the U.S. and BMW keeps a whole lot of Americans employed and building cars. https://www.bmwusfactory.com/bmw_art...ast-9-billion/

[lsturbointeg]

Good info u guys keep it going I'm sure a lot of people think if you buy American they think it's all made here which I talk to some people out here and they really believe their car's don't have Japanese parts in them?

[Jcbama85]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

Sooooo living here in Ohio is a lot different for me than when i lived in San Diego. i live more in these small country type towns so on the way to work this morning i'm sitting at the main intersection when this old beat up Dodge truck with rust on all fenders pulls up next to me and this guy is waving his hands at me to get my attention. probably in his mid 30's he had an old red hat that was literally rolled so tight the the rim both touched each other if you know what i mean? i guess it does that when guys put their hats in their back pocket from what i was told? anyways, i roll my window down and i say "Good Morning can i help you?" he screams at me and says, "Hey Buddy, Buy American you Dumba$$!" while giving me the finger and than drives off lol i get this once in a blue moon when i drive my Nissan Titan too. i told my coworkers when i got into work this morning as they all laughed and said "you Cali-boys and your pimp mobiles!" anyways, thought i'd share this with you as BMW's are not common in these parts and i'm sure i'm gonna get more strange looks when i'm done modifying my car. maybe because the Industry here is big on Dosmetics since i see a lot of Ford, Chevy and GMC plants everywhere?!

I've always looked at the Neanderthals who pull this crap is akin to wrestling with a pig. You both get muddy and the pig likes it. I say let him hear the precision German engineering as you leave his redneck in your wake.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by YodaSyrup

"94 percent of Honda and Acura cars and trucks sold in the U.S. are made locally in North America.

Assembled isn't made. They assemble the cars here with parts made in Japan. The profit goes to Japan and isn't reinvested here. That said, the auto industry is more global than ever! Few cars are actually completely produced in the US; mostly due to gummint regs.

When I was in the market one of my requirements was RWD and 4 doors. That leaves out Ford. I WON'T buy a GM car for personal reasons and Fiat, er, Chrysler's quality has never impressed me. I also read somewhere that Fiat was looking for another partner so Chrysler may have used up its 9 lives. That leaves only European, Japanese or Indian (Jaguar).

[Jcbama85]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

Good info u guys keep it going I'm sure a lot of people think if you buy American they think it's all made here which I talk to some people out here and they really believe their car's don't have Japanese parts in them?

My father in law is a great guy, with some funny quirks. In 1987, I bought a used Honda Accord, it was a great car. Showed up at his house in it and he said 'They shot at our boys' and walked away. I felt terrible, because 25 year old me let things like that bother me.

Fast forward about six months and I pull up to see his Blue Ford Ranchero replaced by a shiny white Toyota pickup. 'Didn't they shoot at our boys?'

His reply? 'Oh there are no foreign cars any more, plus check this baby out!' Lol. We still laugh about it. My inlaws now drive a Honda Accord and Nissan Pickup. The times they are a changing.

[DLerner]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

The profit goes to Japan and isn't reinvested here.

I'm not sure how Honda invests $2.7 billion in U.S. operations without some of that being potential profit that they are choosing to reinvest back into the business. I think we agree in principle though, so it's all good.

[440xiGCMsport]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

one of my coworkers told me that story too that you if you work for any of those plants you cannot drive an import into the parking lot or else someone will f it up! i was like really?!

my friend also told me that was the same in the Oshawa plant in Canada. You weren't allowed to park in the closer lot to the plant only the the farthest one if you didn't own a GM vehicle. No one keyed the cars though.
What really amazes me is the design and quality of American cars. How can it be so far behind the competition? Go drive a Honda Accord and then go drive any 4 door American car and the difference is night and day.

[PJinCA]

Originally Posted by 435xiGCMsport

my friend also told me that was the same in the Oshawa plant in Canada. You weren't allowed to park in the closer lot to the plant only the the farthest one if you didn't own a GM vehicle. No one keyed the cars though.
What really amazes me is the design and quality of American cars. How can it be so far behind the competition? Go drive a Honda Accord and then go drive any 4 door American car and the difference is night and day.

The answer is simple: For far too many years American car makers relied on the pseudo patriotism attached to "buying American". Such as the incident that started this thread. As a result, they produced crap cars for a really long time. We get nostalgic about the muscle car era, me included, but these were not well made cars. Materials were crap, body and panel fit were terrible, paint sucked, and handling and braking were completely foreign to the muscle cars. The 70s emissions standards made crappy cars even worse. Then came the 80s (*cough* Cadillac Cimmaron *cough*), the list of crap cars coming out of Detroit in the 8os was appalling. The 80s gave us such memorable cars as the Pontiac Fiero (the most recalled car ever), plastics that warped by looking at them, etc.
Only recently, by actually listening to their foreign offices have American car companies begun to produce something that can even be in the realm of European and Japanese cars. And to do that they had to forego keeping everything American. The new Camaro? Yup, developed by Holden in Australia, and base on their cars. The Focus RS has been popular and reliable and a fun car in Europe for years, it's finally coming to the US this year. I won't mention Chrysler, because they're still crap. The 300/Charger are fugly and handle worse than a soap box derby car. The only reason the 300 sells at all is because people think it vaguely resembles a Bentley - that is until a real Bentley pulls along side and you realize the futility of the purchase.
The Chrysler 300 reminds me of a Bentley in the same way that a guy approached me in the subway in NYC one time offering to sell me a Rolex he swore was "real" - sadly, it was spelled "Rolecks" on the watch he showed. Yeah, real right?

[lsturbointeg]

[lsturbointeg]

My buddy has a 300 and hated that Katt Williams made that joke LOL! he even has those curtains hanging by the windows lol