The BMW UUC Digest
Volume 3 : Issue 552 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
Save money by buying a 911 GT3; avoid the M6
<E34> BBS RC 17" on 95 540i 6-sp, Which Hub-Centric Rings?
<misc> tire shelf life?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 11:26:12 -0400
From: Dennis Liu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "'911/993/996'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
"BMW List" <bmwuucdigest@uucdigest.com>
Subject: Save money by buying a 911 GT3; avoid the M6
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
http://www.forbes.com/2007/08/23/cars-drive-expensive-forbeslife-cx_jh_0823c
ars.html
Most Expensive Cars To Drive
Jim Henry 08.23.07, 6:00 PM ET
Good news, Porsche lovers: Though a 911 GT3 will set you back $107,500, its
estimated five-year operating costs are just $19,396.
Just?
In relative terms, yes. Even though it had the second-highest sticker price,
the 911 GT3 had the lowest operating costs of the luxury cars on our list of
the 10 most expensive to run.
In Pictures: Most Expensive Cars To Drive
The rankings didn't bode well for owners of the Mercedes G55, the BMW M6
Coupe and the Audi RS4. Operating costs set their owners back $26,544,
$24,578 and $22,619, respectively.
"Expensive luxury cars tend to be big; they tend to have a lot of power;
they have a lot of features," says David Wurster, co-founder and president
of Vincentric, a Detroit-based automotive data firm that analyzes vehicle
ownership expenses. "In a sense, you get more car for more money. But
they're also more expensive to operate."
The Methodology
Vincentric supplied five-year cost estimates for 2007 models. Its
researchers looked at expected repair costs and expected scheduled
maintenance costs. They also examined estimated fuel costs according to U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency mileage ratings assuming 15,000 miles a
year, using factory-recommended fuel--that is, regular, premium or
diesel--at today's prices and weighted for a realistic mix between city and
highway driving.
With premium gasoline in many areas topping $3 a gallon, it's no wonder cars
and trucks with big, thirsty V8 engines dominate our list. What helped the
911 is Porsche's fuel-efficient, six-cylinder engine relative to the rest of
this group. It gets close to 20 mpg in combined city/highway driving.
The $100,000 BMW M6 Coupe, on the other hand, has a rare V10 engine, which
in five years is expected to eat up an estimated $19,229 worth of premium
gasoline. This helps it land at No. 2 on the list, despite BMW's fairly
comprehensive free scheduled-maintenance program for all models.
Even more expensive is gassing up the Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG sport utility,
which unites two terms you don't usually hear together: "high-performance"
and "SUV." Keeping the G55 AMG topped with premium gas for five years will
cost an estimated $21,169, Vincentric reports.
Pros and Cons
But while luxury cars tend to consume more fuel than, say, lower-priced
models, they offset ownership costs in other ways.
James Bell, publisher of IntelliChoice.com, an online car-ranking service,
says that depreciation is another major consideration, and an area where
luxury vehicles are more likely to prove their value.
"Sometimes the car that has a sticker price that's lower by $5,000 can more
than make up for it by losing more than $5,000 in value while you own it,"
he says. "You may actually be better off buying the car that's $5,000 more,
if it retains its value better, which luxury cars tend to do."
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 10:15:11 -0700
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: bmwuucdigest@uucdigest.com
Subject: <E34> BBS RC 17" on 95 540i 6-sp, Which Hub-Centric Rings?
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Hey Neil's married and he didn't invite us.
; ^ (
Well congrats anyway.
-Kevin
----------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail communication is confidential and is intended only
for the individual(s) or entity named above and others who have
been specifically authorized to receive it. If you are not the
intended recipient, please do not read, copy, use or disclose
the contents of this communication to others. Please notify the
sender that you have received this e-mail in error by replying
to the e-mail. Please then delete the e-mail and any copies of
it. Thank you.
----------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 10:55:37 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Kevin Jay (Mr.Fabulous)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: bmwuucdigest@uucdigest.com
Subject: <misc> tire shelf life?
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Does a never-mounted, never used tire have a shelf life? Is there a point
where an older but never used tire becomes unusable/unsafe?
- Kevin Jay
'96 328is, red/tan, 102K, usual H&R/Bilstein setup, a few M3 parts too
'02 X5 3.0, white/tan, 66K, bone stock
------------------------------
End of [bmwuucdigest] digest(3 messages)
**********
