Cruzader Neutral Newbie March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 (edited) Why do Singaporeans buy a BMW/Merc/Jaguar in the first place? They can simply buy a faster Japanese car with that kinda money. Can someone answer these? 1) Why do u want to buy a Porche if u can buy a Nissan GTR? 2) Why a BMW 7series if u can buy 2 high end japanese car? 3) Why do u want to buy a fast car in Singapore? 4) Singapore roads look like track? BMW 520 with 156bhp, 200Nm torgue, 0-100 in 10.6s, Top Speed 219km/h and a 6 speed transmission not good enough for those 2.0l buyers? Edited March 10, 2008 by Cruzader ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coolad 5th Gear March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 i think you missed the point... traditionally rich.. once you own a Bimmer or Merc or any luxury make... you enter a different realm... ur target audience changes... if you trying to impress some normal folks... of coz... but that's so pathetic... in fact you garner more respect from these (rich)pple if you drive something else like an Accord... 320/520;s are crucified in the eyes of these elites... even the service personnels in PML couldn;t care less when you drive a 320/520... a 530 or 325 will receive much better support and reception for that matter... go figure... of coz you can bang table lah.. but then again for what... can change perception meh... (its just normal human behaviour, once in the luxury segment, its a whole new ballgame) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qr25vet Clutched March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 the thing is that quite a handful of these low end BMW owners can barely afford one and hence u get those "cheapskate" customers or those kinda customers who complain @ the slightest of noises even those which are barely audible...or even those problems which arent there in the 1st place...important things dun wanna change cos no $$ but if free then change....and i'd take the lexus anyday over a 3 series....and mind you..lexus is a car which can give conti makes a run for their $$ cos of their build quality and refinement.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles 4th Gear March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 Just checked the facts on 520i engine output in BMW website. Apparently its 170bhp/210Nm. not 156bhp like most people said.... or is this a newer 520i engine? Is PML trying to help BMW clear their old 156bhp stock? 523i is now 190bhp/240Nm. Not 177bhp anymore. http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicles/5ser...ngine_data.html Also the 320i is now 170bhp/210Nm, and Cd of 0.26 compared to 0.27 for 325i and C class. FC is stated to be 4.8L/100km for extra urban (20.8km/L) and 8.4L/100km (11.9km/L for urban driving). 323i is no more in the lineup. 325i is now rated at 218bhp/270Nm. Could it be that PML is trying to clear the stock for existing 150PS/200Nm units so selling them at very competitive price so make way for the new 170PS units? It is also reported in BMW Car mag that the 3 series facelift is expected to be released in autumn this year. wonder if they are also incoporating the auto start/stop function, brake energy regeneration and direct injection (from 1 series) into the facelifted 3 series. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coolad 5th Gear March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 This has been discussed a couple of months back in bmw-sg website... none of the newer engine trims is coming to singapore... these newer blocks required cleaner fuel due to its FI mode.. direct injection... so 520/320 all will still have 156/150BHP... dumping ground for BMW AG... (abit coincidental since the 520 was also introduced after these new engine updates, bet they downloaded all these to PML/BMW Asia, coz we buy anything with BMW badge... ha) 325/330 is abit unclear since they are now on indent basis... and the increased HP/torque is due to ECU tuning... not injection mode... 330 would be abit hardsell, since one can go for the 335 for a few K more... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles 4th Gear March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 Hmm... same case as VW/Audi's FSI engine. But since VAG can bring them in and run them locally, why not BMW? Accdg to the website, min is RON98 but can use fuel from RON91 onwards with reduction in performance. Also, all 3 series petrol engine are now HPI (BMW speak for direct injection). So, even for 325i, 330i, and 335i ... all are direct injectiion. I happened to check BMW South African site... low and behold, the 320i there is 156bhp. But South Africa dont sell 520i. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruzader Neutral Newbie March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 According to E specs in the bmw site. 0-100 is for a 2.0l car. So why u guys dont like the 520? Perhaps in Singapore 520 is good enough. U'll save in taxes,insurance etc.etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles 4th Gear March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 specs in the website is for manual trans lah. for auto trans ... download their e-brochure... 0-100 is 9.6secs for auto. but kerb weight for the local 520i is only 1490kgs compared to 1565kg for 170bhp auto trans. the extra 75kg (almost additional 1 pax) may make a diff in performance and fuel consumption. 5series_sedan_datasheet.zip 5series_sedan_datasheet.zip Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miketow Neutral Newbie March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 Driving a BMW or Mercedes in the West really sends the intended message to the heart ( I am rich or sophisticated or whatever ) Drive the same makes in Singapore and no one really gives a s.h.i.t - b/c EVERYONE DRIVES ONE - Thanks to those stupid puny 4 cylinder wannabe engines. Spend 20 - 50K more on an IL 6 variant for a pure BMW driving expereince and you will be spending the next 10 years ( if you keep it that long) trying to convince EVERYONE that your BMW is really what BMWs where intended to be..and people's reaction will be.."issit...ok lor..whatever...) There are way too many 4IL drivers on this island to win any arguement about IL4 VS IL6 here..sucks..but hey that is life. (here) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coolad 5th Gear March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 Haha... true true... life will be such misery trying to convince everyone From what i know its a total different crowd altogether... those IL-4 drivers will only flaunt to non-bimmer owners... and they will always be despise by those IL-6 drivers.. (if not for this throng of IL-4 buyers, the AD might have long slashed the price of those IL-6 fitted ones) its true that an IL-6 bimmer is getting ridiculously expensive... 325i for eg cost 178K apiece... and AD has no intention to push it anyway... its no longer in its lineup... only ident basis.. (they sell shiploads of 320s anyway, just get on the road and see how often u see a 325) But for true bimmer lovers... they will always get a IL-6 via 2nd hand or even 3rd hand... the driving experience can never be over-emphasized... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightbringer 6th Gear March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 inline-4 BMW or inline-6 BMW is still just a freaking car.... do people need to go as far as "despising" those who drive inline-4 BMWs? Just be happy with what you drive can already... why need to go to such extremes to differentiate yourself or prove to yourself or others that you are somehow better just because MAYBE you have better taste in cars, better knowledge in cars, or paid more for your car? Like comparing whose toy truck bigger in the playground liddat.... I don't see anything wrong with people who want to try the experience of driving a BMW but being budget-conscious, opt for the entry level model instead. Personally I think if value-for-money is a key consideration in the selection of a car model, then one shouldn't even look at the BMW badge. But that doesn't means I despise those who think or decide otherwise, or that they're wrong. We just have different considerations, priorities, preferences and budget that's all. All this talk of "flaunting" and "despising" sounds pretty childish to me though... no offence Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qr25vet Clutched March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 i dont despsie ppl who drive inline-4 BMWs but i just dont think they're getting their $$s worth in fact they're being ripped off.....if its a 4 pot in a 3 series...okay...but in a big heavy saloon like the 5? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfazed 6th Gear March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 Given a choice, I would prefer a BMW compared to Japanese models because of the quality and prestige and outstanding handling. Saw quite a number of prestigious BMW 520i on the road. Which one would u choose if u want a 2 litre sedan for business? Cefiro, Camry or a BMW? Hi... Since given a choice I'd definietly give BMW a miss...beemers has never won my heart cos I heard & seen too many cases where reliability becomes an issue. As i also ride a motorcyle, I came across many fellow beemer riders who had enuf of their never-ending a-z problems.. the longer they drive/ride, the more cost came up and they threw in the towel finally. Yes i agree on the prestige part, esp when we haven own the ride...but once we own the ride with all these problem, prestige becomes another subject left behind in the mind. Perhaps I m just another too practical lad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfazed 6th Gear March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 If u can buy a BMW why worry about FC? Even though 520 don't have the power like it's bigger brothers, where are we? In Singapore. BMW 520 is good enough for Singapore roads. Which performs better/same as most Japanese 2.0l car with better/same specs and better quality. Of course if u want a fast BMW get the high end. BMW 520 is for those with 160k budget and wants to own a prestigious Badge. And with 160k can get faster cars. But not for BMW. Cos BMW cars are not cheap. P.S My own opinion. Maybe I am not someone who cares about face-value hence the prestige dun work on me. I focus more on interior aka the comfort level and the power output versus value for money. Yes we dun need alot of power on sg roads but paying more for a under-powered vehicle does not make sense in my view either. I'd rather spend my pennies on a merc even thou i may get mocked being a butcher like the olden days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfazed 6th Gear March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 Yes they may know that it's a low end model. But yet they also know u own a BMW. Let's for instance take this scenario: 1) What car do u drive? Ans: A)Nissan B)Toyota C)BMW Which one would u be proud to answer? Any of the above so long it's your own hard-earned $ that you dun owe anybody a reason. Beemer always announced how much they sell...but they never announce how many is being repossess every month. Beemers in sg are just like teochews, every big event you will c them as they r the official event car then locate it with a proud buyer knowing his car was used in events. Feels good huh... not many think so...pal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfazed 6th Gear March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 According to E specs in the bmw site. 0-100 is for a 2.0l car. So why u guys dont like the 520? Perhaps in Singapore 520 is good enough. U'll save in taxes,insurance etc.etc. Like what u said, ppl who cant afford such cars will not bother about FC, taxes etc, bro. For the face-value, anything goes...this is damage of a lust for beemer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfazed 6th Gear March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 How much they are selling the 520 now? I saw a lot of ads every Sat on 520. Well seems that beemer is getting patheitic & desperate thou... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unfazed 6th Gear March 10, 2008 Share March 10, 2008 Becos some people dont care about power people like me. i just need it to ferry clients and not go around the sepang track. do open up your mind Different ppl...diff needs. ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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