[flash]

i also never really liked the slk - it was ok, but i agree too much of a chick car

the 1 series is for kids - pretty much a high school graduation gift

on the Z4 i have to disagree - go drive the twin turbo manual cab - you will want to sell your 968

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[rhudeboye]

" go drive the twin turbo manual cab - you will want to sell your 968"

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img] I wouldn't go that far. For me, Looks still account for 50% of it. Even though the newer Zs look much better, it's still not for me. Now that new boxster, thats looking a lot more masculine. Kinda looks like a CGT now.

BOT- I think that series of SLs will always look good and never get dated. They still turn my head some 10 years later. And even though I see them just about daily, there not like Vettes or CLs were I see a dozen per trip. I suspect that may be different in CA or wealthier areas.

LOL I just thought of something. What are you gonna say the next time we play "the perfect 3 car garage" game?

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[flash]

i'm not 100% sold on the looks of the Z4, but it is growing on me in certain colors - but driving it was amazing - if i wrecked my 968 tomorrow, i'd run right out and buy one - of course, since it never leaves the garage, that isn't likely to happen - arrrrrrrgh!!!!

lol - the perfect 3 car garage is a 12 car garage - i'm already too short on space - we are drawing plans now for the new house, which will have a 3 car garage for the daily drivers, at least a 2 car guest garage, and a 6 car garage for a shop which will also house the 2 trailers (one for the horses and one for the race car), the bikes, and the triumph

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[Cloud9...68]

"on the Z4 i have to disagree - go drive the twin turbo manual cab"

I thought the twin turbo only came with the auto trans (or manumatic these days). They must have added the availability of the manual recently, or I was mistaken about the lack of the manual availability with the turbo. I agree, that must be an awesome car. But all these cars we're discussing - the SL (congrats), the SLK, the Z4, and the newest Boxster are truly fabulous machines.

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[banditsc]

Don't forget a bay for the dyno in the new garage.

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[flash]

i don't know if the Z4 previously didn't come with the manual or not, but i drove a twin turbo with the manual at the irvine dealership - phenomenal machine to drive

i still don't like the boxster - it just doesn't inspire me, i hate the way i sit in the car, and it's way too common - i get that it's a great package, but somehow i just can't get my head around it

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[SHA-JR968]

If I wouldn`t have found my yellow 968 CS, I would have bought a Z4 M Coupe. Like it better than the actual P Models, apart from the GT3.

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[flash]

well, i already started modifying the SL550 - i yanked the sub out yesterday and encased it in dynamat - much better now

systems still sucks though - probably yanking it - makes me nuts that a $100k car has a sucky bose system in it - the nav system is lame too - you have to enter city first - how the heck am i supposed to know what city something is in when they all bleed together? with the pioneer you enter address first, then it gives you a list of cities in your state from which to choose

unfortunately this means i likely have to change out the entire system, due to bose using odd ohm loads on their speakers

we'll see

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[flash]

i first had some holofill in there, but it messed up the internal volume calculations for the band pass - they had this thing stuffed up into the passenger footwell - fun to get out of there

a little 4x6 for a driver - heavy magnet though - the plastic was pretty thin, and vibrated quite a bit, making the bottom end mushy - much better now

a couple of shots of the sub after the wrapping
   
   
   

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[rhudeboye]

I admire your zeal to make things right, or at least right to you. You tear into a new expensive German car the way a teen goes to work on a $2000 hooptie. Difference being you have experience.

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[flash]

i'm really going to get to rip into it now - as it turns out, while navteq packages and distributes the map disks for this unit, but mercedes actually writes the operating system, and navteq only does the maps - so, no luck with the "city first" issue

bottom line, since the speakers are bose and powered by the bose amp, and with my luck the amp is part of the head unit, it looks like the entire system is coming out of the car

oh goody - another project

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[rxter]

My apologies in advance for going totally OT here, but you mentioned Bose... The Bose "entertainment" system (the only entertainment is dishes out is the fun my kids have watching me turn red and rant and rave about what a POS it is) went teets, or is that tweets? up last night. Turns out the hard drive burned up and the system is now locked up.

Good news is that it only costs $175 to have it fixed. Bad news is that it only costs $175 to have it fixed. I'd rather have a good excuse to just tear it all out (one of these hidden in the walls things that looks nice if you don't want to see your sounds system but sounds like crap - the sub is in the ceiling !!!!!) and start over.

I told the service tech on the phone that I had been looking forward to this day for some time as the system has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, but of course the speakers, amp, etc are not usable with anything else. I told him that I'd have to think about it. I'm going to let my SO decide and if she wants it back she can make the call. Otherwise I drive to Frys tonight [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img]

Hey don't give up on the Nav system out of the box. Try the SL forums. I was ready to give up on the system in my RX8 when I found some enterprising young gents who had torrented a new map. I picked up a firmware update from the mfg and I'm good to go for another couple of years.

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[rhudeboye]

Havent you heard their slogan?
<!--sizeo:3--><!--/sizeo--><i>
No high's no low's
must be bose.</i><!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->

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[ds968]

Partially OT, but continuing on that note ( no pun.. ) I never thought that much of Bose vs. comparably priced but higher quality systems, however, I have to tell you that I have the standard / stock Bose in one of my MBZs and had the PREMIUM Bose in another. The standard is not bad at all ( certainly heads and shoulders above the system which comes in the 968, even after I put in a top shelf Blaupunkt deck ), but the premium Bose in the other MBZ was absolutely amazing. I could have shattered the windows at full volume and still have every note come in perfectly clear and as if it had the best graphic equalizer behind it..

Oh, and the volume dial wend to 11 [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img] ( ref. "Spinal Tap" for those of you who are too young [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img] )

The only better stock ( option ) sound I've heard is the Bowers & Wilkins ( also premium option ) one in the Jaguar XF.
Concert Hall, that one is.

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[flash]

well, what you have experienced is definitely not the case in this car - woefully inadequate does not begin to cover it

i am also not having any luck at all finding any information about any upgrades utilizing the factory head unit - if i could get the nav to work better, i could make the sound system sound decent - but, no point doing that if the nav is going to suck - the screen is not full color, and it is not a touch screen - no software upgrade will change that - so, i think i'm screwed there

i'm pretty sure i'm yanking it all - looks like an alpine 5 channel amp fed by a pioneer nav through a rockford fosgate 3sixty2, into a pair of JL Audio 6.5" woofers and 1" tweeters up front, the bose 3" speakers in the rear, and the bose subwoofer - the crossovers, time alignment, and EQ in the 3sixty2 will handle the rest

i just need to work out the interface between the deck and the car

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[rxter]

Exactly what I was going to recommend....

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[DaveN]

Of course you'll be removing the passenger airbag to get that all in right? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img]

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[flash]

lol - ok - i get it - make fun of flash - i know i'm nuts

seriously, if it wasn't so bad, i'd learn to live with it (it's her car after all) - but even she is bugging me about it, so i have to make the change

but, the good news is that there is plenty of room for everything, so no major mods to have to deal with

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[flash]

i got a chance to actually drive the car yesterday - i took it up ortega highway, and all the way out to idyllwild - about 60 miles each way, of which a bit more than half was twisty windy roads

the car was very planted and stable - "sport mode" definitely makes the car more sure-footed - that being said, this is a very heavy car, and not a sports car by any stretch - it lets you know how front heavy it is, and what its limits are - it was very predictable and calm about it, but it was also very assertive about its insistence that this was a luxury automobile and not some tin box hot rod

the M3 would have been better at going fast on these roads, but this car is much more compliant and comfortable, and not all that much slower in the corners

i really like the car, and still think it was a good move, but i have no intention of using that for my speed fix - that's what i have the 968 for

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