Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General What do you think of the X-type?

Have you looked at the BMW 330i or the 325i? They're in the same approximate price range. I'm going to go for the 330xi for my wife. It's a great handling car. Pretty quick, too.

The BMW 330, 325, M3 all have a rear end that could be confused with that of a Honda Civic. Watch it next time you follow one of these cars. Also they are overpriced and definitely due for a facelift...

In all honesty I would go look at the SAAB ! Why you ask ? because they can be leased for far less are great looking and can be quite the performer.

Some would argue they are out classed by the three series, I would say try leasing a fully loaded three for 299 a month! Also the new 93 will be out in the fall a gorgeous car and SAAb also has it own in house tuner, so you can buy tunig parts that will peak performance nd not void your warantey. Something different something cool. IMHO

I have never met anyone who owned a SAAB and didnt simply love the cars.

Oh ya the question, The Lexus IS or the CAT, again I would go SAAB, but hey if it were just the two the kitty because its got so much style!

I don't think I could afford a BMW. I wouldn't want the 318 or 323, if I get one it would ahve to be the 330 or M3 but as I said its out of my price range right now. I really like the way the new A4 looks but the 1.8 T seems badly underpowered. I test drove the IS300 and felt really tight but doesn't really feel like a performance upgrade from my SVT. The RX8 seems interesting, that is why I'm wondering if I should wait around for it before I make my final decision. I am not in any hurry and would hate to jump into something and then fall in love with the RX8 or something else that hasn't come out yet. Thanks for all your inputs, keep them coming....

What Jaguar needs to do is make an affordable sports car in the to mid-thirties range. Low slung, rakish styling, two seat and forget about the super luxuries.
I don't think their Formula 1 racing effort necessarily equates to motivating sales in super expensive luxury and luxury sport models. These people could care less.
But that's Ford logic for ya!

Well, the 3-series also suffers from horrible overpricing, with the 3.0 litre costing far too much and charging lots of money for what should be standard equipment. The car is also unimpressive both in looks and in the driving experience.

The Saab 9-3 suffers from a fatal flaw derived from extreme design stupidity. They cheaped out and didn't put a tilt steering column in the car, and so my knee hits the steering wheel every time I try to shift. Other people have noticed this after I pointed it out.

The Lexus IS 300 is the pick of the class in the sports sedan. It combines attitude, value, performance, and sheer driving exhilaration. This was the only car besides the S4 to make me look back when driving away in my SVT. However, it suffers from moronic packaging as well, with the sedan not having a folding rear seat, and the hatch not offering a MTX.

If you want more touring sedan, the A4 3.0 is the top pick. It's a little more money, and a bit plusher, but still a joy to drive. It still didn't leave me wistful after leaving in Ross, though.

You've got to be kidding me, right? I have yet to drive a car that compared with the driving experience of the BMW 3-series (except for the BMW M-Coupe, WOW!). Granted, the e46 platform "feels" a bit softer than the e36s did, but when you look at the numbers, you realize this just isn't the case. The IS300 was close, but is seriously down on power, and has an interior that is lacking in the luxury department.

As for pricing, it's all about who you know. I was able to get any 3-series I wanted at $1400 over INVOICE plus $133 doc fee. With some more haggling, I could have probably gotten that number down even further. So that's $34,178 right off the bat, which is pretty competative with the IS and A4 3.0 prices.

HAHAHA!!!! The Thousand Oaks Jaguar dealer let me test drive a bright red 3.0 5spd on my own I was 19 at the time. I walked up there want was checking it out, and I know my stuff so i was talking about the specs and asked if I could sit in it. The dealer said sure.. So he opened it up and I checked it out, very nice(mind you I found it amusing how the hood release leaver is all but identical to my Contour's). I then asked if I could take it for a spin, he said sure and asked to make a copy of my license... He brings me back my license, hands me the keys, and says, "okay, I'll see you back here in a little bit." I was like, "don't you want to come with me" to which he responded, "nah, I dont trust your driving *wink*" So I got in, fired her up, and started trying to ease her out of the dealer lot. There was another Jag parked in the way with a family looking at it with one of the other sales people. I ask the other sales guy if he could move the other car, because I didnt know the dimentions and was not comfortable manuvering a car of that value through that TINY gap. He just grinned and told me I had plenty of room. So I squeazed through there, stalling three times(the engine is soo bloody quiet I had to look at the tach to know when to let the clutch out, and juggling that with getting through that tight space.....
But anyway... Its a very nice car, but its not really a performance car, its too luxurious and not sporty enough for my tastes... But for that 10 minutes, 19 years old, driving a brand new Jag in sunny southern California I was king of the world......

the caddy cts has a butt ugly interior and the jaguar seems overpriced but it is really pretty. my son has an is300 and a bmw330 coupe and his lexus is way better than his bimmer imho. my wifes 3.2tl acura will kick both of the cars butt and she gets better gas mileage to boot. just wish it had the style of the bmw.

I have a feeling that alot of people here talking have never driven some of the cars they are giving opinons about. The IS300 is the closet thing to a BMW yet and does a great job of trying to copy it. Defitely a car to ck out if you are in the market for a great sports sedan.

By the way the acura TL 3.2 will not beat a 330...maybe the IS300 in automatic form but thats about it.

Remember you get what you pay for. The Jag is nice but remember it has alot of Ford bits and pieces. To me its a glorified Taurus with AWD.

Go test drive a CPO 330 or a E36 M3 and bring your ck book.

Eric G.
Simpsonville, KY
98 BMW M3/4 cosmos
01 Mazda Protege ES
Ex 99 SVT Contour owner
84 xj Cherokee "the rock crawler."
BMWCCA#188400