re: No more 4 bangers in the U.S.

[Chris Guy <Cguy1@xxxxxxxx>]

>Of course, that's been a hot topic on the 318ti digest several times.
>There are many opinions, but I think all you have to do is look at the
>dealer lots to see why the car didn't sell better. 318tis are hard to
>find with 5-speeds! As Brett said, they kind of suck wind with an auto.
>There are people who have to have the auto for one reason or another,
>but unlike an M3 or 328, the ti really has trouble pulling the slushbox.
>
>What it means is that dealers see a bigger market for a small entry
>level Bimmer with autos than 5-speeds. 


Remember that almost all the cars sold in the US have automatics. The 
numbers for 1992 (now 7 years ago) were that 88% of all cars sold in the 
US had automatics. I imagine this number getting larger and larger. Some 
dealers (new  & used) are wary of sticks sitting unsold for a long time 
(esp other brands).

Anybody have later numbers? 



Chris Guy - BMW535i86@domain.elided
86 535i 5sp, 83 245 DL 4sp+Od, 86 740GLE 4sp+OD
Denver, CO

E28 Home Page - http://members.aol.com/BMW535i86

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