Don’t buy a 2011 335i with $60k miles. It’s going to break. 328i maybe, since it doesn’t have the turbos.
^ This is my worry. I’m going to put 60-80k miles on this car. I don’t want any hassles. Can any BMW offer reliability up to 120-150,000 miles? Yes, I’d like the better driving car, but not at the expense of not having it available, at a higher cost.
Stay away from the E90 335i. Thats 2008-2011. They have really bad turbo and fuel injector issues that cost a fortune to fix. My tech told me “At least $1000, at least twice a year” and “more expensive to maintain than an M3.” Ouch.
If you get a 2011 328i, you’re buying the same engine block they’ve used for years. Yes, you will have oil leaks and electrical problems that all BMWs have, but you shouldn’t have any problem getting 150k miles from the car.
Any car that you buy post-2010 should easily get you 200k miles.
And by “any”, I literally mean, any. Even a Saturn or a Dodge.
geo, are there still big price differentials for cars between Canada and the US? It’s probably worth checking just south of the border or Seattle area. Might be able to save some cash.
I’m hitting the 1 year mark on my Sonata as reminded by my registration renewal. This car is so boring it hurts but I just can’t justify spending the money on a car I actually want right now.
^ Cars MSRP for about 10% more here right now, but in CAD. So when you factor in current exchange rates, prices are pretty comparable. Not worth the import hassles, IMO. You might scratch $1k out on a $40k ride. Completely understand and agree on not wanting to blow money on a car.
Not entirely true on two counts.
First, the 2011 335i has an all-new engine.
Second, most pre-2011 335i’s had the needed parts replaced. Further, BMW backs those cars with a 10-year, 120k warranty on the turbo. Thus, buying a used one of these cars should be okay.
Test drove some cars yesterday: tried the Passat 1.8tsi and 2.0tdi, and the Camry. Why those? Because they were on the way home from work. The Camry was a bore. Sure, the idea of a bulletproof car that will last longer than any car should be allowed to last is nice. But I actually was shocked at how crappy the POS is to drive. I wasn’t serious about the Camry as I had some negative preconceptions of it, and it was all confirmed. Maybe the V6 is nicer to drive but I’m not shelling out that cash for a Camry when good options exist with 4 cylinders. The Passat was great. Really impressed. The TDI was a solid engine, but the TSi was a beauty and the cheaper of the options. Handling was better than any family sedan I’ve driven before. Cabin is quiet and very roomy, and the trunk is huge for golf trips with the wife. All in all, this one definitely makes the short list. Unfortunately limited inventory means I don’t have my colour/options available right now, but I’m in no rush. Today, I’m going to try the Accord on the way home, and next door is Audi so I’ll take an A4 for a spin to see if I can justify burning $15k more for a fancy badge and nicer wheels. BMW is also in that neighbourhood so if things go fast I’ll try a 3 series to compare. Thoughts on Passat as it wasn’t mentioned here before?
What are everyone thoughts on crossover for family of 4?
Funny you mention the Passat, it actually finished runner up when I did my car shopping.
What about SUVs. I’ve narrowed it down to X5, Q7, cayenne, and ML 350
Every question should be directed to Ohai from now on. Maybe he should start his own Q&A car thread.
Without knowing what engine you’re looking at for each model, my vote would go for the Q7.
New, the difference is $15k to the TLX. The Acura is great, but I can’t bridge that gap with Acura features. Negotiating on a 2014 TDI manual, I got a dealer quote 20% off MSRP. Seeing if I can push it further.
My friend has a bulletproof Passat in Argentina. It’s pretty cool and discreet - we took it around Buenos Aires one night hitting up the clubs. You don’t even notice the windows are bulletproof until you roll one down and it is a centimeter thick or so - whoa.
The range rover and benz G500 are nice too. I took an off road driving course in an HSE - they handle very well off road, maybe best in category.
Definitely NOT ML350
X5, Q7, Cayenne, and ML350 are all not bad. The difference is whether you want a mobile sofa or something more dynamic. Cayenne is probably the worst value; Porsche just introduced a smaller SUV that started more expensive than the base Cayenne. Then, they increased the Cayenne price by $5500 to justify the Macan price. Ok, I guess they still have a loyal customer base, but you can only let these guys buttfuck you by so much. Also, the base Cayenne engine is a dinosaur - even Audi and VW stopped offering this engine a long time ago. Porsche is just waiting for this model generation to go away.
In general though, I think the sedan version of those cars (for instance, E-Class:ML, 5-Series:X5), or just non-luxury SUV, makes more sense. If you don’t drive in the snow, you probably can drive a normal car. If you drive in the snow, I don’t know if you want to use your $70k car when the weather is like crap. This is just my opinion though. Other people have valid tastes also.
Volvo V60 is actually really nice. Friend just got one. The T6 has 325 HP and 350 torque, if you care about that. The lowest trim is FWD, but it gets 35 or so mpg with 250 hp I think.
i testdrove the X5 over the weekend(the twin turbo V6) and wasnt very impressed with how it drove. My friend recommends the Cayenne GTS for the best all-around driving experience among the ones I mentioned. I also would be open to other suggestions. Perhaps the Range Rover or maybe even the Landcruiser?
I also wouldnt buy these cars brand new. I would get one probably 2-3 years old or do a swap lease for a year to see how it goes.