Nogard13

Well, a few weeks ago I found a great deal on a CPO 2006 325i with 46K miles and I jumped on it. I paid $20,500 out the door for the car with Premium Package, Sports Package, Fold-Down Rear Seats, Adaptive Xenon Headlights, Heated Seats, and Back-Up Sensors. Since it's a CPO, it's covered by the extended warranty up to 100,000 miles or until 06/02/2012, whichever comes first (Plus I still have two months and 4K miles left of the free maintenance).

The handling and driving dynamics are amazing! The TSX is a great car and if I were purchasing a new car today I'd still choose the TSX over the 3 Series due to the extensive price difference (my car was $28K new, while this car MSRP'd for $41,000!). However, the fact that my car would've cost me almost $18,800 (out the door) to purchase the lease from Acura made it easy to go for the BMW.

After driving the BWM exclusively for the past two weeks, I jumped in the TSX last night (it's getting returned on Monday). The difference was night and day! The TSX seems enormous inside and the seats seem like they're made for Andre the Giant (the BMW seats cradle your body). However, after driving both back to back, I really respect the TSX for being such a great car at such an affordable price.

Anywho, here are a few pics:

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Nice. Congrats!

club_euro2

Congrats!

SHYUperman

iTrader: (1)

congrats!

PACman

Cool. Are you on e90post?

xenonhid

I would upgrade to the sport package wheels.

awinn

iTrader: (7)

agreed. those wheels are very nice (concaved as well). congrats on the car as well. enjoy it!

acuraword

I just sold my bmw for a tsx to save a few bucks... the bmw was such a solid ride, I miss it already... enjoy that car it looks awesome!

rastaracer

nice car. ill guess you'll be joining the bmw forums now. i use to hav a 03 325ci, and it was a sweet car. im saving up now hopefully for a new M3 or used IS-F. congrats!

einsatz

I kinda like the wheels he's got on now better.

Nogard13

Thanks for all the replies, I really love the car and actually look forward to driving it every morning.

Yes, I'm on e90post now.

Those are nice, but those are the 18" sports package wheels (from the 335i). I have the 17" sports package wheels and I actually like them better. I know I'm in the minority on that, tho, LOL

nj2pa2nc

congrats and many miles of safe driving. Looked at the BMW's when we were car shopping. Ended up with our 06 tsx and must say no regrets.

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

Nice find! Congrats!

(I like the wheels that are currently on the car.)

oasis3582

I did the same thing. I traded in my 135i for the TSX. I miss the driving experience, but the reliability was crap. I am happy to not have to worry about the TSX on long trips.

thunder04

iTrader: (1)

^ Although my '04 was plagued with the expensive A/C system replacement, it was still while I was under warranty so I don't consider it a mark against its record. Other than that, it's been a solid ride. 128k miles and going strong!

mdkxtreme

Boooooo MW. Haha jk, nice pick up/upgrade.

Boulder TSX

Two observations...

I didn't realize that BMWs depreciated so much. A $41,000 BMW and $30,000 TSX four years later are both worth about the same as CPO's.

Also, I didn't know that BMW put chrome window trim only the on upper models.

Nice looking car, though. (And I agree that the existing wheels are fine.) Congrats.

Itchytoe

Grats on the new purchase. Hope you don't have any problems with the bimmer.

I agree that the current wheels look nicer.

HondaOnWORKS

Nice, I like the BMW 3 series, but I do believe the TSX handles better than the 325i/328i. I drove my friend's 328i, and it seems kinda soft. The TSX also does better on the 1/4 according to people and sources, but the 325i/328i is more luxurious, but it cost more.

oasis3582

On my 135i, "shadowline" trim (aka black) was part of the sport package.

Nogard13

Yes, BMWs depreciate that much. Also, my TSX was an 07, while the BMW is an 06, so that year is worth 3-4K in CPO value. Also, I got a LOADED car for the same price as most BASE models were selling for, so I got a deal on it. An identical 07 CPO would sell for about $24,000 plus TTL, realistically.


From the numbers I've seen, the 2006 325i tends to be about a second faster in the 1/4 mile than the TSX. As for being soft, I can definitely tell you that mine, with the Sports Package, is nowhere near soft. After driving it for 3 weeks, I jumped back in the TSX last week and thought the TSX had too soft of a ride initially. I don't know about the BMWs without the Sports Package, tho, as I've never driven one.

Boulder TSX

[QUOTE=Nogard13;11935182]Yes, BMWs depreciate that much. Also, my TSX was an 07, while the BMW is an 06, so that year is worth 3-4K in CPO value.

That all makes sense. I was mainly commenting upon how the current CPO resale value for a 2006 TSX is almost exactly what you paid for the 2006 BMW.

Jimmy The Saint

a base model BMW is not an upgrade if you ask me....

Nogard13

Nope, it's not. That's why I got all the packages that I did (sports, premium, etc.).

GWEEDOspeedo

Very nice. Take great care of it. I had a 2001 325 Ci that I loved very much before it was in an unfortunate and uncontrollable loss.

Bimmerforums.com is a fantastic forum for BMW owners. There are many great sponsors and knowledgeable folks.

SSFTSX

you have to consider most of used TSX are navigation models to they hold value better against non-navigation other brands. so they become less desirable in used market. for $20k i will rather get used 2008 IS


http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/ctd/1705303530.html

Boulder TSX

I completely disagree about the reason for TSX's holding their value. The first generation TSX had the best resale value of any car for four years, #1 out of 300+ cars.

As Money magazine said, the reason the TSX was #1 in resale value is because of being "fun to drive" and several other factors, the main one being "it's rock sold reputation for reliability".

http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/aut...ale/index.html

As for the IS250/350, I would like it more if you could fit anything bigger than chimpanzees in the back seat.

SSFTSX

Lexus quality and reliablity has always been higher than Acura but resale value a little lower because they are just more expensive to begin with. I was referring to orginal poster who bought a BMW with Sport Suspension. with sport suspension second row space is of little concern as ride quality is less desirable anyway.

Boulder TSX

Sorry, I guess when you quoted my statement and responded to it, it sounded like you were talking to me. (Perhaps you should have quoted the other poster.)

I agree that Lexus cars cost more to begin with and that is a part of the equation.
But you don't become the #1 overall resale champion because of a Nav screen. The TSX was #1 for several of reasons...all adding up to the fact that buyers saw it as an incredible value.

Nogard13

My car has sports suspension, but the overall room in the rear is identical to those that don't have the sports suspension. It might be a bit harsher ride for them, but they'll still fit (and the BMW actually has a bit more room in the back than my 1G TSX did, though not by much).

BTW, I took my car in to the dealer last week to get the Sirius radio programed and to have them swap out the driver's door power window motor (it goes up slightly slower than the passenger window so they gave me a new one). Anywho, I got a loaner 2010 328i non-Sports Package. I must say that after driving my car and jumping in the non-SP car, it felt very much like driving the TSX all over again (the driving dynamics weren't that much better). I would actually prefer to drive the TSX (mostly due to price and reliability) than a non-SP BMW. However, a BMW with the SP just feels like a totally different car and is 1000x more fun to drive.

I guess Acura did do a good job of competing with the 3 series after all (in the 1G TSX, that is). The 2G TSX isn't up to par with the 1G, AFAIC; it just doesn't have the same feel inside and the materials feel cheaper.

Dktran31

congrats man, more power = more love

cestmoi

Congrats on your new Beamer! Solid car... however, till this day, even after purchasing a brand new fully loaded 2010 Murano for my wife (even though the crossover was a really comfortable luxurious ride), I still have that pang on my 2006 TSX... that feeling of satisfaction whenever I get in the car in the mornings to drive to work...

Ultra reliable and excellent acceleration, handling and comfort! Still love my car!

Nogard13

There is probably something wrong with that car that you don't know about. It's being sold too cheaply for it not to have something wrong.

If you go to lexus.com and search the US for a CPO IS250, the cheapest 07 is selling for $23K and it has 40K miles. The cheapest 08 is selling for $26.5 with 40K miles.

8scotian

Wish I could afford one. But what after the 100000 miles? Do you not intend to keep the car? I have a few friends who tell me that their bimmers are expensive to maintain. But they can afford it.

SSFTSX

It is Lexus dealer selling it and willing to throw 100k warranty. car just has 57k miles with no navigation. so it is cheaper.
Navigtion/backup camera package is not cheap on lexus. easily can add $2 to $3K to value. do 06 BMW come with Smart key?
06-08 are same only 09 changes in lights




check this out. Only 14k miles on 06 lexus but with Navi/backup camera. and it has $22K price. so it all depends on options and miles.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/ctd/1718282633.html


here is another one with 39k miles. with navi/backup camera for $22K
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/1718278102.html

Nogard13

If by Smart Key you mean that you don't have to insert the key into the slot to start the engine, it is an option on all e90 BMWs (it's called Comfort Access). I chose a car that didn't have this feature, so my car doesn't have it.

I see what you're saying, but there is also a big difference in the way these cars handle and how satisfying they are to drive. Lexus is known for a softer, more posh ride, while BMW is more of a "driver's car." Not to mention that it is almost impossible for an adult to sit in the back seat of an IS. According to Edmunds.com, rear leg room in an IS is 4 inches less and the rear head room is an inch less than in a 325i.

My best friend drives an IS350 and it's just not practical enough for me. We need the back seat space and the Lexus just falls short there. If I had to choose between these two cars, and the Lexus were 3K cheaper, I'd still choose the BMW.

bradykp

so true. my dad had an older bimmer and it was a money pit. i'm shopping for a second car now, and love the bimmers, but wouldn't ever have one out of warranty.

to OP - pay attention to every little detail now while you have the warranty, and bring it in to have it fixed ASAP.

as for the whole warranty thing, i don't care about free maintenance or extended warranties, i want a car that doesn't break. if a manufacturer gives me a 200,000 mile b2b warranty but i'm in getting it fixed 4 times per year, I'm unhappy.

that's why i love my tsx and am having a huge problem deciding on what to get as my next car.

Nogard13

I have been doing that. I've had the dealership do some maintenance that I noticed that it needed. Also, I just had it aligned at a local indy shop and they told me of two things that should be fixed prior to maintenance running out (steering column bearing is a bit loose and the front wheel bushings are leaking a bit of oil). They did a thorough inspection of my car and said that, other than those two things, the car is in excellent shape and shouldn't present any problems for a long time. Even those two things they pointed out, they said that I could drive it as is for another 30-50K miles before they actually became a problem, if at all.

BTW, if anyone here is from the Raleigh-Durham area, I highly recommend MPowered for any maintenance you need on your car. That's where I took the Bimmer but they also work on Japanese cars (including the TSX). Very knowledgeable, inexpensive, and professional. Plus, they have free snacks and sodas while you wait, LOL.

bbbuzzy

BMW's can easily go over 100K miles without a lot of trouble. Here's one (from a post I made to another forum recently):

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...&postcount=208


I'm a former TSX owner ('04, 6MT, bought in summer of '03) who switched to a BMW. I enjoyed the TSX a lot for 5.5 yrs but wanted more power and great handling. I sold the TSX and bought a used 330i (107K) for very little additional money. The BMW is great. Sweet engine and great handling. So far so good mechanically, I'm at 118K miles with just regular maintenance. The key to making any car last is doing regular and preventative maintenance over the years.

I hope to go back to Acura some day if they ever produce a sport sedan with the same attributes as the e90 series. Enjoy whatever you drive!

HondaOnWORKS

There is a lot of debate going on for the TSX and IS. Personally, the TSX is a better car than the IS (250). I chose to buy the TSX over the IS. The IS is boring to drive, and for the money you are mostly getting luxury instead of performance/handling. The TSX outperforms the IS in every way, google it.

I also saw some comments like this one that quoted. "More power = more love" its true depending on what you're looking for, but even though the BMW has more HP it actually isn't faster than the TSX, which is the funny part. The TSX does better on the 1/4 and 0-60 than the 328i/325i NOT the 335i, obviously.