sr20bet

Which car do you feel has a more attractive exterior profile?





I currently own a 2005 325i black and in near mint condition.
Never had any problems other than changing the brakes and
now it's time for the tie rods and control arms. General
maintence. I'm considering switching over to the 2010 TSX -
black color. I like everything about the 2010 TSX, but feel
that the exterior profile of the bmw is more 'timeless' and
would even age better do the the fact it has more curves vs.
egdes in the tsx.

I only drive the manual.

Just wanted the get the toughts of the members.

Thanks in advance![/quote]

SF Acura TSX

You're going to get a lot of biased opinions by asking a TSX crowd whether the TSX or the BMW looks nicer.

That being said, I do find the old BMWs classic and timeless, and perhaps even more attractive than the current 328i (my wife drives one), but at the same time they're a little boring and very ubiquitous (especially here in northern California). They won't grab your attention and I can't imagine anyone complimenting you on driving an older 3-series BMW (other than how spotless/clean it is for an older model) - why would someone compliment you on a car that everyone has seen countless times?

That being said, the 2nd generation TSX is polarizing - you might get as many compliments as criticisms. It's hard to predict how well it will age and whether its design will be timeless. It's interesting how much criticism the TSX (and TL for that matter) received when it came out, but looking back it's hard to see what all the fuss was all about as newer design cues/styles become accepted by other makes and even passe. Think about Bangle-era BMWs (the 7 series, especially) - the radical design elements were incorporated into other cars and become the norm. Maybe the angular design features of the TSX will become fairly standard over the years.

Ultimately, you should drive/own what you find attractive, fun, and exciting.

My two cents.

katmai

Looking at the two pictures you have, they look about the same to me. I have a black one and I like it a lot, but I'm not sure I'd be able to tell you to go from one black car to another one which looks pretty similar. I'd be more apt to ask you what the financial implications are for that move. They just seem pretty equal looking at pics.

TL Tech 18

Having chose a TSX ... over the Bimmer myself in 08 ..... you can guess my choice.

sr20bet

I pay all cars off in full at the time of a purchase. The e46 has been paid since day one, but it's 6 years old now and am considering if it's time to move on to something 'more reliable / newer'.

sr20bet

I hear what you are saying and it makes perfect sense. However if you look at cars from the past, the best looking cars tend to have less linear lines / angular lines unless they are extreme 'muscle' cars.

I think I will spring for the tsx, based on other factors. I'm still giving the looks to the e46, but as with everything age and reliability become a factor....and the tsx has this advantage.

Here's a few links worth looking at:

http://autos.aol.com/gallery/2009-be...king-vehicles/

http://www.faqs.org/shareranks/99,Mo...rs-of-all-time

KillerG

when you ask the guys at bimmerforums you will probably get different advice

youll also be going from a rear wheel drive car to a front wheel drive car, so consider that in your choice too, ultimately the decision is yours. Even if you considered an e46 when new vs. a 2010 TSX they would be very different cars and really wouldnt be in direct competition with each other

pinatubo

Personally, if the Bimmer had all the features that offered on the TSX, had the same HP and torque, had the same fuel efficiency, had the same PRICE, then I would already bought it even I know the TSX looks sportier, sexier.
If you don't need all the features, if you don't care to pay more money, then go with the Bimmer.

Aman

I'd keep the BMW. Any reliability issues/repairs won't be as much as buying a brand new TSX.

jordexj

Go with the TSX... the BMW is great, but technology has progressed a lot in 6 yrs.

fxcarden

Keep the BMW.

jordexj

huh? The BMW isn't under warranty vs the Acura has full bumper/bumper warranty.... how is the Acura more expensive with repair issues?

jordexj

The love of my life...

ed_423

honestly, its a tough choice. if you were comparing the e90 to the cu2, i'd take the e90 in a heart beat. but with the e46...idk.

katmai

In that case it sounds like you've already made your decision. What's stopping you from buying it?

PyroDave

he meant that the beamer would need over 30k worth of service to be as costly as buying a new acura. so as long as nothing goes wrong with the bmw, he technically has an extra 30k in his pocket. if he needs 15k worth of repairs due to transmission problems, he'd still have 15k extra left over. he wasn't comparing the cost of maintenance for the two vehicles

TSteezyX

Not sure why you're worried about how "timeless" the respective designs are considering you're thinking about dumping your 6 year old BMW. Personally, I think the E46 sedans were pretty uninspiring looking, and look kinda dorky next to an E9x which is much more edgier.

You'll probably feel slightly down on power(moreso low-end tq than anything) and the TSX is wrong wheel drive. It is well built(in my experiences), drives well for a FWD car, and is very well equipped for the $.

TSXKid2010

I think that, as a younger person, the more sporty looking TSX is the way to go. The BMW looks more like something I'd see an old person driving, so it doesn't appeal to me.

ed_423

i think the e90s are much more aggressive and sporty looking. the e46 just seems...dated.

with that said, are you ready for the performance differences?

b.ike

I really don't like how the black TSX looks in photos. The car looks a lot better in person imo.

As for the bmw. Its a nice design and easily recognizable. But personally I prefer the TSX's lines. Before I got my TSX, I was looking extensively into older bmw's; the one thing that bothered me was the curves on the car wasn't that appealing to me.

That said, Id stick with the BMW. If you just simply choosing between the two, my vote goes to the TSX.

slickooz

It sounds like this person has some $$$ if he can pay all of it when purchasing a new car. I would sell your old bimmer and get a TSX. After 6-8 year a car can become very boring to drive. Always a GREAT feeling when driving a new car out the lot.

Simba91102

[/QUOTE]

Do we get to vote on your girlfriends next?

sr20bet

Do we get to vote on your girlfriends next?[/quote]

You can have her to enhance your ride

jordexj

I don't know if she can match my girl... she is fine!

jordexj

Better comparison between the (2) cars! I'm biased, but love the TSX

KillerG

You can have her to enhance your ride

[/quote]

holy shit, i laughed hard

fredster730

iTrader: (1)

I traded my 2003 2-door e46 for a 2010 PWP TSX base and I've been very happy. But one thing I will say is that you'll notice a slight decrease in performance. One of the noticeable difference is the handling. But I traded for many reasons. One was my transmission was getting really bad and the cost to fix it was around 3-5k. On top of that, gas prices was shot up to $4-$5 per gallon because of the economic crash. Honestly, you have to go test drive it and see if you like it. :-)

Aman

Aesthetic-wise I like the E46 better, especially the post-LCI one.

FLYGUY31

I love the way my TSX looks, but I would have loved to buy a BMW..but couldn't do it based on the high cost and what you get for it. The TSX Tech is loaded with everything I want for a much better price, not to mention gas mileage, etc. Also, the interior of the bimmer is do dated, it would have been a big step back from the 04 TL I owned prior. So, I didn't just take into account what the car looked like, but some other factors.

010tsxcbp

The e46's design is outdated in my opinion and not "timeless" especially when you compare it to the e39 (post 2000). For lack of a better term, I feel like the e39s have a more "timeless" look. (This is a totally different argument). Back to the subject, I prefer the TSX's exterior vs the e46's.

sr20bet

I'm the TS. I decided to purchase the Acura TSX 6MT and kept my 325i around. I'll be doing some objective evaluations of the two in the coming weeks and will provide my feedback. I may start a new thread on the compario-review (I know others have compared the two in the past).

I still think the e46 is an awesome car and I've been lucky because it's been trouble free, other than just basic oil changes, brake jobs, control arm / ball joint replacement and a few other nignags after 90,000 miles.