frescagod

i'm pretty confident i could get a 2009 w/ tech before the end of the year for less than $31k OTD. there are about 5 acura dealers within a ~30 mile radius here in DC, and they all competed for my business with the last two acuras i purchased.

obviously, no one can get a comparably equipped 328i for $31k. it really is over $40k OTD. we'll say it's $10k more. that's a LOT of money for not much more car. if you think you're going to spend anywhere remotely close to $10k for the "free" maintenance that BMW provides, you're crazy. for the lease you just quoted, that is your car payment, should you choose to buy the TSX.

by the way, count me in the group that hates the 2009 TSX. there's pretty much no way in hell that i would buy it if i were looking for a sedan these days. it's ugly, it drives poorly, and the interior is a step backward.

if you encountered idiotic honda dealers trying to rip people off, then yeah...it happens. most BMW dealers i talked to would basically not budge more than a few hundred off MSRP though, and you really do get effed with all of the options that get piled on. and, in the end, the "free maintenance" program amounts to less than a grand, and that's being generous. they refuse to do oil changes every 3,000 miles (like many of you like to do).

one quote of many on the "BMW free maintenance sucks" message boards:

344413, if there is any consolation, it would be that once BMW started paying for maintenance during the warranty period, they contemporaneously eliminated most maintenance. In 50,000 miles of warranty period, you'd get three engine oil and filter changes, some wiper blades, and maybe a couple of interior air filters. If you asked for it (and only if you asked for it) you'd get a brake fluid change every two years up to the end of the warranty. That would probably be one brake fluid change.

So, while it's free (in the country of sale), you don't get much.
--

Best regards,

Mike Miller
Technical Editor
BMW CCA Roundel Magazine

at a BMW stealership, that would probably amount to three $80 oil changes, $10 wipers, and two $100 brake fluid changes. that adds up to about $450. BMW vs. Acura's bumper-to-bumper warranties are both 4yr/50,000 miles, so it's a wash there.

how is the total cost of ownership more in the TSX? are you basing that purely on the "free" oil changes? i think on motortrend, they calculated the 2008 TSX's to be about $51k, whereas the 2008 328i sedan's to be around $62k. most of the difference there is the $7-8k in options that you'd need to buy to make your BMW an actual BMW. you could bet that the cost of ownership for a 2009 TSX would only be marginally higher than $51k, perhaps around $53 or 54k.

we may not like the 2009, but it doesn't automatically mean that the 328i is a better purchase.

frescagod

good post. you're right, the 2G won't really garner the same feelings that the 1G did. from the looks of your username, you still own a 2006, right? it's a nice car. if i were in the market for a 4cyl sedan, i'd probably pick up a leftover 2008 (for about $1000 off invoice, as well). it would be a steal. it's a balanced car and i always had fun driving my 2005, either through twisties or on the highway where it was relatively quiet and efficient.

unfortunately, the TSX drivers who are on acurazine represent a pretty small percentage of actual TSX buyers. it should have been apparent back in 2007 when they decided to ax the RSX, that Acura was going in a direction away from Integras and more towards touring TL/RLs. i'm not surprised with this 2009 at all. after all, it's still going to get roughly 24 city/32 highway, and there's no doubt that the seats are more comfortable this time around (to handle america's fat butts).

with the push towards smaller cars, i think the 2009 will at least meet Acura's sales expectations, and that means that the developers did something right, at the right time.

i thought that people here were bashing the car, though...? steering feel is soft and awful, ugly exterior, no more touch screen navigation, etc? most of the positive posts i've read were by people who didn't own a 1G TSX, which sorta makes sense.

Rees901

as someone who bought a 328i a few weeks ago after strongly considering the tsx, i will throw in my 2 cents. a decently equipped 328i will cost you a bit more than the tsx, but it should not even get close to approaching the 40K mark unless you are just getting every possible useless option you can think of. i got mine with auto, premium package/heated seats/i pod for under 35+tax. (the ipod integration is great by the way). as per my prior thread, part of the reason i was discouraged by acura was the inflated price on the 09 tsx at the local dealership with extras bringing the price into 3 series range. sure, sometimes i have second thoughts and wonder if i should have gotten a tsx with tech for the same or less than a less loaded 328 (obviously i'm still periodically reading this forum).. but those 2nd thoughts disappear when i drive my car. as for long term reliability, no one will argue that the japanese are unbeatable. but bmw's track record is not the same as audi. personally, i am only trying to get 5-6 years out of my car anyway before i start to want something new. if you plan to drive your 2009 tsx until 2019, then maybe you have a point on the reliability issue.

club_euro2

I prefer the interior of the 1st Gen TSX over the 09. I hope when they do the mmc, the replace the cheap plastic door handles. I leased a 08 Base Auto TSX last year and it is a great car.

s2ka

The inflated price of the 09 TSX was just a short-term thing. In SoCal I can get one for a few thousand dollars under MSRP. That puts a fully loaded Tech package at about $30,000, which I think is a pretty competitive price for the current market.

SSFTSX

BMW depreciate alot. compare 2004 BMW 325 price with 2004 TSX. On TSX you lose $10K at most assuming bought around $26K during 4 year period. BMW u can be in $15K to $20K range.
In 5 years ur BMW will be less price than TSX.

sluday

You get 3 free services. Oil changes are done every 15000 miles. After the third service you pay for everything after 50000 miles.