How long have you been with your girlfriend? You both work and make decent money I take it since you can afford a new 335i and have a 5 year plan.

You seem to be against driving Civics or Mazda3s. Find a low mileage CPO 7th gen Accord and call it a day. You have the Bimmer already for performance and weekend jaunts just get something reliable and cheap to run.

Good luck with your future endeavors and always keep an ace in your back pocket.

 

Its not that I'm against said vehicles, I just dont want to downgrade.

Good point!
Need to have that Ace !!!!

 

Brand new Mazda3 > 8 year old CL-S

Actually would be a tough choice between the two since a used 01 CLS would be dirt cheap to buy.

 

Just get a certified used TL. MT should be fun enough.

 

^^ you really like that mazda3 dont you!

wait! Dont you own an E92 also?

 

thats what I was thinking, If I could find one for sub 25K and avg miles, I would be happy,

 

Well i like the mazda3 for what it costs and figured you can get a good car and still be able to save money.

But if you can swing a more expensive car and still save for weddings and such, then go for it!

$25k, get a CPO 330i.

 

true true....you own a 335i also right? a rather nice one right?

I was thinking about a 330 too....

 

dude, the market is saturated with them. I KNOW you can find a decent MT TL for under 25k especially in SoCal.

 

BMW > Acura for long-term reliability.. maintenance costs-wise..

I might be totally wrong. just my thoughts.

 

If the future car is for your wife: CPO TL or AT330i sounds like a good idea.
If the future car is for your wife and she can drive stick: Low mileage E39 M5's can be found in the 25-30k range.

Spend wisely.

 

Were you bad at math or just think that highly of BMW?

 

No cost for the first 50k Although I think thats sort of a sales gimmick.

 

Pretty much. I mean, they cost more to begin with, so the maintenance is kind of added in already. Plus, as any car gets older, that's when the expensive stuff starts to go. Under 50k miles you basically just change the oil.

 

To the OP, I'm in the same boat as you: Looking to get a new car (Evo X) this December and save up for an engagement ring and thereafter a wedding that my GF and I hope will happen in the next 2-3 years.

I drive an 02 TL-S and I think the only reason why I want to get rid of it in december is because the 4th gen TL is on the horizon. Lord knows the tranny problem didn't help the resale value of the 2g TL/CLs and the fact that my 02 will be 2 full models behind isn't going to help either.

So I figured I'd just trade the car in for the $8-10k the dealer will probably give me, put down $5k additional on the Evo X and have low monthly payments for 4-5 years.

Do I think that the 2g TL/CLs will last for another 4 years? Maybe. But theres always the risk that the tranny might give out on me after my extended warranty is up. In which case the car will be worth shit.

I don't think getting the 335i was a stupid mistake (grats by the way), as long as your financially secure and can handle the payments then hey, who are we to say anything about it?

BTW, does your GF drive the 335i? Is it stickshift? My GF was actually looking at that or the IS350; she plans to trade in her 03 civic in December too, when she and I will be practicing attorneys in CA.

Grats on the car, and IMO IF ALL ELSE FAILS, skimp on the engagement ring.

Lol. Jk. Although the thought of a $15k rock sitting on my GFs finger annoys the hell out of me when I think its a waste. Sigh.. women..

 

Nope, never driven one. Have you ever driven a TSX? Sure, it's not a 335 in terms of fun, but it sure does deliver fun at a discount so don't be too judgmental before giving it a try...

Personally, I'd much rather have a nice house with a decent car rather than a decent house with a nice car, just makes much more sense to me.

 

hey thanks man for your well thought out and constructive comments!
Yah its an auto and we alternate driving, I carpool to work, so I dont drive it that much during the week

The stupid tranny is my fear also, i have almost 100k on the second tranny and dont want to be the one holding the bag, not if but when it takes a shit
The, we test drove the IS350, and its a nice car, nicely appointed, but my gf is a little like me, she likes to drive, so we paid a lil more and went with a 335 coupe...if you are in SoCal (which it sounds like, I know of a great salesman )

good luck man and early congrats on your future endeavors!!

 

I was preparing a lecture on separating what you need from what you want, but I drove a 135 yesterday. I need engine that in my life.

 

I have the 6sp Auto with the paddle shifters (esp sport drive) and oh man, that thing is a beast! it is soo much fun to drive !!

Sorry it had to ruin your lecture

 

you guys are right on! the real maintenance doesnt kick in till over 50K

we paid for extended maintenance for 6/100,000 miles

 

Don't keep the CL. Buy an 07 G35

 

:arg:

put the wrong bracket

ACURA > BMW

 

exactly

 

ehh dont really want to, my good friend(g/fs brother) has 2 lol... a coupe and a sedan, I know they're not mine but, should I get the urge to drive one I can just drive his

 

E46 M3

 

hahaha

diddnt you just order a new M3 sedan?

 

It is and it isn't. BMW just replaced the brakes on my car...all 4 corners, for a grand total of $0. That would have easily been $1000-1200 at the dealer out of pocket.

 

Rotors and Pads?? Within the warranty?

Anyways, that's great.

 

Wow you must be a harder braker. How many miles?

 

Yes, yes, and finally, yes.

 

Not really, the car has ~33k on it. I figure if you buy a new one you'll pretty much be assured a full brake job at some point within 4 years, even if you only drive 8-9k miles/year. Most people drive more than that.

 

Yeah that is true it depends on the person and the brakes. At least it was covered.

 

dang lucky

 

Yes thats was a huge thing for BMW, they cover brakes under warranty.
When you get your brakes done they actually replace your rotors and pads( of course) everytime.

Per BMW, they state that they use a very soft rotor/pad combo, which adds to the great breaking performance and unfortunately quick wear, so they replace the rotors

 

I say a Subaru Legacy GT. A two year old one is a lot less than $20K, and it's AWD so you'll have a quick car to drive that also has some 4 season utility.

 

It is.

 

what did you decide? how about an audi instead?

 

still debating...i thought about an A4 but dont want to deal with the problems that Audis are known to have problems.

funny thing, I may, just may, sell my CL and get a civic coupe 2000 dx manual and save money to buy something next year