I am starting to look at a new car. I refuse to sell mine at this time as it is still in excellent condition and it is a manual transmission which is getting impossible to find. (2003 CL-S with 165k miles)

The reason is that my parents are getting older and I have to do alot of the driving and the 2 door is getting harder and harder for them.

Now my question would be I am thinking of leasing a BMW 330e, but I have never leased a car before and have always been one to buy cars, but this is a BMW which are notoriously expensive to fix and it is a plug-in hybrid with batteries that are sure to die after 7 years. Under a lease the maintenance is usually covered and I would almost certainly put under 7500 miles on the car as I barely but over that on my current car now as I put a lot more miles on my bicycles than i do in my car.

Which way would you go on this.

 

sounds like you've made your decision!!
good luck on the lease

 

Why do you want the BMW? The 330e seems, to me, like a very "me too" response from BMW and is sure to be not as good as the gas version anyway. Why not an Accord, Camry, etc Hybrid instead? Heck, even the gas versions are extremely fuel efficient and cheap to run. Also, there are likely some epic deals on used VW TDI wagons to be had out there too.

 

Hybrid, because HOV lane, plug-in as my office is 20 miles away and I can make it mostly on 1 charge with charging stations at the office and PHEV because I can still do long trips without worrying about finding a charging station.

I looked at the ford and the hyundai, but they both felt cheap

 

You gonna sell the CL?!?

 

god no.
the car is in excellent condition for a 13 year old car and it is a manual transmission which is getting impossible to find, and I still love driving it.

 

Before you decide on it 100%...have your parents try getting in and out of it. Might sit too low and get more difficult as they get older. Might want to look at an x1 or something slighter higher off the ground.

Would the i3 not give you enough distance? Just a thought.

 

Consider the Audi A3 Etron too.

 

Thanks Sarlac, the i3 and the Audi A3 etron are just too small
and I don't want a purely electric car, otherwise i might wait for the Tesla 3.

 

Plus you put more miles on your bike than some people do on their cars... I think you're doing your part for the environment just fine...

 

Why would you worry about how reliable it is after 7 years when your lease ends in 24, 36 or 39 months?

Also you might want to double check with the maint. coverage. i know BMW changed some of its coverage for MY2016.

But i am with everyone else, unless you really really love the 330e, i would get something else (Hybrid) before 330e.

To be honest, i probably would get the Prius Prime before a 330e

 

I'd get the Prius.

 

For $400 dollars a month, you can lease a nicer car with more "safety" options than a stripped 330e. Infiniti, Acura, MB, etc all have great offerings. Out of curiosity are you driving the car or your parents? If your parents, I'd look into something with more active saftey systems such as the forward collision warning, lane assist, etc that's easy to use and doesn't require a large learning curve. My Mom and Dad loved the TLX when I had one as a loaner so that might be a good suggestion to start looking.

As another poster mentioned, take the car home and have your parents get in and out of it! The 3-series can be a tad difficult with the rear seats and aging joints.

There is a member on here who sells/leases car in NYC, his name escapes me at the moment. He may have some great advice for your situation!

 

^ Yah, contact Shoofin

 

Personally, I'd lease an RLX-SH, but only if it came with upgraded tires.

No, but for real, if I was in the market, I'd consider the Infiniti Q50 before most anything else, assuming the 400hp TT version is able to work within the budget.

That, or a Dodge Charger... I'm sure you can get a badass version for your price.

 

Q50 Redsport = close to 600 a month with min. drive off.

 

It's also region dependent, isn't it? I'd imagine Cali is more expensive than other parts of the country. Because California.

 

Nope, when it comes to cars, it is the other way around.

Cali usually got the best deals when it comes to cars. Because we have so many dealerships here, there are more competitions than say in the middle of nowhere.

Just because we are more educated and rich, does not mean we are all suckers

The problem with Q50/Q60 Red sport is too new and dealers dont want to give discount.... Now if you want the 300hp version, the price drops by $200 a month, and if you want the 2.0T, you could get close to 10k off MSRP.

 

Probably when it comes to some cars, but not all. I bet there are quite a few cars that carry a premium in Cali (or any warm area) that would be cheaper in my neck of the woods.