Fossil_TL

So Ive finally decided to ball up and asked my mom if I could buy a new car, and she said up to me. hoorraay.

I have a couple cars in mind, and will hopefully drive them this and next weekend.
These are my potential options.
1. 2011 Bmw328i coupe I can buy it new, so Ill order only the options i want which as M sport, navigation and HK surround sound 0.9% apr
2. 2008 Bmw 528i sport package with multi-contour seat, probably wont have a navi CPO
3. 2011 Bmw 528i probably barebone, but for this option Id like to do europe delivery for the saving

I really like the post LCI models,they just look much better than the plain jean pre-Lci models.

and for the 328, Ill order it with manual, is it good ideal to learn to drive a manual on a brand new car?

Yeah, bwm is the only brand I want to buy right now, really dont need suggestions on other car makes in similar price range.

Ill probably baby the car till the doors fall off.

thank you

Edit: oh, money is coming out my own pocket, but cus Im asian, its only advisable to get a nod from parents when we make large ticket item purchases..

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

coupe or sedan, that is the question.
As far as stick is concerned....you can learn on your new car. Don't worry about it.
I wouldn't go for a 2008 CPO 528
and as far as new one is concerned i don't know i could live with bare bones.
IMO i would get a coupe the way you want it. The back seat is big enough to haul people reasonably comfortably. Getting in and out is obviously the shitty part. But I do it all the time. The 328 with a sport package is a great car!
good luck!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

LOL at asking your mom.
then explaining why at the bottom!

knight rider

iTrader: (1)

IMO, I think you'll have more fun in the 3.

Fossil_TL

I even had to ask my mom last year if I could buy her a condo for her.....

Crazy Bimmer

You really dont save much by doing European Delivery when you factor in hotel and airfare plus spending money. You should do it however for the amazing experience. Well worth it.

You can do that even for the 2011 328i which is what gets my vote.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I'm half chinese, i understand.

charliemike

328i FTW

Unless you want to get fat and old and suddenly find a wife you didn't know you had cuckolding you from the passenger seat the moment you sit in your 5-series

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

328i

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

don't worry about that, your doors will fall off once your warranty gets expired.

just kidding

Scrib

Why not a low mile certified 335?

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

I know you said that you only want a BMW, but I can't help but ask, "How about not getting a Bimmer and getting something else?"

Bimmers come with baggage.

nokiaman

07/08 335i coupe is the way to go if you want the most value for your $.

If you must absolutely go new, 328i. ( How about a 135i?)

Pete2010

2011 Mustang? Twice the fun @ 1/2 the price.

But I'd probably say a CPO 335i if you are looking @ BMW only.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

Bimmers FTW in terms of driving experience for me.

Crazy Bimmer

You can get the 09 335i sedan and still get the LCI version. Might not be a bad option to buy CPO of that.

Not sure if they have special financing for CPO currently..

Fossil_TL

I cant explain why, but I only like the new LCI models. And for the x35i model, I dont believe I need a more powerful engine, the straight 6 is a wonderful NA engine.
I just think the simpler the car's propulsion is the less there is to go wrong, and I intend to keep my cars for a long time.

When I goto taiwan, I can borrow my best friend's bentley flying spurs or 760Li, but honestly speed doesnt attract me much, since there is always the inherient risk factor associated with high performance cars.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Sorry, but gotta agree with the majority... go CPO. Better warranty, better deal, and some money left over to put towards your own place

knight rider

iTrader: (1)

okay, I let the "buy my mom a condo thing" slide but now this is starting to sound like bragging. If you are a baller just get a M3 and call it a day.

Fossil_TL

Definately not your typical baller type person here. I live very frugally, I rent a tiny room in a 100 year old house and brown bag my own lunch. I bought the condo for my mom 3 years after I graduated college cus she paid my tuition in full.

I do have some good friends in Taiwan, but they are not the baller type either. Again those are friend's car, not mine and will never be mine, just like how you would get older and have good friend who'll let you use their yacht. same concept, it'd be nice to have friend with such access, but remember it's their fortune not yours.

Realistically, it's easier to spend money parents have handed to you, I felt like a baller rocking my 2000 bucks monthly allowance from mom, but to spend hard earn cash on depreciating asset is a pretty difficult decision.

Ya so please dont bring up the baller comments, however I do have some 19 year old who drives CLS 63AMG and his dad agrees to buy him a ferrari if he gets into B-school at the university I went to. Trust me, you dont want to meet him

Rick_TL-S

We have a 528i '08 & it's a great car. But, I have learned one thing from it.

If you're going to buy a new BMW, get the sport package. It makes so much difference, imo, in the feel & handling. Our 5 sometimes feels lose & disconnected, but when we drove a '11 535i w/ sport, it was a much better car to drive.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

This type of post will create some clustershit in any threads. So, just keep these kinda comments to yourself.

Good thing that I'm in an extremely good mood today.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

And I agree with Rick TLS, get the sport package.. it really makes a huge difference on bimmers.

Fossil_TL

So I went to the dealer today and test drove the '11 328i coupe non-sport with NAVI.
I dont even know if I should go test drive the 08 528i sport at a dealer an hour away, i absolutely love this car. it's amazing.

The CA went on bmw's site and built the car in front of me, and gave me a print out with MSRP at $42800, haven't negotiated the prices yet.

And btw, the new 5 series is HUGE, I couldn't tell if it's a 5 or 7 series from the back @_@

alex2364

You can do what I did and get a used '09 335i with 5000 miles, almost fully loaded with M Sport for $38k.

pttl

Deals like that are hard to find. In fact around my area, I would say that they don't exist.

Saintor

It would be easier with a budget. Is the F10 a big deal of a stretch?

I have a feeling that having an attraction for 5-series, you'll miss something going with the 3-series alternative, even if it is likely to be more fun-to-drive. I would never buy an E60 but hey if you like it...

csmeance

As awesome as it may be to buy a new car, it's not going to be worth it, especially if you talk of it right now as being a "depreciating asset". In all honesty, look at a 2010 or 2009 328 that has already depreciated somewhat or look into a CPO one that will have more options. Having a BMW is not just about having one, it's about having the technology that comes with one. Driving a stripped out 528i isn't as fun as driving a slightly older, but optioned out 528i. Trust me, things like comfort access, comfort seats and the navigation system are things you don't think you'll like or need, but it's well worth it, especially when you are forking out over 40K for it.

BTW, if you have driven the 760, you'll know what it is to have a BMW with almost every single option available from the brand on it, driving one day to day that doesn't have a single one isn't going to be fun at all.

Fossil_TL

interesting, I've been speccing out A4 on audi's website. And similarly equipped it is way cheaper than the BMW. The decision has just been made harder for me.

I'm opting to get the premium audio upgrade, do you guys think it's worth it (for both bmw and audi)

Rick_TL-S

Pay careful attention to any Audi dealer's payment plan b/c they like to BS you while talking about the car & claim that what Audi asks for is normal & that BMW & Mercedes are only cheaper b/c they're desperate for sales & lose their value faster.

Our 5 is $700/month on a lease, no money down. When we looked at an A4 w/ near every option, the dealer said it'd be around $1,000/month w/ some money down. Financing deals were equally similar BS, so we told him that we could still grab a 535i in the Fall w/ $1,000 deal. The salesman just replied it's b/c BMW needs sales even though we got the deal due to being previous BMW owners.

d-townhakuzo

Save up and buy a '11 5 series the way you want it? If not...get whichever has the sport. Rick is right...

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Hmm, that's odd. May just be your dealer. We've purchased two Audi's since 2005 and they've never used that line. Each time we have equipped an Audi, then equipped the equivalent BMW and the Audi was always cheaper. I can't comment on the financing b/c we haven't had to deal with that... but I find that most dealers BS about financing to make an extra buck... so take that with a grain of salt

And funny enough, there may be some truth to that "BS" on value. When we traded in our A4 our neighbor traded in his 3-series, same year, similarly equipped, similar mileage... and we got $3k more then he got on his trade. I know there are a lot of factors involved on a trade, but thought that was odd since they were so similar.



Personally I don't think you can go wrong with BMW or Audi... so drive them both and buy what you like

And yes, I'd go for the Premium Audio. My wife's A4 did not have it, but her A6 does and it makes a world of difference! If you spend a lot of time in your car, it's worth it...

phee

iTrader: (5)

you could always save the premium audio money and get a nice system put in that would blow it out of the water

GIBSON6594

I didn't get any baggage with mine. I'm calling my dealer and demanding they give me my baggage.

Rick_TL-S

That's what I was wondering, too. When spec'd the A4 was still quite a bit cheaper, & somehow, the dealer still came to the conclusion that the payments would be $1,000/month w/ money down on a 3 year lease.

We have never put money down on any BMW we've owned & even our ol' 840i, was never $800/month, so I find it hard to believe that the cheaper Audi A4 ends up costing us more monthly than a near-fully spec'd 535i.
Even if the Audi does hold its value better, that's not a reason for one of their entry level cars to be worth more than a 535i in payments.

Personally, I'd find that more acceptable in the A5 or S4, and would much rather have those, but I'd prefer not to ask at this point what Boardwalk wants.
Like I said, though, we're leasing, so that doesn't particularly bother us, nor should it be used as a reason for Boardwalk to charge us so much more.

I mean, which do you think is the better deal, honestly?
2011 Audi A4 - $1,000/month, money down.
2011 BMW 535i - $750+/- month, no money down.

Both cars on 3 year lease, near similarly spec'd out.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

why the f is A4 leasing so expensive?????????????? that's like non fking sense right there you are gettting your butt raped by the stealership man.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Audi's never lease well. Not sure if it's the residuals or if Audi Finance just really doesn't want to deal with leases so they charge more for the aggravation? Never know!

We've never leased so we've never had to worry about it. My parents are big leasers, but they prefer Nissan. It's funny though b/c they are Altima fans, but just for shits and giggles they went to Toyota and a Corolla was leasing higher then the Altima! Less loaded and more money down, plus a higher lease. They passed and stuck with Nissan.

Like I said, we've never leased ourselves, so I have no idea why some companies lease better then others... especially when many factors are similar...

Rick_TL-S

We haven't accepted the deal obviously, so not sure how we're getting raped.

The BMW is our benchmark though, for everything else. The only car we'll gladly jump on without comparing is a Cayman S with just the right price & miles.

Fossil_TL

Making car decision is so hard. Here I'm like wanting a new one, then the rapid depreciation rate on new cars strikes me, and then on pre-owned car you'd have to be careful with the purchase cause you dont know if previous owner had taken care of the car, or was the car a lemon law buy back or other issues.

Then comes the part with negotiating with used car salesman, it just makes me so frustrated at this point.

I test drove a 535i today, and the turbo power just is so nice, now I'm hestitant on my previous choice of a NA straight 6. I guess once you get used to the power, you can't go back.

Anyways, I'm still car shopping, hopefully by summer end I'll have a new ride =)

cjTL

iTrader: (2)

The three. Don't buy a bare-bones car. Fully loaded BMWs are fun.