What to buy? (car advise)

[MPfiveengineer]

I have test driven a 325i and a 328i, I guess I need to check out a 330i. I should have prefaced by saying that I am not looking for a racer and am not interested in a M3,S4,S60R or anything like that.

[7idl]

the 330i has the bigger motor and is the nicest of the 3 you listed.


I personaly would like an M3, but my second choice is the 330xi or 330i (I like the 2004 330xi, the manual tranny version has a 6 speed!!)

don't get the 4 wheel version (x) unless it's the 330xi, they don't have the motor for it IMHO.

[JohnTRourke]

having owned 2 BMW's, I must say they are OUTSTANDING cars.
however, (and this is true of all those makes you mention), they are going to BREAK YOU at the dealership. There's a reason 3 to 5 year old Europeon cars are cheap. All that little cool stuff breaks down, all the time and it just nickels and dimes you to death.
don't do it.
if you want a europeon car, buy (or better lease) a new one with warranty.
and stay way the hell away from VW, major reliability problems since the late 90's.

[Asha'man]

Every one of those listed will be in the shop a substantial amount of time per year. My good buddy works on VW's all day long and they are complete piles, and expensive to fix. Same with Audi - same family. Another buddy used to work on Volvos at the dealership in the Springs and it was the same story. Unreliable and expensive to fix. BMW seems to be a bit of a crapshoot; the older cars are tougher and more reliable than the newer ones, is my take on things. Saabs - I would stay the hell away.

Get a Lexus IS300 or IS350.

[HunterCO]

I vote for none of the above. Any of those will put you in the poor house when they break.

Toyota or Honda always gets my vote except the Honda passport it's made by Isuzu and they are pure crap.

[micah360]

I have a 1999 VW Passat turbo wagon and a 2000 Audi A4 turbo (both with aftermarker APR chips). I've had them both for two years now with NOT ONE issue (knock on wood) with either. This is my first Audi and 4th VW and I love the dubs and never have issues with them.

I've owned Jeep, Dodge, Cadillac, Nissan, Honda too... VWs and Audis are my favorite... but to each his own.

[Atrain]

Commuter car? Honda Civic wins pants down.

I bought mine in 01 for commuting in SoCal, 90K miles and it has never had an issue. Just runs and runs and gets 38 mpg. Best car I ever bought new.

[MPfiveengineer]

I dont want a Japanese vehicle.

[Delphi]

Cadillac CTS for the win

Go for either caddy, mercedes or BMW. The european ones are better if you can afford em, but the new cadillacs are really ahead of the game in comparison to many cars out there. Mercedes would be my #1 choice if i had the money.

Steer clear of audi and VW.

I hate asian cars.... sure they may be reliable but you get way more bang for your buck out of an american car.

[DanaT]

Ok.

If you are choosing those cars, I can't help with the Saab or VW.

However, over the last 2-3 years I have had the opportunity to drive some decent cars on autobahns. I have had c and E class merecedes, audi A3 and A4, and a BMW3 series.

I like the way audis drive over the mercedes. They are more stable and handle better. They are not as comfortable though. This last trip, I just had a BMW 320d. Although a 2L diesel, it had a top speed of 225kmh. I saw a little over 220kmh on the speedo. I drove for long periods of time between 180 and 200kmh. The BMW was the only car I have driven that was both confidence inspiring at speed and relaxing (comfortable) to drive at speed.

Go for the BMW.

-Dana