Newbie here; trade in my Acura TSX for 335xi?

[docboy]

Hi Everyone,

I'm a newbie here to this forum, and am looking forward to some solid advice! :)

Current car is a 2005 Acura TSX, auto w/nav. Great reliable car, but horrendous in the snow/ice/slush in the winter. So I've been looking at getting a performance AWD car that I can enjoy driving, as well as hauling my wife and kid around. Not too fond of large SUVs, so that rules out the likes of the Acura MDX and X3.

Long story short, I initially narrowed down my list to the 09 Subaru WRX. After reading numerous horror stories of blown bearings/replaced engines on the WRX, I decided to hold off on the WRX. My continued research then led me to the 3 series. I test drove an auto 328i today and it was a blast to drive; tremendous steering, braking, cornering, and agility. No 335i on the lot, but I fathom it would even quicker and potent, esp with the manual.

So, some questions I have are:

1) Consumer reports gave above average reliability for the 3 series, which I was very pleasantly surprised. Other online sources also indicate a solid reliability record for the new 3 series. To be honest, this is why I am now seriously considering the 3 series.

I'm accustomed to typical Honda/Acura reliability. How do you guys/gals feel about the build quality and reliability of the new Bimmers? Much improved over the older ones?

2) I need AWD for my winter commutes of snowy/icy backroads. My wife's RX330 handles just fine during the winter. How does the 335xi handle in the snow/ice/hills? I absolutely need confidence that my next new car can handle snowy/icy inclines and straight roads. I know Subaru's do well in the snow; how does the Xdrive do?

My TSX is horrendous in the winter; I can't even make it up my driveway, even after new tires up front.

3) Got an initial quote for a 2009 335xi sedan, manual, premium package, cold package, anti-theft, and metallic paint for $46,200. Is that a good price? Edmunds TMV suggest $43,600, which is a little below invoice.

Thanks!

[smaples]

is this a real question? get the 335 xi hands down! it is reliable, and has an amazing warranty. its good in snow (all xi's are), and its in a whole other class compared to the acura! trust me you'll love it. there is a reason we have bimmerfest every year...these cars are amazing, and have only gotten better.

as for price, its not bad. the economy sucks though so you can probably easily talk them down a bit.

[Matt2007328i]

Are you set on a 2009? You can save over $10,000 on an XI a year or two old. Also, with BMW's Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) and weight differential, the non-XI variety (e.g., 328i, 335i) are very good on snow/ice. I'm from Minnesota and considered getting an XI, but after researching I went with a 328i. The link below is an almost identical car to mine, although I saved a considerable amount with higher miles (29K).

http://www.bmwseattle.com/index.cfm?action=InventorySearch&subaction=SearchDetailUsed&InventoryID=17643929

[docboy]

is this a real question? get the 335 xi hands down! it is reliable, and has an amazing warranty. its good in snow (all xi's are), and its in a whole other class compared to the acura! trust me you'll love it. there is a reason we have bimmerfest every year...these cars are amazing, and have only gotten better.

as for price, its not bad. the economy sucks though so you can probably easily talk them down a bit.

Though I only test drove the 328i once, I have to admit it the TSX is not comparable. Tremendous difference in drive quality and power...


Are you set on a 2009? You can save over $10,000 on an XI a year or two old. Also, with BMW's Dual Traction Control (DTC) and weight differential, the non-XI variety (e.g., 328i, 335i) are very good on snow/ice. I'm from Minnesota and considered getting an XI, but after researching I went with a 328i. The link below is an almost identical car to mine, although I saved a considerable amount with higher miles (29K).

http://www.bmwseattle.com/index.cfm?action=InventorySearch&subaction=SearchDetailUsed&InventoryID=17643929

I am very much open to 07/08s, but my readings of Consumer Reports (assuming they know what they are talking about) suggest that the 09s would be the most reliable without inheriting prior problems. But... I am not totally set on 09s and would be willing to save $10k :D

Definitely set on the Xi though...

[smaples]

Though I only test drove the 328i once, I have to admit it the TSX is not comparable. Tremendous difference in drive quality and power...

oh man, go test drive the 335, you'll love it even more!!!!

[ClintonM3]

Hi, I am a dealer. The car that you are looking at has almost 7% markup. In my market, we are getting about 1,400 to 1,000 above invoice. Within that range, should be a fair deal. Unless your market has a lot less supply of 335xi sedans. Depends on franchaising agreement of your dealer, it is certain that you cannot buy 2009 BMW's below invoice, unless the dealer is flat out setting to lose money. If you can find some dealer who still has a brand new 2008, they might be interested to lose a few bucks just to move it. But to find a stick shift new 2008 is slim.

There is a $3,000 market allowance, but you have to take delivery before june 1st. So no orders. Have fun.

[docboy]

Hi, I am a dealer. The car that you are looking at has almost 7% markup. In my market, we are getting about 1,400 to 1,000 above invoice. Within that range, should be a fair deal. Unless your market has a lot less supply of 335xi sedans. Depends on franchaising agreement of your dealer, it is certain that you cannot buy 2009 BMW's below invoice, unless the dealer is flat out setting to lose money. If you can find some dealer who still has a brand new 2008, they might be interested to lose a few bucks just to move it. But to find a stick shift new 2008 is slim.

There is a $3,000 market allowance, but you have to take delivery before june 1st. So no orders. Have fun.

Nice to see a dealer in these forums. The 09 335xi I'm thinking about has to be ordered. According to the sales guy, no 09 335xi manual anywhere on the West coast; and only one 328xi manual loaded to the max on the West coast.

[Mstearnsy]

While there's certainly nothing wrong with buying a 2007 or 2008 335xi, the 2009s are a BIG improvement. The 2009 sedans have their gorgeous facelift and look much better, plus the new 2009 iDrive/navigation is fantastic. After seeing and driving the 2009s, I personally wouldn't consider the older ones...

[E36BMW3series]

If you want to drive in the winter make sure you leave enough in your budget to get a nice set of winter tires. The 335 don't come with all seasons (I believe) and if they do they SHOULDN'T! The snow tires will make the biggest difference.

The XDrive system is very advanced. From reviews I have read it is better than Audi's Quattro system. BMWs have a great warranty, but are all about preventative maintenance. If you take care of it, it will run forever; however, if you neglect it you will get slammed with big bills for expensive and timely repairs.

You will love the 335xi. Fast and sporty for the summer, and sure footed for the winter.

[SilverBeam]

X3 is a large SUV?

[jettore]

It sounds like you need snow tires more than anything else.

[carfanatic]

any 335i= an amazing automobile

[adam l swanson]

the tsx and any 3 series will be different planets all together-- you should have noticed a substantial difference in every performance category-- you'll also see the repairs while more frequent will not vary that much in cost compared to the acura as much as you think it would-- i got an 05 325i (over an 04 tsx) and drove my buddies 08 335 and WOW!

[Matt2007328i]

While there's certainly nothing wrong with buying a 2007 or 2008 335xi, the 2009s are a BIG improvement. The 2009 sedans have their gorgeous facelift and look much better, plus the new 2009 iDrive/navigation is fantastic. After seeing and driving the 2009s, I personally wouldn't consider the older ones...

For the extra $10,000-$15,000, I would expect the 2009 to be a better vehicle than the 2007 335xi. You always have to weigh your options in terms of value vs. improvement. Does "BIG improvement" equal $10,000? If so, go for the 2009. Personally, I think the slightly older model compared with the brand new model is the better investment, save for occasional exceptions; e.g., 2005 to 2006 upgrade.

Also, I agree with some of the previous comments. A good set of snow tires can often be a bigger difference than RWD vs. AWD.

[e30hijinks]

Hope you make the right choice by buying the BMW. It's a tragedy--this unfortunate notion that BMWs are unreliable. Are these new BMWs more reliable than the old ones? As if older BMWs are unreliable? I've owned seven BMWs ranging from 1985 to 2006 and none of them have been unreliable. NOT one. My last car being a 97 528i with 183,000 miles.

Some BMWs have had their fair share of cooling issues--but that's primarily due to lack of maintenance or attention. With regular maintenance, these cars can be great to own. :)

[docboy]

An interesting article I found. First Buick dethrones Lexus in JD Powers, and now another site has BMW taking the top honors. If BMW is truly as reliable as the "study" shows, a 09 BMW 335xi or 328xi would appear to be a no brainer...


http://www.automoblog.net/2008/11/11/bmw-3-most-reliable-car-in-the-uk/




BMW 3 Series Voted Most Reliable Car in The UK (http://www.automoblog.net/2008/11/11/bmw-3-most-reliable-car-in-the-uk/)

http://www.automoblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/2008-bmw-3-series-coupe-335i-328i-e92.jpg

Well, bully for BMW. It seems they’ve just been voted the most reliable car in Jolly Old England. When I first got this press release I said to myself, “Well, good for them. Who cares about reliability these days?”
And THAT’S what got me to really thinking.
Seriously, when was the last time you worried about a car’s reliability? Is there a car available in America these days that isn’t lead pipe reliable? Think about where cars used to be. I grew up in a British car oriented family, so I grew up not only knowing a bunch of Lucas Electric jokes, but actually living various punchlines. It was quite common for a TR-4’s electrics to just give out. We’d just shrug our shoulders, pull over to the side of the road and get out the tool kit.
That’s just the way it was. We accepted it the way a person today would be accepting of the heater fan actually working at all four speeds on their Camry.
Think about that in a modern context. What kind of company would field a car that would just outright quit for any number of mechanical or electrical reasons? In today’s world, that would be as common and acceptable as your dinner showing up late, burnt and with the bill twice what the restaurant told you.
Cars have come a LONG way in the past however-long. There are plain vanilla sedans available today that could run circles around sportscars from the 1960s, and they can do with reliability that would have been unheard of at that time.
The BMW press release is after the jump.
BMW 3 Series voted most reliable car in the UK
11/10/2008
BMW’s biggest selling model range, the 3 Series, has been voted the most reliable car in a survey of Britain’s vehicle leasing companies. The poll, which covered the reliability history of nearly 900,000 vehicles in 2008, also revealed that BMW was the most reliable manufacturer overall.
In an historic win over the Japanese car manufacturers who traditionally dominate in reliability surveys, BMW topped the charts in this year’s annual FN50 reliability survey. The BMW 3 Series was the most rated model for reliability, with the MINI hatch and BMW 1 Series also making the top ten, sitting fifth and seventh most reliable respectively.
The survey compiled by Fleet News looked at multi-marque leasing companies. 881,000 cars were assessed according to the number of breakdowns per 100 of each type of model on each leasing company’s fleet. Points were then awarded according to the number of times that brands or particular models appeared in the tables supplied by the leasing firms and also for the position in which they were placed.
BMW honoured for EfficientDynamics
News of BMW’s success in the FN50 reliability survey comes swiftly after the marque won a trio of important environmental awards in recognition of its EfficientDynamics technologies.
The Energy Saving Trust staged the 2008 Fleet Hero Awards to idenitify companies that have gone to impressive lengths to cut down on fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. BMW was announced the winner in the ‘Industry supplier’ category for the introduction of EfficientDynamics. Meanwhile, BMW picked up two awards in the GreenFleet Awards 2008. The marque was presented with ‘Car Manufacturer of the Year’ in honour of its innovative engineering solutions to modern day motoring issues and ‘Green Marketing Campaign of the Year’ for its accurate and effective promotion.
FN50 Survey results
Top 10 most reliable manufacturers
1 BMW
2 Honda
3 Toyota
4 Ford
5 Volkswagen
6 Mercedes-Benz
7 Audi
8 Lexus
9 Mazda
10 Vauxhall
Top 10 most reliable models
1 BMW 3 Series
2 Toyota Avensis
3 Honda Accord
4 Volkswagen Golf
5 MINI
6 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
7 BMW 1 Series
8 Honda Civic
9. Ford Focus
10. Audi A4
Full details of the FN50 survey can be viewed at www.fleetnews.co.uk (http://www.fleetnews.co.uk)
More information on BMW’s EfficientDynamics technologies can be found by clicking on www.bmwcorporate.co.uk/efficientdynamics (http://www.bmwcorporate.co.uk/efficientdynamics)

[docboy]

Where can I find out the differences in the 06-09 3 series? I'm trying to decide if it's worth getting a new 2009 335xi/328xi.

For example, a salesman I spoke to mentioned that the 09s have a braking system where if the brake pads detect moisture, the moisture is removed to enhance braking. Do the 06-08s have this feature?

[hicks650i]

He told you that? I don't think I've ever heard of that.

[kosta]

i'll agree the bmw is a better car than the honda

however i have both so....

1. tsx is great in the winter provided you put snows on it
2. 110k on the tsx with no major problems
3. bimmers have greater build quality but not as reliable as honda's


He told you that? I don't think I've ever heard of that.

i've heard of this

they will engage slightly to warm up and reduce stopping distance

[dudewheresmye36]

get the 335

[BSM_135i]

acura ftw









:shifty

[cohny]

Do they have massive acura conventions. I think not.

[Nic01101011]

yeah those old BMWs have such bad build quality:lol:rolleyes

[Mstearnsy]

Where can I find out the differences in the 06-09 3 series? I'm trying to decide if it's worth getting a new 2009 335xi/328xi.

For example, a salesman I spoke to mentioned that the 09s have a braking system where if the brake pads detect moisture, the moisture is removed to enhance braking. Do the 06-08s have this feature?

Yes 2006-2008 have that feature. That's one of many tied into the safety systems: Cornering Brake Control, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Brake Standy, Brake Drying, Traction Control, Stability Control, bla bla bla, all those features are identical 2006-2009.

They made minor changes every single year (trims, colours, wheels, etc). But the biggest differences came in 2007 (328/335 models instead of 325/330) and 2009 (Facelift and new iDrive).

[Peter S.]

As much as I like the 09 models, I believe an 07/08 would be the better value for your money. Try 'em out and see if the differences between MYs are worth the money to you. Either way, you can't go wrong with a 335

[lightning09]

As much as I like the 09 models, I believe an 07/08 would be the better value for your money. Try 'em out and see if the differences between MYs are worth the money to you. Either way, you can't go wrong with a 335

Just got a 09 335i xdrive for 6% off MSRP + $3000 factory cash back. Premium package, cold weather, Navigation, Ipod. It was hard to find, but well worth the wait.