If I win the lotto I would buy a new Lexus but if trying to show off your status with used luxury cars just sound umm too tacky.
Buying a used car doesn't necessarily make you someone trying to impress others. Buying used can be a smart way to purchase a car, although I've never done it. There's no way in hell I'd buy a '95 M3 with 60k+ miles on it. If you're looking to just have a BMW, get it, I guess, but don't think you're getting modern-day M3 performance from it. I don't think it can do 0-60 in under 6 seconds, but I'm not sure. If not the M3, then don't get the 323. That's a car for princesses. I personally wouldn't buy BMW's with high mileage simply for the fact that repair costs could kill you. Any costs you save by buying used will be gobbled up on repairs more than likely (assuming you won't be doing them on your own).
Personally, I found BMWs to be a lot more fun to drive than your average front wheel drive japanese cars. The balance, the handling are just a cut above. Its a car I can drive to work everyday and take it to the tracks on weekends. (Some Japanese cars like G35 are also good, but the fun cars like WRX, Lancer Evo are too much boy racer type)
I bought a used 2003 M3 last summer. I went to the dealership to order a new one, but they had this used one there, and they gave me a pretty good deal on it, plus it was certified, so the warranty was equilavent to buing new which was very important to me because, trust me, you do not want to shell out maintenance costs on a BMW out of your own pocket. 3 speeding tickets later, $$$ gone for new tires ($389 a piece for 19") and $289 per month for insurance due to all my tickets, I sold her and bought a Truck 3 months ago.
no way i would pay over 20k for a used car with close to 60k miles no matter the make hell im not even willing to pay over 20k for a new car - cars are just a money pit - I guess Im just getting old now and look at cars differently - I have much better things to spend my money on than a 'look at me' type car
Did I just read some posts comparing a BMW 3-series to a "Toyota and a Honda"?!!! You must be drinking! If you haven't driven a 330i or an M3, you will never understand Seriously though, generally speaking, I am not a proponent of used cars in general. But if you must, then look for a car that has less than 50k miles on it. BTW, if you're looking for some power under $25k, there are a few nice choices on the market, and they would be brand new and under warranty.
You ever drive a Supra? BMW's are overrated. Even I will agree that they are very peppy to drive and handle well. But they are too unreliable and extremely expensive. Moreover, who the hell pretends to be Mario Andretti in Houston? Yes, you want some power, but 0-60 in mid 5 seconds...super sweet. YEAH!
Be very careful when purchasing a German car with high mileage. Maintenance costs are high, and simple parts are very expensive to replace. At the price point your friend is looking at, there is some risk.
Performance, safety, comfort, ergonomics.....some people value these things over just reliability and cheapness. Likewise, some also prefer not to buy their food and clothing at Walmart.
IMO, there is nothing wrong with purchasing a used or pre-owned vehicle, whether it be a BMW, Lexus, Honda, Chevy, etc... I use to always buy new, but never again...Don't want take the depreciation hit and wasteful...However, with used, you never know what your getting yourself into...someone could easily wreck it and fix it out of pocket, vs. having insurance pay for it, thus being tracked via carfax... I'd look at Carmax as they're usually pretty good...
Driving a used bmw or benz when you are young is a good way to get hooked up with or married to a high-mainenance woman. On the plus side, she'll look hot at first.
I think Acura (honda) and Lexus (toyota) ranks extremely high on all those qualities you mention. add in reliability and cheapness and I think you know why people buy BMWs... to show-off. It's an image thing.
You're probably right there's some out there trying to score points on image. But I would think for the most part people just want to drive something they like (lookswise, feel, etc). It's the same premise for why most guys would prefer to bang a supermodel over a fat chick. It's just an innate human quality to gravitate towards what you perceive as better or more attractive. Anyways, I'm not too much into cars myself. Actually prefer taxis/buses/subways/cycling. But if forced to drive I'll always choose a euro car. I'm renting a Volvo from Hertz later this month in fact. And I doubt ANYBODY drives a Volvo to show off!
I love the BMWs as fun-to-drive sedans. But I'd probably only have one as a second car. On paper, maybe a 323 is slow, but when mated to a manual, I didn't find the 323 to be that bad. I didn't perceive much difference in acceleration between a 323 (~189 hp I think) and a 328, 528, or Z3. The M3 coupe and 750 I test drove were in a totally different class however. If you ever get a chance, do the BMW Drive for a Cure - you'll get to test drive many models of BMW. Lexus (I think) used to do something similar where you could test drive any Lexus, as well as their competitor's cars. If I were strictly after performance, I'd get something else, but as a sporty sedan, I think BMW would be my among my first choices. For those cars you listed, see what a 60,000 mile maintenance costs. It might be prohibitively expensive. Me, I think I'd keep my eyes open for a lower mileage car.
