please dont buy a 330i. it's an ugly designed car, always in the shop, and the parts cost you an arm and leg. lexus has taken the crown for most dependable for like 8 years in a row.
You may want to look into aftermarket navigation then. They can do some absolutely sick stuff with some of the computer packages that are out right now. Or at least that's what it looks like on Pimp My Ride
Dude, take it easy. Of course I'm not going to make my purchase based solely on others opinions. I just thought I would see what my fellow clutchfan's members had to say about the two cars I am passionate about and considering buying. Maybe someone would provide some information about the cars that I had not known already, or better yet maybe someone here knows a good dealer or is a dealer themselves. It seems that you would have been here long enough to know the value of asking other people's opinions about such things.
The Lexus has more front leg room and the Bimmer has much more rear. A lot of people consider this a big thing (the lack of rear leg room), but personally I don't care about that.
Yeah BMW were the german car to get until recently. Audi has been beating them out in almost all the classes They said the RS4 is better than the m3 and the new v8 m3 in pretty much all aspects Speed, handling, looks Just get rid of it before the warranty runs out. I will never keep a german car that still does not have a warranty on it.
I usually change cars about every 3 or 4 years so the warranty situation will not be a problem. I was doing some research on Audis and most say that they are hit or miss, meaning you may get a lemon or you may get a great car with 0 problems. I guess this is true with the BMW as well.
Wonder why people pay so much for German cars that could very well turn out to be a lemon? Is the handling of the car that important to so many people?
It's not as common with the BMW from what I have heard - and even with the Audi it's not like 50% of them turn out to be lemons. To put it in perspective - I'm sure there are twice as many Fords and Chevys than Audis that turn out to be lemons. (This is just my assumption, I don't actually have any evidence to back this up )
Seriously, this board is heavily pro-Japanese cars regardless of whatever question you ask, so don't expect to get a fair discussion/recommendation (just go through every single car thread that's ever existed and you will see my point). Let me try to be objective here: 1) The Lexus is more 'handsome' and less 'radical' in its styling (both exterior and interior) than the 330i; that's my subjective opinion of course, since some would love the 330i's 'edginess' over the Lexus' 'blandness'. 2) The Lexus has more hpowers than the 330i. 3) The 330i drives a lot better and is far superior in handling/technology etc. So if you care about this stuff more than anything else, then you can't go wrong with the 330i. 4) Contrary to opinions in this thread, the 330i is very reliable vehicle and has an excellent resale value and is a high-demand vehicle, so you the value will be there. You will also get about 4-5 years of free scheduled maintenance from the BMW dealer, you won't get this from the Lexus dealer. 5) If money is an issue for you, go with the Lexus because you do get more bang for the buck. 6) If you want a car that is less popular, go with the Lexus. Finally, and this is just my personal opinion, if you haven't considered competitors out there that will get you more value for your buck, consider the Infiniti G35. Not only is it cheaper, but you will get more bang for the buck. It isn't as refined as the Lexus as far as quality is concerned, and it doesn't ride/handle as good as the BMW, but it's worthy of your consideration if you haven't already made a final choice of buying either the 330i or the 350.
RS4 may be better than the current M3 that has been out for a good 4 years but it's hard to compare it to a V8 M3 that hasn't even been produced yet. At least wait for the car to be released before saying it's better than another. Audio makes great cars but one thing about them is that they are always heavy and come very close to the 4K lb range because of their AWD systems. Regardless of how much power you have, having that much weight deters from the driving dynamics of the car and you'll definitely feel it in the corners as the weight will kill you there. NOt saying Audi is a bad handler but when it comes to driving enjoyment weight is just a major negative. Now if you live up North where it snows a lot, I'd probably pass up the BMW for the Audi because of the AWD. For me it would go like this. 1. BMW 2. Audi 3. Mercedes 4. Lexus You may want to wait a bit because I believe the 330i will be the lower end of the spectrum as I think they are getting rid of the 325i and bringing out a new I6 for the 3-series with a slightly larger displacement. That was just a rumor though so I can't say how much truth there is to that. About the 3 series being a dime a dozen. The new 3 series has barely been out so it's hard to make that comment though I do agree with it for the last generation of 3's but no where was the 3 a dime a dozen compared to the Infiniti G35 coupe. Hard to argue though. Pretty nice car for the price you pay. I don't think that will be the case with the current 3 though as the styling is unique and really rubbed some people the wrong way as it's not as classic as the last generation. I personally like it but at some angles it definitely is not a good looking car, but the looks of the car is secondary for me compared to the driving dynamics of the car. My bmw has been in the shop just as much as my last few cars which have been toyotas. There are always little knick knack things going wrong with it but overall the car's engine is bulletproof for me. Has never left me stranded. Parts for the car are gonna be the same price for any car in the same class. I believe the misconception of japanese parts being cheaper is because the other carmakers such as toyota, honda, nissan never really had a car in the german car class such as the 3-series. I can vouch for Lexus parts being just as much or more than the bmw parts as my mother owns a Lexus GS300 and parts can be costly as well. For bmw owners I recommend ordering parts online from pacific or circle bmw on the west coast. They will murder any dealership prices here in the state of texas or anywhere else for that matter. Most of their part prices are nearly 50% of what you can get them for here. Plus if you plan on keeping the car past it's warranty then it's best to find a mechanic that is experienced on working on bmw's. The primary cost of car repair for bmw's is labor as shops like momentum or advantage charge you 100/hr for labor which is where the high cost is. My mechanic is very reasonable at 55/hour and he used to work at momentum and greenway mercedes as a tech so I know he's pretty experienced in fixing the german cars. I know I'm ranting on here but niether car is a bad car at all. They have their different merits and it all depends on what you want from the car. Only way to find out is to test drive it yourself. Oh one more advantage to the bmw is the maintenance warranty. It covers oil changes for 4yrs/50K. Even covered my brakes and rotors which most warranties don't cover at all because lexus doesn't have a maintenance warranty. I thought that was awesome, though at the time mine only covered for 3 yrs 36K for the maintenance warranty which pretty much was 2 oil changes becuase bmw recommends 15k miles btw oil changes but honstly you should do it more often. and it covered one set of brakes and rotors for me.
I considered the G35 at first and I actually liked it a lot. I also considered the Acura TL but I decided that I liked the Lexus and Bimmer a little better so I narrowed it down to those two. The other two were great cars though.
I had a G35, good car, great value. I felt that the TL was overpriced and the dealer wouldn't deal...in fact he tried to add the fee for fabric protector (which means that I'll be right out the door and never even return their calls).
That doesn't make it unfair...that just represents a sample of the entire population's opinion. You could argue that this sample is not indicative of the population (which may be true, at least if you look at vehicle #'s sold), but it doesn't make it unfair. Agreed. I think bland is a little harsh for Lexus, but then I think edgy is a little too far for BMW - it isn't like it is all that catchy looking, either. Neither car is a Porsche or Ferrari in terms of looks for sure. Disagree. The BMW drives better with better handling, but no where near far better anymore. The Lexus handles fantastically...and everyone's biggest complaint, VDIM, you can turn off (see www.is300.net forums). The BMW is better, no doubt, but the Lexus, as you mentioned, is quicker, making some up. What's more, neither is really so significantly better to make a difference in everyday driving - even for an agrressive driver. The feel, however, is certainly different. More than ever with the new IS it isn't that the BMW handles so much better - it does handle better, according to all reviews, but not much - but that it handles DIFFERENTLY. No one will ever mistake a Lexus for a BMW, or vice versa, by ride feel alone. So its a matter of personal preference. You're probably right. Of course, Lexus has always been ranked as more reliable. What's more, to me at least, is that you NEVER hear people complaining about Lexus reliability. Maybe BMW's are more reliable than people make them out to be, but you'll be hard pressed to find a debate on the two brands where BMW's reliability isn't brought up. So who knows... Iftiming isn't an issue to you, Infiniti is re-doing the G35, which apparently will be unvelied at an auto show in April. Which means it will still be a bit after that before you can actually get the car, but you have to give Infinti props for being very well priced, with a lot of HP and good handling. Everybody has their own opinion. You can gather mine. I own an 02 IS300 and absolutely love the car - except for HP. Well, Lexus definitely fixed that. So my mom now is leasing a matador red IS350. I've driven it twice. Goodness is that car freaking AWESOME. My parents live out by 249 & Spring Cypress. I had it out on 249, going south towards Willowbrook when lo and behold a BMW 750i flys by me. Casually, my dad says to punch it, expecting to catch up around 90 or so. I catch up at about 105, pass him, and just keep pushing it to 130. We were still having a conversation meanwhile, the car felt perfect and seemed like it had an easy another 10-15 mph in it. I don't suggest doing this, of course, I've only ever been that fast once before, and that was in a Porsche...it just felt so naturally. The triptronic system is good, I like the all-leather steering wheel, feels very luxurious. Frankly not a fan of the key-fob thing - how hard is it to actually pull out a key? I'd get one myself, but I personally think it is too expensive. Fully loaded it is $15k more than my 300 was when I got it new. That's why I'm really interested in seeing the new G35. Also, there are rumors that the IS may come out in a coupe and hybrid model soon.
I agree with everything you said about the is350 except this. Why would you like a conventional key over this system? Is it just a laziness thing?
1. HIghly doubt the 750 was racing with you. 2. Its not 15k more for a fully loaded one vs the previous IS300. The IS250 = IS300, there is no comparison for the IS350. The previous IS300 only came with one engine and tranny trim. You have to compare apples with apples. The msrp of a is250 rwd auto = simliar/same as the is300 w/auto. The problem with the previous IS300 is the tranny/engine is off a really old design (2jz something) and the vehicle wasn't really worth $30k+. Plus the msrp was about $5-6k over invoice.). Asia had the option to purchase the IS300 in different trim levels, no idea why they they didnt offer it to us in the first place. 3. Nissans quality is questionable. My friend had a 350z and his parents have a G35 and they both had to get their trannies replaced plus a few other headaches. They look good and have nice HP, but thats about it. If you want the complete package, look at bmw/lexus or maybe even benz (hate).
This is a option their starting to implement in all their higher line of vehicles. The new Avalons have the same system and Im sure the current GS and new LS will have them too. Probally the whole Lexus line up will have this system...who knows. I haven't been to a dealership in a long time.
I know what it is - I was wondering why anyone would want to use a manual key system over this new system (JayZ)
