my father is planning on buying a bmw and is not interested in any other car manufacturer. my first words to him were, "they're not as reliable as lexus." ok, so for the 328i:
-monaco blue metallic
-beige leatherette
-steptronic auto trans
-power front seats with driver memory
-heated front seats $36,340.
http://www.bmwusa.com/LeadGenBYO/Images/VehicleImages/XAB70BMC053A0/front/0744_A35_3qfront.jpg
http://www.bmwusa.com/LeadGenBYO/Images/VehicleImages/XAB70BMC053A0/interior/0744_KAB4_4AB.jpg


the other is 2004 530i.
Mileage: 13,722
External Color: Black Sapphire Metallic
Interior Color: Auburn Dakota Leather
Transmission: Automatic
Price: $38,995 *

Installed Options:

Cold Weather Package

Moonroof

Premium Package

Satellite Radio Preparation

Steptronic Automatic Trans.

my father is more interested in the 530i and he'll take it home for $35k.
http://images.cobaltgroup.com/4/6/5/419719564.jpg
http://images.cobaltgroup.com/4/3/6/419719634.jpg
http://images.cobaltgroup.com/4/0/7/419719704.jpg

From the pics that looks like BMW of Bayside in Douglastan Queens. Got my X3 there:woot: Get the 328I over the 530. It will be a new car fresh out of the box.

Go with the 328i. The 530 only has about 18 months or so left on the warranty/free maintenance and the overall performance of the 328i will be very similar to the 530i. The 530i will have a little more room in it, but not much.

uhh, the E60 has a lot more room than the E90 does. ;) If that's important, definitely go for the E60.

yes, DASHOCKER it's bmw of bayside. maybe you can tell me which salesperson will budge with the price :cool: as for the warranty/maintenace, that's definitely something we have to inquire about. obviously getting the new car>used car and one is bigger than the other but are there any other significant reasons you would choose one over the other? matsarge, i thought there would be a big margin between the two in terms of performance. i checked out the 0-60 times for both cars and they're in the high 6 seconds. if that's the case, then having a bigger car with similar performance seems like the better buy.

I really would not want to own a 2004 5-series car. It was their first year of production

Check out e60.net and bimmerforums.com. There were "issues" with those cars. Not everyone had issues, but if you got a car with them, you are in big trouble.

You could have the service person pull the service history on the car - that might tell you a thing or two.

Oh yea, they had some GREAT money factors on the 2007 530s not too long ago - if those still exist, a lease would be very attractive.

yes, DASHOCKER it's bmw of bayside. maybe you can tell me which salesperson will budge with the price :cool: as for the warranty/maintenace, that's definitely something we have to inquire about. obviously getting the new car>used car and one is bigger than the other but are there any other significant reasons you would choose one over the other? matsarge, i thought there would be a big margin between the two in terms of performance. i checked out the 0-60 times for both cars and they're in the high 6 seconds. if that's the case, then having a bigger car with similar performance seems like the better buy.Henry Lou was my sales guy:thumbup: He will definately give you a great deal.

I would get the 530 if they also throw in the extended warranty.. otherwise, I would get the 328

Personally I'd get the 328. If you are getting the 326 Sedan most of the bugs IMHO should be worked out since basically it is the same E90 with just a tweaked 325 engine, or a detuned 330i engine depending on how you look at it:p

Everytime I see interior shots of the new 5 series, it makes me wanna puke.

From the pics that looks like BMW of Bayside in Douglastan Queens. Got my X3 there:woot: Get the 328I over the 530. It will be a new car fresh out of the box.

I was just thinking that myself it looks like BMW of Bayside! :D
Anyways, I'd go with the 328I simply because it's a new car.

EAASSSYYYYY choice.

5 series > all

I agree that 04 530i may have some serious issues. If I were you, I would pick the new 328i.

3 series. I'd prefer a new car with a new warranty. Also.. leatherette? Add real leather so it matches the 530i's price haha. There's waaay more front legroom in the new 3 over the old 3.

Have your dad try and tune the radio and turn the volume up with the 5 series....guarantee he'll go with the 328i ;)

get 530. 3 series isnt exciting when you dont have twin turbo I6 underneath.

Have your dad try and tune the radio and turn the volume up with the 5 series....guarantee he'll go with the 328i ;)

See the arrow buttons? Press those to change the radio station.

See the volume knob? Turn that to adjust the volume.

Really, it isn't that hard :)

I was under the impression if the car has idrive you have to use that to change the stations?

is the sound system on the 5 series that bad?

I was under the impression if the car has idrive you have to use that to change the stations?

If you want to cycle through the presets, you can use the arrows - same with the CD tracks and what not.

Base BMW sound systems are horrible, worse than any system on the market. They are at the level of about mid 90ies Hondas, if not worse. However I don't know much about their Level7 system, but I'm pretty sure its nowhere near Lexus' ML or Acura's DVD-A Bose.

Base BMW sound systems are horrible, worse than any system on the market. They are at the level of about mid 90ies Hondas, if not worse. However I don't know much about their Level7 system, but I'm pretty sure its nowhere near Lexus' ML or Acura's DVD-A Bose.

I disagree
You should go listen to them now. They are much improved. The L7 is as good if not better than the ML in the Lexus (some drivers prefer one over the other - both have their strengths).

The old 3-series sound systems were however horrible.

edit: worthless triva... both the Mark Levinson and Logic 7 systems are made by the same company :)

I disagree
You should go listen to them now. They are much improved. The L7 is as good if not better than the ML in the Lexus (some drivers prefer one over the other - both have their strengths).

The old 3-series sound systems were however horrible.

edit: worthless triva... both the Mark Levinson and Logic 7 systems are made by the same company :)


I mostly agree with your points on BMW but this I disagree.

I think both logic 7 and ML are made by Harman/Kardon but IMHO, ML blows away logic 7 system. I drove 330i with logic 7( i think it's stardard on 330i) and it's not even as good as standard pioneer system on the IS350.

I disagree
You should go listen to them now. They are much improved. The L7 is as good if not better than the ML in the Lexus (some drivers prefer one over the other - both have their strengths).

The old 3-series sound systems were however horrible.

edit: worthless triva... both the Mark Levinson and Logic 7 systems are made by the same company :)I agree.The bass is more punchy than the Mark Levinson in the Lexus. Excellent sounding:thumbup: Even the stock "BMW Business" sound system has more bass than the Levinson.

Has anynone heard the Bang Olufsen system that Audi uses? Phenomenal system in my opinion. Audi and Lexus have the best audio systems of any manufacturer in my opinion.

Here's a Fifth Gear video on the system: http://youtube.com/watch?v=1-Utk2XaU10 I have to admit I hate the guy doing the review.

I'de really like them to do a review on the new LS's sound system.

keep the comments coming guys. i appreciate all the input. my father is pretty much set on a black 530i, preferably a 2005 with less than 30k miles for less than $40k. that may seem almost impossible but my father is in no hurry to buy the car. i checked bmwusa.com but couldn't find any. if anyone knows where one can be found within 50 miles of queens, ny that would be great.

I have never read any review or seen any overwhelming comments on BMW sound systems.
I would like to add Nissan/Infiniti Bose sound systems as horrible as well...

I have never read any review or seen any overwhelming comments on BMW sound systems.
I would like to add Nissan/Infiniti Bose sound systems as horrible as well...

The only review I've ever heard on the Logic7 was from the owners on the various BMW forums. Most of them like it. Lots of them said at first they thought it sucked, but through the various adjustments tweeked it and now love it. Apparently with the stock adjustment setting it may not sound that great, but after you adjust the bass, DPS settings and such it sounds pretty good. Only one person I saw had the previous Mark Levinson system in which he thought the Logic7 was much better, but it was not the lastest multi channel ML that is found on the new 2006+ cars but the last version found in the GS I believe.

That said though from briefly looking at the system layout I kind of like that they have the 2 small subs under thr front seats. I have to really try it out first but as long as it doesn't rattle the seats I like the more up front bass set up. Too bad manufacturers can't get the subs up in the front dash somewhere:D

Of course owners will say the system is good. What I am saying is from audiophiles (I am not) and from professional reviews the BMW system is rarely mentioned as outstanding. I also am not saying its a poor system, but not one of the best.

BTW, ITS POLL TIME!!! And I would actually say E39 540....

I think an older gentleman such as your father should drive a larger car, such as the 5 series. He would also appreaciate the extra room in the car...

I tend to associate the 3 series with younger buyers, younger drivers.

On the note of reliability, just ask to see the service records of the car ... not every single car made by BMW is problematic. And I might even say that if that car never had any problems before and received regular maintenance, it should not have any reliability problems.

what's ftw?

Get the new 328. If your dad were looking at a pre-Bangle era 5-series, I'd then say go with that...but the newer 5-series, IMO, is a POS compared to the older ones.
But, since it is a choice between two Bangle-era cars, you might as well get the brand-new car with a full warranty and less chance of problems. The new 3-series was also not as radically changed upon its redesign as the 5 and 7-series were.
If this car has I-Drive, though ( not all 3-series cars do ) and your Dad has never had any experience with it, tell him to check the system out thoroughly and make sure he can live with it....the system is complex and frustrating and is one of the chief complaints of newer BMW's.

what's ftw?

FOR THE WIN!!!

Get the new one. As an ex-BMW owner I wouldn't consider the older car. My new one was four years of trouble and trips back to the dealer. Sure enjoyed driving that car though-on the good days.

i would go for a 05 530i or something like that
save up a bit more and ull get more of a car than the 328i

UPDATE! that black 2004 bmw 530i....




































...has been sold to another buyer.

the dealer wouldn't give the car up for the price my father was asking and plus the warranty was almost up. you end up with the remainder of the 5yr/50k warranty. so the best route was to go for a 05-up. the 50k limit is not a big deal since he was looking for something with sub 20k mileage and he averages 5k miles a year. so we found something that we both liked and he put a deposit down already. you guys will find out in a few days what we decided on. but i'll release one little bit of information: other FTW! :cool: