Threxx

So it has come down to either getting a 2008 Corvette with the 430hp LS3 V8, 6-speed automatic with paddle shifters, magnetic selective ride control suspension, and 4LT leather wrapped interior package with all of the other options (bose, heads up display, XM, etc)

OR

Leasing a BMW 335i sedan for 24 months... I'd probably get the premium and sport package, but no nav or anything else.

I drove each car and love them both in their own respects. The BMW just fits me like a glove. I can drive that car so hard and it just begs for more. It's not nearly as fast as the Vette, but still fast enough to get a good thrill out of it, and still excellent peddle response at any RPM.

I can lease the 335i for 24 months, 30k miles total, zero down, for about $540/month including tax.

The vette seems like a better investment, or... at least to say not as bad of a loss, long-term, as I'd probably keep it for many years, even if it didn't remain my daily driver for more than the first couple of years. It's also quite a bit more fun to drive, but not nearly as good of a daily driver, either - I can see myself tiring out of after a couple of years and wanting to garage it for weekend drives while getting something else.

I expect to get the Vette for invoice price with Corvette Museum delivery in bowling green - including tax I'm thinking right about $48k which, while I would put a solid down payment on it, to keep things even, at zero down it'd probably be around 850-900/month for 60 months.

Just looking for your feedback.

I don't know what to expect from you guys. I know this board is fairly anti-domestic, but many here are also anti-BMW by default since they're probably the closest to a 'bullying' competitor of Lexus vehicles.

Thoughts?

jimxo

First off your cross shopping two very different cars as you already know.

That said I would go with the BMW for 24 months and see what the C7 Vette offers for 2010.

I'm a big vette fan but feel the next vette will be worth the wait. The BMW will keep you happy for years to come.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

3-Series are too common.

Get the 'Vette!

GS wanted

iTrader: (9)

Gee, life's tough. I'm partial to the Vette though. I still prefer the C5 body style to the C6 but the C6 is growing on me. Both cars will have a nice aftermarket for additional performance so for me it comes down to style, fun factor, and value for dollar.
Advantage Vette in my view. But, you probably can't go wrong either way.

Threxx

Yeah that is a good point. The C7 will be out right around the time that the 335i would be off its 2-year lease, and I keep hearing "the C5 was a major change over the C4, the C6 was a minor change over the C5, and the C7 will be a major change over the C6"... might be better just to wait a couple of years... hmmm...

Seize

Get the Vette

Gojirra99

I would take the vette in a second

thetopdog

I have a 2006 Vette so I might be biased, but the Vette is in an entirely different class. If you don't need the backseats ever (I've already had to fit 2 girls in the passenger seat on 3 different occasions, plus one girl on my friend's lap and one in the trunk 2 weeks ago), the Vette is the much better choice

I didn't even consider a 335i when I was buying, the Vette is so much better looking and performs so much better (plus you can take the roof off of the Vette since it's a targa)a boring 3-Series wasn't even in contention. The other car I was considering was a Porsche Boxster/Cayman S.

The C6 is my only car, and I drive it through traffic (driving a stick shift in traffic isn't as bad as it sounds) and terrible roads (the roads in Boston are absolutely unacceptable) every day. It's really not that bad, you do have to watch out when climbing any kind of driveway incline though.

I couldn't be happier with my purchase, 3-Series BMWs are a dime a dozen. One of my coworkers owns a 330i and he's always telling me how much he loves my car and how he wants to get one

Threxx

Thanks for the input. Your input would be about 10x more valuable had you gotten some seat time in a 335i though. I drove them both (well, an LS2, not an LS3). The Vette definitely performed better and the 335i definitely road better. I felt like I could push the 335i much harder without reaching a 'breaking point' where I might lose control. So while the Vette had better overall handling - it was more dramatic and less confidence inspiring when it did handle.

The Vette didn't ride as badly as I expected, either.

Which is why I'm left confused and looking for input. I loved them both, quite a bit, in considerably different ways.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

Vette will rattle itself apart. Buy the solid performer with good looks and ride comfort.... that won't end up with every interior panel rattling going down the road....... BMW all the way.

Threxx

To be honest I wasn't all that impressed by the materials or quality of the BMW interior either - lots of hard plastics and missing attention to detail in my opinion, at least compared to what Audi and Lexus have gotten my accustomed to. That's not to say the Vette interior is any better - but the Vette gets a lot of complaints that I don't hear about the BMW and I just don't see why.

Granted, I wouldn't care very much if the BMW had some quality issues on the inside - it's a lease.

I would mind more if the Vette turned into a rattle trap since I'd be in that for the longer term.

miky702

Vette is not much better looking than the new 3 series coupe. That's all personal preferences. They belong in a different class and I think they should naturally look different. I find them both attractive in their own ways. 3 series maybe are a dime a dozen, but it's not like a corvette is some kind of exclusive exotics either. 330i and 335i might have similar handling, but they cannot be compared when it comes to power. If you're into modding, then get the procede by vishnu that gets you another 60hp for $1500. The car will still be slower than the ls2 vette but its straight line performance will be somewhere between the vette and stock 335i.

Now ls3 will obviously be even faster and the mod potential for both ls2 and ls3 are also very high. If you're seriously thinking about getting a 335i, then you're probably at least or almost at least satisfied with the power it makes. Adding a procede will only make it even faster. Definitely get the vette if you wanna win street races though.

Excluding looks, it all comes down to this. Power, the feeling of driving a dedicated sports car vs. refinement, 2 practical seats, and resale, name plate (if that matters to you).

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

Wow.. I love both cars myself. The C6 platform Vette is an incredible drive. It feels very European to me in the way the suspension feels, and the way it corners so flat with the z51 package.. I would go with the Heartbeat of America... The Chevy Corvette

thetopdog

I agree that styling is subjective, but I really can't see how anybody would think the 3 coupe is a better looking car than the Corvette. I love the look of purpose-built sports cars though so I might be biased (not to mention the fact that I can't stand most of Bangle's designs). Even so, I have gotten so many compliments on my car in the 2 months I've been driving it. I really doubt anybody would go out of their way to tell me how beautiful my car is if I were driving a 3 series. Plus girls love this thing. What girls think about the car isn't really that important, but I'm 23 and single so it's definitely a plus. I've picked up so many girls simply because of the car its incredible. Last Friday I had to show my friend the power of the Vette and the car pulled a girl for him too

DriftNsc3

I'm a die hard Vette fan. The 335i looks bad as hell when done up nicelyrthough, not sure if modding is your thing or not. I would go with the vette at the end of the day.