juice14

VERY DISAPOINTED

Friend of mine is trying to buy a car and it is within the IS350, 335i, 135i, and AudiS4.

We went to the BMW dealership and first he looked at the 335i. he didnt drive it because he didnt like the looks of the 4-door, the interior sucks.....and he rode with me on my IS with navigation and vent seats which is a nice interior and my car costs way less than 40K. the 335i's with similar options (nav, leather, keyless entry, keyless go, upgraded wheels, and trimed interior) where running for about 10K more which is too much....

the point is that the 135 i is a little cheaper (still too pricey) so he scratched off the 335i and we drove a 135i ATX . . first of all the car is tinny, we drove it and yes has a lot of torque and it handles great. but the transmission is crunchy, specially when you manually downshift. We both think the interior is HORRIBLE. I dont know who writes all these great reviews. dont get me wrong its a great car but for 45 GRAND are you kidding me????

I am even more convinced that i made the right choice in getting a lexus, the power delivery is smoother, the tranny as well. the interior is 10 times better than any BMW.... and the car is way cheaper, more reliable.....which is prally the most important thing.

We left the dealership and I let my friend drive my IS350 with Fsport intake and tanabe exhaust. He believes the IS rides better, power delivery is better, sounds better (remember i have tanabe) and for the price is way better purchase because of all the available options....he thinks my IS is the same, if not a lil quicker than the bmw. but thats not the point.

I knwo that a lot of people here, before they got their IS, they test drove BMW's.SO, Is it just me?? or am I biased towards Lexus?? I try to be pretty neutral on this. I was actually took him to the BMW dealership and made him drive it.

If they would all cost the same, 335i, IS350, 135i. then yes it would be hard for him to decide. but these BMW's are so expensive and they sell you the "driving experience" but with ugly interior and no options come on.

So for right now my friend is thinking about the IS350 or the S4 from audi (which is a sick *** car)
anyone here driven an S4?


EDIT:Remember, the BMW handles much better, but that factor is not really important for him. hes had turbo civics, camaro, and all that. so hes done with moding cars. he just wants a pretty quick daily driver fro a good price...
I also forgot to mention hes German hehe

Scythe

i havent driven one but i've been in one, and it was quite a ride, it handled very well and seemed to have very responsive steering (again i was passenger, so i coudlnt get the full feel). The interior is very nicely built imo, and the styling is beautiful... but, i own a IS, so i'd say get the IS350 =p.

I've also heard mannyyy stories of audi's having a bad service rep, and being somewhat unreliable.. of course this varies car to car and basically with the persons luck and how well they take care of the car... but i've heard of very few lexus troubles. My friend got a brand new audi A4 and within 3 months it was in the shop for some serious engine troubles

chwang1973

Should also consider Evo X MR, Here in Orlando, FL some dealership offer 5K off, that put you in 35k-38k range.

sdub74

BMW pricing has always been ridiculous. You want a color other than red, black, or white? $550 please. You want leather instead of "leatherette"? $1,450 please. Auto tranny? That will be $1,350. How much for "reliability"?

They may be fun to drive (never driven one, so I don't know) but the interiors haven't really changed in 20 years, they break down all the time, and cost and arm and a leg.

But you do get "free" maintenance.

ISF_GG

iTrader: (2)

Isn't it free "scheduled" maintenance. So 10k, 20k, 30k, etc are free. I'm not sure what exactly is covered under the "scheduled" maintenance guidelines. If it were me, I would sell the car once the free maintenance ended. But then again, I won't be buying one, as I just can't force myself to live with those cr@ppy BMW interiors.

kit cat

iTrader: (6)

please don't refer to it as a "M1".

bagwell

from another thread.....
go build your own 135i at BMWUSA.COM...over $42k with prem + sports pkg and NO NAV

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that's with no heated seats, no hd radio, no ipod integ, no park sensors, no prem radio, no sat radio, no nav.

does include automatic ($1275)

SecPole14

Yeah, I agree, that is not even remotely cool. There's a reason BMW isn't going to market with an "official" M version of the 1-Series. It's because the M1 moniker is sacred and totally inappropriate for an entry-level coupe, regardless of the trim level.

But yes, I think the 135 might be a little over-rated and the growing objective consensus in the BMW community seems to be that the 128 is a more balanced car overall. The 128 would certainly be my choice between the two.

And yes (again), unless you buy the unoptioned base car (which is what I would do), this thing is outrageously pricey.

DrShoe

Since I sold my IS350, I've been looking left and right for cars to buy for next spring. I'm currently eyeing the 135i and the 335i coupe because I would like to try a BMW as well as have a stick shift.

MSRP wise, yes both are very overpriced for what you get besides the engine and handling but with a little effort - both can be had from $500 - $1000 over invoice. It will also be $2k to $3k cheaper if you choose the European delivery, which I intend to do so I can have the car built exactly the way I want option and color wise.

The 135i is indeed a tiny car but I really don't need much interior space so it suits my current needs. 335i coupe is fine also but it is priced at about $6k more than the 135i.

Overall, I know their interior falls short of my IS350 and with less amenities but this time around I am just looking a different type of car.

pbm317

BMW's are slanted toward a slightly different driver, some people like the "feel" of BMW driving dynamics and some people like the luxury slanted feel of the Lexus products. Something out there for everyone!

The S4 is going to be in between the Lexus and the BMW in terms of dynamics, but it's going to be quite a gas hog with that V8. And you'd have to get a used car if you want to stay around the 40-45K price point.

juice14

I told him but hes looking for a lil more luxury than the Evo. plus the Evos insurance is high as hell. hes only 24 years old also

juice14

Ive driven the 5 series 525 Slow!!! the 135i and the 335i and yes they are fun but I think people are decieved by BMW's marketing and they go test a car with the mentallity that this car is going to be awesome so it is.....

An d dont take me wrong they are a lot of fun specially the tt ones. but for the price to me they are nto worth it.

Yes, they had problems selling so they made a huge campain on BMW are the real driving machine and that they give you free maintnance. but they forgot to mention their proces went up as well. so its all the same

juice14

thats a good reason to get a BMW. 6-speed manual. and dont really care about luxury

SecPole14

Are you sure you ran your numbers correctly? European delivery is great, but only if you're already planning a vacation to Europe. Simply flying to Europe for a couple days to just take delivery of the car is only going to wipe out that $2-3K in savings and leave you with one helluva case of jetlag.

At one point, Saab had a great deal going on their European delivery: tickets for two, one night at a hotel, AND the savings. But that obviously didn't last long.

I have yet to hear of anyone truly coming out ahead by choosing European delivery.

DrShoe

I can save about $2500 on the 1 series by doing Euro Delivery because I've always wanted to go to Europe for a vacation so why not use the money savings (that I'll have to pay anyway if I just order the car and they ship it here) and enjoy Europe for about a week. I am definitely not flying to Munich, pick it up and drop it off the and fly home the next day because that's insane. I actually plan to fly to London then eventually make my way to Munich via Paris and Switzerland.

I'll still be getting leather and NAV on the 1 series but I'll miss the IS's touchscreen and back up camera although the 135i is so compact, I hardly need one. But nothing's confirmed as I change my minds quite frequently and I'm still looking into purchasing a condo before a car.