[ATX78703]

STAY AWAY FROM VW - heed the advice here regarding reliability.....

To the OP, it seems like the mercedes CLA was designed for exactly someone like you in mind. would at least be worth a test-drive.

[ATX78703]

+2 on the above posters who would prefer the new accord >>> CC/Passat. it is pretty nice in real life. Tough to beat the Accord if you want all the creature comforts in the 27-32K range, combined with a very balanced FWD experience..

[puma1552]

Originally Posted by vitriol

What is it you want in a car?

Really I'd like to have something that's both fun to drive and has a plethora of features. Problem is in the sub-$40k bracket it's usually either-or, but not both. Being that my wife and I are saving for our first house, I really can't justify going above about $35k (or should I say she can't, lol), which gets me knocking on the door but there would have to be a sacrifice somewhere. I tend to like to buy a higher trim of a lower car than a lower trim of a higher car, my Jetta SEL w/Nav being an example in that it has everything they offer, feature-wise. But my Jetta is just boring, which I'm realizing now after 9 months. Even going to a CC R-line I'd lose my Fender stereo (ouch), my keyless access w/pushbutton ignition (ouch) and my sunroof (ouch). Buuuut, I'd gain xenons and LED tails finally, and dual zone climate control so it's a trade off, or a wash more or less you could say.

Originally Posted by KORALLROT

Not to derail the thread (but I will proceed to do so anyway), how about the all new GTI MK7, early 2014? Lots of promise.

The MK VII GTI looks great (especially the interior, wow) but I just can't get into it. No real reason why.

Originally Posted by amrh

You mentioned that you currently have a RWD weekend-type car, for fun. I guess what I would ask is what is your daily commute like - do you have a lot of twisties/back roads? Or, more highway/straight roads? Do you find yourself trying to make your current Jetta handle as well as a BMW? Or, do you drive it along wanting a nicer car?

For me, I have twisties/back roads for my daily commute with some highway. So, I felt the CC would not satisfy me enough on a daily basis. Although, the car is beautiful both inside and out. But, in the end, it is not RWD.

To me, it would depend on how I plan on driving it on a daily basis, and what I want out of it. Of course, creature comforts provided by the CC are nice. And, again, you'll need to decide what's more important on a daily basis - options or RWD.

Good Luck!

This is a great post, and a great question. I live close to downtown St. Paul, and work right smack in downtown Minneapolis, so as you can imagine my commute is just boring traffic, no fun roads. I think this is why I went with the Jetta I did, I kind of approached the purchase as "the ultimate daily driver without spending much" and for those purposes the Jetta is perfect, but I find myself just wanting a bit more. That inner car guy is showing through in my daily driving. I could surely make my Jetta more fun to drive and handle better, but modding it seems like a waste and kind of goes against why I purchased it in the first place.

Originally Posted by elistan

When I have a choice between something I can afford but is less than what I really want, and something I can't afford but I really desire it - my choice usually is to not spend any money at all. I've found I'm often able to save up the extra money and get what I really want after all, just at a later date.

For what it's worth, BMW Motorweks in Bloomington has 56 used F30s for sale. The cheapest is $31,879. Seven of them are RWD 328is. I don't think any are Sport or M Sport Lines, unfortunately. If you decide to test drive some, be sure to include one with DHP.

I usually do the same as far as saving for something I really like. But at this point in time trying to get a great down payment together for a house in 2015 while still maxing out for retirement, I have to restrain from spending too much. Sometimes when I think of it that way, I think I should just stick it out with my Jetta for a few years.

I'm not sure how I feel about CPO now that me and my wife have our first new cars; I don't know that I could go back to used, even for a CPO with 5k miles, you never know if it's had panels resprayed etc. Often on cars that are so new but traded in, I can't help but wonder why someone would willingly take the hit to offload it so soon unless something happened or the car had problems (I realize I am considering offloading my Jetta which has absolutely nothing wrong with it though so call me a hypocrite). I think at this point in time I'd still be happier with lesser new car than more used car.

Originally Posted by nicknaz

I hear you on the reliability concerns. That's why I am currently leasing. There are some crazy deals to be had on the F30.

Leases are certainly quite attractive, but my preference is always to buy...I don't know that I could ever really enjoy even a 335i knowing I wasn't paying it down to own it. Different strokes for different folks though.

Originally Posted by ATX78703

STAY AWAY FROM VW - heed the advice here regarding reliability.....

To the OP, it seems like the mercedes CLA was designed for exactly someone like you in mind. would at least be worth a test-drive.

Too late, I've already got two VWs. Both have been great so far.

Funny you mention the CLA, my wife already called dibs on either a C-class or that for her next car so those are off-limits. Personally I find the CLA to be ugly (based on pics I've seen).

Originally Posted by ATX78703

+2 on the above posters who would prefer the new accord >>> CC/Passat. it is pretty nice in real life. Tough to beat the Accord if you want all the creature comforts in the 27-32K range, combined with a very balanced FWD experience..

I don't know, no matter how nice a Camry or Accord are, I feel like my life is over when I shell out a lot of cash for something so appliance-like and boring, even if they are quick cars these days. I may as well drive one of those ugly gold bubbly Ford Tauruses from the mid-'90s.

Lots of fantastic posts here and things to think about. When I think back to my E30 325iS and my E36 325i, I remember that the E30 was fun to drive but the E36 was severely overrated and very mediocre IMO. But then I compare the E36 to my Jetta and realize the E36 was fun enough to keep me happy for the four years I had it. I think the issue with my Jetta may be that not only is it not that fun to drive but it also just isn't much to look at. Nobody turns heads to see it like they have in all the previous cars I've owned. I think if I can get something that's either fun to drive (possibly 320i) or a real head turner (CC R-line), then either of those alone would be enough to keep me happy for a few years. But with my Jetta, I get neither and I think that's the problem. I am still young enough though where I could live with less features if the car was fun enough, but the question is, is the 320i fun enough with just sport and lighting? I know I won't get approval from the wife to do a 328i with those features, not new anyway, so I shouldn't consider it.

I think come spring time I will have to just go to the BMW dealer and have a drive with the 320i (and hopefully the 2-series by then) and see if it makes me feel the way my E30 coupe did. I have no doubt the 228i will probably make me feel that way being a coupe, but we will have to see where pricing ends up.

[elistan]

Originally Posted by puma1552

I usually do the same as far as saving for something I really like. But at this point in time trying to get a great down payment together for a house in 2015 while still maxing out for retirement, I have to restrain from spending too much. Sometimes when I think of it that way, I think I should just stick it out with my Jetta for a few years.

I'm not sure how I feel about CPO now that me and my wife have our first new cars; I don't know that I could go back to used, even for a CPO with 5k miles, you never know if it's had panels resprayed etc. Often on cars that are so new but traded in, I can't help but wonder why someone would willingly take the hit to offload it so soon unless something happened or the car had problems (I realize I am considering offloading my Jetta which has absolutely nothing wrong with it though so call me a hypocrite). I think at this point in time I'd still be happier with lesser new car than more used car.

Exactly my point I was trying to make! Stick with the Jetta, focus on the house, then go for the BMW when you have the spare funds to afford it.

[BMWFanatic2008]

Originally Posted by puma1552

I don't know, no matter how nice a Camry or Accord are, I feel like my life is over when I shell out a lot of cash for something so appliance-like and boring, even if they are quick cars these days. I may as well drive one of those ugly gold bubbly Ford Tauruses from the mid-'90s.

what's so special about CC?
What you said about Camry and Accord would also apply to CC:
<I don't know, no matter how nice a CC is, I feel like my life is over when I shell out a lot of cash for something so appliance-like and boring, even if they are nice looking cars these days.>

CC offers a good value for the money and will cost you less $$$ than a 320, but these cars aren't in the same category.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by BMWFanatic2008

what's so special about CC?
What you said about Camry and Accord would also apply to CC:
<I don't know, no matter how nice a CC is, I feel like my life is over when I shell out a lot of cash for something so appliance-like and boring, even if they are nice looking cars these days.>

CC offers a good value for the money and will cost you less $$$ than a 320, but these cars aren't in the same category.

It FEELS German, it feels more solid, it drives with more feedback and feel. It also looks great, and the MPG and tq combo of a Turbo 4 and the ability to tune it with something like APR is a winning combo.

My F-I-L bought a new Accord at the same time I bought my CC and his car seemed an appliance in comparison and felt like a car costing far less than the CC did. It just comes down to what you read on paper and driving both cars.

[shabadoo25]

We looked at the CC in 2010. No bench backset, flat ironing board looking dashboard and an absolutely terrible audio system. The steering was nice but the turbo was laggy and had no punch.

If you want quasi-European performance in a mid-size, go Mazda 6 or Ford Fusion.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by shabadoo25

We looked at the CC in 2010. No bench backset, flat ironing board looking dashboard and an absolutely terrible audio system. The steering was nice but the turbo was laggy and had no punch.

If you want quasi-European performance in a mid-size, go Mazda 6 or Ford Fusion.

Bench seat is there for '13. I loved the 4 place seating, meant my in laws could not all fit in the car

[pamaga2007]

I've recently changed from a CC TDI to a 320i F30 and I've never looked back. The CC was a beautiful car but lacks the refinement and reliability the 320i has.

[BMWFanatic2008]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

It FEELS German, it feels more solid, it drives with more feedback and feel. It also looks great, and the MPG and tq combo of a Turbo 4 and the ability to tune it with something like APR is a winning combo.

My F-I-L bought a new Accord at the same time I bought my CC and his car seemed an appliance in comparison and felt like a car costing far less than the CC did. It just comes down to what you read on paper and driving both cars.

Yes, in comparison to Camry and Accord. I was comparing CC to a 3-er and CC isn't even close.

[commander919]

STAY AWAY FROM VW! I bought one, and 2 months later I was going through the lemon-law process. VW corporate were worthless trying to get my car's issues rectified before going the legal route. I would never buy anything produced by that worthless company.

[puma1552]

Originally Posted by commander919

STAY AWAY FROM VW! I bought one, and 2 months later I was going through the lemon-law process. VW corporate were worthless trying to get my car's issues rectified before going the legal route. I would never buy anything produced by that worthless company.

...

Guess you won't be buying an Audi, a Porsche, a Lambo, a Bentley, a Bugatti, or a Ducati then.

[Ih8usrnms]

I had a VW CC before my 335i. I loved the car. 3 years no issues. The car was great. I love VW i chose to go with a bmw because i wanted a RWD car. If it wasnt for that i would be in a CC again. However the 335i is a completely different car.

[J1n]

I think it's a great car. But why not consider the A5 if you're looking at VW

[puma1552]

Originally Posted by J1n

I think it's a great car. But why not consider the A5 if you're looking at VW

A5 is far out of my price range, those cars are not cheap and even CPOs have held their value insanely well.

I noticed something about the F30 that I really like, which I can almost guarantee would contribute to a sporty feel on the F30 - the position of the front wheels relative to the cowl, indicated by the fat chunk of front fender between the front wheel and the leading edge of the front doors. My Jetta (and the CC) has a very, very narrow portion of fender here, in other words the wheels are just in front of the doors where as in the BMW it looks as if the driver is sitting quite a bit further back from the wheels, which I imagine would give a more coupe-like, sporty feeling.

EDIT: One other thing that scares me with the CC is the absolutely terrible resale value...last winter, when '13s were only 3-4 months old, you could find a Sport Plus (basically an R-line without the R-line body kit, which is what the R-line has now replaced) CPO with 5k-8k miles (usually VW executive cars) for asking prices of only $25k all day. That's an insane hit, even for a new car, when you consider $25k is the asking price and by no means the price it needs to sell at to make money. I can't think of any new car with worse resale value - even my Jetta, of which they sell 180,000 a year, doesn't sink as bad as the CC which to me is crazy.