[BMWFanatic2008]

You looked at Legacy, but not at WRX STI? These fall in the same price range.

[JSB07044]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

That loaded T6 should not be compared to the 328, drive a 335x MSport with DHP-THEN compare it to the Volvo.

I can only compare what I can afford. The S60 T6 costs the same as a base 328i with basic options.

[JSB07044]

Originally Posted by newoldbeemer

Do yourself a great favor and go for one with the DHP or Msport, even if the car has nothing else in it. And DON'T GO FOR XDRIVE!

328ix MSport config costs $49,625 or more than $5,000 more than what I can possibly afford.

I need AWD for winter driving in NJ.

Also do yourself another huge favor and consider the G37 or Q50.

I find the Japanese/Asian cars a bit too plasticky for my tastes. I currently own a VW, but want to "upgrade."

[JSB07044]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

The F30 you drove has the softest, tallest, floatiest suspension, the smallest, least grippy tires. It gives you the worst impression a BMW can give you, worse than previous base BMWs.

And if this is how the majority of the cars on the road are configured, what happens to the BMW brand experience? The advice should not be "upgrade to more expensive trim lines and options" but rather send BMW the message that the base model no longer feels worthy of the badge. This can also be accomplished by lost sales to the competition ...

[Pauleebe]

Originally Posted by JSB07044

328ix MSport config costs $49,625 or more than $5,000 more than what I can possibly afford.

I need AWD for winter driving in NJ.

If DHP is going to break your budget, then perhaps this vehicle is not right for you.

If you need AWD and want a BMW, consider the 320i xDrive or X1 xDrive. You'll get high 30's with plenty of equipment easily.

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by JSB07044

328ix MSport config costs $49,625 or more than $5,000 more than what I can possibly afford.

I need AWD for winter driving in NJ.

Who cares about MSRP, go for the car you want and then negotiate the price. My car had a $44k sticker and I got it down to $38k.

Originally Posted by JSB07044

And if this is how the majority of the cars on the road are configured, what happens to the BMW brand experience? The advice should not be "upgrade to more expensive trim lines and options" but rather send BMW the message that the base model no longer feels worthy of the badge. This can also be accomplished by lost sales to the competition ...

Because softer seems to sell, sales are up. The enthusiasts will seek out the higher trim lines to get that BMW feeling and if not happy, let them walk to another manufacturer. For every one of those that BMW loses, they get 3 housewives who love the base car/base suspension. On a road trip yesterday I saw a few guys in Sport Lines, then I passed tons of BASE model cars driven by middle aged women.

[newoldbeemer]

Originally Posted by yemenmocha

I see where you're coming from in general. I had a different experience with the Accord though (though not necessarily on the cornering at fast speeds) I thought it had a lot of power for an Accord. That 280hp can be felt and the Accords are heavily discounted, easily found for under invoice... so it's actually an upper $20's comparison. For people on very tight budgets, $27-28k is very different than $35k especially when you factor in cost of ownership longterm between those two cars.

That's true. If you drop the need for nav, Accord V6s go down to like 27k and the equation changes completely.

Originally Posted by BMWFanatic2008

You looked at Legacy, but not at WRX STI? These fall in the same price range.

Yup. The STI and even the WRX don't have an automatic gearbox. I love driving sticks, but this has to be automatic for "family and friends" reasons. If I had complete choice, I would have gone for a stick 128i and that solves everything . Alas - it has to be automatic and four door. (actually I had to do quite a bit of persuading not to get an SUV.. lol! That would've been a disaster for me )

Originally Posted by JSB07044

328ix MSport config costs $49,625 or more than $5,000 more than what I can possibly afford.

I need AWD for winter driving in NJ.



I find the Japanese/Asian cars a bit too plasticky for my tastes. I currently own a VW, but want to "upgrade."

Trust me, an Infiniti is a definite upgrade, a big upgrade in my opinion, over the VW.
I am just trying to save you the remorse that is creeping in, by giving you my honest opinion. If I had to factor in winter driving, it would be Legacy 3.6 or A4 Quattro, I wouldn't even think about BMW. Fortunately I live in California.

Once again - if you are a 30k buyer who can somehow stretch to 35k, cross shopping V6 Accord, V6 Camry, GTI etc.. then the base 328i is a great choice instead - if you beat the price down to like 35kish or less. An equally good choice is a 320i with sport. To me, these win ANY DAY over the other choices. The RWD alone is worth it. The turbo 4 cylinder is awesome. I don't mind having nav and keyless entry for that.

However - If you can afford anything more - forget the base! You WILL regret if you can afford anything more and didn't get it.

If you love driving you will regret the xdrive. Don't say I didn't warn you. Unlike (stupid) me, you are hanging out on the forums BEFORE the purchase and not after.. thats a good thing!

[MCoupeInsanity]

I have a well-equipped E90 335i (premium, nav, M-sport), and my wife has an F30 328i. I love the F30.

Overall it is really competent, and I have minimal complaints about it. Perfectly comfortable, plenty of gadgets (got it with premium, nav), more than enough usable power for zipping around, merging, etc with the N20/ZF8 combo, feels well put together with good fit and finish, steers very accurately even if not super communicative, seems well sprung (the non-sport suspension is a welcome break from my M-sport masochism) and is generally very pleasant to live with.

Major downsides IMO are the engine/exhaust sound, the slightly numb (but, as I mentioned, still very accurate) steering in "Comfort," and the size... it's a bit large.

[JoeyO]

I'm a big fan of getting the best base model you can afford. Because I'm a driving enthusiast the engine/driving components are more important to me than any gadgets. That suits me fine because 99% of the time my eyes are on the road, not on my dashboard. Plus, when I sell the car, I will get very little return in the prices I paid for the gadgets. So the few of them, the better.

[mntbiker]

Originally Posted by JoeyO

I'm a big fan of getting the best base model you can afford. Because I'm a driving enthusiast the engine/driving components are more important to me than any gadgets. That suits me fine because 99% of the time my eyes are on the road, not on my dashboard. Plus, when I sell the car, I will get very little return in the prices I paid for the gadgets. So the few of them, the better.

I can definitely see this point of view. I'm kinda like this, but I say base+m sport pkg because I really don't like the way some of these base model cars look w/o at least the sport pkg. I would definitely step down a model to ensure that I could fit the car + M Sport pkg into my budget.

The sport seats, chunky steering wheel, suspension, wheels, and bodywork all come together to make a big impact on the driving feel and overall look of the car.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

....Because softer seems to sell, sales are up. The enthusiasts will seek out the higher trim lines to get that BMW feeling and if not happy, let them walk to another manufacturer. For every one of those that BMW loses, they get 3 housewives who love the base car/base suspension. On a road trip yesterday I saw a few guys in Sport Lines, then I passed tons of BASE model cars driven by middle aged women.

Once enthusiasts grasp that BMW are there to sell cars, and follow the money, we'll understand why the cars are softer off the peg.

Our motoring press in the UK have slated BMW for ride quality over the past generation of BMW cars. Why? Not everyone wants an over firm ride which can't cope with poor surfaces. The customer reviews on some of our leading UK motor mag sites have users commenting on the poor ride in the BMW models. I've spoken with 'loyal' BMW customers at my BMW dealer who have clearly expressed their views that if BMW don't sort this ride quality issue they will move marque. BMW are at least listening and trying to get rides sorted for comfort. If some enthusiasts want a firmer setup add the BMW Performance options. But I suggest most BMW buyers are not too interested in the top 5% of handling dynamics. Certainly not interested in some 'pseudo' hard ride, as if that makes a car a sporty drive.

HighlandPete

[J1n]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Once enthusiasts grasp that BMW are there to sell cars, and follow the money, we'll understand why the cars are softer off the peg.

Our motoring press in the UK have slated BMW for ride quality over the past generation of BMW cars. Why? Not everyone wants an over firm ride which can't cope with poor surfaces. The customer reviews on some of our leading UK motor mag sites have users commenting on the poor ride in the BMW models. I've spoken with 'loyal' BMW customers at my BMW dealer who have clearly expressed their views that if BMW don't sort this ride quality issue they will move marque. BMW are at least listening and trying to get rides sorted for comfort. If some enthusiasts want a firmer setup add the BMW Performance options. But I suggest most BMW buyers are not too interested in the top 5% of handling dynamics. Certainly not interested in some 'pseudo' hard ride, as if that makes a car a sporty drive.

HighlandPete

You hit it right on the head. They are in the business of making money hence catering for the widest populations requirement. Enthusiasts who account for 10% of that MEH

[JSB07044]

Well, that was interesting: I just got back from test driving a '14 Volvo S60 T6 AWD. What I liked: awesome bolstered seats (I could live in there all day), very impressive digital instrument displays, zippy 300-hp T6 engine, nice integrated exhaust tips, standard 18-inch wheels, nice paddle shifters. What I didn't like: the ride. It may have been just that one example, but it felt like the tires were overinflated. Even worse was the odd rumbling sound at 50-70 mph on smooth highway, like something was wrong with the tires or balance. It was really weird. I'm not sure what to think, except that a standard trim 328ix looks much more appealing to me now.