BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum - View Single Post

tony20009 · 08-23-2013, 05:46 AM

Neither.

You buy a new 335i with the following options which will list for $53.4K. You negotiate and and get the dealer to sell it to you for $50K including tax, tag and title. You make a down payment sufficient enough to ensure that you will never be upside down in your payments or pay cash outright. Then you keep the car for at least 6 years.

If your life is such at that six years later you can comfortably buy a new car and that's what you want to do, do so, trading in or keeping the 335i as your means and circumstances dictate/allow. If for whatever reason you don't want to get a different car and you've been pleased with the 335i, keep it.

The options you should get are:

Premium sound pakage
Heated seats (if you live in a place that gets cold)
Heated steering wheel (if you live in a place that gets cold)
Leather seats
Navigation
Extended maintenance and warranty

I recommend those options because everyone of them (except the warranty) will help keep the wholesale monetary value of your car and higher over the years. Also, those are the only options you can get that help keep high the car's long term monetary value and that don't force you to buy a package that's loaded with stuff that has no impact on the downstream monetary value of your car.

I didn't suggest other packages for the following reasons:

M-Sport:
- Not one thing in that package has any value at all in the wholesale car market
- Not one thing in that package can't be obtained as an aftermarket mod.
I didn't suggest the Premium package because the leather seats in it are the only thing in it that adds to the downstream wholesale value of the car.
Cold Weather Package -- the package costs $900. Heated seats cost $500. It's hard for me to think that a ski bag and headlight washers are worth $400. Tiny little men don't emerge from the washer cut-out to scrub your headlights and wipe them dry. And unlike the MB headlight system on my 560SEL (ca. 1986), the ones offered here have no wiper.
Convenience Package -- because nothing in it is going to help the long term wholesale value of the car. However, as the packages go, it appears to be a good value when evaluating the stand-alone prices for the stuff in this package. That is, of course, if you really believe a small sonar, a bit of computer programming and a window shade are actually worth the prices BMW assign to those options.
- PDC - The tech has been around since the 1930s. If you have an electronic, inaudible-to-you dog whistle, you have an ultrasonic transmitter. All you need is a receiver and the ability to do the math associated with D=RT and you too can ultrasonically measure the distance to the car behind you. An FM radio broadcast is a sonic transmission. The only difference it and an ultrasonic transmitter is the frequency, or pitch in common parlance, not the tech that makes it happen. (Technically, pitch and frequency are different.)
- Sun shade - OK...it's a window shade, and not even one that's designed to cover the entire area of the window.
- Comfort Access - Yes, there's some additional hardware -- a small circuit board ($2/each retail), a motion detector ($5 at Home Depot) and some extra wire -- that goes with this one, and it has a little 1¢ program that does nothign but open or close things in response to touch or radio wave inputs in much the same way your pc does to your wireless keyboard inputs. You have phone apps with more complex software. Nothing in this package has any business at all costing $500, regardless of the fact that it can stop you from locking your keys inside the car, which is the only real benefit of this feature.

So that brings me to the M3 and why I didn't suggest you get that instead. In and of itself, the M3 is an excellent car. It's a fast car. It will out perform most any other car on the road, especially in the hands of a skilled driver. Most M3 buyers are not such a driver, even if the ones you encounter on B-post are. M3s appeal to folks who may take great care of their cars, but also to folks who take great liberties with their M3. Did the M3 you are using live a hard life? I don't know? Do you?

BMWs are sensitive cars. If you don't miss a beat regarding their maintenance, they'll serve you for years. If you slip up, the internal harm begins and it begins to build up and it doesn't get better by itself. It works much the same way athlete's foot fungus does. You won't know you have it when you first get it. You can go on for quite a while without noticing it, but then one day, there your foot is peeling apart. Can it be remedied, sure just like athlete's foot can, but it's no small task to do so. So was the used M3 you are about to buy maintained zealously? I don't know. Do you?

If something needs fixing on the new car, it's free or not more than $1000 (wear items that might not be covered). If the same happens on your M3, it'll cost at least $1000. Are you prepared for that? I don't know. You do though.

You get my point, I'm sure. Now, if the car in question is going to be an "extra car" or at the most not a daily driver, then sure, get the M3 if that's really what you want. The car itself is not why I'm suggesting against it as a daily driver, it's that I wouldn't suggest to any one that they buy a sensitive car as a daily driver and they can't be 100% sure that the car was lovingly used and maintained.

I realize that my rationale could be applicable to a 335i also. The difference is, you have the money to buy a 335i that doesn't have any of the risks I've described.

Having answered more or less the question you asked, Here is what I would actually do. Were it me, I'd buy a 328i now. Option it to match the 335i suggested above, put the $5-7K saving in some sort of long term investment that has a reasonable chance of yielding 10%/year. Drive it for 6 or more years, during which time I'd doll it up with whatever mods suited me. Then, I'd buy a new M3 and keep the 328ii as my daily driver and use the M3 to go have fun when I want to. Five years after that, I would sell/trade the 328i and buy a new DD, and keep the M3. For your car car purchases after that, you then have a variety options and you'll likely be at a point in life where you won't be asking anybody which one to choose:

keep the M3 as the foundation to a car collection;
keep both and let your kids use one and buy a new DD for yourself;
replace the 328i with a comparable "modest" car;
replace the M3 with a comparable or nicer "fun" car,
sell the M3 and buy two cheap cars for your kids...

That strategy yields several benefits in my mind:

It gives me a fun and very reliable DD for now, and many years to come, that is also better on gas than an M3 and cheaper to repair and maintain than an M3 or 335i.
Later on, when I do buy an M3, I'll be getting much better tech and efficiency. And if I don't like the then current M3, I can always buy a well maintained older version. It won't matter so much whether you buy a used one or a new one because you aren't going to be depending on it as you would a DD.
It keeps more money in my pocket now
Regardless of what cars you buy after the 328i, the principles of the approach I'm suggesting will still apply, it'll just be for different reasons. You might, come that time, need to buy an SUV or large sedan instead of an M3.

Lastly, are there factors that would make me alter my suggestion? Sure there are.

You are 40 or older now -- I don't know how useful this specific approach for the cars in question is once you are 40. The principle of and concept is sound, but I doubt the cars in question are going to be a 335i and an M3. By that point in life, one begins to get over the "I need to have the fastest car around" thing and as the years continue, the outright speed of the M3 will matter less and less...also, by the time of the third car purchase, there could well be no reason to have an extra car for "fun." Especially since at that point you'll be thinking about whether you can retire before you hit 60.
You have the bucks to buy either car, but maintaining either will be expensive to you if something goes wrong with it. In that case, I would say either buy a new 328i, 428i, 135i or a very low mileage up to 2 year old non-M CPO 1er/3er with extended maintenance and warranty, or a non-BMW, or chill for a while until the 2er is released and decide then.
There's a 50% or better chance you'll have to/want to swap out of the coupe within the next 6 years for functional transportation reasons (need a bigger DD). In this case, I'd say buy that car now. It'll cost you in the end to go "off plan" and the car you'll need then won't be cheaper to buy then than it is now. The only difference is that next time you'll be car buying it'll be that car that you keep at the end of six years, not a 3er and your kids will learn to drive on that car rather than a BMW 3er.

08-23-2013, 05:46 AM	#20
tony20009 Major General 1045 Rep 5,660 Posts Drives: BMW 335i - Coupe Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Washington, DC iTrader: (0)	Neither. You buy a new 335i with the following options which will list for $53.4K. You negotiate and and get the dealer to sell it to you for $50K including tax, tag and title. You make a down payment sufficient enough to ensure that you will never be upside down in your payments or pay cash outright. Then you keep the car for at least 6 years. If your life is such at that six years later you can comfortably buy a new car and that's what you want to do, do so, trading in or keeping the 335i as your means and circumstances dictate/allow. If for whatever reason you don't want to get a different car and you've been pleased with the 335i, keep it. The options you should get are: Premium sound pakage Heated seats (if you live in a place that gets cold) Heated steering wheel (if you live in a place that gets cold) Leather seats Navigation Extended maintenance and warranty I recommend those options because everyone of them (except the warranty) will help keep the wholesale monetary value of your car and higher over the years. Also, those are the only options you can get that help keep high the car's long term monetary value and that don't force you to buy a package that's loaded with stuff that has no impact on the downstream monetary value of your car. I didn't suggest other packages for the following reasons: M-Sport: Not one thing in that package has any value at all in the wholesale car market Not one thing in that package can't be obtained as an aftermarket mod. I didn't suggest the Premium package because the leather seats in it are the only thing in it that adds to the downstream wholesale value of the car. Cold Weather Package -- the package costs $900. Heated seats cost $500. It's hard for me to think that a ski bag and headlight washers are worth $400. Tiny little men don't emerge from the washer cut-out to scrub your headlights and wipe them dry. And unlike the MB headlight system on my 560SEL (ca. 1986), the ones offered here have no wiper. Convenience Package -- because nothing in it is going to help the long term wholesale value of the car. However, as the packages go, it appears to be a good value when evaluating the stand-alone prices for the stuff in this package. That is, of course, if you really believe a small sonar, a bit of computer programming and a window shade are actually worth the prices BMW assign to those options. PDC - The tech has been around since the 1930s. If you have an electronic, inaudible-to-you dog whistle, you have an ultrasonic transmitter. All you need is a receiver and the ability to do the math associated with D=RT and you too can ultrasonically measure the distance to the car behind you. An FM radio broadcast is a sonic transmission. The only difference it and an ultrasonic transmitter is the frequency, or pitch in common parlance, not the tech that makes it happen. (Technically, pitch and frequency are different.) Sun shade - OK...it's a window shade, and not even one that's designed to cover the entire area of the window. Comfort Access - Yes, there's some additional hardware -- a small circuit board ($2/each retail), a motion detector ($5 at Home Depot) and some extra wire -- that goes with this one, and it has a little 1¢ program that does nothign but open or close things in response to touch or radio wave inputs in much the same way your pc does to your wireless keyboard inputs. You have phone apps with more complex software. Nothing in this package has any business at all costing $500, regardless of the fact that it can stop you from locking your keys inside the car, which is the only real benefit of this feature. So that brings me to the M3 and why I didn't suggest you get that instead. In and of itself, the M3 is an excellent car. It's a fast car. It will out perform most any other car on the road, especially in the hands of a skilled driver. Most M3 buyers are not such a driver, even if the ones you encounter on B-post are. M3s appeal to folks who may take great care of their cars, but also to folks who take great liberties with their M3. Did the M3 you are using live a hard life? I don't know? Do you? BMWs are sensitive cars. If you don't miss a beat regarding their maintenance, they'll serve you for years. If you slip up, the internal harm begins and it begins to build up and it doesn't get better by itself. It works much the same way athlete's foot fungus does. You won't know you have it when you first get it. You can go on for quite a while without noticing it, but then one day, there your foot is peeling apart. Can it be remedied, sure just like athlete's foot can, but it's no small task to do so. So was the used M3 you are about to buy maintained zealously? I don't know. Do you? If something needs fixing on the new car, it's free or not more than $1000 (wear items that might not be covered). If the same happens on your M3, it'll cost at least $1000. Are you prepared for that? I don't know. You do though. You get my point, I'm sure. Now, if the car in question is going to be an "extra car" or at the most not a daily driver, then sure, get the M3 if that's really what you want. The car itself is not why I'm suggesting against it as a daily driver, it's that I wouldn't suggest to any one that they buy a sensitive car as a daily driver and they can't be 100% sure that the car was lovingly used and maintained. I realize that my rationale could be applicable to a 335i also. The difference is, you have the money to buy a 335i that doesn't have any of the risks I've described. Having answered more or less the question you asked, Here is what I would actually do. Were it me, I'd buy a 328i now. Option it to match the 335i suggested above, put the $5-7K saving in some sort of long term investment that has a reasonable chance of yielding 10%/year. Drive it for 6 or more years, during which time I'd doll it up with whatever mods suited me. Then, I'd buy a new M3 and keep the 328ii as my daily driver and use the M3 to go have fun when I want to. Five years after that, I would sell/trade the 328i and buy a new DD, and keep the M3. For your car car purchases after that, you then have a variety options and you'll likely be at a point in life where you won't be asking anybody which one to choose: keep the M3 as the foundation to a car collection; keep both and let your kids use one and buy a new DD for yourself; replace the 328i with a comparable "modest" car; replace the M3 with a comparable or nicer "fun" car, sell the M3 and buy two cheap cars for your kids... That strategy yields several benefits in my mind: It gives me a fun and very reliable DD for now, and many years to come, that is also better on gas than an M3 and cheaper to repair and maintain than an M3 or 335i. Later on, when I do buy an M3, I'll be getting much better tech and efficiency. And if I don't like the then current M3, I can always buy a well maintained older version. It won't matter so much whether you buy a used one or a new one because you aren't going to be depending on it as you would a DD. It keeps more money in my pocket now Regardless of what cars you buy after the 328i, the principles of the approach I'm suggesting will still apply, it'll just be for different reasons. You might, come that time, need to buy an SUV or large sedan instead of an M3. Lastly, are there factors that would make me alter my suggestion? Sure there are. You are 40 or older now -- I don't know how useful this specific approach for the cars in question is once you are 40. The principle of and concept is sound, but I doubt the cars in question are going to be a 335i and an M3. By that point in life, one begins to get over the "I need to have the fastest car around" thing and as the years continue, the outright speed of the M3 will matter less and less...also, by the time of the third car purchase, there could well be no reason to have an extra car for "fun." Especially since at that point you'll be thinking about whether you can retire before you hit 60. You have the bucks to buy either car, but maintaining either will be expensive to you if something goes wrong with it. In that case, I would say either buy a new 328i, 428i, 135i or a very low mileage up to 2 year old non-M CPO 1er/3er with extended maintenance and warranty, or a non-BMW, or chill for a while until the 2er is released and decide then. There's a 50% or better chance you'll have to/want to swap out of the coupe within the next 6 years for functional transportation reasons (need a bigger DD). In this case, I'd say buy that car now. It'll cost you in the end to go "off plan" and the car you'll need then won't be cheaper to buy then than it is now. The only difference is that next time you'll be car buying it'll be that car that you keep at the end of six years, not a 3er and your kids will learn to drive on that car rather than a BMW 3er. __________________ Cheers, Tony ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ '07, e92 335i, *Sparkling Graphite, Coral Leather, Aluminum, 6-speed*
	Appreciate 0 Quote