Why SHOULDN'T my dad get a BMW 128i?

[d00df00d]

My dad's old car, a 2000 Acura 3.2TL, just blew its transmission. He's now looking for a good, easy to own, automatic car for $30k-ish or less.

Initially, the shortlist consisted of the Lexus IS250, BMW 1-series, BMW 3-series, and Acura TSX. Driving the Bimmers knocked the Lexus out of the running for him, because it's slightly more expensive and not as good to drive. The 3-series wasn't convincing over the 1-series for the price, so that's out. it's down to a new 128i for ~$33k or a used TSX for ~23k.

Again, both automatic (unfortunately).

He's leaning strongly toward the 128i. Any big reason NOT to get it? Reliability issues, etc.?

 

[ourfamo4]

Currently the new E9X cars have been really reliable. The chassis has been out since 2005 so you should be good.

I have not seen to many "common" problems. Here is a good source of info 1-Series forums

P.S. stay away from the free 15k oil changes!!!!

 

[JHZR2]

how a 2000 car, a honda product at that can be dead with a blown transmission is beyond me.

So much for honda being a quality product.

Lesson is, whatever car is bought, buy it with an MT.

The TSX is a ripoff, IMO. Its a european accord that does nothing excessively well.

I LOVE the Lexus. Thats a lot coming from me. Its a nice car, super well appointed. That said, for its exterior dimensions, it is excessively squeezy, so the volumetric efficiency is poor. If its a good fit, its a nice car.

BMW 3 series are he gold standard, regardless of what some folks say. They may be trouble prone, but hey, so was the acura. The 1 series is available as 2dr only - a consideration, but you can think of it as an old school 3-series, as its based on an older 3-series platform and is just smaller than the current model.

I dont think you can go wrong with the BMW, so long as a 2dr is up his alley. Id definitely give the lexus a good look though.

Chances are right now Id buy a BMW 335d. Its probably the best car going for fun to drive and long term operating efficiency.

JMH

 

[scoobie]

You obviously haven't tried the new Impreza. I bought a rental 2008 with 7000 miles, for 18.5 the impreza is absolutely wonderful. i have owned a bmmer in the past, the impreza reminds me of it, and more. it has highest safety ratings, higher resale value, continuous AWD, stability control, exceptionally quiet, and the NA engine was redesigned for more torque, it is exceptionally powerful. i wouldnt even consider a bmw. you can get a brand new one with a manual 5 speed for 17,000. this is a no brainer. next question please.

 

[JHZR2]

the wife's best friend just got one with AT for 17229.

An MT version is even cheaper. She got the 5dr and it is a great little comfortable car.

The BMW is likely better on gas though!

 

[VK56VD]

The 128i and Impreza is like comparing apples to oranges. The Impreza is a wonderful car for what it is, but not at all in the same league as a 128i.

 

[moribundman]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
the volumetric efficiency is poor


Are you impeded by personal, volumetric excess?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Spartuss
The 128i and Impreza is like comparing apples to oranges. The Impreza is a wonderful car for what it is, but not at all in the same league as a 128i.

Care to elaborate? What makes the 128i belong to a different (better presumably) league? Just curious...

Let's leave the looks aside as that's very subjective.

 

[VK56VD]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Spartuss
The 128i and Impreza is like comparing apples to oranges. The Impreza is a wonderful car for what it is, but not at all in the same league as a 128i.

Care to elaborate? What makes the 128i belong to a different (better presumably) league? Just curious...

Let's leave the looks aside as that's very subjective.


Better handling, more powerful, more luxurious...

The same thing that makes an Accord in a different league from your 5 series.

 

[XS650]

How old is your dad and how much difference would having a real drivers car mean to him? If he is getting on in years, cares about the driving experience and can afford it, go for the BMW before he's too old to really appreciate it.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Spartuss

Better handling, more powerful, more luxurious...

Well, the Impreza WRX is more powerful than the 128i. The Impreza is also lighter.

As for handling, I'll take your word for it. I haven't driven either of them.

Quote:

The same thing that makes an Accord in a different league from your 5 series.

Again, the V6 accords are more powerful than my 5. As for handling - none of them is really that great. They're both big heavy cars and feel like it. The main problem I had with the accord was its FWD and lack of manual transmission (back when I was looking). Acura TL had a manual transmission, but then the torque steer was awful.

 

[VK56VD]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Spartuss

Better handling, more powerful, more luxurious...

Well, the Impreza WRX is more powerful than the 128i. The Impreza is also lighter.

As for handling, I'll take your word for it. I haven't driven either of them.

Quote:

The same thing that makes an Accord in a different league from your 5 series.

Again, the V6 accords are more powerful than my 5. As for handling - none of them is really that great. They're both big heavy cars and feel like it. The main problem I had with the accord was its FWD and lack of manual transmission (back when I was looking). Acura TL had a manual transmission, but then the torque steer was awful.


The Impreza in question above for $17k that users are referring to is the regular base model 2.5i, not the WRX version. The new 5 series (535i & 550i) are significantly more powerful than the Accord V6 w/ the 3.5 engine.

 

[rg200amp]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Spartuss
The 128i and Impreza is like comparing apples to oranges. The Impreza is a wonderful car for what it is, but not at all in the same league as a 128i.

Care to elaborate? What makes the 128i belong to a different (better presumably) league? Just curious...

Let's leave the looks aside as that's very subjective.


The look, Feel, and social statues of having a BMW are just a few perks Bmws have over the Subaru. A impreza is a nice car. They have the econo impreza, then the sporty WRX and the STI.

The BMW 1 series has diffrent trims aswell. You can get a new 1 series with a twin turbo'd 304 horse power strait-6 in the.


to post maker-
Your dad will love the Bimmer! It feels and drives very rich.

 

[rg200amp]

My 1997 Bmw M3 that I bought used 2 years ago with around 90,000 miles on it drove, ran, cornered, stopped, ect. . better then any car I have had, or I have drivin.

Not to mention that 97 had more options, and technology then any of my other cars. My moms new lincoln towncar, my lincoln LS, and my buddies new Chevy Colbalt all have half the tech my old M3 had.

BMWs are great cars. I loved mine. I had to sell it due to me not being able to afford the upkeep. You pay for german engineering!

 

[d00df00d]

Thanks for the replies!

I'll try to address as much as possible, without quoting so the post doesn't get too long.

Dad is in his 50s and has a comfortable job. He's usually very practically minded and has been very financially responsible all his life. Hence, he is looking for something relatively compact and reasonably painless to own. 2-door is actually ideal because he never finds himself carrying passengers any more.

The thing is, while he would never admit to liking a sporty car enough to buy it, test driving the 128i literally put a smile on his face that he could not get rid of. He DOES appreciate what a compact, 230-hp BMW brings to the table, and he IS willing to pay a little extra for it. The only hard part is getting him to admit to it.

More important points in favor of the 128i: 0.9% APR and free maintenance for 4 yrs/50k miles. The TSXs we were looking at were used with 17k-35k miles, their warranties wouldn't even last as long, and they would only be available with 5.xx% APR.

Dad can't drive stick, unfortunately. He's been toying with the idea of learning, but I'm not sure how feasible that is; at the very least, it's not feasible in the short run because I'm in grad school now, there's no one else to teach him, and he needs a car ASAP. Besides, I don't know how much of his desire to learn is just because he wishes he could have access to a wider selection of new cars and borrow my car while he makes his decision.

So, as of now, it's gotta be automatic.

I did propose a Subaru, and I made most of the same arguments scoobie made. He wasn't too hot on the idea. I'm not entirely sure why.

The main reason he's considering the TSX is the price, period. He fully understands that the 128i is the superior car in every way that matters to him (and quite a few that don't).

 

[Johnny]

Is the 128i rear wheel drive? If so, will he like that coming from a front wheel drive car? I'm 62 and if I could afford the upkeep, I would love to have a BMW in my garage, and 2-doors would be just fine.

 

[d00df00d]

Judging by the smile on his face, he loved it on the test drive.

He is a bit apprehensive about that, though, so we did address it. Here's the argument: The car is so well sorted and balanced that there will actually be more cases than not in which it has more traction because it's RWD. The only potential problem would be standing starts in heavy snow, especially because the car has an open differential. But honestly, that's only a problem a few days out of the year at most, and the nature of my dad's work permits him to be able to work from home when he has to anyway.

 

[Johnny]

The smile factor goes a long way and I'm sure he deserves and has earned it. Tell him to go for it. He can always drive a Corolla when he retires.

 

[Benzadmiral]

If your dad's in his 50s, he'll remember "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." Tell him the 1-Series is the Napoleon Solo car for the 21st Century.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
and free maintenance for 4 yrs/50k miles.

As was mentioned before, if he's planning to keep this car past the warranty period, he shouldn't solely rely on this free maintenance program and supplement it with in-between maintenance on his own dime. This free maintenance typically doesn't provide a whole lot more than 2-3 oil changes during that period. If you drive hard, you may get a new set of brakes from it, too.