Which car would you lease for 3 years? - Page 3

the IPL is beautiful in person. if i didnt need AWD it definitely would have been a contender.

As a current 335i coupe owner, I say...just wait for the replacement to hit the market.  It will be here in less than a year and it would suck to have a last-gen model when tons of people are driving around in the new version.

I'd go for the Audi S5, but since it wasn't an option I just said the A5

Just bought an A5.
I bought a certified pre-owned, as the 3.2 was/is the more pleasant engine to drive.

Coming from a 545i, the 335i was my first choice, but I couldn't live with the interior.

The A5 with the Sline package is one of the best looking non-exotics on the road.

i drove a 3 coupe when i had to take a car into the dealer for maintenance. twas fantastic

bimmer if you like driving.

merc if you like status.

audi if you like style.

Every BMW but one (a black M5) on my way to work acts like they're afraid to come within 10 miles of the speed limit. The black M5 is afraid of his car but he does hit the gas enough to blow my doors off at stop lights. He then quickly brakes and I end up passing him.

i mean, my post is a generalization, but for the most part, the large majority of owners of any luxury car buy it just for that: luxury.

i bet 80% of bmw drivers aren't even cognizant of their cars' driving dynamics.

It's probably wrong to presume anyone in a 3series BMW is an unsufferable shithead making 70k a year, because it's a nice little car, but there it is. Among a certain set in New Jersey, leasing one of these cars appears to be a key part of some elaborate mating ritual. That right there is enough to keep my far away from the dealship.

Luckily, I don't live anywhere near that set in NJ, so I'm a little less perturbed by the BMW. OTOH, my mother once drove an X5 for a few years and couldn't wait to get rid of it. Too flashy for her taste, and too close to the country-club aesthetic in her town.

My own steed is still an '04 Saab 9-5, which suits me just fine. There are a few things I'd like to improve on it, but nothing I'd pay a lot to get rid of. If I were to get a replacement, though, the new BMW 328 sedan is looking interesting. Bigger than the last one, it actually has a back seat that humans can use. (I have a nearly-adolescent son, so I have to think about legroom there.) And it's not so big that I couldn't drive it in and out of a Boston parking garage. I gather the ActiveHybrid coming out soon will be interesting for a number of reasons. Or the xi. [ I wonder why carmakers won't offer diesel or hybrid AND AWD on the same vehicle? A lot of New Englanders like both fuel economy and winter performance with their luxury.]

Other than that-- dunno. The Audi A6 is certainly aimed at a family my size that has to deal with winter weather and road trips. Perhaps too big for commuting. And as boring as the Lexus ES is, it has a certain buy-and-forget-about-it value. Also the quiet ride would make the stereo worth paying attention to.

On the other hand, when I look at all these cars, I can't help thinking that for the cost of one of those I could get 2 or 3 really fine antique French violin bows. So the Saab stays in the rotation.

I've heard that even the forthcoming Audi hybrid will come without quattro. Seems particularly odd for Audi.

Concordia, have a friend that just bought an MB sedan that is both diesel and AWD (4Matic is the MB system and from my experience very good). I think it's called "Blue-Tec" or something of the like for the diesel. I know it was not the little C class, and he's pretty rich, so thinking it's at least an E.

The website says an E-class can be had with both. So there's always an exception. Also, various SUVs and the top-end Lexus come that way.

Still, it's a pretty persistent bias in the industry that I can't quite figure out.

I think the S Class can be an AWD Diesel allong with some of the SUV's.

~Kurt

 

 

How much does one have to earn to be allowed to buy a 3 series then?! the 3 series is BMWs bread and butter model.