Deciding on new car, need advice

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Hucklebury

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Hey Guys,

Need your advice. I've got a Toyota Corolla 140i 2003 and I'm thinking of getting a BMW 320i E90 2005 model with 85000 km on the clock. It's full house too. One of the reasons why I'm thinking of the car is because I've always wanted to be part of the BMW family. It's also an image thing. I haven't test driven the car yet (will do so tomorrow). Just need some insight.

Anyone have any experience with this model ? Will this be a substantial upgrade over what I have because I'm thinking it will be. I'm hoping it's going to be a very comfortable drive because my Toyota is anything but. It's also slow, at 70+ kw, it's difficult to get out of tight situations.

Any comments will be appreciated.
 
Hi Angellus,

Thanks for the reply. The guy is asking R140000. It doesn't include satnav but it does have parking distance control, xenon lights, etc. I don't want to buy the car purely for image, but it's one of the reasons. I don't think I need to explain my reasons because they are self-explanatory, in my opinion. Going from a Toyota Corolla to a BMW is a big change. The guy said the motor plan is valid till 2011.

As far as speed, well, I haven't tested it. But apparently it is a LOT quicker than my Corolla. Overtaking and especially acceleration, from 0-100 in something like under 9.5 seconds vs 13+ seconds in the 1.4. My budget is around R135-140000. I don't really want to buy a brand new car as I feel there would be much better deals lying around in used vehicles. I mean, for that price, I could probably get a brand new Ford Fiesta, baby model engine with standard specs. But the car would be a 1.4 and not much faster than my current car, although it would be a lot more comfortable to drive.

The BMW has a much bigger engine and should be a great deal faster overall. Obviously the specs are one thing. But apart from speed, I'm interested in the comfort. That is where I think the BMW will score MAJORLY vs the Toyota. The ride is very, very harsh in the Corolla. Thoughts ?
 
Thanks for the response Angellus. The thing is, the BMW caught my eye and my boss had one, he loved it, many corporate guys drive the car so its something that I certainly never thought I would be able to afford. Although it's a few years old, it still will be a step up from a Corolla 2009, Corsa 2009, Ford Fiesta, VW...etc..etc..etc. But you are right, the running costs on the car is something that is overlooked by some. Heck, even me. Fuel consumption is not a big deal but the actual upkeep is something I need to have a look at. I have no idea how much runflat tires cost. Another car that I was thinking of was the Lexus IS250 or thereabout, but a 2004-2005 model. I would imagine the costs to be similar.
 
68000 km is very low for a 2007 model. That is actually a very good price, in my opinion.
 
Just found a Lexus I250 for R165000 for a 2006 model. Only has 82000 km and the motor plan is until 2012. That also sounds like a good deal. And it's a Lexus. Have no idea about Lexus vs BMW as I haven't done enough research into it. Have you driven a Lexus before ?
 
The car I saw was the IS250. Not the SE. I can imagine the SE will cost significantly more. ;) I read a few reviews and so far people are saying that it's considerably more luxurious inside and it's a far more comfortable ride. Softer, but more reassuring on the road. The only few complaints it seems is the power. I'll have to check this out. Also, when it comes to resell value, I think the Lexus will probably hold up better than the BMW. Would you agree ?
 
I could be wrong on this but I think the standard I250 has keyless ignition. I've got a Garmin GPS. ;) Hah. But I think the normal IS250 has a GPS as well. I checked out the review on the normal IS250, not the SE version, and it looks like it does have SatNav included...unless my eyes have deceived me and unless that was an optional.
 
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Angellus, since you have driven the car, how is the performance ? Is it leaps and bounds better than a Toyota Corolla 1.4 ? I've never had a car pushing over 70kw before. My first car was a Conquest 1.3, second was the 1.4 Corolla so I want this car to be a big step up.
 
Thanks for your advice Angellus. I really appreciate it. You have given me some good pointers. Driving several cars and picking the best one will be time consuming, something I probably don't have time for. Haha....but I'm leaning towards the Lexus just based on the comfort side of things. Most reviews I've read tend to agree that cabin noise is a notch lower compared to an equivalent 3 series and the build quality is second to none. Alright, well I have a lot of home work to do. I'll be test driving the 3 series tomorro....today, later on so I'll see how that goes. Then I'll test the Lexus and try and make up my mind.

Thanks again for all your help. I appreciate it.
 
Please don't buy the 320i. It is really slow, heavy and you don't get much driving pleasure from the gutless engine. I would say the minimum BMW anyone should consider is the 325i. Otherwise you will be disappointed with the performance.

A non-turbo 2.0 litre 4 cylinder is going to struggle in any luxury 4 door sedan. So I would overlook Audi as well.

Get a V6, or turbo 2 litre.
 
My Suggestion is to rather get a Honda Civic Sedan 4 door New for R150000 if you can trade in your car for R30000 like we did. Honda Civics are roomy, smart, confortable, Collapsable back seats for more space in Sedan & got great service records the only reason to take it in is for routine service so you save cash also.

(Also remember to get metallic grey paint its better than white also the mats should be free dont listen to lies the car saleman say that it costs R1000)

The Prices should be about same or less we got ours in 2008.
 
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Thanks guys for the comments. Speed and overall performance is relative I guess because I'm coming from a 1.4 Corolla which is VERY slow. Some people don't think 150 kw is that great either, as in the case of the Lexus. Although apparently acceleration is in the 8 seconds+ from 0-100km. So for me, that would be sports-like in comparison to what I have which is 13+ seconds 0-100km.

My car also has almost no torque down low so I find overtaking tedious, and especially in heavy traffic, I find I have to change in first gear almost all the time. With 2nd gear there is too little power. I imagine the Yaris 1.3 is probably on par if not more powerful than my car, given the engine enhancements over 3-4 years. The fact is, a Corolla 1.4 2003 model is just a very weak car, in my opinion.

So going from that to a Lexus IS250 or a BMW 320i or something in a similar class I have to imagine the performance would be huge. For me, it's comfort, luxury first, speed second but speed is important. I think for me 150kw is going to be more than I'll need. But I must still have a test drive before I commit. I'm going for a test drive in the 320i at 2:00 so I'll let you guys know what I think.
 
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honda comes with free service plan think it was 5 years/100 000 km

if salesman wants sales they reduce the main price by 10% - 20% if you ask for discount if not they wont give it :)
 
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Oh my word those 320i's are SLOW POKES! Let me give you an idea, my car is slow...but I kill those 320i's most of coloegues at work drive this crap...

If its an image thing...hel no! Go for the lexus...I agree with everyone, drive both cars first...and DON'T compare to your Corola pls..because ANY car you get into next WILL be better than your Corola! Compare the two cars you want the most...so drive the BMW or Converse All Star as I call them coz EVERYONE and their MOTHER has one...drive the LExus and drive th Audi...then compare them to one another...
 
I think the price is good for the car. I agree with Angellus get the VIN number(just the last 8 digits will do) from the owner and call any BMW and they will email you a copy of the Motorplan which will tell you what has been replaced on the car and when. If there have been some major replacements then I would question the purchase. Not sure how many kms you drive but BMW motorplan can be extended till 7 years and if its just years (not mileage) then its very cheap to extend (about 3-5k). Check the condition of the Tyres as the Runflats are quiet expensive to replace (cisr between 5-10k depending on the rim size etc). Add that to your cost if the tyres need to be replaced soon (typically the tyres have to be replaced every 40000km after normal use).

You must consider the fact that your insurance will go up because its a BMW. Also, consider getting a report from Transunion (costs R110) on the car , it will tell you how many times the car has changed ownership and its Retail and Trade values.

Good luck with the test drive.
 
my 1/2 cent worth. Buying a 2nd-hand "luxury" car, it would be a good idea to have a spare R20k or R30k lying around once it's out of the motor plan / service plan / warranty. If you are unable to muster a quick R20k when something decides to give, then I would suggest looking at a different class of vehicle. For instance, those BMW run flats, (depending on severity) you can't have a puncture fixed, you need to replace the tyre, which could be around R4 500.00 a piece. Think carefully, if you are unlucky enough to get a lemon, you'll end up braking the bank to sort the previous owners "abuse" out, especially in BM's.
 
I test drove the 320i. Must say, nice car ! :) But then you must understand again that I'm coming from an entry-level Corolla 2003 model. I'm not used to that much power. My first car was a 1983 Conquest with 50kw and then the Corolla 2003. It was just so easy to overtake over vehicles and being able to apply the right amount of power when needed. The engine didn't seem to have any trouble at all. Ride quality was a MAJOR step up from my Corolla or any Corolla model I suspect, although there was some cabin noise I picked up at speed but its clear that this car is premium quality. I'm not sure about those who said that it's a slow car, because to me, its definitely not slow but again, it's all relative I suppose.

Next week I'm going to test the Lexus and I think I'm only going to limit my choices to these two cars otherwise my head is going to implode with choices. The Lexus has more power apparently but less torque down low according to the reviews. I'm looking forward to the test drive but I will say that I was very, very happy with the quality and drive of the 320i. The ONLY thing I would say that is disappointing about the car is the interior. It looks very bland inside but I found the seats to be comfortable, everything I needed is accessible but it just looks very basic.
 
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Are there any other folks who have changed from entry level Corollas, Hondas, Opels etc, to a BMW, Lexus or Audi ? Just would like to get some more opinions from owners and to find out their experiences going from a tier 1 car (as I like to call them) to a tier 2 (or 3 -- not sure if a Lexus or BMW is two classes of car above). Thanks again for all the responses, you guys have been most helpful. My next test drive will be on Wednesday with the Lexus. Don't want to test too many models otherwise I'll forget about the driving experiences and then I'll never be able to make up my mind.
 
I agree. Although handling-wise, I would imagine the Mini to be up there with the best. Still, good suggestion but it's not what I'm looking for. I want luxury and speed and I don't think the Mini will be able to give me that (IMO). Also I don't particularly like the looks of the Mini. Just my opinion.
 
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