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Have you changed your thoughts on keeping said car long term? If so I think it changes things quite a lot especially if you are just going to keep it for x ammount of months and then flip it , maybe you should go for something more frivorless (i.e. something you wouldn't buy yourself) giving you an opportunity to live as you described it "the baller lifestyle" and then latter go for practicality.

Shame the Alfa was a lot of fun. I've got a brand new 320 and love it. Although, as you can tell. It's all about Benz. If you can afford one, go for it!

Life is too short to drive shit cars.

Shame the Alfa was a lot of fun. I've got a brand new 320 and love it. Although, as you can tell. It's all about Benz. If you can afford one, go for it!

Life is too short to drive shit cars.

+1

altough i wouldnt go for a second hands alfa, they have a pretty bad history in used cars...
if you really want a good used car, buy a bmw, you wont regret it

See my avatar and you can already expect what I'm gonna suggest you

my priorities for a car in order of importance are:

1. reliability
2. fuel efficiency
3. style
4. other costs (insurance, repairs, part costs)

1. Reliability
There shouldn't be any major problems here.

2. Fuel efficiency
You didn't mention anything about car's performance. BMW produces the best engines in the world, check out how many Engine of the Year prizes they won. These engines are fast and at the same time don't consume that much fuel.

3. Style
Everyone has his own taste, but IMO the style of BMWs is outstanding, take a look at the brand new 5er F10:
http://www.firstsupercars.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/AC-Schnitzer-ACS5-BMW-F10-1-e1300069891531.jpg
http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/6/7531/z7531856X,BMW-5.jpg

4. Other costs
When buying a BMW, you have to be prepared for some costs. I am not saying it brakes down non stop, but when something happens you should just have to spend some money.


I won't talk much about my car, since it's an old E36 316i from the end of 1999, but I still love it. However, I encouraged my dad to buy a 2009 E90 318i few months ago.

Here are some pics of the car:
http://screenshooter.net/2435934/cyrctkb
http://screenshooter.net/2435934/oyrdnbg
http://screenshooter.net/2435934/gycvkau
http://screenshooter.net/2435934/nrwmftf
http://screenshooter.net/2435934/jspfroj
http://screenshooter.net/2435934/bgdpbco

It has a 2.0L 143 HP engine. Average fuel consumption is around ~~ 8 L/100 km or maybe even less. Now it shows 9.2, but dad drives only in city. The car cost about $25k.


You also didn't say anything regarding how many kms per year you are doing. If 20k km and more, consider buying a diesel (320d comes to mind). If less, stick with the petrol engines (I'd pick something faster like 325i/330i, but that's only my opinion).


And check out this awesome commercial, some real action starts at 4:20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srrbvNNUKrA

how about a crap car + nice bike?

i'll take your word on the Mazda since i assume you've driven a lot of cars. but if it was a Ford Focus v Toyota Camry, which would it be? [edit: oh i see that's a price range below the Camry...]. how about Ford Fusion? that seems comparable. i want to stay in the 20-25K range. don't want to act too humble.

have you been in a 2012 Camry SE also?

Sorry they don't sell Ford Fusion or the Toyota Camry over here so I really can't say too much about them.

I don't understand the plan to buy a baller car then sell it and buy a cheaper car, I mean if you are going to do that why not lease a Porsche GT3 for a year or 6 mos., get bored of it then buy a car. Trading in frivolous cars or even selling them to a 3rd party is going to cost you a ton in depreciation.

If you want to run a car into the ground buy a 3 or 4 year old Mercedes/Audi/BMW that was baller 4 years ago and it will last forever, and still be pretty baller.

If you want to run a car into the ground buy a 3 or 4 year old Mercedes/Audi/BMW that was baller 4 years ago and it will last forever, and still be pretty baller.

I agree, 2-4 year old should be the best.

sorry haven't read up on replies yet, but about luxury German cars, i read in a thread that the reason there are so many problems is because people don't drive them everyday, i.e., most are just weekend cruisers and driven hard after sitting for long periods of time. however, driving a car everyday lubricates the mechanics or something so it won't break down as often.

is there any validity to this theory?

this is going to be a commuter car for me btw.

wow didnt know that it was common to have problems with those brands

Usually it's better when a car is being used quite often, at least better than keeping it in a garage. Please tell us how many km (or miles) you plan to travel everyday, but I think E90 318i/320i are quite good options for you. You can also consider 1-series, this car rarely breaks down. Like above, search for E87 118i/120i (it's a 5-door hatchback).

http://www.smartusa.com/comparevehicles/
Save the world. :-)

sorry haven't read up on replies yet, but about luxury German cars, i read in a thread that the reason there are so many problems is because people don't drive them everyday, i.e., most are just weekend cruisers and driven hard after sitting for long periods of time. however, driving a car everyday lubricates the mechanics or something so it won't break down as often.

is there any validity to this theory?

this is going to be a commuter car for me btw.

This theory holds true, a lot of the cars that reach 1mil kilometers or more are used all the time (taxis in many cases), and when not in use they are stored in a nice warm garage. This way unnecessary cold engine starts are avoided, the fuel and oil lines are kept nice and clean. And there are plenty more benefits keeping the car in active use.

See my avatar and you can already expect what I'm gonna suggest you

1. Reliability
There shouldn't be any major problems here.

2. Fuel efficiency
You didn't mention anything about car's performance. BMW produces the best engines in the world, check out how many Engine of the Year prizes they won. These engines are fast and at the same time don't consume that much fuel.

3. Style
Everyone has his own taste, but IMO the style of BMWs is outstanding, take a look at the brand new 5er F10:
http://www.firstsupercars.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/AC-Schnitzer-ACS5-BMW-F10-1-e1300069891531.jpg
http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/6/7531/z7531856X,BMW-5.jpg

4. Other costs
When buying a BMW, you have to be prepared for some costs. I am not saying it brakes down non stop, but when something happens you should just have to spend some money.

thanks for these points. as for #4, i know i'll get certified pre-owned, so hopefully the extended warranty should cover any major costs if they happen.

I won't talk much about my car, since it's an old E36 316i from the end of 1999, but I still love it. However, I encouraged my dad to buy a 2009 E90 318i few months ago.

Here are some pics of the car:
http://screenshooter.net/2435934/cyrctkb
http://screenshooter.net/2435934/oyrdnbg
http://screenshooter.net/2435934/gycvkau
http://screenshooter.net/2435934/nrwmftf
http://screenshooter.net/2435934/jspfroj
http://screenshooter.net/2435934/bgdpbco

It has a 2.0L 143 HP engine. Average fuel consumption is around ~~ 8 L/100 km or maybe even less. Now it shows 9.2, but dad drives only in city. The car cost about $25k.


You also didn't say anything regarding how many kms per year you are doing. If 20k km and more, consider buying a diesel (320d comes to mind). If less, stick with the petrol engines (I'd pick something faster like 325i/330i, but that's only my opinion).

afaik right now, i'll be going very similar route as your dad: E90, 2009 model year, fits right into my price range.

i have a short commute, so 20K km seems about right, petrol it is (we just call it regular gas here ). but the models i see listed most often locally for 26-27k USD is the 328i. i think 335i is out of my range unless i go older than 2009. i think the engines are bigger for the American market.

And check out this awesome commercial, some real action starts at 4:20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srrbvNNUKrA

love these BMW mini-movies. watched them a bunch of times when they debuted, even tried to show them to everyone i could drag near a computer screen, so yah, the desire is def there.

328i is a very powerful engine and 335i is a true BEAST -->

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nq5veeAgko

I wouldn't recommend these, unless you are an experienced driver. Also keep in mind, that BMWs have the rear wheel drive. Nothing special till 150-170 HP, but as soon as the power goes past 200 HP and the torque past 300 Nm, you may find yourself in trouble if you love the gas pedal. However, in practice that's not a problem in 99% of situations, since you have all kinds of ASC (Automatic Stability Control aka traction control, this is in my E36: it blocks accelerating + automatically breaks = almost impossible to turn the car even on snow). In E90 there are DSC and other modern systems, so don't be afraid.

And if you are experienced enough - you will be more than happy, trust me Driving a BMW is highly addicting !