playdoh43

considering the resale value, it'd be smarter to buy rx8 used than new right now.

Feras

iTrader: (1)

dude get the 335 hands down. I just love the sound of that exhaust at full throttle, shockingly loud for stock.

Detrich

u'll prolly find good things about both cars... i think u just need to decide which priorities you care about most in the purchase:

rx8:
- lower purchase price, but higher depreciation
- sporty styling, but higher maintenance (engine oil, flooding etc.)
- less acceleration power (230hp), but lighter, smaller car
- poor gas mileage (relatively), but more fun to drive
- relatively bad post-purchase customer service from dealers
- no social status, but satisfaction of having a unique, fun-to-drive car


335:
- higher purchase price, but holds value better over 5-10 year period
- good styling for a sedan, but lower maintenance (first couple years free)
- more power (300hp), more headroom & trunk space, but heavier by about 500lbs
- better gas mileage, but is still fun to drive
- fantastic, courteous post-purchase customer service
- social status of owning a bmw

map

I definitely have people telling me the BMW is a no-brainer. In many ways I think it is too, but then the 8 just has that special something about it when you drive it. I don't know that a 335 has that.

Another big thing is that I would probably never turbo an 8, but in a year or two I would consider adding a chip+exhaust to the bimmer for 50+hp.

Money is a big part of it. Not even that I can't afford it, as much as I would feel guilty for spending that much on a car. Of course I'd probably lose more money on the 8 in the end anyway haha.

They are just so different!

sunilseru

^ If you can afford it, go with the 335. It is super sweet and will hold its value very well. Not sure what your plans with the 8 are, but you will loose a ton of money even if you buy it used and sell it later. Don't get me wrong, it is a very nice car, but the market is really bad for them. I am the one that started this thread. I ended up getting the S2000 and couldn't be happier with the decision.

Steiner

If I were in the market for a 335i, at least at this point, I'd wait for the new M3 to come to market before making a decision. It will handle better than the 335i, produce mounds of NA power and be priced between $8k-$12k more. That's not an insignificant amount of money...Japan8 and Playdoh...lol...but it's not enough to outright eliminate the new M3 from the discussion IMHO.



BTW...how did the RX-8 get into the discussion. It's performance really isn't even on the level of other sports cars at it's same price point, much less $45k bimmers. Oh wait...it's RX8club.com.

Detrich

with options, the 335i is already running mid 50k's. a new, loaded m3 will probably push mid $60K's... so, let's put things into perspective.... that same amount of money will buy you:

4 nissan versas
3 honda civics
2 lexus is250s
1 mercedes slk

so, yah- i'd say it's a sick amount of money to spend on ONE, single car, which when u think about it is just as likely and susceptible as any of the other cars listed above to getting keyed, getting hit by stupid drivers, getting curb rashes, and getting totalled in one single major car accident. and, poof! bye bye $65k... <lol>

so, here's a more logical & rational way to look at it... spend $35k on a fully-loaded 8, and give the other $30k to a needy orphanage. u'll win points with the guy upstairs, give amazing hope to countless needy children, get a handsome tax write-off, and at the end of the day you'll still have a sexy set of wheels to stare at...

playdoh43

good times

map

For someone who doesn't care about useless crap a 335 is not that bad price-wise. If you do European delivery (ED) you get a lower invoice price, and dealers will take less markup because the car doesn't come out of their allocation. On a sedan I think it's common to get $750 over ED invoice. So here are the essentials

sedan ED invoice: $33,100
Sports package: $1,450
delivery: $700
markup: $750
-------------------------------------
total : $36,000

Leatherette instead of leather is one big thing people might miss (not me). Other than that the 335 still has a lot of nice equipment standard; dual zone climate, xenon lights, power seats, upgraded stereo. Other essential options can be added ala carte too. I'd probably add keyless entry. That's a far cry from M3 pricing, which will also include dealer markup on top of that $55k base.

Feras

iTrader: (1)

the problem with european delivery is that the savings ends up being eaten up by the trip.

playdoh43

not sure if base even clude leather, but if you want a 36k entry luxury sedan with cloth seats and no sun roof i guess 36k aint bad :p lacking the basic that peopel expects kills resale value

all i know is on the dearlor lot, they all have sun roof and leather and most of the times premium sound system too, so realistically their transaction price is in the low 40ks. while the coupe is in the high 40ks.

Detrich

yah, bmw is notorious for nickel & diming every option... $1500 for leather, $1500 for the premium package, $700 for fold down seats etc etc. before you know it, u're spending way more than u wanted to... they really make u think long & hard about which exact options u need vs. what u want- unless of course money is no object for u...

p.s. in reality, very few ppl buy a bmw w/o a sunroof & luxury/ convenience features, because... why bother then?

playdoh43

any luxury car, be it bmw or infiniti or lex, if you dont have sun roof and leather and to a lesser extent premium packadge. you can kiss your resale value bye bye.

on g35driver.com this dude that had one of the handful of G35 coupes without a sunroof and with cloth seats was having huge problems selling his car, ended up letting it go for well below market value.

playdoh43

i believe for the coupe,leather seats premium sound system and sunroof are standard. at least i think thats what i remember when I was last at the bmw dealership test driving it. so the coupe while more expensive might actually be a better deal than the sedan.

Detrich

just 4 kicks, i went on bmwusa and built a 335i... after u add prem pkg, navi, cold weather, and some things u'd expect to find on a "luxury car" nowadays, the price EASILY skyrocketed to over $50K+... another thing, most dealers don't order a lot of bottom-of-the-barrel cars- namely 'cuz the target demo wants options and are willing to pay for them.

map

Leather isn't standard on either coupe or sedan, but BMW's leatherette is nice. I doubt most people could even tell the difference, and in 3-4 years when people would start to think about selling the car the leatherette will clean up and look like new while the leather won't. The other stuff you mention is standard. You can't buy a 3 series without a sunroof in the USA. They do try to nickel and dime you, but most of it is unnecessary.

The main stuff my configuration misses: leather, iDrive, seat heaters, fold down rear seat, bluetooth phone, keyless ignition, auto-dimming mirror, metallic paint, and satellite radio. Out of that I'd probably add the paint, keyless, and sat radio for an additional $1.5, but even those are superfluous. The bases are mostly covered in a base 335 + sport pack.

Icemark

well if it is any consideration, I bought a new RX-8 the same month we bought my wife a 07 328I coupe with sport and premium package.

And while I know you are looking at a sedan and a 335i, the basic car dynamics are similar between the 328i with sport package and the 335i.

The 328i has been in the shop for a total of 7 days so far within the first 1500 miles of owner ship. The power steering pump and steering rack have both been replaced. The water pump will be replaced next week. The CEL has been on twice now needing dealer attention.

The RX-8 with its 1500 miles has not yet seen the dealer.

The 07 328i had a window sticker of just under $42,000, but we got the car for $400 over invoice.

The RX-8 had a window sticker of just over $30,000 but we got the car for $600 over invoice.

The 8 is quicker, and handles much better (but I would expect the 335i to be considerably quicker than the 8 despite the extra 600 lbs of the BMW).

So in my book,

07 3 series = girls/wifes car
07 RX-8 = sports car.

and for the money, the bluetooth/premium package should not be skipped. It is the best part of the car.

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

Agree with this summation . Have raced a 328i at the track & the 8 was considerably quicker . I know the 335i considerably quicker than the 8 but I would lump all BMW sedans (including the M cars) in together . They all look like cardigan wearers cars .....

sunilseru

Wait a minute. You paid $600 over invoice for the RX-8?

Icemark

yeah, just around $25,000 for a Touring

and then another $3K off of that with rebates

playdoh43

he got ripped off big time! i guess he didnt know it was going 8000 under MSRP
*edit, im just joking, 25k is not a bad price for a new one

Icemark

I'd hardly say that $8K off of window sticker (after you include the rebates) is ripped off

playdoh43

just joking around buddy, 25k is not a bad price for a new one

Icemark

can't buy a used 04 in my area for the price I paid for a new one unless you want a beat to hell one, that gets 13mpg and needs a new motor

PhotoMunkey

The 335 uses the same old E90 chassis as the 325/328 twins. Don't buy one thinking you'll get the handling of the E46 M3 chassis. They are absolutly understeering pigs on the road. Numb steering, too soft suspension, too much body roll. But, to the committee of US owners they surveyed who are happy with the Ford Tarus, Toyota Camry, and Honda Accord, it seems like a "great step up". Horse-poop! Don't be fooled...

"You can't make a racehorse out of a pig, but you can make a damn fast pig!"