For about the same money I'd rather pick up a used E55. The powertrain in the 335 is great, but that's about it. I can't stand the interior styling and the exterior isn't far behind. I'd possibly consider it in a year or two when the hype wears off and they can be had for a reasonable price.
I have an IS250 and really like the car. I bought it for my wife a year ago and have had no problems at all. It's underpowered but it handles great.
The only thing I would caution about is that it is kind of small. I don't know if you expect to put any adults in the back seat, but they won't be very comfortable. At the same time that is no different from the BMW.
I've heard the 350 has a bit more power. I'm looking for a small-ish car. If people want to ride in the back that's they're choice. I'll never be back there and I'd only expect to need to use the rear seats for short trips anyway.
For about the same money I'd rather pick up a used E55. The powertrain in the 335 is great, but that's about it. I can't stand the interior styling and the exterior isn't far behind. I'd possibly consider it in a year or two when the hype wears off and they can be had for a reasonable price.
FYI, you're not going to find an E55 in the low-mid 40's unless it's an '03 with somewhat high miles (50k+) or is in only fair shape.
Even the '04 cars are solidly in the 50's.
The 335i's base MSRP is $42k, I'm guessing that's nicely equipped, but even with options (and if it, in fact, sold for MSRP) it's going to be substantially less than a used E55.
Those 335's are decent, although they are small.
S.
I've heard the 350 has a bit more power. I'm looking for a small-ish car. If people want to ride in the back that's they're choice. I'll never be back there and I'd only expect to need to use the rear seats for short trips anyway.
The 250 has 205hp and the 350 has 300ish. It should make a pretty decent difference. My wife and I thought it was far better than the BMW. We actually disliked the BMW.
Whats the story on the buy-back? Will you consider used or does the ride have to be new? Hard to argue with the E55.
It was in the dealer at least once every month for the past year. Lots of stuff replaced and about a dozen repair attempts to correct some type of scraping in the rear brake system.
A low-mile used car is fine. I'd rather someone else take the initial depreciation hit. I bought my last couple cars new and lost a bunch when it came time to sell. The IS350's I've been looking at have been '06's with around 10K miles on them for low to mid 30's.
The E55 is great, but I don't have garage space for it and with the Viper I don't really want to drop another $50K on a daily driver/commuter.
The E55 is great, but I don't have garage space for it and with the Viper I don't really want to drop another $50K on a daily driver/commuter.
You'll spend at least $50k on something decent, probably more like ~$60k. And you'd pretty much have to get an E55 still under the MB extended warranty.
The other options are going to be far more cost effective.
S.
Just a curiosity...why did/does your wife hate the car? My wife tolerates my GTS, and I'm not sure if she will ever even ride in it. As I contemplate future purchases, I'm collecting data on the female way of thinking (like I could ever decode it). She's just not a car person.
Nice car, btw. It's a shame you need to sell it.
Last edited by TimLippard : February 5th, 2007 at 01:23 PM.
Reason: Added bottom line.
this is my third sti and i bought it on a whim....i love the car and its a blast to drive but it looks like i am a 21 yr old kid named jimmy wong when i drive it. my new bodyshop is geared to more towards the high end client, i figured it would be more appropriate for me to drive a nicer car, hence the e55...its got a ton of power and even more creature comforts.
this is my third sti and i bought it on a whim....i love the car and its a blast to drive but it looks like i am a 21 yr old kid named jimmy wong when i drive it.
I rather go with IS350. Lexus is never the fastest or flashiest but it is the most reliable. I have driven the new IS350 and it is a great car in my opinion. I have a combined 45,000 miles on 2 different Lexus cars last year and they are trouble free machines.
For what it's worth, when I was looking for a family-ish daily driver I looked at the M3, M5, 6-series, 3-series, and CTS-V. I went with the CTS-V because it was the best mix of power, performance, price, comfort, trim, and styling that I wanted. I got an 06 about 6 months ago and have been pretty happy with it, minus a few odd details. You can certainly spend more to get more, but it's fine for a daily driver.
(like I could ever decode it). She's just not a car person.
