the benz c-class is now out. Drove one tonight, didn't do anything for me. Was ulta clean, good color combo and a beautiful car though, but my 10 yr old audi drove much nicer IMO. threw him a lowball offer anyways and asked for a warranty included, i was politely told no

I think i'm pretty much set out to get a 3 series now, i've even changed my mind a little bit about the coupe. Now i just need to find one to test drive....

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83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

Close friend of mine has an '02 BMW 330ci automatic with the sport package on it, and only 23k on the clock, that he wanted to let me have for $20k a few months ago.

He let me have a turn at the wheel, and it was a revelation.

That thing was as fast as the SEC 0-60 in 7.0 but cornered like on rails, it was like driving a slot car.

Lots of room in the back seat too (amazingly) but compared the the big S class it was REALLY noisy, and the ride was REALLY harsh and rough.

Not what I was looking for, exactly, so I passed. ( I just bought a new SUBARU Outback 2.5i for the winter snow around here, like everyone else here and at Lake Tahoe does.)

I queried him about insurance costs, because this car felt SOOO confidence inspiring, it was not hard to imagine the legions of young, inexperienced drivers that buy them and get in over their heads and get into wrecks...

He got downright evasive about insurance costs (I bet they are a LOT worse on the M3 and M5, for the same reasons.) but I never check out what the insurance on them is.

If I were you I would.

BTW, the insurance on a brand new Outback was only $182 a year MORE than on the old '95 Outback I traded in on it. You can BET that influenced my purchase decision!!!!


I have heard the build quality on the VW and AUDI is worse than on the BMW, but I don't know for sure about that hearsay. I wouldn't take the chance though, I would go for the Bimmer.

Check on "Bimmerforums" and "Roadfly" for more info.


Most likely any of them would make terrific weekend canyon carvers for you. I know the 330i certainly would. And that is not hearseay either. I recently thrashed one of them myself, personally.

They really ARE the "Ultimate Driving Machine". And they won't let you forget it.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

If you want the the Beamer, BUY A WARRANTY!!!

Look at my previous posts to find out why. More than $5gs invested in unscheduled repairs since going off warranty 2 summers ago. I maintain the car perfectly, sparing no expense.

I love mine, and its very solid, a blast to drive, but it can get pretty expensive keeping it going down the road like new.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

If I were to buy a newer German Sports Sedan, I don't think I would. I just don't trust all those fancy electronics. I would save some money, and buy something from the mid 1980s up until the late 1990s, and use that money to get it up to pare. Or, I would buy something new from Subaru, Nissan and Toyota.

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1999 Toyota Corolla VE (Mine)
2006 Honda Odyssey (Wife's)
1979 300CD (sold)

Just curious, what was the year and engine in the C class you test drove?

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1982 240 D, 308,000 - 321,127 miles (sold)
1982 300 TD,166,500 - 226,000 miles
1998 E 320, 120,000 - 144,000 miles
2005 C 230 K, 26,000 - 77,000 miles (sold)

Yeah, the C class is uninspiring. I've driven one as a loaner, meh.

Glad you are looking at the 330ci, let us know what you find.

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'07 Yukon 2500
'13 Subaru Outback 3.6R
'13 Orbea Carpe 9-speed

Currently Benzless
Formerly: 300TD, S600, E55, 560SEL

---= The forest breathes, listen.
-Native American elder

with regard to insurance, the regular 330i was only about 120 a month or so, at least with 1k deductables. my audi is about 105, not a huge difference. I'll definately see what it being a coupe does to it though.

I've found online a few 02's with 60-75k with sport/premium packages and 17" wheels that are pretty close to my reach, so if i'm patient i'll probably run across the right one.

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83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

I've owned lot's of different cars through the years, and much of what has been said is valid, about old vs. new. If you buy a new car, you will have a warranty. If you buy a used car, buy the best warranty you can, if you intend to keep the car, for a long time, especially for the electronics and auto-transmissions. I can't emphasise this enough. You can pay me a little now, or a lot more later.

A new BMW 330 sounds like the way to go, but the money you invest in the car, will melt away through depreciation. Many used cars that are under 10 years old come into the picture. Makes it very difficult to choose for me.

On BMW's and M-B's, I don't like the long oil change intervals of 10000 miles. Too many of the engines that I have personally seen are dirty and sludged up, like an old engine. I'd be very wary of those cars.

I wish you good luck in your choice.

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SONNY was right...Nobody Cares.
Calogero, from the movie, "A BRONX TALE."

Have you considered an Audi A6 with the 300 hp 4.2? It has wider flared fenders , blades on the door bottoms and a longer aluminum front end than a regular A6. Here is a good example of one with the sport seats. http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=22&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-4.2%7cE-ALL%7cM-_4_%7cB-18000%7cH-%7cD-_22_%7cN-N%7cR-10000%7cI-1%7cP-PRICE+descending%7cQ-descending%7cY-_2001-2002-2003_%7cX-popular%7cZ-30035&aff=boston&paId=261573308&recnum=0&leadExists=true The big issues with these are that the TB belt has to be done around 100K. While it is apart the Waterpump should be done and o rings on the oil cooler checked or replaced. Dealer price for this service is about 2K.

What about an older Porsche?

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

no older porsches for me. I'd definately consider a 4.2 a6 if i found one, would need it to have very low miles though so i could put off the t-belt expense for some time.

Oh yeah the c-class i drove was an 02 c240, bland at best.

drove an 03 325i sedan tonight, very very nice driving car imo, they wanted a little much for it though at 14,800.

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83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

Age matters with T belts as much as mileage. Its probably 5 years or 100k miles.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

ding ding ding ding!

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1982 240 D, 308,000 - 321,127 miles (sold)
1982 300 TD,166,500 - 226,000 miles
1998 E 320, 120,000 - 144,000 miles
2005 C 230 K, 26,000 - 77,000 miles (sold)

I know exactly what you mean...BUT, the c240 isn't really an apples to apples comparison. You should be comparing c230K or c320 with the sport package/suspension against a 330 or audi. They updated the dash and interior in 2005 on the class as well. 2005 was also the last year of the 4cyl turbo.

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1982 240 D, 308,000 - 321,127 miles (sold)
1982 300 TD,166,500 - 226,000 miles
1998 E 320, 120,000 - 144,000 miles
2005 C 230 K, 26,000 - 77,000 miles (sold)

EXACTLY! German sport sedan, except leave out the sedan part!

This is just an example of what you could get (believe me you would be surprised at the performance) > 1996 911 turbo
http://www.motorcities.com/media/image/640/05E8L092614761E/1996_Porsche_911_Turbo_yellow_E-640.jpeg