I actually CRIED
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Ok I have decided.........between a 2003 Audi A4 1.8 Turbo with 26k Miles. Premium Package for 22,000 dollars Manual
OR...............
2002 BMW 325 Fully loaded (minus sports package) with 33,800 miles for 23,995 Automatic
Little help here, I understand this is the Bimmer forum....buts lets try to be un biased here.
OR...............
2002 BMW 325 Fully loaded (minus sports package) with 33,800 miles for 23,995 Automatic
Little help here, I understand this is the Bimmer forum....buts lets try to be un biased here.
Love BMW but i imagine you could get sick of having an automatic REALLY quick.
I like Audi alot too. Is it a quattro?
Both fantastic cars. BMW probably last longer but i think the biggest selling points would be the Audi's manual, and if it was a quattro. You said premium package though so i assume quattro. That said i'd have to say Audi only because i would enjoy a BMW automatic for only a few days. Then i would dream of a manual BMW for the rest of the cars life. If the BMW was manual i'd say BMW.
One thing about the 1.8T that i would like to warn you about is that around 60000 miles you may be looking at a new water pump. The front end needs to be removed to do this job and costs almost 1000 dollars. (unless they revised the pump since 2001)
I like Audi alot too. Is it a quattro?
Both fantastic cars. BMW probably last longer but i think the biggest selling points would be the Audi's manual, and if it was a quattro. You said premium package though so i assume quattro. That said i'd have to say Audi only because i would enjoy a BMW automatic for only a few days. Then i would dream of a manual BMW for the rest of the cars life. If the BMW was manual i'd say BMW.
One thing about the 1.8T that i would like to warn you about is that around 60000 miles you may be looking at a new water pump. The front end needs to be removed to do this job and costs almost 1000 dollars. (unless they revised the pump since 2001)
tool fan said:
Holy shit Guys.................I just found a 2003 Dinan M3 with about 11,500 miles for 25,000 dollars. Man I am seriously looking to drop a a few notes and pick this BIATCH up.
It has.....Titanium Silver, Dinan Throttle Body, Dinan Exhaust, Dinan intake, Dinan software and chip. Dinan front and rear Stab bars, premium sound, Man Tranny, Xenons.
It has.....Titanium Silver, Dinan Throttle Body, Dinan Exhaust, Dinan intake, Dinan software and chip. Dinan front and rear Stab bars, premium sound, Man Tranny, Xenons.
It seems like you do not have a preference in transmission, and the deals are pretty similar, and both cars are great and similar. This really comes down to which one you actually want. Personally I would go with the A4 1.8T because the turbo motor is easy to mod (new ECU gets you another 30-40hp) and it is a manual. The BMW 325i w/Auto is slow (IMO) and there isn't much you can do about that unless you go forced induction. Essentially, I think you should keep looking.
What about an E39 540i? They probably shouldn't be going for that much now with the new 5-Series out and they are great machines.
What about an E39 540i? They probably shouldn't be going for that much now with the new 5-Series out and they are great machines.
The 325i with auto IS SLOW it accelerates slow and actually FEELS slow... you know a car is slow when you are in 5th gear doing 75-80 and an SUV is coming up on the right looking to do a flyby (and is practically successful, unless you catch it on time) on a two lane highway and you floor it in sportmode. Which merely causes the engine to roar and the car to hesitate for a few seconds and then down shift only to start crawling to 90. The 325i is definately not an autobahn car. It's not opinion, at highway speeds it's fact...but the sweet unrefined inline 6 does whine sweetly in 3rd gear ![[thumb]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_thumb.gif "Thumbs Up [thumb]")
Bmw 325i 7803 said:
The 325i with auto IS SLOW it accelerates slow and actually FEELS slow... you know a car is slow when you are in 5th gear doing 75-80 and an SUV is coming up on the right looking to do a flyby (and is practically successful, unless you catch it on time) on a two lane highway and you floor it in sportmode. Which merely causes the engine to roar and the car to hesitate for a few seconds and then down shift only to start crawling to 90. The 325i is definately not an autobahn car. It's not opinion, at highway speeds it's fact...but the sweet unrefined inline 6 does whine sweetly in 3rd gear
When I say unrefined I mean it in a figurative way, since comparing the 2.5 to the 3.0 the build quality is noticeably better (no fall apart sound on startup, no gas smell from muffler, no coil recalls) as is the fuel economy (which is laughable considering the bigger more powerful engine), all of which makes me believe the 2.5 is less refined and a less worthy engine...
I am getting SOOOO frusterated with my Frau..........First it was between the 325i and the A4.......now all she wants is a Benz. Benz's are nice not doubt.....but to get into one with any kind of HP is freaking expensive. I don't know if I am really in the market for a Merc right now. Bimmers are expensive to service, Benz's are twice as expensive. I have a 97 Benz E220 now and I really don't like it.....after owning that 530i, this Benz definately has NO balls to speak of. I would have to play in the 320 range to have comparable hp ratings, and those boogers are EXPENSIVE.
What to do?
What to do?
The X3 2.5i with automatic takes 10 seconds I believe to get to 60 and I have heard complaints about it's low end torque taking "too much gas" to get moving... I would highly recommend the X3 3.0 if thats where you're leaning. But yes I'm pretty sure the 6 speed would be better considering how slow it is with an auto. I mean if a 3300lb car with the 2.5 and an auto feels slow w/ 8 sec... imagine a 4000lb awd sav with the same engine. IMO BMW built the X3 with the NEW 2.5 in mind and figured initially they'd just stick in BMW's budget engine and not care. Also the X3 2.5 doesn't have all the bells and whistles standard as the 3.0 model does (watchout according to edmunds.com buyer ratings)