BMW vs MAXIMA

[SkyTorch]

People who drive those cars, or can afford those cars would never buy a Max. Yes, many Euro rides are exceptional. However, as a 6'3" 300 pounder, none of those cars you listed can do a thing for me. Most of us dream a 100K+, 500hp exotic in our garage but few can afford them. Probably, no one on this forum. So what does that leave?

Volkswagen? No thanks. Low end Benz? Why bother. 3 class beemer? Nope. Audi? It's smaller than the BMW!

True story. I had my car towed to dealership when my starter went out about 4 months ago. The driver said he hardly ever towed Infinity's, especially the I30 (cushy max). But Beemers and Benzs stay on the end of a hook. Cadillac was the all time leader, but no real surprise there. Bottom line, my car does 1400 miles a week, 50k or more a year as a couriers car. There is a lot of stop a go traffic, and I cruise at 80-90mph on the open road. None of those euro cream puffs can handle the punishment I dish out. Most of the affordable ones aren't designed for longevity under pressure. If you want to dream, dream Euro. If you want to buy, buy Japanese.

[Paonessa]

that's not all true. an amg mercedes cl 32 has a 3.2 liter supercharged v6 making 349 hp and 380+ torque which will move your 300 lbs a lot faster than 90. they sell for under 50k. they come with 4 years worth of free oil changes and road side assistance. that's 50 k with navigation system, heated power seats, voice command, 5 speed auto or 6 speed manual. I don't know what tow truck driver you know but when's the last time YOU saw a mercedes from the last decade on a tow truck. Audi cars aren't smaller than any other car it's like a sentra, altima and maxima progressively you get bigger cars (a4 a6 a8). if you get an a/s 4 then, yeah. An a/s 6 is just as roomy the rs6 is insanely fast and awd, it's 100% comprable to a skyline if not better. There are VERY few cars i will compare to a skyline but a 4matic benz or s6 (2.7 twin turbo boxer engine) is hands down as good.
maxima's are great cars and i love mine but there are a lot better cars available and most of them come out of europe. you might say the $15k difference isn't worth it but i know i'd pay it if i had it and that's just for the amg class. my friend had a mercedes last to around 289,000 miles before the engine finally croaked.

[SkyTorch]

Personally, I chose Nissan over a lot of other cars. Beemers, especially the 3 class, are all over the place. I don't want the car the everybody else has, because EVERYBODY else has it. And if you compare the scheduled maintenance for most cars, you will find that Nissans have the some of the widest gaps in cars in the 30k catergory. I thought my car was mediocre until I learned of a 500whp 1997 Max running around Dallas. The mods were in the 10k neighborhood. A VQ30 bored out and Turbo charged. I can pick up a older max for about 9k, drop 9k in the engine and maybe an additional 4k on changing out the tires and brake system. Hmm. Or spend 50k and get a nav system and free oil changes. You do the max, uh math. Besides, I'd like to see put 800 pounds of boxes in your AMG.

For the record, I think that quoting stats doesn't tell the whole story about a car. Stats are on new cars with no defects. Feature are nice, but they get old too. I have had to look at how well a car ages. I'm not sure what model of Benz your freind had but I have been in a few half million mile Benzs. There were all S-class. I'm at 140K miles and I think my car will still on the road at 500k. Whether the doors will still be attached is anybody's guess.



:frog: :frog:

[Paonessa]

ok, then by that logic i can buy an older 3 or 5 class for 10,000. buy an m3 engine for 3-5000 supercharge it for 2-4k and we're back at square one. comparable power at a similar cost

but that's not even what you said, you said you wouldn't be able to fit in the car and that it you wouldn't be able to commute at 90 mph

i ain't tryin to start a fight or nothing i'm just saying there are a lot of cars that are at least as good if not better than a maxima that can accomodate a taller or fatter or whatever type person

[SkyTorch]

No, I didn't say the car (BMW) would not commute at 90mph. I know that it will, even with me in it. The point I was making was for how long. How many months - years - miles would I be able to drive the car. How many days would I be the make 20+ stops a day, and carry anywhere from 2-800 pounds in payload, and run 20-90mph in all kinds of weather. I have a great many deadline in the course my work day and I drive like a race car driver - in traffic. I ain't trying to kill anybody, but that what the job requires. Longevity for the money is the issue.

[slowjoemax]

i dunno i love my max, but if i had a chance to pick up a M3 i dont think i would pass it up

[dLocke]

QueenMaxima:

It all depends on what you want in a car. Power luxury amenities, performance, or both. Now, I'm not saying Nissans are awful, far from it. But a Bimmer has a certain air of grace that can't really be put into words. Drive one around and you'll see for yourself.

Realiablity. I think both cars are going to be about the same. All cars need maintenance and that's a fact. If you avoid dealers you'll save a bundle. I buy my parts off the internet at www.jagworks.com and they're always 20-30% cheaper than the dealer prices. And my car doesn't get towed all the time (,1990 BMW 535i, an engine that's been known to go upward 300k)!

Comfort. A test drive will be really beneficial here. How else will you know if you can live with the car.

A 325i would be nice, especially with a 5spd. A 318is would get you a little better gas mileage but hey, you never really told us what was important to you.

I suggest you read some used car buyers guides or look for car reviews on the net. Those are usually unbiased reviews.

[thrasher]

All i can say is DO NOT get a 318ti, those things are so ugly and slow, you would spank one with a Maxima, plus a max looks ten times better. Get a 6sp SE and you'll never regret it, nothing around the price range can compete

[dirtydog]

thrasher, any of the cars you listed are for people that have money falling out of their ass. ofcourse anyone would take a ferrari over their maxima but its just not realistic.

[thrasher]

I realize that a Ferrari isn't realistic, my comment was in reference to when SkyTorch said "FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS DRIVE EUROPEAN", i was simply stating the Europeans build the best driver cars in the world. And they do.
:bandit:

[SkyTorch]

I just peeped part of the JD Powers report on the most reliable used cars that are 4-5 years old. That would be 1997 model cars. Spots one and two belong to Japan, i.e. Lexus and Infinity. Jaguar came in third, Porsche ranked 9th, and Mecerdes came in 10th. Spots 5, 6 and 7 are Acura, Honda and Toyota respectively.

Premium Midsize - Maxima
Entry Luxury - Infinity I30

There are about 12 other catergories of vehicles on the list, most of the top ranked are Japanese. Now, granted this is purely a dependability report and now performance report. But I found it interesting that BMW was not on the list anywhere. BTW, this is the 2001 JD Powers report.

[thrasher]

That's no surprise. Everyone knows that if you want quality, go Japanese. If you want fun and performance, go European. Granted there are exceptions, but in general, that's the way it is. How many people can say that if they had a choice of any car, they wouldn't go European.:bandit:

[Paonessa]

i'd rather have a v spec gtr34 skyline and just use the extra money to hook it up. with the excetion of (maybe) lamborghini and a new gtr 2 porcshe roadster