Re: New Honda Civic vs. Used BMW 3 series...

["Marc Leveille" <leveizep@xxxxxxxxx>]

brent Williams <baw2@domain.elided> asked

>> ...I will be in need of a car that will take me on lots of
>> buisness trips. Now, as much as I love my bimmer, I don't
>> want to take it on a bunch of long trips to wear it out
>> doing things that are less than fun.
...
>> What do you think is better? A used BMW, or a new Civic.
>> Cost: $15k. Not a bad deal for a new car. 2 door, with a
>> manual.

"Michael Wendell" <mwendell@domain.elided> replied

>i love my 1990 Honda Civic Si, it's a great car, but it's not great for
>long trips. At 70-80 mph on the highway, in 5th gear your still up in
>the buzzy part of the RPM range. the 3 series won't be as buzzy at all.

>if you want a honda, and operational cost is a concern, get an Insight,
>it's their new gas-electric hybrid. i think they're talking 80mpg.

>> '94 325is
>> '94 740il
>> '97 M3

>okay, now wait a minute. you have (imho) one of the best long-range
>cruisers ever made, the 740iL, why aren't you taking that? mileage? i
>don't understand how people can buy a car, then let it sit for fear of
>putting miles on it. drive that sucker. my '95 M3 had 94k miles when i
>sold it. my honda has 170k.

>if you really want to buy a cruiser, and you want a BMW, and you want to
>spend under $15k, get a used 5 series.

I couldn't agree more with Michael. I have a 85 535i with 391000 km (244000
miles) and I travel a lot for business ( I often put 2500 miles a week). I
get on the HWY 26 mpg. You can probably get better with the 528e. The
maintenance cost is fairly low as long as I keep it up. If I let got and put
it on the backburner it can sometimes cause more repairs or for the simple
fact that when things pile up it's not just one thing anymore but it's 2 or
3 and now it can get expensive fast. I've had lots of friends with Honda's
and I use to go skiing with on of them to Killngton which is about 3 hrs
drive. When he drove we went down in his Integra and by the time the drive
was over I was sore everywhere from the improper seating position ( legs
straiten out as if you where in a lawn chair a bit). If your traveling for
business, it's important that when you get your not tired of the drive.
Driving my 5 is never tiring, it's acutely very relaxing and that's why I'll
often go that route rather than flying. The 5 with good seats is great for
long drives as is your 740i. I would go that route if I had the 7. Going to
a older 3 series will be a big gap in what your used to. I had one and I
would have a hard time going back to it after the 5.

Marc

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