Toyota Prius Get's beat by BMW 5 series in MPG

[jbhtexas]

After living and travelling in Europe, I really, really, really, really want to own a diesel when I get back to the US.

Ahhh yes young Grasshopper...you have seen the light...

[Wx4Cy]

Not only that, but it is also short-sighted to only look at the front end cost. Resale value factors into the "total cost to own" calculation and not one person in this thread has considered this aspect.

Excellent point...

[dmclone]

Not sure where you're getting your prices, but our 06 3 Series was only 32K.

Go to the BMW of Des Moines web site. The first few 335's

Lithia Assured New Vehicles and a DRIVE IT NOW PRICE in the window of every vehicle. It makes buying your next car easy. If you don’t find what your looking for look for a store near you.


2008 335 Coupe=$47,850
2008 335 Sedan=$45,375 (This is the cheapest they have out of 18)
2008 335 Coupe=$49,600



You can get the base model 328 for $33K but i would feel kind of embarrassed that I bought a BMW with leatherette, unpowered seats, and no garage door opener.


I'm not trying to slam BMW's. They are great cars and I may even some day buy one (likely). Having said that, just like other luxury cars, they are not a great investment.

[dmclone]

Edmund's has a nice feature that predicts the true cost to own. It factors in depreciation, financing, insurance, taxes, fuel, maintenance, repairs.


2008 BMW 335
5 year total cost to own
$65,749

2008 G35 Sedan
$51,360

2008 Prius
$34,886

2008 BMW 535
$76,437

[brianhos]

Not sure where you're getting your prices, but our 06 3 Series was only 32K.

I just drove an '08 and it was 41k, and they cannot even get me a manual in a 3 series. I think the DSM sales team is completely incompetent.

[Wx4Cy]

Go to the BMW of Des Moines web site. The first few 335's

Lithia Assured New Vehicles and a DRIVE IT NOW PRICE in the window of every vehicle. It makes buying your next car easy. If you don’t find what your looking for look for a store near you.


2008 335 Coupe=$47,850
2008 335 Sedan=$45,375 (This is the cheapest they have out of 18)
2008 335 Coupe=$49,600



You can get the base model 328 for $33K but i would feel kind of embarrassed that I bought a BMW with leatherette, unpowered seats, and no garage door opener.


I'm not trying to slam BMW's. They are great cars and I may even some day buy one (likely). Having said that, just like other luxury cars, they are not a great investment.

strange...mine is fully-loaded @ 32K. including leather and powered seats.

[dmclone]

strange...mine is fully-loaded @ 32K. including leather and powered seats.

Must have went up a little since 2006. That should help your resale,

[brianhos]

Go to the BMW of Des Moines web site. The first few 335's

Lithia Assured New Vehicles and a DRIVE IT NOW PRICE in the window of every vehicle. It makes buying your next car easy. If you don’t find what your looking for look for a store near you.


2008 335 Coupe=$47,850
2008 335 Sedan=$45,375 (This is the cheapest they have out of 18)
2008 335 Coupe=$49,600



You can get the base model 328 for $33K but i would feel kind of embarrassed that I bought a BMW with leatherette, unpowered seats, and no garage door opener.


I'm not trying to slam BMW's. They are great cars and I may even some day buy one (likely). Having said that, just like other luxury cars, they are not a great investment.

Well the 335 is totally a different car than a camry. You can compare a 328 and a camry or something of that class, but a 335 is 300HP twin turbo, so it is a totally different beast.

[dmclone]

Well the 335 is totally a different car than a camry. You can compare a 328 and a camry or something of that class, but a 335 is 300HP twin turbo, so it is a totally different beast.

True. You can compare the 335 to the Infiniti G37 and there is usually a $10K difference in price.

[herbicide]

I just drove an '08 and it was 41k, and they cannot even get me a manual in a 3 series. I think the DSM sales team is completely incompetent.

You may already know this, if you are serious about these kind of cars, you should consider looking at dealers in Chicago or other larger metro areas. Selection and price will be much better.

Within the next year or so I need a new (used) car. I have been looking, and the best markets for these, both new and used are in the L.A., Chicago, and Phoenix areas.

You can compare a 328 and a camry or something of that class

Maybe on paper. Sit and drive in both and you will know there is no real comparison.

[brianhos]

True. You can compare the 335 to the Infiniti G37 and there is usually a $10K difference in price.

I would compare a 328 to a G35/37. The 335 is really in a class all by itself.

[brianhos]

You may already know this, if you are serious about these kind of cars, you should consider looking at dealers in Chicago or other larger metro areas. Selection and price will be much better.

Within the next year or so I need a new (used) car. I have been looking, and the best markets for these, both new and used are in the L.A., Chicago, and Phoenix areas.



Maybe on paper. Sit and drive in both and you will know there is no real comparison.

I did drive the 328, it was very nice, but was not worth $42,000. I really liked the G35/37, but once I saw the new 2009 maxima, I know what my next car will be.

The big problem I had with the 328 is it is just teeny tiny. I drive a maxima now, and people can use the seats behind me. When I put the 328 seat back to where i need it to drive, the front seat was literally 4" from the back seat, so that seat was unusable other than storage. Not even really sure why they put a rear seat into a 3 series. I would rather get a 135 at that point.

[Cy Heavy]

I did drive the 328, it was very nice, but was not worth $42,000. I really liked the G35/37, but once I saw the new 2009 maxima, I know what my next car will be.

The big problem I had with the 328 is it is just teeny tiny. I drive a maxima now, and people can use the seats behind me. When I put the 328 seat back to where i need it to drive, the front seat was literally 4" from the back seat, so that seat was unusable other than storage. Not even really sure why they put a rear seat into a 3 series. I would rather get a 135 at that point.

Amen. I've never really understood why someone would drop $42K on a compact car. Of course I'm 6'2" and just over two bills...

[Cy Heavy]

Diesels are 10 times more durable then a gasoline engine. You buy a truck with a gas engine vs diesel and the gas engine will be about shelled out when the diesel is just getting broke in. Now that they have gotten the emissions on diesels to match gasoline engines I can't wait till they get them in family cars since they are the way to go in my opinion. Right now if you buy a used truck with a diesel engine vs identical truck and mileage with a gasoline engine, the diesel with have twice the resale value because of the durability of the engine.

I sure hope they are more durable and are worth more in the end-you will pay about 5K more for a diesel engine in a truck and each service call will cost twice as much as a gas pickup.

[CyinCo]

I guess I don't see the logic behind that. Sure a prius is going to cost less per mile than a truck with a diesel but the new Jetta gets 50mpg in the diesel version. The new accord diesel that's coming soon gets 2 mpg better than a hybrid and cost less to buy. Hell Ford has a diesel getting almost 55mpg in Europe. VW also has a car in the prius range that hasn't been imported to the US that gets just a hair under 75mpg and it produces less CO2 per mile than the prius. Hybrids are an expensive fad and they won't last, at least using gas as the primary fuel.

Here is a good article on the incoming diesels from popular mechanics.
Clean Diesel Cars Greener Than Hybrids - New Fuel Efficient Engines Coming to U.S. - Popular Mechanics

The logic behind it? It is a fact. I'm not drawing a conclusion here. The cost per mile FOR FUEL is less in the prius that the BMW if you use US fuel pricing.

With that said, I had thread on here a couple months back stating that I'm buying a VW Jetta TDI once they are reintroduced. I'm in no way saying that diesels suck.