I think I'll trade in my e90!

[RGRAY]

I think I'll trade in my e90! on a Mazda.

You should be banned for saying that and posting pictures of Mazdas. :mad:

[noflash]

It's almost like saying, I'll trade-in my Mazda for a Kia. Dammit, must not prolong worthless thread!!

[jmatero]

This thread is REALLY funny... because I just traded IN MY MAZDA for a 330i... wood and all...

Tired of turbos.. and I've had some of the best. Trust me, the only Mazda with a shifter better than the 3-series is the MX-5... definately not the Mazdaspeed 6. I guess it's all about what's important to you as an owner. Seems like most teen and 20-somethings (no offense if this doesn't apply to you...) want nothing more than something to beat others with at stop lights (Lexus IS owners, WRX, Lancer, etc).. vs. the best driving, handling all around package on the market today. to each his own. As somebody who just traded in his Mazda, my only advice to you is this: You better like it enough to want to keep it until it explodes because the depreciation is atrocious... as are the insurance rates vs. the 3-series.

[DC52E55]

What about Subaru legacy GT?

that's a pretty good car too.

[Craigar]

You have got to be kidding me. A Mazda better than a BMW!

If your driving a 325 and want a little more sport than you should have sprung for the 330i w/sport package. You are out of your mind to think for a second that the Mazda is a better car.

To each his own but I have dreamed of my 330i for years and I was not going to go for anything less than what I wanted. Did lots of research and like I said, if your going to buy one, get the one that you want. If you can't afford it then don't buy it yet.

Spend the extra $8,000 and get the car (that I think you want) and get the 330i.

You shouldn't be dissapointed. Well, maybe you would.

[trurace]

The only good mazda was the RX-7 :rocks:

YOU ARE DOWNGRADEING

[england1987]

Originally Posted by Speedy E90

well go ahead.....at the end of the day I am sure that Mazda is gonna drive like it looks.......

Thats great. the problem is that your cheap. you want a BMW at Ford/Mazda prices. NOTE; ford is having financial issues

[a burrito]

Wow...Do not degrade mazda because it is cheaper than bmw. That is completely rediculous and it seems like half of you dont even know what you guys are talking about when it comes to the ownership of an vehicle. Its all about personal interest and if e90im feels it is the right car for him then im sure it is.

[voltron1011]

You will definitely be downgrading your day-to-day driving experience by going with the Mazda. Driving high reving four cylinder engines with big turbos gets really old after a while. If you aren't up on your boost (which is most of the time), you'll get whooped by granny in her Chevy Cavelier (no offense to Caveleier owners). The only way to keep your power on is to keep the engine spinning above 4000 rpm, and that just isn't practical. After driving your Mazda like that for about a year you'll have burned through the clutch completely and will have to pay for the replacement out of your own pocket. Also, have fun with warranty related issues (like Evo owners) as things start to fail and the dealer refuses to replace it because it shows 'race wear.'
Trust me on this, it is just not practical to have one of those cars. There are many former Evo owners on this forum who got rid of their all-wheel drive rockets for 325's and admit it was the best decision they've ever made. Keep your E90 with it's free maintainance for the next four years.

[cntlaw]

I adore your decision to trade a BMW with a Mazada.
You are a real man.

[DTM]

E90im, you show us a lot of specifications. You also request us to bring "hard facts" to our arguement.

If you base which cars you buy on specs, then go buy yourself a Subaru Impreza WRX STi or a Lexus IS350.

OMG LEXUS HAS 306 HP AND SUBARU HAS 300 MAZDA MUST SUCK.

I don't understand your whole interior arguement. Mazda is an economy car designed to compete with Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys. It's a nice car, i've rented one on vacation, but it's interior looks like crap compared to a bimmer.

It all depends on what your looking for in a car.

[StewtheBassman]

Hey Bro.
I traded my 325i e46 last summer for a Legacy GT Ltd. You know the deal, power, amenities, some bling and a boatload cheaper.

I came back to BMW because, as voltron was saying above, the 4 cyl turbos are really rough and jerky. The BMW 6 cylinder can be so smooth as to be almost boring.

The week after I got my Legacy turbo I drove my family to Toronto for the weekend, a 1200km round trip in our X5. Almost immediately I remembered that "silky smooth" power, and began regretting my swap. 3 months later the Leggie was gone and by October month end I had my new 325xi. I lost a ton of money in the process, and regret some of my moves. I did learn a lesson though, and it was fun driving all those new cars.

Mazda is an excellent quality ride at its price point, and it's an aggressive looking car, no doubt. I tried a Mazda 3 the other week and was very impressed with the shifter, the ergos, and the interior. The shifter is much tighter than BMW shifters for sure, something I'm not even sure a SSK would fix on the Bimmer (I tried on the e46 but never got it right....that's why I got Step this time around).

Anyway, think long and hard about this, because unless you like losing money - lots of it, you'll be stuck in the 6 for a couple of years after this move. The E90 is a sublime car.

Go and drive some other cars, a Charger R/T, a Legacy Turbo, a Mustang, a WRX (Nice seats), and some other powerful performance cars. They're all good in their own way, and you may find one that you FALL IN LOVE with. Also, if you wait a little longer, there is a Challenger and a Camaro coming that could be brialliant cars to prowl around in for a great price.

As time goes on I fall more and more in love with my new E90.

One other thing, it's a sure bet that the Mazdaspeed 6 will use a lot of gas, especially when you're boosting (which will be most of the time), so get ready for pump shock.

Take your time.....have fun driving lots of different cars, you may stick with the E90 after all.

90 per cent of the posters in this thread are morons and have no respect, so ignore those jackasses and do what you need to.....just keep checking in here, and if you do change cars, let us know how the new one goes!!!

[wurz154]

It took an enormous amount of years to being able to invent "runflat" tire which will allow you to drive several miles before stopping.... and you complain you don't have a spare tire.....
I love the two faces car.... from the outside you can have a sport car and wow by driving it ... it is
When people get in.... beige leather, nice poplar wood trim and so silent in motion... they are impressed...
Have you tried the steptronic gear?
Think about trade it in for a 330xi touring if you want a 4 wheel drive and don't mind a little extra space....or trade for an "M"....

[Jibber]

You need to drive what feels right to you. It's your car.

On the other hand, I think BMW might increase sales by offering a reasonably priced "Ricer Package."

[akhbhaat]

I see this happen all too often. Thing is, most people (myself included) feel that the current 3er just isn't sporty enough, and end up buying something else - then regret it and come back. We're never completely satisfied either way. A sportier 3 series would do the trick.

I'm not going to subscribe to the usual BMW fanboyishness that accompanies threads like this because, quite frankly, I can't stand it. The "it's not a BMW" crap is ridiculous. No - it's not - and that can be both good and bad. On one hand, you're probably getting more for your money. You probably won't have to put up with the same annoying problems and reliability quirks (silly things like window regulators with braided steel cables and PLASTIC pulleys). But then, you won't get quite the same driving feel or experience out of the car - very, VERY few cars on this Earth drive quite like BMW's products do. That much is true.

I read an interesting article some while ago (five or six years, at least) that talked about how some insiders at BMW were concerned that the brand was losing focus - that its newest cars were a touch too refined or civilized, too "perfect." This was just a year or so into E46 sedan production. The concern was that BMW would start losing its younger, sport-minded buyers and the average buyer age would become something resembling that of Mercedes-Benz (50-55). How accurate were these predictions?

Well, BMW's buyer age is still much younger than the industry average for luxury cars. That fear may have been unfounded. However, the article did make another point which I find relevant even today - that buyers are no longer associating "sporty" with BMW. In other words, the hard edged excitement that drew so many people to brand in prior years has disappeared. I think that's certainly the case - if you want a truly "sporty" car in the ~30k price range these days, you go for a 350Z, a MazdaSpeed 6, or an STI...NOT a BMW 3 series. I'm not suggesting that the older 3ers were quite like an STI or 350Z, but they were certainly much closer to those cars then than what they are today (that is, relatively quiet luxury sedans with a "playful" side to them).

I'll tell you what's wrong with the 3 series today, particularly the E90: it's not sporty enough (see above!). It's not luxurious enough (have you driven the new IS350?). It tries to be both, and shouldn't. The buyer should be offered a choice OR a compromise.

For example, the current car's steering is awfully numb. I really find it hard to thoroughly enjoy the E90 after getting out of an E36 or even an early (99-00) E46. The shift throws are way too long - though this I've become accustomed to. The stock clutch is crap. It's vague, overly soft, doesn't have a sharp engagement bite to it. I absolutely LOVE the E34 M5-based aftermarket setup in my E46 - it's absolutely the most cherished improvement I've made to that car.

Sure, the luxury aspect helps the car sell to the mass market. No doubt the 3 series outsells all of the above cars combined. But why can't we have our cake and eat it too? Offer two versions - one, similar to the current version but a little softer. Comfortable ride, automatic, power seats, you get the idea. The other, a ZHP-like version with sporty exterior accents, large wheels, and stiff, responsive suspension. Shorter gearing, louder exhaust, short-throw shifter, tighter clutch - all the things that make a car exciting to drive. Lose the power seats and all that crap, cut down the weight (and cost) a bit. Leave the quiet, smooth, heavy stuff to the luxury oriented version...hit both sides of the market. See how Mercedes has both a "sport sedan" and "luxury sedan" version of their C-class? BMW can do that, too, but to an even greater extreme. Make the "sport package" more than just seats, wheels, mild suspension tuning and a steering wheel. Make it a completely "different" car...like the ZHP package did.

Return the 3er to its roots, BMW.

[desinole]

You are a real man.

LOL

[StewtheBassman]

Good post, akky!

[espo]

Take the money that you are going to lose by doing this trade and "upgrade" the components of the 325i you don't like. You are probally going to lose in the range of $5,000 and there is ALOT you can buy for the car with that kind of money (and your complaining about $700 for the trim..)

There are going to be alot of mods available for this car in the next year (probally including a turbo if your REALLY set on that). I also remember seeing someone putting together silver carbon fiber trim for the car (which IMHO would like ever better than the aluminum in the car). For more storage, you can replace the ashtray with a sunglass holder (there is a DIY on this site for it). You have alot of options... Sounds like you made a rash decision buying the 325 when you weren't completely sold on it... Don't make another rash decision that will in the end make things even worse..

FYI I did alittle work on this before I bought the car, based on previous model depreation, the "break even point" for a BMW is in the range of 30 months.. That's the point in which the car would be worth the same amount as what is left on the loan (assuming you didn't put anything more than the taxes down, and got a 5 year loan at a rate like 5%). If you get rid of the car before that point you will have to put money out of pocket to clear the loan.

[seevemonka]

First of all,you can get a bmw with metal trim.The mazda speed 6,didn't even win a comparo test,in it's segment,in car and driver.It was 4th out 5 or 6 cars,the vw gli,blew it away,in terms of style,comfort,and refinement.It was an all around better car.The mazda is not even in the same class as the bmw 325.The bmw is a luxury car,that leans towards sport.The mazda is a sporty car,but not a luxury car.You would be a complete moron,to trade in the car for a mazda,especially after owning it,only 3 months or so.

[StewtheBassman]

The reason I got a 325 is that the list of upgrades will soon be too numerous to mention, and then the real fun begins, eh??HEHE.

[Arkansas3]

to each his own. enjoy your ford...errr...mazda.

[ward]

akbhat I think you're crazy thinking the steering's numb.

the feel on my E90 is just as good or better than my E36 was and almost as good as the porsches I've tested

the electric assist on my Z4 on the other hand.......