2nd car- reliable DD?

[Haywood]

Nobody has mentioned the Ford Fiestas. They are getting great reviews. People that have them, love them.

[aerostar]

Subaru's are great. Their turbo motors are fine but they burn a little bit of oil which is expected.

You can never really go wrong with a Honda or Toyota, though.

[Thatoneguy_335i]

I say get a Honda or Toyota but get one that has not been reemed out by some kid if you can.

I have a 2000 Celica GT, don't get one of those if you don't know how to fix stuff. Get a later model like an 04/05 and you will be fine. Mine gets 34 MPG on cheap gas. That's my main reason for owning it still.

I also have a 2010 Yamaha R6, its fun to ride, fast and gets 32 MPG on premium. The downside is other people not paying attention and just not seeing you. Motorcycles are not for everyone and I know that but again, using my situation as an example.

My 07 335 is my nightly/weekend/date night/luxury/smile putting on my face car. It stays in the garage most of the day but I stretch her legs when I can.

I've always had multiple cars. When I had my STi's I had Honda DD's the BMW got paired with a Toyota and a Yamaha, so far so good.

[moralesa335]

Originally Posted by Thatoneguy_335i

I say get a Honda or Toyota but get one that has not been reemed out by some kid if you can.

I have a 2000 Celica GT, don't get one of those if you don't know how to fix stuff. Get a later model like an 04/05 and you will be fine. Mine gets 34 MPG on cheap gas. That's my main reason for owning it still.

I also have a 2010 Yamaha R6, its fun to ride, fast and gets 32 MPG on premium. The downside is other people not paying attention and just not seeing you. Motorcycles are not for everyone and I know that but again, using my situation as an example.

My 07 335 is my nightly/weekend/date night/luxury/smile putting on my face car. It stays in the garage most of the day but I stretch her legs when I can.

I've always had multiple cars. When I had my STi's I had Honda DD's the BMW got paired with a Toyota and a Yamaha, so far so good.

Good point. I drove my 08 gsxr750 for 4 yrs straight. But the Houston heat and traffic took its toll on me after awhile... For awhile there it felt awesome to open my garage and have a choice on what to drive. By sports car. By SUV. Or by street bike. I felt like Bruce Wayne haahaha! I've been tempted to get another bike....the bmw s1000rr is beckoning me!

[moralesa335]

Originally Posted by Jashley73

Makes more sense now...

What's your budget? - meaning as another poster pointed out, is leasing/new an option? New F30, or C-class Benz?

My budget is comfortable under 20k....I can get into fairly a large number of cars that are in decent shape even with ~60k miles.
Only thing I know is I prefer a luxury car. I bought my fx with 75k miles 2 years ago for 12.5k. I figured I could find something like that again.... That's why I was wondering about the c class' and g's. I'd go Lexus IS but they seem too cramped...and a bit slow. I found a sweet c300 sport but just dreading the reliability...I've never gone merc and it makes me nervous.

[pikkagtr]

Toyota Camry
Last forever
Put in oil
Rotate tires
Fill with gas
That's about it

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by moralesa335

Hey everyone. just wanted a few opinions from others who might have experience with other makes.
I've been considering a couple of other cars to make my DD. I'm looking for reliability lasting into high miles and even perhaps dealer maintenance experience.

I'm looking at the infiniti g37 bc infiniti offers great service even out of warranty on their cars and I've had 2 so far with no major problems. Another car I'm debating over is the mercedes c300/350. My only concern is they don't seem to hold value...why is it that a 2010 is under 20k? Also, does anyone know about their reliability and even dealer experiences?
Any suggestions or opinions welcome....as this will just be a work horse DD for me.

Thanks everyone!

You're basically seeking a second car to use as functional transportation, right? If so, the G37 will be fine and really, seeing as you've been quite content with the two you've had, why fix what isn't broken? Especially just to have a vehicle for dealing with life's errands?

I'm sure you may have more in mind that you want than what you've expressed in the post above. Based on that post, however, were it I buying the vehicle, I'd probably go even less posh than a G37 and get an Accord, Altima or Camry, perhaps even the hybrid version if I have a long commute.

I might instead consider a car of some sort that has a hatchback just to get a bit more utility out of it, perhaps a base model X128 or 328 wagon (new or pre-owned, no line, no leather, no packages, add heated seats & nav). If not the X128 or E91 328, then a competing Japanese vehicle.

I'm a multiple car owner: E92, F10, "antique" S Class, and Range Rover. I use the E92 as my DD, the the RR for hauling and trips to the mountains, the F10 as my "nice" car, and the MB I keep for sentimental reasons. in 1993, I was a "one car" guy with a 318i. Then along came the first child and in '98 I got the RR to take care of "stuff" the 318 or my wife's car couldn't for we were doing a lot of home renovation at the time and had three kids, but the 318 was my DD until I replaced it with the E92. I got the F10 a few years after divorcing (she took our "nice" car) to have a "nice" car.

Now, my kids (3 of them) are all about to be out of the house and I'm thinking of cutting back on the cars. I think within the next five years I'll end up with the F10, a utility car like the X128 or an E91 and the MB (if I don't gift it to one of my kids). The utility car will become my DD at that point. The RR could be a DD, but it's far too big, uses far too much gas, etc. What I actually end up doing will depend on how long the E92 holds up.

You likely gleaned from the above that though I like to have decent cars, I'm not a "car freak." They are transportation first and "nice" second. Hopefully my comments have given you some ideas about thinking ahead -- expected life changes, unexpected ones, not planned buy reasonably foreseeable, etc. -- and choosing accordingly.

All the best.

[pukicabuki]

A 335 is a DD. Not really a car worthy of the weekend only status IMO.

You do realize that you're trying to replace the DD duties of your 335 with another car in the same class, don't you? The G37 is just as worthy of being the weekend car as the 335 considering they directly compete with each other. Its not going to save you money on gas. You'll pay more for insurance on 2 cars.

Why not just buy another 335 so you can drive one on the weekend and the other during the week? I guess that doesn't make sense and you would then have 2 incredibly rare street legal race cars to use on the weekend.

Just drive your 335 and save yourself the money of getting a 2nd car. Its not like its going to be a collectors item or be worth any significant amount because you kept the mileage somewhat low on it.

This whole thread makes me...

[gtaccord]

Figuring this out myself.

My commute is 100 miles per day so currently have a 98 civic beater daily. I got a really good deal on it but I am finding that it was not in good enough shape for me to use it the way I use it. I have to fix everything since the daily/weekly mileage us so high

Anyway....

Started looking for a replacement . For sub 20k I figure a late model (<3 years old) Mazda 6, honda accord, camry or vw tdi is as good as you can get. Great gas mileage (34 mpg or over), regular gas or diesel, sporty enough to enjoy (accord or 6 with 6mt), big enough for a road trip with family of 4 and really cheap to maintain especially if you buy certified.

Imo buying anything else sportier or more powerful that requires premium kinda defeats the purpose.

[TheLegend]

I'm in the exact same situation where I'm shopping for a good daily/beater. Here's my top list at the moment. My criteria is cheap maintenance, reliable, and good utility.
1.Fiesta ST
2. Impreza Hatch
3. Mazda 3 hatch
4. Used 3rd gen 4runner

[PopsnBurbles]

I don't get the hate C300's are getting. They great daily cars. The 228hp NA V6 does its job and pretty good at that. It's okay with gas mileage. I can get 20~24 city and 27~32 highway depending on how heavy I drive the car. I has decent torque that's very useable in regular driving. It's smooth and the ride isn't obnoxiously floaty but it's definitely less "sporty" than a base E90 328i. I'm talking about a C300 Sport w/ Panoramic roof.

Performance-wise, it's a tad slower than an N51 328i but the C proves to be the better cruising car (and doing mild overtaking). The 7 speed automatic is an oddball because it can't be shifted manually but the drive can set up to which gear the car will be capped at. For example, set it at 3 and the car won't go past 3rd gear. It's not terribly slow with inputs but if the car has been driven too soft for awhile it will upshift too easily even under heavy throttle. With a right exhaust, it sounds AMAZING. Handling = bad/okay when adaptive suspension hasn't worked yet, okay when adaptive is working. I believe the pano-roof is ruining the handling experience.

Reliability: It's been very reliable. No issues whatsoever. Nothing done to the car except for a recall, replace a 6 year old battery, and basic maintenance.

[PandaM3]

I have a Chevy Spark Electric car as my daily driver.
-Zero down on the lease
-after my state tax credit the lease is like $70 a month
-I don't have to pour $300 a month in gas into my M3 just to commute
- I'm only paying an extra $30 a month in electricity
-my overall insurance rate drops lower since the Spark is my daily
-It's electric so no maintenance and as reliable as any other electric appliance
-I don't waste my M3 gas, mileage, and wear just sitting in traffic m-f/ instead I enjoy it on open roads on the weekends
-My overall carbon foot print with an EV and an M3 is probably lower than someone with an Accord or Camry

[TheLegend]

I went to the dealership just yesterday looking for a chevy spark EV to lease, except Michigan doesn't believe in EV haha. Yeah definitely thew way go. The gas saving pretty much pays for the car itself.

[DS_BMW]

Fiesta ST or Focus ST. Just about as much fun as you can have for the money. I like my fiesta ST so much I don't even drive my BMW 4 series at all anymore. It feels so boring and soft. Want to put it on lease swap.

[Sandye90m3]

I was in a similar dilemma, choosing between the 2011 G37x Sport and C350. On paper, the G37 looks betters, but the C350 at the end of the day is far superior car when you start to look at fit, finish, durability.

We have 100k kms, not a single hiccup.

[DaveChapin]

Originally Posted by pukicabuki

A 335 is a DD. Not really a car worthy of the weekend only status IMO.

You do realize that you're trying to replace the DD duties of your 335 with another car in the same class, don't you? The G37 is just as worthy of being the weekend car as the 335 considering they directly compete with each other. Its not going to save you money on gas. You'll pay more for insurance on 2 cars.

Why not just buy another 335 so you can drive one on the weekend and the other during the week? I guess that doesn't make sense and you would then have 2 incredibly rare street legal race cars to use on the weekend.

Just drive your 335 and save yourself the money of getting a 2nd car. Its not like its going to be a collectors item or be worth any significant amount because you kept the mileage somewhat low on it.

This whole thread makes me...

+1
Buying a second car to save money?
Shoot, you bought the 335 to enjoy, not park.
You are going to take a depreciation hit regardless.
Just drive the car you enjoy driving the most

[P1]

In the end, a second car will cost more than the depreciation and maintenance of your 335i. But I doubt many of us do it to really save money. I think we just all like to have "another car" to mess with. We just justify is differently.

Buy a VW Golf or Jetta.

[ben14142001]

I have a Jetta TDI as a DD and winter car. It's awesome. Around 50 mpg on the highway and 40's around town and very reliable.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

Golf tdi, just picked one up. Good mileage, decent looks and should last long time.

Spot on .
Saw over here in my area VW Golfs TDI's with more than 300,000 km on it !
So your choise was outstanding as for a DD , and they consume almost nothing .

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Spot on .
Saw over here in my area VW Golfs TDI's with more than 300,000 km on it !
So your choise was outstanding as for a DD , and they consume almost nothing .

Hope your right. It's wife's new car, got the sportwagen for extra utility. Have 2 diesel family now with my x5d.

[wheresmy5]

If 335 is your weekend, G37/Q40 as your DD makes no sense. It's practically in the same class, and guzzles gas. Look into Mazda6- completely redesigned for 2014, handles exceptionally well for a FWD, and is amazing on gas- about 36mpg HWY. Drive one and you'll never want an accord or camry. Same price and class but way more fun, its an awe some little sleeper in an otherwise boring grocery-getter category.

[wheresmy5]

Originally Posted by ben14142001

I have a Jetta TDI as a DD and winter car. It's awesome. Around 50 mpg on the highway and 40's around town and very reliable.

This too. Which model years?