New Honda Euro or E46 BMW325Ci

[pilotb777_300]

Hey guys

TIme for the old 2003 euro to go... Getting close to 100K on the clock and I reckon by the end of this year it will be gone for sure. I've been slowly lookin around for a replacment... The 2 cars that have really cought my eye are either a new euro or an older 2003/2004 325CI. Both Will be around the same price Mid 30K but obviously the euro will have low or zero Km on the clock. Which would u guys go for ??? ohh and I'm only lookin for a manual in either car.

[Ilia]

You cant beat new, id probably go the euro, would have as many if not more features then a 325i if you decide to go for the lux model euro. Not only that it has next to 0 km's.

Unless you can find something under the 30/40 000 km mark really cheap i would say that a 08 car would always be better then an 05 model car!

Good luck with your car hunting, its a :D time

Ilia

[Pumped]

325ci
BMW straight six lovin :p

[pilotb777_300]

hmmmm the straight 6 does have an awsome exhaust note but I wonder which will be quicker. Both are around 150KW I belive while the BMW does have a little more torque and a big plus is its rear wheel drive.
Is there any factual information yet on how fast the 0-100 times of the new euro are ? I think the bemma does it in around 7.6 secs for the manual

[tron07]

I will pick a new car anytime..... the e46 325 is a good car, but you are chaginng a 2003 car with another 2003 car with similar mileage, no warranty, unknown history, and parts failure or needs replacements... and they are not cheap.

[pilotb777_300]

I will pick a new car anytime..... the e46 325 is a good car, but you are chaginng a 2003 car with another 2003 car with similar mileage, no warranty, unknown history, and parts failure or needs replacements... and they are not cheap.


Thats a good point.. Warrenty is fairly important I guess. Only thing is I wana buy by end of this year or early next year.. I dont know if I want to buy brand new or something with a few KM on the clock like an ex demo or something... I know the new euro will be realeased in july I belive ? when do u guys reckon we will start to see some second hand ones or even some ex demos with a few KM on the clock...

[Exar Kun]

Heart says beemer, head says Euro.

BMW straight six, RWD, totally awesome steering feel and dynamics vs warranty, known quantity, 0kms on the clock, lower service and repair costs.

I say go the beemer but if it were me buying i'd probably stick with the Euro.

[Q_ball]

That "awesome" exhaust note only lives in the 3.0L from the 330ci.

The 325 is a nugget variant imo.
With a mid 30k budget and with bang for bucks in mind, id personally get the Euro > the 325.

[aaronng]

E46 325i is a bit slower than the 03 manual Euro if you have traction. :) But of course, the E46 came with probably the best cockpit out of the E36, E46 and E90.... Potential electrical reliability-wise.... I'd pick a new car. Why not get an upgrade? I would have thought that people driving the Euro would have such a thirst for more power by now that they would get something with more grunt.

[pilotb777_300]

E46 325i is a bit slower than the 03 manual Euro if you have traction. :) But of course, the E46 came with probably the best cockpit out of the E36, E46 and E90.... Potential electrical reliability-wise.... I'd pick a new car. Why not get an upgrade? I would have thought that people driving the Euro would have such a thirst for more power by now that they would get something with more grunt.

Well I dont want an all out Boy racer car...I want something with grunt and class.. which really means M3 in my langauge :) Now I dont live in LALA land and I know I cant afford one so I'd rather go somwhere in the middle and get a little of both worlds then just all out power and nothing else. althoughhhhhhhhhh I was very tempted with a liberty STI ! :) but good luck finding one of those on the second hand market and for anywhere near in the high 30's or low 40's price range

[Type R Positive]

I wasn't allowed to buy second hand.....

I wanted everything from second hand 350Z, RX7, GTR, Supra, Teg type S.
All in the $30k-$40k range. There is soooooo many cars in this bracket. Missus said no freakin way to a second hand car. My budget couldn't stretch to a new Liberty GT-B or Evo X at this time.

My mate recently went from euro to second hand bmw 525 I think, and he couldn't be happier. He said the euro was as awesome as can be, but the beemer is something else.....

Get what you really want to get. The beemers have depreciated the largest chunk that their ever going to depreciate.

Anyway, I got a new euro. Im very happy, but I could be happier.

[aaronng]

Well I dont want an all out Boy racer car...I want something with grunt and class.. which really means M3 in my langauge :) Now I dont live in LALA land and I know I cant afford one so I'd rather go somwhere in the middle and get a little of both worlds then just all out power and nothing else. althoughhhhhhhhhh I was very tempted with a liberty STI ! :) but good luck finding one of those on the second hand market and for anywhere near in the high 30's or low 40's price range

If your budget doesn't allow you to go high, then look at only the ones in your range. Don't put cars like the Liberty STI in there, when the 2.0L Liberty GT is almost as nice and within your price range. As I said, you have to work in your budget. Don't wish for cars that you know you can't get this time around. BTW, what about an E36 M3? They are around the mid to high 40k's. If you want grunt and class, I'd go E46 330ci rather than E46 M3. Once you test drive an E46 M3, you'll understand. LOL.

[EuroAccord13]

Can't go past the E46! My mate's got both the E46 330ci and the M3, the 330ci will essentially be the same as the 325 you are looking at, just a different engine and they do go abeit more torque than the 325... The M3 is an absolute drive but I don't like the SMG gearbox which he optioned, not used to it LOL, feels weird as it's an auto but the car doesn't roll when you let off the brakes.

[aaronng]

Can't go past the E46! My mate's got both the E46 330ci and the M3, the 330ci will essentially be the same as the 325 you are looking at, just a different engine and they do go abeit more torque than the 325... The M3 is an absolute drive but I don't like the SMG gearbox which he optioned, not used to it LOL, feels weird as it's an auto but the car doesn't roll when you let off the brakes.

So which car has harsher suspension? My Euro or the E46 M3? :p

[EuroAccord13]

Your car..... Because your one broke my back and the M3 did not... Maybe it's the leather seats LOL!
Mind you, I did not push the M3 too hard because I can't afford to break his expensive car.....
The only race feel I got was from the paddle shifters lolololol!!!!

[UNLS1]

get the euro, gettin an old beemer will look like ur trying to look rich but u cant afford a new one lol

[Q_ball]

If the OPs budget was higher, than id condone the purchase of a 330ci over the Euro... however its sitting relatively low at the moment... hence id recommend going for the Euro instead.

[EGB18CT]

euro end of story, unless the beemer is an ex demo/new.

[pilotb777_300]

If the OPs budget was higher, than id condone the purchase of a 330ci over the Euro... however its sitting relatively low at the moment... hence id recommend going for the Euro instead.

soo as it stands most people are saying euro. I might pop down the dealers and have a look at the new one myself. I wonder how much they would give me to trade in an 03 STD manual euro with 80K on it....

[aaronng]

$12-15k.... just guessing.

Or keep the Euro and keep saving money, since your budget is so low. Now is a good time to keep your money in liquid-able assets or in the bank, not blowing it on a depreciating car.

[BiLL|z0r]

I'd get the Euro if you want to replace the car but in all seriousness why get rid of the Euro? So what if it's got 100K on the clock. It's a 4cyl vs the higher cost of a 6cyl beemer fuel, rego and maintenance wise. I'd put the 30K into a high interest savings account and earn interest on it instead. Better to earn 8% interest per annum then loose 30% depreciation.

[pilotb777_300]

I'd get the Euro if you want to replace the car but in all seriousness why get rid of the Euro? So what if it's got 100K on the clock. It's a 4cyl vs the higher cost of a 6cyl beemer fuel, rego and maintenance wise. I'd put the 30K into a high interest savings account and earn interest on it instead. Better to earn 8% interest per annum then loose 30% depreciation.

Thats what the old man has been saying actually lol but correct me if I'm wrong wont it devalue heaps more once I get over 100K and more things will start to go wrong and at the end of the day I'll have to buy a new car eventually when the accord goes to the scrap yard ? so either way I have a car thats depreciating and will have to buy a new one at some stage. I know a new euro will lose a lot of initial value as well... Theres 2 sides to the argument I guess...

[BiLL|z0r]

You are right but for personal use keeping a car is generally cheaper than buying a new car every few years. For business use then turning over cars can be better off or at least not that much worse off.
Being a Honda Euro I doubt it's gonna have too many issues. If it was a cheaper Hyundai or something then getting rid of it would be a good idea.

[racerwannabe]

Drive your current euro until it becomes a cheap car for a P-plater. Use the cash to invest as the wise people here have already said :D. The euro is a great car and i dont see why it wont serve you well for another 100k if you look after it well. But if you really want to get a new car then go with the new euro!

[aaronng]

Thats what the old man has been saying actually lol but correct me if I'm wrong wont it devalue heaps more once I get over 100K and more things will start to go wrong and at the end of the day I'll have to buy a new car eventually when the accord goes to the scrap yard ? so either way I have a car thats depreciating and will have to buy a new one at some stage. I know a new euro will lose a lot of initial value as well... Theres 2 sides to the argument I guess...

Your old man is right. It has already depreciated anyway with the introduction of this new Euro. 100k is nothing. My dad is still driving his 1994 Accord auto with 280k. Engine feels more torquey than my Euro! I plan to keep mine long term too.

Otherwise, there will be many 2nd hand Euros in the market after the 1 minor upgrade, probably in 3 years time (2011). Why not buy a 2nd hand 09 Euro then? (assuming that we can still afford petrol)

[Lukey13]

I can't see much point in selling a 2003 Euro to purchase a 2008 Euro. Really, there isn't that much difference to justify the huge cost in upgrading.

I would suggest either keeping your current Euro or going for the used BMW. A 325 or 330 would be an awesome car that you wouldn't regret (unless the extra costs were too much of an issue for you).

Options as I see them:

1) Keep current Euro and invest your money = smart and sensible decision
(you'll eventually be driving a 335 if you do this now)

2) Buy a used BMW = fun, "living for now" decision

3) Sell current Euro and buy new Euro = financially not so smart decision and also the "not so fun" decision
(I love my Euro more than just about any other car around, but it simply doesn't compare to a BMW in terms of driveability)


Although I chose a brand new Euro fully optioned with everything over a used E46 325i (would have been a 330i but they only came in manual), there's no way I'd replace a Euro with a Euro (that isn't all that different to the previous model).

BTW my next car in two years' time is going to brand new, Bavarian, and with a twin turbo six cylinder engine, although that's got something to do with my experience with option 1 above.

[SPQR]

Shares are cheap at the moment. I heard a report from The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE - a Federal government mob) that exports of commodities from Oz are expected to rise 40% next year to $212 Billion. OZ is doing well; shares are cheap; shares are liquid; good time to buy shares is now. They'll go down for a while but they'll go up. If you invest in a good company that pays good dividends you are better off than money in the bank as dividends have most of the tax paid by the company. So you'll pay the difference between 30% and your top marginal tax rate. With bank interest you'll pay tax on whole lot at your top marginal tax rate. Beware of mining companies. They are high risk. Go for companies that provide goods and services that benefit indirectly from the commodities boom.

Go look at the new Euro now as it is out and about. Then buy a Euro in a few years time.

http://www.abareconomics.com/corporate/media/2008_releases/23june_08.html

Disclaimer: I'm definitely not a financial adviser and each person's circumstances are different. You should decide for yourself.