BMW 3 series and Audi A4

[hyin21]

Would like to seek opinion.

Thinking of buying either on of the above, 2nd hand and budget around RM100K. Based on that budget, my little survey result is that it will most probably be about 7-8 year old for the Beemer and maybe around 4 year old for the Audi.

Assuming both are in reasonable condition, which one is easier to maintain, running cost, reliability, etc etc.

Thanks and cheers.

[desaintlights]

just asking.... why dun go for new vechicle ? come with warranty some more ?

7-8 years old vechicle of any type is prone to major maintainance any time..... although they are in reasonable condition, it is not easy to tell which part will fall off soon....

for 100k, IMHO i'll go for new one.... maybe the life span will be longer, and dun have to wrry about other maintainance expenses.

just my 2 cents.

[karheng]

Assuming that your budget is around 100k inclusive minor repairs and touch ups, we're probably looking at models which are 1 year older.

The e46 BMW 318i 2.0 is probably what you're looking at. Rest assured, it is not hard to repair and has kept lots of new buyers of these pre-owned cars happy.

The Audi A4 1.8 is also a reliable car. I don't know too much about it but I can tell you that it has great reputation everywhere else.

So I can offer to say something about the 3 series. Lots of people know how to upkeep it, repair it and so on, so forth. It depends if the 7-8 yo 3 series has been well kept and is a very case by case basis. If it has clocked under 100k, it should be well worth the money you;re paying for. BMW parts do last a long time(longer than mercs), and you should check if all these parts have been recently changed to minimize paying more. You don't have to worry about spare parts availability for this model in the market.

Ultimately, if you're into sheer, ultimate driving pleasure, go for the BMW. If you're more of an executive look, probably you can look at the Audi. Regardless, both cars are great.

If you feel more adventurous, want more power and grunt and don't mind an older 10-12 yo model e36 well done up, there are loads out there which are already done up. Spare parts are still also in abundance. Buy one which costs about 50-60k and spend 20-30k on improvements. Hehe :P

[aphis]

I'll say d Beemer, reliable machine.

[hyin21]

for 100k, IMHO i'll go for new one.... maybe the life span will be longer, and dun have to wrry about other maintainance expenses.

just my 2 cents.

Thanks for the feedback but for RM100K, I can't even get a new Jazz....

[DPcanon]

BMW 328i or 325i.

[hyin21]

Thanks for the feedback but for RM100K, I can't even get a new Jazz....

I feel like driving a continental car but can't afford a new one....:(

[duke916]

I have driven continental cars (3 station wagon over the last 15 years)

Take my advise, go for a Camry.

[karheng]

Go for a continental - e36 if you don't mind. Get the 325i and mod it up.

Otherwise, get a well maintained e46.

Camry second hands do not come close to BMWs IMHO.

[bimmer]

Goto http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/ forum for more info on BMWs. You'll get an idea of 3 series maintenance there. Good luck.

[don]

Would like to seek opinion.

Thinking of buying either on of the above, 2nd hand and budget around RM100K. Based on that budget, my little survey result is that it will most probably be about 7-8 year old for the Beemer and maybe around 4 year old for the Audi.

Assuming both are in reasonable condition, which one is easier to maintain, running cost, reliability, etc etc.

Thanks and cheers.

Frankly speaking, with RM100K to get a 2nd hand reasonable continental car and not much to maintain are not easy. Those car like Beemer, BMW and Audi are preformance car which very sensitive to the electronic control system. I would suggest get a car those model with less then 5yrs ago. Lately I do a lots of survey before get my C200k (2003 unreg Japan Spec).

BMW is sportly, ultimate driving pleasure but I dun like the interior design compare with Beemer comfort. Both are powerful. Consider BMW 325 or 328 high roadtax and fuel consumption. E46, used 318i (2.0cc) model with 2001 yr selling abot RM100k-RM110k. Mechanic mention that BMW more sensitive and "kacau".

[-IQ-]

i'll rather go for C-class merc..its quite lasak..than beemer..i've try both..my friend punya..

futhermore..i like the merc engine sound..c230k to be exact..