This is from a car for clunker thread on another BMW forum (bimmerhead): I was considering trading in my 1990 E34 535i, 5spd,
124K miles but the only new BMW that qualifies for the program is the E90 335d, both in price - its base price is under the $45K limit and mpg its rated at 27mpg or 5 more than the 22mpg limit. Since my car is rated at 16mpg, there's an 11mpg difference and I would have qualified for $4500 credit.The incentives on the diesel are great - $4500 from the program, PLUS another $4500 from BMW (Eco Credit) AND you get a $900 tax credit, that basically $10K before any negotiations! However, for some reason, BMW only offers the 335d with an automatic tranny ?! So, why doesn't BMW bring over its 335d with manual trans? There's a manual for just about every other 3/5 series, why not the diesel?
BMW Master Tech Brett Anderson noted that BMW does not have a manual transmission that can handle the torque, reliably. Too bad, as I like the diesel. However, since there are so many horror stories about BMW autos, I'm passing. :(
Interestingly, I was watching the news the other night and they interviewed a Toyota dealer. He was describing all the junk 80s and early 90s American car being traded in. He described what they do with the cars and it sounded terrible - they drain the engine of oil, then "blow the engine" and have the dead car tolled to a junker for crushing.... .it sounded so sad, like an execution or putting a dog down.
My 535i has a few problems (mainly a/c doesn't work), but the paint is still excellent (its bright red) and the car runs fine. With all the incentives, a 335d with manual trans might have been nice. Oh well....