Older BMW 328is or Newer Chevy Impala?

If you are content in the Impala, and the BMW is not "really better to drive" (the impression you give), then maybe you should get the Impala! BMW's are for enthusiasts that feel the difference, which some people don't. For those of us who do, there is no substitute. The 328 will outlast the Impala by far. The driving pleasure it offers is tremendous and you will likely realize it soon enough if driving 60 miles a day! But it is overpriced, find a 5 speed or an auto that has been maintained (lifetime fluid is not really for the lifetime of the car!) I am selling a 540, 1994 with 125k miles for 7k, super condition! way better than the 328, half the $$! keep looking. With a bimmer, you NEED an independant mechanic that specializes in BMW, or you will be sorry! They are easy to fix also, if you have some wrenching capabilities.

Reply to
SharkmanBMW
Loading thread data ...

Get the BMW and never look back.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

A choice between a BMW vs. an Impala is really laughable. Of course you get the BMW. They are not even the same class vehicle. its apples and oranges. Anyway, if you are going to be driving a lot you get the luxury car not the family or sporty car.

I would expect cost over the long haul to be about even.

Reply to
dnoyeB

I have no idea how I translated a 328 into a 528 in my head but that is in fact what I did. So point taken there. :-)

A very new Civic isn't much smaller in the front seat than a E46 actually, so I will have to withdraw that part of it. I greatly prefer the layout and feel of the E46 interior mind you, but strictly looking at space, it's not that different.

I have driven last year's civic, which I wouldn't take over my E30 never mind the E46, but I've heard that the 2006 Civic is vastly improved. It seemed a rediculous thing to put against an E39 and an Impala, only slightly less so against the E46 and the Impala, but front seat room would not be the part of it that's rediculous.

Given the choice between the Impala and the Civic, I would probably take the Civic. American cars have this interesting way of seeming nice on a test drive -- lots of power, lots of room, lots of features, comfy seating... but you don't get to really explore the handling and brakes on a test drive and you realise how uncomfortable the seats become after the first hour. You fall out of love with them quickly. Whereas any BMW I've ever driven I've liked more and more as I spent time with it. There are a lot of die hard civic fans out there so I suspect the same is true of them. You don't see a lot of die hard Impala fans. :-)

-Russ.

Reply to
Somebody.

That's ok, I was thinking of a 528 (E39) not a 328 (E46). :-) Maybe we should both read before posting, lol.

Still, even the lowly 3 series has had airbags basically standard since

1991, long before the Civic. ABS basically standard since 1988. Japan does *not* lead Germany in safety advances very often.

(I say basically because you could probably still order a 316 or something in Europe without it, but in NA they were standard equipmenet which you perhaps could delete by choice)

-Russ.

Reply to
Somebody.

Well the old (somewhat flippant) response to that is something like, "if you're really considering both and you've driven them both, get the Impala, because the strengths of the BMW are lost on you."

I think if you factor in that the bimmer goes longer between more expensive repairs and a 1998 had done so much of its depreciation already, you are about right. Provided you have the right people looking after your bimmer.

-Russ.

Reply to
Somebody.

Somebody. wrote: [snip]

Just to clarify...I personally would not choose a Civic over the beemer either. I just bristle at the notion conveyed that anyone driving a Civic (or any other smaller) car must have no concern for their own safety. This idea has been largely put forth by people who drive large vehicles and feel guilty about it so they try to assuage their guilt by claiming "safety" is the reason they drive what they drive. I say drive what you want, just don't blow smoke up my ass about why you made your choice.

Reply to
Rick Brandt

My '91 E30 has one air bag, the '98 should have at least 2

Matt

Reply to
Matthew Warren

My '02 E39 has an extra air bag...whenever my mother-in-law catches a ride.

Reply to
user

+1 on this opinion. If one is having second thoughts between 328i and some American wreck then there is no doubt; he should buy this Impala car wannabe. Nothing personal, but if you don't know why you are buying a BMW then you better not buy it, you will be disappointed. It's not like you are comparing two similar cars; BMW isn't some gas thirsty ugly car without handling like 95% of American car industry (nus)products.

--

328i coupe
Reply to
Tomislav Buric

??? Oh, does BMW have a new model out? *LOL*

Reply to
Cool Jet

I can understand your objection to the fellow that stated unequivocably that anyone driving a Civic has no concern for their own life. That statement is difficult to support. As is your assmption that anyone who says such a thing feels guilty about their larger car. :-)

-Russ.

Reply to
Somebody.

I agree that $15k is too high. The right price is about $12k (depending on where it is). $7000 for a '98 328i would be below wholesale.

Reply to
Fred W

That seems like a little high for the Impala. Leftover '05s never off the lot should be going for that. And others pointed out that that seems high for the Beemer, too.

And CARFAX both. GM could be trying to unload on you something they could not repair for someone else. Maybe the Beemer has issues.

20 Years ago, I bought my first foreign car, a Volvo, 6 months old with 14K miles on it. I was concerned about the cost of Volvo repair, since it was a "foreign" car. I figured out a couple of things:

If the car is simple, it's easier and, therefore, cheaper to fix. The BMW may not be as simple as my 4-cylinder Volvos but look under the hood and see if there's reasonable space in the engine compartment for getting things done. Is it an in-line engine vs a transverse V? Are the spark plugs, water pump, etc, accessible? If so, the time to replace/repair such things will probably be lower. While my Volvos (3 to date) have not been super-reliable, they have been relatively inexpensive to repair, so the total cost of maintenance has been very reasonable.

Trained mechanics matter. Is everybody at the BMW dealer good at fixing the cars? When I owned Chevys, two or three trips per problem was the norm. With the Volvos, I take it in once, they fix it and I only see one bill. 3 Hours of labor at $80 is cheaper than 6 hours of labor at $60. Plus unnecessary parts. I gave up the Chevys quite a while ago, perhaps they've improved but I wouldn't know. As around. Is there a local, non-dealer shop with people trained on your car? Do you know others who use them?

BMW seems to me to build the same car for a number of years. If this 328 was built 5 years into a 6 year run, it should be pretty solid and there are probably some design changes in it for reliability.

Have you looked at Consumer Reports?

Reply to
DH

Maybe because it's a better value, "Mike".

Reply to
dizzy

Those cars are quite different in design. Perhaps you should think more about what type of car you want.

Reply to
Spam Hater

parts are quite a bit more than american cars but... I think it's worth it. BMW's drive so much better. The 3 series is STILL the goal for every other manufacturer out there. Some try to beat it by giving it more horsepower (G35 for one) but it still doesn't meet the handling. Even the new IS250/350 seems to have given up to beat the 3 series in the handling department. But yeah, 15K is way too high for a 98 328i.

Reply to
RT

One reason would be because it was a POS. I did that with a 2003 Chevy Malibu. I bought it new and unloaded it 9-months later. In 35 years, the wife and I have kept very few cars less than 10 years before gettting rid of them...that is until that one! You know the funny thing? The Malibu that year won the J.D. Powers award for initial quality. Pffffttt!

Reply to
jcr

Perhaps you should have returned it as lemon under the lemon laws in your state.

However, there are plenty of people who have Malibus and love them. You may have just gotten one of the few bad ones.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

I agree Jeff.

I had an '03 Malibu LS that I bought as a "stopgap"since my lease was up and just wanted something to drive for a few months. I ended up keeping it for a little over 2 years. I almost hate to say it but it was one of the best cars I ever had. Of course it had all the goodies - not your average Malibu. That didn't help a bit when it was time to trade it though. It still wasn't worth anything to the stealer when I traded it on my BMW.

Reply to
joe_tide

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.