What other cars did you look at when originally purchasing your 335i?

adrianBMW99 · 11-11-2010, 01:19 PM

What other cars did you look at when originally purchasing your 335i and why did you make the choice you did? I know I looked at a G37 (nowhere near the experience of a BMW), evo X (too rattly and loud, not enough luxury) and a Mustang Gt 5.0 (big mistake for a ton of reasons and completely different class of car, after driving I realized that performance does not equal everything else), Benz C350 (it was too slow).

I chose the Bimmer because it was the best overall package hands down! (too many reasons to list). What were your others favorites and why?

gary88 · 11-11-2010, 01:29 PM

Other than the 335i I looked at a C32 and E46 M3. The C32 is fast as hell but has bad reliability problems and a cheap interior. The E46 M3 was phenomenal of course, but overall the 335i won be over because of the perfect blend of performance/comfort.

NFS13 · 11-11-2010, 01:43 PM

Looked at the S5 & C63.
Didn't get the S5 because of problems I had with the A5, really turned off.
Didn't get the C63 because the interior is awful, and I just couldn't get over the two extra doors.

Bcube · 11-11-2010, 01:44 PM

645i Vert. Low end Torque, fuel economy, and a origami folding hardtop won me over.

Unfortunately, nothing new on the BMW horizon is interesting me for my next commuter. Time to go back to a car that weigh less than a Cute Ute or XOver.

korr · 11-11-2010, 01:47 PM

c350,

Nick999 · 11-11-2010, 01:52 PM

I looked at a couple of Aston Martin Vantage 4.3 V8's. Most come with a six speed manual gearbox, that is a big plus for me!!
Here in the UK an early 05/06 model can be found for well under £40k. However I saved my self around £15k, going for my second choice 335i M Sport with stick shift.. Maybe an AM next

kevin3 · 11-11-2010, 01:53 PM

I looked at the Audi a5, G37s

chesney72 · 11-11-2010, 01:54 PM

VXR8 (corvette engined Ozzie car for those that don't know them) and 335d and 535d and Audi 5.2v10 S6

Went for the 335i over the vxr8 due to the extra toys and image although the vxr8 has an lsd

S6 was a tad pricey and couldn't find one in my budget as I wanted an avant not a saloon

535d is prob a better size for us but I wanted something more nimble

335d is probably the car I should have bought but wanted a car that sounds as good as it looks. Will struggle to get 3 child seats in the back though!

adrianBMW99 · 11-11-2010, 02:20 PM

all interesting choices guys!

Perseus83 · 11-11-2010, 02:27 PM

I looked at a wide range of cars..

1) 2010 TSX - car couldn't pull for it's life. My parents 09 4 cylinder Camry felt faster
2) 2007 TL - It drove nice, but was a bit too big for me
3) 2006 G35X - No matter how many people love this car... despite pressure from friends saying how great it is... I just couldn't see myself in one of these... not even the 2-door

4) 2011 328xi - looked great... but didn't feel that great to me...
5) 2011 C300 - Drove amazingly smooth... but... maybe if I was a bit older it'd be ideal...

Finally settled on a CPO 2007 335xi

And I'm still in loveeee...

TheRox · 11-11-2010, 02:27 PM

Audi A4 - Didn't like the handling, audi interior, audi badge, and it was slow and turbocharged compared to 328

Audi S4 - not out at the time; came out later; decent car, lacked road feel and communication of bmw....but no way i was going to actually purchase an audi

Lexus IS250 - didn't even bother with 350 because no 6MT; 250 was imbalanced, lacked any sort of status/presence...looked very understated...no road feel, I drove the 250 6MT -- horrible clutch and gearbox. Interior was nice though.

Mercedes C350/E-class coupe (same platform) - test drove both. AMAZING luxury in Mercedes...I mean I felt like a small prince. Engine was beautiful too, no lag...naturally aspirated. Problems: no 6MT on 4Matic and not as communicative and tossable as 3 series bmw.

INfiniti g37 - no 6mt on sedan four wheel drive. raw and unrefined, not very luxurious compared to bmw...lacked the status and badge of bmw over time given that i was buying and not leasing.

many others but those were reference points.

In performance, Infiniti came the closest to emulating BMW. But lacked so much more.

E90 87ss · 11-11-2010, 02:31 PM

Looked at e90 335i, wanted something more realiable with good mpg, so picked 325i because of options and good deal. Looked at g8 gt, cts-v, GTO, e46 m3... I liked the feel of the bimmer, but i now find it very slow. The neat electronics sold me.

lawwailok · 11-11-2010, 02:39 PM

was looking at the new Audi S4, but after test drove the 335i, i told my wife "this is it, we don't need to go over to Audi now (which there's an audi dealership right across street)"

bimmer_335 · 11-11-2010, 02:39 PM

Cayman S

07E92TT · 11-11-2010, 02:48 PM

I looked at the IS350, and G37.
G37 felt like my moms Altima SE-R on the inside
and IS350 I was very close to buying until looking at the 335i.

...no regrets I love my bimmer, despite the issues it has.

FadyDizzle · 11-11-2010, 02:52 PM

I ended up with a 335xi, but I test drove or looked into the following vehicles:

G37x, M37x, S4, A5, MKX (ya, weirdly enough), CTS, S60 (new one), TL, IS350, C350,

Doctor T · 11-11-2010, 03:06 PM

328i

Edward · 11-11-2010, 03:21 PM

Though the BMW was a very likely winner for me, I did give the S5 a good look. I also considered ponying up more money for an M3. Both lost out to my choice for varying reasons.
Before that, I toyed with the idea of a range rover but decided that it was unnecessary at my age to drive around a big gas guzzler alone.

Brey335i · 11-11-2010, 03:45 PM

S5, Corvette, e46 M3, etc... basically any performance car

comebackidlci · 11-11-2010, 04:38 PM

S4, S5, and E46 M3

Spoolin335 · 11-11-2010, 06:13 PM

Merc C300

John 070 · 11-11-2010, 06:18 PM

The obvious one, G35S sedan. No AWD yet at that time, and $8100 cheaper. The $8100 was a hard pill to swallow, but I went for it. I am glad I did. I was so mad about my car being unfixable that I paid it off at 37 mos. I wasn't about to pay interest on a car I couldn't drive. I got even more angry and paid off another 10k to the mortgage. Seems like when I get angry, financial institutions lose interest that they're collecting off of me.

11-11-2010, 01:19 PM	#1
adrianBMW99 First Lieutenant 90 Rep 328 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	What other cars did you look at when originally purchasing your 335i? What other cars did you look at when originally purchasing your 335i and why did you make the choice you did? I know I looked at a G37 (nowhere near the experience of a BMW), evo X (too rattly and loud, not enough luxury) and a Mustang Gt 5.0 (big mistake for a ton of reasons and completely different class of car, after driving I realized that performance does not equal everything else), Benz C350 (it was too slow). I chose the Bimmer because it was the best overall package hands down! (too many reasons to list). What were your others favorites and why?
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11-11-2010, 01:29 PM	#2
gary88 Ikea enthusiast 334 Rep 8,140 Posts Drives: '07 E92 335i Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Chicago, IL iTrader: (3) Garage List 2007 E92 335i [7.96]	Other than the 335i I looked at a C32 and E46 M3. The C32 is fast as hell but has bad reliability problems and a cheap interior. The E46 M3 was phenomenal of course, but overall the 335i won be over because of the perfect blend of performance/comfort. __________________ garyhebdingjr.com \| flickr \| Instagram
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11-11-2010, 01:43 PM	#3
NFS13 Car Junkie 21 Rep 1,279 Posts Drives: 335is / R8 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: PA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2012 BMW X6 [0.00] 2012 Porsche Cayman R [10.00] 2011 Audi R8 V10 [7.34]	Looked at the S5 & C63. Didn't get the S5 because of problems I had with the A5, really turned off. Didn't get the C63 because the interior is awful, and I just couldn't get over the two extra doors.
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11-11-2010, 01:44 PM	#4
Bcube Been there, wrecked that. 18 Rep 547 Posts Drives: '07 E93 335i Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0)	645i Vert. Low end Torque, fuel economy, and a origami folding hardtop won me over. Unfortunately, nothing new on the BMW horizon is interesting me for my next commuter. Time to go back to a car that weigh less than a Cute Ute or XOver. __________________ -Brian ~199K miles. I -still- don't fear my 335i.
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11-11-2010, 01:47 PM	#5
korr Captain 36 Rep 737 Posts Drives: 2011 E90 335i M-Sport Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Bergen / Jersey iTrader: (4) Garage List 2011 335i Sedan M-s ... [10.00]	c350, __________________ 2011 E90 335i M-Sport BSM
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11-11-2010, 01:52 PM	#6
Nick999 Lieutenant 18 Rep 442 Posts Drives: E92 335i M Sport Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Bristol iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 335i M Sport C ... [9.00]	I looked at a couple of Aston Martin Vantage 4.3 V8's. Most come with a six speed manual gearbox, that is a big plus for me!! Here in the UK an early 05/06 model can be found for well under £40k. However I saved my self around £15k, going for my second choice 335i M Sport with stick shift.. Maybe an AM next
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11-11-2010, 01:53 PM	#7
kevin3 Enlisted Member 0 Rep 37 Posts Drives: 2009 328i Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: bakersfield, CA iTrader: (1)	I looked at the Audi a5, G37s
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11-11-2010, 01:54 PM	#8
chesney72 First Lieutenant 23 Rep 386 Posts Drives: JB4 G5 335i Sport Touring Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Scotland iTrader: (1)	VXR8 (corvette engined Ozzie car for those that don't know them) and 335d and 535d and Audi 5.2v10 S6 Went for the 335i over the vxr8 due to the extra toys and image although the vxr8 has an lsd S6 was a tad pricey and couldn't find one in my budget as I wanted an avant not a saloon 535d is prob a better size for us but I wanted something more nimble 335d is probably the car I should have bought but wanted a car that sounds as good as it looks. Will struggle to get 3 child seats in the back though!
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11-11-2010, 02:20 PM	#9
adrianBMW99 First Lieutenant 90 Rep 328 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	all interesting choices guys!
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11-11-2010, 02:27 PM	#10
Perseus83 Private 31 Rep 88 Posts Drives: 2019 VW GLI Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Toronto, Ontario iTrader: (0)	I looked at a wide range of cars.. 1) 2010 TSX - car couldn't pull for it's life. My parents 09 4 cylinder Camry felt faster 2) 2007 TL - It drove nice, but was a bit too big for me 3) 2006 G35X - No matter how many people love this car... despite pressure from friends saying how great it is... I just couldn't see myself in one of these... not even the 2-door 4) 2011 328xi - looked great... but didn't feel that great to me... 5) 2011 C300 - Drove amazingly smooth... but... maybe if I was a bit older it'd be ideal... Finally settled on a CPO 2007 335xi And I'm still in loveeee... Last edited by Perseus83; 11-11-2010 at 03:24 PM..
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11-11-2010, 02:27 PM	#11
TheRox Colonel 119 Rep 2,312 Posts Drives: 6mt Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Here and there iTrader: (2)	Audi A4 - Didn't like the handling, audi interior, audi badge, and it was slow and turbocharged compared to 328 Audi S4 - not out at the time; came out later; decent car, lacked road feel and communication of bmw....but no way i was going to actually purchase an audi Lexus IS250 - didn't even bother with 350 because no 6MT; 250 was imbalanced, lacked any sort of status/presence...looked very understated...no road feel, I drove the 250 6MT -- horrible clutch and gearbox. Interior was nice though. Mercedes C350/E-class coupe (same platform) - test drove both. AMAZING luxury in Mercedes...I mean I felt like a small prince. Engine was beautiful too, no lag...naturally aspirated. Problems: no 6MT on 4Matic and not as communicative and tossable as 3 series bmw. INfiniti g37 - no 6mt on sedan four wheel drive. raw and unrefined, not very luxurious compared to bmw...lacked the status and badge of bmw over time given that i was buying and not leasing. many others but those were reference points. In performance, Infiniti came the closest to emulating BMW. But lacked so much more.
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11-11-2010, 02:31 PM	#12
E90 87ss Captain 37 Rep 608 Posts Drives: ! Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: NJ/Philly iTrader: (1)	Looked at e90 335i, wanted something more realiable with good mpg, so picked 325i because of options and good deal. Looked at g8 gt, cts-v, GTO, e46 m3... I liked the feel of the bimmer, but i now find it very slow. The neat electronics sold me.
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11-11-2010, 02:39 PM	#13
lawwailok Lieutenant Colonel 146 Rep 1,922 Posts Drives: E90 335i, E70 X5 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Sacramento, CA iTrader: (18) Garage List 2007 E90 335i [8.00] 2009 E70 xDrive30i [0.00]	was looking at the new Audi S4, but after test drove the 335i, i told my wife "this is it, we don't need to go over to Audi now (which there's an audi dealership right across street)" __________________ -eric E90 335i TiAg STOCK see my garage for mod list.. E70 X5 SGM try to stay stock :/
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11-11-2010, 02:39 PM	#14
bimmer_335 Major 177 Rep 1,123 Posts Drives: 540 mSport Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: In the middle of nowhere, TX iTrader: (1)	Cayman S
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11-11-2010, 02:48 PM	#15
07E92TT Major 57 Rep 1,336 Posts Drives: 08 C63 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Orlando,FL iTrader: (1)	I looked at the IS350, and G37. G37 felt like my moms Altima SE-R on the inside and IS350 I was very close to buying until looking at the 335i. ...no regrets I love my bimmer, despite the issues it has. __________________ Car: 2008 E90 SG/Black/Dark Burl (sold) 2008 MB C63 P.Silver/Black
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11-11-2010, 02:52 PM	#16
FadyDizzle Second Lieutenant 49 Rep 201 Posts Drives: - Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	I ended up with a 335xi, but I test drove or looked into the following vehicles: G37x, M37x, S4, A5, MKX (ya, weirdly enough), CTS, S60 (new one), TL, IS350, C350,
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11-11-2010, 03:06 PM	#17
Doctor T Second Lieutenant 11 Rep 206 Posts Drives: EB 430i xDrive, AW E90 LCI M-S Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada iTrader: (0)	328i
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11-11-2010, 03:21 PM	#18
Edward Colonel 377 Rep 2,982 Posts Drives: 2013.9999 E92 Jerez ZCP Join Date: May 2010 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (2)	Though the BMW was a very likely winner for me, I did give the S5 a good look. I also considered ponying up more money for an M3. Both lost out to my choice for varying reasons. Before that, I toyed with the idea of a range rover but decided that it was unnecessary at my age to drive around a big gas guzzler alone.
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11-11-2010, 03:45 PM	#19
Brey335i Banned 113 Rep 4,771 Posts Drives: e46 ///M3 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Austin, TX iTrader: (11)	S5, Corvette, e46 M3, etc... basically any performance car
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11-11-2010, 04:38 PM	#20
comebackidlci Second Lieutenant 33 Rep 274 Posts Drives: White 335i Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Bay Area, CA iTrader: (0)	S4, S5, and E46 M3
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11-11-2010, 06:13 PM	#21
Spoolin335 Justin Herass 333 Rep 1,205 Posts Drives: X6M / M3 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Canada iTrader: (7) Garage List 2015 BMW M3 [0.00] 2012 Audi TTRS [10.00] 2012 BMW X6M [9.00] 2007 BMW 335i [9.00]	Merc C300 __________________
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11-11-2010, 06:18 PM	#22
John 070 Lieutenant General 1707 Rep 14,829 Posts Drives: 335i cpe Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: ZSP/ZPP/ZCW iTrader: (0)	The obvious one, G35S sedan. No AWD yet at that time, and $8100 cheaper. The $8100 was a hard pill to swallow, but I went for it. I am glad I did. I was so mad about my car being unfixable that I paid it off at 37 mos. I wasn't about to pay interest on a car I couldn't drive. I got even more angry and paid off another 10k to the mortgage. Seems like when I get angry, financial institutions lose interest that they're collecting off of me.
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