[BlueCrabMafia]

Long time BMW owner, current F30 328i Sportline owner.

My fiancé wants to get out of her 2015 Hyundai Sonata Limited which is loaded. She wants an SUV and to get into something with a cheaper payment.

She likes my car and has been eyeing up X3's. I found a 2014 X3 locally with 36K in it for $24,733. Not sure which packages it has, but it seems to be fairly loaded.

What are the things to look for in a Xdrive28i?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...2482/overview/

[nyalpine90]

at least get xenon lights

[atarivers]

It looks nice and clean. Most of the advice is to go for the 35i but you should search this forum for details. One tip I can give you for either version is to find out the condition of the tires. You can be in for well over $1,000 to $1,500 if you have to replace run flats. You will want to negotiate the purchase price if they tires aren't new or near new.

As for the engine version, the conventional wisdom is the 35i of this vintage is less problematic overall than the 4 cylinder version.

Originally Posted by BlueCrabMafia

Long time BMW owner, current F30 328i Sportline owner.

My fiancé wants to get out of her 2015 Hyundai Sonata Limited which is loaded. She wants an SUV and to get into something with a cheaper payment.

She likes my car and has been eyeing up X3's. I found a 2014 X3 locally with 36K in it for $24,733. Not sure which packages it has, but it seems to be fairly loaded.

What are the things to look for in a Xdrive28i?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...2482/overview/

[BlueCrabMafia]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

at least get xenon lights

I know, that's the one thing this one is missing. Are their retrofit kits available like the F30 has?

Originally Posted by atarivers

It looks nice and clean. Most of the advice is to go for the 35i but you should search this forum for details. One tip I can give you for either version is to find out the condition of the tires. You can be in for well over $1,000 to $1,500 if you have to replace run flats. You will want to negotiate the purchase price if they tires aren't new or near new.

As for the engine version, the conventional wisdom is the 35i of this vintage is less problematic overall than the 4 cylinder version.

Tires aren't an issue, she works for a tire company so we're hooked up there.

I know the 28i's get a bad rap for the timing chain issues, but my 2012 N26 has had zero issues and I'm at 83K (knock on wood).

I think getting into a 35i puts us past the amount we want to spend. She intent on having one with HUD and rear heated seats for the kids.

[nyalpine90]

this one is better deal.
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...6051/overview/




X3 with more options $6k more

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...2849/overview/

[Barbera335]

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

at least get xenon lights

Eh, I have halogens on mine and think they are fine. I have owned several cars with Xenon lights and I think they are overrated. Also, when my headlamp burns out it is a 20 dollar bulb. I don't have to worry about all of the expensive components that go into a fully adaptive Xenon light. Having had to replace a 1500 dollar Xenon lamp housing on an E90 I used to have because of an adaptive headlamp malfunction makes me never want to own anything that isn't halogen.

[atarivers]

I'm with you on this one. It is maybe a bigger deal for people who do a lot of rural driving on dark mountain passes but let's be real, it's little more than an expensive convenience as compared to even old school incandescent bulbs. I would probably feel differently if I didn't do most of my driving in urban areas. I'm not looking forward to having to replace or repair any of it.

Originally Posted by Barbera335

Eh, I have halogens on mine and think they are fine. I have owned several cars with Xenon lights and I think they are overrated. Also, when my headlamp burns out it is a 20 dollar bulb. I don't have to worry about all of the expensive components that go into a fully adaptive Xenon light. Having had to replace a 1500 dollar Xenon lamp housing on an E90 I used to have because of an adaptive headlamp malfunction makes me never want to own anything that isn't halogen.

[Aspen235]

BMW halogens suck, they were even called out on it by the safety testers. Also almost none of the X3s came with adaptive headlights as this was an option on top of normal HID. YMMV.

One question, how does trading a car save you money? Lower payment maybe, but the transaction cost will be large. She could go from newer low mileage to older high mileage, but then she will have more maintenance and will need to trade sooner. Used BMWs don't have a rep for being thrifty.

[atarivers]

The second listing is gone. The first one looks very nice and I am a sucker for light tan interiors. They don't tend to get along well with young children however.

Originally Posted by nyalpine90

this one is better deal.
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...6051/overview/




X3 with more options $6k more

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...2849/overview/

[BlueCrabMafia]

Originally Posted by Aspen235

One question, how does trading a car save you money? Lower payment maybe, but the transaction cost will be large. She could go from newer low mileage to older high mileage, but then she will have more maintenance and will need to trade sooner. Used BMWs don't have a rep for being thrifty.

It doesn't "save" us any money as we'll have to put money down for the negative equity in her current car. The longer we wait to trade her car in though, the less it will be worth. It's really a wash in the end.

The #1 goal is to get her into an SUV. The Sonata was her first sedan ever, she only had SUV's prior to that. She's been regretting that decision ever since she made it.

[najnad]

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...&modelCode1=X3 and its CPO

[BlueCrabMafia]

Looked at the X3 and it was a non starter for multiple reasons.

It happened to be at a Mazda dealer and they had a 2017 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring sitting in the showroom floor that was a managers demo with 5K on it.

Ended up getting a lease on it with good incentives and a lower price due to being a demo. Ate up a good amount of negative equity doing this deal which was a huge bonus.

As for comparing the X3 to the CX-5, I honestly liked the Mazda better. Obviously we could have spent more money on an X35i or M package X3, but at the price point we were looking at the CX-5 won hands down.

Thanks for the input though, it helped in the decision process.

[Aspen235]

I was thinking about a new CX-5 as well, but didn't actually go test one. I think they are cross shopped quite a lot. In the end I was seduced by the power of the 35i and found a well optioned one at a very good price. I think the Mazda would be a more logical lower cost option as long as you can live with its lower power level. It sure does have a ton of driver assistance tech that would cost $10k on the X3.

[atarivers]

The Mazda CX-5 or Mistibuishi outlander type vehicles are generally going to be more attractive budget options. The Mazda tends to hold its resale value much better than Mitsubishi. My impression is Mitsubishi SUVs have about the worst fit and finish of any in their class (budget).

Originally Posted by BlueCrabMafia

Looked at the X3 and it was a non starter for multiple reasons.

It happened to be at a Mazda dealer and they had a 2017 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring sitting in the showroom floor that was a managers demo with 5K on it.

Ended up getting a lease on it with good incentives and a lower price due to being a demo. Ate up a good amount of negative equity doing this deal which was a huge bonus.

As for comparing the X3 to the CX-5, I honestly liked the Mazda better. Obviously we could have spent more money on an X35i or M package X3, but at the price point we were looking at the CX-5 won hands down.

Thanks for the input though, it helped in the decision process.

[atarivers]

Wow, I checked and you are right about the driver assistance stuff. I'm very old school about that stuff. Mirrors are my idea of adequate driver assistance, so that kind of tech will never drive a purchase decision for me. When I'm in rental cars on business trips, I normally turn as much of it off as I can because I find it intrusive and distracting.

My summer car has a 6 speed manual transmission - see, very old school.

Originally Posted by Aspen235

I was thinking about a new CX-5 as well, but didn't actually go test one. I think they are cross shopped quite a lot. In the end I was seduced by the power of the 35i and found a well optioned one at a very good price. I think the Mazda would be a more logical lower cost option as long as you can live with its lower power level. It sure does have a ton of driver assistance tech that would cost $10k on the X3.

[BlueCrabMafia]

I love BMW, don't get me wrong. My F30 is a great car, that I got for a great price also.

The CX-5 though was just a better value all around. In order to get the same options in a BMW we easily would have spent $10-12K more on a similar 2017 5K mileage X3. Wasn't worth it to her simply to own a roundel.

Plus with BMW's current money grubbing direction of charging $80 a month for things like Apple CarPlay, it gets easier to move onto other brands.

Plus the Mazda has been one of C&D's 10 best cars recently. It gets great reviews from everywhere.

[atarivers]

Apple car play costs $80/month??!!!??

That is wild. It seems like a lot of money for more convenient integration of features. Can't you control siri with voice commands over Bluetooth? I can control my windows phone Cortana that way. I also have access to the music. Well, anyway, interesting but not for me.

Originally Posted by BlueCrabMafia

I love BMW, don't get me wrong. My F30 is a great car, that I got for a great price also.

The CX-5 though was just a better value all around. In order to get the same options in a BMW we easily would have spent $10-12K more on a similar 2017 5K mileage X3. Wasn't worth it to her simply to own a roundel.

Plus with BMW's current money grubbing direction of charging $80 a month for things like Apple CarPlay, it gets easier to move onto other brands.

Plus the Mazda has been one of C&D's 10 best cars recently. It gets great reviews from everywhere.

[BlueCrabMafia]

Originally Posted by atarivers

Apple car play costs $80/month??!!!??

Correction, $80 a year

[SpeedBuggy]

Not sure about the 17, I have a loaded early 16 CX5 that I leased and as soon as the lease is up going to an X4 or at the very least a X1. X3 is not being considered as my wife currently has one. My CX5 is pretty much loaded but is missing some of the small things like memory seats and mirror, no 12v power outlet, no hatch release on the fob and not even a light in the rear hatch. I will admit that I leased on a whim as I needed to get into something quick, but I would hope that Mazda has put these into the vehicle without having to have some ridiculously priced package. The Navigation absolutely sucks. I use my tablet or phone for navigation. I will say though that is does run and handle well, is fairly comfortable and gets 25mpg.

[BlueCrabMafia]

Originally Posted by SpeedBuggy

Not sure about the 17, I have a loaded early 16 CX5 that I leased and as soon as the lease is up going to an X4 or at the very least a X1. X3 is not being considered as my wife currently has one. My CX5 is pretty much loaded but is missing some of the small things like memory seats and mirror, no 12v power outlet, no hatch release on the fob and not even a light in the rear hatch. I will admit that I leased on a whim as I needed to get into something quick, but I would hope that Mazda has put these into the vehicle without having to have some ridiculously priced package. The Navigation absolutely sucks. I use my tablet or phone for navigation. I will say though that is does run and handle well, is fairly comfortable and gets 25mpg.

The '17 doesn't have memory seats standard, but it has the other features you mentioned. For $1830 you can get memory seats, power passenger seat, active driving display, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel and wiper de-icer. And I will say I like the Nav on the '17 CX-5 better than I like the NBT on my F30.

We also looked at X1's. Didn't care for the styling and unless you want a pseudo SUV, just get a 4 series gran coupe because they're the same size, functionality and it looks 10x better.

Again I'm not comparing the CX-5 to an X3 as a one for one alternative because it's not. However at the price point we were looking at, it was the clear winner.

[Bruce24]

Originally Posted by BlueCrabMafia

Correction, $80 a year

Wasn't the change from a $300 options to free for years one and then $80/year after that?

[BlueCrabMafia]

Originally Posted by Bruce24

Wasn't the change from a $300 options to free for years one and then $80/year after that?

Something to that effect, but regardless it's ridiculous.

A 2017 Hyundai Elantra has it as a standard feature. A $16,000 entry level sedan. How BMW gets away with charging for it as an option or service is beyond me.

Isn't the point of getting a luxury car to have standard features that are considered options on non-luxury cars? Just like the CX-5, LED headlights are standard. BMW is a $5K option package.