[Cjd9]

I have a 2011 328i with 35k miles. Just put brand new tires on it and it's in excellent condition. My works provides me with a car that I drive most of the time, so my 328i barely gets used. I have about 18k left on the loan and want to sell it so I can save all that money, but the most I can get from a dealer or Carmax is 15k. I listed it for private sale, but no luck so far.

I was thinking about buying a new Civic in its place, something that will last forever with low maintenance costs. I love the 328i, but future repairs worry me. I'll be able to afford them no problems, I knew what I was getting into, but I'd rather save that money. The biggest issue now is selling it. I'll pretty much have to pay 3k cash to make up the difference or roll the amount into a new loan. Part of me things I'm stuck with this car now.

Any advice or suggestions?

[Wingnut335]

My opinion would be for you to keep the 328. Just to sell the car you will be down $3k. Taking into consideration a new Civic after taxes will be $21k and with Carmax only giving you $15k, you'll be behind another $6k. That means getting into a new Civic will put you at a starting point of -$9k. That's would cover a lot of repairs your 328 would need.

[Cjd9]

Originally Posted by Wingnut335

My opinion would be for you to keep the 328. Just to sell the car you will be down $3k. Taking into consideration a new Civic after taxes will be $21k and with Carmax only giving you $15k, you'll be behind another $6k. That means getting into a new Civic will put you at a starting point of -$9k. That's would cover a lot of repairs your 328 would need.

That's true. Another thought I had would be to sell the 328i and get something cheap, like for 5k. I would probably have to finance it because I'll use a lot of my extra cash to pay off my loan, but I'll be able to pay the 5k off very quickly.

[Route 16]

Weigh the options, how much extra hundred(s) dollars are you saving/spend over the civic. Will it be used just as much as the BMW? Are you keeping the civic til death do you part? BMW > regardless of model aesthetics wise over a civic IMO, even though I have a Honda Pilot (I'm not biased off brands). Higher or same insurance rates? Every 6 months to a year ask the bank for a lower APR rate on your loan. IMO it's worth it to keep the BMW in the long run but our cars depreciate so fast that your 18k car now will be worth 8k in 4 more years maybe. Pay the loan off faster = save sooner.

[dannyhavok]

There's not really any reason to think the 328i is going to cost a fortune to repair/maintain.

[924er]

It's all hit or miss with these BMWs. It's not about if u have a 328 or s 335, it really comes down to luck. Stay on top of maintenance and you'll be fine.

The cheapest car is the one you already own. I would say keep the 328i and save money for future repairs/upkeep

[Ozzie335i]

Keep the 328, park that queen in your garage, and long may she live.

[patents]

I'll give you $15,500 for it. Not a bad deal to upgrade my 2008, depending on what options yours has.

[Efthreeoh]

So you want to get rid of a low mileage $18K BMW to buy a new $22K Civic? And that makes financial sense to you?

[gds52]

If u want to sell, take ur time, u can sell it for more money. With just 35k miles u can sell it for than $20k. 328i has v good reputation for being reliable.

[JimBeemer3]

If you like the pure joy of driving, it's hard to beat a BMW. My first BMW was a 1985 M5 that I bought in 1986 with a BMW warranty. After it ran out of warranty it had some expensive repairs and I sold it. After 3 years in the 911 I realized how much I missed the BMW. Ten BMWs later and three Corvettes later including an M3 and three M5s, not to mention two 335s, a 535 with the sport package and a high mileage 550, the 3 series is still my favorite . Two of them were new and four were BMW certified. The BMW certified saved me tons of money on the SMG V10 E60 M5 that got 11mpg city and 14mpg highway that BMW said a quart of oil was normal every 600 miles, but I loved the sound of that engine when you pushed the M button and wish I could have just parked it in the garage. The E39 M5 bought in 2000 still sits in the garage and gets polished often. My other 3 series have been relatively reliable. I'm an old fart and to me, life is too short to drive a boring car. The only mod I've done is too replace the run flats with PSSs for those that came with run flats, because of the ultra soft compound, I loved the PS2s, but they wear fast. If you can afford them, nothing beats a BMW in my opinion. There's a reason the 3 series has been named in Car and Drivers 10 Best for 24 consecutive years!!! No other car comes even close to that.

[hOlykamOtie*]

The new Civic looks sexy, but I still prefer the refinement of E90.

[tlow98]

The 328i is arguably one of the most reliable modern bummers. You could replace it with a 5k bimmer and then have issues keeping that car on the road...

Would you rather continue paying your loan or take a much larger risk on a very cheap cat stranding you?

I'm leaving out the "buy a new civic" option bc that makes the least financial sense.

[Needbmwpartzz]

I think the new civic looks hideous.....starting to look like a Kia IMO
op keep the 328....unless you really want that civic man.....its your money and taste after all we say here.

[Stupenal]

You've got two competing factors at play:

1. The desire to save money
2. Being underwater on your loan/vehicle market value

In reality, factor #2 is tied to #1, which is the biggest point driving your thought process. You can break down the desire to save money even further - you own a depreciating asset that you don't use, and your fear of future unknown repair bills (which may prevent you from saving money).

So here's what you need to think about

1. Just because you're underwater on your loan today, does not mean it will get any better tomorrow, or the day after. If this bothers you today, it will become a bigger problem tomorrow. The reason being - you're sitting on a depreciating asset. Which leads to the next point:

2. Cars are always depreciating assets, with a few exceptions (rare BMWs like the z4 m coupe, 1M, e30 m3, or fully depreciated M cars that are slowly bouncing back like the e36 m3). Note that these exceptions are all M cars. Your 328i is in no way shape or form a rare car. With depreciating assets like a car, you can justify the depreciation expense since most people use their cars to get to work. Without a car, it would be difficult to get to work and make money. However, since you're not using your car to drive to work, then you are not obtaining any value for you money. The only value you're gaining is knowing you have a BMW 328i sitting in your garage. Is it worth the $2k+ in depreciation you're paying each year? Most people would say absolutely not

3. Future repairs are always a concern on any vehicle without a warranty. This concern is abated by purchasing vehicles with a solid track record of low overall cost of ownership (e.g., civic, camry, accord, corolla, etc). However, it does not mean you have completely negated this potential cost, but it does give you greater comfort that your expenses will most likely be limited to wearable parts like brakes and tires. This is unavoidable for any car owner, unless their work pays for their car.

4. While #3 points towards buying a lower cost of ownership car, if you buy a new civic, you're going to be hitting what I mentioned in point #2 - depreciation. Every new vehicle depreciates, and while civics do so at a slower rate than BMWs, you're still looking at $1k+ per year plus transaction costs (dealer fees, registration, full cov insurance, sales tax etc). These cars make sense for people who drive their cars for 10+ years as their primary mode of transportation.

5. You have a student loan where you're paying finance costs monthly. If you buy a new car, I assume you'll finance that too. You'll be getting hit with interest from both lenders simultaneously.

Here's my 2 cents - you have a car from work, wtf are you even doing owning another car? It makes zero sense when you want to save money, you have student loans, and you mention you rarely even drive your other car. Take the hit today, sell the BMW, drive the work vehicle, and pocket the $. Pay down your loan so the juice doesnt keep running, then figure out what you want to do later on. It's really a no brainer from a financial perspective. Once you're later on in your career and you're making made skrilla, splurge and get something you want.

[Swizzie7]

Originally Posted by Stupenal

You've got two competing factors at play:

1. The desire to save money
2. Being underwater on your loan/vehicle market value

In reality, factor #2 is tied to #1, which is the biggest point driving your thought process. You can break down the desire to save money even further - you own a depreciating asset that you don't use, and your fear of future unknown repair bills (which may prevent you from saving money).

So here's what you need to think about

1. Just because you're underwater on your loan today, does not mean it will get any better tomorrow, or the day after. If this bothers you today, it will become a bigger problem tomorrow. The reason being - you're sitting on a depreciating asset. Which leads to the next point:

2. Cars are always depreciating assets, with a few exceptions (rare BMWs like the z4 m coupe, 1M, e30 m3, or fully depreciated M cars that are slowly bouncing back like the e36 m3). Note that these exceptions are all M cars. Your 328i is in no way shape or form a rare car. With depreciating assets like a car, you can justify the depreciation expense since most people use their cars to get to work. Without a car, it would be difficult to get to work and make money. However, since you're not using your car to drive to work, then you are not obtaining any value for you money. The only value you're gaining is knowing you have a BMW 328i sitting in your garage. Is it worth the $2k+ in depreciation you're paying each year? Most people would say absolutely not

3. Future repairs are always a concern on any vehicle without a warranty. This concern is abated by purchasing vehicles with a solid track record of low overall cost of ownership (e.g., civic, camry, accord, corolla, etc). However, it does not mean you have completely negated this potential cost, but it does give you greater comfort that your expenses will most likely be limited to wearable parts like brakes and tires. This is unavoidable for any car owner, unless their work pays for their car.

4. While #3 points towards buying a lower cost of ownership car, if you buy a new civic, you're going to be hitting what I mentioned in point #2 - depreciation. Every new vehicle depreciates, and while civics do so at a slower rate than BMWs, you're still looking at $1k+ per year plus transaction costs (dealer fees, registration, full cov insurance, sales tax etc). These cars make sense for people who drive their cars for 10+ years as their primary mode of transportation.

5. You have a student loan where you're paying finance costs monthly. If you buy a new car, I assume you'll finance that too. You'll be getting hit with interest from both lenders simultaneously.

Here's my 2 cents - you have a car from work, wtf are you even doing owning another car? It makes zero sense when you want to save money, you have student loans, and you mention you rarely even drive your other car. Take the hit today, sell the BMW, drive the work vehicle, and pocket the $. Pay down your loan so the juice doesnt keep running, then figure out what you want to do later on. It's really a no brainer from a financial perspective. Once you're later on in your career and you're making made skrilla, splurge and get something you want.

Well said*

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by Stupenal

You've got two competing factors at play:

1. The desire to save money
2. Being underwater on your loan/vehicle market value

In reality, factor #2 is tied to #1, which is the biggest point driving your thought process. You can break down the desire to save money even further - you own a depreciating asset that you don't use, and your fear of future unknown repair bills (which may prevent you from saving money).

So here's what you need to think about

1. Just because you're underwater on your loan today, does not mean it will get any better tomorrow, or the day after. If this bothers you today, it will become a bigger problem tomorrow. The reason being - you're sitting on a depreciating asset. Which leads to the next point:

2. Cars are always depreciating assets, with a few exceptions (rare BMWs like the z4 m coupe, 1M, e30 m3, or fully depreciated M cars that are slowly bouncing back like the e36 m3). Note that these exceptions are all M cars. Your 328i is in no way shape or form a rare car. With depreciating assets like a car, you can justify the depreciation expense since most people use their cars to get to work. Without a car, it would be difficult to get to work and make money. However, since you're not using your car to drive to work, then you are not obtaining any value for you money. The only value you're gaining is knowing you have a BMW 328i sitting in your garage. Is it worth the $2k+ in depreciation you're paying each year? Most people would say absolutely not

3. Future repairs are always a concern on any vehicle without a warranty. This concern is abated by purchasing vehicles with a solid track record of low overall cost of ownership (e.g., civic, camry, accord, corolla, etc). However, it does not mean you have completely negated this potential cost, but it does give you greater comfort that your expenses will most likely be limited to wearable parts like brakes and tires. This is unavoidable for any car owner, unless their work pays for their car.

4. While #3 points towards buying a lower cost of ownership car, if you buy a new civic, you're going to be hitting what I mentioned in point #2 - depreciation. Every new vehicle depreciates, and while civics do so at a slower rate than BMWs, you're still looking at $1k+ per year plus transaction costs (dealer fees, registration, full cov insurance, sales tax etc). These cars make sense for people who drive their cars for 10+ years as their primary mode of transportation.

5. You have a student loan where you're paying finance costs monthly. If you buy a new car, I assume you'll finance that too. You'll be getting hit with interest from both lenders simultaneously.

Here's my 2 cents - you have a car from work, wtf are you even doing owning another car? It makes zero sense when you want to save money, you have student loans, and you mention you rarely even drive your other car. Take the hit today, sell the BMW, drive the work vehicle, and pocket the $. Pay down your loan so the juice doesnt keep running, then figure out what you want to do later on. It's really a no brainer from a financial perspective. Once you're later on in your career and you're making made skrilla, splurge and get something you want.

I'll do a +2 on this. Very well put!

[lookalikehuuh]

a few things to keep in mind at this moment is that 328i is actually quite a reliable car.

There are a few trouble spots like door lock actuator, rear window regulator, valve cover and ofhg leaks, but overall they are pretty rock solid.

Honda.... on the other hand seems to have jumped off a bridge the last couple of years when it comes to reliability. There are now major concerns/recall/lawsuits on their CVT transmissions. A HUGE recall on their new turbo charged civic due to catastrophic engine failures. The 9 speed transmissions in the Acura lines also have pending lawsuits/recalls. I would not buy a Honda at this point... could just be growing pains from all new models but its seriously troubling.

I'm sure theres plenty of other stuff... this is just what I have stumbled across during my daily internet browsings.

links... so you know I'm not just making it up:

http://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/20...ngine-failure/

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/10/02/h...civic-fit-cvt/

http://m.carcomplaints.com/news/2015...problems.shtml

[Becken_e90]

I bought my 328i 6 speed for the reason of reliability and of course its a BMW. The 328i has high reliability. It has the natural aspirated in-line 6 for this model year so no complicated turbo system with a hpfp that I heard can fail over time. Also, has multi-port injection and not the direct injection that can cause carbon build up.

Just keep up with fluid changes, spark plugs and coil packs, at the recommending intervals and it should last.

[Cjd9]

Originally Posted by Becken_e90

I bought my 328i 6 speed for the reason of reliability and of course its a BMW. The 328i has high reliability. It has the natural aspirated in-line 6 for this model year so no complicated turbo system with a hpfp that I heard can fail over time. Also, has multi-port injection and not the direct injection that can cause carbon build up.

Just keep up with fluid changes, spark plugs and coil packs, at the recommending intervals and it should last.

I know it's a pretty reliable car, but at the same time I think that over the next 4 years I'll spend 18k on it because of my loan. If I sold it, I could save so much money. The hold up now is how to sell it with taking the smallest loss. I am trying to private sell it, but the longer I try that the less Carmax will offer.

[patents]

Originally Posted by Cjd9

I am trying to private sell it, but the longer I try that the less Carmax will offer.

Tell us more about the car and someone here may want to buy it. Options? Color?

[Cjd9]

Originally Posted by patents

Tell us more about the car and someone here may want to buy it. Options? Color?

Here is a link to it with photos.
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/659450553/overview/