thebuckscubsfan

I said a couple of weeks ago I was ready to buy the A4, but a friend is selling his 2007 328i coupe with 26k miles for $23,000 asking price. I test drove it and found it pleasing. The car is pretty base in options.

Granted, I haven't yet test drove the Audi, the configurations I want will push the price to $35,000+ pre-tax. The Quattro will be handy in Wisconsin winter though...

I'm graduating college in May and start working in June. I'm 21 (graduating college a year early), and this will be the first official car under my name. I'll probably keep the car I buy for 5+ years. And I consider the over all driving experience as important as the price:value ratio.

I hate to post threads where I offer no value to readers, but I would appreciate any comments and advice. Thanks.

The pics attached are of the 328 coupe. The car is in excellent condition as far as the eyes can see.

wanderer1980

thebuckscubsfan, if you ask me for my honest opinion, if I were you, I would get neither. I would save up the money, and get a less expensive car that will last for years. You're 21 and so you will have many more years to enjoy a nice car. Do you have any college loan to pay back? Any plan to save up for a mortgage downpayment?

There are some great cars around $20,000 now. Mazda 3 and Subaru Impreza (if you want AWD) come to mind...

Anyway, I hope you don't mind my honesty.

smurfs

Good advice. I wasn't going to say it but I was thinking it. I also wanted to know how he/she was going to pay for this and didn't want to turn it into a financial planning seminar. The price discrepancy is huge between the 2 cars, so, it really depends on your financial situation. I would go with the A4 if money is not an issue. The interior is much better (for me) and the overall car is great.

As wanderer1980 stated, you are young and may want to save your money. The market is not as low as it was last year but it’s still a good time to invest.

ThePiombino

OP didn't come to us for financial advisement. He wants to know which he should buy- a used 328 or a new A4. My $.02 is this:

335 over A4 if you have the $$$. A4 over 328, ESPECIALLY is the 328 is used. It may only have 20-something thousand miles on it, but you have no idea how hard those miles were driven.

However, I don't think you can even begin to know which you prefer until you drive the A4. I think you'll find that what the A4 lacks in overall power it MORE than makes up for in style and class. The 2.0T engine is VERY modable and can be lots of fun to drive.

Why don't you just go test drive an A4 this weekend and sleep on it. The answer will come to you I'm sure.

thebuckscubsfan

Thank you for all the advice guys, financial and otherwise. I appreciate the concerns, which are all very legitimate. I don't have loans and my parents will put a down payment on a condo, but I'll pay them back of course. Also, I'm graduating college in only three years and obtaining two bachelor of science degrees (Accounting and Management Information Systems) in the mean time. So I figure the 20k school money I saved plus the money I'll earn in a year will justify a little splurging...I actually wanted to go all out and get the S4 but that's too much.

I'll be honest, I have considered seriously about the new Suzuki Kizashi. And if there's a great car out there for cheap, regardless of brand, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

My budget is $35,000 pre-tax, and I have thought seriously about a used 335, but the unknowns with a used car from strangers is a little unsettling. I agree that I should test drive an A4 first, but the guy selling the 328 wants to know very soon and there're no dealers near my school (Illinois).

Anyway, I'm still very undecided between just buying the 328 and settle with never having driven the A4, or let the 328 go and decide after test drivingn the A4 in two weeks.

Thanks for your inputs guys, financial and otherwise.

wanderer1980

BTW, if you would like a used BMW, why not go with a certified, pre-owned car? You can find quite a few 2007 CPO 3 series coupes on the BMW website. For $3000 more, you will get a 2007 vehicle with similar mileage, many more installed options and also additional years of warranty, which you will want on a BMW :-)

Also, I am rather leery of buying something like a car from a friend... if the car turned out to have problems, then it's harder to deal with a friend than with a dealer...

thebuckscubsfan

Thanks, but I don't know about paying premium on a car just to get it certified for a peace of mind. The friend is going back to Singapore, so I'm just screwed if something comes up, haha.

la_strada

For 35,000 pre-tax you can probably pick up a new 2010 328i. I got a quote of 36.5 K for a new 2010 328i X-drive 6MT with Value package, Premium package, Xenons, Metallic paint, and Satellite radio.

That was roughly the same quote I got for a 2010 A4 Premium Plus 6MT with metallic paint, a comparably equipped car to the 328 X-drive I mentioned in the previous paragraph. Actually the BMW was a arguably a little better equipped and included free maintenance. BMW is discounting a lot more than Audi right now.

Macallan21

Don't go for a barebones car.. you'll always regret it. I had a 2003 BMW 325xi for 6.5 years.. i hated not having the NAV/control system.. it was a great car.. but i was always missing something.. and i love having my nav and other amenities on my 2009 A4.

What school are you graduating from that gives out an Accounting degree as a Science?

And save your money.. you are 21.. you really don't need to spend $35k on a car. Because if you get into trouble in the next few years, that'll be the first thing you have to sell. Go reasonable.. hell buy a Toyota.. they last.

wanderer1980

It will save you money in the long run, since your friend's BMW will run out of its warranty before you know it!!!!!!!!!

Also, the ones that I saw online are NOT barebone cars. They have many installed options. So the $3000 more is not just for the certification. It does include other nice options that you will regret not having.

Still, if I were you, I would just buy a Mazda 3 or something.... OK, I will shut up now.