They called it a Z3 Coupe. Looks kind of like a modern AMC Gremlin, and the lack of rear seats is a bit of a minus since it would be good if I could carry the whole family in it in a pinch. The Z3 is pretty much a cut down and shortened version of my 328.
IIRC, BMW has some little RWD diesel 4 bangers in Europe that get pretty good mileage. Here, though, everyone wants luxury cars to have some horsepower, so they don't bring them here.
they bring the 300 hp/450 ft pound BMW diesels over here and $$$ yeah, about 30k for a used one with 50k miles on it.
Gray marked 4 cyl? Not sure. I won't touch them. Maybe SBG can chime in on the import hassles.
Funny, I just put 8k into a cars.com search here and what pops up? A buttload of 100k mile BMW's.
Let's say I'm not worried about what anybody else thinks for a minute and I don't have to justify anything to my Bangshift brethren and sistren..
I have a buddy at work with an Audi A4 wagon , dinky turbo motor, handles great, runs pretty okay. He swears it goes 40mpg on the highway. I'm terrified of Audi maintenance costs. Likewise, the Golf GTI stuff is entertaining but I am leary of VW's reputation right now. I have another friend at work with a TDI Jetta, and that is a hoot for an econobox.
If I had to buy one today, I'd probably look at (shudder) an RSX with the required maintenance already done. It's cliche, but every Honda I've known about was pretty much bombproof. I also wouldn't dismiss a newer Civic. I'd consider a SVT Focus but I don't think their economy was on par with it's class, Bruab can probably say. They're getting kinda old too.
I'm struggling internally with either a TDI Jetta or a new Escape as my replacement appliance. If I don't do something that dramatically changes my income, I'll probably pick one or the other up by the end of spring.
Last edited by Beagle; January 26, 2013, 05:09 AM.
There's another little hatch besides the Z3 coupe, the 318ti, which looks like a normal 3 series coupe with the trunk lopped off. I can't speak to it firsthand, but the 318s are supposed to get pretty impressive economy, and 4 cyl was available in all 3 series body styles.
John makes a good point-you're used to driving a 3 series BMW now so anything else you get into will feel like driving a dump truck.
Is your commute mostly at highway speed or stop and go on the freeway LA traffic?
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