This was an exciting day. I had trouble holding back from writing yesterday because I wanted to wait for some pictures. I guess it was worth it – now I can write everything in one post.
Okay, here goes…Laura has been driving a 1999 Honda Civic since, well 1999. The car served her well. That is, until I got in it a few days ago to go for a ride. We knew that she needed a new car, we just didn’t know she needed it so soon.
After I drove her car for a few miles, I got out and told her that the last time she drove her car was the last time she was going to drive her car. That means that the car was finished. The front end was loose, the ball joints were worn and the tires were uneven. That was that. It even made some rubbing sound when the car turned to the left. Now, this isn’t to say that the car isn’t going to have a second life somewhere else, it just means that someone else is going to have to make the necessary repairs, not us.
Since we knew a new car was in the works, we had to make a few choices. Over the months, we narrowed things down to three cars. 1. The Honda Pilot, 2. the Subaru Legacy and 3. the BMW 328ix (I thought of this one last). One thing was for certain, we needed all wheel drive. This was an undebatable must. I didn’t want to stand outside on the driveway in my boxers on cold January mornings throwing salt on the driveway anymore. I am sick of that.
Laura kind of had her heart set on the Subaru. She is the type of person who gets used to one thought and really plans on that. It’s like when we used to walk by each other in college over and over and over again. I guess I wore her down and she finally went out with me. Anyway, she had been looking at the Subaru website for a while and seemed to be content with getting the Legacy. She wanted to visit a dealer to give the car a once over, so when her Honda finally gave out, we could just run over fast and pick one up. Yeah, that was before I drove the Honda and realized that she really shouldn’t be driving it, especially in the snow and rain.
Yesterday, we went over to the Honda dealer in Manchester, CT. We talked to a sales guy and took a Honda Pilot out for a test drive. I must say, the car drove beautifully. If you are in the market for an SUV, you should really check out the Pilot. It’s quiet and roomy. I liked it and Laura liked it, she just didn’t think she could fit in some of the more “skinny” parking spaces around here and there. I agreed and figured that we already had an SUV, so why get another one. It was good to get out there and drive one though, just to get it out of our systems.
For a few days, I had been really talking up the BMW. I wasn’t really sure about the Subaru anymore, just because I had already fallen in love with the BMW brand. I don’t care, tear the logo off the damn car and toss it on the ground. The cars are awesome and it’s really hard to go back to something else once you drive one. It’s so stupid, I know.
Since we were in the test driving mood and I had her in the car, I drove her over to New Country BMW in Hartford. This is the place I bought my car. It was so exciting. I love going to this dealership because everyone is really cool and they show you all the neat cars. I even got to bring Laura back into the service area for some quick pictures of the shop. That was awesome.
When we got there, I saw the guy who sold me the X5. He no longer works in sales, but introduced me to the sales guy I had secretly been talking to on the phone. Oh they were only too happy to see me. I asked if he was in the mood to take a quick ride in a 3 series, just so I could get Laura acclimated to the feeling of driving the ultimate driving machine. He was like, “Hell yeah, let’s go.” I drove, she liked, we made an offer. The highway is the perfect place to try out one of these road hugging pieces of perfection.
I know you don’t care about all my writing. You just want to see pictures of the New 2009 BMW 328i xDrive sedan. I’d be amazed if you even got through what I just wrote.
Okay, here you go…Laura’s new car (that I get to drive whenever I want).
Were there words above these cool pictures?
Sweet ride!!
I am in the exact situation. My Jetta is dying and I am caught between a Subaru Legacy 3.6 (6cyl) or the BMW 328xi. I am leaning towards Subaru because their history with AWD. How did you like the Legacy when you test drove it?
We didn’t even get to the Subaru dealership. Visiting a BMW dealership is like falling into a huge bucket of crack. It’s very addictive and hard to get away from.
If you are looking for utility (and don’t already have an SUV), definitely go with the Subaru. You won’t get much out of the Beemer in that respect. Typical sedan, except for the all-wheel drive burnouts I’ll be doing up the road in the snow.
I did test drive the 6cyl Subaru. It was awesome…256 hp with a transmission that you do not feel shift-the thing just goes. You can choose manual mode and use the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. I am going to visit the crack dealer, I mean BMW dealer and see what you have been raving about. I bet I am gonna like the BMW…will keep you posted.
To get the real feel for the BMW, you are going to need to take it on the highway. Once you hit 80, step on it. That’s when the crack enters your system and it just keeps getting better from there.
I’m in the same boat. My wife’s ’99 BMW 528i is ready for replacement and since we both need of all-weather capability, AWD is better than musical chairs with a stack of snow tires; I don’t want to have to guess when it’s time to mount those.
We have an ’07 Outback my wife has right now and I could use its utility, good weather or bad, but my wife’s wintertime driving trumps that at the moment so I am using the 528i closer to home, weather permitting for now.
We’re choosing between an ’09 BMW 328iX-Drive and the Subaru Legacy 2.5i Limited. The Subaru flat-4, in latest form, is a better choice as is the BMW 2.8 (3.0 liter) over their other offerings. We buy to keep and rack up the miles so outright power comparisons are not as weighted as longevity.
We like BMWs. The 528i made us fans of the “crack” of which you speak. My dog and I once made an epic overnight 1000 mile run to my dad’s side as he passed in that car and my wife almost demanded we take it on our summer trip to Jackson Hole, WY (from Pittsburgh, PA) despite almost 160,000 miles on it. I am pleased that Subaru achieves a place on the decision tree that places it between them and BMW. It’s not bad company.
Both have strengths; the Legacy’s AWD is the foulest weather heavy weapon and the BMW is more refined and a great driver with real all-season ability. I think we’re opting for the CPO 328i X-Drive to keep a BMW in our quiver. We’re better off than with the 528i which had to sit out the bad parts of winters here and used CAREFULLY when heading out on the road in the wintertime. I count us as addicts of BMW AND Subaru though.