BMW Dreaming

The facts about me and my cars: 

1. I have a pretty long commute now, compared to 5 minutes before
2. The roads are great to drive, but country as F 
3. The Fiesta doesn't make a great impression for a senior manager 
4. The Rondo is AWESOME, but getting along in years
5. I love 6-speeds, but sometimes I want to just sit there
6. I am not winning any autocrosses, but I have fun. 

The truth about BMW 330ix Wagons:

1. They look the shiznit 
2. Great touring cars 
3. BMW cache 
4. Rondo room out back 
5. DSG thingy with paddle shifters like Lewis Hamilton uses 
6. M-Sport is a thing on these 

Is there a reason I shouldn't trade the FiST and Rondo (+ a billion $$$) to get one? 

Can you swing a Stinger? I see you in a Stinger. 

Otherwise, I have nothing of value to add to this conversation.

Like a new one? If so, the 1 series and previous gen 3 series were the last to non-M cars to have the DCT option. 

All the new stuff has the slick 8spd auto. And DCT is M cars only, but they put "flappy paddles" on every auto down to minivans these days.

That being said, I don't think I could bring myself to spend $50k on a 4 cyl BMW wagon. And I own a BMW.

A Senior Manager would have one with a warranty.

<< has similar wagon-shaped, roundel-adorned aspirations 

I'd Argue the Sr. Manager and fiesta stigma but that's just me. My current job is National Sales Account Manager for a $1.2B account and I drive a Golf. 

I wouldn't touch a modern BMW if you paid me but that is just me. Too many headaches and too fast of depreciation. 

They're going to make fun of you as a senior manager until you can afford a Porsche anyway and even then you won't own the right Porsche.  Rock the Rondo.  If you do get the 330ix you need a Rolex Submariner to have the complete I think this is what success looks like kit. 

I really liked my E91, but sacrificed it so my wife could drive an X3.  I would say go for it because BMW wagons are really nice driving cars with just a little bit extra room.  The 3GT is also a nice driving car with lots of rear legroom and more cargo space than you would think.

The 8 speed auto tranny is really good, really, good.  Worth a test drive for sure.

Off lease with warranty is a safe/cheaper way to go, but new with warranty is nice too.  I am living dangerously with my out of warranty X3, but so far so good.

Don't worry about the image thing.  I'm in "leadership" too and didn't care that for a long time I drove either an HHR or an Elantra, while even some of my staff had much fancier cars. 

I've got a really long commute and while I absolutely love to row my own gears, sometimes I love to sit there too.  My wife and I test drove all kinds of mid-size to larger sedans (would have gotten a wagon if I could have found one)...Our budget was $20k or under and we wanted a car from '13-'16 w/under 50k miles.  We test drove V6 Accord, Avalon, Cadenza, Optima, Sonata and on paper looked at 300C, Taurus SHO, V6 Altima and a few others.  Then I let my wife drive a '14 328i.  Game over.  She liked all the cars we drove, but they were all FWD family haulers.  The BMW just had "it".  I honestly can't remember the last time I saw her smile like that after driving a car.  She was doing 55mph in a 35mph zone in the test drive, and she drives like a soccer mom normally.  So guess what we bought????

Yup, you guessed it...a '13 G37.  I was > < close to buying the BMW.  But I just had that little voice in my head about reliability and maintenance.  Given that I drive 30k miles per year, just nervous about pulling the trigger.  For a steal, I got a CPO G37, and it's an awesome drive.  It's just fun through and through.

While we love it, it's an aging platform and that's a definite downside.  Think maybe, just maybe, the next one will be BMW

I have a '16 328 wagon & it's a nice place to be. Does everything you'd expect from a 3 series: pulls well, handles well, rides nice & does it all pretty efficiently. The autobox & flappy paddles are well executed too.

Also has a low load height and 2 position factory pooch net for wagony things.

I'm happy with it, you may be too. It's a big step up in comfort/luxy stuff from where you are now.

I have no BMW experience but I am happy to read that you landed a new job. 

pinchvalve said:

The facts about me and my cars: 

1. I have a pretty long commute now, compared to 5 minutes before
2. The roads are great to drive, but country as F 
3. The Fiesta doesn't make a great impression for a senior manager 
4. The Rondo is AWESOME, but getting along in years
5. I love 6-speeds, but sometimes I want to just sit there
6. I am not winning any autocrosses, but I have fun. 

The truth about BMW 330ix Wagons:

1. They look the shiznit 
2. Great touring cars 
3. BMW cache 
4. Rondo room out back 
5. DSG thingy with paddle shifters like Lewis Hamilton uses 
6. M-Sport is a thing on these 

Is there a reason I shouldn't trade the FiST and Rondo (+ a billion $$$) to get one? 

 

They are great cars in theory. But once you option one out nicely, all of a sudden they're $50k and you still have an econobox 4-cyl engine.

Cache? I guess... Around where I am they are dime a dozen. The wagon choice with real cache is the Mercedes E400 but thats bigger and $$$. DSG? The ZF8HP is great... So great you'll never use the dumb paddles. Auto/DSG programming is so good now that paddles in any car that is not a racecar with a sequential gearbox are useless, even for track-capable cars.

I'd check out the Volvo and Buick before paying up for the bimmer. They both have the same engine problems. The VW is maybe not classy enough for you but I used to own one and they're fantastic.

country roads... I would consider an X3 before the 330 wagon. It might not handle as well, but I bet it handles just as well as the Rondo if not better.

Porsche 928 and an exhaust.

"Cache"???  Argh!  Unless you are talking about hiding a BMW away, the word is 'cachet'. 

And unless you are a BMW fanboy, you could also consider a Volvo V60. If you can't afford the Polestar version, the regular 2 liter turbo still put out 302 bhp! (Polestar is 362 bhp and if you can afford the freight there is always the V90 wagon).

Dont get me wrong about me being a member of management, no one cares what I drive, most drive trucks.  It's just that at almost 50, the FiST seems kinda juvenile and I'd love some more sophistication.  I'd Rock the Rondo forever, but it's getting tired.  

I think I will wait for the 2019 BMWs to launch, they seem to have found their mojo again, we shall see.  

BMW lost its mojo when it stopped building cars with inward-sloping grills. Any later successes were purely incidental.

pinchvalve said:

.  It's just that at almost 50, the FiST seems kinda juvenile and I'd love some more sophistication. 

I will be 48 in a few weeks. I am driving around in one of the most juvenile cars cars you can buy.. the Fiat 500 Abarth. I am loving the hell out of this little rabid chihuahua and I do not care what anybody else thinks when they see me driving it or stepping out. I enjoy it and that is all that matters.

mad_machine said:

pinchvalve said:

.  It's just that at almost 50, the FiST seems kinda juvenile and I'd love some more sophistication. 

I will be 48 in a few weeks. I am driving around in one of the most juvenile cars cars you can buy.. the Fiat 500 Abarth. I am loving the hell out of this little rabid chihuahua and I do not care what anybody else thinks when they see me driving it or stepping out. I enjoy it and that is all that matters.

Yeah, I get that, and if you saw me in person, you'd know I clearly don't care what people think about me.  (LOL)  It's more about wanting a change I suppose.  I have to take three people on a sales trip about 2 hours away, that's 4 hours in a FiST on stiff Koni's.  For S&G, I stopped at my Kia dealer and looked at a Stinger GT.  Sexy to look at, very sophisticated inside compared to the Rondo, but rear-seat room was tight, the price was high and the hatch was smaller than expected.  I could autocross it, but the sightlines were not great and it felt claustrophobic.  The price included A LOT of safety tech, none of which I really want.  

The reality is, at the cost of a used BMW, I prefer a new VW GTI.  

One trip? Rent a car.