which would you choose?

[46chicken69]

buying a new car soon. got it narrowed down to 2 choices. 08 7 series bmw 35,000 miles about $36,000 or 2009 mercedes c300 16000miles $26000? coming out of a 3 series bmw. 26000 would be comfortable, 36000 is doable but makes things tight. absolutely love the bmw. very intrigued by the mercedes but not too thrilled about making a lateral move from my 3 series. which would you choose?

[Zack]

I would buy the cheaper car and save the rest of the money. Why make your expenses tighter over a car? It's just a car.

[plum]

IMO, the c300 feels cheap. I like the 7 series a lot, if i could afford that one, id get it.

but its easy for me to spend your money

[max power]

I wouldn't spend the extra $10K, and I'm a BMW guy.  IMO-nothing cheap about the C300.

[46chicken69]

all good points. im 60-40 for the bmw. guess i need to sleep on it some more.

[The Road Dog]

Not ever having either make of car, my opinion is limited in value, but knowing friends who owned both makes I can tell you what they complain about.

The BMW owners say it's expensive getting routine maintenance ie oil changes. They don't mention repairs much.

The Benz owners complain about repairs often and the $500+ they always seem to have to spend.

It would seem to me the BMW maintenance would be the easier burden to bare

[Yukari]

Originally Posted by The Road Dog

Not ever having either make of car, my opinion is limited in value, but knowing friends who owned both makes I can tell you what they complain about.

The BMW owners say it's expensive getting routine maintenance ie oil changes. They don't mention repairs much.

The Benz owners complain about repairs often and the $500+ they always seem to have to spend.

It would seem to me the BMW maintenance would be the easier burden to bare

Ouch!

That is another reason why I drive Toyota FJ Cruiser.  I can do the routine maintenance myself and when I do have to have it done by someone else, it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg.

I just don't see a reason to spend that much $$$ on a car.  As someone said above, it's just a car.  Of course for some, a car is more than a car.  But for me, as long as it can get me to where I want to go reliably, I am happy.

[Lefty-Golfer]

Originally Posted by 46chicken69

all good points. im 60-40 for the bmw. guess i need to sleep on it some more.

it sounds to me if you are worried about the difference in purchase price you aren't in the position to buy such a car. in my opinion the cost of a luxery car should not be a factor in the purchase...and if it is you most likey should be looking at something else. I would recomend a Camery or something like that and save your money.

When i was 30 i was obsessed with getting a new Audi, i couple years later when i could afford it with no problems...i didn't want it any more saved 80k in the process.

[Mr. Desmond]

I'd keep on looking.

I've had a C Series and now drive a 2000 3 Series. The Mercedes was a little easier on the wallet for maintenance.

7 Series -- the expense of keeping it will kill your wallet. 3 Series is more manageable.

If you like a BMW and the way it drives, I don't think you'll be that happy with the C Series.

Look for another 3 Series.

[shades9323]

I'd probably skip both and get a Cadillac CTS-V for that kind of money on a used car.