Looks like Jenny's going to have to sell the iX :(

[AdironRider]

Buy a 318is. No joke. I get 35 mpg when I decide to put around in it. Id be willing to be its much more reliable than the vw you propose. VW's are complete trash when it comes to reliability/quality. You can pick up a nice one for 3k or so, and pocket the rest of the cash from the sale of the ix for gas for the next couple years or so. Makes the most sense to me.

[smonkbmw]

If he's really getting 450 miles per tank there's a big problem somewhere. Maybe the dirty intake manifold/egr issue? The tanks are 14.5 gallons. Even @ 40mpg that's 580 miles to a tank. At 45mpg it's 652 miles, well over twice what the iX gets.

yeah, thats all fine and dandy, but real world mpg changes when sometimes you get it up to 70mph+ on the freeway. anyways regardless, the 318 idea is a good idea, too bad you cant find one for under $4k around here. either that or do the other idea, just run it till it comes apart.

[ivo316]

Anything Honda will definitely be more reliable than a VW or BMW. If its possible, you guys should consider buying a Honda Fit. They're cool little cars that get great gas mileage & are reliable too.

With thois comment I' don't want to put down your knowledge or experience, but point out a different one.

I could agree on the VW (barely), but a Honda being more reliable than a BMW ? come on...

I know the good ol'e fight will start over again, but based on my experience, which is not necessarily everyone else's, BMW's are overly more reliable than Honda vehicles, unless New BMW buyers who pay an extremely higher price tag for a BMW than a Honda are a bunch of morons (which I don't think so).

Regarding durability and reliability, I don't see many 1980-1990 hondas being driven around in my area, while 1980.1990 most BMW's are alive and well.

[AdironRider]

Thats cause Hondas arent usually pampered like BMW's are. Ill concede that while the drivetrain is solid on BMW's, I am not a fan of their electric systems. Every e30 Ive owned has had some quirk to its electrics.

[RobertK]

Regarding durability and reliability, I don't see many 1980-1990 hondas being driven around in my area, while 1980.1990 most BMW's are alive and well.

Don't get me wrong.. I love my E30 but unless you live on another planet the you would see 80-90s Hondas all around.

Their reliability is a contributing factor to the plague of ricers inhabiting this country. If the whole rice scene was founded on GMs and Fords then the fad would have died out long ago.

The only other car that is as tough as a Civic is a Chrysler K Car.

[Mastrcruse]

Don't get me wrong.. I love my E30 but unless you live on another planet the you would see 80-90s Hondas all around.

Their reliability is a contributing factor to the plague of ricers inhabiting this country. If the whole rice scene was founded on GMs and Fords then the fad would have died out long ago.

The only other car that is as tough as a Civic is a Chrysler K Car.

Watch what you say about ricers...remember we all know where you live now haha Its all over the internet ;)

[ivo316]

The other day I was watching a fifth gear episode (where they destroyed a 300E wagon) and they showed the VW testing ground, rock pavements, ridges on the roads, ladders, huge water puddles, serrated pavement etc. They said that 600 miles there would simulate the whole life of a car, well that's what we drive on every day here.

Maybe the lack of reliability of japanese (or asian in general) vehicles is due to the terrible condition of our roads and streets, take a look.

Also, a normal Jap engine here will last up to 200.000 kilometers...

* Remember this images are hosted in Chile, they may take a little while to show up.











So here it is, basically, Japanese and asian cars in general, virtually fall apart here, subcompacts dented, shocks destroyed, bodies loose and rattly, and they get thrown away after 5 or 6 years, you see very few of the examples below on the street.

[Jscotty]

There are some things to consider here:

I could see the logic in attempting to preserve the car if she was going to keep it but it makes no sense for her to sell it for the sake of retaining some degree of resale value. Don't fix something that isn't broken. She has a car that she likes and is reliable.

If you were in dire need of a car, then this would be the perfect time to get something new and economical. But being that you already have a car that is in excellent shape, there is really nothing wrong with your present situation. The money that you are going to spend on a new car will buy you PLENTY of gas over the course of the next couple of years. Even at $3 a gallon you come out better keeping what you already have.

Secondly, driving 100 milles a day, (assuming that this is highway milage) that is indeed the BEST thing that you can do to preserve the life span of the car. People often mistakenly associate lower milage with the car being in better condition. When I worked 60 miles away, that was a 120 mile commute for me and I had racked up over 285,000 miles on a 10 year old car. The car ran great at the time I sold it and the guy who bought it is still driving it 7 years later.

A friend of mine lives less than 2 miles from his job and puts about 4000 miles on his car per year. So after 4 years he had only 17,000 miles on the odometer but the car was close to being on its last leg mechanically. Granted, the guy didn't change his oil but once or twice a year either but overall this clean 17K car was close to being dead.

So even though your facts and figures make sense to some degree, why even bother spending money to fix something that isnt broken? She has a nice car that she really likes and if she racks up another 250,000 miles, she will have earned enough money to be able to keep the IX and whatever else she decides to buy. If the engine dies on the IX, put another one in it and go another 300,000 miles.

Its similar to how people spend $350,000 buy solar panels and batteries to power their house so that they can save money on their electric bill without considering that they will never spend that much money over the course of time that they live in the house.

[RobertK]

Get one of these for like $400





My neighbor used to drive one of these 80+ miles a day to work. He said he had driven the car for 5-6 years like this before a rear end collision took it out. Ugly as sin but it would get the job done.

[AdironRider]

There are some things to consider here:

I could see the logic in attempting to preserve the car if she was going to keep it but it makes no sense for her to sell it for the sake of retaining some degree of resale value. Don't fix something that isn't broken. She has a car that she likes and is reliable.

If you were in dire need of a car, then this would be the perfect time to get something new and economical. But being that you already have a car that is in excellent shape, there is really nothing wrong with your present situation. The money that you are going to spend on a new car will buy you PLENTY of gas over the course of the next couple of years. Even at $3 a gallon you come out better keeping what you already have.

Secondly, driving 100 milles a day, (assuming that this is highway milage) that is indeed the BEST thing that you can do to preserve the life span of the car. People often mistakenly associate lower milage with the car being in better condition. When I worked 60 miles away, that was a 120 mile commute for me and I had racked up over 285,000 miles on a 10 year old car. The car ran great at the time I sold it and the guy who bought it is still driving it 7 years later.

A friend of mine lives less than 2 miles from his job and puts about 4000 miles on his car per year. So after 4 years he had only 17,000 miles on the odometer but the car was close to being on its last leg mechanically. Granted, the guy didn't change his oil but once or twice a year either but overall this clean 17K car was close to being dead.

So even though your facts and figures make sense to some degree, why even bother spending money to fix something that isnt broken? She has a nice car that she really likes and if she racks up another 250,000 miles, she will have earned enough money to be able to keep the IX and whatever else she decides to buy. If the engine dies on the IX, put another one in it and go another 300,000 miles.

Its similar to how people spend $350,000 buy solar panels and batteries to power their house so that they can save money on their electric bill without considering that they will never spend that much money over the course of time that they live in the house.

Truth! Well minus the 17k car being almost dead, I find that pretty hard to believe, but the rest is spot on. I never understood the fear of a high milage car. Prior to my current sub 100k e30, every car I had owned (2 e30s and a Nissan Pathfinder) has 200k and ran great, the key to their long life was consistent usage if you ask me. As soon as I let my Pathfinder sit for a month, it went down the tubes. Same with my first e30. If you drive a car everyday, it seems to run better. Sure wear items are going to break, but its not good to let a car sit for long periods of time, use it, then repeat.

[FredK]

I agree with Jscotty.

I started to write a few words this morning towards a financial analysis of buying a newer Jetta. Too boring, and it was based on a lot of assumptions. It turns out that if you drive each car around 125,000 miles over 5 years, the whole thing turns into a wash, if you consider depreciation, interest paid on a car loan, and fuel savings.

The savings in fuel is substantial when you factor it over 125,000 miles, but then again, you guys are young and the situation is ALWAYS fluid. Jenny might not be at the same job in 3 years. You might move somewhere. Who knows.

It's never a good idea to go into debt (car loan) in order to save money. Doesn't make sense.

[Addissimo]

lightweight flywheel, 3.64 gearing & VEMS setup for sequential injection... I see no reason you shouldn't get 30+ mpg after a proper tune...


:)

[smonkbmw]

i got a better idea, sell the gas guzzling 540?!?!

[Jand3rson]

i got a better idea, sell the gas guzzling 540?!?!

Seconded.

[backtrail69]

i got a better idea, sell the gas guzzling 540?!?!

ZING!