kellikans & lgb78

[bunnymendelbaum]

So DD and I checked out a Mazda6 yesterday. I LOVE the car. Sporty, roomy, great backseat for car seats. Only issue is the sunroom is pretty small. (I LOVE sunroofs.) They stopped making the wagon version in 2008, so they are a little hard to find.



DH wants me to keep my mind open to a BMW 3 series wagon. I had written them off as too expensive, but when we checked, they aren't! DH thinks if we trade my MINI in to a dealer we will get more $$ for it (because it is a bmw too). We think we will be able to only pay $2k to get a much bigger, nice car. Plus, the sunroof is HUGE, ha!

Kelli - you said avoid the 325? but yes to 328? Is the 5 a ton bigger? I don't want huge.

Do either of you know if car seats fit in the backseat? That is my main concern. I was so surprised at how roomy the Mazda6 backseat was. I don't want to buy a new car just to be kissing the dashboard again.

Thanks!

[lgb78]

Hey! I have the 328xi sedan (all wheel drive). I find the backseat to be suprisingly roomy and comfortable. Not sure how the sedan compares to the wagon roominess-wise. I don't have kids so no experience with the car seats. I bet the dealership would allow you to try out car seats in the back just for measurement purposes.

I previously had a Saab 9-3 and the BMW is slightly smaller than that (based on how it fits in my garage). I think you should def. test drive the BMW to see how it feels. I love mine

[lgb78]

One other thing.... I think Kelli mentioned avoiding the 335 (not 325). The BMW 3 series comes in a base model and a premium model. The 335 is the premium model for years 2009 - present (previoulsy it was 330 for 2006-2008). The 325 was the base model for 2006-2008. The 328 is currently the base model (2009 - present).

I believe the size is essentially the same for all models mentioned above, the main difference between the base and premium is the premium has a turbo charged engine while the base model (325/328) does not.

[bunnymendelbaum]

Thanks so much!
Maybe I'll just go to the dealership and take a look at a 328 wagon and ask how much the body style has changed.

And can I just say I'm TOTALLY high-fiving my 2005 self for buying the MINI? I LOVE that I'm even looking at bmw wagons because the MINI held its value so well. Go me!

[kellikans]

pp is correct, I mentioned to stay away from the 335. the 335 (3.0 twin-turbo engine) option began for model year 2007. they still make them, but I believe in 2010 or 2011 they switched it to a single-turbo engine. I had a 2008 335i and I was at the dealership every 2 or 3 months for issues. they are very well known to have high pressure fuel pump problems. I bought my car used in 2009, traded it in in 2011 (so I only had it for 2 years), and I had to have the fuel pump replaced 3 times. I also had fuel injectors replaced (after having to have the car towed to the dealership at 7am when I was trying to leave for work). the fuel pump and injectors are bad on this model. they may have corrected the issue since then with the new engine design, but I know for at least 3 model years (2007-2009) there were wide-spread problems. I wouldn't take the chance.

now the 328 OOTH, is supposed to be a pretty solid engine. and the 3 series is roomy enough in the back and I don't think car seats should be a problem.

and don't let my experience scare you off from a 3 series. I actually traded mine in on another BMW (an X5) that I love. my advice though is to either buy CPO or make sure you get an extended warranty. we bought the X5 at Carmax and went with the extended warranty that they offered which will cover us for 6 years from when we bought the car.