Need advice on 2013 BMW 328i Xdrive.

First off if I'm in the wrong area for this then I apologize. Right now I'm deciding between a 2013 BMW 328i Xdrive or a 2013 V6 Honda Accord EX-L with Nav. Now I know what your thinking "how can you compare a BMW to a Honda?" Well I'm not sure how but I am. What concerns me about the BMW is that replacement parts will cost more. I'm wondering what are issues with the 2013 BMW 328i X drive, and your opinion on what I should be looking for. Also I have heard that this car is Premium Gas only ? (need clarification) I have drove a 2013 Honda Accord EX-L V6 and it's more roomy then the BMW. I drove two BMWs and I have to say it's fun to drive with a very smooth transmission and I love the cold weather package. The only major differences are that the BMW is $10,000 more, and the gas mileage is a little better. What do you think ? And what are issues that you have experienced with them ?

Thanks in advance.

BMW parts tend to cost more and, unfortunately, you are more likely to need to buy parts for a BMW than a Honda. AKI 89 is the minimum fuel octane as recommended by BMW.

Good luck with your decision. Both are nice cars.

Originally Posted by Chris16

First off if I'm in the wrong area for this then I apologize. Right now I'm deciding between a 2013 BMW 328i Xdrive or a 2013 V6 Honda Accord EX-L with Nav. Now I know what your thinking "how can you compare a BMW to a Honda?" Well I'm not sure how but I am. What concerns me about the BMW is that replacement parts will cost more. I'm wondering what are issues with the 2013 BMW 328i X drive, and your opinion on what I should be looking for. Also I have heard that this car is Premium Gas only ? (need clarification) I have drove a 2013 Honda Accord EX-L V6 and it's more roomy then the BMW. I drove two BMWs and I have to say it's fun to drive with a very smooth transmission and I love the cold weather package. The only major differences are that the BMW is $10,000 more, and the gas mileage is a little better. What do you think ? And what are issues that you have experienced with them ?

Thanks in advance.

I have owned a V6 Accord (which my Son drives now) and an Acura TL (just sold), so you are comparing a Honda V6 vs. BMW 328i. Where to start, first the main difference is the xDrive. You live in Washington State so there certainly is an advantage to the AWD. The Accord EX-L MSRP $30,070, BMW 328i xDrive Base $38,500, the Accord is going to have may more standard options than the base BMW, advantage Accord. Mileage, similar (BMW is slightly better but needs premium so they offset), engine performance similar (HP wise). Drive-ability has to go to BMW, no comparison at all, Accord does what it does well, however BMW will excel. I think the better question to ask is if you can afford the extra $10K then you need to test drive both to see IF the extra is worth it to you.

As far as the parts, why does this matter? Are you thinking of modifications of the vehicle? Are you thinking for insurance purposes? BMW does cover all costs for first 50K miles (except tires). If you are thinking modifications, BMW will cost more but has an active factory with many dealer performance parts. I think we need more information on why this comparison?

Final note, A Honda Accord will be a good car but will not be a great car or get much, if any attention. The BMW will be a great car and will get attention.

Originally Posted by kpgray

I have owned a V6 Accord (which my Son drives now) and an Acura TL (just sold), so you are comparing a Honda V6 vs. BMW 328i. Where to start, first the main difference is the xDrive. You live in Washington State so there certainly is an advantage to the AWD. The Accord EX-L MSRP $30,070, BMW 328i xDrive Base $38,500, the Accord is going to have may more standard options than the base BMW, advantage Accord. Mileage, similar (BMW is slightly better but needs premium so they offset), engine performance similar (HP wise). Drive-ability has to go to BMW, no comparison at all, Accord does what it does well, however BMW will excel. I think the better question to ask is if you can afford the extra $10K then you need to test drive both to see IF the extra is worth it to you.

As far as the parts, why does this matter? Are you thinking of modifications of the vehicle? Are you thinking for insurance purposes? BMW does cover all costs for first 50K miles (except tires). If you are thinking modifications, BMW will cost more but has an active factory with many dealer performance parts. I think we need more information on why this comparison?

Final note, A Honda Accord will be a good car but will not be a great car or get much, if any attention. The BMW will be a great car and will get attention.

Insurance is an issue I believe it costs more to cover for the bmw, and I own a accord already so I know what I'm getting. The BMW becomes pricey with the options I would want. The accord is 10K cheaper and they are reliable. However the BMW is a great drive but how is reliability ? It's smaller than the accord and I have a family of 5 with one heading to college so bigger is fine. With gas not lowering in awhile I'm not sure I want to pay for premium all the time no matter how much more it is. I like to save money where I can. It's a tough decision.
I'm not looking for attention, I like to stay low key.

Originally Posted by Chris16

Insurance is an issue I believe it costs more to cover for the bmw, and I own a accord already so I know what I'm getting. The BMW becomes pricey with the options I would want. The accord is 10K cheaper and they are reliable. However the BMW is a great drive but how is reliability ? It's smaller than the accord and I have a family of 5 with one heading to college so bigger is fine. With gas not lowering in awhile I'm not sure I want to pay for premium all the time no matter how much more it is. I like to save money where I can. It's a tough decision.
I'm not looking for attention, I like to stay low key.

I went from an Accord V6 to an Acura in 2005. The cost jump was $5K more for the TL vs the V6 Accord in'05. I wanted a BMW at the time but with the new model Acura and the outgoing model BMW I went with the new Acura. The '05 Acura was more powerful than the '05 E46 BMW unless I went to the 330 version which made it a $10K difference at that time! For the 135K miles I put on the Acura, the only repair outside of normal maintenance was for an O-ring on the steering pump, that is impressive. But I do not like the look and feel of the new Acura nor the layout of the interior, I prefer the more traditional gauges. As far as low key, avoid the flasher models (sport or M-sport) and stay with the Base, Modern or Luxury.

I just sold my Acura TL and the annual cost for the new 2013 BMW xDrive was $220 more annually over my 2005 Acura (A simple call to the insurance agent with both configurations will be more accurate). A more accurate method to price a BMW out is to configure on the BMW Config website:

http://bmwconfig.com/BmwConfig/Config.aspx

Put the model in the box: 2013 328i xDrive and build it out. Estimate a realistic price at $500-1000 over the invoice cost. A note: BMW rotates on 60 day incentives (6 per year). The holiday incentive (I think it ends 12/31/2012 but not positive) is $1,000 if you finance with BMW (lease or purchase) with a $250 Apps credit if you have an Apple I believe. Some have posted here on 84 month financing at 1.79% I believe. BMW will have a new incentive in January. I do not know what the incentives on Honda are.