X3 xDrive28i or x5 35i

im in the market for an suv.

i have an idea on what i want to do but just looking for other opinions.

would you get a nicely optioned x3 or a base x5 with only navigation and heated seats?

I like options too much to suggest one for 48K. If you went up to 53K, i would suggest the 28i. I like fully loaded stuff. lol

I would get a Porsche Cayenne V6 (300 hp) and smile a lot.

Originally Posted by UncleJ

I would get a Porsche Cayenne V6 (300 hp) and smile a lot.

Uncle J. if you go that route, let me know. I am so undecided. Sometimes choices don't make us more happy.

The thing is I have to remember it wasn't about just finding the best deal or the nicest looking car. I loved the size and handling of the X3. For me, it was a perfect sie. I've been thinking about the size increase and while I'm not thrilled, I keep telling myself it is only 3.5 inches. Get over it. I hope it doesn't "feel" bigger and clunkier. I hope it still feels like it has great handling, is easy to maneuver in a parking lot, etc. I'm glad it's lighter. I really don't want a big clunky heavy, hard to maneuver SUV. I checked and the Cayenne is 10 inches longer than the current X3. I guess the next question is how much heavier it is.

Please let me know if you test drove it.

Edit. Cayenne is 176 lbs more.

I built it again:..*****. I guess it depends what the base radio sounds like ($1600 -6000 is too much for an upgrade).

Cayenne








$46,700

Packages




Premium Package Plus


PU3


$10,160

Exterior Color




Classic Silver Metallic


P5


$790

Interior Color




Standard Interior in Black


MA


$0

Exterior




Moonroof


3FE


$0

Performance




Porsche Active Suspension Managmement (PASM)


1BZ


$1,990

Extended Range Fuel Tank


0M1


$0

Servotronic


1N3


$0

Wheels




18" Cayenne Wheel


C1J


$0

Wheel Accessories




Wheel Hub Cover with Colored Porsche Crest


1NP


$185

Interior




Non-smoker Package


9JA


$0

Heated Three-spoke Multifunction Leather Steering Wheel


2ZH


$0

14-way Power Seats with Memory Package


PE5


$0

Interior Aluminum




Brushed Aluminum Interior Package


5TE


$995

Audio and Communications




Voice Control


QH1


$595

Preparation for Porsche Rear Seat Entertainment


9WM


$0

Porsche Rear Seat Entertainment


AEU


$2,990

Destination Charge:




Destination Charge:





$975

Total Price*








$65,380

Oh damn...that was manual. they want $3000 to move to automatic? sucks...see

I'm glad you guys taught me about Edmunds and invoice. I just checked and the almost 70K automatic was 62 by invoice. You guys suggested $500-2000 over invoice.

Originally Posted by X3forlife

I'm glad you guys taught me about Edmunds and invoice. I just checked and the almost 70K automatic was 62 by invoice. You guys suggested $500-2000 over invoice.

Let me know where you can get a V6 Cayenne for $500 over invoice. My local dealer wants MSRP (and there is a waiting list).

BTW I think you have gone a bit over the top on options. I come in at under 60k.

Right now the '11 Cayennes are hot items and the dealers are not dealing. In a few months this will change and you will be able to dicker, usually a very good price for the base version is $1K over Dealer Cost. If you are in a large metro area then there will be a plethora of dealers in the surrounding area, be sure to check them all through the internet sales mgrs. The '11 Cayenne has shed a lot of weight and now is between the new X3 and X5 in size and price.

Originally Posted by adgrant

Let me know where you can get a V6 Cayenne for $500 over invoice. My local dealer wants MSRP (and there is a waiting list).

BTW I think you have gone a bit over the top on options. I come in at under 60k.

Please share what you cut out. Maybe you didn't include the Rear Entertainment System...I like to have that. It makes the car feel techy. I'm glad everyone doesn't get it so it adds some internal uniqueness. Also, maybe you didn't add the PASM. It sounds like it would be helpful. Did you choose Automatic? That's another 3K.

Yeah...the "What They Paid" section shows people are not getting deals now. Even if there is a waiting list, they would be foolish to turn away new orders. They just told you that so you don't try to deal with them. Waiting list just means people are waiting longer for their cars to be built. It's not like there is a list of people waiting to buy.

Originally Posted by UncleJ

Right now the '11 Cayennes are hot items and the dealers are not dealing. In a few months this will change and you will be able to dicker, usually a very good price for the base version is $1K over Dealer Cost. If you are in a large metro area then there will be a plethora of dealers in the surrounding area, be sure to check them all through the internet sales mgrs. The '11 Cayenne has shed a lot of weight and now is between the new X3 and X5 in size and price.

Well I hope you are right. I'm so excited about this Edmunds thing. I was a noob for my first 2 new cars. I did not get much of a deal on my Toyota Corolla or my X3. I didn't know about Edmunds and dealer invoices etc. They were probably high fiving in the back. You guys taught me now. I saw the "what they paid" for the 2010 X3 and it was about $500 above invoice (not including a $4000 off incentive). I hope it is not a problem with the F25 because it is new that we get no deals. That would suck. I wouldn't even go in until I have an Edmunds report now. That is going in unarmed. I hope they update soon after it comes out. If BMW gives deals and Porsche does not, that would be enough to separate them.

I still find the $500 over invoice hard to believe (but I understand they have other incentives). $1500 seems more fair to both sides. With the $500 they have to split it among the salesperson, mortgage, electricity, advertising, etc. Where is the profit?

So it might be smarter to wait until March or so once the early buyer craze dies a bit.

Originally Posted by X3forlife

Please share what you cut out. Maybe you didn't include the Rear Entertainment System...I like to have that. It makes the car feel techy. I'm glad everyone doesn't get it so it adds some internal uniqueness. Also, maybe you didn't add the PASM. It sounds like it would be helpful. Did you choose Automatic? That's another 3K.

Yeah...the "What They Paid" section shows people are not getting deals now. Even if there is a waiting list, they would be foolish to turn away new orders. They just told you that so you don't try to deal with them. Waiting list just means people are waiting longer for their cars to be built. It's not like there is a list of people waiting to buy.

I priced it with the auto transmission and the premium package that includes Xenons, park assist and the Nav. That pretty much covers the essentials as far as I am concerned. I don't think you want to load up a V6 with options (if you cant restrain yourself a Porsche may not be the right brand).

The local dealer had no V6s on the lot and told me that the earliest I could get one would be March. I test drove the V8, it was great but over my budget. I am concerned about the V6 engine. It seems a little underpowered for the Cayenne and it is supposed to be a bit rough.

BTW The other thing to remember about Porsches is there is no free maintainence.

Originally Posted by adgrant

I priced it with the auto transmission and the premium package that includes Xenons, park assist and the Nav. That pretty much covers the essentials as far as I am concerned. I don't think you want to load up a V6 with options (if you cant restrain yourself a Porsche may not be the right brand).

The local dealer had no V6s on the lot and told me that the earliest I could get one would be March. I test drove the V8, it was great but over my budget. I am concerned about the V6 engine. It seems a little underpowered for the Cayenne and it is supposed to be a bit rough.

BTW The other thing to remember about Porsches is there is no free maintainence.

Oh...good point. Thanks for bringing that up (maintenance). Mercedes looked crazy for charging for it while BMW offers it free for the first 4 years.

The options I picked were good for me. I'm sure when you look over my options, you'll like them. For example, why wouldn't you want "Voice control"?

By the way, did you listen to the standard radio? How was it?

For those car off the lot buyers, you definitely want to go in on the last day of the month. For mine, I remember the car arrived at the end of November but they needed a few days to put in the Rear Entertainment and Auxilary input. I got it in the beginning of December and my paperwork was dated November 30th. When I asked why, it turns out they had some incentive deal for cars in November and I guess they didn't think it was fair that if I was not modifying it would have made it so in their minds, they counted it as a sale on that date and keeping it extra days to work on the modifications. I wanted to be a team player so I was cool with it. It just goes to show you though how much better end of the month is. I'm sure anybody who walked in on Nov 30th got a great deal from the lot. The best day in the whole world might be December 31st. That way you get end of month, end of year and there may even be a holiday bonus in there too. Unfortunately for ordering, I don't think they get the credit until you pick it up so the day may not matter. IDK.

Originally Posted by X3forlife

The options I picked were good for me. I'm sure when you look over my options, you'll like them. For example, why wouldn't you want "Voice control"?

By the way, did you listen to the standard radio? How was it?

For those car off the lot buyers, you definitely want to go in on the last day of the month. For mine, I remember the car arrived at the end of November but they needed a few days to put in the Rear Entertainment and Auxilary input. I got it in the beginning of December and my paperwork was dated November 30th. When I asked why, it turns out they had some incentive deal for cars in November and I guess they didn't think it was fair that if I was not modifying it would have made it so in their minds, they counted it as a sale on that date and keeping it extra days to work on the modifications. I wanted to be a team player so I was cool with it. It just goes to show you though how much better end of the month is. I'm sure anybody who walked in on Nov 30th got a great deal from the lot. The best day in the whole world might be December 31st. That way you get end of month, end of year and there may even be a holiday bonus in there too. Unfortunately for ordering, I don't think they get the credit until you pick it up so the day may not matter. IDK.

I don't pick every option I like when ordering a car, just the ones I feel I need (e.g Xenons, NAV, PDC, heated seats, iPod integration). I believe I have "Voice Control" with the iDrive on my current car but I have never used it. As for your options, I would consider the Premium plus instead of Premium to get the PASM suspension and rearview camera if the car was already on the lot with that package. I would also consider metallic grey paint but don't like what Porsche wants to charge me for it.

It's not currently possible to buy a V6 Cayenne off the lot at my local Porsche dealer.

Originally Posted by adgrant

I don't pick every option I like when ordering a car, just the ones I feel I need (e.g Xenons, NAV, PDC, heated seats, iPod integration). I believe I have "Voice Control" with the iDrive on my current car but I have never used it. As for your options, I would consider the Premium plus instead of Premium to get the PASM suspension and rearview camera if the car was already on the lot with that package. I would also consider metallic grey paint but don't like what Porsche wants to charge me for it.

It's not currently possible to buy a V6 Cayenne off the lot at my local Porsche dealer.

I say if you are going to pay so much you should at least get the color you want.

Does the Premium Plus include PASM. Their configurator is confusing because it doesn't check off the boxes if you already ave it from some package like BMW does. Usually though, a box pops up asking you to change something.

I saw one online on a lot for 58K (why tan interior instead of black, I don't know but that looked like it had some good stuff. The only thing I would probably add is the rear entertainment. If you get one off the lot, you'd have to make sure it has the prep though.

One weird ting is it had XM and Bose...2 things I left off so it must be missing someting huge...
http://porschedallas.parkplacetexas....a_center=video

Ultimately I ave to keep reminding myself that what I want is a compact SUV so why should I look elsewhere just because. I'd be paying more for a bigger and less fuel efficient car with no free maintenance...all for a little more prestige.

This car doesn't look bad:

I don't think they even have the V6 yet, my dealer is expecting their first allocation in mid December. Needless to say they are going to charge whatever the market will bear for these and I expect to see the dreaded "ADP" signs on the sticker for the first few.

Originally Posted by X3forlife

I say if you are going to pay so much you should at least get the color you want.

Does the Premium Plus include PASM. Their configurator is confusing because it doesn't check off the boxes if you already ave it from some package like BMW does. Usually though, a box pops up asking you to change something.

...

Ultimately I ave to keep reminding myself that what I want is a compact SUV so why should I look elsewhere just because. I'd be paying more for a bigger and less fuel efficient car with no free maintenance...all for a little more prestige.

This car doesn't look bad:

I actually like black, I like a dark metallic gray too but I am not sure I like it enough to pay what Porsche is charging. You are right about PASM, that must have been for another Porsche I was looking at.

The Porsche does have a very nice interior, better than most BMW interiors. The whole car looks very well put together. OTOH the V6 engine is a lightly modified VW engine and does not have a particularly good reputation.

Originally Posted by UncleJ

I don't think they even have the V6 yet, my dealer is expecting their first allocation in mid December. Needless to say they are going to charge whatever the market will bear for these and I expect to see the dreaded "ADP" signs on the sticker for the first few.

That will make the BMW more attractive and possibly even the V8.

Originally Posted by UncleJ

I don't think they even have the V6 yet, my dealer is expecting their first allocation in mid December. Needless to say they are going to charge whatever the market will bear for these and I expect to see the dreaded "ADP" signs on the sticker for the first few.

What does ADP stand for? I'm guessing it means no negotiations.

Like I said. I like the size and handling of the X3. I hope the new size doesn't affect the handling at all (maybe it shouldn't since the 335 engine is more powerful).

It is that driving like a car but being in an SUV that I love. They should keep that in mind. I don't need a big SUV. I think I will go with the X3 this cycle and maybe 7 years from now the new baby Cayenne will be out (Cajun). That would be the right size for me. Some big guys try to act like bigger is better because they are uncomfortable in the smaller SUVs but I'm not 6'3 so the size is fine for me. I want easy to drive, easy to turn, easy to park and fuel efficient.

Originally Posted by X3forlife

What does ADP stand for? I'm guessing it means no negotiations.

Like I said. I like the size and handling of the X3. I hope the new size doesn't affect the handling at all (maybe it shouldn't since the 335 engine is more powerful).

It is that driving like a car but being in an SUV that I love. They should keep that in mind. I don't need a big SUV. I think I will go with the X3 this cycle and maybe 7 years from now the new baby Cayenne will be out (Cajun). That would be the right size for me. Some big guys try to act like bigger is better because they are uncomfortable in the smaller SUVs but I'm not 6'3 so the size is fine for me. I want easy to drive, easy to turn, easy to park and fuel efficient.

It means paying over MSRP.

Originally Posted by adgrant

It means paying over MSRP.

How could someone pay MORE than MSRP?

Originally Posted by pschnei3

im in the market for an suv.

i have an idea on what i want to do but just looking for other opinions.

would you get a nicely optioned x3 or a base x5 with only navigation and heated seats?

OK. Since I feel responsible for derailing your thread, I will try to shift it back to your question.

After some thought, assuming you are 6'2 or shorter, you should probably go with the X3.

Here is what I came up with:

My X3 xDrive28iDetails
3.0-liter, inline 6-cylinder engine
xDrive, intelligent all-wheel-drive
See all standard features
.
Base MSRP
$36,750
.
Mineral Silver Metallic
$550
.
Black Nevada Leather
$0
.
Brushed Aluminum trim
$0
.
Technology Package
$3,200
.
•
Premium Package
$3,450
.
Cargo net
$180
.
Head-up Display
$1,300
.
Heated front seats
$500
.
Heated Steering Wheel
$190
.
Roof rails in Aluminum Satin
$250
.
Adaptive light control
$0
.
Xenon headlights
$900
.
Destination & Handling:

I did this with no discounts. Personally I think if you could save up 3K more, you'd be primed. $51, 550 has you with all the packages and premium sound. I like the Z line of the sports package.

"ADP" means Added Dealer Profit. A shameless way the dealers have with gouging you for more money than the Sticker. It is done (under some other guises as well) to get more money out of "hot" selling models. Generally it is only around during the very first few weeks of a new model run and then quickly is gone when the dealer across town starts discounting.

Originally Posted by UncleJ

"ADP" means Added Dealer Profit. A shameless way the dealers have with gouging you for more money than the Sticker. It is done (under some other guises as well) to get more money out of "hot" selling models. Generally it is only around during the very first few weeks of a new model run and then quickly is gone when the dealer across town starts discounting.

Thanks. It looks like if we want any deals on the new X3, we probably have to wait until March or April. It's funny because if you wait too long, the 2012 will be out. It comes out in October. No rush I guess. We waited all this time. There gets to a point where it doesn't feel right buying the model of that year...that might be July.

Originally Posted by X3forlife

How could someone pay MORE than MSRP?

The RP means "recommended price".

There is also "packing" in which the dealer loads the car up with (dubious value) accessories, wheels, running boards, brush guards, etc. and charges you outrageous fees for that. Again, found mainly on "hot" selling cars that are in short supply.This does not even mention the F&I person (the "Scotchguard lady") who will try and convince you to buy all kinds of added junk, like underseal, paint protection, seat covers, etc, etc. They love to part you from your money!