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Thread: Car likely written off, need a new car

  1. #1
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    Default Car likely written off, need a new car

    Here's my sad story.

    My 2009 335i LCI Sedan, 6spd, RWD, Sport Pkg etc., which I've had from new, factory order was involved in a collision recently. It is likely going to be deemed a write-off from the numbers (repair estimate / vehicle value). I was hit in the driver side rear quarter, and with the nature of the unibody construction, the labour involved with replacing that panel is quite involved.

    Regardless of how generous the insurance payout will be (give or a take a couple thousand), it's still a shitty situation. My car must've been a lucky one, the opposite of a lemon, compared to some of the stories and jokes I hear about N54s. Rarely any issues. That said, even before this accident, over the last couple years I periodically wondered to myself what the heck I'd replace this car with (when the time came due) that would come close to the value, performance and driving enjoyment of my E90 335i.

    Well here I am. Looks like I'm going to have to come up with something pretty damn quick.

    New vs. Used.
    I've typically been a new car buyer, either negotiating the best cash deal and using HELOC to manage to balance, or occasionally have used a dealer finance plan depending on the deal. I tend to pick THE car I want/desire and keep it long term, vs. flip 'em every few years.

    Buy vs. Lease.
    I generally haven't considered the lease option, mainly based on my usual buying and ownership cycle, plus the notion of mileage restrictions, damage penalties, etc.

    Cheap interim purchase vs. all in on THE next car
    This is the do I buy something on the cheap for now just to get me by for the next season or two and defer the decision of the next big purchase to later, or just get it over with now. That could mean looking for a comparable used BMW similar to what I have or one of its competitors. Of course, I'm not likely to be as lucky with say another N54 car. Shrug.

    Buying the next car.
    Oh boy. Where to start. AWD is a high want.
    Manual or DSG? Up until now I'd been reluctant to give up the manual gearbox, but now I'm willing to give it a try. (I would say hard no to something like a Nissan CVT, but the sequential gearboxes intrigue me).
    Needs decent back seat room (at least as good as the rear seat row in an E90 sedan). I have two kids aged 7-8, who will likely be teenagers while I still own this vehicle. It won't be the main family hauler (wife has a 3row SUV). It will be my commute to work car plus dropping kids off at school etc.

    I've typically been a sedan guy, buy would consider a smaller to mid-size SUV.

    Here are some cars that have crossed my radar:
    VW Golf R, Audi RS3 or S4, BMW 3-series (the new gen, not F-series), Infiniti Q50, Mazda 6 (yeah I know, a bit downmarket from the rest)

    SUVs:
    Porsche Macan (used?), Merc GLA/GLC

    Any recommendations based on my situation and preferences would be appreciate.

    I was really into the Golf R coming out of the auto show in the spring. It seems to hit a nice sweet spot of performance, practicality, size, etc. The back seat room seemed roughly comparable to my bimmer. It has close to that ~300hp range, AWD, and either a 6spd MT or a DSG. The only issue is my understanding is the R is now out of production (until the mk8) so could I even get a new unmolested one from leftover dealer stock? (I haven't made dealer visits or calls yet)

    I'd consider another BMW, but the F series never interested me. I've been hearing the new 3 series is much improved. But is it too early in its model cycle?

    Anything I missed that should be on my radar that I might not have considered? Thanks.

  2. #2
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    The manual in the Golf R is shit. If you get the Golf R(I owned a manual), make sure it's a DSG. It won't be able to handle any additional power mods, but it's still fun if you like rowing through gears.

    What's your price range? S5 Sportback is the same range as the RS3, and would another good alternative to a mid-sized SUV.

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    Just curious, what's wrong with the F series? I've had my eye on 2013ish 335 AWD with 6mt's for awhile now.

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    Curious if you have pics of the damage?
    Quote Originally Posted by killramos View Post
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    You realize you are talking to the guy who made his own furniture out of salad bowls right?

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    Quote Originally Posted by 370Z View Post
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    Just curious, what's wrong with the F series? I've had my eye on 2013ish 335 AWD with 6mt's for awhile now.
    Take an E90 for a rip and then take an F series and you'll notice a huge difference in handling and steering feel. You will want an E90 guaranteed.

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    Quote Originally Posted by npham View Post
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    The manual in the Golf R is shit. If you get the Golf R(I owned a manual), make sure it's a DSG. It won't be able to handle any additional power mods, but it's still fun if you like rowing through gears.
    The manual tranny can't handle more mods, but the DSG can?

    What's your price range?
    I didn't have a hard budget in mind, although I had not vetted a budget ceiling with the wife yet. lol

    I always imagined this next car would be somewhere in the $40k-60kish range. (Perhaps even higher, if the economy wasn't facing current challenges). I'm also a sucker for "a good deal", meaning if the planets aligned on a smoking deal on something just at the skirt of my comfort zone I could be persuaded to push myself that extra bit. (e.g. the summer promotions at BMW back in 2009 were killer, about ~$10k worth of stacked incentives, and was exactly what I needed to nudge me to get the 335i I really wanted, vs. settling for a 328i at the time).

    S5 Sportback is the same range as the RS3, and would another good alternative to a mid-sized SUV.
    I'm not familiar with that one, but I'll check it out.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ExtraSlow View Post
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    Curious if you have pics of the damage?
    I do of course, but I'm not sure I want to post them up yet. I pre-emptively went to the premier BMW certified bodyshop in Edmonton to get the estimate process started (before I even knew it could be a write off), and the insurance adjuster has not even had a chance to see the car yet and weigh in. That happens this week. I don't know how it's all going to play out yet.

    Suffice to say the car was hit in the driver rear quarter panel above the wheel. Some slight peripheral damage to the trailing edge of the rear door and leading edge of rear bumper cover, and the wheel. Its believed that the metal behind (referred to as the "wheel housing") the outer body panel is damaged as well. The detailed description of the repair I got involved making two cuts (one part way up the C-pillar, one down below the rear door behind the side skirt) just to remove the quarter panel. The extent of heat treatment and bending etc. required to reshape the panel was deemed a no go and that its definitely a replacement scenario. But the parts costs are small compared to the overall labour.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Inzane View Post
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    The manual tranny can't handle more mods, but the DSG can?
    Yes, at least for the MK7. Basically anyone who has the manual and did any power upgrades had the clutch slipping. I suspect it was the same clutch as the GTI. For the DSG Golf R, they upgraded the clutch pack to hold more torque or could hold more from the beginning.

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    Quote Originally Posted by npham View Post
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    Yes, at least for the MK7. Basically anyone who has the manual and did any power upgrades had the clutch slipping. I suspect it was the same clutch as the GTI. For the DSG Golf R, they upgraded the clutch pack to hold more torque or could hold more from the beginning.
    Good to know. I was leaning towards the DSG anyway.

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    i went through the almost the same decisions just a few months ago. there are really no new manual awd option except for subaru, vw alltrack and jeep wrangler. dsg opens up alot of interesting choices. i loved the golf r as well but i worried about parts availability so i decided against it in the end. here are a few cars i liked in each category

    new:
    hatch/ crossover/ small suv
    macan, gla amg, gla or qx30, golf r , new A6 avant or rs6 avant! , vw alltrack, crosstrek (more budget choice)
    sedans:
    rs3, s4, c43 4matic

    used (manual options):
    sti/ wrx, bmw 3 series xdrive, audi a4/s4/rs4, golf r mk7/ mk8, focus rs, mini countryman s, carrera 4s

    i think rs3 is the most interesting if you are ok with dsg.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Inzane View Post
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    I do of course, but I'm not sure I want to post them up yet.
    Yeah, I get it. Posting pics right now won't help you or change the outcome. No worries man. Is the door "frame" area of that door visibly damaged? I'm just fascinated by this stuff.
    Quote Originally Posted by killramos View Post
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    You realize you are talking to the guy who made his own furniture out of salad bowls right?

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    RS3.

    Or Buster's GLA45 (it's basically new) so I stop thinking about buying it.

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    Hyundai Veloster is the obvious answer

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    Quote Originally Posted by ExtraSlow View Post
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    Is the door "frame" area of that door visibly damaged? I'm just fascinated by this stuff.
    Name:  Screenshot_20191026-190350_Chrome.jpg
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    Weirdo.

    - - - Updated - - -
    @Inzane
    If you're considering a Q50, I've got a family member planning on selling a '14 or '15 Q50s loaded single owner with only about 45,000 km on it.
    I'll chase more info.

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    Quote Originally Posted by pheoxs View Post
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    Hyundai Veloster is the obvious answer
    Does that have enough room? I thought it was smaller than a Golf inside.

    Since we’re talking about the Koreans, I forgot to mention. Should I be looking at the Kia Stinger and Genesis.. 70?

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    The beyond civic: the 2019+ Acura RDX

    SH-AWD
    ~270hp
    Spacy
    Probably more luxury than your listed Golf R, Q50, and 6

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    Quote Originally Posted by jwslam View Post
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    The beyond civic: the 2019+ Acura RDX

    SH-AWD
    ~270hp
    Spacy
    Probably more luxury than your listed Golf R, Q50, and 6
    Was going to suggest this haha. Love mine so far. Nice and responsive, not terrible on gas and its pretty roomy inside. Can get the heated/cooled front and rear heated seats, the panoramic roof is nice.
    See Crank. See Crank Walk. Walk Crank Walk.

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    Quote Originally Posted by FraserB View Post
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    Was going to suggest this haha. Love mine so far. Nice and responsive, not terrible on gas and its pretty roomy inside. Can get the heated/cooled front and rear heated seats, the panoramic roof is nice.
    I did some checking on the weekend (articles, YouTube) and it sounds like a nice vehicle. The main Achilles heel sounds like it’s the infotainment system. Something about how you navigate the non-touch screen remotely. How do you find it?

    How is the handling (for a CUV) and steering feel/feedback?

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    I like my golf a lot. I ended up with a CPO 18 but I think there are still some 19s kicking around. It ticked all my boxes (AWD, auto, android auto, all the safety/sensor stuff, good storage) and is a lot more fun than my tsx. Didn't really need something that size so I much prefer the smaller golf. Gripes are: no memory seats nor power passenger, no sunroof (I grew to not mind this), 19s ride pretty rough as they are 35s, no homelink and only 1 usb port. Otherwise it is fulllllyyy loaded. Also decent fuel economy as per vvvv but the tank is only 55 l so more stops than my tsx (75l)

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    Quote Originally Posted by jwslam View Post
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    The beyond civic: the 2019+ Acura RDX

    SH-AWD
    ~270hp
    Spacy
    Probably more luxury than your listed Golf R, Q50, and 6
    Having never driven one, what's more luxurious about the RDX than the others?
    Originally posted by sputnik
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