Tell me, how are you earning your cars?
I still say go for the M3 OP. Your friends will envy you.
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Opinions please: Audi S5 v. BMW 335iS
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I still say go for the M3 OP. Your friends will envy you.
That's a matter of opinion. I've had both. My M3 had the SMG II sequential gearbox. My MINI JCW has a 6 SP manual. I can heel-toe shift thru all the gears like crazy all day, but my preference is for the performance improvement and better feel for the car you get from crazy fast, no-lag shifts with a sequential or double-clutch gearbox.
In the end it's a matter of preference, but a manual does not perform as well.
Actually a few of my friends have M3s already and some have way nice cars. I'm looking for a car for me, that I like.
I obviously was given what I have, but I earned it through my parents respect and doing well in high school. And I plan to work out after college and obviously I will have advantages and opportunities not only because of the prestigious institution I go to but also because of my family. But I plan to make the most of it.
Please try and refrain from passing judgement on me for what I have as none of you actually know me as a person and I am pretty well liked in my community and school (with both my friends and adults). Please just post opinions based on my opening question.
Thank you once again to those who have posted valuable information.
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You should respect your parents and do well in high school regardless of what car you drive. I drove a beater in high school, did well, respected my parents, went to college, did well there, got a good job, and bought myself a nice car, all on my own. And that's rewarding. More rewarding than if my parents bought it for me.
I would take the BMW, I have never driven one of these but I definitely like them better 
Altough if I were you, I'd get rid of that satellite navigation option. Buy the best Garmin GPS you can find, it will be much better, cheaper (altough in your case it doesn't seem to be a problem) and you can purchase map updates every year.
Altough if I were you, I'd get rid of that satellite navigation option. Buy the best Garmin GPS you can find, it will be much better, cheaper (altough in your case it doesn't seem to be a problem) and you can purchase map updates every year.
I don't think BMWs are going to use disk-based GPS systems anymore. I recall reading they would go to fixed storage (like SSD) that can be updated on demand, or even via PUSH.
Yeah, they are going to get rid of disk-based GPS system. But, as of right now they are still DVD based I believe.
How have you earned this $60,000 now? Just because you're born into wealth, doesn't mean you should be frivolous with your [parents] money.
My guess is no. Unless your 'rents are dumb (which they probably aren't, if they are that wealthy), no high-schooler "deserves" a $60,000 second car.
But, I'd go with the S5. The S5 has killer lines, and having driven some of Audi's recent offerings, they are making great machines. The BMW is nice, but for the money, the Audi would be my choice. Also, it's less common, and when parked in your high school lot, will add at least 60 points to your much desired cool factor.
One of my closest friends has the 335i w/ Sport Package. The seats are the best seats I have ever sat in. They are more supportive than that of Ferrari's Maserati. Car is fast, turbo's spool with minimal lag, and it's a pretty fun car to drive. Get it in stick thou. The S Audi has more external styling than the 335i thou it is not nearly as fun to drive IMO.
However, if you can afford it, get the BMW M3. It is in it's own class and fast as a bat out of hell; Audi's and MB's competition does not match the combination of style, speed, and luxury. Above all, it is exhilarating to drive and almost as fun as the 911. It might suck you into AutoXing, as a warning.
However, if you can afford it, get the BMW M3. It is in it's own class and fast as a bat out of hell; Audi's and MB's competition does not match the combination of style, speed, and luxury. Above all, it is exhilarating to drive and almost as fun as the 911. It might suck you into AutoXing, as a warning.
Damm what school you went to?
Beverly Hills High School?
Brentwood?
Most kids in my hood had a 1980 Honda Civic and transformed it into a rice rocket, the best car in my class was a 2007 orange mustang.
If you can afford luxury cars get an BMW M3, that will completely destroy the 335is or S5
With 420HP, and a 0-60 average of 3.9-4.3 seconds and a base price of $57K get it!
I'm in my 3rd year of College, and trust me kid you got a lot of people who would want to be in your position!
Beverly Hills High School?
Brentwood?
Most kids in my hood had a 1980 Honda Civic and transformed it into a rice rocket, the best car in my class was a 2007 orange mustang.
If you can afford luxury cars get an BMW M3, that will completely destroy the 335is or S5
With 420HP, and a 0-60 average of 3.9-4.3 seconds and a base price of $57K get it!
I'm in my 3rd year of College, and trust me kid you got a lot of people who would want to be in your position!
lol .. U want car opinions from a mac rumor forum? Get an 87 ford ltd
great car for bar hopping and plenty of room in the back seat.
lmao!
I don't know if you would consider it, but have you looked at the Porsche Cayman? It is around 60k and it is a driver's car. If you want the ultimate driving satisfaction and if you value performance and enjoyment over a back seat, luxury, and business style, get a 911. The new 911 Turbo S, although about 150k, holds it own with the Bugatti Veyron and it destroys the Ferrari 458. Also, you can drive a 911T year round. A few guys at my gun club have 911 Turbos and since they are AWD, they put a set of winter sport tyres on the stock wheels, get a set of something serious such as Volk Racing for summer wheels and tires, and then drive in the snow all winter long. The 911T is the only car that 2 of these guys own. One of the guy drives his dog around in it. Both autocross and you can see the wear on them is no different than normal cars (rock chips, dings, dents, etc), but that is a good thing as the 911 is meant to be driven, where as Ferrari, BMW, MB, Bentley, etc are cars to be seen with you driving.
As far as auto v. manual, I love driving manual, but in the modern age, no person can shift as quickly as a computer controlled via paddle shifting. Ferrari's Enzo would do a complete shift in something like .0015 seconds or something ridiculous. With the right clutchless transmissions, the cars are substantially quicker on tracks than their manual counterparts. Major auto examples are the Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 Turbo S, which you can only get in the semi-automatic transmission, and those cars are (by a landslide) the fastest in their respective classes.
As far as auto v. manual, I love driving manual, but in the modern age, no person can shift as quickly as a computer controlled via paddle shifting. Ferrari's Enzo would do a complete shift in something like .0015 seconds or something ridiculous. With the right clutchless transmissions, the cars are substantially quicker on tracks than their manual counterparts. Major auto examples are the Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 Turbo S, which you can only get in the semi-automatic transmission, and those cars are (by a landslide) the fastest in their respective classes.
Okay here is my 2 cents as someone who knows both these cars inside and out.
Design probably one of the best looking cars on the road under 6 figures. You opion may very but I can tell you the S5 will get more of the right attention then the 335. The interior of the S5 is light years better then the BMW line. iDrive is complete crap when put next to the MMI. 3rd generation Nav system in the S5 is incredible to look at and use.
Performance:Is the M3 faster? Yes. But you didn’t tell us where you live or more important how you will be using the car. BMW has always been the drivers car and everything came second (including the build quality and interior) The S5 has the same 51/49 weight distribution as the BMW so the handling is very good.
There is a reason Quattro is so successful. It’s the only AWD system that makes the car drive better when the ground is dry. By sending power to the wheels that have better grip you end up with a car that goes in direction you point it, and is very forgiving. Add it the new Sport Rear diff that transfers power to the outside rear wheel and the car can be driven much like a rear wheel drive car.
BWM xDrive is only there to save you once the car looses grip, Quattro will help you all the time.
The double clutch gearbox in the BMW is rubbish. If you want to see how a double clutch should be, go drive an S4 S-Tronic. The Tiptronic in the S5 is okay (at best) but both of these cars should be manual.
If you're going to take it on the track or really push the car, the BMW is the better car, if not the Audi is the better car for the other 98% of the time you are using the car.
Other
There is also an unspoken "aura" to the Audi line. When you drive up to a friend, family, client’s home or place of work in a BMW there is an instant judgment about the car and driver. People will say "Oh look, so & so just got a new BMW" When people see an Audi, especially the A5/S5 it’s more about the car then the brand. The response is usually something like, "Oh is that the car with those cool headlights" In your area, Audi has a much better image then the BMW (LA is Audi's largest marketplace in the country for a reason, and it has nothing to do with Quattro)
Cost(s)
Yes, BMW comes with covered Maintenance. You can buy a similar program with the Audi (Audi Care) so don't get hung up on that.
Resale Value: Audi has higher real world resale value then BMW. The S5 is actually one of the highest resale value cars on the market today, across all segments. BMW continues to drive down their own value with cheap leases and incentives.
That leads to a different point, yeah its $63k, but at its heart it still a 335. They really are a dime a dozen and nothing very exclusive or special about it. Audi limits S5 production for a reason. They keep the car special by limiting how many will be sold.
At the end of the day you need to buy the car that’s right for you, what we say has little bearing on it. Drive them, spend time in the seat. Toss the sales person out and just sit in the drivers seat and try to do things like enter a navigation location, connect your iPod/iPhone ( Audi has the best iPod connection in the industry) make a BT phone call. Only then will you see how the car feels to really own.
Design probably one of the best looking cars on the road under 6 figures. You opion may very but I can tell you the S5 will get more of the right attention then the 335. The interior of the S5 is light years better then the BMW line. iDrive is complete crap when put next to the MMI. 3rd generation Nav system in the S5 is incredible to look at and use.
Performance:Is the M3 faster? Yes. But you didn’t tell us where you live or more important how you will be using the car. BMW has always been the drivers car and everything came second (including the build quality and interior) The S5 has the same 51/49 weight distribution as the BMW so the handling is very good.
There is a reason Quattro is so successful. It’s the only AWD system that makes the car drive better when the ground is dry. By sending power to the wheels that have better grip you end up with a car that goes in direction you point it, and is very forgiving. Add it the new Sport Rear diff that transfers power to the outside rear wheel and the car can be driven much like a rear wheel drive car.
BWM xDrive is only there to save you once the car looses grip, Quattro will help you all the time.
The double clutch gearbox in the BMW is rubbish. If you want to see how a double clutch should be, go drive an S4 S-Tronic. The Tiptronic in the S5 is okay (at best) but both of these cars should be manual.
If you're going to take it on the track or really push the car, the BMW is the better car, if not the Audi is the better car for the other 98% of the time you are using the car.
Other
There is also an unspoken "aura" to the Audi line. When you drive up to a friend, family, client’s home or place of work in a BMW there is an instant judgment about the car and driver. People will say "Oh look, so & so just got a new BMW" When people see an Audi, especially the A5/S5 it’s more about the car then the brand. The response is usually something like, "Oh is that the car with those cool headlights" In your area, Audi has a much better image then the BMW (LA is Audi's largest marketplace in the country for a reason, and it has nothing to do with Quattro)
Cost(s)
Yes, BMW comes with covered Maintenance. You can buy a similar program with the Audi (Audi Care) so don't get hung up on that.
Resale Value: Audi has higher real world resale value then BMW. The S5 is actually one of the highest resale value cars on the market today, across all segments. BMW continues to drive down their own value with cheap leases and incentives.
That leads to a different point, yeah its $63k, but at its heart it still a 335. They really are a dime a dozen and nothing very exclusive or special about it. Audi limits S5 production for a reason. They keep the car special by limiting how many will be sold.
At the end of the day you need to buy the car that’s right for you, what we say has little bearing on it. Drive them, spend time in the seat. Toss the sales person out and just sit in the drivers seat and try to do things like enter a navigation location, connect your iPod/iPhone ( Audi has the best iPod connection in the industry) make a BT phone call. Only then will you see how the car feels to really own.
BMW can build a best-in-class sports car no other can maker can touch (unless it's Ferarri, but you get the idea.) Handling and drivetrain is the big deal with Bimmers, at the expense sometimes of acceleration or some other feature.
Audis, now, I'm not so sure about, but the smaller Audi vehicles are purty ugly lately imo.
Both are good cars, but I'd pick the BMW.
Audis, now, I'm not so sure about, but the smaller Audi vehicles are purty ugly lately imo.
Both are good cars, but I'd pick the BMW.
Nah... it's not the only one. The Evo handles *much* better than the S4 on dry pavement.
FWIW, I went to BMW's site today and priced out a 335is. IMHO, I think it's overpriced. A loaded 135i seems like it would give better bang for the buck.
When my MINI JCW is paid off, my wife is getting a new car. She will most likely get a 328xi, maybe new, maybe a CPO. After that I will get a new car and if I were doing it today I would get a 135i or 1-Series M Coupe.
Out of interest I also priced a M3 Coupe, optioned as I like. It was $72K. I paid $58K back in '05 for my E46 M3.
When my MINI JCW is paid off, my wife is getting a new car. She will most likely get a 328xi, maybe new, maybe a CPO. After that I will get a new car and if I were doing it today I would get a 135i or 1-Series M Coupe.
Out of interest I also priced a M3 Coupe, optioned as I like. It was $72K.
I paid $58K back in '05 for my E46 M3.
Maybe I should clarify the statement. Quattro is proactive, meaning power is sent to the wheels with better grip via a Torque sensing mechanical center diff.
Others react, meaning that wheels must slip before power is transferred from one end to the other.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesnt the Evo have a fixed power distribution between front and rear axle? What is does have that Audi only recently added as an option is the torque vectoring on the axle.
Yes, fixed on the Evo... read on for the diff info though.
On modern Audis they use a torsen center and what the torque split is depends on what model it is (S/RS cars generally get a rear bias and manual cars can be different as well). It can transfer something like 70/30 F/R or 15/85 F/R. The front and rear diffs are open and rely on "EDL" (BMW calls it "ADB") which just means the brake gets applied at the slipping wheel, sort of like the old American cars/trucks we grew up with. They've added the active rear diff (optional) from the B8 on.
The modern Evo (not entirely sure this carries over to the X) uses a fixed 50/50 bevel gear active center diff with a computer to control the locking and release. The front is a helical limited slip (think torsen/ATB) and the rear is a friction (clutch) LSD. Outside of the US, the rear also got an active diff (and it is a maintenance nightmare).
So yeah. The Audi goes front to back with a torsen while the Evo uses a clutch pack to lock it up at 50/50 (the ACD system is incredibly fast). And the Audi goes side to side by hitting the brakes automatically (or using the new active rear diff) while the Evo has front & rear LSDs.
But... the Evo still beats the pants off the Audi in the handling department on dry pavement (at least the old Evo does).