Man! Talk about one impressive hijacked thread!

 

I think your right about the SS being a little faster, but the 135i is going to be much closer to that go cart feeling you get from a mini

so it's either fast massive straightline torque

or a smaller more nimble car, and a much nicer interior

 

Sorry, I just saw he was trying to keep his payment at $750/month....when I see that I usually assume people are leasing and they want it there with $0 down. If you want it at $750/mo, why not take a good look at the leftover 08 335 coupes? 0.9% financing for 60 months. $40k purchase price on one would be $667/month.

 

I would prefer to buy, with the right deal they are around 750 a month

I have not ruled out a 335i with the same options, although I prefer the 135i

trying to find a 335i with a stick is very hard, and one with the options I want for 40 is not gonna happen

 

I am totally a manual transmission person (and SMG II on my M3), but have you driven the 335i Steptronic?

I hated the 5 sp Steptronic in my 02 530i, but I have to say the new 6 sp Steptronic in the 335i (I drove the sedan) is quite impressive. I didn't notice any lag in shifts, and it felt more like my M3 SMG than like the old 530i 5 Sp Steptronic I had previously.

 

I have, I did not like it at all, it's much better than my wifes x5, but it still disengages when you let off the gas

 

OK. I just drove a service loaner. I didn't do any tracking or aggressive driving with it, but for regular driving it felt quite good.

I would get a 135i. That's going to be the best of the non-M BMWs, IMHO. Too bad BMW only puts LSDs on the M cars.

 

I never trade in a car. It is almost never a good deal. New car dealers make much more money on used cars than new. The margins on new cars are much tighter for the dealers than they used to be so they can't play the numbers games in the same way. BMW vs. Chebby. I would question the thinking about purchasing a new car based on 1/4 miles times or "Ring" times for that matter. Even if one was not concerned about gas prices, (maybe you are not concerned) how often are you going to drive a $40,000 car that hard? Although GM makes good motors their cars are in general a difficult long term comparable to a BMW. Look forward even a couple of years to how these vechicles will hold up and then their is that "trade in" demon again. The value of a Maro will drop like a rock. Just to clarify, I have no strong feelings about any of this.

 

Totally agree, sell it on the outside if you have time. You'll easily make $4k to $5k over what the dealer will offer.

 

every day? I drove my m3 that hard, and my mini is WOT every stop & turn exit

 

Why to avoid purchase of a pre-owned Performance Automobile; especially one that holds value like a MINI

 

why else would anyone buy a performance car, just to pose?

 

Do you HAVE to get a trade in? Why don't you sell it privately? You'd probably get a lot more money. Try posting for sale on NAM... Where are you located?

 

I don't drive hard on public roads in my M3. I really take it pretty easy most of the time.

Does that make me a poser? Because I save it for the track, where I drive very hard, and can really explore what the car is made for, which I can never do on public roads without unnecessarily endangering myself and others.

 

re resale values AOL auto article, many mentions of the MINI:

http://autos.aol.com/article/truck/_...16165309990001

My trade value equalled about 75% of what I paid for my 2005 S 4 years ago. These cars are great investments all across the board.

 

I owe $23,300 on my 2007 R56 S, with 21,800 miles on it. In great condition etc.

I checked KBB and Retail is $26,420, Private Party is $24,090, and Trade in is $21,875 (all $ are for "Excellent") it is in great condition.

SO It would be nice to sell and get a new MINI S. What should I do obviously sell it on my own, pay off the loan, and all, but im afraid ill be out with no car, And should I try to get preapproved for a new loan? I have good credit. Ive never done this before. I would want the bank to know I am payin goff the loan I dont know if they would work with me or what.

 

Mega72 stated "every day? I drove my m3 that hard, and my mini is WOT every stop & turn exit."

1. I am sure that you consider that to be the behavior of a responsible and conderate driver

2. This may have something to do with why the dealer lowballed your trade.