Accord.

New car + honda reliablity + cheaper maintenance = FTW

The BMW is definitely the cooler car though.

honestly... reliability depends on how you take care of the damn car. if you redline it on a cold start coming out of your driveway every morning then yeah, somethings probably gonna fuck up. take care of the car and it will take care of you.

i've driven both cars, and if driving pleasure matters at all to you then i suggest you take the 328.

Maybe you should think about getting extended warranty? I would take the 328i coupe for sure. Cannot beat the styling and driving feel.

^Werd.. just add an oem front lip + 335i 5spoke wheels and you're good to go

Extended warranty is a must if choosing the BMW, or if none avail look into getting aftermarket warranty such as coverage one or first canadian etc. You'll definitely reap the rewards of peace of mind.
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BMW drivetrains, at least the NA engines, are rock solid with regular maintenance. German electronics aren't as good, but if a sensor wears out, you will still be able to get home. When you do need to do maintenance, you could always take the car to Nixon, BJ Autohaus, German Auto Sports, etc. and save about 20-40/hour in labour charges. I imagine most Honda dealers charge well over 100/hour in labour too, so you won't really save that much money over the long run. For basic maintenance, like oil and coolant changes, you should still be able to do those yourself with a bit of research and getting your hands on a BMW service reset tool.

As far as driving feel and pleasure goes, there's no comparison between the Honda and BMW.

Thanks for all the feedbacks, seems like its a 50/50 split. will do more research before making the purchase, and sounds like i won't go wrong with either one. thanks

^ YOU should be the one who should test drive the cars.

^YES i will be of course but the drive of the car is not the only factor im basing my decision on as i mentioned in the OP i also wanted the RS opinion in terms of maintenance and reliability, and that a test drive will not be able to tell you.

When the car has near 50/50 weight distribution, wouldn't adding weight to the rear just make things worse? I figured the extra weight in the rear would only help if it's a pickup truck or something that has all the weight in the front.

what's the physic and logic here that adding some weight will help traction?

a E92 weight like 1800lb at the back, by adding 100lb will not make things any better. It might even fuck up the tire traction when your rear wheels are like /===\

+1 Most people don't think that physics works 3 dimensionally.

If you add 100lb to the back of your car, sure you would be adding traction at a stand still. However think about when you try to stop, you're adding more weight in the rear and when you brake the weight transfer from the rear to the front will increase. Therefore a change in the dynamics of your car, more stress on the front brakes, less braking traction as a result, possibly reducing the effectiveness your traction control.

Although it may not be significant, the pros and cons of adding sand bags in your car are quickly nullified, so why do it in the first place?

I don't know what you guys are talking about. Isn't it really quite a simple concept?

It's a rear-wheel drive car and therefore the rear tires are what makes the car move....however, most of the weight is obviously at the front of the car as that is where all the heavy parts are....Add weight in the trunk to push the rear end down to allow for greater traction where the tires are actually spinning...

^ This. If you don't put weight then your rear tires will just spin. My friend has an RX-8 with all seasons and he did fine during that one week of snow with concrete blocks in his trunk.

Just be more careful when braking (you should be anyways if conditions are bad enough to need weight in the rear).

traction is about grip, not weight. A big fat motherfucker will still slip in a bathtub without suction bath mat, so do a skinny guy That's why people use chain to go up hill instead of carrying 200lb of load in the trunk.

another problem with heavy rear, think about swinging a hammer, it makes your car spins at corner even more.

http://www.spy-gadgets-vs-stupid-cri...lPolarBear.jpg

Thats why your friend should get a set of winter tires and not all seasons. Again, you're adding weight to the rear. Please think about what happens when you need to stop the extra weight.

Again, from my previous post:

If you add 100lb to the back of your car, sure you would be adding traction at a stand still. However think about when you try to stop, you're adding more weight in the rear and when you brake the weight transfer from the rear to the front will increase. Therefore a change in the dynamics of your car, more stress on the front brakes, less braking traction as a result, possibly reducing the effectiveness your traction control.

More weight = more braking time
More braking time + slippery snow conditions = (can you figure out the rest?)

And like asian_XL said, think about if you step out of your line, not only are your more susceptible, you're making matters worse. Buy a pair of winter tires and stop looking for a quick fix.

I don't think anybody said anything about a quick fix....the extra weight was suggested by somebody in addition to winter tires.

Directed at the RX-8 with all seasons

In snowy conditions people dont drive more than 30k, so theres really no point in arguing about braking time and what not. The fastest ive driven in the last snowfall was probably 40km/h because all the other cars were going that speed too.

However that being being said when the snow starts too melt and theres slush, thats the big problem and thats where snow tires come in play as long as you have good quality snow tires your good too go.

Look at it in an extreme case. Lets say a car weighs 500lbs. Add 100lbs to the trunk and the rear becomes more planted but what happens to the front? It lifts up so that your front tires lose traction.

And also, most of the weight is not in the front in the case of the 3 series - it's called 50/50 distribution for a reason - 50% in the front, 50% in the rear.

acceleration = AWD snow tires > AWD all season tires > FWD snow tires > RWD snow tires > FWD all season > RWD heavy load = RWD all season

braking = any car with snow tires are equal > any car with all season tires > any car with all season tires + heavy load

cornering = AWD always better.



a 3 series weight around 3600lb; 1800 in the front, 1800 at the back. Adding 100lb will make it 1800 fr / 1900 fr = 49 : 51 :fuckyea:

Just go for the 2011 accord

New car + honda reliablity + cheaper maintenance = FTW

:facepalm: If that is your reasoning you might as well tell OP to get a fit (Terrific car IMO but not what OP is looking for)

To OP: like some have said take it for a test drive. Lately I have been daily driving two cars a GL320 CDI and my dad's Venza V6 AWD because my brother needs my astra after he got in a car accident in his car. It amazes me how the GL feels way more composed in turns even though it ways over half a tonne more than the venza. Also power delivery just so much more satisfying even though it has less horsepower. And when you're talking about insulation and a solid feel I can't begin to stress what a piece of shit the venza feels like next to the gl. What I'm trying to say is in your test drive note how the power feels when you are turning/accelerating, how the car is composed over bumpy roads and the suspension noise, notice any rattles/squeaks and any hollow feel when you're on the highway. Note there is a difference between exhaust/engine noise, tire noise, and interior cabin noise.

IMO This is one of the reasons I generally avoid toyota/honda quality. We had a TL that was very new and the interior door panels/chair would squeaked a little when the car was rolling, and you feel like the car is flexing and whatnot. Same goes for the Venza, both these cars felt like they were falling apart the day they left the showroom. As far as initial quality/satisfaction which is what you'll be dealing with on a day to day basis I have yet to find a japanese import brand comparable to a german brand.

Why would skipping maintenance (which is really just oil changes during that time period) cause problems with the water pump and electrical system?

Thanks for reinforcing my point.

I think he just means the guy wasn't taking care of his car in general, not just oil changes. Poor driving habits probably contributed.