[dr_know]

Here’s the lowdown:

I live in Bahrain (Middle East) and own a 2006 Mazda 6 with about 40K on the ODO and I am looking for a second car but then here starts the trouble:

1. The primary intent of getting a second car is for my wife to drop my son to playschool and take care of a few daily errands. For this I intended to get a brand new full sized sedan such as a Honda Accord/Chevrolet Malibu both and the base variant retails for about Rs 7.5 to 8 lacs. I am not too interested in the Accord as my dad already owns one and I don’t like the idea of both dad & son/daughter-in-law having the same car. The Camry/Altima etc are stereotyped with Indians in Middle East so I want to stay off this and try to get something a little different yet big enough with all the safety devices at a reasonable price (even a lot of Indian use Accords that’s why I am thinking of the Malibu).

2. I happened to come across a few used Nissan 350Z’s and Infiniti G35’s around the same price as a brand new vehicles as listed above but these are about 5-6 yrs old with about 50KM’s on the ODO. The Infiniti G35 is an awesome car, I test drove it and it's awesome, the engine growl, the response etc etc blew me away.

So due to factors listed above I am in a limbo, because I do not know if to spend so much on a used car or to just spend it on a brand new car.

Now if I buy the G35 it will definitely be my car and the current Mazda 6 would be given to my wife.

The other factor I have to consider is that if I buy a new vehicle the loan interest is between 3.5% - 3.99% flat and if it is a used car it car vary between 5.5% - 6% flat.

Help me out with you suggestions and expertise.

[dr_know]

Since all you have been extremely helpful in the decision...

I have made the purchase, a 2006 BMW 325i with about 52K on the ODO.

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by dr_know

For this I intended to get a brand new full sized sedan such as a Honda Accord/Chevrolet Malibu both and the base variant retails for about Rs 7.5 to 8 lacs.

Damn, the Accord costs 25L+ here

Originally Posted by dr_know

Since all you have been extremely helpful in the decision...

ROFLMAO

Congrats on the purchase, she does look well maintained. Drive safe, happy motoring,

[dr_know]

Originally Posted by sachinj12

Congrats on the purchase, she does look well maintained. Drive safe, happy motoring,

Thanks, she was very well maintained; single owner, showroom serviced and everything in pristine condition. I might upload the interior pics later on!

[taranonline]

we would love to see the fun factor, maintenance costs and other things linked to the car. please keep us updates.

thanks

[jp2u]

why is the car price so less in Bahrin, god at the price of accord you cannot even get a city here

[dr_know]

Originally Posted by taranonline

we would love to see the fun factor, maintenance costs and other things linked to the car. please keep us updates.

thanks

Sure will do as it comes up!

Originally Posted by jp2u

why is the car price so less in Bahrin, god at the price of accord you cannot even get a city here

The price of accord ranges from BD 6900-11000 which is about 8lacs to 12-13 lacs depending on the spec's you choose.

This is not my first BMW; I had previously owned one about 4 years back. It was a 92 BMW 525i and boy was it fun to drive!!

OT: I had a pretty bad accident with it in 2005 which happened due to an undecided idiot at a stop sign. He stopped first at the stop sign and then took it just as I got close to him. So in effect my cars front right end including the suspension was damaged. His insurance company paid for fixing up my car but then had quite a few niggling issues from the accident and also due to the mileage about 165K on the ODO. So I sold it off and bought a new Mazda 6 not because I wanted to, mainly because it was the few cars that looked sporty enough with the Aero kit (and would fit my budget at the time).

Fast-forward to 2010 and my wife gets a license, kids starts playschool and lot of other factors!! Now I had enough reasons to buy a second car and my wife was dead against buying a second-hand car especially the costly to maintain ones like beemer’s, merc’s et al. So to keep her and other people that affect my decision happy I kept looking at new cars but my heart was always set on getting a BMW 325/330 or an Infiniti G35.Even while looking at brand new cars I was always looking at online ads, newspaper ads for used 325i’s and G35’s.

I saw the car I have bought now around end of August and immediately liked it but the owner was asking about 8.7 Lac’s which was out of my budget for a second hand car. The car was owned by the director of a bank and he has another 2 cars so this was not used a lot and the only reason he is selling the vehicle is because he is going back to his country. About the mid of last month the owner calls me back and lets me know that he has got an offer from someone else for the car for 7.5 Lac’s and if I am interested (since I was the first person to respond to his online ad). I, without the slightest hesitation said yes but told him that I will need time till the end of the month to arrange funds and was agreed.

My wife was shocked as she heard me agree with the guy over the phone but I arranged a meet with the owner and let her drive the beemer. She was no longer the same person, she was in full support to buy it, and actually she was more excited than me! As agreed I paid and made the transfer yesterday (03 Oct 2010).

Now about the car, it’s an absolute bliss to drive the car; my usual drive Mazda 6 feels flimsy/weak or in short it doesn’t instill confidence in you.

Things I like in the past 48 hrs:

The ride is absolutely firm (in a comfortable way), sucks up potholes (not many here in Bahrain, even those I went and tested) with the slightest cabin disturbance.

The handling is superb, gives you so much confidence in taking tighter faster turns!

Instant acceleration is not like a G35 but its good going from a 2.0 Mazda 6!!

Road grip is absolutely great, unless you push it to the limits!!

The interior ambience is awesome.

Ergonomics is spot-on!

Things I do not like in the past 48 hrs:

None as of now but I am keeping my fingers crossed on the maintenance cost!

[vaseem]

Originally Posted by dr_know

Since all you have been extremely helpful in the decision...

I have made the purchase, a 2006 BMW 325i with about 52K on the ODO.


Attachment 433709

Congrats on the Beemer,

what is that gauge below the rpm meter which reads as 1/100 km?

[dr_know]

Originally Posted by vaseem

Congrats on the Beemer,

what is that gauge below the rpm meter which reads as 1/100 km?

Thanks, from what I understand or know it is called 'Energy Control' which basically lets the driver know the amount of fuel needed per 100KM's.

I have not received the manual from the previous owner yet still waiting on it as he misplaced it.

But some info from the online manual is:

Displays the current fuel consumption. This allows you to see whether your current driving style is conducive to fuel economy with minimum exhaust emissions.