[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by bucketfoot

Can't say that I have any interest in an older car. Maybe a lease return, but probably not even that.

We tend to keep our cars (our other cars are 13 & 22 years old) so spending on new gets evened out. And in this case it's not like I'm looking at anything overly expensive and would be bought with cash.

I will say - I LOVED my E92 LCI Msport. It has the N52 and a 6speed manual. Very reliable, and the interior was actually pretty high quality compared to my F22 M235i (which is honestly a step down)

But I vote Mazda over the BMW personally. Yes, my M235i has over 400whp and still can get over 27mpg on the highway - but the practicality of the Mazda and it's interior are nice. It just seems like a more tossable useable car.

[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by bucketfoot

Guess I never followed up on the end result.

Ended up with a 230i that became available pretty much at the same time as I was informed by the insurance company that the 86 would be totaled.

It came down to the 230i or a certified Mazda 3 sedan (preferred a hatchback) at a great price. However it had some hail damage that needed to be repaired and that spooked my wife enough to push her to the BMW.

I should have kept reading. Awesome and congratulations!