Considering selling my BMW 335i to get FR-S... Good or Bad idea?

[ryude]

German manufacturer? Check.
More than 5 years old? Check.
Out of warranty soon? Check.

Das Money Pit.

[xcelir8brz]

Keep the BMW.

[Luis_GT]

From a BMW owners Point of view... I too am considering switching to the FR-S... my E39 530i is now 10 years old, still the best Sports Sedan to ever come out of BMW... but I just tally'ed up the cost of bringing back my precious BMW to its former glory and in suspension and other miscellaneous stuff I'm looking @ about a $2600 money pit... not including any malfunctioning sensors (ABS module failure is common on my car and I've seen the lights pop up twice last week meaning that it may soon need that as well... and that's about another grand in sensors and modules alone) or paying someone to fix it since I do all the work in my garage, otherwise I could see maybe another $1500 in labor alone (even though this car is really easy to work on). The paint is toast and I got quoted 2 grand to repaint it, and the interior needs a refresh and got quoted $800 bucks on that...

It pains me to even consider selling it as I love my car to death... but I guess it's past it's time

[ZmZMWagon]

IMO, it just depends on what you will be using the FRS for. If your daily drive consist of straight lines and being stuck in traffic it would be a waste of the cars potential, unless you want to get it for the looks and attention.

But if you driving through "twisties" on a daily basis and have track days on the weekend, I would make the switch too.

[jma]

I was more or less in your situation, different car: 07 Audi 2.0T, quattro 6sp, chipped and with exhaust and suspension mods. Still under warranty for another year, never gave me any trouble, great cruiser, comfy but heavy and a bit boring. The FR-S is simpler, lighter and focused on handling. I got decent money for it, tomorrow I'll bring home a 6sp argento.
If simplicity, light weight, good handling and 3 yrs of coverage appeal to you, get the FR-S. Personally I will not miss the leather and power this and that one bit.
As for worries about 1st year production: in last few years we bought a Scion TC, MazdaSpeed3 and Rav4, not a problem with any of them, I hope the trend continues.

[xpicer]

I have recently sold my 2006 325xi with 100k. I didnt sell it because I wanted an frs,but because at that point i had realized that after spending lots and lots of money i had nothing but a barely modded car. Now all the comments about the " luxury and baller..." i believe come from people that have not had a chance to really own one them selves. After selling the car i was in the mark for a car to really make me happy, a car that i would enjoy washing driving cleaning fixing .... I am a mechanic on a euro shop and well i got to drive many of my possible choices, a4, tt, a5, m3, cayman, carrera, slk500, c300, e350... and let me tell you that the day i saw a brz i wasnt impressed the front kin of reminded me of a civic, so then i went to a scion dealer to see if i could drive one, same story as most people here they wanted me to pay for the car before i could even drive it, at that point i was ready to walk. How ever the sales person realized i wasnt there for the ride so he took it out the show room. After that all i can say is that u have not driven a car like it, the handeling is unique, the car dosent have much power but the response and feel its amazing. For me it was love at the first mile. In the past ive owned multiple cars many european as well as japanese so im not new on either scene . Well i guess the only thing im trying to say is , drive the car feel and and you migth get biten by the same bug that got me . Good luck on your choice!!

[Bahraini86]

Nothing feels as good as an N54-engined car. I own an 11-sec Bimmer 135i and I fall in love with it every time I drive it. The 135s and 335s are a league of their own, very reliable and modding heaven. A chip gives u 100hp with ease

The FRS is a great car, but I don't see myself give up my Bimmer for it

[blacknbean]

get both! youll have a comfy good handling DD with some luxury and lightweight canyon cruiser sports car!

[vobla6.0]

Originally Posted by iBurnTires

Here's my situation, I got an 07 335i Coupe two years ago and the extended warranty is going to be up soon. Im thinking about selling it and getting a black 6spd FR-S... Thoughts
[/IMG]

Whatever you get do not make the decision quick, dont switch over right now... take your time
Conduct plural test drives of the car, consider other possibilities (they are out there), visit these boards, take note of any problems, solutions, expenses, experience....
compare, compare, compare,
and make the decision for YOURSELF, not someone else...

Keep the BMW around for at least that year while youre at it... it has been reliable for you, it is a well- known car, still on warranty, and there are a lot of people with experience willing to provide support if you ever face an issue
not so with the FRS, it is a brand new car... sure experience, problems and experts will come, but with time.

Parts for the BMW might not be cheap, but as long as you do the labor at least partially yourself, it is a very bearable car. Plus you have to factor in that the car has already significantly depreciated, so there will be relatively little to lose compared to the FRS... which is a brand new car and has yet to do all of its depreciation.....plus, is not known how reliable the FRS will be in the long run.

Saying that people buy German brands for "the balla" and are thus idiots with unreliable cars is at best an ignorant statement. The reliability of a given car is user dependent, and results of massively skimping out on maintenance do not render a car unreliable. Many of these cars are sold cheap because a maintenance issue or two were ignored by the original user, and the new user doesnt want to pay up to fix these... and thats when the real issues and the complaints start.... that is not unreliability, that is user neglect. Yes these cars are complicated and need the maintenance due to all the features not present on a bread and butter EG civic... but the FRS isnt exactly a simple car... and the reliability is yet to be determined.

And past experiences can go both ways... My E46 had less problems than my dad's cd5 accord or my first gen impreza...yet i got the 46 for less money and with more miles than the cd5 and the impreza combined...

There is really a lot more to this than German cars are unreliable overpriced heaps of s**t, while the Japanese always build reliable cars... a lot of it depends on a given car and a given owner...

So stay here, and accumulate experience, like hopefully I myself will... and then make the decision... Its all you though, since neither I nor any other person here (spare the OP) will be driving your car

[sho220]

Originally Posted by jeebus

(yes it's bimmer, stop saying beamer)

Beamer beamer beamer beamer beamer beamer beamer beamer beamer beamer beamer beamer beamer beamer beamer....

[jaf89f]

I currently have a 128i and I'm switching over to the FR-S. The reason being because my 128i is out of warranty and the 1series is not light. The feeling behind the wheel of a light and nimble car like the FR-S trumps the added luxury of the bmer any day.

[jflogerzi]

The only way for you to know is to drive a MT for a decent test drive. Find a place that has a dedicated demo car. I should talk as I bought mine without even driving one at all. Overall the FR-S/BRZ is a great DD/track car that should prove to be reliable and fairly in-expensive to maintain.

[Godzilla]

when i upgrade from E92 335i to E92 M3, my first impression was where is the tq go? but the 8400rpm making up for that. if you just cruise around town, keep the 335i. if you like the redline every gears and take fast corning, get the FRS then.

[luscious]

my only answer is this, as a non-bmw driver, but likes the idea of them:

If you LOVE driving (and I mean DRIVING...not bolting off the line as fast as you can) the FR-S/ BRZ is for you. No question. It simply cant be beaten for the money. While the BMW in theory embodies all that is ideal in a daily driven car...the reality falls short. Everyone I know who has/had a BMW ( and that is A LOT of people) all of them have had problems, problems, problems. and the repairs eat you alive, either via big bills or nikel and dimed to death
Most of them ditched it before the warranty was up. A running joke among some of my friends is that the next feature BMW will implement for its future models will be a credit card swiper in lieu of a release handle to pop the hood open!