I've had my car for a little over 1 month now (and loving every minute of it )....Below I listed the reasons I chose the C32...my previous car was a 328i non-sport auto....

1.) Type of car. I really love sedans so 4-drs was a requirement. The m3 provided basically little to no room in the back. The C32 "comfortably" seated 4 adults so outtings on weekends with my family wouldn't be a pain.

2.) Service. After 3 years with my bimmer, the bad service was getting to me. Seemed like the service dept. had too high of a car to mechanic ratio so it usually took forever getting my car fixed...and setting an appointment time was a nightmare. That really didn't bother me as much except for the fact that for the first 2 years, the dealership stopped giving out rental cars so I either had to find a ride or wait. They finally brought it back due to unsatisfied customers but the damage was already done. Although I didn't have many problems with my car (basic electrical problems and what not) it was just such a burden going to fix it with all the run-around. MB's service was just excellent from the very beginning. I had some issues with my alignment and it was fixed immediately. The mechanic that specialized in alignment was about to leave for the day but stayed just to get my car fixed. They went out of their way to make me happy basically. (Not to mention free car washes Mon. - Sat. which BMW didn't offer).

3.) Price. The M3 was offered at 10-15k higher than MSRP and I wasn't about ready to shell out 60k. All MB's are sold at MSRP from the dealership I went to (I believe it's the same for all MB cars). I found the C32 to be one of the lower priced cars compared to other cars in its class.

4.) Driving (auto vs. manual). I live in southern CA (san diego on weekdays and LA area on the weekends) so traffic is almost a daily occurence. I really wanted a car that provided me with comfort day in and day out regardless of road conditions. The C32 auto is just great since I drive roughly 4 hours round trip between LA and SD every week. I already get stressed out enough as it is with all the traffic. A stick will just send me over the edge . Also I would I like to have a car that my entire family can drive. My parents are pretty old fashioned so they wouldn't be able to handle a stick. They would consider it an unneccessary waste of energy...lol. They're the type that thinks a car is to help you get from point A to point B...nothing else.

5.) Design. The overall design of the C32 is pretty suttle IMO. I really don't want the flashiness that comes with high performance machines. The C32 can be an everyday car as well as speed demon. The M3 looks very nice, but it's not a sleeper like the C32 is. This is especially good for me when other friends and family see my car. They all think it's a normal C-class, so the jealousy isn't as much of an issue (although for some reason everyone immediately thinks an MB owner is high-class/rich). It's also great when people try to race as well .


Those are my basic reasons why I chose my car. They are more related to everyday life than down to the nitty gritty (i.e. engine and performance). To sum it all up I basically wanted a high performance car that doesn't make everyday-driving cumbersome.

BTW...if anyone knows the So-Cal area, I found the I-15 between North County and Corona to be the best stretch of driving. No cops (except for the border patrol stop) and low volume of cars. The I-5 is just horrendous.

 

All I can say is

AMEN!

 

i'll have to disagree with you only a little on 1, 3, 4, and 5

i have no problem with the 2 door and 4 door thing. it is just that my first car was a 2000 328CI which is the first yr of the coupe sold in US. i don't feel like having the same 2 door thing again. so i thought i give 4 door a try.

the price of the M3 has no dealer markup now at the dealer where i got my first car a 328CI.the M3 base msrp starts only at $46k but after option by option comparison with the C32 the M3 came out $2k over than the price of my C32.

M3 has the optional SMG II tranny so driving is not really a factor. if i did choose the M3 it would have the SMG for sure. when i order my C32 the SMG was already available on the M3 as an option, so that wasn't the factor for me. maybe when you bought your C32 the SMG wasn't available.

well, the design of the M3 might be a bit flashy but that's why it is so hot. C32 on the other hand it is great looking, not too flashy but still agrressive. i wouldn't mind driving around in a M3 because it is a true sport car.

i love my car and the way it looks. if ppl can tell about a M3 but can't tell about a C32 it just shows that how little they know about cars.

 

I agree with you (#2) i've driven only BMW's all my short life, and the maintenance killed me, i mean my parents. Even though I only keep cars for 4-5 years we spent so much on maintenance. I also noticed that the electrical system really does get off wack alot. On the otherhand, you cant beat the looks of the new E46 M3. No doubt, it's a much bigger head turner than the C32. I'm also starting to hate the 4 door. I don't like too many people riding in my car. The CLK55 is starting to look real nice right now. Price really doesn't matter much since they are almost the same. Since this is the first car I bought by myself, I wanted to try something new. Also, Benz dealers are more helpful. I agree with FrankW on the SMG option, my dad has it in his 360 and I fell in love with it. I think it's a good compromise that AMG should consider in the future. If they do that, I don't really think i'll even need to consider BMW in the future. Also, just to make me feel better, the C32 gets better insurance rates and will also hold its value about 5%-7% higher than the BMW over 4 years. Either way you can't lose.

 

I completely overlooked the recently released SMG option for the M3. Thanks for pointing that out FrankW. When I checked the pricing for the M3 it was towards the beginning of '02. I wasn't aware of the price drop but my sights were already set on a 4 door since then so the M3 wasn't really a player. I was actually dissapointed BMW didn't release a sedan version of the M3 like in its previous model, but I guess that's what the M5 was for. Don't get me wrong, I agree that the M3 is a really great looking car. Before it was first released I was pretty sure that would be my next car, but more and more I've been taken in by the "sport sedan" look. The SMG option really makes it appealing though. Never driven one and pretty curious how it handles.

Boo2 makes a good point that the C32 has a slight advantage as far as insurance rates and resell value goes. Also, since my previous car was a '00 328i (forgot to mention it was 2000), I really wanted a change away from BMW. My parents also bought a BMW (X5 3.0) after my 3 series because of the great attitude our dealer provided. But the service really bothered me and it seemed like a nice change of pace if I chose the other marque german name. This is the first MB I or any family member has owned. I still love BMW and I do see myself owning another one in the future but MB is right up there with them . I am pretty impressed with their cars/service so far. Hopefully, as Boo2 mentioned, other car manufacturers will produce cars with a SMG. In the meantime, I am pretty satisfied with my decision, but I'm sure it will be even tougher choosing a car in the future

 

my previous car was a 2000 328CI. i was for sure that M3 would be my next car until the C32 came out.

 

Before I purchased my C32, I was considering the new M3 like the most of you. Actually, I would be driving the M3 if any dealership had a car to sell me at sticker during that time. Of course, that was before I test drove the C32 at Cerritos. To be honest, the M3 looks a bit better than the C32. Other than that, the C32 rides better, is quieter, smoother, faster, better interior, better service, better reliability, better value and just simply better built. I bought the C32 and loving every minute of it. It feels so damn solid. My M3 (on order) is scheduled to come at the end of the month. I'll be giving it to my friend that is in the market for one. All I have to say is ///AMG stole my heart over M Power.

 

Giving it to my friend ? Do you need any new friends ?

 

I think he meant the allocation spot, not the car itself. However, if he was giving the car, I would become friends with him rather quickly as well.

 

Yes I owned a 97 M3 4-door auto. Absolutely loved the car, probably one of the most well-rounded cars ever made. Probably would have bought another, but BMW decided that nobody wants a 4-door M3 anymore. It is hard to improve on the old E36 M3 4-door but the C32 does it in spades.

A few reasons for getting the C32 vs new M3 and not looking back:
4-doors, I have a kid.
Safety, I have a kid.
More amenities, I am a kid.
C32 is more exclusive/unique
You can find a C32.
No insane dealer markup (no more?)
also, Stevens Creek BMW sales is the worst sales department I have ever talked to. I drive in there in an M3 and the the sales guy doesn't want to be bothered with me test driving a 540i, when I finally get him to go, he let's me drive it around the block, literally. Well I had just test driven an available C32 at 100, and a Lexus GS430 ditto. I went back and bought the C32, cash.

If I ever do buy another BMW it will not be at SC BMW, what a fool he was. And he is some kind of supposed "sales manager", ha ha. Maybe he got the job by ........... oh, never mind.

BMW has enough problems right now, M3 motors going "pop", G35 displacing the 330i, a really ugly new 7-series, who cares about their sales depts? Oh yeah, people buying cars do.

My C32 sales lady provided the best auto sales experience I've ever had. It figures, because she is "Top Salesperson" for Smythe European.

 

I had a few similar experiances with BMW dealers too. First with Salvage BMW in Ontario. I was calling about the new M3, the Sales Manager wanted $5000 over invoice while others wants $2K. 2nd dealership: Shelly BMW, this sales person named Oscar made bad comments about my new C32 when I returned his sales call about a 330ci. This guy is an real ***! 3rd Dealership: New Century BMW: My brother in 97' was looking to buy a new M3 back then. We offer $500 off the MSRP and the Sales manager declined our better than average offer and said "you guys will come back." We drove off to Toyota and bought a Supra instead. He called the next day saying he accepts the offer we made, another ***! My family has owned 5 Mercedes and 0 BMWs. Everytime we are looking for a new car, we looked at BMWs and were turned away by their bad Sales practices. After this, I will never ever consider a BMW again unless they prove to me that they have correct themselves.

 

Salvage BMW, perfect name for a BMW dealership.

 

Damn, never knew dealers were that ruthless. I guess it goes to show that you must really want a BMW to buy one since you have to forego good service from a dealer. Lucky for my family, all our previous cars were purchased by my dad's broker. Placed a phone call for what model/color benz, bimmer, ferrari, porsche, or jag and the car was delivered to the house or office (most of the time the same day if the car was within an 80mile radius). This guy retired so now we have go to the dealers ourselves. Benz dealers are nice. Haven't tried a BMW dealer yet except for service. You guys should look into these brokers. A good one can even negotiate better prices than most of us can. Our former broker bought cars for many of the Bay Area pro teams so he'd always hook it up with tickets and other sports events.

 

http://www.mfailure.com/ enough said