Hi guys,

I'm looking for a car in the $50k range... and I am having a tough time making up my mind. If you guys have any suggestions as to one I am missing please throw it out there as I would like to make sure I get a car I am happy with for at least 1 year, but hopefully 2!
I have a very bad habit of going through cars every couple of months.

Right now in the $50k price range I am thinking:

2004~ E55 (would like w/ keyless go, NO PANO, a/c seats, distronic, parktronic)

2008 SRT8 Jeep

2006/7 335i Turbo (would be chipped, modded)

Im honestly leaning more against the E55 depending on whether or not I can find one for around this price w/ the options listed. I am hell bent on making sure it was keyless go and no pano... it would be nice to have a/c seats and parktronic, distronic doesnt really matter.


So what are your thoughts? Please try to be as unbiased as possible.

Thanks!

 

E55. Big reliable power and torque. Not to mention very nice looking, in a conservative way. Get's my vote.

SRT8. First and foremost it's a Jeep. Jeeps are great for utility and off road. the SRT8 to me has an identity crisis. No Thanks.

335. I actually took one for a spin. Handles well. Quick on it's feet. Power was ok and smooth. BMW has done a great job with this motor. But it seemed to run out of air in the upper RPMs. Probably because of the small turbos. Keep in mind this motor has pretty high compression for a turbo. If you start tuning it ECU and adding addtl boost you will start running into a nasty problem that we have here in CA...the crappy 91 octane. My M3 turbo would only run 12-15psi on 50/50 mix of 91 and 100 octane with a 10.5 to 1 compression ratio. It was a pain in the ****. But fun! I would assume BMW has a data logger on the ECU that will show boost levels. If you ran into a problem with the motor (cracked piston) and they found the boost was off of spec you might have a fight getting it covered under warranty.

 

My car doesn't have the keyless go, but it one hell of a deal... pm me know if you're intersted.

 

55 all the way...

And Dragon from the post above has an E55 ANY person would kill for...

 

I had an SRT-8 and got rid of after a few months. Great looking car and fun but hard to live with. Loud, noisy, 8 mpg if you are lucky, cheap interior

I also have a bad habit with switching cars. I bought an E55 and don't see what I could replace it with. I LOVE this car!!

 

E55

 

E55 No comparison w/ 335i.... Even though I just purchased a 535xi Engine is nice.... but it's still not in the same class as E55.

 

I used to own a 2007 Jeep SRT-8 so I know what its like, its honestly not that bad... Loud is always good, the dash was a bit cheap with the plastic though, seats were ok, i got about 11mpg which im used to from my other cars cause i buy em for performance not mpg

I probably wont get better than 11mpg in an E55 either

 

KEEP IT CLASSY. Stick with the E. The car speaks for itself.

 

How weird is it that the Jeep SRT8 pops up in conversations on this forum so frequently? I mean, comparing a Jeep SRT8 to an E55 is just so odd, I don't know what to make of it.

Anyway, most of your questions you answered yourself... especially since you've owned an SRT8: You can easily tell which people have never driven it by their comments. Now, obviously since you're bringing it up... actually defending its fun factor "its not that bad"... don’t be embarrassed to like it. It doesn’t have an identity crisis… You're familiar with how ***** out fun it is to wipe the arrogant grin off of most high performance cars out there: Even if they are faster to 60 and beyond, you already know the Jeep owns most things off the line with the 4 wheel drive, itchy trigger finger, and nice gearing. It certainly smokes EVERY OTHER SRT8 model made with ease off the line. So, right there it offers more SUV utility, yet smokes all the other SRT8 offerings. If any car has an identity crisis, it’s any one of those. At least the Jeep takes what they have and adds all wheel drive.

Hell, just yesterday some silly M3 tried to take me on the shoulder at a light on the way to a 4th of July party. Its funny how the Jeep just yanks off the line and people are befuddled... haha. And yes, he had to slam on his brakes as he couldn't pass. I had 4 people in the car, and we laughed our asses off. And yes, I didn't even try that hard. 0-50 in the SRT8 is more fun than most cars out there. And you don't even need a frickin' sprintbooster to offer the illusion of throttle response. It’s there, and its trigger happy.

That said, I have my K2... errr, I guess K3 with the VRUS TB... it would obviously smoke the Jeep AFTER 50, and that's where the similarities end. Jeep still handles better, though. Steering is so precise… dead center quick and accurate compared to the 55… not even close.

I beat the living **** out of the Jeep and it takes it. I throw strollers, groceries, Home depot crap, dogs, rebar, more dogs, and it couldn't care less. It is simple, a brute, and has many performance options in the aftermarket should I want to make it truly stupid.

The E55 is the original Beast... but we all know it has its sensitive side... errr... issues. We baby it, and that's fine. supercharger overheats, sure. handling not quite what we'd like, yeah. cooling issues, uh huh. Check Engine, key not recognized, AC stuck off every so often, yup. And it’s not so low cal at the pump either. Like a super model, she's a bit more high maintenance and we take it. We even dress her up in VRUS CF intakes and engine tubes. Something to consider if you're picking up a used one: it aint' getting any younger.

You can take the Jeep out back and shoot it and it would probably laugh at you.

So, my advice: Get both. I've never regretted it. You gotta love them both. Bottom line is you can't compare these cars at all.

I pick up all my E55 parts in my Jeep, though...



Loren

 

That's what I was planning to do, was revive my 55 and SRT8 couple... not to long ago I had both SL55 and SRT8 and it was a good combo.
I might have the SL55 coming back, and was thinking about getting the new '08 SRT8 because of the Self-Leveling Xenons, MyGig, Interior changes, etc as the SL's stablemate.
I didn't want to spend more than about $50k for a 2nd car, then remembered I was seeing some E55's selling for $50k and under and so was the 335i so thats where my doubts came in.

Decisions


P.S.
My SL55 beat my SRT8 off the line, but not by much

 

What he said.


S.

 

As long as you have 1 E55 you can get whatever you want after that

 

I can assure you that you will be extremely happy with the E55. I have been in both the SRT8 Jeep and the new twin turb BMW and there is no comparison. E55 beats both, in my mind, in performance and value....especially if you get a great deal on a used E55. Good luck on your decision.

 

Without a doubt, the E55.

 

Phantasm: I say go with the E55 period. Ido not know about the Jeep, but I can give you some tips on the 335i since Iv'e had one for almost a year. It recently had to have the oil cooler factory installation because of oil heating problems. This seems to have helped and Ihear that all post March 07 A/T sport cars will have the oil cooler. DO NOT GET ONE UNLESS IT HAS THE OIL COOLER!!!. Secondly, I just had to drop off the 335i for the dreaded "Fuel Pump" replacement. THis seems to be affecting a % of 335i's and the fuel pumps are on backorder. THERE IS A TWO MONTH WAIT FOR THIS PART!!!
I'll be without the car for 2 months??? this really sucks and I blame BMW for not having this solved before the release of the car!!! Goodluck on your decision

 

I would choose an E55 over a 335 any day. On the other hand, if you're looking for a mean SUV for a great price the SRT8 Jeep ranks #1 in my books.

 

Here is my advice. I have never driven any of those cars. They are different cars. Although, I would take an E55 hands down other things you need to keep in mind are reliability, insurance premiums and weather. It looks like you live in CA so snow wouldn't be a factor. I would almost use that as my deciding factor alone since I'm here in Den. Also, the insurance between the the E and the other two has to be pretty significant. Also, the reliability factor is a big thing. I'm not sure what type of income level you are at but if somethig goes wrong with the E you would have to drop some cash unless you get an extended warranty. The Jeep and BMW would be covered. I'm in the same dilemma and can't decide what car to get. I need something that can get me through the winter but want something that hauls a$$. Good luck with the decision.

 

I drove the trailblazer SS the other day. Fast but not as fast as I thought it would be. Cheap GM interior turned me off and for that much $$, no Nav!!

 

The SRT8 Jeep does have Nav... A nice system too.

I myself haven't driven the trailblazer and am not an advocate of it.

 

Out of all the Jeep's line up,the SRT8 is the only one I would own.In the end the only thing making it an attractive buy is the AWD and power,other than that its still just a Jeep.

I own both an E55 and 335i.I have likes and dislikes about them both.Ive never had a problem with the 335i nor have I had any major problems with the 55 either.

 

Wow, everyone here is so unbiased...

 

I hear ya, I own a '05 Jeep Cherokee with the 5.7 Hemi. It is a gas sucker for sure. I am getting 13-14mpg compared to my E55 17-18mpg. I spoke to a local who own a SRT Jeep and he's getting 8-9mpg
The fit and finish of my Jeep is no way near my Benz. Don't get me wrong the Jeep is nice, but it ain't a Benz.

 

Same thing here own both and mod both. For spirited driving the 335 feels very nimble and it's a great car for the price. (just my 2 cents).

 

you might be surprised, I drive pretty hard and average 16-17MPG in the E55....