MS3 goood "fun" car for dad with 3 kids???

[MammaFreed3]

[QUOTE=23109VC;1272618]
my fear with the 335i is that while I coudl afford to buy one... once the CPO warranty runs out.. two years... i'd be fuC*ED with repairs and othe rBS. [QUOTE]

here's a thought....sometimes with CPO's, depending on how old it is/mileage, you can still purchase the exteneded warranty which is 6 years/100,000 miles. I'm not suggesting you pay the extra $2000 for it, but rather use it as a negotiating tool. For example, if you think you can get the dealer to come down another $1000 on price, instead of that tell him you'll sign if he throws in the extended warranty. BMW's maintenance warranty even covers brakes.

the MS3 is a no go in my opinion for a guy like you. too small, too ricey and you'll get frustrated with it after 6 months and start looking at bigger, more luxurious cars. if you were single and could grow your hair out and start dressing edgier at work, yeah, the MS3 might fly but i think for a guy like you, it just won't work. stick with the car you have now, save up some cash and in a year or two or three, buy the car you really want. like a new 335i sedan

[civicassassin]

I have a wife and 3 sons (1, 4, 9). Plenty of room in the car for all of us. The 1 y/o's in a carseat, 4 y/o's in a booster seat, and the 9 y/o sits in the middle.

[Jay S.]

Originally Posted by jashw311 My 2.5 yo kicks the shit out of my wife's seat. We are trying for a second and the wife is trying to talk me out of the speed for an Equinox(fat fucking chance). I am wondering how the rear facing thing is going to work out, but I will find a way. I love my MS3.

Rear facing seat fits fine. I have a 3 month old and a nine month old and they fit in the back just fine.

[327whp]

First off the power band on the MS3 is fixed with ease when you add an AP (Accessport) which everyone in an MS3 should have. For handling, this car is great and remember your putting 280lbs of torque to this little car, so you are gonna get more torque steer vs any other fwd car you have driven which is also why we say, DO NOT just hand this car over to a 16yr old driver. A simple added JBR RSB (rear sway bar) turns this car into a corner killer and is a must if you really want to do some spirited driving on Sundays. LOL. For the price, you can't/won't find a better all-around car.

You can look at 335xi which you can find a lot of them anywhere from $22k-$27k but man you will hate the repair costs on it after the warranty runs out and I don't know many 16yr old kids who could afford to "keep them up" after they have beaten on them for a bit which they will cause that is what 16yr olds do. The 335xi is awd for added traction but that takes a lot of fun out of the driving experience personally and the twin turbo is nice but very expensive to mod/upkeep.

An STI is a great car also with awd but to find one in your price range, good luck getting one that hasn't been malested. Also you would be looking at then getting an older car vs a brand new MS3 for the same price and the MS3's are a lot cheaper to keep up/maintain.

[Easter Bunny]

Originally Posted by jashw311 My 2.5 yo kicks the shit out of my wife's seat. We are trying for a second and the wife is trying to talk me out of the speed for an Equinox(fat fucking chance). I am wondering how the rear facing thing is going to work out, but I will find a way. I love my MS3.

Way off topic but if you are considering an equinox only buy a 2010 or newer and I would buy something off lease, they don't hold their value well. We had a 2010 four cylinder and it was a dog no matter what I did I was never able to get over 22 mpg out of it. Just get the v6 there is no benefit to the four

[Quickbluems3]

Originally Posted by 23109VC the rear seats were a bit on the small side - but I'll readily admit this is totally subjective and class specific. i havne't looked at a civic / EVO / Sti to compare. remember i'm driving an Acura RL, a pretty large sedan.. so i'm used to a huge back seat that three adults can fit in and be comfortable in. the smallest car I have driven lately was a loaner TSX and I felt that car had bigger/wider better back seats than the Speed3... even that car, though, is a larger car. it wasn't like I was expecting the speed3 to be as big in the back as an accord or something - but for my personal needs - the car may be too small. .

What part of So Cal do you live in? There are some great deals on Evos in OC-if I had to do it all over again, I'd shell out the extra $ and buy an Evo 10. I owned an Evo8 previous to the MS3. Go test drive an Evo X- I'd like to hear your feedback as my initial impressions of my MS3 were the same as yours.