Can you afford a BMW?

[iDumb]

Originally Posted by mona
Tamim earns 200K? Wow I wouldn't think Australian cricketers earn much more than that.

What's the point of an over-priced luxury car in bangy anyway? It's almost an oxymoron.

It's definitely for show not for "driving thrills" because there is no place to drive it unless its an SUV type of automobile then maybe you can try it on chittagong hills...So I see great use for Hummer in BD.
But I disagree that you can't show it off to anyone, you can and he is doing it.. showing it off to us... for someone who is not in the level of Tamim's fame can use it for baiting beautiful bangy girls who will ride you, with you I mean.

Btw, it's perfectly plausible for someone earning 200K to comfortably buy a 100K car. I'll let you know how it goes for me in 8 years.

I don't know how it is in Australia but not in New York City. And when I say NYC, I don't even mean Manhattan, anywhere in nyc. You can buy it but not comfortably.

[Zunaid]

A Bimmer is not that impossible in the US on a reasonable income - yes, maintenance can be a pain in the patootie but only when the warranty runs out. But once you have driven one - especially with the sport package - you will want nothing else. You begin to think it is a necessity (think merging in California freeways) and not a luxury.

[iDumb]

Luxury is very location dependent. Luxury wise 300K in NYC is equivalent to 100K in some other state let's say Florida or Louisiana. I would think some parts of california are high on the list of expensive places to live in.


NYC:
This is a place where a shitty pretzel cost 5 dollars... you believe that shitt..I go to the mall and I be smelling that sh@t and my stomach be crucnching in hunger.. and I be like yo lemme get one of those pretz.. and the girl with a missing tooth be like yo here it is...... 5 dollars.. and I be like WTF yo.. 5 dollars.??.. ok lemme get some hunny sauce.. and she be like 50 cents more.. WTF yo how you gonna eat a nasty bread without hunny??

This city makes me FEEL like a destitute.

[ammark]

Originally Posted by iDumb
This city makes me FEEL like a destitute.

You should join these New Yorkers.

[iDumb]

nice article ammar. Couldn't be any truer than this. This place is a very expensive $hithole and I am not even joking. People pay thousands of dollars per month to live in worse conditions than Bangladesh bostis.

sheidin Jackson heights e gechi.. 5 fuchkar daam niche 6 dollar... and there was nothing special about that store.. it looks exactly like that chira genchi pora chotpoti walar berar dokan ...

Freaken FUCHKA - you believe this shitt man?

[zman]

so does buying at steep discounts from special sellers in special markets count? Hey, they're even willing to get you new license plates if you're the worrisome/paranoid type

[Zunaid]

Originally Posted by ammark
You should join these New Yorkers.

At least dumbhead does not live in Luanda, the most expensive city for expats (according to Forbes and of course, expats = US expats). I have had the misfortune of living in cities that have amongst the highest costs of living - my 2 years in Austin was a temporary aberration. Movign to San Diego was like moving back to NY - my house was 1/3 the size at 3 times the price. Now I am yet in another city that also makes the Forbes list. *sigh*

[MohammedC]

If I can afford it then I will have Merc e class 320 cdi.

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[mac]

whats wrong with tata nano??? sounds cool!

[Beamer]

Originally Posted by Zunaid
A Bimmer is not that impossible in the US on a reasonable income - yes, maintenance can be a pain in the patootie but only when the warranty runs out. But once you have driven one - especially with the sport package - you will want nothing else. You begin to think it is a necessity (think merging in California freeways) and not a luxury.

Indeed. You need the ooomph to merge quickly and power is a pre-req, specially in six lane mayhem of California. You can't turtle your way into it. Its risky. Folks wont slow down for you. I test drove an M5 ( certified one ) a few months ago and it scared the heck out of me. No sedan should be that powerful !

[Roni_uk]

oh oops.. i meant to vote the last option.. how do i chnge?

[Tiger Manc]

most of us are poor

[Habib]

Originally Posted by Roni_uk
oh oops.. i meant to vote the last option.. how do i chnge?

Ki dorkar change korar? Just buy a BMW as soon as you can, then you won't have to change the option. Easy!

[cluster11]

I wouldn't call a BMW 3-series a luxury car. That should be reserved for a Lexus LS, Mercedes S-class or a BMW-7 series. The 3-series costs just a bit more than an Acura, and much cheaper certified pre-owned or used. And judging by the figures above in Dhaka it certainly is not one of the more expensive machines on the road.
A sportscar, a performance machine and all those other adjectives people attach to it are all so true not just because of the 0-60 mph rush or RPM, but also because it has superior cornering, braking and turning ability than most american HP-crazy muscle cars or japanese street thugs - excluding the likes of EVO or Subaru Impreza WRX etc. I love American cars, they are just not in the same class. Sure its fun to drive a 3-series in the AutoBahn or on I-10 in Texas but I've seen its true potential in narrow cobblestones of Aachen turning corners on a street full of pedestrians and cyclists or merging into clogged highways in Cologne. So in that context, Dhaka is a perfect challenge for that kind of machine :-). I would just hate to see a nice thing like that get bashed by hooligans during some Hartal. Maybe Tamim can personalize his enough so ppl know who it belongs too ;-)

[Kabir]

BMW _IS_ the luxury automaker. So BMW 3-series _IS_ a luxury car. Yes, I don't like 3-series that much either. Heck, I don't even think their 5-series has all the features that I want.

I was able to get rid of my muri'r tin and get an Acura TSX. It _IS_ a premium car. Merc/BMW costs a bit more for the options I chose - but they're in the same league. IMO, Audi costs the most in that league. I hate to call Lexus a premium car, but yes, it is a premium car. These cars offer more luxury than a regular toyota/honda/nissan would. These added luxuries is what make them premium. Plus, you're looking at a better engine performance (in theory)...and certainly higher maintenance costs end of the day.

For the price, I would go for a Merc E class over a 5-series any day. I won't go for an Audi A6 or an A8. At the expense of sounding ridiculous, I do find A6/A8 very ordinary-looking from the exterior, although their performance and interior might be just too good.

[Zunaid]

Kabir - I do have to agree about Audi comments. In the end - car buying is an intense personal choice - some like the performance and pep, some go for comfort and safety and some go for looks. And people who like none of these buy the Pontiac Aztek.

To me - what I look for when buying a car is looks in addition to the performance. It has to appeal to my aesthetics. I will throw the Lexus into the same category as your Audi. Definitely great cars but something lacking in the looks. You might as well be driving an Accord. Mind you, there is nothing with an Accord - a solid car that will last you forever.

We test drove a number of vehicles before we opted for the 525. With the sports package, it's road handling capability is amazing - complete control at > 100 mph in winding roads, zero to 60 in nothing flat, ride comfort amazing and steering control sublime (well when driving not going slow in parking lots). When I would switch for my regular commute car to drive this (yes, the other half had the good keys), I would often find myself going100mph+ on the 805 without knowing it. (No, I do not get a commission for this positive blurb.)

The one problem was how low the car was - had scraped the underside quite badly a number of times and had to fork out some moola to have that taken car of. Driving a comparable (price wise) Mercedes or Lexus did not quite give me the same feeling of exhilaration. I can only speak from experience - can't compare to the Acura nor the Audi since I did not test drive those.

Now, I will also have to give a shout out to what I think is one of best cars if you consider performance to price ratio. And my nomination goes to the Hyundai Sonata - you get luxury, looks and liveliness for the price of a Civic. Amazing car. I had one and will recommend it to anyone. It may not be a brand name yet but it will. Mark my words.

[Zeeshan]

Originally Posted by Zunaid
Now, I will also have to give a shout out to what I think is one of best cars if you consider performance to price ratio. And my nomination goes to the Hyundai Sonata - you get luxury, looks and liveliness for the price of a Civic. Amazing car. I had one and will recommend it to anyone. It may not be a brand name yet but it will. Mark my words.

I always heard Hyundai is a tunka marka kaar, kagojer moton ektu laglei mochre jai.

Btw...how on earth is Orphy's thread leading my custom user title one? smh

[layperson]

iDUMB when you say you, do you mean me as an individual or me and my spouse? If its me alone the answer for a 5 series would be a no, if its household then we can possibly go for a 7 series

Btw, I have driven the 2010 Audi A4, the 2010 and 2011 Mercedes C class and the 2010 and 2011 Bmw 3 series, 2010 lexus IS 250. Off all these cars I found the Lexus to be most responsive in terms of pushing on the pedal. The rest were pretty similar. I would concur that the Audi A4 is the most expensive in this segment with comparable options. The interior and the exterior of the new audi is redesigned with the cool headlights,so looks wise I would rate it pretty high. The worst of the lot on this segment is the bmw 3 series. It has a classic exterior bmw look which is good but the interior is as plain jane as you can find in a luxury car. I think their interior look has not evolved enough from the mid 90's while others like Audi and mercedes has evolved much more and keeping pace with changing times. Looks wise I love the Mercedes c class only if it comes with sport package because the AMG grills give it the mean sexy look. Just because of the grill i would rate its look being the best of the lot. The lexus is250 is pretty cramped for room at the back so it is a better idea to go for the es350 instead of the is 250 since the es is the same size as a honda accord and is much more spacious, comes with a lot of bells and whistles at a price that is quite affordable.

and yes I too would rate the hyundai sonata very highly. Not the honda accord prototypes but the new redesigned one which is original looking and its a sedan that has a lot of features for the same price of a base model bmw3, mercedesC or lexus IS.

[ammark]

Originally Posted by Zunaid
Now, I will also have to give a shout out to what I think is one of best cars if you consider performance to price ratio. And my nomination goes to the Hyundai Sonata - you get luxury, looks and liveliness for the price of a Civic. Amazing car. I had one and will recommend it to anyone. It may not be a brand name yet but it will. Mark my words.

My boss at work bought one last month. Amazing to look at, beautifully done car - the new Sonata. And his reasons for buying it vs a Camry, Accord or Lancer are exactly the same as yours. Tk. 38 Lakhs with all bells and whistles.

[iDumb]

Originally Posted by layperson
iDUMB when you say you, do you mean me as an individual or me and my spouse? If its me alone the answer for a 5 series would be a no, if its household then we can possibly go for a 7 series

yes sure as a family. I mean when P. diddy's son drive a 300K car, no one says he is poor - it's his dad's money. As long as you've access to the wealth, you are part of it.

Listen man, let me know where can I find one of these spouses. I wanna marry some rich chick and drive a BMW.

[Zunaid]

Originally Posted by iDumb
Listen man, let me know where can I find one of these spouses. I wanna marry some rich chick and drive a BMW.

You won't find one at 5 in the morning on the internet for sure.

[Beamer]

If your going by the interior looks and amenities, BMW's will dissapoint you, as it is pretty vanilla, and they haven't changed much over the years. The harmon/kardon speakers are aswesome though. However, as they say, it is the ultimate driving machine. They hug the road. Audi's are much more sleek inside and the Audi R's are great machines. I have never been a fan of Merc's period. Of all the 3 series, the sports coupe takes the cake. 5 is nice, but 7 series is overated. If you have the money to burn on a 7 series, go and buy a Merc or even an A6 or A8. BMW X3 is a disgrace. They should stop it immediately. X5 is great, has the power, but for luxury SUV's, my fav is the VW Touareg. I love that car.

The new Hyuandai 's are great for the money. They look good, luxurious, and have the 100,000 mile warranty.

Jaguars are crap. The moment you drive it out of the lot, price is half down for re-sale. Porsche should stick to sports cars. Cayenne is rubbish unless you get the Turbo.

[cluster11]

I guess the debate about "luxury" vs. performance vs. every day car is relative to individual choice. A Subaru Impreza WRX or a Lotus Elise may not have the comfort features of a Lexus ES or even a high-end Toyota Camry Solara but they cost more and have better performance. You can take a Lexus IS350 to an Auto Cross or drift in a muddy road with it but most people probably don't buy with that in mind. A Subaru Impreza WRX or a BMW M3 on the other hand would look quiet appropriate for that.

So to me higher price doesn't necessarily translate to luxury which I thought the poster was trying to point to with regards to a BMW 3-series. And as other posters pointed out the 3-series is neither more expensive nor the best of the best in its category (when compared to other German brands) but still a better performance choice than many other common brands I pointed out. Probably a BMW 1-series hatchback would be more practical for crowded city drive but in general the 3-series is the most common and popular of the BMW brand and resides in the relatively lower echelon. So entry-level performance sportscar would more fit the description.