CTt3P5, thank you. Best of luck in your wait
Welcome! Why are you getting rid of the beemer?
Thanks for the welcome.
The BMW must go since the cost of maintenance has gone up incredibly (including the cost of fuel... premium only). So I needed to find a car that came close to the fun that is driving a BMW (they make cars for drivers, amazing cars). I needed something that was small, yet functional. I tried the Matrix and felt like I was riding around in a refridgerator strapped to skateboard. The handling was loose and I never knew if I was actually on the road. And... the low end was awful.
The Civic never got my attention... and I was left with the Mazda3. I did a bunch of research and a review, as written by a former BMW owner, struck me. He wrote that the feel of the Mazda3 reminded him of his Bimmer. Well, that was enough for me to get out to a dealership and get driving.
The Mazda3 did handle like the BMW... it's not the same, of course, but it is closer to that experience than I've had in ANY other vehicle I've driven that wasn't a BMW. And at a fraction of the overall cost.
Bottom line is that the BMW has a lot of miles on her and is taking up big space in my wallet.
Now I'm going to visit another dealership and see if I can get a better deal. My first visit resulted in a price that was $1K higher than Consumer Reports bottomline price. So we'll see what happens next... but I'm convinced this is the car for me. Lots of car for the cost.
