Which car to pull the trigger on...

[turboice00]

i dont think the 530 is at all a practical sedan - if something goes wrong and needs repair it will not be cheap
u want a practical sedan - get a camry

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[blakkboxer]

'05 sti d00d

[Nimbus09]

Originally Posted by chazly413

I really don't think maintenance on the STI will be higher than a BMW, given the STI is stock or lightly modified.

i didn't mean relative to the bmw.

Originally Posted by the suicidal eggroll

Don't kid yourself on the maintenance on the STi. Unless you put everlast grab-for-**** brake pads and tires on there, you can expect at least $1000/yr in routine maintenance (oil, tires, brakes). Stock-quality tires and stock-quality brakes will last about 2 years and cost upwards of $1000 to replace (yes $1000 for tires, and $1000 for brakes, at least every other time when you have to swap rotors as well, maybe $5-600 if you just resurface). Depending on how you drive, they might not even last 2 years.

The STi is close to twice as expensive to maintain as the WRX, assuming you stick with stock-style parts (anybody can put a $300 set of tires on that last for 100,000 miles, but then you're losing half of what makes an STi an STi).

Insurance shouldn't be high though, make sure you shop around. Some companies like to rape STis, some don't, so make SURE you get a lot of quotes. When I was pricing insurance, Geico and State Farm were $250/mo, Allstate was $350/mo, and AAA was $130/mo, all for the exact same coverage. That's for a single 25 yr old with 2 cars, 05 STi and 01 Sentra. It doesn't have to be bad.

This is what I meant (vs. the wrx).

[rossl]

Yep it depends on which car works for you. The STi is a really quick economy car with few amenities. The 5-series is a luxury cruiser that has an engine that will last a very long time. Maintenance really isn't that bad if you do the work yourself. And the 530i will have a lower purchase price by a few thousand dollars.

[nhmtns]

Originally Posted by steeze

What made you pull the trigger on your subie

Drank too much beer. When I woke up, there were bullet holes all over it.

[dremersvision]

I am about to sell my suby and plan on going bmw. I know a lot of people that have 3,5,7 series and do the work themselves and they do not complain.the key thing they talk about is shopping around for good prices on parts.

The reason i am going bmw in the near future is for interior. The suby interior is just soooooooooo......................nevermind. you get the point.

[ARBoost]

Originally Posted by brianha42

05 sti, because the headlights are sexier than the hawkeyes.

Originally Posted by goldshuscooby

AND it just looks so much more beefy!

Agreed

[FaastLegacy]

Originally Posted by the suicidal eggroll

Don't kid yourself on the maintenance on the STi. Unless you put everlast grab-for-**** brake pads and tires on there, you can expect at least $1000/yr in routine maintenance (oil, tires, brakes). Stock-quality tires and stock-quality brakes will last about 2 years and cost upwards of $1000 to replace (yes $1000 for tires, and $1000 for brakes, at least every other time when you have to swap rotors as well, maybe $5-600 if you just resurface). Depending on how you drive, they might not even last 2 years.

The STi is close to twice as expensive to maintain as the WRX, assuming you stick with stock-style parts (anybody can put a $300 set of tires on that last for 100,000 miles, but then you're losing half of what makes an STi an STi).

It only took us 25 posts to get to someone who actually knows what they're talking about. Sweet.

But yeah, operating costs/maintenance shouldn't be a deciding factor here because the difference isn't going to be that great. The 5 series will likely be cheaper to insure and easier on gas, and maybe slightly higher in terms of maintenance. In the end, it's probably a wash.

These cars are very different. What are you looking for? That's the only way we can determine which car is best for you.

[lagwagn]

Originally Posted by steeze

I've made the decision. 05 sti it is. If not, 05 wrx it is. lol
Thanks everyone for your well valued opinions

dont pass on the sti. you'll do what i did and get the wrx thinking that will be enough but its not. what ever you save you'll put back into the car. plus with the sti you'll have 6mt and dccd.

[testify]

'03 530i

[STi_Fan]

I bought the STi at the time because the EVO was full of lag and the interior sucked.

Go with the STi, BMW's fall apart after 40k.

[steeze]

Originally Posted by STi_Fan

I bought the STi at the time because the EVO was full of lag and the interior sucked.

Go with the STi, BMW's fall apart after 40k.

I def agree with the evo statement. evo interior looks so ****ty! (imo at least)

As for what kind of needs, I'm not really sure myself. I go up to the snow a lot during the winter time to ski, (but I already have an suv for that). I'm a college student. I may or may not be transfering to new york for school or staying in cali.

I had a mini plan for mods for the sti, which would be to upgrade the interior to make it have more creature comforts. In the end, what I do know is that I would like a sedan. Something sporty, yet something nice. Imo, I believe I can upgrade the subi without spending too much to have its interior fit my needs.

But the little things in the 530i made interested. things like 40/60 split fold down rear seats with a pass through. the 530i's interior was def a big plus over the sti though.

Originally Posted by the suicidal eggroll

Don't kid yourself on the maintenance on the STi. Unless you put everlast grab-for-**** brake pads and tires on there, you can expect at least $1000/yr in routine maintenance (oil, tires, brakes). Stock-quality tires and stock-quality brakes will last about 2 years and cost upwards of $1000 to replace (yes $1000 for tires, and $1000 for brakes, at least every other time when you have to swap rotors as well, maybe $5-600 if you just resurface). Depending on how you drive, they might not even last 2 years.

The STi is close to twice as expensive to maintain as the WRX, assuming you stick with stock-style parts (anybody can put a $300 set of tires on that last for 100,000 miles, but then you're losing half of what makes an STi an STi).

Insurance shouldn't be high though, make sure you shop around. Some companies like to rape STis, some don't, so make SURE you get a lot of quotes. When I was pricing insurance, Geico and State Farm were $250/mo, Allstate was $350/mo, and AAA was $130/mo, all for the exact same coverage. That's for a single 25 yr old with 2 cars, 05 STi and 01 Sentra. It doesn't have to be bad.

I get what you mean, the bmw and sti may be comparable in terms of maintenance cost right? But how often does the sti give me surprises that I don't like? I'm more comfortable with knowing that maintenance is coming up around the corner, rather than having unexpected ones. And when I do purchase either vehicle, in the 530's case, I don't wanna spend a whole bunch of time fixing this and that just to get it in a "driveable" condition under my definition. (things like replacing the dash because of pixels not working, replacing gasket seals, blower motor, vanos seal).

And about insurance, I agree. I was surprised to find out that STI insurance didn't cost as much as I would expect. And some companies def do insure them cheaper.

Maybe I'm not looking hard enough, but looking through sales ads for both cars for the past few weeks, I haven't found one to my liking yet... Some are close but as people posted, get it right the first time.

thanks for your insight eggroll

[the suicidal eggroll]

Originally Posted by steeze

I get what you mean, the bmw and sti may be comparable in terms of maintenance cost right? But how often does the sti give me surprises that I don't like? I'm more comfortable with knowing that maintenance is coming up around the corner, rather than having unexpected ones.

As long as you keep tabs on everything (wear level of the tires, wear level of the brake pads, etc.), there shouldn't be many unexpected expenses. I can't think of any unexpected breaks/fixes that my car has had, that I haven't directly caused. The maintenance is expensive, but there shouldn't be many/any surprises. If you get an 07 or newer, the first thing you should do is get a stage 1 tune, that will get rid of the crappy factory tune which has a nack for killing ringlands, other than that I can't think of anything.

[absaynes]

dang even the pickles are beating the 530 haha

[treich007]

Just out of curiosity, did you pose a similar question on a BMW forum? If so, I bet you would get a different response. If you didn't then I am willing to bet that your mind was made up when you chose this forum. I'm glad to see that you decided to go with the STi. Since you already have a SUV, I doubt you will need a fold down seat in your sedan.

[barkley2-6]

get the sti brah

[dave_88]

Gee....i wonder why you got the response that you did. Oh wait, NASIOC?

The e39 body is such a timeless design and despite being a BMW, they are still just as reliable. Try to find a 540i with the 6spd tranny. You won't regret it, ever.

My buddy has a '98 540i and that thing has been bullet proof for the span of his ownership. Beats the sti in class-iness and still has the bawls. Also, family members has owned bmw (3-series and z4) and it has just been like owning any other japanese automobile, but the joy of driving those is just so much more.

I said pickles because that response is just as good as any of the other two.

[Nimbus09]

Originally Posted by dave_88

Gee....i wonder why you got the response that you did. Oh wait, NASIOC?

The e39 body is such a timeless design and despite being a BMW, they are still just as reliable. Try to find a 540i with the 6spd tranny. You won't regret it, ever.

My buddy has a '98 540i and that thing has been bullet proof for the span of his ownership. Beats the sti in class-iness and still has the bawls. Also, family members has owned bmw (3-series and z4) and it has just been like owning any other japanese automobile, but the joy of driving those is just so much more.

I said pickles because that response is just as good as any of the other two.

bringing the 540 into this changes things entirely.

[PleiadesSTi]

[CR22]

You joined NASIOC in June but you are just now posting this. We also know that before joining NASIOC one always lurks for months at a time day and night.

These facts lead me to believe you have a natural desire to own the Subie

[steeze]

Originally Posted by treich007

Just out of curiosity, did you pose a similar question on a BMW forum? If so, I bet you would get a different response. If you didn't then I am willing to bet that your mind was made up when you chose this forum. I'm glad to see that you decided to go with the STi. Since you already have a SUV, I doubt you will need a fold down seat in your sedan.

I was going to, then after reading the replies, I decided against it. lol

Originally Posted by dave_88

Gee....i wonder why you got the response that you did. Oh wait, NASIOC?

The e39 body is such a timeless design and despite being a BMW, they are still just as reliable. Try to find a 540i with the 6spd tranny. You won't regret it, ever.

My buddy has a '98 540i and that thing has been bullet proof for the span of his ownership. Beats the sti in class-iness and still has the bawls. Also, family members has owned bmw (3-series and z4) and it has just been like owning any other japanese automobile, but the joy of driving those is just so much more.

I said pickles because that response is just as good as any of the other two.

I drove both the 530i and the 540i, and I liked the handling of the 530i better over the 540i. it was a pretty big handling difference. But I did like the power of the v8. I thought about a 540i at first, but decided against it because there were way more problems than the 530i. As for classiness, imo, the interior didn't feel as classy as I expected.

Originally Posted by CR22

You joined NASIOC in June but you are just now posting this. We also know that before joining NASIOC one always lurks for months at a time day and night.

These facts lead me to believe you have a natural desire to own the Subie

Caught red-handed. I did have that natural desire but it died down a bit and started having a mind of its own.

Originally Posted by absaynes

dang even the pickles are beating the 530 haha

Does anybody like cucumbers? I like them more than pickles, they're like sugarless watermelons.

[Jaylyons1]

You will have way more fun in the STI... plus you have to be a prick to drive a beamer...

... no offense beamer drivers! Blame Top Gear!! lol

[fredtga]

fun and power, crappy cheap interior : get the STi
daily driver, comfort : get the bmw

if you want fun, power, elegance : get an audi s4

if you're not technically inclined or diy person, you will endup paying for everything and obvious, german power is not cheap

[jutes85]

Originally Posted by the suicidal eggroll

The STi is close to twice as expensive to maintain as the WRX

Ummm, no. Only way that statement is true is if you buy all your parts at the dealership. $500 for stock Brembo pads anyone?

[CR22]

It's all in how you drive it. The $1,000 set aside for maintenance a year quote from above sounds more BMW than STI