BMW 1 series

[cpayne5]

Originally Posted by jsarno

I am unsure of how much that is, I never looked into it, but I am pretty sure it's cheap.

I heard the opposite about BMW's. I heard they had great reliability. They have a 4 year 50,000 mile warrenty, and I don't usually keep cars beyond 4 years, so I am not too worried. haha.

If you're going to sell it before the warranty expires, then go for it. How close is the nearest BMW dealership?

German cars are (generally) well engineered from a mechanical standpoint, but their electronics are usually trash.

[KLHJ2]

Originally Posted by jsarno

Come on out! I have a 61 inch TV and a great surround sound system...we can watch the games here and get piss drunk! haha.

I just looked at a map. I would have to live roughly 3 to 4 hours away from Carlsbad if I were to move there.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by jsarno

Our salaries aren't as high as they should be cause of where we live. For instance, my wife will make anywhere from double to closer to triple more than what she makes right now if we move to Denver or Phoenix. We are on a two year plan here starting in June, then we're gone and will cash in. Some times you have to do something you don't want to do to benefit your future.

I hear ya on the whole cost of living thing. I had been living in little old Gainesville, Florida for the past 8 years before last summer. Prior to that I was 19 the last time I lived in the DC area, and that was under my parent's roof. The cost of living shock up here was the equivalent of getting kicked in the junk. My girlfriend and I both have good jobs up here earing significantly more than when we lived in the swamps of north central Florida, and yet I feel like we have less money every month.

Check out this cool cost of living calculator I found:
Cost of Living Comparison

This calculator estimates that it's 46.2% more expensive to live in DC than in Gainesville!! EESH!

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

So do you not live near any commercial areas at all? No shopping or dining?

Nope...and it depends on what you consider shopping and dining. There is really good shopping in El Paso and Lubbock. El Paso sucks though, a ton of crime there. Most everyone has to have bars on their doors and windows.
In terms of 4 or 5 star dining, you'd have to go to Lubbock. The best restaurants in Carlsbad are Chili's and Denny's. The best in Roswell is Cattle Baron and Red Lobster. The best dining is in Lubbock.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by GMScud

I hear ya on the whole cost of living thing. I had been living in little old Gainesville, Florida for the past 8 years before last summer. Prior to that I was 19 the last time I lived in the DC area, and that was under my parent's roof. The cost of living shock up here was the equivalent of getting kicked in the junk. My girlfriend and I both have good jobs up here earing significantly more than when we lived in the swamps of north central Florida, and yet I feel like we have less money every month.

Check out this cool cost of living calculator I found:
Cost of Living Comparison

This calculator estimates that it's 46.2% more expensive to live in DC than in Gainesville!! EESH!

I checked out the link. It costs 61.5% more to live in Boston (where I was born and raised for 22 years) than Carlsbad, NM (where I have lived for 11 years).

I also checked out the difference between Gainesville and Carlsbad, and it would cost 16.7% more to live in Gainesville.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by angryssg

I just looked at a map. I would have to live roughly 3 to 4 hours away from Carlsbad if I were to move there.

What town would you have to move to?

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by cpayne5

How did you end up in Carlsbad, jsarno?

It's really a long story, but the short story is my wife was offered an HR Director position out of college, and we decided to move here for the experience. We came here on a 5 year plan, then 5 years came and went and every business wanted 7-10 years, so we modified it to 10 years. We almost left, but then this promotion for my wife fell in her lap (25k more a year) so we decided to stay for a couple more years to get this valuable experience. We have always made decisions with the long term value in mind (in terms of career).

[KLHJ2]

Originally Posted by jsarno

What town would you have to move to?

Las Cruces (SP?)

[hesscl34]

Originally Posted by jsarno

The only thing I know about it, is that it's affordable. With the options I want, it will cost around $35k (msrp). With the 10k+ I have in (trade in) equity, I'd be financing only around 22-24k after negotiations.
If I financed 22k at 3.9% for 60 months, it would cost only $404 a month.
Not sure what BMW is offering, but my wife has a 786 credit score and I have a 740 meaning we are "well qualified" and will qualify for thier best offer. We got 1.9% on the Camry.

I only have good things to say about BMWs. Once you own one and drive it all of the time, it will be hard to go back to an average car. This being a new model I might worry about computer glitches, but if you buy new that will all be covered under warranty anyway. BMWs really do give you the ultimate driving experience… there isn't anything else quite like them.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by angryssg

Las Cruces (SP?)

That's basically a "suburb" of El Paso. That's where people live that are sick of all the crime in El Paso. That's about 3 hours from here. You'd be close to the White Sands too...interesting place. They were just testing missles there the other day and shut down the highways.

Las Cruces has a slightly higher cost of living than Carlsbad, but there is more to do, and you're only 30-40 minutes from El Paso and an international airport.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by hesscl34

I only have good things to say about BMWs. Once you own one and drive it all of the time, it will be hard to go back to an average car. This being a new model I might worry about computer glitches, but if you buy new that will all be covered under warranty anyway. BMWs really do give you the ultimate driving experience… there isn't anything else quite like them.

I would have to travel a minimum of 2 hours and 15 minutes for any warrenty issues which makes me concerned about the comments of glitches in the electronics etc.
I've always heard the in line 6 is the most reliable engine out there, but I haven't often heard about the electronics.

[hesscl34]

Originally Posted by jsarno

I would have to travel a minimum of 2 hours and 15 minutes for any warrenty issues which makes me concerned about the comments of glitches in the electronics etc.
I've always heard the in line 6 is the most reliable engine out there, but I haven't often heard about the electronics.

My car in a 2001 3series. I've had one computer glitch only since I've owned it - my oil light came on and stayed on, even though there was oil in it. That was fixed under warranty.

HOWEVER, remember brakes and oil changes..etc are more expensive in German cars. So once your warranty is up you might want to sell it. I love mine too much and am willing to pay for the maintenance on it. I’ll have it until it dies….

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by hesscl34

My car in a 2001 3series. I've had one computer glitch only since I've owned it - my oil light came on and stayed on, even though there was oil in it. That was fixed under warranty.

HOWEVER, remember brakes and oil changes..etc are more expensive in German cars. So once your warranty is up you might want to sell it. I love mine too much and am willing to pay for the maintenance on it. I’ll have it until it dies….

I thought about the 3 series due to their track record and (in my opinion) amazing looks, but they have grown too expensive. I can't justify buying one for 47k or more. Nor do I want to even try to justify that. That's what makes this 1 series so much more appealing. If money was no object I'd get a 6 series convertible or a 7 series, but money is an obsticle for me (unlike smootsmack...just kidding). 40k is just too much to spend on a car in my opinion (unless it's a vette...mmmmmm, veeetttttteeeeee).
How much do the oil changes go for?

[KLHJ2]

Originally Posted by jsarno

That's basically a "suburb" of El Paso. That's where people live that are sick of all the crime in El Paso. That's about 3 hours from here. You'd be close to the White Sands too...interesting place. They were just testing missles there the other day and shut down the highways.

Las Cruces has a slightly higher cost of living than Carlsbad, but there is more to do, and you're only 30-40 minutes from El Paso and an international airport.

Exactly.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by jsarno

I thought about the 3 series due to their track record and (in my opinion) amazing looks, but they have grown too expensive. I can't justify buying one for 47k or more. Nor do I want to even try to justify that. That's what makes this 1 series so much more appealing. If money was no object I'd get a 6 series convertible or a 7 series, but money is an obsticle for me (unlike smootsmack...just kidding). 40k is just too much to spend on a car in my opinion (unless it's a vette...mmmmmm, veeetttttteeeeee).
How much do the oil changes go for?

I just priced a 328i with options, and it came to $44270.

You can price any car with option at www.bmwusa.com