We've had our 2002 BMW 325i for a little over 8 years. Picture taken just a few minutes ago.
It's our commute car, we drive about 35 miles each way to work, so it's racked up a lot of miles over the years. We bought it Certified Pre-Owned, which meant we had warranty and maintenance coverage up to 100,000 miles. We crossed the 100,000 mark about 3 1/2 years into owning it, and since then have had it maintained at an independent German Auto repair shop. Last month, we crossed this milestone.
It's been a very good car for us, but maintenance costs have become prohibitive over the last year or so, and we decided to look for a replacement. The other consideration is that Gasoline has gone up significantly in price over the last 8 years, so we decided to look for something a bit more economical. The BMW averages about 23 MPG most of the year, while we get closer to 24 MPG on our commute in the Winter when we don't run the A/C. On a long run on a flat highway, the car is still capable of getting its EPA rating on MPG of about 28 MPG, and we've even done as well as 30 for stretches. But our outset goal was to improve by about 5 MPG.
BMW has gone to a 4 Cylinder Turbo in the 328i for the 2012 model year, but those are not available pre-owned, and we wanted to keep our spend closer to about $30,000. We had pretty much settled on a new
Dodge Dart R/T.
Lower trim models of the Dart are delivering to dealers now, but the R/T has been delayed and it looks like we'll be into next year before one can be ordered. A fully optioned R/T was going to run a little less than $30,000. If you don't know much about them, this is the first project Fiat (new owners of Chrysler) and Dodge have collaborated on. It uses the Multi-Air engine technology from Fiat, and is built on an Alfa Romeo platform. The interior appointments and overall styling are very un-Dodge like.
Dodge has not published EPA ratings for this car, but it is to have a 2.4 liter NA 4 cylinder with 184 HP. The car is about the same overall dimensions as the 3 series, with weight of about 3,300 lbs.
With the delay on the Darts, I began to research alternatives. Again, our goals -
- Combined Fuel Economy of 28 MPG
- Comparable Interior Appointments to the BMW
- Comparable Performance to the BMW (The Dart at 184 HP would be the minimum acceptable)
- Price of around $30,000 or less
- Strong warranty coverage, since we will be racking up the miles
Last weekend, we went and drove a Hyundai Sonata, and it's near corporate twin, the car we ended up with. They offer an optional 2.0 Liter Turbo 4 cylinder that's rated at 274 HP with 269 ft lbs of torque. Fuel economy is 22/34, for a combined rating of 28 MPG. MSRP is slightly above $30,000. We drove the Hyundai and the car we ended up buying on the same day. The car we bought has a sportier feel and nicer interior appointments than the Hyundai. And we liked the exterior styling a little better as well.
So this is what we ended up with.
A fully optioned 2013 Kia Optima SX.
For the record, I can't believe I bought a Kia either. But I have to say, it's a very nice car, priced very competitively, with a great warranty. And that is just a fantastic little 4 cylinder they have built.
If you're wondering, yes, those are paddle shifters you see on the wheel.