Edit: GONE - not looking back: Have you ever bought a new car and hated it...

[Engineer]

or disliked it so much that you took a hit VERY EARLY to get something else?

That's the dilemma that I'm faced with. Bought a 2015 BMW 328i Xdrive on an 'infatuation' (and good price I think) deal. After having it for a few months, not very happy with it. It's sporty and has quite a lot of power (but I'm not the run and gun type) but it's not very comfortable to me, especially my legs on a long trip. Other things irk me and I just can't shake them. Have a fear of approaching the wife about it but if it weren't for that, I would have eaten some money already to get something that I really want (and would love) - not sure what that is just yet. Wife might just kill me over it, lol (either that or I'm going to have to pony up for a new kitchen at the same time! )

Anyone else or am I completely alone (and crazy).....

59 more payments on something that I don't know if I can grow to like (much less love)....*sigh*

Edit: 07/09/16: Took the hit on the chin and sent it packing. Night and day difference in comfort. Hope for many years of enjoyable and comfortable driving in this one (officially in an old man car now, lol! :biggrin: )

 

[JulesMaximus]

That sucks man. What do you think you'd get instead?

 

[Engineer]

That sucks man. What do you think you'd get instead?

To be honest, I don't know. I have been a big fan (but not test drove) of the Lexus ES 350 for years but don't care as much for the larger grills now included (other than that, beautiful car). I suspect it would be more my style - comfort, more cushy, etc.

I could sell the BMW to a private party and do better but more work and always afraid of getting taken at gunpoint, lol (or someone test driving and stealing the car). I would lose money overall, especially when you consider tax,title and license twice. I owe far less on it than what I 'think' I could get out of it because of the down payment.

I test drove it and it felt pretty good but I think that I let the car name get to me over what I was really feeling during the drive. Was blinded by the shiny stuff instead of the substance.

Might just have to suck it up and live with the choice for a while. Afraid to even approach the wife at this point about it. Maybe if I go out and get a new job with a big raise!

I just didn't do enough legwork on this one and it's biting me....hard.

 

[shortylickens]

Chevy Cavalier.

Turned it in for a pickup.

 

[Engineer]

Chevy Cavalier.

Turned it in for a pickup.

That doesn't surprise me (based on the Cavalier). How long did you keep it?

 

[JulesMaximus]

To be honest, I don't know. I have been a big fan (but not test drove) of the Lexus ES 350 for years but don't care as much for the larger grills now included (other than that, beautiful car). I suspect it would be more my style - comfort, more cushy, etc.

I could sell the BMW to a private party and do better but more work and always afraid of getting taken at gunpoint, lol (or someone test driving and stealing the car). I would lose money overall, especially when you consider tax,title and license twice. I owe far less on it than what I 'think' I could get out of it because of the down payment.

I test drove it and it felt pretty good but I think that I let the car name get to me over what I was really feeling during the drive. Was blinded by the shiny stuff instead of the substance.

Might just have to suck it up and live with the choice for a while. Afraid to even approach the wife at this point about it. Maybe if I go out and get a new job with a big raise!

I just didn't do enough legwork on this one and it's biting me....hard.

The Lexus is a solid choice but having owned one it really really lacks any performance aspirations. It is comfortable and well equipped and if you're carrying passengers it is very roomy. The only thing I don't like about it is the brakes. They are adequate but nothing more and if you push the car at all they quickly fade and/or warp... and it's not a car you want to push. It doesn't handle well and the steering offers no feedback at all.

Give it a test drive though. If there is one thing positive I can say about Lexus dealers is there is no pressure at all. I would say that about BMW and Mercedes too. Great dealership experience with no pressure at all.

 

[Engineer]

The Lexus is a solid choice but having owned one it really really lacks any performance aspirations. It is comfortable and well equipped and if you're carrying passengers it is very roomy. The only thing I don't like about it is the brakes. They are adequate but nothing more and if you push the car at all they quickly fade and/or warp... and it's not a car you want to push. It doesn't handle well and the steering offers no feedback at all.

Give it a test drive though. If there is one thing positive I can say about Lexus dealers is there is no pressure at all. I would say that about BMW and Mercedes too. Great dealership experience with no pressure at all.

The BMW's brakes are nothing to write home about (actually one of the complaints unless you upgrade to the M-Sport braking system). Also, one of the biggest complaints about the 12-15 models in body roll, which has been made better in 2016 LCI models. The arm rest isn't long enough for me, the door handles cut into my knees, the raised floor on the driver side (WTF BMW?) makes it impossible for my legs to get comfortable on a trip with cruise control turned on. Did 'code' some of the other annoyances out of the car (like holding the keyfob unlock key too long will unroll the windows and open the moonroof - I discovered it open in my garage twice like this. I could only image accidentally pressing the unlock button at work during a rain storm and filling the car with water). Of course, I didn't do enough research before buying the damn thing, nor did I spend enough time driving it out of fear from dealer pressure I suppose.

Coming from a 13 year old Dodge Intrepid, I don't need (or want) anything of a 'super car' in terms of power. I would like a nicer car with plenty of power and very comfortable for a middle aged man who should have looked past the glitz of the Ultimate Driving Machine. Also, Dodge is not pleasant on brakes either but at least the components are cheap and easy to replace. Lexus couldn't be worst than the Intrepid.

People who know me know I hate spending money and even worse, hate losing money so for me to even be thinking this shows how I feel about the situation. Makes me sick....so very sick (and ashamed too).

Anyone tried Carmax buying service? Do they offer more than typical dealer trade ins?

(dealer trade ins seem nice until you realize that they would have lowered the car you're buying down more had you not had the trade in)

 

[Kaido]

Yup. My 2015 Jeep Renegade. It's a great car, but I got a lemon. Mine is constantly in the shop & has a bunch of annoying problems. It's partially my fault for buying a first-gen car from a manufacturer with a reputation for poor quality control; caveat emptor & all that. I basically have four options:

1. Keep it & just deal with the issues, and hope someday they can fix them all

2. Lemon-law it once I hit the requirements for my state, which will involve lawyers & money

3. Wait until it depreciates to KBB value & trade it in for something else

4. Get out of it early & just eat the depreciation

#3 is the least-hassle option. Although I am getting frustrated enough to go the lemon-law route; I'm taking it in again next week for the same issue (electronic bugs) for the third time (already been in half a dozen times total), so one more time after that (has to have four unresolved repair attempts made) & I can start filling out paperwork (the process begins with a 16-page form to fill out & a $50 fee, ugh).

 

[Stopsignhank]

Last year in October we were looking for a car for my wife. Drove the 328 and I just did not like it. At least to me it did not give the ride I would expect for a step up in grade of car. My wife did not want to even test drive a Mercedes because it was an old man's car. I finally stopped the car and forced her to get out at the Mercedes dealer. As soon as we started the test drive I knew it was the car. She did some more test drives and we ended up with the C300 and she absolutely loves it.

As someone on another forum said, Mercedes are a sporty luxury car and BWMs are a luxury sporty car. To me the Mercedes has a smoother ride and still handles pretty damn well.

When we traded in her 2009 Camry we used Carmax. We could have probably gotten more if we sold it privately but did not want the hassle. All the dealers we talked to said to take the car to Carmax first and they would see if they would match it. They did not match it.

Not sure if this helps, just telling you my experience.

 

[Herr Kutz]

I bought a versa for my first vehicle and when I took a test drive everything seemed normal but after a couple days of owning it I could tell the previous owner smoked. I seriously regretted the decision but being in college that was all I could afford so I instead had it steam cleaned twice. After that the smell was non existent and since then I've really liked it (for what it is anyway). I am still impressed with the utility of a hatch and don't think I could ever move to a sedan.

 

[Engineer]

Talked to the wife about this. Was very difficult to bring it up. She didn't understand why I didn't like the car and knew that we would be losing money (quite a bit possibly) but said that if I had to do it, go ahead. Now I'm torn from her tone of voice. She even said to take her Chrysler 200 convertible in and trade it in and get myself something and she would keep the BMW. She loves that convertible so that's a non starter. Think she was trying to give me a way out without losing the money on the new purchase.

I told myself that I was going to give it a try to keep it but that didn't last more than an hour and now I'm having doubts again. I hate to make 59 more payments (or any more) for something that is losing value and losing my interest even more. I read a few stories from a Google search of people who did the same. The ones that got rid of the vehicle seemed to take it as an expensive lesson and were much happier. Those that kept it seemed to be unhappy still and still an expensive lesson. Of course, there were a few that swung each way though. Someone said that you'll never remember the extra $100 per month that you spent on the lesson, but you'll remember the unhappy keeping of the car forever.

This is the second worst financial mistake that I've ever made but it's not even close to the first (which could have bought nearly two of the cars at what I paid for them) so in contrast, this isn't even in the ballpark of that one. This one is somewhat correctable....first one....not so much.

*sigh*



Biggest case of buyer's remorse that I've ever had.....bar none...and it's not even close.

 

[leper84]

Driving a car you hate sucks. To me it was worth loosing a little ground to get what wouldn't piss me off every time I drive. Life is too short.

Sounds like the car you want is more like an Accord EX-L V6, or a higher trim level Fusion. I'd test drive em and see what you think. Just don't let the sales scum take advantage of your situation and murder you on the trade in, check your options.

May be worth putting a feeler out on that new kitchen....

 

[JulesMaximus]

Last year in October we were looking for a car for my wife. Drove the 328 and I just did not like it. At least to me it did not give the ride I would expect for a step up in grade of car. My wife did not want to even test drive a Mercedes because it was an old man's car. I finally stopped the car and forced her to get out at the Mercedes dealer. As soon as we started the test drive I knew it was the car. She did some more test drives and we ended up with the C300 and she absolutely loves it.

As someone on another forum said, Mercedes are a sporty luxury car and BWMs are a luxury sporty car. To me the Mercedes has a smoother ride and still handles pretty damn well.

When we traded in her 2009 Camry we used Carmax. We could have probably gotten more if we sold it privately but did not want the hassle. All the dealers we talked to said to take the car to Carmax first and they would see if they would match it. They did not match it.

Not sure if this helps, just telling you my experience.

I absolutely love our CLS550. It is fast, comfortable, sporty and it has excellent brakes and handling. It rides like a dream. We took it on a 300 mile road trip up the coast of California a couple weeks ago and the first leg of our trip I spent four hours behind the wheel without stopping once when the car chimed and suggested that I pull over and take a break.

If you can afford it, it's a fantastic car.

 

[tortillasoup]

If you have a car that steeply depreciates and you don't like it, DON'T DRIVE IT; SELL IT! BMWs are high maintenance vehicles and they have a steep depreciation curve. Admitting that you don't like a car and want to get rid of it is perfectly ok especially if you're the type of person who doesn't usually make these kinds of mistakes. If this was a normal habit of yours, it would be a problem but I'm assuming it isn't so I'm sure admitting you screwed up this one time isn't a huge deal.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Kind of. I bought a 200k mile 2004 pontiac vibe as a replacement beater when my 89 dodge caravan finally bit the bullet. It was 1/2 mile from my house, the price was right, and I needed something NOW. Everything worked well after I fixed a few little problems and the car was rock solid but good god it was the most boring thing I've ever driven and I was coming from an 89 dodge caravan. I had an accident with it when a cable line came loose from the pole and ripped my bike and roof rack off the top of the car. Comcast paid me almost as much as I paid for the car for the damage and I pocketed the money instead of fixing the car. I then sold the car after a year and a half for $200 more than I paid. Great car .

 

[boomerang]

The car I have now. After a succession of Buick's, I decided to go with a 2014 CTS. I have it on a three year lease with one year left.

This is my story and I have no one to blame but myself.

I am mostly unhappy with the ride. It has as standard "sport suspension". This may work great in many parts of the country, in fact I know it does as we recently returned from a trip to Virginia. But on Michigan roads the ride is horrible. We both hate it. My wife cannot find a comfortable setting for the seat either. On a long trip her back starts to hurt her and I must stop frequently so she can get out and move around.

The insurance is insanely expensive on this car too. When I was a younger guy I used to call and find out what insurance was going to run me on such and such a car before I pulled the trigger. I haven't had to do this for many, many years, perhaps decades, but I sure wish I had on this car.

One year left...

 

[Kaido]

The car I have now. After a succession of Buick's, I decided to go with a 2014 CTS. I have it on a three year lease with one year left.

This is my story and I have no one to blame but myself.

I am mostly unhappy with the ride. It has as standard "sport suspension". This may work great in many parts of the country, in fact I know it does as we recently returned from a trip to Virginia. But on Michigan roads the ride is horrible. We both hate it. My wife cannot find a comfortable setting for the seat either. On a long trip her back starts to hurt her and I must stop frequently so she can get out and move around.

The insurance is insanely expensive on this car too. When I was a younger guy I used to call and find out what insurance was going to run me on such and such a car before I pulled the trigger. I haven't had to do this for many, many years, perhaps decades, but I sure wish I had on this car.

One year left...

http://www.swapalease.com/

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Not surprising you dislike the BMW - it's actually smaller on the interior than a Civic. Civic = 98 cu ft, BMW 96 cu ft.

Car you should have bought was a 2016 Impala LTZ or the 2017 Premier. Chevy is discounting the 2016's 20% off all day long.

$41K MSRP fully loaded with all the tech goodies

305HP, 20" wheels, leather, moonroof, navigation, Adaptive cruise control, heated/ventilated memory seats, wireless phone charging, heated steering wheel........

 

[Engineer]

Not surprising you dislike the BMW - it's actually smaller on the interior than a Civic. Civic = 98 cu ft, BMW 96 cu ft.

Car you should have bought was a 2016 Impala LTZ or the 2017 Premier. Chevy is discounting the 2016's 20% off all day long.

$41K MSRP fully loaded with all the tech goodies

305HP, 20" wheels, leather, moonroof, navigation, Adaptive cruise control, heated/ventilated memory seats, wireless phone charging, heated steering wheel........

WILL not ever buy a GM again. Four in a row and EVERY single one has had more issues (one being Lemon Law worthy) than all SIX of my Chrysler products combined.

As for the BMW, I have plenty of leg room and body room, what I don't have is places to place my legs when not straight out. My knees end up into door handles or the center console in a way that's not comfortable. The hump on the drivers side doesn't allow me to pull my legs back comfortably. The seats aren't nearly as comfortable as I would have thought. Was very happy to get back in my Intrepid (after I replaced the fuel pump) because the seats were so much more comfortable in it. Many other nags that shouldn't be an issue with a car of this stature/cost (throttle lag is another big one and a known issue with BMW and other German cars - just wish I knew it before hand).

 

[pimpin-tl]

If you want something comfortable but also sporty from Lexus, the GS350 F-Sport is what you need to look at. I am not sure if they have a F-Sport in the ES350, but it adds the sport to those cars. You can get a great deal on a CPO one slightly used with low miles now. I will be also looking to get one myself at the beginning of the next year. But, I also had to eat my lunch on a car I thought I would enjoy but didn't. I bought a 2015 Chevrolet SS, with the LS3 V8. Fun car, but wasn't the most comfortable car for the family, Noisy, rough on the bumps, terrible gas mileage. I sold it after 6 months and lost my a$$ on it. $11k from what I paid. I will never buy a GM product again because of that. So for now, thankfully I still had my old 2000 Camry LE with 225k on it, and will pay off everything I owe including that 11k, and get myself something nice, comfortable with some sport from Lexus.

 

[Engineer]

If you want something comfortable but also sporty from Lexus, the GS350 F-Sport is what you need to look at. I am not sure if they have a F-Sport in the ES350, but it adds the sport to those cars. You can get a great deal on a CPO one slightly used with low miles now. I will be also looking to get one myself at the beginning of the next year. But, I also had to eat my lunch on a car I thought I would enjoy but didn't. I bought a 2015 Chevrolet SS, with the LS3 V8. Fun car, but wasn't the most comfortable car for the family, Noisy, rough on the bumps, terrible gas mileage. I sold it after 6 months and lost my a$$ on it. $11k from what I paid. I will never buy a GM product again because of that. So for now, thankfully I still had my old 2000 Camry LE with 225k on it, and will pay off everything I owe including that 11k, and get myself something nice, comfortable with some sport from Lexus.

Thanks for that. To be honest, it's not about wanting to get another car immediately, it's about not paying for something for five years that I just don't like as much as I thought I would. Still thinking about cutting it loose right now before it depreciates more (and new model year comes out) and then take my time (months...years?) to get something that I can enjoy and hopefully, keep for a decade or more. Basically, sell it and take the extra money (after payoff), put it in the bank and just take my good ole sweet time on getting an enjoyable ride.

My wife is making it more difficult. She is about the money (loss) side of this and doesn't really understand the feeling that I have. It's a difficult thing to tell your wife that you're willing to eat thousands of dollars in a case like this.

 

[Stopsignhank]

After I brought home my 2013 Accord I did not like the seats. It was not something that you could find in a test drive, but after sitting in the seat for awhile the seat was uncomfortable. Finally after adjusting the seats and getting used to them I was able to find a position that was comfortable, I was close to looking for another car though.

I do know what you are saying about the BMW. I don't know if this is the technical term, but there is no knee room. It is fine if you are sitting straight, but try and move your legs and there is no room. The Lexus 250 is even worse. It seems to be something with cars now. There is so much packed in them that they are putting a lot in the area between the seats and taking up all of the knee room.

 

[Torn Mind]

Seating comfort is probably the number 2 thing I'll look at when buying any car. I know for certain that a 8th gen Corolla/Matrix does not play nice with my body at all, because my mom owns one and I have driven it qyite a bit. If it is bad enough, your muscles get a tensed up, your posture is off, and you need a pro massage to at least relieve the tension a little. It's a hidden cost of vehicle ownership

 

[pimpin-tl]

Seating comfort is probably the number 2 thing I'll look at when buying any car. I know for certain that a 8th gen Corolla/Matrix does not play nice with my body at all, because my mom owns one and I have driven it qyite a bit. If it is bad enough, your muscles get a tensed up, your posture is off, and you need a pro massage to at least relieve the tension a little. It's a hidden cost of vehicle ownership

9th gen Corolla isn't much better. My Dad has one, and I have driven it. I hate it. Not comfortable at all.

 

[Midwayman]

That's is going to be one expensive lesson by the time you pay TTL plus whatever you eat off the deal again. Maybe you can lesson the sting by buying a little less spendy car the 2nd time around?

Another happy MB owner here. You can probably pick up a w204 (2008-2014) for what you sell that xdrive for. Its changed body styles so the older ones are pretty cheap now.