c230 kompressor or bmw 325i
 

i am looking for a "true" four door car that can haul small family but i am torn between this two below :

i am kind of leaning more towards benz in term of the look. every buttons seems to be placed tastefully and its sleek waterfall center consol design is my favourite like the 8. but bimmer has legandary handling and performance. a bit drawback on the bimmer is its serious and bold interior design but i can still live with it.

any opinion to help me decide wud be much appreciated.

I like the beemer, personally. You're not breaking up with the rx8, are you?

There will be nothing legendary about the performance of a 325i. IMO both of those cars are for people that want a BMW or Merecedes but can't really afford to get a good one. Don't get me wrong, they're nice cars, but there are better cars out there for the money, G35 being one of them.

don't worry, she is with me for a long time to come :)

The bmw has a better exterior, the benz has a better interior.

BMW.

Looks are a toss up for me, I don't like either. But the BMW is definately the better all around car.

Now if the Saab 9-3 Aero was rwd, I'd take that over both in a heartbeat :boink:

ironically, i found both entry cars have the best look among the two brands (exception 6 series and SL, but cant afford yet ) . bimmer is making uglier cars these days, too edgy and bold opposite design philosophy against the benz.

definately the 3-series. a more rewarding driving experience vs. the benz and imo just as visually appealing

BMW.... go test drive both and u'll like the BMW's stright 6... u'll fall in love with it... i drive a CLK320 most of the time and when i drove my friends X5 3.0i jsut for 1 night i fell in love with teh stright 6 right away...

I am personnaly bias towards Mercedes, ive always felt its interior was much nicer than BM. Over in singapore the 325 uses the same, be detuned, 3 litre engine as the 330. and i think the 230 Kompressors are going to be phased out, and the 'new' 230 is a 2.5 litre NA V6 engine.
BUt remember that the current c class has been out 5-6 years, and a repalcement is due in a couple of years, where as the 3 series is a really new model.
you've got a tough choice, but i wish i was in such a position....

I would settle for the BMW. Mercedes and BMW are both great, but the exterior of the c230 benz isn't great. BMW looks have been remodeled, a lil less tasteful, but better than the benz, In my opinion. Its so scary to see the mercedes sign sticking up at the front of the car. :)

also, reliability is another thing to be aware of, as mercedes quality and customer ratings have been slipping the past few years

this is just my HONEST opinion. i would never buy a Benz. i work on BMWs and i see all the problems. they might not be true to every single one, but i've seen enough where i don't want to buy a new BMW. the new E90 3 series is a very very nice car...it's just, not for me. if anything, i like the looks of the Lexus IS350. the car looks like it has european styling incorporated in it. the specs look really good on paper as well. i would definately make the Lexus IS350 a serious consideration. again, this is just my HONEST opinion.

in addition, if you're going to spend that much money on a 325i, you might as well just get the 330i. or like IKE said, consider something else.

danomite! hey i just realized that ure from maryland! which bmw dealership do u work at again? i goto skook in college park.

tate bmw of annapolis

i've driven more MBs than BMWs in my life but I would pick the 325i over C230 in this case. C class has been out for a while. 3 series just came out so hands down, i would pick the 3. when the new c class, it would be tough to decide between the two.

+infinity

Infiniti G35
Acura TL
Lexus IS250

how much can you afford? Actually MB just released the C350- utilizing the new v6 in the SLK. its fast. C and D clocked it at 5.5 to 60mph. I'd shoot for this over the kompressor, and yo ucan get the c350 in a 6 speed.

Check out this months car and driver issue for a review.
It is based at 38K. (bare bones) but has a nice engine. I'm not saying get this over the 325, but rather, if you get a Benz, check out the c350.

Its looks identical to the kompressors styling wise, just has the hotter engine.

I think they dropped the Kompressor for 06 though--they still have the C230 but its a more powerful engine sans the supercharger. Me personally I like the look of the C-Class more than the new 3 series, I've driven both cars and while the BMW drives the best I think I'd go for the C class--the style is more pleasing to me. I'd seriously give a look to the G35 and IS350 before both of these though--the problem with the G35 is lackluster interior quality and style.

TL or IS

Well not sure if this helps or not since my 325i was an 01 but I would not buy anouther. Between the plastic bracket that hold up the windows failing at least every other month no matter how much I babied the door and the leather seats wearing all the way to the fabric in under a year I was disapoined to say the least. Also had 3 blow outs in about a 1.5yrs with the crappy continental stock tires. Didn't matter how much I paid attention to them either. My Maxima had better tires then my $34,000 BMW.

On the other hand BMW does have the best costumer service and roadside assistance plan I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. They get payed based on your review so they treated me like a king even though I had their cheapest car. Now over all I am satisfied by Mazda but I do miss the customer is always right policy at BMW. I also never had to wait more then 2 days to get my car back and never was put in anything less then anouther 325i. Towards the end I was taking their Z4 every time I was in for service.

-Boxcar

Beware Mercedes quality. The Daimler-Chrysler merger didn't bring the quality of Chrysler up to Mercedes. Sorta the other way around.

that is a few years back. they recently appointed a new chairman and he's on every employee's arse to improve quality. we'll see how he does..

thanks for all the input.
i know mb is releasing new c class next year but the look doesnt really please my eyes. C350 might be hot but its kind of over my budget. i am looking for something below 35K. 325i looks tough but being a first year model is kind of worry me.

my options have expanded though, and i am going to test drive is250 manual this weekend and see how the car works for me.

i wont trade in my 8 this time as i love the car and she will be with me for a long time ;)