Going from a BMW to a Prius: thoughts?

I traded in my 2006 BMW 325i for a 2012 Prius IV with Solar and never regretted the decision. The Bimmer was a sporty car with a unique drive but the cost of ownership was a hardship. Once the car got about 3 years expensive repairs followed, Brakes $300 per wheel, $150 oil changes, premium gas, 22 MPG combined, $1,200 for run flat tires, $1000 tune ups, windows stopped working $500, and much more. The Prius has more features, drives very smooth, takes 87 octane, low maintenance and you attract a better quality girl.

 

Sorry, that is not correct. Prius is the best selling hybrid in Americia.
The prius family combined only rise to #13 vehichle, see
September 2012 Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In America - GOOD CAR BAD CAR

Its about #8 for cars.


To the OP.. You mgiht want to test drive multiple cars, including the Volt, CT200h, Tesla, as well as the Prius.
Many threads at gm-volt.com from prior BMW owners. Great power, quiet, more luxury feel, at least to me.
Oh and as in my signature.. way less gas than any traditional hybrid. For me, even less gas than I would have used in a Leaf.

 

Ok not the whole country.

But it is the best selling car in california of any car hybrid or non. And my family and friends have driven $90k cars for years, and most of them have switched to a prius, and then got a new prius not even considering going back to BMW or Mercedes.

 

We've had our 2012 Prius for a couple of months now. Sold a BMW M5 before buying; still have a Mercedes E320 wagon.

The Prius is unquestionably an econobox. Even after amending the sound deadening (while installing leather upholstery, which this car is not available with), it is a rattletrap. Lots of road noise. Brain dead handling, numb steering, lazy acceleration. Lousy rear window vision. Ditto front corners.

Having said this, the fuel mileage is tremendous, particularly around town and in stop&go traffic. The car seems best in this environment. Long trips in it are not horrible, just sorta' tiresome.

So, if you view a car in the same light as - say - a refrigerator or washing machine, then the Prius is a good choice. Car as appliance. Bland, efficient, trouble free, cost effective. Perfect car for folks who don't care about cars.

If you enjoy driving and see your car as a personal statement somehow, by all means keep your BMW.

 

^^^
Wow, there's a huge contrast from BMW M5 to a Prius, esp. in the performance and handling department.

 

Minor services with 0-20 synthetic cost about $100 and are required at a greater frequency, so no savings there.


iPhone ?

 

Yes agree the BMW required oil changes every 18,000 Miles and the Prius every 10,000 miles.

 

The two cars are so completely different that there is no rational comparison. Only you know if the relative merits of a new prius (gas mileage, late life maintenance costs) are worth the $20,000 - $30,000 price. We have 2 prius (2005, 2010) in our family but I'll stick with my BMW (2001 530i). It's been more reliable and gets better gas mileage than our Lexus.

To each his/her own.

 

Hypermilers or those of us interested in technology like the Prius much more than the typical appliance. I always find it amussing when luxury car owner use that line of reasoning. If you don't like cars you love the Prius. *rolls eyes*

 

My discourse is based on experience. When I purchased my Bimmer my reasoning was heck it will cost more but last longer. Look at all the older 325I’s on the road some as long as 20 years or more. This is an investment. My 325i 2006 was the first year of the E90 and it had plenty of problems. My purchase was within 1 month of the release. Never will do that again. If I leased it and handed it in at the 3 year mark than no problems since the warranty and free maintenance covered the problems. My file of receipts over 7 years is as thick as a Dictionary. I remember the top oil gasket leaked and that cost $600 to fix. The front head light had water in it after a rain storm, so much for BMW quality. The steering wheel made a funny noise when you turned the wheel. The dealer had the car for a week and discovered the gasket was crimped. That cost nothing since it was a warranty issue. The front wind shield cracked after being 6 weeks old. The fuel pump went at 100K miles. The leather seats worn out early and looked shabby. The battery died at 5 years old. Brakes needed to be replaced at 30K miles at $300 per tire. Tune up and some coil replacements cost $1,200. Window motor died after the warranty $500. Oil changes cost $150. There is much more than this. The car was a Money PIT and I will never buy another luxury German Car as long as I live. I had friends who warned me and I now understand all based on experience. My previous cars were all Japanese Toyota, Honda, Acura and sure I had problems but not as Frequent and expensive as the bimmer. I owned a Honda Civic for 10 years, after 4 years gave it to my daughter who drove it through HS and College clocked in 250,000 miles just routine maintenance. What a joy. A gal I knew purchased a Prius Gen II and ownes it for years, hardly no issues, economical, reliable and I have been in the car it is comfortable. To me it made sense to have peace of mind, and make a statement about the car I drive. I purchased one. My Prius investment is a joy and I never regret the decision. I have 2 friends that sold there Bimmers and one replaced it with a Jeep Grand Cherokee and the second with a Lexus. Many expressed similar frustrations with there Bimmer experience. Bimmer fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. That's my opinion.

 

I switched from an infiniti j30 and was considering a new BMW, Lexus and Mercedes (drove them all) but I got to tell you.. they all seemed like old tech compared to the Prius. Plus after you drive a hybrid and go back to a "luxury" car you can't stand the vibration the car makes at stops.. it's really annoying and something you notice compared to the Prius. BMW and Mercedes cannot hold a candle to the Prius.. they are hopelessly old tech. the Prius is much more of a high performance machine than these are.. just a different type of high performance. Personally if I were going luxury.. I would be thinking Tesla.. not a loud, vibrating, hunk of old out-dated tech from BMW and Mercedes... but that's me.

 

FWIW, the 2013 3 series shuts the engine off at stoplights.

 

It began w/the 2012 model year, if not earlier a bit earlier. I test drove the '12 328i and 335i a few months ago and the auto-start stop was amusing, in particular the start sound. It's pretty funny to hear BMW 3-serieses make the funny auto-start sound. I've never heard any other hybrids (HSD or not) make the same type of sound when starting.

 

I went from a 2008 E550 mercedes with over 400hp, thought I would miss it, havent looked back, I wasnt going to get all the refined creature comforts, going from a 90k car to a 25k car. But no more high maintenance costs, gas cost dropped, insurance went down a little bit.

 

My wife has a Acura TSX which is about 3 years old. It has the Tech package with Nav + Leather seats. She likes the car. She is in outside sales and uses the car to drive around the city to various appointments. I have the 2012 Prius. After seeing my gas bill drop 70% per month she is now convinced that her next car will be a Hybrid and Prius is in the mix. She drove the Acura ILX she likes a nice interior but is not sure if that is her car. She will look at the Lexus Small hybrid car next. She is in no hurry and I'm guessing in late 2013 she will make a move. I can see myself in 2015 or 16 buying a new Prius an selling my current one when the Prius Gen 4 is released and not the first production year. PIP may be my choice.

 

You've received great responses already so I will go in a different direction. I've never owned a BMW (I've driven an M3 a few times). As you know, the Prius and BMW are different. What I think you should do it determine your wants, needs and desires. For instance, if one of those is a sporty, great handling car, that is not the Prius (as compared to the BMW). But if that is NOT an issue, then maybe the Prius is your car (gas milage, maintenance, etc.). Also, if you are young and hip and want to pick up on a lot of women, ....

The good news is that you have selected two very different cars, so you won't be splitting hairs trying to determine which one is better given a certain issue. But I'm sure that doesn't help you much.

Good luck picking. And whichever one you choose, have fun with it.

Mike

 

Mike there is no doubt that a BMW or a Porsche is a Chick Magnet. I can tell you from experience. So no doubt the car that can help you in the cause. Just lease it and turn it in at lease end before the car bleeds you dry like a Blue eyed Blond Beverly Hills California Actress milks a Middle Aged Director of Fortune and access in exchange for a Saturday Night Date and a King Sized Mattress ending with no holds barred.

 

Heh. When I lived in WA state, BMWs at my work were real common. It was almost like the 3-series was the unofficial car of my company. To me, they were a dime a dozen and most didn't stand out in any way.

I used to a have a 350Z (pic of it before I sold it :/) and I did get positive attention from some women w/it, but unfortunately, they were either unavailable, not my type or WAY too old (enough to be my mother or even older ).

 

So, to the OP, if you are looking at a 7 series BMW (I guess you ain't attracting many ladies with a 3 series except for maybe an M3 which I believe is a modified 3 series), and are looking for some evening companionship, that would be the way to go. At least, you can put that as a plus for the BMW.

However, there are the liberal, tree-hugging, hippie (yeah, I know it's a bad generalization) ladies who will go for the Prius driver.

FYI, my girlfriend said she'd refuse to ride with me if I bought a Prius. Now, she won't stop bugging me to drive my Prius. But it took a few months for her to come around to my way of thinking.

Mike

 

That can happen at certain businesses, where some nice cars become commonplace (I used to work at a country club where nice BIG cars were commonplace, but that was a long time ago). And in certain circumstances, the Prius can look very good in a crowd of BMW's. So, to the OP, you might have to look to diversity. On second thought, you should still just put the good and bad attributes to each car and decide.

Happy hunting (for the car not the ladies).

Mike