Re: …Car Lovers…
On price, features and insurance cost, the new Accord will win every time.
On fun to drive, the BMW will win.
Why don’t you test drive the BMW and then decide? The one reason why you would own a BMW instead of a Accord is because the BMW is a sportier car.
In 1999 my dad was tempted to sell the BMW (5 years old by that time) and buy a Honda Accord to replace it. On price, features and insurance cost the Honda Accord made incredibly good sense.
Then my dad took the Accord for a test drive. We left the dealership immediately thereafter. My dad thought the Accord did not handle well, it rolled too much, and was too noisy inside. He stated that after driving the BMW he just could not be happy with the Accord.
It has harder suspension so it leans less in corners, it has rear-wheel drive so it is more balanced and avoids understeer, and its interior is designed to feel reminiscent of a cockpit rather than simply a place to sit and drive.
The Accord will have more interior space. All BMWs are designed to be first and foremost drivers cars.
My 3 year old Volvo S60 with 50,000 miles on it cost as much as a brand new Honda Accord V6, but given a choice, I would go and buy the Volvo all over again. There’s a special feeling you get from a luxury sports sedan that you just don’t get in other cars.
But I’m aware that the car may need work since its ageing. That’s why I bought a genuine Volvo 4-year extended warranty to cover almost any failure in my car until April 2009. If you buy a used BMW, I’d recommend do it from a dealer on BMW’s approved used scheme so that you get a 2-year warranty with it.
To be honest, most desis would want the sensible car rather the fun car. I know that back in the days when I was your age, I was of that mindset and so I bought a brand new Honda civic instead of a used sports sedan.
I eventually developed into a mindset that sensibility and practicality be damned, I wanted a sportier car with a powerful engine with lots of torque and sports (hard) suspension, so I went and bought the used Volvo when I moved to Canada.
Certainly, I did consider the Honda Accord but the sight of it never took my breath away like the sight of a sleek Volvo S60 did.