I am planning to buy a car for my son who is in college. I need help in choosing between a BMW 335xi and a 535xi. And whether to include the iDrive option from the factory or stay away from it due to its bad reports.
Many of us on the Cars.com staff have fond memories of the cars we drove throughout college and in our younger years. None of those buckets of bolts were a 5 or 3 Series, though, so kudos to you. We say go with the 3 Series instead of 5 Series for your son.
Cars.com reviewer David Thomas explains:
“You're one nice dad! We'd have to say go with the 335xi for a few reasons. It's a bit more hip/youthful than a 5 Series, plus it's less money, gets better mileage and will still have good resale value. We're certainly not fans of iDrive, and you could easily live without it, but if you want navigation iDrive comes attached.”
To back up the sporty appeal of the 3 Series, the AWD 335xi is now available as a two-door coupe for 2008; last year, you could only get the 335xi as a sedan.
If you’re still undecided, we set up a Side-by-Side Comparison of the 335xi and 535xi that you can find here.
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Buy a 7 series.