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1994-2002 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
The main reasons I chose the Viggen coupe over the 330 were practicality, functionality, and price. However, the practicality is diminished with the convertible. Also, one reason I chose the fwd Saab over the rwd Bimmer is because of snow. There's quite a few hills in CT, and I don't see any Bimmers being driven during the winter here, while I do see Saabs and 4wd vehicles. I realize that snow tires help, but I saw too many rwd cars that were floundering up hills that my Jeep (with crappy all season tires) wasn't even getting a workout on. If I new that my Jeep would run forever, I'd have given the 330 more of a chance. For a convertible, if there are no deals on the Saab, then the cars are fairly comparable in price (I priced them at http://www.carpoint.com with similar options -- the 330 does offer more options, however, that I did not price).
About build quality and other issues: The only problem with my car (other than the occasional torque steer) is my tranny is stiff when shifting. However, I only ride a few miles to work, so it doesn't really have a chance to get warm. Also, go to http://www.bimmer.org and look at all the problems the 3-series are having. The main problem seems to be a fan controller that fails and causes the engine to overheat. It's back-ordered several weeks.
Depreciation isn't important for me, as I will keep the car for 10 years or more, after which any car (except maybe a Rolls or a Porsche) will be worthless.
So, this is a hard call. Both are very nice cars. If price is the same and Id plan on doing little winter travel, I'd have to go for the 330, simply because I like rwd better than fwd. I like oversteer more than understeer. However, I hear that BMW has lightened the steering a bit, and I'd have to do a back-to-back test drive of both cars. Even then, it's still a hard call because the turbo adds some spice to driving. Now, if the Viggen were all-wheel-drive (real awd, not the "30-70" split -- or whatever it is -- that BMW uses in its xi), I'd go for the Saab because build quality is about the same in my mind and I like the looks of the Saab much better. Also, I find that people who drive Saabs tend to like the car, while people who buy BMWs tend to like the prestige of the car, unless they buy an M3 or M coupe.
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