2016 bmw 118i sport or 2017 mazda3 sport as first car

[ring_gt]

Hi guys. I am gonna be purchasing my first car soon, and I need advice on what to get. Basically, I am torn between getting a used 2016 bmw 118i sport or a used 2017 mazda3 sport.

Prices of both cars in my area are pretty close, so budget is not an issue. I am also opting for a car model that is within these last 2 years as I plan tonise the car for a long time, and the brand new models of bothare too expensive.

Thanks

[ScoobyChris]

Which did you prefer on the test drive?

Chris

[ZX10R NIN]

Great choice to have as a first car, I'd go for the Mazda it'll be loaded with kit & it's a decent drive too.

[ring_gt]

I actually cant decide. Both had above average handling and was really fun to drive. I would be happy with either.

In all honesty i was set to get the mazda 3 till I realized the price was similar to the bmw. And the bmw interior was so much sleeker.

what im worried about with the bmw was the maintenance cost. I assume, as its bmw, maintenance and repair cost will be a lot higher, is it?

[PaddyPadsPat]

Both great choices as a first car. I'm assuming you're under 25? Is so, what's the insurance like for both? As I would imagine that would be a big factor.

[ScoobyChris]

My experience is that the BMW main dealer servicing (at least on the 4 cylinder engines) is no more expensive than other marques and in some cases, because of the CBS, quite a bit cheaper. Customer service at the 4 BMW dealerships I've used has also been top notch as well which I can't say for any of the other brands I've used - my last car was a Focus. Worth doing your own research to see what the costs and intervals are.

Not sure about parts costs - again they don't seem to be that far off what I've paid for other brands, but I always shop around anyway.

FWIW, I am back in a 1 series

Chris

[tallpaul26]

How long do you intend to keep the car and how many miles do you drive?

Will you have the car serviced at main dealerships or by a local independent?

I'd look at the service schedules for both and how they been serviced to-date. The BMW will likely be variable (i.e. the car tells you when and what to service) and the Mazda fixed at something like every 12 months/12k miles. On that basis, depending on use, it could work out cheaper to service the BMW.

[ikonic]

Worth checking if the BMW has a service pack included as the majority of new BMWs these days tend to be sold with a service pack which will give you free servicing for X number of years depending on the model.

If buying from a main dealer, might be worthwhile trying to negotiate one if not, but as said, BMW servicing on the more mundane (non M) cars tends to be pretty reasonable.

I'd personally be tempted by the Mazda as having had a few 1 Series in various guises through work and personally, I'm pretty bored by them but I suspect that the BMW will be the more sensible buy in your case as I'd imagine it'd hold its value better long term.