BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

brave1heart

<<< they had to move the cats closer to the engine to heat up faster >>>

The cats must have been really cold then. Wondering what they did with the dogs )

raavir

ES300 was never in my list, The only cars in my list apart from BMW were Audi A4 or S4.

shipo

On Tuesday, I posted information about the deal on the 530i that I just placed on order, including the dealership and salesman. I called my salesman today to ask for the production number, and he said, &#147;I want to thank you for the referral.&#148;

&#147;Umm, err, OH! Your welcome.&#148;

&#147;Yeah, he called up, and placed an order over the phone.&#148;

&#147;Congratulations on the sale.&#148; (as if I knew all about it)

So, apparently, someone out there (a lurker maybe?), got a deal from Mike @ Park Ave as well. Tell us about your deal, what car, what options, ED or Domestic...

Inquiring minds want to know. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

tenet1

I would suggest forking the extra cash for a new 330 or going with a 325. All depends on your preference.

Never know what a dealer demo has been through. They probably take turns taking it home.

gwunj

As much as I'd like to raise my hand, it wasn't me. I still have to get off my butt and do a test drive and ping the local dealer to see if they will make a deal.

How long will it be before you get the pickup date for the 530?

Glenn

carwatch

thanks for the info. Demos are No Nos.

mb595

This sounds a lot like the Demo at Park BMW. I would check with John Raab of Manhattan BMW as the had several 330i left overs with no miles below invoice. They might have Ci leftovers or you might want to consider the Sedan.

carwatch

Talked to John Raab on the phone - very professional. Unfortunately, no more 330Ci. I've got my sights on a coupe. Thanks anyway.

dave330i

Any particular reason you want a coupe? They weigh more, and are less practical vs. a sedan. If it's looks, then SP will make a sedan look very close to a coupe.

carwatch

had sedans and SUVs for a while now. Almost an empty nester already and I used to have one of the very first V6 Dodge Daytona (a long time ago). Kind of missed that - looks and feeling. I'll try to look closely at a 330i with SP and see if that's acceptable. Thanks

conneen

Hey Guys,

I live in Pennsy, I did ED on a 2002 325xi. I am working with a dealer in NY State. Has anyone else gone through the process of registering a car in PA when bought out of state?

The dealer, Carbone BMW in Utica, NY, has been nothing but helpful, and has actually sent me the title and paperwork. Now I want to go to my local Autotag place and register it. Can anyone tell me everything I'm going to need to do that, when I don't actually have the car yet.

Oh yeah, I actually financed this through PeoplesFirst.com. So I need to factor that into the equation too.

Thanks,
Brian

dave330i

For MY2001 difference between SP & non-SP 330i is quite large. For MY2002, not as much. 330Ci is more aggressive than either two, but harder to find. Good luck in your search.

tim_stl

I figured millerro3 meant that for the sedans, didn't realize that low residual was applicable to the coupes as well.

So does anyone have good experience with any dealers in or around the Saint Louis area? I have talked with one guy at Autohaus of Clayton - generally nice, gave me the .00205 mf and .62 residual, but when calculating my actual interest rate said ".00205 times 24 is 4.92%, now you divide that by 2 and you get your actual APR of 2.46%" I mean, he gave me a really good mf and then tried to make it seem even lower. It kind of left me fairly unimpressed.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Tim

buulu

Congrats!!! on ordering the 330i.

Have you asked the dealer(or www.bmw.ca their address is customer.service@bmw.ca ) how you could track the status?

What is the breakdown of your deal on the 330i? and if your are financing what interest rate did you lock in at?

compwhiz

Only select Pioneer, Alpine, and Sony changers will work with E46 and E39. I highly recommend Alpine CHM-S610 changer with Soundgate adapter. Total cost is $300, plus if you want total ease of installation, you can buy a bracket from the dealer for $24. Alpine S610 is excellent unit, great quality, and is exactly the same size as BMW-branded changer, which is an older Alpine model.

raavir

$1750 off msrp, going with through Royalbank at 7.1%(buy back option), 24000 km a year.

edu328

denright

$35K for what amounts to a used 330? Jeez, I got a new 2001 330xi loaded for bear (PP, CWP, etc) for $38K and change. I suspect you could get a brand new 330i for not much more than $35K.

nyccarguy

Timeless. I still think a '95-'99 E36 328is with a Sports Package is a sharp looking car. I don't think the E36 looks dated at all. (My remarks will no doubt earn me brownie points with Chris:)

nyccarguy

Did John Raab at BMW of Manhattan mention how many '01 330is (Plural of 330i) they had laying around there or how they were equipped? Any manuals?

asinger1

New 325 doesn't have an alarm system or garage door transponder, but has been prewired. Is it worth it to look for an independent after market installation, or should I go to BMW. By worth it I mean: I haven't checked with BMW, but I'll bet it costs a ton. Thanks.

ccotenj

LOL!!! yea, major ones there!!

i vote timeless too (of course, i AM biased).

on the (rare) occasions that i wash mine, i'm still amazed at how good that car looks... i don't find it dated at all...

of course (again), i don't find the e30 dated, either...

-Chris

brave1heart

I like all of them, all the way back to the 2002 and the 1600. They are classic and will never be dated.

nyccarguy

E30s in good condition that do catch my eye from time to time. I think they're the later years of the E30 designation though.

asinger1

I'm always loosing/misplacing my car keys and have relied on magnet bumper keys to save the day. However, with my new 325 I can't find any place to put it. Is there any place where a spare key can be placed, magnetic or otherwise? Thanks.

shipo

The installation of both the Garage Door Opener and the Alarm are fairly easy, given that they are modular and built to be installed with a minimum of work. In my case, I installed the UGO in my car in less than 15 minutes.

Another thought just occured to me, however, if I suggest it, I will be violating the THMA, so, I will E-Mail you said other thought.

Best Regards,
Shipo

dave330i

Didn't BMW give you a temp plastic key you can carry in your wallet?

shipo

I tried E-Mailing you at your listed address, and got a rejection. Could you drop me an E-Mail at shipo@yahoo.com, I have an idea you might find interesting.

Best Regards,
Shipo

drcr

do you have the part number for the bracket?

Where did you get the changer? Circle?

Where does it mount and do you have to drill?

lfgpit

I think everyone appreciates your insight on dealers and getting the best deal.

I understand the discrepancy with actual money factors... .00220 for the 330xi, .00205 for the 330i. I have a tentative agreement for the xi at .00230 and 60%/12k mi. Now I need to see if I can keep the 60% which you advised is going down, and get the "true" uninflated mf. Thanks again.

compwhiz

I don't know the part # - my dad is a handy man, so he made a custom braket for me. Just go to the nearest BMW dealer and ask for the CD Changer mounting bracket for your car - they'll sell it to you. I heard it's around $25. I got Alpine CHM-S620 and Soundgate adapter at Tweeter - $300 altogether. I'm not sure about E46 - you may or may not have to drill - I didn't have to in my 530.

brave1heart

Do you really need a 5-series? I'd think that a young 26-year old would not need all the space and would have a strong preference for the sportier, more nimble 3-series. I have argued on the 3-series board that the 325 manual has more than adequate power for everyday spirited driving and that the 330 has more power than what I consider usable power for everyday driving. Any car that does 0-60 in 7 sec and 0-100 in 20 or less is more than adequate for everyday spirited driving IMO. Put it this way: no-one has managed to intimidate my 325i SP. The 530 is about as fast as the 325 and I'd think that the 525 would be too slow for my taste. Just like Shipo, I cannot justify the price jump of 8 grand or so to the 540. As far as the 325 vs. 328, that 31 lb. ft. difference gives the 328 a good advantage in the lower RPM's. The higher the RPM's, the closer the HP rating between the 325 and the 328. The difference in acceleration was very small above 4K RPM's. The 325 takes more skill to squeeze the juice out of and that makes it more fun to drive than the 330, which offers on-demand power. With the 325, you have to think at least a step ahead and know where you want the RPM's to be for your next move. With the 330, you could be asleep at the wheel when you punch it and it will take off. That said, the 525 will be OK above 4K RPM's but overall, it would be too slow for my taste.

nyccarguy

And I don't need a 5 series. It is Friday afternoon and I'm a little bored here at work. When all is said and done, I will probably end up in a 325Ci with SP, Moonroof, & Heated Seats. Plus I like the fact that you say it will take a more skilled driver to squeeze the juice out of the 2.5L I-6. My next car will be my first manual. I think the 325Ci will suit me just fine.

LOL...Asleep at the wheel!

sunnybrook

In your guys opinion, is it worth the six month wait to just pick up a newer model which would theoreticaly look better and have more options? I am torn between putting an order in now so I have a nice car for the summer or sticking it out until the fall for a brand new model. Any recommendations?

dhanley

Timeless, definitely.

dave

dave330i

Ah, the newer model trap. You can alway wait for the next year's model which will be slightly better EVERY model year. If you want one, I'd say pull the trigger and get one ASAP.

postoak

It kills me to see people asking about next year's model when THIS year's model has only been out a month or so and isn't even widely available on the dealer lots. I am NOT talking about your post sunnybrook. I'm talking about the posts on all the boards here that I monitor (Accord, Miata), that started asking about the 2003 model back in October! Go ahead and buy now.

raavir

I would buy it now

langenthal

I just finalized my lease of a 330Xi, Premium Package, Xenon headlights, automatic, and heated seats. I ordered from Orange County BMW in Highland Falls, New York (845) 446-4714. I worked with the General Manager, Sami Ozder. He beat Prestiage BMW with a better lease deal and is getting me a car sooner. I am replacing a 1999 Lexus ES-300 that the three year lease is over.

shipo

From an ES-300 to a 330xi, hmmmm, interesting switch. Welcome to the club. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

shipo

I think that my earlier musings may have been a little misconstrued. I never meant to suggest that the 325i was anything other than a superlative car, that said, I am suspecting that the 525i (with its extra 231 pounds of weight) might very well be less than acceptable (for me at least). After all, a 0-60 time of 7.8, puts it square into the IS300 class of acceleration. Another way to put it, in 1998, I test drove a 528i 5-Speed, and felt that it just did not have quite the &#147;Snap&#148; that I was looking for, I then drove the 328i, found it to be just about perfect, and place an order on the spot. Given that I felt that the 528i was a little sedate, I am SURE that I would find the 525i to be, ummm, errrr, frustrating to say the least.

In the end, the only person that can make the decision as to whether a car will fulfill your needs is you. I don&#146;t know what your daily schedule is, however, I am sure that you can schedule a back-to-back test drive for a weekday morning, and then you will have your answer.

Have fun, and good luck.

Best Regards,
Shipo

nick60

I'm interested in leasing a 325xi but my dealer only has 325i's in stock. I've seen on other boards that some people have felt that the 325xi is sluggish when compared to the 325i due to the extra weight. Without being able to test drive an xi I'm concerned that I won't know what I'm leasing. Does anyone have any thoughts on the performance of the all wheel drive vs real wheel drive 3 series?

carwatch

John at BMW Manhattan did not exactly say how many - just "some". He said that they usually do not order manuals for their allocation. He e-mailed me one more time and I was up front about the price point I was looking for and that other dealers in the area were at least willing to negotiate. Have not heard from him again.

derprofi

The 325 takes more skill to squeeze the juice out of and that makes it more fun to drive than the 330, which offers on-demand power. With the 325, you have to think at least a step ahead and know where you want the RPM's to be for your next move. With the 330, you could be asleep at the wheel when you punch it and it will take off.

I suppose you could fill in any and any and attempt to make an argument like that. But what if you have the skill to squeeze the juice out of the better performing car?

bmw323is

I was over looking in on the Infinity G35 board and saw as much discussion about BMW as the G35. It's cool that EVERYONE seems to compare only to BMW. I must say that this car may be interesting, especially when it arrives with with the 6 speed. 260 hp, 260 lb. ft of torque, RWD, same chassis as the 350-Z, much roomier than the 3 series (I think it has more room than the 5 series), but about the same weight as the 330 - all for $29,000. I suspect it won't handle like a BMW, but it's good that BMW gets the competion.

I really wanted to trade my '00 323 for a 330 for the extra power, but would need to add $15,000 in cash - and that is too much. With this kind of competion though, maybe BMW will feel pressure to improve power - possibly even before the next model redesign. Any thoughts?

foyoazz

Where in the country are they offering good deals on the brand new 2002 330i? Here in Texas I haven't found a dealer who's willing to realistically work with me. I currently drive an IS300 and my wife wants to trade in her Volks beetle for the 330 but the dealer we went to is trying to low ball us on the beetle and doesn't want to work with us on the price of the BMW. Not going to happen. If I can find a decent deal we'll be ready to go. Any suggestions?

Gold101

Hello,
I am thinking of buying a 325i for my son. He got a full scholarship into school, and he wants a car as his reward.He loves the BMW, and wants it with a stick shift, but I am weary. He's never driven a stick before, and I'm quite out of practice. It's been a good 10 years since I've last driven a manual. Do you reccomend the 325i manual? Will he enjoy it? I'd hate to spend 35k to have him not like it.

Thanks

nonu2121

hi all,

do we have to pay the destination charge - about $700, if we do ED?

hgeyer

You still pay the destination charge (unless you plan to drive it back ;-).

mschukar

325xi - 10% more weight, higher center of gravity, more drive losses plus a less sporty sport package. Of course it will feel sluggish by comparison.

If you're worried about snow, get some winter tires for a fraction of the cost of AWD.

OTOH, the 325xi is still a BMW.

-Murray