Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
After witnessing what my pops went through with his Volvo 760GLE I was reluctant at first to get a RWD car.
Quick question: The manual says to drive the car upon starting, instead of letting it sit and warm up for a while. Did I misread, or is this truly the appropriate action on these cold days?
does anyone else thing that when you get into a car sitting out in the cold, the inside of the car is colder than the outside even with wind howling?
ksso
I also did the rear brake pads and sensor. This took longer, of course. About 1.5 hours. Not too shabby. Get yourself a 7mm allen socket, not just a 7mm allen wrench (the shock gets in the way).
Next: front pads and rotors!
Not a member of the careful readers club, I see. I said "I have to warm up the car . . . so the ice melts off the windows."
As far as I know, there's only one station ten minutes away that still takes the oil. I funnel it into plastic milk cartons and take it there and pour it into their disposal unit myself. Call your local city hall and find out if they have such a program and which stations participate.
Hokie...
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Share your vehicle reviews
ksso
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Gouging? I so hate that anti-capitalist word. Gouging...sheesh, it's what the market will accept. That word makes BMW's prices out to be somehow "unfair" (as if life is fair) or as if BMW is "taking advantage" of the consumer. The buyers don't have to pay the extra $4500 for extra 40 hp.
And if we look at the sales numbers, decidely more people pay for the 2.5L 6 than they do for the 3L. Personally, I think most of those people are badge hounds but that's another discussion.
And comparable luxury sedans? Uh, the G35 compares to a BMW. That's it. Nobody else makes a nimble, RWD sports sedan. MB-s got a luxo-barge, Lexus has an Altezza with bad lights and Caddy's got a joke.
I guess all 330 owners dont have a real car because they didnt buy an M3. The 530 and 545 are not real cars because they are not M5's
The 325 is a damn fine car!!
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
I got it - because it is a BMW!
As for badge hounds, most, not all, of us here I'm willing to guess have 325's. Not everybody needs the performance found in the 330's (with or without the ZHP). Yes I would have loved to have had the 330xi, but economically I could not justify it and have been EXTREMELY happy my 325xi. To call somebody a badge hound simply because they didn't buy the high end version of something is ridiculous.
-Paul
job well done!
But there's reality. I can only afford my 325Ci. But what a purchase it was. I waited for six months to put down a decent down payment. I waited three months for delivery. And was I disappointed that it wasn't a 330Ci? He11 no! It's the best car I've ever owned. I trounces everything I've ever had the pleasure of planting my mushy butt in on the morning commute. It's quick, handles like a dream and still gets stares and compliments whenever I drive it. I don't care if it's not the fastest out there. I don't care if a Dodge Neon SRT, a VW Golf R32, a Nissan 350Z and even a V6 Honda Accord Coupe can beat me to 60 (Okay, my car's modded w/ a chip and CAI, so it's running low to mid 6s, so maybe not the Accord). It's a BMW and everything about it feels right. I drive it at about 7/10s on a regular basis and I still get excited when I take for a quick trip to the grocery store.
The silky I6, the sport seats, the ambient orange lighting, the three spoke wheel, the canted center console and the feel I get when I hit the apex---all of these are reasons why the 325Ci is more than enough car for me. Most people can't ever get to driving the car 9/10ths. I get to in my 3, and it's phenomenal. The roundel on the hood is just icing on the cake.
ksso
To each his own. for the cost, IMHO, it's not.
I knew people would chafe even though I clearly wrote "most" 325 buyers are badge hounds. If one is offended by that, such is life. There was a modifier in my statement absolving true enthusiasts from being part of the crowd that has to flash the right jewelry, clothes and cars.
I believe most 525, 530 and 745 buyers a poseurs too. A great percentage of BMWs buyers in general, I believe, buy for the emblem and not the abilities of the car. But again, not all of the buyers do so to get the in car.
I'd love an M3, but my 325Ci is still my dream car that was within reach.
I believe most 525, 530 and 745 buyers a poseurs too. A great percentage of BMWs buyers in general, I believe, buy for the emblem and not the abilities of the car. But again, not all of the buyers do so to get the in car."
Using the logic in your post any person who buys a car more expensive than a Hyundia is a poseur. I'm not sure where you draw the line in the sand between peoples buying motives of true enthusiast or poseur. It seems your defintion of a poseur is a buyer who buys something because he/she wants to drive it, instead of he/she wants to drive it as it was meant to be driven. Well in that sense, there isn't a driver amongst us in the crowd that isn't a poseur, because most of us would jump at the chance to drive the car of our dreams, even though we may not be able to drive it as intended.
It has nothing to do with what the car can do but what it represents to them. They buy the 325i because it gets them a BMW - the brand.
The 330i gave me enough bang for my buck. I'm happy to pay 5-6k a year to be amped beyond all belief everytime I walk by my ZHP. When I drive it, oh man it's a slice of heaven. But would I have prefered an M3 sedan with xenons and moon for 3 or 4k more? Yep.