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Comments
The TL - S was nice. Feels (and looks for that matter) like a fast accord. Not a very sporty feel. Type s has a Similar ride (feel for the bumps) to the 325 sport. Handleing feel more confident w/ the 325.
The marble interior on the TL S is definitly a no no. In the TL I felt like it was a loaded Accord V6 and it wasn't as "driver focused" as the BMW.
No doubt that the TL S will be reliable.
Also read consumer reports. the 330 is the CR recomended lux sed buy. Both are rated strong for reliability. Depreciation is also very good on the 3 series. can't remember the TL
In short, same as others suggested. Just drive both and the decision will be a simple one. For me it was a 325
IMHO I felt that if I were to go the TL route, I would have saved the $ and just got a loaded Accord V6
drcr
Any other Texans out there who want to weigh in on the heat/leather/leatherette/cloth issue, please feel free to do so.
As far as resale value, check the price of used cars for each brand, relative to their new car cost, at Edmunds, kbb.com or nada.com and make up your own mind. My own unique experience is that I got $800 for a 10 year-old, 136K mile Honda (last year) but got 1/2 the purchase price of my 9 year old, 97000 mile BMW (back in the early 80s). It is hard to generalize.
Any other Texans out there who want to weigh in on the heat/leather/leatherette/cloth issue, please feel free to do so.
I have the grey leather/wood/moon/sport(seats) and have received nothing but compliments on how nice it is. Wood goes all around through the rear. Oh. the interior lighting is nice. it has lights for the rear seats also standard now. the dim on/off adds a nice touch. The red/orange glow is spectacular. side note: the new Acura RSX (integra) has gone to an orange instrument back glow
Nice feature on the TL is that the armrest height adjusts up and down.
I had a 1994 Accord EX with 125K that I just sold for $7800, and I probably could have gottem more for it!
Any other Texans out there who want to weigh in on the heat/leather/leatherette/cloth issue, please feel free to do so.
In my case, I own a small business so the lease is paid for with pre-tax income, given that my wife and I pay WELL over 40% of our income in taxes of some sort (including FICA), that in and of itself pays for more than the difference in the "Extra Cost" of the lease. Factor in less time lost due to downtime for maintenance (even when "Free Loaners" are available, there is still time lost) and the growth of my (company) money not tied up in the form of a down payment and higher monthly payments, and I come out WAY ahead by leasing.
Quite simply, when I lease a car, I put down the bare minimum and go from there.
Best Regards,
Shipo
P.S.
The Illinois lease tax thing may be one of the few reasons why I am glad I do not live there anymore.
I tried to tell my daughter how great the car looked, but she didn't seem to be interested!
My concerns on leasing are that the car is not YOURS, and more importantly, the mileage limit. For me, I travel around 300-350miles a week, that's 15000+ a year. That means I cannot go anywhere else but to work! Unless I want to pay for the extra miles.
Anyway, I'm scheduled to pick up my car at the end of August, it is going to be a long wait...
Also spoke to my salesperson last week. He had mentioned that leather was better than leatherette when it comes to sweating. He called and told me he witnessed it first hand the other day when he had to pick up a car in New Or leans (with leatherette) and drive it to Lafayette. He said he had to change shirt when he got to Lafayette I/I the back of his shirt was soaked.
I know all this stuff gets subjective, because now we're talking about sweating, and that is DEFINITELY something that varies from one person to another. Nonetheless, I hope this info helps.
invoice=$26,520 includes, cd, heated seats, and wood trim, met paint
MSRP=$29,310
Should I shoot for something around $27,800? How high is too high--28K?
--JK
I HIGHLY suspect that Brave1heart took a laptop along on the sly, however, he only has time for "Lurk Mode" while wifey is asleep. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Enjoy reading through the posts daily.... this is my first time posting. Firstly my new 325i should be delivered mid August.....
White, SC, Leather, Wood, Premium sound & Xenon
Quick question...... do I get the armrest with the sports package?? In one brochure I saw it looked like it wasn't included. Thanks in advance.
emerald1x
Fortunatly...I go from garage to parking garage most days, so it's not as big a deal. It's those "other" trips that are the killer though.
You might try to negotiate the arm-rest and installation prior to picking up your car.
Best Regards,
Shipo
New 330i - silver exterior - black leatherette interior - parks in a garage all day except when driven to public places - no problems thus far with excessive heat
Z3 - light blue exterior - black leather interior - when parked outside for extended periods of time (all day at work for example), and the seats were exposed to direct sunlight, I could not set my back against the seats until the car cooled down, especially when wearing a thin shirt such as a fine dress shirt - it was literally scorching - I expect the 330i would be the same given a similar situation
Odyssey - dark blue exterior - grey leather interior - Car gets hot when parked outside, but not so much that I can't sit on the seats. I think grey makes a big difference vs. black.
Integra - dark grey exterior - grey cloth interior - by far the easiset to sit in when it's hot outside - if you're really concerned about heat and like the look of cloth, then go for the cloth seats - they look pretty good from gurumike's pics.
Is this a good price? Also an identically optioned 325 was only $20 cheaper/month??????? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!!
P.S. Thanks for posting the pics...beautiful car.
http://www.autowindowtintings.com/main.cfm?action=home
I had the Solarguard Quantum installed on all 7 windows of my wagon for about $200. My installer was the best and you can hardly tell its film and not factory tint. Also makes the car look even better--very tasteful, not "boyracer".
It is not surprising that the 330i has a similar lease payment to the 325i given the fact that they have a higher residual value. As far as a zero down monthly lease payment of $635 on a car with the msrp of $39,910, it sounds a little high. As a point of reference, I leased my 328i (msrp of $38,710) with about $700 down for $510 per month (39 months). The one difference is that I leased mine through BankOne instead of BMW Finance.
Max93,
There is plenty of negotiating room when leasing; when I leased my car, there was a $70 per month swing between the various lenders that my dealership offered me. You can also arrange your own financing from MANY lenders if you have the time to compare programs.
BMWwanter,
I have never heard of the 3x multiplier as a requirement. All the lender wants to know is will your cash flow cover your normal monthly expenses plus the car and insurance. If not, you have two options, a larger down payment or a co-signer (I think that some lenders allow co-signers on leases).
Heat and car seats...
While it is true that if it is hot outside, your car will be hot inside, the darker the color of the interior, the hotter it will be inside your car. It is a fact that dark colors absorb light and get hot. Want proof, park a white car and a black car next to each other on a sunny day, then after a while; place the palm of one hand on the roof of the black car and the other palm on the white car. I guarantee you that your hand on the black car will HURT, while the hand on the white car will sustain the heat fairly well. The same principle applies to the interior of a car as well. If you have tinted glass, that will help reduce the amount of light directly hitting the surfaces inside the car, and consequently, the interior will be cooler. The fact remains, all else being equal, the darker the interior, the hotter it will get inside a car when parked in the sun.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Tchoo--have you heard the latest on yours?
Other issues:
1) My dealer said that I should go w/ the key wheel locks b/c the keyless ones have the wrench that doesn't always work. I'm wondering if she's trying to squeeze extra bucks from me. Anybody have any experience w/ these. I know someone said that the keyless type are better.
2) Is it necessary to buy an alarm, or is that just peace of mind? Does the chip in the key ensure that no one can start the car w/out it? Is it true that the car cannot be hot-wired? Curious and would like some advice.
3) Should I go w/ Meguiar's car care products or Mothers? Recommendations?
Sorry if these issues have already been hashed out.
BTW, I just found out that a good friend of mine went out and bought a brand spankin' new 540i Sport. Man, what a lucky dude. 282 mean horses w/ a 5.8 0-60!
http://www.leasebynet.com/specials.php
1) I'm going ask for free mats and the keyless wheel locks thrown in. Feedback has been that its easy to lose the key.
2) I'm not buying the alarm, but I'm going to try to get them to activate the blinking clown nose as a deterrent thing. I got Lojack installed, its well worth it ($595) and it lowers your insurance.
3) I've been using Meguiar's shampoo and I like it. I also have their wax. They seem fine, but I have never tried Mother's.
As for the window tinting, I almost hate to admit it but I HATE cars with tinted windows because it interferes with my ability to drive enthusiastically! I can't see through the car to see what is going on up ahead (no big deal these days with all the SUVs, but it used to be) and I can't get a good look at the driver's face to learn his intentions. For that reason, I would never go with the tinted windows, even though from all I hear, it really helps.
Thanks
Some time in April saw the Bosch fan parts replace Seimans at the factory.
New (new) steering in September, but I wouldn't let that one influence a decision.
He has a 6 year old black Dodge Viper in his garage that looks gorgeous. Man that Zaino stuff rocks.
Anyway, I'm 90 dollars poorer, but I'm all set.
Holding down the music note button for a few seconds displays "FLAT" on the radio. What does this mean? The manual doesn't explain it too well.
Can the step be used to downshift for engine braking? Can you drive the step hard like a manual?
Anyone have pricing for lojack?
It's hard to keep up with the posts on this board. Has to be one of the most civilized and informative around. Great job!!
Best Regards,
Shipo
Loaners: got my service loaner today a 3.0i Blue Z3 not what i was expecting lol
Regards,
DL