Does anyone have any experience with Perillo? I'm about to order a 3 series and wonder whether anyone has any dealer comparisons on purchase price and service. Fields is a candidate as well.
Also, the metallic paints all look drab to me, so I'm considering the plain red, but I have read a couple of posts here questioning the durability of the nonmetallics. Any consensus on this?
Thanks for the info. I'll check out Patrick BMW. I'm looking at getting the 2002 325xi. Was going to get a 2001, but procrastinated so long that it doesn't make sense to get the 2001 at this point in the model year. I'm familiar with Fields Infiniti dealership having purchased two cars from them, so will try them also.
I just came back from the dentist. The receptionist at the dentist office looked and acted just like Sheri Oteri from SNL - you'd think these people only exist on TV. So I was very amused and she thought she was getting attention or something and showed off her neurotic skills to their fullest potential. I'm glad she wasn't the dentist, that would've been scary. I was laughing all the way back to work, what a character...
I called BMWNA, and they said that a ship has not been assigned yet, but they should know by next week. I checked the ship schedule and guessed, as did you, that it might make the Jingu Maru. If so, it looks like everything will go according to schedule. Do you know how long it will be at the VPC? My car is supposed to be in Arlington, VA by 7/4 or so.
You raise some interesting points. There are a lot more disadvantages to FWD than the torque steer that you mentioned. RWD allows you to achieve perfect weight distribution a lot more easily because a lot of the drive parts are moved towards the rear. Also, the front wheels are asked to do too much already: especially steering and absorbing most of the cornering pressure. Having the rear wheels drive the car helps separate all the tasks that the 4 wheels need to do more efficiently. So the end result of all of this is more precise steering, better weight distribution, better acceleration (transferring weight to the rears), better handling and I'm sure a lot more that a layman like me is not aware of. Contrary to what you may believe, FWD is significantly cheaper (more compact, closer parts) to build than RWD. With German auto manufacturers, it's a philosophy that transcends across ALL product lines. The 3-series compact would still be a better car with RWD and your comments about this being an economy move are simply incorrect. RWD is always more expensive to build than FWD, even if all other product lines are RWD.
I don't know how comfortable you are driving in snow but if you grew up in Toronto, I'd assume you are reasonably comfortable. You seem to be willing to go an extra step and even put a couple of bags in the trunk when we get heavy snow, so I'd assume you want RWD more than AWD. Snows take care of any configuration, including RWD. All-seasons will be fine but preferably w/o the sport package. The wider the tires, the less they grip in snow. I am in Boston and I have the sport package. We get about the same amount of snow overall as Toronto - you are really not much (if at all) further North from us. I think you'll be fine with RWD and all-seasons, and traction control, and especially with your driving skills. But there is no denying the AWD would have better traction, it's just a matter of how much traction you really need.
"PC police would be jumping all over me" - that's why macdude is using a Mac )
Let me try another guess: there are a lot more men drivng the 5-series? Be careful what you say because my friends in NJ have a 528 and a 328 and guess who owns the 528?
I think that merckx was implying that it's the upfront design and engineering costs that would be higher for BMW, given that it would be their initial adventure into FWD. Manufacturing-wise, it's probably a wash between the two configutration's costs. There are parts that RWD has that FWD doesn;t, and vice-versa, so it's probably ebout even. In today's world, same probably goes for auto vs. manual (though not so 40 years ago when autos were relatively new technology).
Now, back to those upfront design/engineering costs. Since BMW has been a tried-and-true designer/manufacturer of RWDs for years and years, they are WAY along the learning curve -- the next RWD will cost no less to design than the last one. Not so for FWDs -- given their experience level with FWDs, they may actually be on a steeper part of the learning curve, where the first few have higher design costs than the next generation, and so on. BUT there is a key caveat associated with this: thes assumptions typically apply more to technology that is RELATIVELY NEW TO THE INDUSTRY. FWDs have been around for years and are no longer considered new technology. Hence, BMW can probably design a new-for-BMW FWD as cheaply as Honda can design their 178th iteration of FWD. So in today's automotive environment, upfront design costs for RWD or FWD are probably a wash, too.
Bottom line: neither configuration likely offers any significant manufacturing or engineering cost advantages over the other.
BTW, this kind of stuff is part of what I do during the day, so to speak. Although I do not currently work in the automotive industry, these are principles that can be applied to many design and manufacturing processes (another "pseudo-disclaimer").
I was hoping you went on a lunch break but no - you had to stick around for the big prize, didn't you? I'm pulling out the armor, brother. Oh, man that's heavy - my helmet must be at least 40 lbs.
Has any of you noticed that the 325 and 330 have the most perfect weight distribution in manual and RWD? You add auto and you're off a percent. You add AWD and you're off another couple of percent. No idea why and it probably won't make a very noticeable difference in handling but I though it was very interesting. Maybe burrsr would be able to explain...You can check the exact weight dist numbers on BMWNA's web site.
Wow, xenons and CD? that's $700 right there, no? Auto climate, as already mentioned, fogs, and the speed sensitive wipers are standard down south...but only for mid year production models, no?
I want to start this with a disclaimer... This is mostly subjective so you can add an "in my humble opinion" before each statement. I'm not trying to start any trouble, honest.
leather vs. 'ette (mine); after driving the 40 miles home, I got out of the loaner and guess what... my @ss felt neither more refreshed nor more sophisticated after being on leather. I'm glad I saved the $1.4K!!!
SP (mine) vs non-SP; The highway ride with no SP was definitely gentler. The tires were quieter and the suspension was able to soak up road imperfections better. However, as soon as I got onto Mountain Rd (10 miles of perfectly paved, twisty road), I knew I made the right decision. The handling, while not bad in non-SP, was vastly better with SP. The performance rubber probably would account for much of this. The 4-point steering wheel in the non-SP was just plain ugly and the buttons confused me (okay, so maybe I am just a little on the simple side ;-)). The seats in the non-SP bothered my lower back after about 30 minutes of driving. I do have a pre-existing back problem, but I have yet to notice the sport seats aggrevate it.
coupe (mine) vs. sedan; The sedan is definetly better for loading and unloading the family. I also like the smaller doors (I'm guessing 1 - 1.5 feet shorter) when getting in and out in the garage and tight parking spaces. The sedan was Orient Blue on Gray and was very classy looking, but I prefer the sportier look of my Topaz/black coupe. I think when driving the coupe, it feels sportier too simply because you sit lower (but I had more headroom in the sedan).
3.0L (mine) vs. 2.5L; This one is a little harder to qualify since I have a 5spd and the loaner was Steptronic (tiptronic?). The one point I would make is that even with an auto, the 2.5L is by no means under-powered. I never felt I NEEDED more power, but there were times I WANTED more power. My 330 would easily out accelerate it, but coming from my 2.5L 4-cylinder (5spd) Altima, the 323 has some serious cajones!
The funniest thing about having this car was that my wife got a chance to drive it. She's never driven mine because she can't handle a stick (not like that you pigs! :-)). I let her drive it on Mountain Rd mentioned above. When she got done, I asked her what she thought. Her answer... "well, it's not bad, I guess. But I'd rather drive my Odyssey" ?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Some people just don't get it, I suppose.
U may have a point.....the reason i chose leather was mainly for the color.......sapphire black/gray......didnt think black ette would look good, and sand ette can get dirty easily......
For a brief moment while at the dentist I felt like one of those guys in the movies when they show a lunatic doc (or dentist) working on a patient....all the voices are incoherent blabber, the docs eyes are wild and he/she is staring at u making gestures with the steel equipment....scary!
When I ordered my car on 5/22 I was originally told it was a week 25 (6/18-6/22) production slot. I checked status with BMW NA about 10 days ago and they told me production was scheduled to begin today, 6/8. I checked with them again today to confirm and it's already at status 160!! Assuming it gets on a ship expeditiously, what could I expect for my delivery time frame at this point? I'm in California. I have approval from BMW FS through 7/20 on the current 330i lease deal, and am hoping I'll beat that date. Is that doable? Thanks for your help!
I've driven rear wheel and front wheel drive cars for about an equal length of time over 35 years (started driving early :<) and for winter driving, I prefer RWD for stopping and turning and FWD cars for going in a straight line. Given the right equipment (near 50/50 distribution, snow tires on the rear at least) and driving style (plan ahead and never stop on an incline), I'd prefer rear wheel drive because if you could go at all (not plow snow with the car's undercarriage), you had better control over turning and stopping. Although FWD cars could plow through more snow and crusty ice better than a RWD, I can't remember the number of times my stomach jumped into my throat when I tired to brake and turn or accelerate and turn only to find myself going straight. I learned to never touch my brakes in a turn and before any turn, to make sure there was a clear path ahead in case my steering wheel had no affect. I look forward to seeing if I get the best of both worlds in my 325xi this winter.
I am also waiting for my 330i in South Cal. My car has been in "waiting for transport" for about a week.
Delivery on 7/20 might be tight. On www.wlna.com (the shipping company that BMW uses), the next shipping date is 6/11 to Port Hueneme for all west coast deliveries. That will put the arrival date on 7/9. The next arrival date after that will be 7/16 (shipping date will be 6/18). And from what I have heard, the delay from arrival to delivery at your dealership is anywhere between 4 days to 1 1/2 weeks. Looks like if you can get on the ship on 6/11, you should make it.
My car is on the Jinsei Maru too. Steel Gray w) black leatherette 325xi, bound for the winding (and potholed) highways and back roads of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Comments
Also, the metallic paints all look drab to me, so I'm considering the plain red, but I have read a couple of posts here questioning the durability of the nonmetallics. Any consensus on this?
Thanks very much.
I just came back from the dentist. The receptionist at the dentist office looked and acted just like Sheri Oteri from SNL - you'd think these people only exist on TV. So I was very amused and she thought she was getting attention or something and showed off her neurotic skills to their fullest potential. I'm glad she wasn't the dentist, that would've been scary. I was laughing all the way back to work, what a character...
Let me try another guess: there are a lot more men drivng the 5-series? Be careful what you say because my friends in NJ have a 528 and a 328 and guess who owns the 528?
Jingu Maru is Jinsei Maru's cousin!!
Now, back to those upfront design/engineering costs. Since BMW has been a tried-and-true designer/manufacturer of RWDs for years and years, they are WAY along the learning curve -- the next RWD will cost no less to design than the last one. Not so for FWDs -- given their experience level with FWDs, they may actually be on a steeper part of the learning curve, where the first few have higher design costs than the next generation, and so on. BUT there is a key caveat associated with this: thes assumptions typically apply more to technology that is RELATIVELY NEW TO THE INDUSTRY. FWDs have been around for years and are no longer considered new technology. Hence, BMW can probably design a new-for-BMW FWD as cheaply as Honda can design their 178th iteration of FWD. So in today's automotive environment, upfront design costs for RWD or FWD are probably a wash, too.
Bottom line: neither configuration likely offers any significant manufacturing or engineering cost advantages over the other.
BTW, this kind of stuff is part of what I do during the day, so to speak. Although I do not currently work in the automotive industry, these are principles that can be applied to many design and manufacturing processes (another "pseudo-disclaimer").
Jingu Maru is Jinsei Maru's what? What's their father called then - Jingle Mells? I'm getting all confused... That's more like the sister...
leather vs. 'ette (mine); after driving the 40 miles home, I got out of the loaner and guess what... my @ss felt neither more refreshed nor more sophisticated after being on leather. I'm glad I saved the $1.4K!!!
SP (mine) vs non-SP; The highway ride with no SP was definitely gentler. The tires were quieter and the suspension was able to soak up road imperfections better. However, as soon as I got onto Mountain Rd (10 miles of perfectly paved, twisty road), I knew I made the right decision. The handling, while not bad in non-SP, was vastly better with SP. The performance rubber probably would account for much of this. The 4-point steering wheel in the non-SP was just plain ugly and the buttons confused me (okay, so maybe I am just a little on the simple side ;-)). The seats in the non-SP bothered my lower back after about 30 minutes of driving. I do have a pre-existing back problem, but I have yet to notice the sport seats aggrevate it.
coupe (mine) vs. sedan; The sedan is definetly better for loading and unloading the family. I also like the smaller doors (I'm guessing 1 - 1.5 feet shorter) when getting in and out in the garage and tight parking spaces. The sedan was Orient Blue on Gray and was very classy looking, but I prefer the sportier look of my Topaz/black coupe. I think when driving the coupe, it feels sportier too simply because you sit lower (but I had more headroom in the sedan).
3.0L (mine) vs. 2.5L; This one is a little harder to qualify since I have a 5spd and the loaner was Steptronic (tiptronic?). The one point I would make is that even with an auto, the 2.5L is by no means under-powered. I never felt I NEEDED more power, but there were times I WANTED more power. My 330 would easily out accelerate it, but coming from my 2.5L 4-cylinder (5spd) Altima, the 323 has some serious cajones!
The funniest thing about having this car was that my wife got a chance to drive it. She's never driven mine because she can't handle a stick (not like that you pigs! :-)). I let her drive it on Mountain Rd mentioned above. When she got done, I asked her what she thought. Her answer... "well, it's not bad, I guess. But I'd rather drive my Odyssey" ?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Some people just don't get it, I suppose.
Tom
she can't handle a stick (not like that you pigs! :-))
ROTFL. :-)
jnscheong
Although FWD cars could plow through more snow and crusty ice better than a RWD, I can't remember the number of times my stomach jumped into my throat when I tired to brake and turn or accelerate and turn only to find myself going straight. I learned to never touch my brakes in a turn and before any turn, to make sure there was a clear path ahead in case my steering wheel had no affect.
I look forward to seeing if I get the best of both worlds in my 325xi this winter.
Delivery on 7/20 might be tight. On www.wlna.com (the shipping company that BMW uses), the next shipping date is 6/11 to Port Hueneme for all west coast deliveries. That will put the arrival date on 7/9. The next arrival date after that will be 7/16 (shipping date will be 6/18). And from what I have heard, the delay from arrival to delivery at your dealership is anywhere between 4 days to 1 1/2 weeks. Looks like if you can get on the ship on 6/11, you should make it.
jnscheong