BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

brave1heart

Great stuff, I didn't know that ) I'll have to watch for it next time.

Hey, I like beeping even better. You can interpret the sentences in more ways and come up with real fun stuff that way. Just think about where else Iverson could be pulling stuff from - lol...

Let's all beep. I'll start: beep, beep

mfeldman

so at least it's not just me with the thigh thing. didn't ever notice it on a test drive. the 911 is sweet but at 111k is a true indulgence. i'd like to test drive a c32.

brave1heart

Yep, that's very expensive all right. Maybe they should change it to the 111 to reflect its price better. Unless 911 reflects its future target price. I guess it's all relative, though - if I had 3-4 mil in the bank and everything paid off, yeah, why not. Even then it would be an indulgence but at least I'd be able to say "I earned it"

Well, I hope you'll laugh over this: if the side bolster is not getting any wider, then your beep must shrink - it's one or the other. I'm working on the second option but I have a long way to go )

gurumike

The CD changer that goes in the glove box is different than the trunk mounted one. And it does pretty much render the glove box useless once in; there's enough room left for sun glasses, but that's about it.
roc50mg - whilst bigger dealers get more allocation (obviously, they'd have to or they wouldn't be bigger!) there is absolutely no truth to any claim that their cars are somehow preference vs smaller dealers. In theory, it shouldn't matter where you order the car, you'll get it at the same time. Remember all those extra cars the big guy gets get sold in the same proportion as the others.
-Michael.

roc50mg

Then howcome my friend who ordered the car a week later than i did, his car is already on a boat that is going to dock in 1-2 days while mine is still 112? Explain that one to me, please.

jasonkureejii

Don,

Great to hear that your 323i beyond the A/C clutch has given you such an outstanding impression. I guess you'll be looking forward to another 3-series in another year or two or maybe a 5er perhaps? It sounds that most seem to get the most fun out of the 3ers, however. I wonder how the 1ers will stack up when they slide into the BMW arsenal.

Braveheart,

Keep up the posts on your 325i experiences. I love it, man, regardless of the design bugs you may find. Your descriptions are probably better than I could even imagine! How does the sports suspension differ from the the normal suspension? Is it just a stiffer suspension or what? The car I test drove didn't have the SP, but it held on to the corners with relative ease, I guess.

mfeldman

Yeah with a few mi in the bank i might try a 911 turbo.

I'm 6'0 160lbs so its hard to get narrower. My friend is 5'7 and slim. So I guess its a design thing.

raybear

Sounds like the seal inside the door has failed. There is a plastic sheet that separates the inside of the door from the outside, enabling rain to run out the bottom of the door and away the electrical wires inside the door. Should be under warranty.

brave1heart

I beat you by an inch and 40 pounds. Now I'm confused - it seems that thinner people are suffering more with the bolster. Maybe I should pack on some more weight around my thighs to serve as padding against the bolster ) Convenient excuse, I know: "Honey pass me another bucket of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie, please" )

gurumike

I'd have to guess that his dealer just happened to have a modifiable car about to start production which they were able to change for him. In this case, clearly that dealer was able to supply the car sooner. However, it could quite easily have been the other way round. It's often the smaller guy who has more available pipeline that far out. It's just luck of the draw as far as your and his orders are concerned.
On a different note, I recently purchased World War 2 on-line, so I may be monitoring the board only a few times a day! Any one else got wwiionline? www.wwiionline.com .

ls11

Postoak - thanks for the input on MACO. I take it this is different than handling/destination charges (quoted by dealer as $645)or is MACO part of handling/destination charges?? If different, is the handling/destination charge also applicable to ED pricing?

A neighbor down the street just brought home "my car" 5 days ago - can't wait to get mine in the works!

Thanks

brave1heart

They are both great. The standard suspension is very communicative and allows you to feel the tire patches very well. The SP suspension is stiffer and it allows the car to corner better. It is also lowered by about an inch and a half - it lowers the car's center of gravity and it looks great (much sportier) IMO!! There is also something very inspiring about the ride - the SP allows you to feel very connected with the road. It is great for everyday driving and anything stiffer than this may be overkill unless you are racing the car. Of course, you know very well about the larger rims/tires, sport seats, and 3-spoke steering wheel, so I'm responding directly to your question about the suspension only.

I hope you get your 325 soon - you seem very enthusiastic about it.

ls11

Postoak - thanks for the input on MACO. I take it this is different than handling/destination charges (quoted by dealer as $645)or is MACO part of handling/destination charges?? If different, is the handling/destination charge also applicable to ED pricing?

A neighbor down the street just brought home "my car" 5 days ago - can't wait to get mine in the works!

Thanks

denright

My automobile officially hit 150 status today! I should have my car by mid to late July! This is a full two weeks earlier than the confirmed production as it had been reported to me last week.

YEAH BABY!!!

trejos28

aaron330i

Now I wish they'd put mine on the boad instead of just admirining it on the dock.

Oh how I wish 193 would go away.

sandecki

My 330i should be landing tomorrow in Port Jersey, NJ. I am anxiously awaiting it and am wondering how much time it takes from the point of VPC to the dealer. The end of next week I am leaving on two week vacation and would like to get my car before I leave. Is this realistic?

It seems quick and simple as the car arrives to NJ and my dealer is in NJ? Is it just a matter of days or another week or two? BMWNA does not want to give me any answer on this? Gurumike?:)

gr8st8

Just to give you some ideas, here's how mine went:

My car arrived at VPC at the NJ port on Thursday, April 12. It was loaded on a truck and left the VPC on Monday, April 16. It arrived at my dealer in Michigan on Wednesday, April 18. It took a day for them to prep it and I took delivery the next day.

Go Sixers!

veekay1

my car is supposed to arrive on the same ship (Jinsei Maru) tomorrow. My dealer is De Simone, who is yours? He didnt have an updated report as of today. I think it should be around 3 days from Dock to VPC to dealer within NJ. (at least i hope). Maybe Friday!
veekay1 (325xi/pp/cwp/step/xenon/sapphire/gray)

ls11

Postoak - thanks for the input on MACO. I take it this is different than handling/destination charges (quoted by dealer as $645)or is MACO part of handling/destination charges?? If different, is the handling/destination charge also applicable to ED pricing?

A neighbor down the street just brought home "my car" 5 days ago - can't wait to get mine in the works!

Thanks

denright

If my car went 150 today, being built in Germany, how long should it take for it to arrive at my dealership in Maryland?

BMWNA said I should figure on 4 to 6 weeks. Does this sound right to everyone? Can I actually expect to take delivery in July??

Braveheart, Gurumike, others, please provide me with your knowledge and experience on this subject.

mccerio

Guru:

Decided to switch to a 330i since they had one allocated for week 25 and I had the money.

My specs: 330i, steel gray metallic, SP, in-dash CD, Xenons, moonroof. Going to BMW of North Haven, North Haven, CT. Customer last name is Cerio (may be spelled incorrectly as Ciero...)

Thanks so much.

- MCC

thedeepdarkblu

The rep said that if you take the date your car entered production and tack on 6 weeks, that's approximately when you can expect your car to arrive at your dealership.

The wait is excruciating, but eliminating any uncertainty about timeframe certainly helps. Mine is awaiting transport right now. If all goes accordingly, it should be here (Virginia) by July 4th. Pretty much on schedule. Glad to hear that your car is ahead of schedule. It will all be more than worth it, I'm sure.

jnscheong

Except for the moonroof, we ordered the exact same car. Great minds think alike? ;-)

jnscheong

denright

I can't even imagine driving a car without a sunroof. I ALWAYS have mine open in my Grand Cherokee and my Pontiac. One of the things I love about the E46 is the fact that the sunroof is so big.

jnscheong

My 330i is also awaiting transport. Since I am in South Cal, our cars probably won't be on the same ship. My car will likely be mine mid to late July. I actually did a test drive this past weekend again to remind myself what will be coming in a little over a month. I might have made the waiting worst... :-)

jnscheong

sandecki

Mine is Morristown. Friday would be sooooo nice!

Let me know if you get your sooner!

Thanks

jnscheong

Both our cars have sunroof. Since two little ones have arrived (21 months and 8 months), both sunroofs have gotten little use. So I used the money for the sunroof to get the xenons.

jnscheong

boelke

Keep us posted on your experiences. It sure is fun shifting when the tach goes beyong the 3.5K mark.

denright

Why does having little ones affect sunroof usage? My wife and I are likely to start a family in the next year or so, so please enlighten me on how this will affect sunroof usage.

brave1heart

This time in the Canadian Grand Prix. Any lucky BMW fans that saw the event live? Give us all the details. I've wanted to go for a while, especially now that BMW is back in Formula 1. It would have been easy to get a ticket through Ebay but accommodation is another story...

brave1heart

My car got to the dealership less than 3 weeks after it was shipped (4/11-4/30). Not sure how long it will take from status 150 to shipping, though - I'd think 2, maybe 3 weeks tops? It seems that mid-July is a safe bet. BTW, production date (3/21) to dealer (4/30) in my case was exactly 41 days, so 6 weeks sounds like a good guess.

Good luck, I hope it gets here even sooner.

jnscheong

I opened the sunroof couple of times after we had our son. The "turbulence" in the back was quite severe and seemed to bother him a lot. That's why we decided to forego the sunroof on the 330i.

jnscheong

brave1heart

Couldn't agree more on your sunroof comments and using it all the time. The 3-series has one of the largest sunroofs too - it almost feels like a convertible with the sunroof open - I love it. I probably would not use it if I had kids in the back seat, though.

aaron330i

Does anyone have experience with the sunroof wind deflector? Does it cut out a lot of back seat wind?

brave1heart

Not worth it, IMO. It does not cut down on back seat wind significantly and it seriously spoils the lines of the car.

tcn2k

The car looks better without it!

roc50mg

Congrats!
Did you check Owner's Circle to see if it says your car is in production? I want to know how much of a time lag there is between what you were told by the BMWNA representative vs. the website.

dl7265

I called around and found a installer , price $499.00 (ouch)! was considering it since it was 100f today, oh well .

Jason,i enjoyed the loaner 5 series but the interior is only 2 feet total larger than the E46,for an extra 10k i think ill pass.I do like the halo headlamps though .

Since im not commuting down town anymore in rush hour traffic , and im teaching family to drive a stick, i am considering a 5spd , perhaps a coupe for ED.

DL

lewparker

Good call brave,
The one time I had to essentially 'panic stop', the ABS brakes kicked in so subtly that I realized they were on, but I wasn't at all alarmed. I never hesitated for a second, just kept the pedal pressed down hard. The car held a straight line and slowed very rapidly. Nice to know that you don't have to worry about locking up the wheels in a tight spot.

brave1heart

Yep, I remember your "panic stop" - a couple of days after you picked up the car, right? I am getting so used to the brakes and the overall feeling of security in this car that I am starting to feel a bit unsafe in other cars. I have to watch for its limits too - it's easy to become overly confident when you know you can consistently brake/steer/accelerate your way out of trouble.

flybynight1

Hello, I'm new to this site. I hope this topic hasn't been beaten into the ground already, but I'm intested in people's opinion's on the extra 6 thousand for the more powerful engine. I'd love it, but I gotta convince myself for 6000 bones. Anyone feel the extra isn't used enough to justify the cost? Thanks!

aaron330i

Welcome.

I think the 325 vs 330 question was hashed about 1000 to 2000 posts ago, and hashed quite extensively. Not to mention quite the lively discussion.

bmwagonmaster

A good "brave" summary of one side of that discussion can be found in the 3-Series FAQ section.

alpine325i

I test drove both. I would buy the 330i in a second, if I could EASILY afford it. I couldn't, my budget was 32 grand, thats why I bought the 325i with a bunch of options. Go out and test drive both cars extensively, then you will know if it's worth the extra 6 grand to you. )

trejos28

Now, if mine would just pass the "On Order" phase I could see for myself! Hey everyone, keep the "breaking the car in" posts coming. Great stuff, especially for us "still have several weeks" to go. Thanks.

suv16

My dealer says the manufacturer's basic warranty is 3 year/ 36,000 miles. However edmunds.com shows it's 4 yr. / 50,000 mi. Which one is correct? Thanks!

cccmd

Anyone on this board had the auxillary fan break in their 2001 3-series? There are alot of posts on bimmer.org about this. A salesman I spoke with said it was limited to cars with manual transmissions. Any thoughts from those with this experience?

aaron330i

I think what that means is that scheduled maintenance is included in the first 3/36, but non-scheduled up to 4/50

aaron330i

Actually, the aux fan issues are only with people who have Step.