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Comments
I originally went in with the intention of purchasing a 325xi with a manual transmission. When I got to the dealer they only had a 325xi with the steptronic trans. Since it was late March, there wasn't a whole lot of snow and ice to test the AWD with. I did however, get to test the steptronic transmission. That, I did like. Just for comparison sake I drove a 325i with manual.
After I drove the 325xi my sales guy explained to me that the 325xi is great for getting started climbing slippery hills, and through deep snow. Also, the standard BMW RWD with traction control and snow tires actually performs comparably on slick/snowy flat surfaces. He referred me to an article in Car and Driver from last March(??) for much more detail.
With that in mind, I went home thought it over, read the article and decided the next day to get the 325i with the Steptronic trans. in place of the AWD.
So, my config is:
Orient Blue Metallic (extremely attractive color. I ate dinner at an outside restaraunt tonight so I could just stare at it)
Black leather interior (It hasn't been realy hot here since I've picked it up, but I don't think it will be that big of an issue. The climate control does a nice job of cooling things off in a hurry)
Premium Package (the dark wood trim coupled with the black leater is amazing)
Cold Weather Package, (this should be standard equipment for those of us in the North. Our warm butts will thank us in January)
CD w/standard audio
Steptronic transmission
I never really considered the 330. I guess it was more $$ than I wanted to spend, and the extra 40 or so HP would be great, but I probably don't need it. The 184HP in the 325i is suiting me just fine.
I'm sure that the White with Sand is really sweet. However, beware of being pushed into something that you don't really want. I'm sure the dealer really wants the car off the lot so they don't have to float the financing on it and the sales guy will get credit for selling it this month.
It would be very tempting to go the instant gratification route by buying something that you can take delivery on right away. However, you are spending 30K + on a car and you should get exactly what you want. There is no doubt that the 3 1/2 months I had to wait was excruciating. But I now realize that it was definitely worth it. I got exactly the car I wanted and am not second guessing a thing.
In Mpls. we are fortunate in that we have two BMW dealers realtively close to each other. I would definitely check out Sears and see what they have. Like I mentioned before, my guy took the time to make sure I got exactly what I wanted even if it meant not getting sales credit for 3 1/2 months. If you do call Sears, my guys name is Warren. Tell him that Jay sent you and he'll take care of you.
Good Luck,
Jay
jnscheong
mr eastwood - if you're getting a sedan, it doesn't matter as you can remove the whole license plate bracket and swap it for the "no-front-plate-in-my-state" strip. If it's a two door, you WILL have a front bracket installed because otherwise you CAN NOT drive your car in Europe. You'll be pulled over in under 30 minutes and stopped from driving the vehicle. You'll likely be REQUIRED to flat bed it to a garage for installation. Plus fines. Expensive and very time consuming. It's a really big deal over there.
Almost 600 miles, and it seems that each time I drive the car, it becomes more refined and more powerful. Granted, this is not the 240 hp 330 or the M3, but I just can't imagine having more power. The smoothness of the shifter and the accessible torque is wonderful. When in 5th gear at 60 or 70 mph, the car still accelerates with authority. It's simply effortless. Though clutch travel is long (seems nearly twice as long as my Accord), I'm getting used to it. The car is VERY responsive and tracks precisely. The steering does feel a bit light (not sure if this is the new "old" steering or not--produced in June), and there does seem to be a dead spot on center. As far as handling is concerned, it's a beaut. I accelerated into a sharp declined curve at 50 mph, and the DSC didn't even kick in. No tire squealing, minimal roll (the SP Cont-sports stick like glue) and strong acceleration out of the apex. All this and still sub-4K rpms. Sweet!
Aesthetic remarks. This car turns heads. The SP wheels make the car look amazing, and I can't tell you how many guys have looked in envy and how many women have checked to see who's driving (this is nothing substantial, of course, but just plain entertaining). The interior just keeps me happy, especially at night when I feel like I'm in Darth Vader's Tie Fighter cockpit. Mesmerizing orange lighting. Everything is geared towards the driver--perfect atmosphere.
Accessories: The all-weather mats are perfect, and rather than looking goofy (like the weather-tech mats, no offense for those who have them), they look very stealthy. I doubt they hold has much rain/snow as the weather-techs, but they are meaty. The Noah car cover works like a dream. I have no garage, and I want to keep it protected as much as possible. It's not 100% waterproof, but it keeps the car dry and no dive bombers have gotten through.
That's all for now. I promise I will post pics soon.
Tchoo--what's up, man? Give us the good word on your vehicle?
add123
Old (E36) M3 - 240hp
New M3 - 333hp
The comment I heard everyone make after they drove the new M3 (not that many people) was "doesn't feel much quicker than the old one!"
Having owned a '97 M3 (they had the 3.2 liter from '96 on) I can attest to the fact that the 330i is about 98% of the car my M3 was. In the real world it's a much, much better car to live with. People driving these, as well as 325i's (who in many ways have even more fun as the car can be driven closer to ten tenths more of the time) , you all just don't realize how significant these cars are. The only cars on sale (under $100) that really have the same driving ability are the Porsches; even then, the BMW matches all the handling and is even tighter built (more solid) and rides nicer, oh, and you can take 4 or 5 adults out in it.
In the next two weeks I intend to get my hands on one of those ECIS cold air intakes. Apparently, this peticular company makes the only one to buy (including Dinans $500 intake, perhaps?) and their new 2001 model intakes are very exciting. I hope that's not too aculex/v_techish !!
BTW, ECIS, I believe is East Coast Intake Systems. Does anyone have one of these on their 323/328 ?? How is it?
add123
99 M3 (stick)
01 330i (auto)
01 M3 (stick)
I never had my 99 M3 at the same time as the 330i, but I can attest that my old 99 M3 blew away another 01 330i on the freeway. She must have been a bad driver or had the auto, but I don't think the auto makes a difference if my 99 M3 was on 5th going 80mph and the auto was going 80mph...no shifting needed.
As far as the difference between the 99 M3 and the 01 M3. I do notice a difference. Especially in the shift points. The 99's seem to run out and you need to shift at about 3500-4000 RPMs 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th.
M3 Frank
I too saw about 5 325 and 330 i's and Xi's on three different lots but all were n o t quite what i wanted. either they had a package or more specifically DIDN'T have a package i wanted and although the immediate 'sign and drive' temtation was there (I almost bought an Audi S4!?) i decided to order, wait, sell my '94 Saab, and with my wife, be a one-car family for two months.
Luckily, my dealer had a slot and i should receive my 330Xi (by the way-Orient Blue, black leather...) in mid/late august.
Take the time, shop around, drive everything, look at EVERY color combo - not just picts - but actual cars... and "good things comes to those ..." well, you know the rest..
stg
and yes, deepdarkblue (and others), keep those updates coming. Good stuff.
I ordered my 330i w/PP, SP, Auto, cd, met paint. It did come with the different front and rear trim (aerodynamic kit). It should sit lower that than without the SP. I looked at both side by side and it was lower with. On the BMW web site, in the accessories section of the 330i, it states that it comes with the aerodynamic kit. I would have been upset if I ordered the up and it din't come with the kit. So, I'm happy about that at least.
add123
I'm excited!!!
add123
j330i - The alarm can be installed by the dealer at delivery, its about $350-400. You can also buy it from www.circlebmw.com or pacific bmw for about $225. Installation instructions are provided and the feedback is that its not terribly difficult to DIY. I got Lojack instead, I personally think its a much better security accessory.
add123
Given the above, the mirror should tilt the same number of degrees down each time, regardless of driver's seat position. The change in angle required to go from pointing directly behind the car to directly behind and down is purely a vertical tilt (down only, not down and in/out), and is independent of the original mirror ans seat position. It's probably programmed to tilt down a set degree angle from the original position, probably something like 30 degrees.
Would somebody with a 325 without the PP and power seats go out and check their mirror's tilting feature (making sure the switch is to the LEFT) so we can resolve whether/when it's included?
We talked about this a couple of hundred posts back. Perhaps Mr Gurumike can check with the pros and give final closure to this....
I have had my 325 for 1.5 weeks. I have the SP. I do NOT have the PP or electric seats. My passenger mirror has ABSOLUTELY no desire to tilt when I am in reverse! Doesn't matter if my mirror "switch" is to the left, right, middle, on, off, whatever. The mirror aint tiltin'!
I have heard countless reasons from numerous people, some of whom I thought would know with certainty (GURU!!!!) (no PP, no pwr seats, switch in wrong position, tilt feature not activated, planets aligned incorrectly while in reverse.) I would really just like to know once-and-for-all whether (1) I don't have it, or (2) I have it, but it doesn't work!
hhhhhhheeeeeellllllllpppppp!!!!!!
Now, before you call the service dept, how close are you to needing a service?
I am absolutely not prepared to buy the 330i. Even more so that I asked the guy to run some numbers on a few cars (both leasing and purchase) for me and he hasn't gotten back to me.
That surprises me with all the great things you hear about their customer service. Guess at this point I'm not a customer, but if he was treating me better I might be.
I plan on checking out Motorwerks as well, but may give your guy a call too.
By the way, any problems with trunk space? My husband and I golf and I'm wondering if there's room in there for two golf bags without having to fold the back seats down.?.
Thanks again for your help!
I called my sales guy for an update, he gave me the following Vin FV05312, Production # 8680149 (I may have written it down wrong in excitment) port 20.
Can anyone give me any more info as to where it is in the pre or production stage?????
Bright red (rare) 325i black ette, only option is heated seats. Budd's BMW, Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
Thanks,
Tilt mirror... I'm sure it's not too expensive "by it's self". I'd speculate that the cars with power seats have a different wiring harness than w/out and the tilt mirror feature requires that wiring harness to do the tilt thing!
My 325xi is Automatic Transmission. However I m realizing that it doesnt have much Idle Speed. When I come out of the parking lot in reverse gear I have to press the gas the moment I turn the Steering Wheel. That kinna gives me a discomfort that I cant control reversing with the Break Pedal alone. Is this normal or this becoz the vehicle is new (600 miles) and can anything be done to increase the Idle Speed ?
As for optimal shift points, it really varies by personal preferences. Because of the brooooaaaad torque curves of these engines, it is unnecessary to rev the hell out of them to obtain satisfying performance. However, on the flip side, because of the satisfying aural sensations and smooth power delivery of the engines, it is tons of fun to routinely see 6,000+rpm (once broken-in, of course)! Technically, however, you are not extracting any more performance from the engines by revving beyond the max power/torque points, which occurs well before redline (somewhere in the 5-6,000rpm range, I believe). For exact specs, check the Edmunds page or the e46fanatics.com for graphical hp/torque curves. Hope this helps.
If you prefer to stay with the 225/45 size, check back later in the year. I know last fall/winter there were several winter tire choices in that size.