BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

postoak

Does the $200 fee include the licensing fee or is it in addition to it? In my state/county, the county charges about $15 to register a vehicle and the tag on a BMW is about $70. $25 over and above that is rediculous in a way, considering they probably send a low-paid employee down to the county offices once a week to register all vehicles sold that week, but I wouldn't kick over paying it. So $15 + $70 + $25 = $110 is "reasonable". YMMV, depending on state and county.

postoak

If we stick with the basic premise of me not driving a car that is out of warranty -- which for me means 2 years of ownership, then, if I purchase, and with no money down and no trade-in, then we're probably talking about a monthly payment of $1500 -- way more than I am willing to spend.

With leasing, at least, I am only paying for about 33% of the car over that same 2 year time period. Even if I have to buy 15,000 extra miles, I am sure payments will be a lot less.

Of course, at the end of my 2 year purchase plan, I now own a BMW outright which in theory should be worth 67% of what I originally paid for it, but this is where my inability to drive a good bargain when selling my used vehicles comes in play to hurt me. With a lease, not only am I making much lower monthly payments, but the car is automatically "sold" for me at a good price -- agreed upon in advance.

I just need to get an idea of how much BMW is going to want to charge me for excess mileage. I don't see any specifics like this at the BMW site.

riez

postoak... Been about 3 weeks since I was pouring over the material. If I remember right, when I would get into "BMW Financial Services", possibly thru CPO or new car option, a pop-up opened with the latest financing special. If you have poured over the web site and still have questions, you have at least a couple options. One, go to nearest dealer and ask them. Or you could call BMW Financial Services at 1-800-959-4BMW. Think they have "Leasing Relationship Consultants". Guess you could also e-mail or snail mail their Financial Services (PO Box 3608, Dublin OH 43016-0306).

postoak

It's too early to approach a dealer (my "deal date" would be approximately 3/26 for a 6/24 pickup in Munich), but I would like to talk to some at BMW, so thanks for the phone number.

brave1heart

This is easier than it looks - Here's a crash course:

Posting an IMAGE:

Your image needs to be uploaded on a server somewhere. Here's how to reference it:

A HREF="copy and paste your URL here" IMG SRC="copy and paste your URL here" ALT="type up short description here" HEIGHT=600 WIDTH=800 BORDER=1 ALIGN=CENTER /A
b Click above for a closer look /b

Uou need to enclose every command with these tags: <>

Some tips:
The "A HREF=" command allows users to click on the image and zoom in

"IMG SRC=" is I think the only required part

Scale 800x600 (keep the scale 4 to 3!!) fills up the screen nicely

b whatever you put in here will be bolded /b - you only need the <> tags on each side of the reference (tags around the "b" to begin bolding and one more set around /b to end bolding)

Posting an URL:

A HREF="copy and paste your URL here" description of url

This is all very new to me as well, so take it with a grain of salt. For those of you that have not been able to view my car's picture, it seems that it is browser-related (Netscape) but I am not sure if it is due to the browser version or because Netscape interprets the HTML tag that I used differently.

brave1heart

Click above for a closer look


You can also click here to view it

huntzinger

A HREF="copy and paste your URL here" description of url

Its pretty much standard HTML.

Using this form, the "A" before the HREF needs to be closed off after the description, so using () for brackets here yields:

(A HREF="URL path") click here text (/A)

FWIW, I've found that Edmunds will usually automatically convert pasted URL's for you (you just don't get the pretty "click here").

For images, its (IMG SRC="URL path"). I would expect that the optional ALT= as well as scale tags {HEIGHT=200 WIDTH=300} tags should work. The main thing with scaling tags is to make sure that they're the same proportion as the original, for otherwise, you can get squashed or stretched images.

-hh

nyccarguy

Blue with black interior...very nice. most of the blue cars I see have the sand or grey interior.

brave1heart

Note also that you cannot see the V-1 detector unless you zoom in and look for it.

dave330i

post on another thread, and I though I'd share with you good folks.

"BMW is cutting deals left and right also. Mercedes probably is to. I'm sure luxury car dealers are feeling the pinch from a slowing economy. The reason luxury car sales are still great is because of, I'm sure, deeper discounting."

I'd love to find out where though.

ccotenj

well, as with many things i see posted out here that people are "sure" about, i'd sure need to see it first...

-Chris

dave330i

It's always good to start the morning with a good laugh, and I felt like sharing my source of amusement with others.

jliu_ca

I'm hoping to find a "good deal" on a 2001/2 325Cic convertible in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I'm willing to expand my search down to the LA area if I can find a reputable dealer and "good deal".

Does anyone have any recommendations or places to avoid?

Any guidance on recents pricing or deals would be much appreciated as well.

Best I have received (via email correspondance) is 3% below MSRP.

Thanks all!

brave1heart

I am a firm believer in buying and I have formed a very negative opinion of non-business leasing over the years. When I bought my Jetta VR6 back in '97, the purchase price was $20,000. I drove it for 51 months and 96K miles before I sold it myself (trade-in was at least 2 grand less) for $8,600, i.e. depreciation was 11,400 / 51 = ~225 a month. Maintenance and repairs cost me about $3,000, i.e. another 60/month average. Opportunity cost of capital (lost interest on the averaged capital I had invested in the car) was ~50 a month. Based on the miles I drove, I am calculating 5.7 cents a mile in depreciation, repairs, and lost interest. Just as a reference point, back then VW was advertising a no money down, 24 month/24K mile lease specials on the base VW (completely stripped), which was going for about 15K. Based on that "special", you'd be paying 20 cents a mile for a 15-thousand dollar car. Instead, I was driving a $20,000 car for 5.7 cents a mile. It would be fair to acknowledge that driving a 4-year old out of warranty Jetta is not the same as a 2-year old Jetta fully covered under the warranty. There is also the risk that you may need major repairs once the warranty expires and the per-mile numbers would be different. There are a lot of other things to consider for an even better comparison but in my case, buying has always made a lot more sense than leasing. And I rarely own for more than 4-5 years or 100,000 miles. Own what appreciates and lease what depreciates is a car salesman's pitch - they are both streams of payments that can be compared directly to determine if it is cheaper to own or buy in your individual situation. If buying was more profitable to dealers, they would not be pushing leasing as aggressively as they typically do, don't you think?

postoak

1-800-959-4BMW is not a good number to call. They do not have any consultants available and refer you to your local dealer. All customer contact is through the dealer. Unfortunately, unlike with a bank, a savings and loan, or a CU, when I talk to someone in a dealer's F&I department I consider myself in an adversarial relationship, immediately.

dave330i

Various posters, and from what several friends told me, you can get better deals in SoCal vs. NoCal. That said, best deal is still ED.

nyccarguy

I've never owned a BMW (I hope to when the lease is up on my Saab next December). How is the paint quality? Do you see an excessive amount of road chips? The paint on my Saab is excellent. I haven't waxed or detailed the car in well over a year (I know, I know I'm a bad boy and If I get a BMW I promise to keep up on it). When I ran it through the car wash, the paint was still brilliant and I didn't see any stone chips.

postoak

Well, I went ahead and called a local dealer and they were actually quite helpful. There are definitely BMW specials out there right now with the economy being in recession. Anyway I was able to get specific information about money factor, excess mileage, gap insurance, licensing fees (on a lease!?!), security deposit, residual value, everything. All this without being asked my name. So, it wasn't a bad experience like I thought it would be.

genie1

My car is a 98 with highway miles. The hood is speckled with small white dots (primer) and a few sizeable chips (>2mm diam).

My friends one-month old MB has much softer paint. It already has a couple of large (>5mm diam) chips down to primer. He has now installed the clear bra which seems to help, but I'm not sure about how this product will wear.

I noticed that my dealer has begun touting this product as well.

Has anyone used the 3M clear bra? Does it start getting cruddy about the edges? peeling? In three years, will the protected part be chip-free and the rest of the car pitted? That might look more odd than an evenly pitted front.

dave330i

I vaguely remember reading about clear bra not working very well on BMWs due the the hood shape. Another advantage of living in NoCal. Don't have to deal with all the sand they throw on the roads.

Did get the 37 degree warning beep this morning though.

nyccarguy

genie

I've read an article in one of the mags that said the paint on the C320 they were testing was soft. I can't believe (well I can, but its just shocking) that. My parents had a '90 300E for 8 years and over 150,000 miles. the car was by no means babied. Whenever I got around to waxing and detailing it, it looked SHOWROOM new. The paint was that good. Their CLK is going to be 4 years old in April (They're looking to replace it with a 330Xi) and I don't see any road chips. Anyway if the paint is soft on your friend's MB I guess they don't build 'em like they used to.

genie1

The old paints were almost indestructible. The new ones are environmentally friendly and water based.

My dad had an old (late 80's) ORANGE MB that looked brand new in 93 (no fading even after several years of +45 deg weather). The paint is less durable now.

nyccarguy

Lousy enviornment!

nyccarguy

I've been poking around the IS300 board & website (is300.net) and these guys have definitely got to take some 3 series anger management classes. The town hall host is constantly telling them that there is a separate froum for IS300 vs 3 Series.

dave330i

There are sad people out there, who can only feel better after bashing someone else. Good thing I haven't ran in to any BMW owners like that.

brave1heart

... are down for the second consecutive month according to autosite.com Who knows, maybe there are some bargains out there - I heard that BMW Peabody is running a 10-day sale.

brave1heart

Click above for a closer look


My favorite angle

jliu_ca

Best deal is still ED? What is "ED"?

dave330i

EuroDelivery. It's usually several thousand cheaper than what you can get in the states. check out bmwusa.com for details or your local dealer.

silverprincess

AVOID Stevens Creek BMW & Allison BMW (Mountain View)...I've had bad experiences with both, bad pricing and bad sales people. I bought my BMW at BMW of San Francisco: CPO 1999 323i w/ manual, SP, leather, moon, wood trim, CD, rear folding seats, with 16,229 miles at the end of August. List was $26,999 and I got it for $25,999 before TTL. Salesperson was Adrian Avila...very pleasant experience. If you want more details, email me. Don't know about the other dealerships in the Bay Area. Hope this helps.

ubrsf

I have ordered a 2002 330i on ED with a pick up date of March 18th. A month before the pick up date, I'm supposed to go to the dealer to work out payment details. My question is, can we lock in the Money Factor on a future lease? the dealer said I couldn't, that this is only done if you purchase the car, then you can lock in the APR. My 2nd question is then, How do you take advantage of a lease special on a BMW.

jliu_ca

Dave - thanks...i'll look into the ED. could use a vacation.

Silverprincess - yes, already heard that Stevens Creek has bad sales folks AND high prices. also, heard good things about BMW of SF and Weatherford (Berkeley). thanks!

postoak

It's been asked and discussed a couple of times before. Unfortunately I don't remember what the answer was. I THINK that one buyer had back-up financing ready to go and used that when the dealer pulled that trick. Further, I wouldn't put it past a dealer to tell you that a BMW subsidized lease offer had expired EVEN IF IT HADN'T, in hopes that you would go with a higher profit financing deal with them. Shop around and get the best alternative financing you can find and a commitment from that lender through the 30-days-before date.

postoak

I've pretty much read every post on this board and book-marked good ones on the ED. Here they are:

00730 (00710) - Hints and tips

01631 (01541) - License plates and frames

02579 (02424) - Platypus experience #1

02580 (02425) - Platypus experience #2

02906 (02726) - Platypus' figures for his deal

02957 (02766) - Pricing

02979 (02786) - Postoak figures

03075 (02875) - Temple, Texas importer

03724 (03483) - Platypus speaks again

06717 (06366) - Gurumike's car with cloth seats

06746 (06394) - Cloth seats ordering

06795 (06443) - Cloth seats ordering

07515 (07110) - habitat1's thoughts

08997 (08548) - davidlj3's figures for his deal

12148 (11612) - derprofi's first post-trip post

12177 (11641) - hgeyer advice on ED insurance

The number in the left hand column is the absolute number - enter it into the "MSG #" field at the top of this page. The 2nd column of numbers is the relative number that appears in blue to the left of each post.

Also, for invoice pricing (only the base price is discounted) go see:

http://www.eurobuyers.com

And, at //http:bmwusa.com click on "Virtual Center" (top center of screen) and then click on "European Delivery" -- there's a lot of good information there.

pat

A tip for you -- if you right click on the message number that is a highlighted link and choose copy (or copy link location), you can then paste the link to that message directly into your post.

As an example, I'll do that for your post above. This is what it looks like - postoak Dec 13, 2001 4:04pm - and since it uses the absolute number, it will always work no matter what changes above it.

Hope this is useful.

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

postoak

Instead of posting this Euro Delivery cross reference information again, I'll just use that technique to point to this post.

riez

ubrsf... Get hard copies of any deals you see. Clip newspaper ads. Print out info off web site. When I bought my BMW a couple weeks ago the dealer initially tried to pretend not to know about the then BMW Finance special on CPO cars that expired 11/30/01. But I showed him the BMW ads I'd clipped and what I'd printed off the web. He came around quickly. I got the special on its last day. I'm sure they wanted to steer me to their local bank at a higher rate.

cnorthrup

'02 330i
Does anyone know what the vacuum operated flap that you can see inside one of the pipes does?

bmw323is

topspin - what was the name of the wheels you bought from tirerack? I'm looking at getting some extra wheels and want something that closely matches original equipment, preferably the M double spoke type. Can you put the BMW propeller emblem in the middle of the new wheel?

genie - I put the 3M clear bra on my 323 the day I bought it. It's a tough install on the BMW because of the hood angles and curves. I had to have the shop redo it once. On my jet black car I can still see some stretch marks in the plastic (it's more invisible on light colors). In two years it has not peeled, yellowed, faded, etc. It's worked great at keeping the chips away. My lower plastic bumper is full of very small chips. Here in Denver they say they put sand on the roads - wrong - they put rocks on the roads. All that said, I don't think I'd buy another one for my next Bimmer though.

Brave - I have a "tip" for you. Buy the chrome exhaust tips and put them on. $30 and less than a 5 minute install. It's unbelievable how much it dresses up the back of the car and makes it look much more muscular at the same time. Plus, my car is much faster now I figured that all those IS300 boys will be looking at my back bumper a lot so why not have it look good (okay, just kidding, I like the Lexus too, if they would just get rid of those tail lights).

ncbmw

Some Ahole scratched a 4 foot line into the hood of my new BMW. I been looking at scratch repair products and have yet to had time to call my BMW dealer.

i was wondering if i should bother to repair it in the middle winter in Boston (city is dirty and i bet i get another scratch).

I seen some flashy products on the net that seemt o repair the finish like new?? I am wondering if i should get a new paint job or just repair the scratch. Should I deal with my dealer or shop around????

Bascially I feel sooo violated! It seems i got to do a daily inspection of my care before i even get into the thing. . thanks Boston . . love this crap hole

;-p

email me your responses if you can.

thanks in advanced

ncharlie@aya.yale.edu

ps. yeah so i sound bitter .. you would be too!

gurumike

The flap in the right side tail pipe (as you look at it from behind) is there to improve exhaust system performance. First introduced by BMW in 1995 on the '96 328 cars, this was an excellent one of those "why didn't someone think of that earlier?" items. The flap is closed at low rpm (about 3k and under) to give better back pressure in the exhaust system which means better torque. Under acceleration, above 3k, the flap opens, making the system more free flowing. The computer basically decides when it's best to open and close the flap which is dependant on several different factors. This allows the whole exhaust system to be better tuned for more of the rpm range. The principal is similar to the VANOS variable valve timing system (which of course is very similar to what some may know better as V-TEC in Honda speak).
Also, as the flap is closed usually when cruising, the noise is lower. This is an important feature in Europe where strict EU "drive-by noise pollution" laws have handicapped many cars performance to some extent. Some cars were even axed when they didn't make the grade, the Ford Escort RS Cosworth being perhaps the most notable.

denright

I live in DC and also feel pangs of dread every day about potential scratches and dings. My last car, a Pontiac, was keyed several times in the parking lot I used to park in near my office. When I got my 2001 330xi, I switched to another, safer indoor parking lot.

Every day I park my bimmer somewhere where there will not be a car parked next to me (against a wall or something like that). When parking at shopping centers, etc., I always park in the outer reaches of Siberia so no one will park next to me and scratch or ding my car. I am really anal about it. Drives my wife nuts.

That said, I have looked into scratch repair products and have sadly found that the only real solution is a new paint job on the affected panel. The products you see on TV and on the net are all hype and empty promises. Buffing won't take out a scratch that you can feel with your fingernail. Touch-up paint looks like crap on scratches larger than a half an inch.

If this is a new car, I would advise you to talk to your dealer about recommending a good bodyshop that does excellent paint work. Have them remove and "shoot" the hood. It shouldn't cost more than a few hundred bucks, and you'll feel much better for it.

I just got in a minor fender bender with a tour bus in Georgetown two days ago. The bus scraped my left rear rim, and left a small, 3 inch gouge on my bumper. I took the car into my dealer the next morning (yesterday). Had a new rim put on ($440 plus tax installed, after a nice discount on the rim itself) and had the dealer's minor body work specialist fill, sand and "shoot" the affected bumper panel. I also had them check the alignment to make sure it wasn't thrown off by the bus' impact.

I picked the car up last night. It looks like new, and it only cost me $600 for the whole shebang. For anyone facing similar issues in the DC area, I can tell you that VOB BMW really gives great service. While it sucks to be out $600, I am glad to have my car back in mint condition the day after the incident.

whitepenguin

Question for the experts: how do the coupe and sedan (with SP)compare from the comfort/ride standpoint assuming similar tire size?
Are they close to each other or the different height (about 4cm) does have an impact on the comfort/ride?

Thanks for any feedback

brave1heart

As a rule of thumb, I do not spend money on purely cosmetic stuff (especially removing scratches) but the chrome exhaust tips do make the back end look much nicer, I totally agree. Maybe I'll break a rule and cough up the $30. Do they look nice even after a few months?

tenet1

Nice Ride!!

I will be posting my silver jewel in a few days. Stay posted

tenet1

Where can you get these chrome exhaust tips?

Any pictures showing it installed?

nyccarguy

I don't know if you talking about a 330i ED price on here or on another board of another manufacturer who shall remain nameless, but if you don't mind flying nowadays, you can get RT airfare to Munich for less than $350! I'd definitely fly to Germany for the weekend to pick up a 330i at those substantial savings.

shipo

No question about it, if I decide to get another BMW (3-Series or 5-Series) there is no doubt, I will absolutely go with the ED option. As it turns out, I have just enough American Advantage miles to take both my wife and myself to Munich in First Class, and then have a First Class ride waiting for me when I get there. That will sure beat the hell out of the Fiat Uno Diesel that I drove on my second trip across the pond (on my first trip, I took my Trek ;-)).

By the way gang, I sat in and looked around an Audi (the other board of the other manufacturer who shall remain nameless) A4 1.8t the other night. I will not get a chance to drive a 3.0 until January (the dealer says he is too busy with the &#147;Year End Push&#148;), however, I will say this; &#147;Hey Audi, nice job on the interior&#148;. At this point, I am about 80% sure that my next car will be a BMW, but I owe it to myself to check out the competition just to see what my options are. &#147;Let&#146;s see, I HAVE to drive a 530i, 330i, E320, C320, A6 2.7t, A4 3.0, X-Type 3.0, and maybe even an IS300. Damn, this is hard work, but, I guess that somebody has to do it.&#148; ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

cnorthrup

Thanks.

I kind of figured it would be something like that.

I have looked at it right after starting the car and still cold and noticed it was still open while idling. I wonder how I can see how it works when cruising at 2500 rpm? )

I guess it is part of being a proud new BMW owner that I marvel at the little things.

BTW - The '02 330i does seem to sound better then the '01 that I took for my test drive.

CNorthrup

genie1

“Let’s see, I HAVE to drive a 530i, 330i, E320, C320, A6 2.7t, A4 3.0, X-Type 3.0, and maybe even an IS300. Damn, this is hard work, but, I guess that somebody has to do it.” ;-)

LOL. Here's what we tested for my brother:
525: nice, but not quite right for a 24 yr old
325: I loved it, he thought it was cramped
A4: nice ride, very complicated displays, great for the AWD capabilities, but not as much fun as the Bimmer
C230 (sedan): v. sedate, some lux, lots of looks
X-type: not really interested, but we may just see what it can do.
IS300: ugly, flashy, tacky, SMOOTH, DEAD QUIET (this is just our opinion). I also thought the brochure tried too hard to prove the car was better than the competition. V. childish.

His final selection: C230 coupe, panorama sunroof, leather, Evolution package (17" tires...), Capri blue, oyster leather. Delivery in March. Great handling, lots of looks.

This car is not for everyone, but it works for his personality and place in life. 24, single, Euro-yuppie, needs the flat folding back seat for deliveries, and the three pointed star to impress clients. I'm only slightly green, but he will let me drive it.