BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

megrdh

Hi everybody,
I have followed this forum for a while. Ready to buy either BMW 325i sedan or IS 300. Just contact some dealer in SF Bay Area and I am offered about $1000 less MSRP of the car I want (very basic w/ automatic transmission). Since you have more experience with BMW than me (this is my first time), please let me know is this good deal in this time of economy? Greatly appreciate. Meg

ds2k1

$1K off MSRP seems to be pretty standard up here, but I think you can do better. If you don't mind going to Los Angeles to pick up your car, you can get a better deal. I got my car from a dealership down there and he did much better for me than anyone up here would. If you're interested, I'll be happy to share the name of the guy I dealt with.

bmwbuyer

ds2k1 -- I would be very interested in any dealer names in LA you could pass along. Thanks.

megrdh

ds2K1--Would you please estimate how much I can save more? If it will be thousands more I may You can either post in the forum or e-mail me (mvhuynh@hotmail.com) if you don't mind. Thank you very much. Meg

gr8st8

Greetings everyone from a first time poster.

I ordered my 330xi(Orient Blue,Sport,Black Leather,Xenon,CD,Sunroof,Heated Seats)
about two weeks ago and when I tracked it through the Owner's Circle it says it is produced but not shipped. I was just wondering what has been everyone's experience regarding the wait time until it gets to the US(the preparation center) and how long before it gets to the actual dealer. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

alexander73

I am an american working in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai). I am about to purchase a 325ia to tkae back to the states. Here are the details. First of all it's Imola Red (only found on the M-3) It has steptronic,T.V.,Navigation, M sports package,black suede sports seats, zenon lights, M-package, phone, M-tuned suspension, power seats,power sunroof, 17 inch M rims, carbon fiber trim. By the way you cannot get Imola Red on a 325 in the states, without a big hassle. It is american specs, although it needs a catalytic converter. I will be paying $34,153 for it TAX FREE, at 7% intrest. Good deal or what?? It will cost me roughly $2000 to ship it. Oh and yes the T.V. picks up regular channels. Does anyone know how much a catalytic converter fo a 2001 325 cost.
I appreciate anyones opinion in this decision.
thank you

sabastian1

Despite my previous testaments to the resiliency of the sport rims on this message board I managed to find a pot hole (NC) that put a nasty dent in my right front rim. I'm taking the car to my mechanic today but figured I'd bounce the situation off you's to see what experiences you might relate. Can the rim be repaired? If so, by whom, any rec's. What other damage should I be looking for? Thanks for your help.

vesuviusii

TTL + "dealer prep" + documentation = $2,400-$2,800. It's my first time buying new too. Much of what I've learned has been from these boards. $31,500 for the vehicle you've described just might take if you're lucky.

(Tax is 7% in my county)

V

shipo

Ouch just about says it all.

I bought my 328i 2 years ago without the sport package for that very reason. My previous car had low profile tires and in 4 years I had several bends and four new wheels (or was it 5?).

I was able to have a few of the dings fixed by hammering the bend back in place (using a 2x4 length wise in between the hammer and the rim). The risk is that the alloy will crack. Good luck, over in the Maintenance & Repair I saw a link to a place on the net that sells used BMW wheels if all else fails.

Best Regards,
Shipo

brave1heart

I hit one of those potholes that lead to China with my Jetta VR6 once (alloy wheels) and I dented the rim by 3/4 of an inch. Do NOT try to fix this yourself, go to a specialist. I paid $100 to a rims specialist (that's all he does - straighten out rims) and he said his computer model guarantees < 1/1000 milimeter deviation. He did a great job, it was all worth it. Unfortunately, the rim repair may be the cheapest of all repairs that you may have to do if you hit the a pothole that bad. Check the ball joints, check for loose parts in the engine compartment, leaks, that kind of stuff.
OK, gotta run - taking my wife out to a restaurant and the Heartbreakers comedy tonight - should be fun!
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jamrock4

jk26 & goody4 appreciate the info. on my AWD question. I am curious as to why BMW offered this option in 1988 thru 1991 and stopped. Although BMW offers dynamic stability control nothing beats the reassurance of AWD. My intent is purchase a 2002 model car this fall and the 325xi is on my short list.

Is anyone familiar with the BMW dealerships in the Atlanta area? Next to reliability the quality of customer service from a dealership is very high on my list of priorities.

kv007

bmw has great lease deals on 330s until end of april - enhanced residuals and interest rates down around 5-5.5%. check with a dealer to be sure, but i think a 330xi w/leather, roof, xenon, sport pkg, cd, cwp comes in at about $550 (12K), actually less than a comparable 325!

kv007

i own an audi a6 2.7t and i absolutely love it -overall i can't think of any car that's better!!

agreed that it doesn't drive like a bimmer, but nothing, absolutely no other car drives like an audi in the rain and snow! definitely know what you mean about nit-picky things going wrong. in eight months i've had to take it to the dealer 4 times for stupid little things, but it all becomes worth it when i get caught in a bad storm - the car never misses a beat. also, to be fair, it's a huge car - much bigger than a 3- or even 5-series, and i think drives incredibly well for its 4000 lb. heft.

that said, i'm ordering a 330xi next week and very excited about it. hope i'll like it as much as my audi. i'm sure i will:)

jschmoe3

Posted at message #1135 but got no response. Really wanted the 330I but can't get past the price.Found this lovely 325XI. Comes with PP,Cold Wea Pkg,AWD SPT PKG,IN-Dash CD,is BLK with Sand ,is a 2001,and is located in MASS.Dealer MSRP is 35,285 and they stopped negotiating at 33,385.MY Heart says go but my wife says NO!!!.She seems to think that it's $600 too high.I can't sleep at night for thinking of the roads I'll miss driving this beauty.Any help convincing her of whether it"s a good/fair deal would go a long way to making me an owner.Thank God for this message board.I've read every thing I can get my hands on about bimmers,and still my appetite is ravenous.Thanks for being there!!

micga

jschmoe- Are you kidding?! This dealer is willing to give you 1900 off MSRP! You should know from reading this message board that getting 1500 off MSRP has been a struggle reguardless of location. Take it, it's a gift. Also, it sounds like a little pride is getting in the way if your willing to throw away your dream car over 600 dollers (just my opinion). I bet if you ordered this same car from a dealer, you could kiss the 1900 dollers off MSRP good-bye. It sounds like this dealer wants to unload this ride fast. Also, a reason for such a great deal is that this car has so many options. This is where they make all of their money. This is probubly why they are willing to flex as much as they have. Finally, if the 330 is the car you really want, why not just order it with a few less options then this 325 your looking at. It will probubly work out to only a few grand more. That is unless you need all of these options. I think many are unnecessary (again, just my opinion).
Take care and good luck

raftaar

Hey folks, I almost put down the money but thought to take a bit on this topic and share my few findings. I test drove a 330ci coupe w/Auto/PremPkg/SportsPkg and loved the ride, except the noise level in the low rpms. I am in NJ and am not sure if buying a Sports Package is a good idea. Yes - we get tons of bloody pot holes. I followed with another test drive of 330i Sedan with Auto/PremPkg but no sports package. Quite a different feel on the 2nd run. I think partly due to the fcat that the 330i did not have a sports package. The corning and turning felt better (quick/sharper) in the coupe. Regardless, I am more perplexed by the fact that 330ci coupe feels much comftable as opposed to 330i. Is it just me or could it be the fcat that 330ci coupe is a bit lower to the ground and has wider arm rest to give the overall 360 comfort zone when seated? I felt that 330i Sedan was a bit tight on the left hand side when compared with the coupe!! Does anyone here share the same feeling in terms of comfort? I am not able to decide which one I should go for. The younger and selfish side says, pick the coupe. But, then I just had a baby boy and don't know if coupe would be the right pick. ( I do have a Minivan - Honda Oddy ). Can someone share similar buying experiences? To sum up, the issues I am facing are:
- Sports Package in NJ? ( yes we got pot holes )
- 330i Sedan vs Coupe for a new father!?
- Price pointers, what are the best going rates for 330i with PP/HeatedSeats/Auto/Xenon/CD?

Thanks a bunch.

-Raftaar

unboringuy

Based on my experience and those of others who have posted on this board, I am amazed that two weeks after placing your order for a 330xi, the car has been produced and is awaiting shipping. Your dealer must have had an order "in line" that he was able to change right before production.

My experience is as follows: I ordered my 330xi in mid-January. Production began at the end of February, and it was shipped March 13. I understand it arrived in port in NJ on March 26. As of today (4/1) Owner's Circle reports that it finally has made it to the preparation center. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be at my dealer some time this week.

So, the bottom line, from my experience and that of others, it seems to take generally a lot longer than expected. Then again, from what everyone else says around here....it's worth the wait. Hope this has been helpful to you.

brave1heart

If it is, take the deal while it's on the table. I live in MASS as well and I ordered my 325i 3 weeks ago for $1,300 off MSRP. That took some negotiating and I'm not shy, believe me. Listen, the spread between invoice and MSRP on a 35K-BMW is about $3,800. The dealer has to pay about $600 in MACO charges (that's mostly BMW advertising fees passed on to the dealer) and there are NO hiden incentives for the dealer, such as dealer hodlbacks. So out of the $3,800 spread, you are saving $1,900 and the dealer is making about $1,300 net, or about 3.3% profit. For Christ's sake, man - salespeople have to live off something too, you know. This is not a Kia dealership that gives cars away at invoice so they can make money on the service... Most important, if you are financing the car, a $600 difference is about $15/mo over 4 years, interest included. $15/mo to get the car you really want?!? I'm sure your wife must be more reasonable than to make fuss over $15/mo for something that makes you really happy. Good luck, I sincerely hope you can still get this awesome deal on an awesome car!
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drewsky2

just to echo unboringuy....
in NJ, ordered 330xi loaded on 2/3, was built on 3/8, shipped on 3/13...in NJ as of 3/26-28, and, will be at dealer this week...i'll take delv on 4/7 the latest.
rather straightforward deal...plus, by waitinng for march build, got 2001.5 "deal" on opt. pkg. pricing...and, better lease rate.
enjoy,
drew

jhdevoy

Drewsky, what special charges, if any, did you have to pay for your 330xi lease? My dealer wants first month ($630), security deposit ($700), lease acquisition fee ($500), dealer fee ($300). Total of about $2100, and my monthly payment will be $630 for 36 months, 62% resid..

330xi pp sp cd cwp $43,000 msrp 5.9% financing.

My car was produced the week of March 10 and I'm still waiting, but with all the talk of 5% financing, 65% residuals and $1000 off MSRP, I'm wondering what I should do.

I put $500 deposit down, but with enough incentive could walk away from that. Unfortunately, there are no 330xi in inventory in Massachusetts that I can find. I really don't want to wait another two months and I can afford this car.

Any advice? What happens when you cancel an order?

reubencahn

If you are going to put your kid in the car on any kind of a regular basis, get the sedan. You would not believe what a hassle getting kids in and out of car & car seats can be without four doors.

mrwombat

I am currently living in London and moving back to the States in the next few months. I am looking at buying a 325 Coupe for when I move back. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with purchasing a vehicle from another country (trying to take advantage of the low Euro)and shipping it to the US. I have received some quotes for shipping (average seems to be about $900). Any thoughts would be appreciated.

gr8st8

Thanks for the replies.

I was as surprised myself when I found out that my car was already built two weeks after I ordered it (not that I don't prefer it, though..:)).

I agreed that the only logical explanation would be that the dealer already had an order "in-line" that they could change at the last minute, although that was not what they told me when I ordered it.

Anyhow, just like everyone else who is still waiting for their cars, I'm trying to be as patient as possible waiting for it to arrive. Just like you said, I'm sure it's worth the wait.

I've already been smiling a lot these days!

mystic5

Hi. I recently placed an order for a 325xi. I'm new to all of this and am wondering how you were able to track the information on your order? Any information will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

tcn2k

My car was being built 3 days after i put my deposit down. My dealer said he got a car lined up 3 weeks down which he could modify quickly. Found out on the 4th day (salesman contacted me), that they where already in the process of building it. Anyone know how long it takes for the biulding process?

vesuviusii

Although I can only comment on my recent buying experience in the Atlanta area, I've emailed "MarkinAtlanta" to post his Customer Service thoughts as well, since he's owned his 3-Series for 3+ years now.

Buying experience ratings:

United BMW - Negative
Global Imports - Neutral
Chris BMW - Positive (although pricey)
BMW of Macon - Positive
Athens BMW - Positive
Hank Aaron BMW - Positive

V

gr8st8

I was able to track the production process through the "Owners Circle" on BMW USA website. Go to the following URL:

http://www.bmwusa.com/

After you got past the initial screen, you'll find the link for the Owners Circle on the top right corner of the site.

If you haven't previously registered, you will need the production number of your car(which can be easily obtained by calling your dealer).

One thing to keep in mind is I was told that the status that will show up in Owner's Circle is a few days old.

Hope this helps....:)

mystic5

Thank you. Hope you enjoy your new car.

brave1heart

I don't know why you guys bother leasing instead of buying the car outright - leasing is a lot more expensive than buying. If you pay $630/mo + all the fees and are limited to 1000 miles/mo, your transportation will end up costing you more than A BUCK A MILE!!! That's when you add the super-high insurance coverage for leased cars, the unnecessary dealer fees, the artificially-accelerated depreciation on the car, gas, taxes and you'll be at a buck a mile, probably more. One the plus side, you can justify having your groceries delivered by Homeruns or one of those companies because it will save you 10 bucks from going to the grocery store. If you can afford to buy, just buy it, if you can't afford the monthly payment, then you are probably looking for a car in the wrong class. Or maybe there's something about leasing (convenience?) that I'm completely missing?
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kominsky

The comfort difference between the coupe and sedan could be because the coupe had the sport seats. The seats alone made the sport-pack a must have for me. You also sit a little lower in the coupe, which may have had something to do with it. I chose the coupe because I like the look better and my kids (6 and 9) can crawl in the back with no help. If I was still dealing with car seats, the sedan would have gotten a much closer look!!! Good luck!

MarkinAtlanta

I found the same thing. My personal experience and unofficial ranking of Atlanta area dealers based upon parts/service/sales:

1) Athens BMW (tie)
1) Chris Motors
3) Global Imports
4) United

Hank Aaron is new, I dunno.

Since, my car is out of warranty now, I use excellent BMW independant shop and don't bother with the dealers for service anymore. BTW, if you join BMWCCA you get a substantial discount on parts and accessories at Chris and Global. Good luck.

ccchen1102

Lots of people asked about this, here is my case:

On Order - 2/27
Produced Not Shipped - 3/13
Enroute - 3/24 (Actually, the car was on ship 2 days before they change status)

In Preparation Center - 4/18 - 4/20 (Estimated, vessel arrives 4/18)
In Dealership - 4/20 - 4/27 (Estimated)

Hopefully, I can pick it up on 4/27.

-John

ccchen1102

I forgot to mention that I live in CA., the vessel (Ryujin) that carries my car arrives East
coast on 4/04

-John

bmwbuyer

If anyone knows about the current 330 lease deals, please let me know. I went to a local dealer and the salesman professed to know nothing about any national lease programs. Thanks.

armylt

You might be able to get a better shipping price through the dealer. I live in Germany and the price my friends paid to ship their bmw and the price i was quoted fo my car was $736. Our dealer referred us to a shipping company, who in turn gave us a discount for mentioning who sent us. Other companies i have checked into varied between $880 and over $1000.

brave1heart

I was wondering if any of you has looked at the 3-series accessories at bmwusa.com. More particularly, I was wondering what you all think about the aerodynamic kit. It is priced at $950 MSRP and it includes front, rear, and side spoilers. The rear spoiler goes underneath the bumper, this is not the wing that goes on top of the trunk. It looks pretty good on the picture but I'm not sure if I want a car that low and I'm not sure if I want to pay $950 for decorative spoilers. Are you aware of any change in performance with the aerodynamic kit? Any thought on this would be greatly appreciated.
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aam1

Hello:

I have a 2000 3-Series sedan. I am in the market for a front facing child seat. Any suggestions on which brands are better than others in fitting into the rear seats would be highly appreciated.

Thanks,
Abbas

faust92

A word of bitching despite my love for the BOW 3 series. When I went to the dealer and got into the coupe, I was surprised that the car had no center armrest!!! I absolutely can not drive a car without the armrest (I feel like an invalid), and the only option as the dealer told me is to get the $3,500 premium package, with a lot of useless carp (power seats, wood trim, bla-bla). Are there other options? Don't you think that a car of such class should have a center armrest??? Your comments, please.

bingusa

I am new to Bimmer. I am in the market for a 325 ci with premium package.

1. Any recommendations on BMW dealerships in the Southern CA area would be greatly appreciated. Where to go, where not to go, sales person to see/avoid, etc.

2. Pricing. a BMW owner told me not to work off of MSRP, rather work off of dealer cost. He paid about $1500 over dealer cost for his 323 convertible. Does this hold true?

3. Compared with Mercedez-Benz (C class), how reliable and costly to repair 3 series are?

Thanks in advance.

MarkinAtlanta

I believe the armrest is also sold as an accessory that you can install yourself.

aftim

I've been "lurking" on this group for some time reading the posts. As a member of the USAF overseas I'm able to take advantage of the tax free car sales by European car makers. I'm headed back stateside this summer and wanted to take a car with me. After reading the groups I've decided on the 325i over the Volvo S60 and Audio A4.

I ordered a 325i in TS with premium package and xenon lights. Also, the CD player is standard on these vehicles. I got the whole thing with delivery to East Coast for $27,775 which based on what I've been reading is a fair price. Anyone think otherwise?

I can't wait to get back to the states and pick it up!

brave1heart

I agree, the center armrest should be standard on the BMW. It is standard on the A4, which is 5-6 grand less expensive. I personally try to keep both hands on the wheel most of the time and I don't use the armrest. The only time I might use it is if I am driving on cruise control in light traffic on a long trip. On daily basis, I typically pull it all the way back so it doesn't get in the way. Well, if you really care about an armrest, I am guessing most dealers would be able to install it as a separate option on your car, it cannot be more than a couple of hundred bucks. It's more business for them, why not? The Luxury package is crap, I agree, but if you really care about an armrest, you should be able to get a quote on installing one from the dealer before you buy the car from them.
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eml2

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and are currently in the market for a 2001 330xi with auto/PP/CP/in-dash CD/metallic paint. The dealer in Nashua NH offers it for $41K ($1235 off MSRP). Is it a fair price? This is my first BMW/luxury car purcahse and I have no idea how much those dealers are willing to discount.

Thank you for your comment.
-- Ed

kominsky

Circle BMW has them for $176 (leather) and $142 (leatherette).

http://www.circlebmw.com/parts/e46/e46-cat.htm

They also have installation instructions available so you can see if you want to tackle it yourself (doesn't look too bad, IMHO)

www.circlebmw.com/service/access/e46armrest.htm

eml2

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and are currently in the market for a 2001 330xi with auto/PP/CP/in-dash CD/metallic paint. The dealer in Nashua NH offers it for $41K ($1235 off MSRP). Is it a fair price? This is my first BMW/luxury car purcahse and I have no idea how much those dealers are willing to discount.

Thank you for your comment.
-- Ed

unboringuy

A "fair price" is determined by competition, and how far you are willing to drive to get a better deal. I live in Cincinnati, and the best deal that either of the two local dealers was willing to offer was $800 under MSRP for a loaded manual 330xi.

By expanding the universe to include Dayton dealers (about 60 miles away) I was able to get $2500 under MSRP. Even with that deal in hand, the local dealers would only knock $1200 off of MSRP. Since there is about $4000 in spread between cost and MSRP on a 330xi, you would think the dealers would deal, but in many cases they won't.

Word of advice: Try the various options available on the internet to get free quotes. Go to a search engine and try "online car quotes" and you'll get several sites.

brislance1

Some of you owners and also those of you trying to make a decision about which sport sedan you want to buy or lease might be interested in reading the test results of four popular sport sedans. In the May issue, mine arrived today, they test the BMW 330i, Lexus IS300, Mercedes C320 and the Volvo S60. While they had some good things to say about the other three, the Bimmer was rated in the number one postion. They finished in the order listed above. If you are having a difficult time making a decision on a sport sedan, this test information might help in making your decision. For those of us who already own a BMW, it's good to know someone else thinks we might have made the right decision! This issue should hit the news stands soon.

jhdevoy

Re braveheart's comments:

1) High Insurance Rates on Leased vehicles versus bought - although a leased car is required to have a good amount of insurance coverage (particularly in regard to personal injury and collision insurance), insurance for a leased car doesn't cost a single penny more than the same insurance for an owned car. A leased car is no more likely to get into an accident than an owned car, and the lessee is still responsible for damage when the car is returned, so your statement about insurance being high is simply incorrect.

2) Artificially accelerated depreciation - lease-end residual values are based on market expectations of the residual value at the end of the lease term. If they artificially inflated them, people wouldn't lease. In fact, being a fixed-income analyst and having covered pools of leased vehicles, I can assure you that throughout the 1990's, the depreciation used was much more likely to be too optimistic. Thus, residual values were set too high and people who had leased turned their cars back. Also, if the actual market value at the end of my lease is greater than my residual value, I will buy the car. So, this statement was also uninformed.

3) Gas will cost the same regardless of whether I lease or buy, so I don't know why you mentioned that.

4) Taxes are based on the value purchased and will be the same for buy versus lease, except that a lease will allow you to spread your tax payment out for the entire value of the lease, saving you the time value of money.

5) Unneccessary dealer fees .. I will get my security deposit back at the end, and can negotiate it down to $300.

6) Leasing gives you the free option that if the brand new all wheel drive version is beset with serious quality problems, I am guaranteed the residual value I negotiated. If I buy the car and serious quality problems develop, I lose when I try to sell the vehicle. Also, I may want to trade up every three years or so (which I do) and don't want to go through the hassle of finding a buyer for my car or selling it back to the dealer at a reduced price.

Also, if you are using the car for a business, leases are tax deductible....

Bottom Line, a lease can be structured so that financially it looks exactly as if you purchased the vehicle, only with free option to give the car back if it sucks.

kv007

for 330 sedans only bmw has enhanced residuals to 64% (12K lease), and lowered interest rates to 5-5%. a 330 lease comes in lower than a comparable 325. i'm not sure if this is a national program or not, but i'm in the philadelphia area and three dealers here all voluntary told me about it when i told them i wanted to lease a 325.

bbarber2

I have a 98 328i with fog lights. Anyone having trouble with these lights shattering from driving on the freeway? I have no other explanation as to why I have lost two of them. They both(at different times) had holes the size of quarters in them. I assume that I am dealing with rocks on the road. Any suggestions as to how to protect them once I replace the 2nd light?