BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

dave330i

abcnyc: Both are correct. The lower pressure is for low load setting and the higher pressure is for high load setting. Many on this board played around with the setting to find what they like. Mine's set to 32f/35r.

gurumike: "It is, in my humble opinion, the first true competitor for our amazing E46."

In my book, no manual = no competitor. If I'm looking for a new sedan today, BMW would still be my only choice.

brave1heart

I agree with most of your reasoning re. the G35. I have not driven one yet (will wait till the manual comes out) but from everything I've read and heard, it seems like a great effort. I've only seen one so far. I stared at the front for a few seconds and I couldn't recognize what kind of car it was. I thought it was an ES300 until it got closer and I saw the profile. The rear is very unimpressive but at least the lines are incredibly clean for a Japanese car. In that respect, it is the first true Euro competitor.

shipo

Yesterday I was finally doing the Klasse thing to the wheels on my 530i, and a couple of neighbors came by to "Shoot the breeze" and share a few beers with me. While we were talking, a white CTS and a black G35 came down the street, and both slowed way down (the speed limit on my street is only 25) to look at my 530i. Without my saying a word other than, "That is one of the cars designed specifically to compete against BMW", they both said that the cars were so ugly that they could not imagine being seen in one, much less buy one, when there are options like the 3-Series and 5-Series BMWs available. FWIW, one buy drives an Oldsmobile Sedan and the other guy drives a Volvo wagon, both of their wives drive burgundy colored Subaru wagons, so maybe they are just too conservative for the looks of the CTS and G35, then again, maybe I am too. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

P.S.

Here are links to some new pictures:

Hmmm, sorry gang, the stupid 115 character limit is being hit, even though my links are not that long, so if you go to:

http://members.roadfly.com/shipo

and then append the following picture names to the URL, you will get the pictures:

/deliveryAtLast.jpg
/klasseType42Above.jpg
/klasseType42Detail.jpg
/klasseType42Level.jpg

erickpl

vkwheels - I have the sheepskin 'vests'. We have the natural brown leather interior and got the black sheepskin (the tan looked dumb with the natural brown). They are quite comfy. My wife loves them. (We have the SP seats, no power). They fit very well and are easy to install. My complaint is that when I'm sitting on one, it is just that - I feel like I'm sitting ON the seat instead of IN the seat. But that would be a personal choice.

As for window tinting, try to get your dealer to include it, that's what we did.. In CA, they can't tint the front windows (by law), but the other windows were indeed tinted. With our green exterior, it looks REALLY sharp and it reduces the glare from the lighter interior for the kids in back.

-Paul

brave1heart

I am thinking of getting the Mille Miglia Spider rims for my snow tire package from the Tirerack. Does anyone have experience with these? Any pros/cons?

twoof1

I had a set of 17" Mille Miglia Spiders on my previous '98 Mitsubishi Diamante. They were fairly light, clean and solid. No issues, no problems and they look great!!
PS: I have only good things to say about Tirerack. Dealing with them was a great experience.

nyccarguy

? for those of you who have tinted windows: Does the tint on the rear window interfere with the AM/FM Radio antenna that's built into the rear window?

erickpl: You're the guy with the Grey/Green Metallic 325Xi right? This weekend I saw a 330Xi with SP in Grey/Greeb metallic with sand leather! That's a really pretty color. The pictures on the internet on "build your own" don't do it justice. It reminds me of the color of my Dad's 1966 Corvette Roadster, Moss Port Green.

vkwheels

Erickpl - I have tints now & while they're great for protecting the interior & keeping the temps somewhat down, I dislike looking through my side window at oncoming traffic. I actually put the window down if I'm stopped at a light to see a natural view. I have a medium tint on all except the windshield of course. Tinting the front driver & passenger side windows is illegal, I know, & I'm lucky I've only gotten 1 warning about it from a cop. A woman at work has the beige vests on her sand 'ette seats. It looks a little funky. With the sand interior I'm getting, I'm not sure which (black or beige) would be better. I liked the full sheepskins when I had them in another car, so for me the fluffy factor is o.k.

katkison

I made it home before the hail hit in Houston, thank goodness. I would hate to be driving and thinking "oh, no" constantly as those little guys were hitting my car.

Question: I saw a black 3-series driving down 288 last week around 6 pm. I think I remember you saying a while back you had a German plate. This car definitely didn't have a Texas license plate on the back, and it started with HK. Don't know if that was you. It was the day of the infamous "8 police car speed trap for the poor souls driving north on 288 at 6 pm and getting tickets for driving over our lovely 55 mph speed limits." Did anyone else see that thing? It really tied up traffic going south, so everyone could watch the police cars in a line pulling people over.

Also, I got my windows tinted, had it done by the dealer when they were prepping my car for delivery. Looks really nice with the steel gray paint.

Kelly

erickpl

nyc, nope, I have the Oxford Green Metallic (the darker metallic green). I call it British racing car green. But you are right, the colors on the BMW site just don't really do it justice. Think of the green on the old Triumph TR-6's and make it metallic. That is closer. I should have pics back next week (lazy about getting them developed).

vk, I tinted my driver and passenger doors too, but they are quite a bit lighter than the rears. They don't really look tinted by comparison. But I wanted the additional UV protection.

-Paul

seivwrig

If I was at work that day, I would not have been caught in the hail. So much for taking a day off from work.

I do have TX plates but my German plate is in the rear window. My German plate number is M-7002Z. I missed the high speed chase. I can't imagine that you would get anywhere on 288 after 5 pm. My wife and I were looking at houses in that 288/Hwy 6 area. My drive time would go up exponenially.

pat

The Town Hall is about to take on a new look in an effort to make content more easily searchable and accessible.

Have you seen the Letter from the Town Hall Manager on the Town Hall Welcome page? If not, you might want to follow that link to have a look.

And hang on to your seats. Change is never easy - for any of us - but resolving the Search problems we've had will be worth the pain.

Pat
Sedans Host

nyccarguy

well, if it isn't you, then does someone here on the board have that grey/green metallic? Or am I just losing my mind?

erickpl

Pat,

Do you have a link to a sample of how it will look?

-Paul

wrjohnsonpghpa

I believe ButMyWife in the Pacific Northwest has the Grey Green mettallic.

brave1heart

Thanks for the quick response and feedback.

At $119 a rim (16's), the Mille Miglia Spider are very reasonably priced. Glad to hear that they are light. I am going to get Dunlop Sport M2 light duty snow tires to go along with them. If I am not mistaken, this one was one of the 3-series snow packages that the Rack was selling last year.

brave1heart

Are you still happy with the Ecstas? They must be fully broken in by now, right?

katkison

It wasn't a high speed chase even. It was 8 police cars lined up with a cop on top of the hill radaring and then radioing ahead to the line of police cars who would pull the people over. Everyone going south had to stop and stare at all those people pulled over.

As far as commute, mine went from 15 minutes for 5 miles to 20-30 minutes at 15 miles by moving south. I don't leave to go home until about 6 pm anyway, so my commute isn't bad. I am happy with it. Do you work downtown or medical center?

I just wish I could drive the 330i as fast as she wants to go on the way home, but the enforcement on 288 is higher than other freeways.

pat

No, sorry -- in fact, I even missed out on the "preview" because I was at my real, uh, I mean my full-time job and I had firewall issues that kept me from seeing the beta site.

I think this is happening Wednesday night -- stay tuned and we will ALL see what the hype is about.

IOW, I'm as much in the dark as you folks are!!! :-)

mschukar

Try typing in links like this to get around the URL character limit:

<a href="http://members.roadfly.com/shipo/klasseType42Detail.jpg" target=_blank>Shipo's Link </a>

to get:

Shipo's Link

If you forget the code, post the message and fix it by replacing the "target=_blank>" reference with shorter text. That's how I remember :-)

-murray

leenelsonmd

The 288 gang:

I did not see the roundup the other day, but my wife did. She said it was ridiculous and totally tied up traffic at 288/610. The whole thing is completely ridiculous. I cannot think of any better way to waste police time than to tie up 15-20 police officers at a single interchange. The entire traffic enforcement upgrade was 35 units. It seems like they put the whole bunch out on 288. IMO they would do far more to save lives by ticketing people who are driving in the left lane when they should be using the lane for passing.

FWIW: I have been making the trek up 288 for 2.5 years and drive between 75 and 90mph with impunity. The radar detector does the trick and has never let me down. I average 79mph now since this is 24mph over the speedlimit and if I do get ticketed then defensive driving is still an option. Get a radar detector -- they are sorta fun as a toy anyway.

My wife and I just bought a house in town though, so no more 288 for me. Too bad, I have been looking for your cars. I drive an Artic Grey 325i (E36). HONK if you see me. I love seeing other bimmer lovers when I am out.

shipo

Thanks for the cheat, I live to cheat. ;-)

Ok, so here are my links via the MSchukar method:

deliveryAtLast
klasseType42Detail
klasseType42Above
klasseType42Level

Best Regards,
Shipo

seivwrig

katkison: I work in Stinkadena or Pasadena for you folks that don't live in Houston. I used to work in Greenway Plaza area. I drive 610 to 288. I like living down south. I had looked at some houses in Summerwood(Atascosita) but South is still kind of rural. I think when I ready to move, Manvel and Arcola will look real good. I am going to wait and see what the new houses in that development on McHard and 288 will look like. That is closer to now.

LeeMD: There really are alot of BMWs in town. I guess we will have to do things to differentiate our cars. Maybe I will have to stick a Chief Osceola (Florida State U. mascot) decal on my license plate. You drive kind of fast. I don't have a radar detector. I guess I don't trust them enough to save my behind when driving on the Beltway, US 59 or 288. What kind do you have? I think the V1 is pricey? For anybody that has one, do they really work? I am convinced that I am slowest BMW driver on the South side of town. I guess passed by every BMW and I'm driving 10 mph over the speed limit. I prefer safety over speed. Nevada, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg have become my favorite places to drive(very safe even at 100 mph). I cannot stand driving in England, South Florida (where I learned to drive) and Paris. Lee, I guess if you drive that fast, I'll probably cross your path. I'll probably order some University of Maryland plate holders to make my wife happy especially since my FSU plate holders are on her car.

kominsky

I'm liking them more by the day. I've got about 1000 miles on them and they are becoming more communicative (although still a little floatier feeling than the Conti's, IMHO). I haven't been able to reserve an afternoon for air pressure comparisons yet but so far I'm liking them at 33 front and 36 rear which is where I kept the Contis. I spent a good part of saturday afternoon (~125 miles) playing on some fun farm roads in the area with those pressures and they felt pretty good. Next time I have a chance to play, I'm gonna try taking the fronts a couple pounds higher and see what kind of affect that has on ~feel~. I'll let you know the results.

butmywife

ncycarguy: Yep, it is I who have the greygreen 325xi (well, almost. It is due to arrive on the 6th in SoCal and be shipped up here after they dink around with it). I combined it with black interior to accent the black trim outside. I really like the color. In certain light it looks green, sometimes a little grey and in others, almost blue.

I've been interested in the window tinting conversation and am considering it, too. We get 300 days of sunshine here in Eastern Washington and it is quite hot for a couple of months.

soverypoornow: Well, buddy, the day is almost upon us. Have you located the coordinates of the Trianon? Do you live close to the port and will you be able to pick yours up right away or will yours have some prep time and transportation as well? My money is on a 6/19 delivery up here in the Northwest, exactly three months to day I ordered it.

ButMyWife

gurumike

It shouldn't really take more than a day or two for your sales person to answer the question. I certainly don't think it's too early to order it; if anything, this is about as late as you should leave it to be ordering a sept production euro delivery car. Fabric MAY be available.
As far as leather or 'ette holding up better, you'd have to be thinking super long term before it would even be identify able. If you have kids who you're going to let thrash the interior, I'd do 'ette, otherwise..... "it only cost a little bit more to go through life first class, and it's usually worth it." Ultimately, I think it's a rather subjective call.

ddblue

Sweet photos (esp the first one). Yes, I'm crazy in love with my 3, but that black-black 530i has me salivating. Ultimate stealth, man. It's an SR-71 on wheels. Don't let the afterburner get you into too much trouble.

BTW, where did you get the Klasse? I recall some hundred posts ago that I shouldn't use the Klasse website. Any suggestions?

butmywife

Ditto to what ddblue says! She's a real beaut! It's funny. My wife and I don't have the ED 3er yet but were saying how we'd love to do Ed again, maybe next time with a 5er. Oh well, "perchance to dream . . . "

How long did it take to get the 5er, from day of order to day of delivery? It seems like you got your car very quickly.

Thanks, ButMyWife

soverypoornow

I live just a couple hours southeast of Port Hueneme and don't think for one second that I'm not completely tempted to take soverypoorwife on a roadtrip Wednesday just to see it get off the boat or at least see it sit in a big parking lot. "Look, honey, it's that one there...you know, the 3 series...the silver one...it's in the fourth row of 250...193rd silver 330i from the right..."

Traded messages with my dealer today. Says it's two to five days from the time the ship docks until they typically receive their cars.

Now, time to start planning my ED 5-series. Wonder what's on tap for the 2009 model year...

dl7265

Anyone around Dallas looking for a low optioned 3er ,Classic has about 4-5 with Bi Xenon, roof, step, and power seats.I dont recommend them but i another dealer might could do a swap.

And just to annoy NYC with all the cars on the huge lot there was a total of "1" with a manual. un believable.

DL

wrjohnsonpghpa

Do I remember you saying before you left for the fatherland that you'd gotten a new, cool, camera? Is it digital? I'm in the market. Any advice on what's the best digital camera for taking pictures of my 3er (have to stay on topic)?

shipo

Hehe, yes, I bought my official "BimmerCam" just prior to my trip across the pond. So far, everybody that has either seen the pictures and/or actually used the camera has loved it. Regarding the camera itself, I had a little help in my research. Over the last several years, my largest client had been Fuji Photo Film, and it just so happens that I wrote the Forecasting system for the Digital Imaging sales organization. Needless to say, when I started thinking "Digital", I went to them and asked questions. Two years ago they told me, "Wait until next year", last year they again told me, "Wait until next year". This year, they said "Buy now if you are looking for a 2 mega pixel camera, wait to next year if you need a 3 mega pixel version. Given that a "2" is good enough to generate a 5x7 print that looks as good as a 35mm camera, I figured that would be all I needed, so, I bought now.

Oddly enough, after researching the industry, the Fuji FinePix 2800 is easily the class act of the segment, so, that is what I bought. Given that Fuji was caught a little off guard by the popularity of that particular camera, they have exactly zero cameras in stock (and a six month backlog of orders) for the "Employee Discount Plan", which they were willing to extend to me (a consultant) for any model they had available. In the end, I bought from a small NYC electronics shop at 56th and 7th, after I happened to see a 2800 in their storefront window for $275, which was less than Fuji had them listed for in their EDP. While there, I also opted to buy the 128MB card, so, the camera can take something like 1,000 640x480 shots, 275 1280x960 shots (that is the size of the pictures that I have posted links for), and 160 1600x1200 shots (which are way too big for general consumption).

So, if you need to buy your own &#147;BimmerCam&#148;, I can highly recommend the FinePix 2800, and as you can see, it takes very nice pictures of BMWs. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

nyccarguy

While it does irritate me somewhat;), I understand that's what sells these days (especially in major metropolitan areas). In order to do business and turn a profit, you've got to stock what sells.

nyccarguy

it must look even better with the black interior (my personal favorite).

wrjohnsonpghpa

Thanks for the info. I'd been thinking 3MP but you may have convinced me that 2 is enough. My biggest problem is that I'm an SLR guy. Most of the digital cameras (lower end, anyway) feel like rangefinders. If I remember correctly, at least some of the Fuji FinePix's have an SLR feel about them. I'll check yours out. How about ease of use? What kind of control do you have (when not in totally auto mode)? Total, or can you at least specify whether you want shutter or aperature perferred priority? Are the controls intuitive? What kind, if any, photo "finishing" software did it some with for making our bimmers look even better (returning to topic)?

katkison

leenelsonmd: Where did you end up buying in town?

I hear the rumors that they are close to repealing the lower speed limits. It is an interesting case they have. Personally, we have replaced two cars with ULEV vehicles in the past year, so I feel I am doing my part...

seivwrig: No, I think I am the slowest BMW driver. I rarely go above 65, at least on 288. I get crap for it from my fiance. I will drive faster in the valleys between the hills on 288, but I always slow down before the top of the hill. I have had two close calls in the past month, and I didn't really want to buy a radar detector.

If you are putting on the FSU and Maryland stuff, I will have to put up the Ohio State stuff. I also went to UH, but OSU is more rare here.

I am sorry you work in Stinkadena, at least you have the auto recirculate thing and the filter, right?

If you go big, those homes at Rodeo Palms are looking nice. But most of us can't afford them. Shadow Creek Ranch is very slow to develop. Mainly because that side of the freeway is Alvin ISD, instead of Pearland. Pearland, I think, has higher rated schools and people were hesitant to be in Alvin ISD. Plus the developer is a real piece of work, from what I understand. We still have some lots available on our side of McHard and 288.

My drive in was pretty nice, this morning, very little slow down and the 330i is getting better mileage driving in from the suburbs than when I was coming from the middle of town. I certainly like that!

Kelly

shipo

Hmmm, well, the camera that I have has the "SLR" look and feel, except that it it smaller. The camera is very easy to use, although, the button arrangement is a little wierd as there are two buttons on the top, one for On/Off, and the other for the shutter. Unfortunately, the On/Off button is exactly where my shutter button is on my Minolta SLR, so I have turned the camera off any number of times when I actually wanted to trip the shutter.

As for different controls, yes there are plenty, but they are nothing like in the SLR world, and you must step up to the $1,000 class of digital cameras before you gain that type of control. In my case, when I need/want that type of control, I use the Minolta, when I am just screwing around or wanting to take pictures for E-Mail and post purposes, I use the Fuji.

There are several pieces of software that come with the camera, however, the only one of substance is "Adobe PhotoDeluxe Home Edition 4.0".

Here is a picture of the camera that I use to take great pictures of BMWs:



Best Regards,
Shipo

1pierce

Boy, lots of spirited discussion last weekend while I was away. Sorry I missed it.

Brave: I was mistaken. I thought the only option you had on your car was SP. I must have been thinking of somebody else. It sounds like you got nearly the exact same car I almost bought, before I decided that I would miss the luxury items more than the added handling and cool seats of the SP. I couldn't afford SP and PP, and still get the HK, which was a must for me. I also decided that there was a gain in not getting SP - the smoother, quieter ride, and less hassle with wheel changing. The handling was fine (even exceptional) for my driving style.

Back in 1987, I loved BMW's when I was in college. Then, I was much younger, unmarried, no kids, and I liked to drive at the edge (break those wheels loose from time to time). Now, I've mellowed, and I have way too much to lose to drive in a way that can put me in the wall. I've also seen my Dad permanently incapacitated by a severe car accident., and I just don't feel as secure driving hard enough to need the SP.

Incidently, I almost bought a BMW in 1991. But, they were still a little too hardcore for me then. Just too many creature comfort sacrifices for the cost. I sometimes regret not buying the 318i (which was not a great performer anyway, with auto). But, when I reconstruct my logic, I would make the same decision again. Actually, 2002 is the first year that I feel the car is an exceptional value in terms of content and performance for the money (with the tweaking of the E46 version from '01) - that's why I've finally ordered one.

pat

Shipo (and anyone else interested) -- there are some explanations and work arounds in a series of 4 posts beginning here. For reasons unknown, sometimes the software stumbles on that 115 character limit and other times it does not even notice.

I think you tried to post several links in a row - that will often generate the error, because I guess it just thinks all the links are one big link. Very dumb.

It is possible that if you put a <BR> at the end of each individual link, the error can be avoided. But see those messages for some other tricks.

Pat
Sedans Host

rbrenton88

Ok, here is a question for all you 3'er owners...

In my neck of the woods, 3x's are fairly common, especially in the last 1-2 model years. However, the ONLY colors I ever see are some variation of silver with the odd black one here and there.

I glanced over the color offerings on the '02 just out of curiousity, and just as I thought, there are a number of color options available.

So why do all 325/330 buyers go with the same silver exterior?

leenelsonmd

seiv: I agree with KK about Shadow creek ranch. I think the developer has some wierd ideas and the school issue is very significant until it is resolved (I cannot imagine they will ship those kids to Alvin forever). If I were buying down 288 I would move into Lakes at Countryplace. It is one of the closest developments to town and has the best 288 access. We live in Silverlake and while I like it, I think over the next few years it may become to busy (it is possible to spend 6-10 minutes before even getting to 288 after you leave your house). The Countryplace area allows easy access to all of the shopping that will soon dominate the 518 exit, but since it is more proximate to Houston you will save yourself future traffic headaches.

I have a cheap radar detector that does the job. It is a Uniden Laser blah blah blah. It is about 5-6 years old and has never failed to give me adequate warning around town. I don't like to drive too fast, but I sorta feel like 79mph is a reasonable speed and that everyone should drive it to protest the ridiculous limits. Most of the time you get enough visual warning to slow down, but having the detector is a little fun and gives you a few seconds more. Don't count on going a 95-120mph and expect it to save you (at least as far as my cheap one is concerned) because you may not have enough warning to slow down fast enough, but for gentle excesses the cheap detector is fun and relatively reliable.
FWIW: I have had 3 tickets in my 15 years of driving: 16yrs, 18yrs, and one at 29yrs of age last year. My last one was bogus but I knew I deserved one for all the other times I was speeding and so I didn't quibble about it. I just took DD and got a 10% savings off my insurance. (I was not driving my bimmer at the time).

seivwrig

IMHO, I think the choice of colours stink. We don't have the BMW Individual program in the U.S. So beyond, red, white and black. We get variations of blue, green and grey or silver. The M-series get real colours to choose from. I have Jet Black. My car looks great when it is clean (especially when I use Klasse All-in-one). The Titantium Silver and the Orient Blue are probably the best looking colours. I wish the red leather was still available.

If the Individual program was available, I would go for the Violet exterior, Anthracite Alcantara interior and Anthracite Birch dash (a little dreaming has not hurt anyone).

leenelsonmd

seiv: I will try to put a metal longhorn symbol on the car so you can recognize it. Right now I have no distinguishing marks.

When I get my e46 I am probably going to put a V1 detector in just for kicks. I haven't done much research yet, but $399 is a good amount for my wife to spring for a gift for me.

KK: I bought a townhome at Buffalo Spdwy and Holcombe. I will be about 1.5 miles from work which will be nice.

katkison

Congratulations on the home purchase! West U. is nice, and near the new Krispy Kreme! We have friends that live in West U. just off Weslayan and Holcombe (well, Bellaire Blvd.), so not too far from you.

Sheila and I have yet to get together, but we live very close together, she is across the lake down the street from us.

Won't that short drive to work kill your BMW-buzz? I love that I live much further away so I can drive her longer, even if I don't go as fast as I would like. I have had two speeding tickets, one here in Houston while in college (about 7 years ago) and one while in grad school in Ohio (about 5 years ago). One was deserved, one wasn't.

At least the insurance on the BMW went down when I moved across the Brazoria County line, I saved $120 a year.

xiajia888

I am in the process of purchasing a new BMW 325i. My dealer want to persuade me into the one with more options. The one I want to purchase is built in South Africa and my dealer said this fact usually will scare people away.

Can anybody here share the experience about the 325i built in South Africa? I really do not have the idea of its difference with German built BMW. From percentage point of view, how many 325 are built in SA?

Thanks

brave1heart

Radar detectors do work but ONLY in conjunction with common sense. I too was skeptical of radar detectors because the Uniden that I had back in college was not good. I got the V1 last year and I swear by it. If you like to drive fast and you can afford it, do get one - you'll be happy you did. Get the concealed display too.

Qn for the Houston crowd: was this speed trap on one of the last days of May? fwiw, my wife called me at work on May 31 to tell me that she saw at least 5-6 speed traps on her 15-mile commute to work where there is maybe one speed trap a week average.

kominsky - when you say 'floatier', do you mean that you can get them to squeal more easily? Does it feel like their sidewalls are not as stiff?!?

shipo - This is a good-looking and very reasonably-priced camera. IMO, it's nice to have a 3-mega pixel camera because most of the printing you can do from home printers is on 11.5x8 size photo paper and the 3-mega pixel resolution will allow you to print a full-page photo without losing any resolution. My Canon Powershot G1 came with great picture management software and all the bells and whistles that I would have never thought of: A/V cable, UBS port, etc. Did I mention that you can take 30-sec videoclips with it and the built-in microphone allows you to record sound with the pictures?. I think the G1 is down to a little over $400 and great value at that price as well.

leenelsonmd

The shorter ride will not be as much fun, but I could always make laps around the Beltway when I get the urge.

brave1heart: The speedtrap I think was on 5/30/02. They had a cop on an overpass with a handheld gun and down on the road there were at least 8 cop cars ready to respond to his cues via radio. Quite an extraordinary thing, but your V1 would have no problem with this scenario. I think I will get the V1 with my new car, but like you say, common sense rules and nothing beats direct vision. You have to PAY ATTENTION.

twoof1

This issue has been discussed many times here. Rest assured, you will find NO difference in a South Africa assembled 325 VS a German assembled 325. The assembly factory in South Africa is the newest most modern assembly line for building 3 series cars in the entire BMW factory system. I have 30,000 miles on my 325ia with NOT ONE assembly related problem. I think you will find this common amongst the posters here on this and other forums. The only drawback is if you are ordering a car, the transit time from South Africa is longer than from Germany.

twoof1

Wednesday is my car's one year anniversary. 30,000 miles in one year!! That's actually less than I have been driving in previous years. We have had a lot of fun together over the past year, and I have to say that this car has made me a much better driver in terms of knowing the limits of a fine handling automobile. It is incredible just how deep into a corner this thing will carry me and still keep total composure. Personally, I would not consider anything less than the Sport Package. It is THE best add on to any 3 series available.

PS: A co-worker just picked up a loaded G35. It has amazing power and a strong level of ride refinement for the price. The interior and exterior are subject to ones personal opinion which quite frankly I like. The Infiniti version of the manumatic shifter however is a joke compared to the Steptronic. Very slow to react and leaves you very disassociated with the car. I think competition is good for the strength of the entire breed of sport sedans. Well done Infiniti! (No, I'm not jumping ship, just an observation)

nobee

Well, shipped the 3-series out yesterday. It was kind of depressing, actually. But before I drove her over to the shipping center, I gave her a good wash and drove her down the autobahn one last time. :-( They're estimating that it'll arrive on 3 August into Seattle but they've seen vehicles arrive 20 days earlier. Well, since I'm three-less, I guess I'll have to live through all you guys. I did, however, stopped by the dealership to look at the Mini Cooper S. Good bang for the buck and maybe a perfect car for Korea? Starting price under the diplomatic/military program is around $17,500.

-nobee