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My car arrived at my dealership in Boston yesterday at 2pm. Almost exactly 9 weeks after ordering it and 10 days before the expected arrival date. I'll see it for the first time tonight, when I sign on the line, and could be driving it as soon as tomorrow, but Saturday at the latest. I'll keep you informed as to its condition.
330xi Steel gray, black leather, sp, pp, heated seats....
audio + $600 for HK system. How much does standard BMW audio cost? I
have no idea, but it must be included in the equation.
3) I don't believe lead time is any different for 'Ci' vs. 'i' (8 weeks from order to delivery of my 330Ci)
4) I would think the sunroof would be a big one on a $30K+ car, but I may be wrong.
5) When I talked to my dealership about the SC delivery, they told me it would have added about 4 to six weeks to delivery. Unfortunately, I inquired about it too late. They said that it should be requested at the time of the order. Pricing shouldn't be affected and it is available on for the 3 series.
good luck
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I take delivery next week in Munich, so I'll let you know how it goes after I get back.
Platypus, I'm jealous you'll be driving on the Autobahn next week. If I were you, I'd ask the people at the Delivery Center in Munich to take one of the new M3s out for a drive on the autobahn; that'd be something to tell you grandkids about someday. I'd be hesitant to push my new BMW past 100 mph during the break-in period, though.
P.s. This whole steering charade will hopefully teach BMWNA about staying true to its core constituency.
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I recently ordered a 330xi and dealer showed me 64% residual - but I've seen 65% in this group several times...
Thx
Also, please be aware that BMW CCA membership ($35. a year) gets you rebates on new and Cert used cars ($500. on 3ers; $1000. on 5ers; and $1500. on 7ers).
Finally, the Euro del program is the way to go if you have the time, and Joerg @ Passport BMW in MD is THE MAN! Believe me, a semester community college course in German language, and a month driving your new Bimmer in Deutschland, Osterreich (Austria), Italien, Schweiz, perhaps Alsace in France and a trip up the Rhine to Koblenz, then West to derNurburgring - remember the Porsche commercial about the auto engineers taking tons of DM's out of the ATM and giving those to the older gentleman in uniform - Where else can you drive a 14.8 mi former F 1 race track at your and your car's limits?) cannot be equaled by any other E-Ticket show on earth! Be warned, the Nordschleife is difficult and dangerous - ask Nikki Lauda! M
Those of you driving the "old steering", how does the car feel to you on uneven pavement, especially at high speeds?
Others may be able to help you more.
Anyone run 225/50's instead of the 205/55's on the stock rims?
Thanks,
HiC
thanks in advance.
-BigP
Best Regards,
Shipo
brave1heart: I agree, we all need something to look forward to, I will leave the 540i 6-speed for another day. I am "loaning" the money to myself and making monthly payments back to myself and dreaming about owning the 540i one day, years down the road, will keep me disciplined. :-) But I am sure the 325Ci I will get will keep me content for now. *sigh* I hope BMW won't mess up the redesign of the new 5...*cross fingers*
motorcity3: I just moved to Grand Rapids area and appreciate your insight. I moved here barely 2 months ago and I missed winter. But thought, since I am out to buy a nice car, might as well over-prepare myself for upcoming winter in an AWD cars with snows...what a dork, I am. :-) Yes I am sure RWD plus DSC plus ASC plus winter tires like Michelin alpins or blixzzaks should suffice, I have learnt many a things lurking around the Edmunds Boards and also tirerack.com.
kominsky: are you getting a Ci too? Congratulations to you too. I thought about sedan v. Ci but decided to go for the Ci as there are several design elements on the Ci that Iike. Besides I do not have any young'uns quite yet and can afford to be selfish about practicality. :-) Too bad about the SC delivery, wouldn't want to wait an additional 4 weeks...sheesh. Would have been nice ... great BMW perk IMHO.
Another question, I know the Ci is equipped with the sport settings of the sedan so is the sport package on the Ci overkill? I really thought hard about the sport package, perhaps trading the sunroof option I am considering for the sport package, but thought that the sport tuning plus 17 inch tires may be a negative in MI's rough roads...opinions?
Donny
Xenon, heated seats, moonroof and in-dash CD.
Impressions after driving it for 2 hours:
The car is quite fast, smooth and very responsive. Suspension feels nice and I don't have any problems whatsoever with the steering. This car really invites you to hit the gas, couple of times off the red light I almost couldn't hold the desire to floor it, but figure I have to be patient till the break-in period is over. While the HK sound system is not world-beater, I absolutely love it. No complaints about the Xenons, although I'll probably raise them just a tad higher. No problems encountered so far.
If there's a thing or two I'd complain about, it would be the door and the clutch.
Every time I open or close the door, I feel like I'm arm-wrestling it, it is that stiff. Oh well, I guess I'll get used to it.
The clutch also really takes some getting used to, especially when I engage on the first gear.
Also, with all my previous cars, the reverse gear has always been in the lower right corner, whereas with BMW it's the upper left corner so I'm instinctively still not used to it.
Other than those, I absolutely love it!
Between you and "platypus", I have saved a couple thousand dollars on my purchase. Thanks all!
btw, alpine325, thanks for the info., although they don't have the clear lenses I want, but they do have very good discount. The alarm and sun shade are definitely on my shopping list.
You may be eligible to receive the following allowance based on the purchase or lease of a new or Certified Pre-Owned BMW automobile through an authorized U.S. BMW center. A membership of one year or more immediately preceding the purchase date of the vehicle is required to take advantage of this program.
So it looks like I won't get $500 off my 330i unless I sign up now and wait a year before I take delivery.
Regarding the clutch. Here is something that I have found with my wifes car. I have put many, many miles on standard transmissions for most of my life but have found myself "very sloppy" on an initial take off in her car. I am convinced that it is not the clutch, but the actuual feedback from the car. It is too quiet. While you may not realize, the initial gas/clutch combination has much to do with what you hear, or what sounds right. Due to the smoothness of the engine and prehaps the distraction of the radio, your senses have not picked up on the right combination for a smooth take-off.
Try this: turn off the radio, roll down the window and focus on your initial take-off, I think that you will find that doing so will give you the result that you are looking for. Once you have established the "right combination", you will be able to go back to driving as usual.
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Also read up on SC delivery, sounds like a great deal, I am definitely gonna ask my dealer about this if it doesn't tack on that much of a lead time.
Speaking of clear lenses, does anyone here have info on aluminum trim on the 325s. Are the aftermarket ones I read about (though didn't get much info) original BMW or third party ones. Also who can do installations?
What I can't gather much info about is the 2002 changes. From bimmer.org (I followed the links), I understand that there ARE noticeable changes in sheetmetal, namely front fender, hood, lights, front fascia with round fog lights (kinda look like the X5 bumper IMO but a nice aesthetic fit), clear lenses, smoother rear bumper, monotone treatment throughout. Kinda like the new BMW 5er changes, the 2002 will even get those 'halo' rings in the front light, which sure looks cool and intimidating when you're haulin' the mail on the left lane and want everyone out, like now! :-) There are several pics somewhere in Bimmer.org.
But if anyone knows more about the 2002 changes, pls share on this board. Specifically, pricining (any increases), what goodies are being made standard equipment, when they're coming out (I read September ?), when can we order one, interior changes? etc.
From previous posts, you'd know that I am looking at a 325Ci topaz/black'ette or SG/black'ette or [non-permissible content removed]./black'ette with sunroof, xenon and in-dash CD. After seeing the 2002 pics, I think that I am gonna wait a little longer (originally ordering June/July) as I think the changes might warrant more $$$ come resale time. What do you think?
Been going around the boards in my never-ending research on new car and ppl elsewhere always has something to say about the 3er. One might argue that it has a bad image as a "snobmobile" and similar. One might argue that it doesn't offer much bang for the buck. One might argue that its too expensive and cheap on standard equipment. Heck, one have also argued that its not as pretty. But having read all them posts, ain't nobody could argue that the 3er is not one darn good automobile. Amen. :-)
my $0.02
In my opinion, I believe tha MI winters would be a bit rough on the Sport Package. By that I mean that 17'' 225/45 tires would not do it. You would need new 16'' tires and 16'' rims. Actually, there is an article on Car And Driver (May 2001, page 24) on high performance tires (just like those that come with the Sport Package) and winters. Since the Car And Driver editorial office is here in Michigan (Ann Arbor) the driving experiences of Patrick Bedard (the author of the article) are in Michigan roads. Actually, probably the majority of tests Car and Driver does are here in MI. But anyway, he states that high performance tires are bad in winter. That does not mean that you should not go with the Sport Package. Just change tires and rims in the winter.
I have been churning the Michigan winter/Sport Package argument in my mind for a while now. I finally chose not to get the Sport Package. Here are my reasons:
- Michigan winters meaning new 16'' tires and rims
- I was able to get the Moonroof and heated seats which cost a little bit but nevertheless more than the sport package for the same price as the sport package.
- I only have to wait for about a week and a half and not over two months for the car (this car was already on the boat on its way here)
- 16'' tires still look GREAT on the 325i
- I have plenty of winter driving experience on all season tires and they have done fine. Even if I decide to get winter tires I only need new tires because the 325i comes standard with 16'' rims.
I put the down payment yesterday. I got for $760 under MSRP and got them to give me the 5.9% financing rate. I could of probably done better on the MSRP, but then again I did not have a very loaded car to work with. Also there is no real competition here in the Detroit metro area. Only two, yes only two, BMW dealers in this area. So I think I got a good deal.
I hope all this helps.
About reverse gear placement, its a european thing. You want to talk about quirky, try french cars like the Peugeot and Citroen. When I was fortunate enough to drive a 405 many years ago, I couldn't find reverse to save my life. btw you have to pull the knob up and shift right and back (or was it left forward). I found the car parallel parked on a down slope an ended up waiting 2 hours until the car in front of me left...:-). Also Citroen are the most interesting little cars, especially the older ones with the hydro-pneumatic suspension, what a blast. Love french cars, lots of character.
But I think the e46 stick is as smooth as it comes for bimmer clutches though compared to earlier models. Can't tell you specifics, but thats how I feel. Actually the 540i clutch is quite smooth too, must be the newer models.
Does the quirks have anything to do with the self-adjusting feature that BMWs clutches have.?? Also, never did mention it (I am trying to recall), since the 330 and the 325 have different boxes (I think that 330 has a ZF unit) is there ANY difference on this issue of smooth shifting operation.?
In my opinion, I believe tha MI winters would be a bit rough on the Sport Package. By that I mean that 17'' 225/45 tires would not do it. You would need new 16'' tires and 16'' rims. Actually, there is an article on Car And Driver (May 2001, page 24) on high performance tires (just like those that come with the Sport Package) and winters. Since the Car And Driver editorial office is here in Michigan (Ann Arbor) the driving experiences of Patrick Bedard (the author of the article) are in Michigan roads. Actually, probably the majority of tests Car and Driver does are here in MI. But anyway, he states that high performance tires are bad in winter. That does not mean that you should not go with the Sport Package. Just change tires and rims in the winter.
I have been churning the Michigan winter/Sport Package argument in my mind for a while now. I finally chose not to get the Sport Package. Here are my reasons:
- Michigan winters meaning new 16'' tires and rims
- I was able to get the Moonroof and heated seats which cost a little bit but nevertheless more than the sport package for the same price as the sport package.
- I only have to wait for about a week and a half and not over two months for the car (this car was already on the boat on its way here)
- 16'' tires still look GREAT on the 325i
- I have plenty of winter driving experience on all season tires and they have done fine. Even if I decide to get winter tires I only need new tires because the 325i comes standard with 16'' rims.
I put the down payment yesterday. I got for $760 under MSRP and got them to give me the 5.9% financing rate. I could of probably done better on the MSRP, but then again I did not have a very loaded car to work with. Also there is no real competition here in the Detroit metro area. Only two, yes only two, BMW dealers in this area. So I think I got a good deal.
I hope all this helps.
This was the original invoice pricing on 2001 cars, not the adjusted one for production starting in March 2001. Invoices and MSRPs for the base cars have not changed, but there have been some slight adjustments to certain packages. Also, you may already be aware that certain features which were once optional are now standard.
In the case of the 330i: HK and power seats are now standard, as is sport suspension (but not Sport Package).
Unfortunately, I don't have a link to the post-March '01 pricing, but perhaps someone else on the board has the link.
Reason, I asked is that I just love the wheel (44 stars) of the 325ci sport package and heard so much about the sport seats, IMO they complete the package. I was thinking about forgoing the moonroof (darn with the resale issue, this purchase is for me!) but thinking practically (darn!) that the stock setup (already sport tuned) and 16" wheels will be sufficient and I guess more compliant on MI roads/interstates, you know what I'm talking about. Besides I believe, the Mrs. will be driving this purchase more, at least with the 16" I have to worry less about rim damage. Good reasoning? Also, heated seats hmmmm? I thought hard about this one, but I am already stretching my budget as it is, I guess I'll wing it and let that tingly feeling ou get from driving these babies warm me up in MI winters, that and layers of clothings. :-)
Still interested about the 2002my changes...I am quite positive that I would like to hold out a little longer lest BMW might throw more into the car for free.
Once again, congrats on your purchase....are you gonna sign up bmwcca? Hows the regional chapter here?
thanks
As I mentioned a little while ago, we are changing the names of some of our discussions to drop the various "Part" indicators.
Now that we have moved to our new platform, we no longer have the requirement to stop and restart discussions after the numbers of posts exceed a certain limit. Since this discussion can continue as long as anyone wants to talk about the 3-Series, there is no longer a need for the "Part 5" that has been included in the discussion name. Down the road, that could confuse our newer members so I have removed it. I altered the name of the original 3-Series discussion in the Archives to distinguish it from this one.
Also, some of you may be interested in the Long Term Road Test of the 1999 328i that Edmunds recently completed. You'll find a link to the article in the Additional Resources Box on the left sidebar.
An excerpt: "We won't argue that the 3 Series is perfect -- but, among editors and readers, it was the most popular vehicle ever to occupy our long-term fleet." Let us know what you think!
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
Just wondering and keeping the ball rolling. Thank you in advance.
Let me know if you are interested!
KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs
Just wondering and keeping the ball rolling. Thank you in advance.
Clutch: I'd have to agree with all of you that the 330's clutch takes some getting used to, esp. off the start. I still love it but I also realize that it's geared for enthusiastic driving (thank you, BMWNA!), and the faster you switch gears, the smoother it feels. This is even truer for higher RPMs. I still think that the clutch engages gracefully but it likes it better when you release it fast (better for the clutch that way anyhow). Besides, there's so much power at your command with the 330 - yeah, you'd better be comfortable driving stick shift!
carguy5000 - French cars - my mother-in-law lives in Alsace/France and she drives a Peugeot 306 (manual of course). She took us all over the place with that little car. Get this: 5 people in the car, 2 big suitcases in the trunk, she's gunning in 90mph on the 2-line highway (she's 62!!) and it feels pretty comfortable and a lot of fun. I wish they sold the 406 in the U.S. - those are beautiful.
dc_75 - get yourself a Bimmer NOW! They'll always keep getting better; you gotta draw the line at some point and just do it. Honestly, I still love the E36 styling even and that's almost 10 yrs old - who cares if you'll have the latest cosmetic changes, it's not a fashion show. I mean this in a good way. Keep in mind that you can get probably $1,500 off on the '01 model; you won't come near that number on the '02 models. Not for a while. Also, please get the heated seats - you'll be happy you did that in MI winters and sitting on 'ette. The seats are warm 20 sec after you've started the engine. Also, the 3-series is the BENCHMARK to beat, I couldn't care less what BMW-wannabes think about it, they are just jealous they can't afford it and they'll come up with anything to make themselves feel better about getting that cheaper Acura or whatever.
gocham - please don't post ads here - if business is slow, get another job! We don't need dealers on this site - if I need to speak with a dealer, I'll give them a call; not looking for their ads/opinions here. This board is for BMW owners/buyers/enthusiasts.
jamesf5 - fog lights, auto climate and cruise control are standard on the MY325i - edmunds.com has been very slow to update this information. Hosts, 'bout time you think?
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Asked them about the steering wheel, and they said that this car should have the new stiffer steering as in the old 99 -00's.
My little baby will soon be in my Garage!
dc_75; I got my Ci at the end of February. Between the weather and the parking situation at work, I haven't been putting many miles on it... I just hit break-in yesterday (lot's of exciting things happen above 4,500RPM :-)). I would get the sport-pack for the seats alone. The ride with the performance tires is firmer than without, but by no means jarring. I drive SE Pa farm roads which are basically paved over deer trails and have no regrets... at least not until I have to shell out $800+ for new tires... if you're interested in seeing any pics of what your 'baby' will look like, send me an email at kominsky@agere.com and I'll send you a couple.
nasturtium; I ordered the full set of clears from PacificBMW.com (mail order). The set includes front corners, side indicators and rear corners. The price was $280.
Asked them about the steering wheel, and they said that this car should have the new stiffer steering as in the old 99 -00's.
My little baby will soon be in my Garage!