By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
-Colin
far as the brakes, you can get pads and rotors for about $150.00, not too bad.
good luck with your purchase,
DL
DL Thanks for the info. I sense a bias against the whole CPO thing!
my ex-wife drove a miata all winter long with snow tires. if she can do it, you can do it.
-Colin
Yes, I am in the Atlanta area (midtown) and would be more than happy to talk to you about the local dealerships (purely opinionated that is).
I say, dude, go for the 330. I drove the 325 first, and it was a GREAT car, loved everything about it, loved the power. Then, I sat in the 330, felt the same at first, until I started the engine. Growl....purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I shut it off and started it again, just to make sure my friend heard the roar. It was so SWWWWEEEEETTTTT!!!!!!. It drove like a dream in town and on the highway (was going over 80 before I even realized it (thought I was going the speed limit of 45, oops). Pulled it back into the lot, and just listened to the purrrrrrrr. I am sure that you other 330 owner know exactly the purrrrrr I am talking about...like a tiger, ready to leap at any moment.
I am so excited, my Taurus will never look the same to me.
As background, I started seriously looking for my dream car (BMW 3 series) approximately 18 months ago. Began by researching prices (Edmunds, paper, internet)and reading your posts. it was all I could do to wait until I was ready (financially and mentally).
Well, today I go to finalize my purchase. I bought a 2000 323I. I'm not very good with the acronyms, so I'll just tell you what the car has:
32,000 miles
Black with sand leather
Sport seats
Sport suspension
16" alloy wheels
good tires
Power seats
Power locks
cruise
moon roof
AM/FM In dash CD
Xenons
wood trim
Leather Momo steering wheel
Other stuff but that is the major. The car is in "outstanding condition as exterior has a few minor chips and interior hardly looks used. I'm in the Orlando area and paid $24,500 for the car. It is not CPO!
Edmunds lists a car with these options and in this condition as follows:
Dealer - 28, 302
Private party - 26, 150
trade in - 24, 300
So I believe I got a pretty good deal. Sorry for the rambling, but remember when you bought your first bimmer and bear with me!
A couple of questions:
What kind of wash and wax products do you recommend? And what leather cleaner/conditioner should I use? Please note that am not a car cleaning lover so I am looking for something good, but not all that time consuming (at least not the exterior, I don't mind spending time inside).
Thanx, so glad to join you finally!
Joe
Whether to go Certified Pre-Owned or not depends on a lot of factors. How risk averse are you? How long do you plan on owning the car? How much do you drive each year? Do you know a good independent repair shop?
You pay more for a CPO car. And the CPO warranty isn't quite as extensive as new car warranty plus there is a $50 service charge per visit. Many people are buying used 1998-2001 BMWs that still have a little or a lot of the car's original warranty. My wife got her '00 323iA with only 18,000 miles. But she plans to keep it for years. In just 8 1/2 months she has driven 14,000 miles. So going CPO gives much her warranty peace of mind until 2006 and/or 100,000 miles. So far under the new car warranty she has had work done on the radio, sunroof, and high beam indicator.
Bought my '98 540i6 CPO at 52,000 miles. So CPO is all warranty I can get. Gives me great peace of mind until 2004 and/or 100,000 miles. (I'd never buy an extended warranty from a 3rd party.) So far it has been a godsend. She now has 65,000 miles. I've had about 3-4 items repaired under CPO. For the $50 service charge, I've gotten well over $1,000 worth of repairs (e.g., new computer LED display, airbag sensor wiring harness, idle control, etc.)
p.s. twoof1 - do you have the xenons and if you do, did they pose a problem for the CAI install?
Has anyone with xenons installed the ECIS CAI?
1.wat level wind noise u expect @ 120k/h should be no wind noise?
2.do they have return policy? becuase i not really happy with my car, wat should i do in this case? ask the dearler take back and pay extra to get new 1?
3. wat is the price level for new 2002 325ci or 320i? CAD please.
Please give me advice....
Thank in advance....
PS. Canada-Toronto area.
That said, no low riding, sporty car goes great in deep snow (8"+ in my book), and just like with any car, alot depends on your skill level at winter driving.
Sorry guys,...that's the best I could do at avoiding restarting the winter tire flame war.
CPO: I think CPO is great concept. My beef with it was that I found CPO cars hard to find (i.e. terrible selection), and over priced. Plus, with a used car interest rate, there wasn't a whole lot of difference in payments. I wanted my BMW to be EXACTLY what I wanted (color and options in my price range), and I liked the idea of ordering it that way.
That means I'll get the car exactly 12 weeks to the day after I ordered it. Thats about two-three weeks longer than I expected. And, those last two weeks were the most difficult. Now, its time to pony up the cash. Actually the timing is perfect - I get the car on Wednesday, and turn in my Maxima on Friday.
One little rub - I have to get the Nissan dealer to release my personalized lisence plate, so that I can transfer it to the BMW. Any ideas on how to do that, since I'll have the Nissan AFTER I pick-up the Bimmer - and it will need a valid plate for lease return, right? Any thoughts? I guess I could turn in the Nissan earlier that day (a few days early), and take the plate to the BMW dealer with me? For me, this is the worst part about leasing. Never had this problem before, because I always traded my previous lease car on the new one.
Maybe I could get the plate release from Nissan in advance, so that the BMW dealer could do a swap between the plate they were going to give me, and the one on my car??? I'll bet that will go over big with the Nissan dealer, who will not be happy that they couldn't put me in another Nissan.
Any info you can provide on local dealers would be great; so far I've been to only one but I'm put off by what I saw as a blatant little profit markup, maybe you have insight on that. If you have an e-mail address so I can speak in detail and send my queries to, I'll forward them on. Thanks for your help.
Write to me at rabright1@yahoo.com I would be happy to help in any limited way that I can. I am about in the same boat as you, but I did just go through the process here in Atlanta, and actually had a great experience since I did all of the homework first, and went in with my ducks in a row.
Drop me a line.
Rick
go ahead and spring for a newie! you also might be able to find a used one for considerably less than new... (that's how i got the m3 catback for my e36)...
1pierce - lol... you done good without putting gas on the fire! as far as "deep snow"... let's face it folks. when the snow gets deeper than the lip of your front bumper, you aren't driving a car anymore, you are driving a snowplow, and you aren't gonna go anywhere, period, after awhile...
-Chris
1) What amount over invoice or below MSRP should I expect to pay on 2003 that I order.
2) What is app expense for new wheels and snows for the winter.
Long time lurker, first time poster. Thanks in advance.
1pierce: Just your luck man, you're car is finally in and you've got to wait an extra 2 days to pick it up. You're going to get ZERO sleep for the next 2 days:) Congrats & good luck!
Chris: I think that's twice you've agreed with him in recent weeks, is everything OK? LOL! What kind of gain did you notice from the E36 M3 Cat Back exhaust on your car?
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
a *little*... actually, i'm not sure how much "gain" i got as much as it smoothed out some that "dead" spot around 2200-2500 rpm... plus it sounds good!
i believe to fully smooth it out, and gain some, i need to chip it and intake it... soon... i have my turner motor sports order form all filled out for the jimc stuff, i just need to set aside the money for it...
-Chris
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Yup, it's an awful long time to wait for the catback. I'll have to see how we do financially in the next few months and maybe I'll make myself a nice X-mas present. Or even better - the catback is buried deep down underneath the car anyhow, so my wife probably won't even notice if I come back home with it installed one night
nothing major (knock on wood)... as far as minor, the wear parts i haven't already replaced (i.e. brakes, clutch, suspension bits, a few other things), are starting to make themselves known... replaced the radiator cap assembly and fan clutch about 2 months ago... i believe when i bring it in for the next inspection i'm gonna need rear brakes... i'm pretty positive they'll find a few other things to replace while it's in for that... they always do!
i'm also wearing through the bolster on the left of the driver's seat... oh well... even cow doesn't last forever... i'll have to get that mended sooner or later...
no major top problems... if it hasn't been put down for awhile (and as hot as it's been this summer, it hasn't been put down much!), it wants to "stick" halfway, but a little noodge gets it moving again... NO LEAKS!!!
other than that, it's doing pretty good... this car has been quite kind to me... i'm hoping it continues to do so, because i'd like to keep it at least a couple more years until the e46 m3's start to come off lease...
-Chris
good idea brave, until you start the car! even a "car novice" will notice then...
-Chris
nyc - It's not official yet, as they don't tally the results till a few days after the event. Based on the scoreboard, I was definitely running second from ~ 15 cars in my class in the morning - about one second behind the leader. I am pretty sure I beat him by 1.2 sec in the afternoon but there are too many numbers to look at and too little time at the end of the day. The official results should be out in a week. I am honestly pinching myself trying to believe it's true because I never thought I'd see even podium, esp. during my rookie season. Will send you the link to the official times when they come out...
nyc and brave: I'm trying to be kinder and gentler too - or at least I'm getting more sophisticated about being disagreeable. Life is too short to spend much of it arguing over subjects about which neither camp is going to change their mind. Besides, I'm not stubborn, and I don't necessarily think anybody on this site is wrong. Its just that one way is not necessarily the right way for everybody. I just try to offer a different perspective.
I went through the same drill when I bought my car from the Dayton, OH dealer and wanted it in Chicago.
What I learned is that you should ask the dealer that you're buying from if anyone owes them a favor in your area, and then have your dealer arrange this for you.
On delivery, the salesman advised me to use Castrol Synthetic oil if I ever needed to top it off between oil services (which could mean once a year between oil changes depending on your driving habits)
Hope this helps
Appreciate any info.
Speaking of which I washed & waxed Eva yesterday morning, and of course it is all misty-wet out today! Used the Klasse high-gloss sealant on the top part of the car & yes it even improves the All-In-One, gives it a wetter, glossier look. Have to return some products to the folks at properautocare.com--will post if returns are handled as smoothly as the purchase (or not).
Pierce1--don't answer if it's personal, but what is your personalized plate? I didn't get one, but it's fun to see how creative people get.
p.s. i guess i can post o.k. now...
Speaking of the "unfair atvantage", Brave have you auto x your A4 yet ?
DL
<<< Any niggling or major problems?>>> Yes on 1. No on 2. There is a rattle from the glove box that I have had fixed THREE times and it is still there. There is a loud rattle from the hood that comes up every time I start the car and typically at ~ 2K RPM's. Rear speaker blew up... Emergency brake leather cover came off... Little things like this - every time I bring it in for an oil change, there are 5-6 nagging issues that I ask them to look at. Keep in mind, though, that the new A4 are supposed to be built better.
<<< How was Audi service? >>> Great as far as scheduling appointments and free loaner availability. Poor service quality, though, IMO.
<<< Good starter when the temp drops?>>> Always!
<<< Any brake fade on mountain roads? Solidly built? >>> the brakes scare me every time I switch from the 325 to the A4. They are OK but they honestly don't compare to the BMW's. Not sure about fade that much - they just don't grip well. Solidity can't touch BMW's. Yeah, the Bimmer has a few rattles here and there but they fix them ONCE when I bring it in and they disappear, at least till new ones come up. The Bimmer feels like it will last forever. I am getting rid of the A4 when the warranty expires - I just don't trust its build quality and reliability enough to keep it. Glad you mentioned the Passat wagon - we will be looking at it when we need a wagon in 2-3 years. Also, the shifting in the A4 feels very rubbery, the clutch is mushy, the brakes are spongy, the steering is almost like pancake syrup, the power is totally non-linear from the turbo...The A4 excels in powering through corners in snow, in looks, and it has a pretty interior but not much else. If I could convince my wife to get the xiT or the 5-series wagon, I'd be very happy but she cannot see herself in a BMW (too flashy for her taste, although she can appreciate its driving abilities). Sorry if this is a little disappointing for you as far as the A4 but again, keep in mind that we have the older chassis and that I am probably biased in favor of BMW's.
I noted that all three have MASSIVE boost / mechanical advantage on the brake pedal. When you really get on the binders, they don't seem to me to have any better brakes than my '95 M3, in fact honestly worse. But they do bite very, very hard with very little pedal effort... so my question is this--
Is that touchy pedal convincing all of you that you have superior brakes? And do you like it?
-Colin
I haven't put a scale to anything, but my seat-of-the-pants number might be something like a paltry 10lb of force applies pretty darned heavy braking. To get the same amount of braking out of my '95 M3, I need a whole lot more pedal effort-- let's say 30-40lb for argument's sake.
-Colin
i haven't seen anywhere of increased boost in the e46, but i wouldn't discount the possibility, especially since they softened the steering so much in the initial iteration of the e46...
i'm volunteering right now to drive anyone's e46 so i can get a better feel though...
who out here had an e36 and now has an e46? they might be able to shed some light on the subject. or even better. where's div? i'm sure he'll have some input...
-Chris
ps - vkwheels. yes. off and on for the last couple weeks.
While I'm at it, what does everyone use for the leatherette? Any products that don't put a greasy layer on everything? I can't stand to be touching items in the car and coming away with a layer of grease on my hands.
Thanks as always!
Josh
Chris if you want to come out to 100f TX you can drive my car..
DL