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Comments
Congrats on the new BMW!
Eric
Why do you drive your BMW in the winter? You should be able to afford a second car.
Hmmm, why do I drive my BMW in the winter? Could it be-
-the heater pumps out warm air faster than any car I've ever driven?
-the heated seats?
-the brightest lights of any car I've ever driven?
-excellent safety?
-traction & stability control?
-winter tires are cheaper than the insurance on a second car?
-excellent handling in ALL conditions?
-it's just plain fun to drive in ALL conditions?
-I like watching Camery's wallow in the white stuff while I cruise on by?
Why wouldn't I drive a BMW in the winter?
Because it has RWD!
Gee, 20 years ago, people must of parked their cars for 4 months every year before FWD was popular!
-murray
Maybe I'm thinking in terms of a common person who has bills, kids, college loans, etc..(i.e. the avg 3 series owner) because I know what it's like living on a budget and also would like to have an entertaining car at the same time. I'm realistic. I didn't grow up with money to waste. I guess that's why I'm a sociologist/educator and not on Wall Street.
In honesty, only a small percentage of people really use their automobiles for extreme purposes. Prime example, how many people actually take their M3 on a track or take 5,000lb SUVs around town fully loaded with people and towing a boat everyday? I'm happy for you brave heart if you do have the extra time and cash to drive your BMW on the track. If we all had the money to burn, I don't think half of us would own 3 series BMWs or would bother to post in this chat room. Most of us would just buy a M5 and call it a day if we had money to burn. We're common people looking for a small amount of entertainment in a everyday automobile.
I'm not trying to step on any toes, just stating an opinion.
Eengstro, we live in Redding, and view your 14,162' Mt. Shasta 300+ days per year. Moved here 24+ years ago with never a single regret. My commute is 8 minutes each morning, by foot, from home to Mercy Medical Center up on the hill. My beloved drives only a half mile to work, hence our satisfaction with our gracefully aging vehicles. But, a dear friend was killed in a head-on on I-5 Labor Day while returning from Sacramento, when an inebriated southbound 18 year old in a hot '68 Camaro lost control, crossed the median strip through the oleander, and ended up in the northbound lane. Hit my friend's older Volvo in which he was fully restrained, but with no airbags. Massive head injuries from the dash, but with airbags he would have walked away. Anyway, we love to drive, and we love to live. New Bimmer seems the logical and prudent way to combine the pleasure of precision engineering with the obvious superiority of state of the art safety features. Our old Benz, Volvo, and BMW were considered very safe vehicles---in their time. But it is time to recognize mortality and the transient nature of existence. And---the 3 Series is one beautiful piece of metal sculpture.
Hope you make it back up to the northstate one of these days. Some mighty fine mountain roads as you well recall.
I make it to the North State from time to time. I just spent Thanksgiving in Mt. Shasta, and will return for Christmas. My ideal route home is to take SR-1 (The Pacific Coast Hwy, for our friends back East) from San Luis Obispo, along the cliffs of Big Sur, over the Golden Gate Bridge, around the Lost Coast (so named because the area around Cape Mendacino is too rugged for a coastal hwy), to Eureka. From there, turn east on SR-299, and head over the mountains, through Weaverville, and on to Redding. From Redding, I-5 is quite scenic for the final stretch through the Sacramento River canyon, to Mt. Shasta.
I may attempt this route for my Christmas trip, if SR-299 is clear of snow. (Winter is generally the best time to drive SR-1, as most of the tourists and RVs are home.)
California is truly a beautiful State, and is well-suited for touring in a BMW.
Eric
I agree with you the new 3 series (even though it's been out a while) in my opinion is near the top of the list as one of the best looking designed cars. Somehow BMW managed to capture the right amount of gracefully flowing curves with raw muscular power.
While there are cars in it's class that do some things better than the 3-series, nobody does it ALL better, with the class and panache of the 3er.
Just for the record, the Porsche (not the Boxster) is at the top of the list.
A. Sell my worthless but faithful 1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS 5-speed with 170000 miles and buy winter tires for the Bimmer (for the same price). Drive with snow tires for 4 months, knowing that I would only need them for about 12 days of those 120 (of course, your snow-meter/situation will vary).
or
B. Keep the Bimmer on summer tires, keep the Eclipse and drive it during those snow days.
Well, mathematically, B costs the same as A, provides me with a backup car in case of emergency, and saves the Bimmer from the rock-salt splash/shower during those nasty days. So I decided to keep the Eclipse, and follow closely the weather channel
This makes sense based on my limited knowledge of higher octane fuels. Higher octane gas doesn't have any more BTU/gallon, but the additional octane helps prevent pre ignition of the fuel, aka knocking. Higher octane allows high compression engines to adjust the timing to get more horsepower from the engine without knocking. Colder temperatures should reduce the engine temperature somewhat which should help reduce pre ignition of the fuel.
Does the engine adjust for the lower ambient temperature without the added octane in the fuel? Does it matter what grade fuel is in the tank when the temps dip below freezing?
-murray
I could have kept the 626 as a winter car when I got the 325i, but the BMW is safer, has a better heater and should be more reliable. I'm certain I wouldn't make much in resale by parking the BMW during the winter. Plus I got $5000 for the 626 which would just go down while it was parked for 8 months per year.
The problem with older cars is they're more likely to break down which can be life threatening in Wisconsin in January.
-murray
Makes me think about all the articles and letters I've seen the past year in Roundel and Bimmer magazines regarding BMW batteries. But in most cases the original battery lasts for a long time and the BMW replacement battery quits after only 2 or so years. Wonder if BMW is cutting corners on batteries?
1) the temperature of the engine itself is lower. knock comes easiest in the dead of summer.
2) in most areas, winter fuel mixes contain oxygenates such as ethanol or MTBE (now being phased out). oxygenates have poor energy content but very a high anti-knock index.
-Colin
(IT guy for an energy company)
I just wish now with life's realities of a job, kid mortgage etc... that I could bail with my bimmer for a week to blaze up the coast.
They are asking $14,900.00
any input would be great. Thank you
David
Agree with mseals
Dealer Trade-In: What Others Are Getting $11,427
Private Party: What Others Are Getting/Paying $13,078
Dealer Retail: What Others Are Paying $15,357
Anyhow, some observations from changing the tires:
1. My rears would not come off. I kept trying to pull them out and they would not even budge. I ended up calling my service guy at the dealership and asked them if they spray anything to help the wheel come off. He said "give it a real good kick or use a rubber mallet" I told him the rubber soles on my shoes were better than a rubber mallet. It took 7-8 very good kicks before the rears came off - has anyone else experienced that? No problem with the fronts at all - it was just the drive wheels. Last time the rims had been taken out was 4 months/12K miles ago.
2. The Star 44s with Sumitomo HTR Z II weigh 48.5 lbs a pop. My snow tire setup weighed exactly the same. Aren't the 44's supposed to be lighter than the knock-offs?!?
3. The Mille Miglia Spiders are VERY easy to scratch compared to the 44s. They may weigh the same but there is a reason why the 44's are so much more expensive. Not to mention that at high speed, they are much less likely to split up.
4. Not one set of lug nuts had the same torque settings. The rear left needed all the force that I could apply. The front right ones would've come off even if I had used just one hand. You'd think the dealers do at least that right...
5. If you do not have a 17 mm socket yet, make sure to get a long socket. Even the long socket does not clear the fender completely and it is easy to scratch it.
6. The $25 clicking type torque wrench from the Tirerack worked great. Similar torque wrench at Sears was ~ $60.
Bring on the snow!
2. Who installed your Wheels? did not use a torque wrench? = most frequent cause of disc brake warping and vibration.
Traditionally, I have de-torqued---re-torqued the wheels after changing tires to avoid this. If they use an air wrench, you can bet all the lug nuts will end up different
I like the 4 end, cross shaped lug wrench. Lots of torque and it spins easily once the nuts are loose.
-murray
Car in back of me a front-wheel drive Mazda, couldn't make it up the same hill. My monsta' SUV yawned as it went up the hill.
My conclusion though, is in snow deeper than 6-8 inches, I wouldn't even take the Bimmer out, snow tires or not. The front-end is way to low to go through high powder and the low profile tires do not really do a good job on unplowed streets. Snows I'm sure would be better, but if we have heavy snows this year, the Bimmer is going to see a lot of the garage.
What torque did you use ? The manual specifies 100 Nm, but I read that was changed to 120 Nm. I called the service department and they told me 90-95 Nm is standard. So I just torqued everything to 100 Nm.
During assembly the coaxial cable that runs from the antenna in the rear window was not tightened correctly where it attaches to the signal booster which is mounted on the driver side "C" pillar. A simple removal of the interior "C" pillar cover will expose the amplifier and the loose cable. Retighten the cable (snugly using önly finger strength) and reinstall the panel and the problem should be cured. If doing this procedure yourself I recommend that you reattach all wiring into the amplifier with a small dab of dielectric grease to seal out moisture and dampen vibration.
The AM radio reception is the absolute worst. However, FM radio and CDs play flawlessly. They have the just the right balance of highs, mids and lows.
Steel Blue/Gray, Premium, Sport, Xenon, Steptronic.
Lo and behold, there was already one unclaimed on a ship due to arrive in port on the 21st. I was prepared to wait until March, and now I'll have my car by Christmas! Merry Christmas to me....
-murray
ryoken - Merry Christmas to me, merry christmas to me. What made you pick the 330i over G35? There is certainly some sentiment on these forums, the 330i is overpriced, underpowered, and long in the tooth.
But, ultimately, the final deciding factor was this: I couldn't keep my hands off the BMW brochure, I kept lurking on the 3-series town hall boards (while only skimming the G35 boards), and after the 330i test drive, my wife asked me, "Why did you keep saying, 'Whoa!'?" -- The G35 just didn't do that for me.
Eengstro, you are so correct about the coast highway north from San Simeon, the Lost Coast north of Mendocino, and highway 299 from Eureka/Arcata to Redding. Superb driving experiences. Years ago, I counted 94 curves in the 7 miles from Buckhorn Summit to the French Gulch turnoff, just west of Whiskeytown Lake. Test drove a MB AMG C36 that we considered purchasing on that stretch back in September, and that is what convinced us to cancel an order for a 2003 Passat wagon and purchase a 3-Series instead. I'd forgotten how much pleasure a really well made performance sedan can be.
Saddled up the '68 Benz 280 SE for a leisurely drive up to Mt. Shasta yesterday. 'twas one of those flawlessly mild and clear late autumn days---70 degrees, unlimited visibility, shorts, sandals, T-shirt. Lake Shasta, Castle Crags, the Sacramento River Canyon, Bunny Flat at 6950'; all magnificent from the comfort of my Teutonic Buick. Still amazes me that the Germans were so technologically advanced 35 years ago--fuel injection, power everything, 4 wheel discs, tight steering and suspension, fine visibility, and a strong and efficient 180 HP straight 6. Was lucky to find it in immaculate condition from the original owner, and love that it looks like a little old blue-haired lady's car. Definitely a sleeper, and one that I shall always treasure. But surely looking forward to the 325iT for those tight mountain and coastal curves. My wife's 320i handles well even after 20 years, but at 101 HP is ridiculously underpowered. Enforces driving discipline though. Do enjoy your trip north for X-mas, and be safe.
I guess I don't understand-are you having trouble picking up stations or do they sound lousy? It is AM radio after all. I never expected AM to sound as good as FM or CD.
-murray
Installation looks pretty basic, but I wanted to solicit any advice on removing the factory radio and trim so I can mount this thing behind the dash. I'm not sure yet if it requires power, but does anyone know which wire I should splice into?
Also, has anyone removed the little cubby and door above the ashtray? I was thinking of running the 1/8" stereo plug into there so it can be stashed away when not in use.
I can't wait, enough music to drive across the country without a repeat and great sound!
-murray
Sorry for so many questions, but I was just getting ready to test one myself and your review was timely. I know what you mean about the BMW's feel, it's addicting. I hate to look elsewhere for my next car, but the Infiniti is becoming a good competitor at a lesser price.
Yes, the G35 is bigger (and has reclining rear seats and A/C vents). It's a "midsize" car while the 330 is a "compact" car. Handling on both cars was great. (After all, the E46 chassis was designed with the M3 in mind, and the G35 is using the same chassis as the new 350Z.) They both felt quick. The G35 is measurably quicker, but I couldn't feel the difference. The G35 can stop quicker - about 15 feet less in 60-0, according to magazines. The price is closer to $7k less, comparably equipped, I believe (on the sedans - don't know about the coupes). My local Infiniti dealership had a single demo car for test drives, and they wouldn't let you drive anything but that one - and it did not have the sport-tuned suspension. I think the BMW with the sport suspension has a smoother ride than the Infiniti without it.
The Infiniti transmission doesn't have a true manual mode, it just lets you limit the top gear. But that, and the lack of colors it comes in are my only complaints, and the 6-speed sticks are available now on the coupe, and in production on the sedans and should be arriving in a few months.
I've got some gripes about the 330i that I don't have yet, as well. Why can't the seatbelts and dash be the same color as the rest of the interior? And where's the 6-disc in-dash cd changer that all the other cars in this class manage to include?
Give the Infiniti a try. I wouldn't regret owning it instead of the BMW. And the way I see it, a little real competition can only improve the 3-series.
The AM radio reception in my '98 540i6 is better, but still poor. Can't pull in weak signals. And it doesn't seem to be able to get powerful stations unless you are within 50 miles. But at least no electrical interference.
AM is critical to me. Don't know about you, but I spend way more time listening to AM radio than FM. If I want music, I play CDs. If I want radio, then I'm listening to NPR, local talk, or national talk (e.g., Limbaugh, Beck, Reagan, Savage, Williams, etc.). Only FM I listen to is the Omaha FM NPR station.
Because BMW is about driving, not listening.
I have 300 miles on the snow tires and they've been getting better. The car is noticeably wobblier at any speed compared to the summer tires The good news is that the car is not any more unstable at triple-digit speeds than it is at 60 mph. The M2's were great in the snow but I really miss my summer tires in the dry and I think I'll be counting the days when they are going back on in the middle of March.
Of all the cars in your comparison, I agree that the choice inevitably comes down to the G35 vs the 3 series. I have had quite a lot to say about this above and on the other forums. In my mind however, there still is no comparison. The g35 is a good way for someone to purchase a powerful car with a decent brand name for less money. There is nothing about it that is superlative in my mind, except for the power of the engine. In fact, it overwhelms the driver with its mediocrity--transmission, harsh brakes, plastic interior, unassuming yet uninspiring lines and exterior styling. The 3 series just does all of the important things better. Every time I get in my car I get this huge grin that is like a reflex--it is involuntary. There is no other vehicle that I have driven which does this to me (although a twin-turbo 911 probably would). I could go on and on.
There are gripes about the BMW though as you have pointed out. It should have a in dash CD changer, an alarm system, matching dash and seat belts for the chosen interior, and a better stereo. I hardly notice these thing though because the important stuff is just perfect. I picked the black interior to take care of the dash and seat belt issue.
The one big thing is keeps me looking back to the 330i instead of a g35 sedan or coupe is x # of years down the road. I LOVE the exterior of the g35 coupe and is really hot BUT the interior just is not very up to par compared to the bmw. The silver plastic in the middle just does not look so hot. The interior of the bmw is very classy and nice.
I worry about how the g35 is going to age. I already know the bmw 3-series ages very well and gracefully. I see bmw's 2 models back that still look very very nice and classy. Will I be able to say that about the g35 in 6 years? Im just not so sure. And that unsureness is able to look into spending that extra 5k more IF I think this car is an option to keep driving 5 years down the road once I pay it off.
Those are just my initial thoughts on why im leaning toward the bmw.
I'm talking about the long-dead "What is this BMW Thing" thread from a year ago. Being somewhat new to the Edmund's townhall I've been reading it just for the heck of it. It took me a month just to get a third of the way through! There are some stubborn folks out there.
No real point to this message, just thought I'd bring up what must be a painful memory for those who were around to experience it!
It is not easy, I don't think to take that center area off. But I get nervous doing that sort of stuff because I don't want rattles.
-Paul
It was very painful however to read through.
I mean, really, does it matter if to you if I have an M3 and either a) know all kinds of stuff about it, work on it myself, and race on the weekends or b) don't even pump my own gas, bought it because it was a "nice looking car, and a good color", and "I can finally afford it", and maybe I've "always wanted one."
I come here to Edmunds to find people of similar tastes (and sometimes, differing tastes) for lively discussion. I don't come here to slag off people for buying a car as a fashion statement, or autocrossing a car that "wasn't meant to be raced", or buying something "too expensive" for their budget and lifestyle.
None of that is my concern and a topic devoted to nothing but such tripe isn't either.
-Colin