BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

12357585

Comments

  • larryintnlarryintn Member Posts: 103
    Try Athen's BMW. I bought a 323i from them a year ago for $1950 over invoice.
  • gerasmusgerasmus Member Posts: 1
    I'm in the market for a new car. I need to decide between a 328ci w/ 11k miles with the sport package, moonroof and cd player for about 30,995 vs a brand new 2001 types is for approx 29,500.
    I bargained the dealer down on the BMW form 33,900. Should I take the 30k and run or push for more? Or... take the Acura which by all accounts is the best bang for your dollar? One thing is for sure it doen't handle like a BMW. I could use the advice. Thanks.
  • footprintsfootprints Member Posts: 28
    My mistake was going to look at another vehicle just for the hey. I am now confused as to which vehicle to purchase. It will either be the BMW 325xi or the MB C240.
    Each one has there own pro's and con's and it is a much harder decision for me than with previous
    vehicles.
    On Friday last I fell in love with the MB exterior and interior but have yet to drive it. Actually, I haven't driven either yet.
    Yesterday though the sales rep. from BMW called in with a purchase figure of $33,4K :325xi, premium pkg., orient blue with sand leatherette.
    From all indications in Edmunds forum both C-class MB are not being sold less that MSRP. The C240 I opted for the C2, Capri w/Java leatherette.
    Desperately would appreciate input from anyone in this forum that may have or has to make the same decisions? Actually, any good input!!
  • chevymalibu98chevymalibu98 Member Posts: 24
    giovacchini:
    how did you work out that deal about picking up a car in Munich for BMW?
  • goody4goody4 Member Posts: 55
    Each BMW comes with two stickers: The one actually in the window, and an exact duplicate included with the manual. Ask your dealer to give these stickers. (Inform them you may wish to sell the car someday, and you need to tell potential buyers what options were made into the car.) If your dealer gives you trouble, ask for the 800 number to BMW of North America. Give BMWNA your vin, they will likely send you a copy of the sticker. BTW, BMWNA's toll-free number is available at http://www.bmwusa.com.
  • mikeinrimikeinri Member Posts: 3
    I'm considering purchasing a 325.

    Never owned a RWD vehicle before.
    Curious if I really need the all wheel drive.
    I live in New England.

    I'm trying to keep costs down and the difference between a 325i/325ix is significant to me.

    Comments/Experiences appreciated.
  • rleerlee Member Posts: 8
    I went through the same thing: I have fixed my eyes on a 3 for a year until I knew the new C. So I wait till it came out and went ahead with a test drive. I loved the design, however a bit disappointed by the interior room (front elbow, rear leg). I didn't quite like the quality of the interior either. Plus all dealers I spoke to here in Boston area won't discount a cent.

    Then I talked to a BMW dealer, I've got three dealers willing to discount $2,900 off MSRP (1,200 over invoice) on a xi wagon with PP, SP, CWP and other goodies. The thing is, even with AWD option, 325 WAGON still beats C240 SEDAN by a half second 0-60 dash. And no matter what they say, the bimmer still have an edge in terms of handling.

    Hope this helps.
  • larryintnlarryintn Member Posts: 103
    Curt Cook was my salesman as well. Didn't actually meet him until delivery day but he handled everything well.

    I flew down to Atlanta's airport and the Athen's driver was standing in the gate holding up a BMW sign as I walked off the airplane. He had driven out in a 318Ti from the used car lot to pick me up. Very nice guy, too. He apparently has delivered cars all over the SouthEast for customers. I gave him a tip when we got to the dealership and, judging by his reaction, it sounds like I was the first one to ever do that. :)

    Curt had my car all ready and sitting up front when I arrived. We did the feature review (even though I knew more about it than him from all my time on the message boards), took a short test drive, and finished up all the paperwork. I talked him out of a free BMW coffee mug and mouse pad and was out the door in no more than 60 or 70 minutes. Very nicely handled.
  • larryintnlarryintn Member Posts: 103
    You'll probably do just fine with the RWD version. Spend some of the money you save on a good set of snow tires and steel rims as good tires, coupled with good traction control and ABS, will do a lot more for you than AWD with performance tires.
  • markjennmarkjenn Member Posts: 1,142
    I'd first make the decision on whether you need AWD or not, based on how often you encounter snow/ice. For serious snow, AWD will allow you to get out in weather that would be foolhardy in a RWD car, even one with good snow tires. But most folks don't wish to tackle weather this bad, and typically do just fine in light/moderate snow with a RWD car equipped with good snow tires on all four wheels. Throw chains in the trunk for the rare emergency situation, and you're set for virtually anything.

    Why not get AWD as insurance? Well, AWD is an option the increases costs, adds complexity, decreases reliability, adds weight, reduces gas mileage, reduces acceleration, and detracts from handling. (On more powerful cars, you can make the case that it is a nice feature even on dry pavement, but the 325 doesn't make enough power for this to be much of a consideration.)

    So if you need AWD, then the C240 isn't in the hunt. It would be between the Audi A4 and the 325xi, and frankly, I'd probably go with the A4, although both are good.

    If you don't need AWD, then the C240 is back in the running, but if RWD is acceptable to you, then I'd be comparing the 325i vs. a C240. I'd go with the 325 because I could get it with a stick, but if you're going with an auto, then either would be great choices - choose based on which you like in a test drive.

    The C240 is a new design and is subject to first-model-year glitches. If you rate reliability as paramount, I'd stay away from it a year. But both are fine cars.

    - Mark
  • footprintsfootprints Member Posts: 28
    Thank you for rlee and markjenn for your insight.
    I live in NJ and heavy snow/winters is really not an enormous issue, but I thought it would be an added safety option. Also, I was under the perception from different forums as well as the dealer that there was no negative aspects but as you state "adds complexity, decreases reliability, adds weight, reduces gas mileage, reduces acceleration, and detracts from handling" that is not correct.
    My current "OLD" vehicle is rear wheel drive and I have driven it in bad snow weather. It was not as bad as others state it would be. It seemed to be as complicated to maneuver as FWD vehicles.
    I have lost interest in a few vehicles because they do not have stick shift as an option. The C240 is the only MB that comes in stick shift and it is the only reason it keeps my interest- other than the look.
    Is the c-class an entirely new line or is it just the physical appearance?
  • gtbrokergtbroker Member Posts: 3
    thanks to both TMORALES & LARRYINTN. Larry--what did you pay over invoice?

    on a fairly loaded 330i, msrp of 40,285, athens bmw is offering 38,690, which is 2500 over invoice. i will offer 1800 over and settle for 2000 over. i will let you know how it goes.

    thanks again.
  • mfeldmanmfeldman Member Posts: 140
    Thanks to the input I have received here I am ready to order a 330. As I went through the list I realized that I had not considered rear air bags. I noticed they are standard on the mb 320. 90% of the time I drive the car, I'm alone. But I have one 3 year old daughter and another on the way. With 2 kids I might be driving one in the back more often. I don't know what age is safe for a kid to be near a side air bag. I understand they can be dangerous if leaned upon. So I wonder if it's worth it to order the option if it has to be deactivated, and if it is activated I can't control when a child leans toward the door. Does anyone have info on this issue?
  • cardiactcardiact Member Posts: 4
    Hi
    I live in the hills of northern CT and I just bought an '01 325i (6 days old). Not an X car, but I will be buying agressive snow tires that hopefully do not sacrifice everything in the way of dry road performance handling. I haven't been in a BMW since 1984 or so, but they were rear wheel drive then and it was still northern CT. Not too much to say in the way of problems. Good luck with your new car decisions. Michael Austin
  • larryintnlarryintn Member Posts: 103
    gtbroker

    We paid $1950 over. No other dealer fees, either.


    mfeldman

    You don't want the rear airbags with young children. At least not until they're in their teens. Don't recall if it's early teens or late teens.
  • markjennmarkjenn Member Posts: 1,142
    The 2001 C-Class is a completely new design. The C240 has a six-speed manual as standard, but if you get the C320, you can only get the auto.

    I drove a C240 auto and I thought the power was a bit muted getting through the automatic, but I loved the way the car drove and the feel of the car from the driver's seat. As many of the magazine tests have stated, this is the first Mercedes I have ever driven that really had a "fun" feeling to it. I C240 six-speed with the sport package would be a very neat car.

    I'm going with the 325 mainly due to the availability of a wagon, and because I really want to avoid the 1st year of a new Mercedes model. I can't think of a 1st year new design Mercedes that hasn't been plagued with lots of problems.

    - Mark
  • alexradualexradu Member Posts: 9
    As far as I know, it's not as simple as that. The speedometer might be accurate at some speeds, but inaccurate at others. It's simply not consistently over by X% over the entire speed range. It varies with your speed. I've seen some test charts once in a French magazine, comparing true speed vs. indicated speed, from 0 to 220 km/h, for a variety of cars. The worst errors were at low speeds, if I remember correctly... But, it's true that in general the indicated speed is a bit over the actual speed, in normal driving conditions (tire size, pressure in tires, etc).
  • darenjpdxdarenjpdx Member Posts: 14
    I just bought a 325xi wagon. Live in North Dakota and we had plenty of ice and snow for the past 2 weeks. Last week I had a 323i loaner from the dealer (long story). The road on which I live is little travelled and that leads to a lot of ice. I've had the opportunity to try out each of these cars on the same ice now. I went up and down the street, trying the ABS, accelleration, and the stability control. I'm cheating some because I had already put on Michelin snow tires on the wagon and the loaner RWD just had all seasons. Accelleration as you might guess could not compare. The AWD just plain went. Much of the time, even on ice, I couldn't make the traction control kick in. The RWD did fine, but the traction control was clipping away constantly and the engine speed was retarded significantly. You could start on ice fine, but it would automatically adjust your gas pedal input to very low and you would take off very, very slowly. The AWD seemed like it was on pavement. Stopping as you might expect was a bit better in the wagon, too, but that's almost certainly due to the snow tires. Control in turning was noticeably better in the AWD and I think it's due more to the AWD than the snow tires. If you gave the RWD gas turning from a stop sign for example, even with the traction control and stability control, you could easily make it fish tail. Turning with any amount of throttle would easily lead to fishtailing. The AWD was far less susceptible to that.

    Finally, the stability control is fun to try out. I did this on the wide road, making sudden steering inputs as though I'm avoiding something in my lane, but not much over 30-35 mph(I didn't want to slide into the curb). The DSC (stability control) did wonders for "plowing" or when you turn the wheel sharply and you keep going straight because it's slippery. The light on the dash would flash and you'd hear the chunking of the brakes and it would regain control and go where you pointed it. If you were aggressive enough to induce fish tail the vehicle, the stability control didn't seem to be as capable to do much about it. The AWD did better in these maneuvers overall, but probably mostly because of the snow tires except the susceptibility to fishtail which was noticeable in the RWD.

    Bottom line--I think the RWD does fine, but expect very slow accelleration on slippery surfaces with lots of traction control intervention. The RWD seems more susceptible to fish-tailing than the AWD and the stability control doesn't seem quite as capable of preventing fish-tailing, and it certainly seems to be unable to control it very well once it starts. The AWD was absolutely incredible starting from a standstill on slippery surfaces. Overall, I like the added security of the AWD, particularly here in North Dakota. You'll be able to go better, and will have more control (and less risk for losing control) in any situation in which you're using the throttle.

    Hope that wasn't too much info!
    And snow tires definitely help on all 4 wheels.
  • tnguyen74tnguyen74 Member Posts: 65
    I'm in the process of purchasing a 325i seden and I've seen a few on the road with the aggressive nose/bumper front end treatment like on the European models. Is this an option, aftermarket or special order from BMW? I like the coupe's front fascia but think the regular seden front is plain until I've seen these front ends of the newer ones on the road.
  • footprintsfootprints Member Posts: 28
    After two nights of weighting the options available to me via this forum I decided on the 325xi.
    The fact that this C class(240-320)is in it's 1st year (which I was not aware of initally)made it obvious for me to go with the 325xi. I love the look of the C240 but, I'd perfer to have a vehicle that is both pretty to look at and proven true for a few years.
    The one query I still have is if the all wheel drive will lower the value, increase mechanical difficulty, not conerned with the .5 decrease in acceleration will not kill me but, are there truly negative issue to a 325xi.
    I agree with the dealer about the sports package -it would be worse in snow so I would not opt to change the xi for a sports package.
    This saturay I will be in to test drive and hopefully sign the papers for a New "325 (xi), Orient blue/sand interior, 5spd manual, premium package (I have a friend who owns his own business - He offered to installs a 6-disc CD player and if I want a navagation system). Mark the sales person offered me the 325xi for $33,4K is that a good price or should I try for less??
    Almost there - I hope!!
  • panama2626panama2626 Member Posts: 2
    I am thinking about buying a 325i 1994 with 110k miles. Is there anything i should look for, is this a very bad idea or are they proven cars to put 250 thousand miles on any info would help!!
  • dparis1dparis1 Member Posts: 45
    Going in for my first oil change next week at 4,000 miles. Not taking any chances with a new car.
    Was quoted $50.00 from the service dept.
  • dparis1dparis1 Member Posts: 45
    What is the price for the car?
  • bbarber2bbarber2 Member Posts: 3
    I have just purchased a used 98 328i. Great car! According to the manual, it is OK to use 89 octaine. I recently read that 91 is required. So what are all of you 3 series BMW owners using? Also, every morning as I am driving out of my neighborhood, a soft ding is heard. Does this have something to do with the heater? (No smart remarks, please!)
  • markjennmarkjenn Member Posts: 1,142
    It varies all over the place depending on demand. About the best I've seen is $1K over dealer invoice. Paying MSRP is not uncommon.

    I'd say if you are around half-way between invoice and MSRP, you're probably doing well. My experience is that you will have to shop more than one dealer to get the best price. Always try for more. I've bought my last two cars via fax and email and don't go onto the lot now except for the initial test drive.

    Good luck,

    - Mark
  • markjennmarkjenn Member Posts: 1,142
    I come down firmly on the "15K is ridiculous" side of this question. I believe it is a frequency dicatated by the marketing department, not the engineering department.

    Several people who work in the industry have noted the following points:

    1. Free scheduled maintenance during the warranty period has become a key feature that customers are looking for.

    2. The more often the customer comes into the service dept during the warranty period, the more likely they are request warranty repairs for rattles, squeaks, alignment, wind noise, brake noise, and other minor issues. These are the profit killer items that constitute the majority of the warranty claims. If you can keep the customer out of the shop, they are much more likley to simply "live with" these issues.

    Put these two things together, and you have a very powerful incentive to stretch routine maintenance out to the absolutely longest interval possible, even if it has some detrimental effects on long-term engine life. (Short-term engine life and performance is relatively unaffected - you could not change the oil at all in 50K and the engine would probably be OK.)

    Mercedes and BMW are leading the way with these longer service intervals. They are ones that offer free maintenance. I also own a Lexus which does not offer free maintenance, and guess what? Their service intervals are 7.5K (or 5K under severe service).

    If I was leasing or planning on trading cars every few years, I'd just follow what BMW says and let the person who owns the car at 100K miles worry about it. But if I planned on keeping the car for a long period, I'd at least halve the BMW recommendation. Changing oil at 5-7.5K sounds about right.

    Finally, given how cheap oil is, you can view it as very inexpensive insurance. Spending an extra $30 every year hardly seems significant in the overall cost of car ownership.

    - Mark
  • beamer6beamer6 Member Posts: 1
    I just picked up my new 330i last week and really love the car. I was not impressed with either of the audio systems (standard and HK upgrade), so I was looking into getting a premium system installed by an audio retailer. Does anyone have any recommendations for installing an after factory audio system? Thanks.
  • larryintnlarryintn Member Posts: 103
    bbarber2

    The ding is probably the temperature alert which is activated whenever the outside air temp drops below 37°F/2°C. It's warning you to be alert to slippery conditions.

    Your car is an E36 but it's performance should be similar. On the E46 the engine's computer adjusts timing, etc. to compensate for the lower octane fuel so running regular won't hurt anything other than your performance. A couple of folks have done some comparisions and they found that their fuel economy dropped significantly, due to the de-tuning done by the computer, and when you run the numbers it turned out to actually be MORE expensive to drive with low-octane gasoline because your burning so much more of it!

    markjenn

    There's nothing stopping anyone from changing their oil as frequently as they want. It sure won't hurt anything. I'm not sure where you're getting $30 oil changes, though, unless you're doing the work yourself. Dealers would probably charge $60-$80 for a synthetic oil change. Indapendants would be less but I don't have a BMW mechanic on my side of town so I'd be looking about about 40 minutes each way to get to one.

    That said, a number of people have run to various milages up to 15k and set out oil samples for testing. In all the cases that I've heard of the results come back that the oil was still in good shape and clean.

    One difference between the BMW engine and other engines is how they're built. The engines simply aren't shedding metal during the break in period as you would expect with other engines. That could also play a part in the BMW/MB longer intervals.

    beamer6

    Go to www.bimmer.org and search the archives. There might also be some info in the FAQ. There have been some extensive stereo upgrades documented on the web. Too invasive for me but interesting reading none the less.
  • markjennmarkjenn Member Posts: 1,142
    As I said, oil changes intervals are a judgement call by the owner. I just think owners should exercise their own judgement rather than accepting BMW's blindly.

    I disagree that there is anything inherently better about a BMW engine that makes it able to go longer without an oil change. I'd match a Honda/Acura or Lexus/Toyota engine against any BMW or Mercedes in terms of engine precision and the potential for long engine life. These mfgs continue to recommend 7.5K engine oil changes, and shorter for "severe service". Now, I will admit that BMW often recommends synthetic oil which certainly is better able to stay in a crankcase for these long periods. But I'll also note that MB does NOT typically put synthetic in their mainstream cars and they still have these very long intervals. So I will continue to argue that these long intervals are a mfg *judgment* about what is the appropriate tradeoff between service costs and engine life. And that this judgement is made by BMW with their corporate interests in mind, not owners. As such, I think most owners planning on keeping their cars beyond 50K would be very well served to use their own judgement and exercise more frequent oil changes.

    "Shedding metal" is no factor in engine oil life - the filter catches this stuff. What is a factor is the life of the additive package designed to keep in suspension all the dirt, carbon, soot, gas additives, and other stuff that builds up in an engine. And how long the detergents in the oil keep cleaning. And how the phosphates, zincs, and other extreme pressure additives hold up. Finally, all oils suffer viscosity breakdown as they are sheared in service and it is not uncommon for a 10W-30 oil to test as a 5W-20 in as little as 3K miles.

    Again, 15K intervals will get you through the warranty period without any serious issue.

    - Mark
  • steve1526steve1526 Member Posts: 22
    darenjpdx

    Thanks for your detailed post on the differences between the cars on the ice. Can you offer any observations on the differences in handling between the AWD vs RWD on normal and dry roads?

    steve
  • larryintnlarryintn Member Posts: 103
    BMW engines are different. No break-in oil or break-in oil change. They also come from the factory with synthetic oil. You're also ignoring the actual oil test results showing clean, perfectly good oil after 15,000 miles. If the oil tests good then it's good. No superstition required.
  • footprintsfootprints Member Posts: 28
    This afternoon I went to the local dealer and again I need the advice of this forum! Well, the price I was quoted over the phone earlier the week (33,4K) was not the out the door price. After taking the only 5spd xi for a test drive both my brother and I agree the 325xi is amazing in both acceleration and torque.
    Here is the problem - the out the door price given was $34,850. The total price Marcus gave as out the door was $34,710 and I informed him that if he would sell it for $34,5K it was a deal. The price above was the best "he said" his boss would do on the price. The other option was to drop the color (orient blue) and it would save me $400. That would be beyond stupid!!
    Needless to say I left the dealer telling him that 1K was not much of an impact on the monthly payments but, it was still more that I had expected.
    Is $34,8K a good price for a BMW 325xi, premium pkg, orient blue/sand leatherette, 5spd. I want this vehicle but I do not want to pay more than necessary.
  • rleerlee Member Posts: 8
    When price shopping, try Rizzo method, it got me a pretty good deal(3.3% over invoice). Sweeten the feeling of getting a car you'll love with a even sweeter price!
  • footprintsfootprints Member Posts: 28
    When I calculate the invoice price, does that include options as well?

    The breakdown of the 325XI: 25,940 invoice, 2,975 premium pkg., 405 paint, 570 destination. Total 29,890. Is this the amount I should add the 3.3%?

    I understand that the savings indicated in this form are anywhere between 1k to 1900 above invoice. Calculating 29,890 plus the above savings of 1k to 1900, is that the amount I should be looking for?
  • panama2626panama2626 Member Posts: 2
    I am thinking about buying a 325i 1994 with 110k
    miles. Is there anything i should look for, is this
    a very bad idea or are they proven cars to put 250
    thousand miles on any info would help!!
    Price is 9200.
  • rleerlee Member Posts: 8
    You are right. So if your target price is 3.3% over invoice, it would be $30,876(round up to 31,000 if the salesman pushs :-). I don't know about how the market is around where you live, but anyway it's crucial to negotiate from the invoice up(you are talking about how much money you LET them make) instead of $ amount off MSRP (how much money the dealership LETS you save).

    Good luck!
  • rleerlee Member Posts: 8
    Just want to say that my purchasing experience happened to be my best when using Rizzo method. I treated all the salesmen with respect and I felt they were all at there best too when they saw a customer who'd done his homework and be straight forward. They can be honest, frank if they know you are a committed buyer, and it's gonna take very little of their time for them to make a quick buck.

    It only took me about 2-3 hours of faxing and talking on the phone. Comparing to my last Toyota purchase, all BMW dealers I talked to were truely "premium". If you know what I mean.
  • markjennmarkjenn Member Posts: 1,142
    OTD prices include tax/license so you need to factor this out of the "Rizzo method".

    Orient Blue is probably a special order color, so the extra charge is justified.

    I'd suggest you do a little more homework before you get into the dealer's cubicle. Figure out exactly the car you want using internet information. Price the dealer invoice and MSRP and write it down. Shoot for 3-5% above invoice and write it down. Negotiate with the dealer on this price with tax/license to be added in later.

    - Mark
  • larryintnlarryintn Member Posts: 103
    It's not special order, it metalic. All of the metalic colors carry the $475 charge. Actually, most of the colors are metalic.
  • 97stanggt97stanggt Member Posts: 1
    I am considering purchasing a 325Ci, and I was wondering how much under MSRP dealers are willing to go on this particular car. By the way, darinjpdx I also live in North Dakota and I was wondering were your bought your car at.
  • footprintsfootprints Member Posts: 28
    Several things occurred at the dealer that caused the negotiations not to proceed correctly.
    Prior to arriving at the dealer I had put together a spreadsheet of my own utilizing the information from Edmunds "New Car" pricing. The amount that was offered to me over the phone was only $200 more than from my final price - OTD.

    First: Mark the sales rep. stated that he did not deal with OTD prices over the phone for whatever reason.

    Second: He did not or choose not to work with invoice price. He stated that he was combining both invoce and MSPR with a supposable $800 deduction in my favor. I still am not able to locate the savings.

    The price I calculated giving a 5% profit and 6% NJ tax was $33,4K. That was of course with out the license & Reg. charge. Oh, I have confirmed that the orient blue color is not a special order color. Even if I had offered them another $500 as profit making it $1900 would not be close.
    The best price they were willing to give was $34,850.
    This has been the second BMW dealer I have dealt with and I truly do not want to even look at this vehicle anymore.
    Today, I actually went back to a VW dealership (it was closed) just to see if I still wanted a Passat - fully loaded - Nope!!
    The truth is that I am currently tired of shopp-
    ing for any and all vehicles.
    What to do - maybe I should just wait a few months and then I would have a msg from a BMW (as VW did last week) sales rep. stating that they have an incentive program going on for C-class BMW. I can hope can't I!!
  • rascal8rascal8 Member Posts: 54
    I was interested in buying a 325ci with the European Delivery (ED) Program. Does anyone know how the finances are arranged with this program. In other words how much of a deposit is required for the order and when do you actually tender payment for the car - before going to Germany ? Any comments re. ED are appreciated.
    Also, any good dealer experiences to report in the Charlotte or RTP area of North Carolina ?
    THANKS.
  • rleerlee Member Posts: 8
    Lots times it pays not to speak to the sales people face to face. Using the Rizzo Method, I faxed my offer to 11 area dealers and spoke to 7-8 of them over the phone. Create a sense of urgency and let them know that you are ready to buy the car THIS WEEKEND. Let them know that you are talking to all area dealers. Be firm and remember that sales people get frustrated too when they spend lots time with indecisive customers.

    Always be ready to hang up (walk out). It only takes about 15-20 minutes to screen out a non-promising dealer.
  • dhanleydhanley Member Posts: 1,531
    I wonder about this too:

    1) Can a finance the car through BMW as normal if it's euro delivery? Can we euro deliver and lease the vehicle?

    2) Do dealers make normal profit on a euro delivery car? I am thinking that if they do, they may be more willing to negotiate than usual, because they do not have to worry as much about preperation, stocking, etc.

    dave
  • mmcbride1mmcbride1 Member Posts: 861
    What is the world coming to? :)
  • drewcwsjdrewcwsj Member Posts: 1
    I am also looking at this. First off go to www.eurobuyers.com and check out the pricing sheets. BMW has a different invoice ammount for ED versus US. According to the research I have done so far it should be pretty easy to achieve a sales price below US invoice for ED.

    As far as the details I still don't know. I am also looking at leasing and based on my math it looks very favorable for ED (fully loaded 330Xi with 0 down, 36 mo. 36k mile for under $600 / month vs. $800 / month). Also it take about 3 months to set up ED but you get exactly the options you want.

    I am looking at next spring for the pick up so I am just starting to talk to dealers. From this board it looks like I need to schedule a 325Xi test drive too.
  • lobrolllobroll Member Posts: 5
    I am 6'4" and was looking for a new car last year. I sat in a '00 3-series four door and even thought then leg room was fine, the b-pillar(the post between the front and rear doors)was directly in my line of sight. I ended up with an Audi A4 2.8., which I wish I could trade in on a 330i right now.
    -MESSAGE TO DEALERS- stop curb qualifying your customers. I walked into Tulley BMW in Nashua NH with my wife and the salesman didn't even have the courtesy to get out of his seat. When I started asking questions, he proceeded to walk out of the showroom.
    A few points- I wasn't some 17 year old kid wasting time. I was 30. I spent $34,500 on my Audi A4, so I clearly could've afforded a BMW. I am almost ready to trade in. Guess where I won't be going to look at a new $45,000 5-series. I was in the car business for 7 years. I quickly learned that you cannot pre-judge a potential customer. Any customer.
  • dhanleydhanley Member Posts: 1,531
    I wouldn't, i already have my 3-er. I'm asking that for someone else.

    dave
  • mmcbride1mmcbride1 Member Posts: 861
    I thought I had you!

    (Just kidding)
  • prelude1997prelude1997 Member Posts: 26
    what kind of snow tires do you all have on your cars? I checked tirerack.com and the snow tire pkg they have for our 01 325i is 15" Blizzak WS-50 which have the soft "multicell compund" on only the top 55% of the tread. I've looked through all the snow tire discussions and the consensus seems to be that the Blizzaks are great while they have this multicell compund but they wear out very fast.
    any experiences with this or other snow tires?
    thanks!
Sign In or Register to comment.

Your Privacy

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.