BMW 3-Series 2005 and earlier

yeeeha

I believe the way the whole status thing works is this:

A dealer has a certain # of "slots" in their allocations. Once an allocation is full with "sold" vehicles, that dealership must move any "sold" cars to whenever their next allocation is. So if you find a dealership with an opening in their current allocation, the order will move much quicker than a dealer who has sold tons of vehicles. This is because the dealership with full current allocations must "push" those sales to future allocations. As a result, all the sales in future allocations remain in 111 status for what may seem an eternity.

This is why you and I could order on the same day from different dealerships, but your car could arrive weeks / months before mine!

I know guru or someone will correct me if I am wrong, but this is my understanding of the process. Hope it helps.

shipo

I suspect that you are correct. When I ordered my car in the third week of November 1998, the New E46 was in very short supply. Most of the people on this board were seeing between 10 and 16 weeks for delivery. I had a lease running out on my Passat GLX at the end of February 1999 and figured that I timed the order just about perfectly. Imagine my surprise when my salesman called me on 4-Jan-1999 and told me that my car was in and ready to be picked up!

Best Regards,
Shipo

yeeeha

Being the proud father of both a 2 year old and a 2 week old, I got a chuckle when I read what you do "when mommy is not around". My 2 year old LOVES it when I drive down the street and pop the clutch...Of course the neighbors all think I've lost it (as the car lurches forward) but my daughters laughter is worth it. Mommy would not approve. Can't wait to try the wup, wup, wup.

Our #2 vehicle is an Expedition. We had the same thinking. Trip to Home Depot? Expedition. Evening out on the town (as rare as it is)? Beamer.

brave1heart

We are planning on having kids next year (can't wait to be a father!!!) and it's good to hear that the E46's rear seat is sufficient for two toddlers. We'll start with one and see how it goes transportation-wise. I think by the time we have the second baby, we'll have a pretty good idea how big of a car we really need and we'll re-evaluate at that point. For the next 3-4 years, the 325 and A4 will do.

Have a great weekend everyone. We're off to the Big Apple for friends and fun.

platypus

jpcbearden - not sure about how soon you can get the VIN. At some point after I ordered the car, I wanted to register for the Owner's Circle. You need either a VIN or Production Number. Called Joern and he gave me the latter. Never even saw my VIN until I picked up the car in Munich.

My confession - I too am a minivan owner - Honda Odyssey to be exact. Great van with the fold-into-the-floor third row seat. It's no bimmer, but it's as close to driving a car as you'll get in a minivan. Both my wife and I were the types who said, "We will never own a minivan." Then after looking at numerous SUVs which provided essentially no more space than a large sedan, we looked at the Odyssey and were sold. Practical as hell. Is it cool? Probably not. But that's what the 330 is for...

raybear

Honk and wave when you drive by!

mfeldman

I have a 4yr and 4mo old. Only the big sister has ridden in the 330. She really likes it and thinks the silver color is cool. She notices other silver cars and that they are similar. We haven't got into the finer points that distinguish a bmw. She cautions me to be careful and not go to fast, but enjoys it when i do. She likes climbing into the front and exiting my door. I don't have the heart to stop her. She asks why Mommy doesn't drive it, and I don't have a great answer.

Our other car is a 96 accord wagon. A minivan is probably in our future. My wife doesn't mind, which is ironic for a woman whose 1st mommy car was a 1994 325 5 speed.

Take Care.

P.S. going to pick up some vinylex to see if it removes my self-inflicted door stain.

P.P.S. I'm 37.

jasonkureejii

Well, I think my order only stayed in 112 status for maybe 4 days before it went to 150 status. Yeeha, your explanation sounds credible on the allocation slots. I agree with you on that. Regardless, one thing I did find out about making a change to your purchase request, the dealer must do it before it leaves 112 status. Otherwise, once it's in production status, it is too late. Otherwise, all this talk always gets me a little anxious. GOD, I just want to grip the damn wheel and shifter soooooo bad....not that this is torture or anything....BTW, it doesn't matter how damn old anyone is, because regardless of age, we still feel the same anticipation and will probably feel the same pleasure on the drive home from the dealership, knowing that each of us deserve this, right???

denright

I am in the same position as Braveheart. I just turned 30 and my wife is 28. We've been married for 4 years, and the little woman is finally turning the screws on the kids issue. So, after this summer, it's going to be "get preggo" time.

Our other vehicle is a 2000 Grand Cherokee Laredo. It has the cargo capacity and room for kids and dogs, and is a fine complement to the 330xi we have ordered.

The reason we went with the sedan rather than a coupe was as a compromise. The E46 sedan offers enough room for a couple baby seats, so my wife could accept it because it could serve as a substitute kid-cart if the Grand Cherokee was unavailable for some reason.

raybear

I love you kids. Ya can't just hit your wife preggers switch 'on', you know! It took us 5 months for the first.

denright

I will gladly welcome any further delay. My wife is in the hurry, not me. An extra 5 months is fine by me.

raybear

I felt the same way back then. The kids turn out to be well worth it.

kominsky

Platypus - Okay, since no one is casting stones at you yet, I'll admit to also having an Odyssey in the family. In fact, I was preparing to buy my BMW last year when the wife ~convinced~ me to get her the Honda... In all fairness, I must say that I cannot imagine a time when I won't want HER to have a mini-van. When going to the cabin in the pocono's, we have two young kids who each have to take a friend along, a german shephard, and a long weekend's worth of stuff and we travel in complete comfort... can't do that in the 'Ci'.

All; FWIW, I'm also in my 30's (although at 37, a little more embedded than many others). I've played drums in a Heavy Metal band. I still listen to Judas Priest (prefer Metallica and Iron Maiden, though)... I thought we were supposed to grow out of this. Especially now that we drive BMW's ;-)

denright

I love it! I am a huge Metallica and Maiden fan. Lots of other great heavy stuff too -- Offspring, Misfits, Danzig, Disturbed, White Zombie, Sabbath. Old and new, I love it all.

You know what I love? I love pulling up to a light with people and other cars around with Metallica screaming out my open windows and sunroof. I am an attorney, and I wear a business suit almost every day. I love the looks I get. The music, the suit... quite a picture for random passers by.

This scene will be SO MUCH MORE fun with my 330xi. The juxtaposition of the car, the appearance and the music will be GREAT.

postoak

Made my second trip to the dealer today, on the way home from work. Didn't test drive. Just walked the lot. No salesman came out, which was fine with me as I could gather all the information I wanted by myself. Basically, I wanted to see 3 things:

1) I wanted to see all the exterior colors. They had everything there except the Orient blue and the base red. I'm sure I won't be getting the red, but I have a question about it anyway. Does anybody know if the Z3 red is the same? They had lots of those in red. I'm still very undecided about the colors, but my wife will probably have the major say on that anyway. She's already said "no" to the red, the green, and the Sienna red.

2) I wanted to compare leather vs leatherette. Everybody posting here is right -- to the uninitiated they are indistinguishable. I became aware gradually of the subtle differences -- the looser fit of the leather and the different look of the hand brake handle. Next I'll have to see how they feel.

3) Here comes controversy! :-) I compared the look of the SP tires/non-SP tires and I don't like the look of the SPs! They just don't look appropriate to me on a sedan. Sorry, everyone! I'm sure I would like the firmer suspension of the SP and I like the LOOKS of the SP seats, but boy, this is going to be the one option I agonize over. Anyone know if you can "split" a package on an ED?

aaa330i

My wife and I have *yet* to be blessed with kids of our own, but we are a blessing to many kids as we're licensed foster parents in the state of Texas. We've taken in many abused/neglected kids and gave them a loving home. Someday, I hope God gives us our own, but until then...we'll make our parenting mistakes on other people's kids.

Jason:
It would be very cool to pick out bimmers up on the same day, wouldn't it? We should have dinnter together with our spouses in Temple!

kominsky

Fortunately, for my line of work, I don't need the
suit. In my case, it's the guy who looks like he should be a janitor (I where jeans and tee's regularly and I hate shaving) pulling up in the car with one of the bands you mentioned or even worse, Limp Bizkit blasting. The kids in the slammed Civic's thought they had cornered the market in that kind of music... :-) If you're getting the H-K system, last night I found the one CD/song that I think brings out the best in the system... David Lee Roth, Skyscraper. Unfortunately, I'm not crazy about the H-K for most of my music since it seems to lacking mid-range punch.

drew_

Gold101

Jesus- You guys are all complaining about being 35-37- I'm 57! Truly the old man on the board!!!

bingusa

Is it possible to place a special order with the manufacturer to have the black side/bumper strips replaced with body color ones on the 3 sedans (like the coupes)? Thanks.

derprofi

getz1,

That haircut you're probably thinking of is a "mullet". I highly recommend that you check out http://www.mulletsgalore.com, which ranks right up there as one of my all-time favorite funny sites on the web....along with http://www.riceboypage.com, of course. Incidentally, if you check out the mullet page, you'll want to go straight to the species known as the "CamaroMullet" which is #2 on this page: http://64.65.47.83/html/class/class1.html

bmwagonmaster

This reference may have already been posted before, but there's an article at BMWNATION.COM about a guy who had the steering fix done. It even includes his service work order with a parts list. When you get to the site, click the "articles" box at the top edge. When that page that comes up, look in the left side column for the article.

johnson36

Does everyone have the sticker "Warning - Children Can Be Injured by Air Bags" plastered on their nice wood trim? It is obnoxious and glaring, yet I haven't seen any mention of it on the boards. How did you get it off? The thing is so tightly stuck on the trim that it looks like it will be zagged-edged mess if I try to remove it. Additionally, could you tell me how to find the production date for my 2001 325xi wagon. I, too, have had thermostat problems. Am I correct in my understanding that auxillary fans are a problem only on cars that have manual transmissions?

alpine325i

Mulletsgalore was hilarious! I was the perfect example of mulletude at 17, mullet stylin', muscle shirt wearin', camaro fixin', the whole nine yards! LOL! )

aaa330i

There were a few gross parts tho, if you dig deep.

kominsky

I've heard of several people on E46fanatics who got their black trim painted with good results.

kominsky

I would recommend using a hair dryer to heat up the glue and then peel the sticker off. Any glue residue can be cleaned up with WD-40.

alpine325i

Mine came off real easy. The sticker is more like plastic than paper. I just started peeling slowly from the top right corner and it suprised me that it didn't leave any marks or glue on the wood trim. If anything goes weird there is a rubber cement thinner called "Bestine", great stuff for any type of stubborn glue. It evaporates real fast, so it won't hurt any type of finish. It can be found at any art supply store. I always have some around for removing glue streaks of any kind. )

johnson36

Thanks Kominsky, I'll try that! Alpine325i - just got your message too...Bestine is on my shopping list. Thanks.

pexpl

Guys we have to get back on the top of the list

deepdarkblue

I think the nature of our posts has changed over the past couple of weeks. No offense, but it seems much less focused on actual 3er content than on other topics. I kind of miss the pure e46 discussion from a few weeks ago. Everyone here is my source for real bimmer content, but I think we're losing focus. Help!

adam68

Ship arrived today!!
BMWNA says should be there until June 1, and then
3 days to the dealer. Finally, the wait is close to an end. I like the direction this board is headed in...we seem to have gotten into a wider
range of more substantial discussions. Hope it
keeps up...

getz1

The mullet website was hilarious. I had always heard of them referred to as schlongs (ala short-longs) via the Jim Rome show, but it seems the look is universal. Thanks for the link.
-Getz

khoon

According to the 2001 3 series brochure, cruise control and steering mounted controls for the radio, etc. are standard on the base 325i. I recently read a post here that cruise control wasn't standard. I'm confused. Can somebody clarify whether or not cruise is standard on the base 325i?

jasonkureejii

Man, I can really respect fostering neglected children. I thought about getting involved with the "Big Brother" program here in Dallas since I've moved here 11 months ago. Aaron, whether you make parenting mistakes or not, your heart is definitely in the right place....BTW, I'm not married...yet...seems like I'm one of the few in here that's still single...but, if both our cars arrive in Temple at the same time, I'd be more than happy to dine out....I'm sure my girlfriend wouldn't mind that at all (she's the one who went with me test driving...needed her opinion on aesthetic stuff)...Good Luck on children of your own, though...

jasonkureejii

According to what my dealer said and some others in here, the MY or post March 1st production models now come standard with the following:

1) cruise control
2) fog lights
3) multi function steering wheel
4) damn, I always forget the last one!

derprofi

bingusa -- I've been wondering about that sedan trim question as well (i.e., replacing black trim with body color). One the lighter colors like titanium silver the black really stands out a bit too much in my opinion and is one of my least favorite design elements on the car. In a tie for Least Favorite is the chrome trim around the doors on the 330i.

I am certainly not going to let these things dissuade me from ordering one, but I wonder if there is something that could be done about these two items. Anyone know of possible remedies?

aaa330i

Most March 1st also come with the HK sound system as standard.

twoof1

After a year or so of lurking around here, I am going to pull the trigger this weekend and get my 325CI. My dealer has been AWESOME. They did not have the exact combo in stock I was looking for, so they scoured the entire southern California dealer network to find what I was looking for. 325CI with Black leatherette, SP, PP, CD, Step.
The car is at a dealer in San Diego and I should have it in the next day or 2. I know people have been posting buying these at $1,500-2,000 over invoice. I hammered out a deal of $1,200.00 over invoice (post March build)!!
More details to follow as the deal closes
PS: I am trading in my 2000 Z3 2.3

mfeldman

Now that the Senate has turned Democratic, i've figured out what it is about my steering -- it's left leaning. It has more resistance when turning right and less when veering left. When trying to cruise the car leans a little left. I don't thenk this is an alignment issue per se because the wheel doesn't pull hard to the left side, it just seems biased that way. Maybe i have 1/2 oldsteering to the right and 1/2 new to the left. I'll continue to investigate.

BTW for Braveheart, the political reference isn't meant to be serious but the car phenomenon appears real.

aaa330i

Always a bit of truth in humor.

postoak

Can you anser my earlier question: If you do an ED can you order "a la carte" so to speak? I would like the sport suspension, the sport seats, but not the sport wheels/tires? In a (much) earlier post someone said that in Germany the cars weren't sold with packages, that every item was available on a pick and choose basis. Can you do that when you do an ED?

postoak

Is the red on the Z3 the same red as on the 325i?

khoon

Jason, aaa330i, thanks for the response! My dealer confirmed the post March standard features as well. However, I don't believe the HK radio is standard yet. It's a $500 option.

aaa330i

For the 330i & 330ci, the HS is standard after March 1. I'm not sure about the 325, but you can check out the www.bmwusa.com site.

fuzzo

When shopping for a new car, did anyone reseach other options like the C-class and the IS300?

Can you tell me what made you go with the BMW?

Thanks in advance

pat

I think that would make a great comparison discussion. If you'd like, come over to the Comparisons - Sedans vs. Sedans folder (click on that link) and get it started. I'll come back to all three discussions and invite the participants to join us by providing a link to the new conversation.

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

kominsky

Some of you may remember a couple of months ago when I posted my first impressions on my car, I had mixed reviews on the xenon headlights. They throw a brilliant path of light horizontally, but had an abrupt cut-off vertically. I found this to be a bit disconcerting on the roads I frequent. S.E. PA farm roads are basically paved over deer trails... many rises and drops, often mid-corner. The lack of vertical light has me driving into the unknown in these situations. Well, early this morning (~3am), driving home from work, weather conditions were miserable. Rain and fog were 'on tap' aplenty. I found that the light pattern of the xenons was perfect for these conditions. I was driving at speeds that never would have been considered in any other car I've ever owned and never felt I out-drove the headlights potential. In fact, I didn't even think about turning the foglights on until I was about 1/2 way home and when I did, the rewards were little. I now would, with 100% certainty, recommend the xenons to anyone who's unsure.

postoak

IS300 - no manual transmission -- that eliminates it from consideration for most of us.

C class - only the 240 has the manual transmission. I test drove one. I just felt that too much emphasis was placed on the luxury aspect and not enough on the performance aspect of the car. I, personally, don't want to spend money on a system for bailing me out of trouble if I break down. I'm more interested in good braking, good steering, and a tight suspension.

alpine325i

I Drove the C class and the IS300. I chose the BMW because of the overall design, layout, and feel. Interior: The controls are beautifully laid out and are easy to see and use, plus the there seems like alot of room for such a small car! Exterior: The car looks like it's moving fast when standing still!, another beautifull design! Then after the test drive it was definitely a no brainer! It did feel like The Ultimate Driving Machine! )