BMW 3-Series 2006

div2

What Shipo said. Years of FWD propaganda have made lots of drivers think that RWD+snow=certain death. If you are going to spend the $$$ to buy a real car you should spend the few extra dollars to outfit it properly for all four seasons. Get a set of dedicated snow tires and learn how to drive in slick conditions without depending on the AWD crutch.

jsyaruss

I have really followed all the AWD/FWD/RWD discussions with interest, and I've have particularly appreciated Shipo's and others' posts about the value of snow tires for the RWD cars... I'm not quite ready to give up my long-standing desire for AWD, but I'm considering it...

But, my current Q is...what about the rest of the year other than winter? I can handle changing tires for winter, when the snow is expected... what kind of issues do people see in the spring, summer, and fall with heavy rains, etc... My current car (not exactly a sports model -- a chrysler concorde that is showing its age) doesn't exactly inspire confidence when the rain starts to fall. All our roads here in Southwestern PA are twisty, hilly, and, well, for the most part, crummy ... Not much to get traction on with all the potholes and uneven surfaces... Is there any difference between the AWD and RWD with regular all-season tires (or even the performance tires) for the rest of the year when our weather is just a different brand of bad? Thx to all for your thoughts. -- Scott

wildcatjon

I am also concerned about ride quality in the sport pkgs. Any thoughts? I've read great things about the ride quality in the new E90 but I'm concerned about the SP with the run flats.

div2

I put what Tire Rack calls "Grand Touring Summer" tires on my wife's E39. They replaced the OEM Michelin all-season rim protectors(that's really all they were good for. No problems in rain whatsoever, and a vast improvement in handling. Ditto for the W-rated high performance summer tires on my Club Sport. Buy the car and swap on some decent summer rubber. Sell the OEM all-seasons on Ebay. Buy a dedicated set of winter tires/wheels. Problem solved.

branco327

for a ultra high performance all season tire i highly recommend the perelli p zero nero tires. i run them on my 330ci and have had very good traction in the snow plus excellent dry traction performance which i did not want to sacifice on those nice winter days.

psyran

Here in U.S. the 330i comes standard with 17" wheels, Logic 7 system, xenons, and power seats, so I think if that is the case in Canada I'd go with the 330. just my .02 cents.
psyran

psyran

I think if yo get any discount at this point you are doing relatively well. I was able to get $500 off for a 330 ZSP and ZPP.

307web

Of course any claimed discounts here really mean nothing when the dealer can say they are giving you a $500 or $5000 "discount" on the MSRP to appease you and then regain all the money and more in 10 different parts of the deal from trade-ins, accessories, financing/money factor markups and either inflated and padded or flat out completely bogus "fees."

mevande

Hello everyone.
I just priced a BMW 525i with the "premium package" and the list and MSRP are as follows.

$40,280 $43,995

Isn't the new 3 series (esp 330i) "bumping" into the lower end 5 series?

Just curious:)?

Mike V

shipo

It depends entirely if you are comparing cars with like equipment or not. Yes, a loaded 330i will be well over the cost of a strippo 525i. That said, I configured a 330i, a 525i, and a 530i, each with Metallic Paint, Premium Package, Sport Package, Premium Audio, Xenon head lights, SIRIUS, and NAV, and the prices were:

330i: $43,865
525i: $51,490
530i: $55,490

So, in the end, I don't really think that the much better performing 330i is in reality any near the pricing of a 525i. Yes, no?

Best Regards,
Shipo

blueguydotcom

Of course any claimed discounts here really mean nothing when the dealer can say they are giving you a $500 or $5000 "discount" on the MSRP to appease you and then regain all the money and more in 10 different parts of the deal from trade-ins, accessories, financing/money factor markups and either inflated and padded or flat out completely bogus "fees."


Ah, but an informed buyer would:

1. Never trade in a car as that's leaving thousands on the table
2. Never buy the accessories (lojack and other garbage)
3. Know the real money factor and not allow a dealer to add anything to it/know the real APR
4. Not pay any bogus fees like Maco and other such nonsense.

307web

Whether they really got the best price possible on a trade-in (probably don't really know anyway), paid only legitimate fees that were not marked/made up ,MACO is real except for Euro Delivery, but dealers can easily falsify the amount and overcharge you), did not buy any accessories, extended warranties, credit insurance etc., paid exactly the minimum base rate on financing or money factor etc. did not pay "dealer prep charges" did not pay hundreds of dollars in "doc fees" and so on isn't detailed in the posts here, so the posts blanketedly saying "I got the car for X dollars below MSRP" still mean nothing.

bmwfan2

I wonder what are the exact legitimate fees and their amounts as well as the tax rate in California.

Thanks. So that I can avoid bogus/marked up fees

gman330

Hey Shipo,
I know you have ordered a 330i. Would you have the dealer install lojack OR it is not necessary equipment? I am understanding that some of the guys would not have lojack placed inside their cars. Why not?

Thanks,
gman

giovanni1

I'm not sure but doesn't the BMW assist offer vehicle tracking if stolen? If so and if you have that then I wouldn't see the need for lojack. I had lojack in one of my cars and although it did lower my insurance I always thought, do I really want this car back if it's been stolen???

blueguydotcom

, paid only legitimate fees that were not marked/made up ,MACO is real except

MACO is not a real cost. MACO is asking the buyer to pay for advertising directly. That's a cost of doing business. You want to charge MACO, toss it on the sticker up front. I will not pay for someone else to advertise unless it's in the negotiated price. It's that simple. It is not my responsibility to pay some backdoor, bogus fee for what is a normal cost of doing business.

As for the rest, again, doc fees, processing, nope negotiate them.

blueguydotcom

am understanding that some of the guys would not have lojack placed inside their cars. Why not?

If someone steals my car, i don't want it back. With lojack the blasted thing will probably be found. No thanks...please, mr thief, take it to mexico and chop it up.

shipo

Correction, I will most likely be ordering a 330i via the ED program for April of 2006.

Regarding LoJack. I've never had it, and I don't plan to ever buy it. If BMW Assist offers that type of service, so be it.

As for the efficacy of LoJack and other systems if their ilk, the facts of life are that if a professional thief wants your car, it's gone. Period, stop, the end. My brother had LoJack in his car, and came out of the nice hotel he was staying at on a recent business trip to find his Audi TT gone. Plain and simple. Was the car found? Nope. Any explanation? Yup. The local police told him that the thieves simply pick the car up and stick it in a container, and bury it on a container ship within a matter of an hour or so. There ain't no signal that's going to penetrate into a pile of containerized stuff like that with anywhere near enough signal strength to activate the system. And even if it does? The return signal ain't goin' nowheres anyway.

Funny story from the early 1980s:
My business partner and I hired a secretary who had been a former Playboy cocktail waitress in the Chicago Playboy Club. In addition, she had also been a cheerleader for the then defunct professional soccer team in Chicago. To say that she was easy on the eyes was a gross underutilization of our language. Come to find out that her boyfriend was a professional car thief, but other than that minor character flaw, he was an all-around good guy, even doing a fair amount of volunteer charity work with kids on the south side. Anyway, our secretary told us a story about a night when they were heading to a party, and spied a guy pull up in front of a house in a fairly nice neighborhood in a brand new Corvette. He then proceeded to use heavy duty chains and locks to chain the damn thing to some kind of permanent fixture that would qualify as your basic immovable object (bridge pillar?, boulder?, I don't remember the specifics). When he had gone into the house, her boyfriend said "Watch this". He took his little kit out of his glove box, quickly unlocked the entire assembly, disabled the alarm system, unlocked the car, started it (without slide hammering the steering wheel key assembly), and turned it around so that it was facing the wrong way on the street. His finishing touch was to the write a note to the owner, relock the car, reset the alarm and reattach all of the chains and locks leading from the aforementioned immovable object.

So, what did the note say? As the story goes it said something like:

Dear Corvette Owner,

If I had wanted it, I would have taken it. However, since I don't currently have an order for a car matching the description of yours, you still have it. For the moment anyway.

Regards,
Your Friendly Neighborhood Car Thief

Is the story true? I have no idea, however, she did show me a photo of the rear view of a Corvette, facing the wrong way on a street with chains sprouting from the wheel wells and continuing off the left edge of the picture.

Best Regards,
Shipo

dewey

"someone steals my car, i don't want it back"

That may be the case until you see the nice hike in your insurance premiums!

blueguydotcom

Uh, then you get a new insurance carrier. But I don;t think that's gonna happen.

BTW, most of my friends have had cars stolen (san diego is a big place for car thieves as mexico is so bleedin' close) and not one ever mentioned a bump in insurance premiums. Maybe that's a Canadian thing?

blueguydotcom

Shipo, great story. My dad always mentions how someone in my neighborhood will probably notice I leave the BMW in the garage every day and steal it. Well I know they notice because neighbors have asked about why I don't drive it daily. As for stealing it, if someone wants it, it's gonna disappear.

Just don't let the cats out when you rob the house, please.

307web

While it's possible to steal cars even when precautions are made, that story sounds like something that was made up that has been passed around from person to person and embellished on along the way.

jsyaruss

for what it's worth, this story has made its way to snopes:

http://www.snopes.com/autos/theft/carthief.asp

veep

is it possible to steal new BMW's now that they have electronic rolling codes and start button (that I believe prevent hotwiring)?

kyfdx

Yes.. with a tow truck..

shipo

Well, it was 1982 when she told me the story, and maybe I'm a chump for believing it, however, I'd never had any reason to doubt her or her boyfriend, who I met on several occasions.

Wondering while I write... According to snopes, this story surfaced during the 1970s, not too long before it was related to me. I'm wondering if her boyfriend heard the early stories and was inspired to do the deed that he was alledged to have done.

Regardless of whether this story is the truth or not, the fact remains that I'm a sucker for a good tale. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo (Chump)

kyfdx

I thought it was a good story, urban legend or not...

jsyaruss

oh, i didn't mean to suggest anybody was a chump... sorry if i offended... i just always like to check the stories that travel around the 'net ... i too have been taken in on more than one occasion... (You know the red cake that supposedly came from the Waldorf, well, I've actually got family members who swear that they were the ones who got the recipe!)

Bottom line, the cake tastes good, and the 'vette story is worth a big smile. Like most of you, I figure that if somebody wants my car, they're gonna get it. (That plus the fact that I really wouldn't mind at this point if somebody made off with my '98 Chrysler Concorde... It's about time already!)

S

Kirstie_H

Don't forget tonight's member-to-member chat - it's open mic night, so come and discuss whatever's on your mind.

6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET. Drop by for live chat with other members. Hope you can join us!

kirstie_h

blueguydotcom

The cars you want stolen never are.

I used to leave my sparkling 2001 Jetta 1.8T at the beach all day unlocked, windows down. I'd leave it at the mall unlocked. Short of parking the car in Mexico and walking back home I did just about everything I could to get someone to steal that blasted car. Nobody would take it!!!

dewey

"and not one ever mentioned a bump in insurance premiums. Maybe that's a Canadian thing? "

Must be a Canadian thing? Neighbor had two cars stolen within a month! His premius shot up.
In Canada it is common for thieves to break into a house and search for car keys.
There are many cases where nothing is stolen but the car keys and the car on the driveway.

kyfdx

We don't get premium increases for comprehensive claims here in KY..

Of course, if you get too many of them, they may drop you, but no premium increases...

Kirstie_H

Por favor.

giovanni1

Do you think the rates for the new 3er will increase? I've compared the rates for the existing 3 series to Audi, Acura, Infiniti, Lexus and the beemer is by far the cheapest.

jccai1

A BMW is cheaper than an Acura to insure? I didn't have such luck. I had an Acura TL before I got a 330Ci. The insurance, with the same full coverage and the same company, went up from <$500/6mon to >$700/6mon. No change in driving record. Maybe it was because the beemer was a 2-door?

giovanni1

Yeah, I think so if you went from a sedan to coupe, the coupes generally are higher priced. Funny thing is my insurance quoted me less (much less) for a corvette than my current TT and the only reason I can think of is that the TT is probably more expensive to repair.

blueguydotcom

Went down when I got the 330i. I had a Jetta turbo and when I got the Bimmer my rates dropped. Shrug. Guess a lot of punks drive Jettas.

I know it sounds weird but I keep the keys to my Bimmer in really strange places throughout my house.

shipo

When I went from a Passat to a 3-Series, my insurance dropped as well. The drop was only about $100 per year, but hey, any drop at all is better than a sharp stick in the eye.

Best Regards,
Shipo

dl7265

Um, then I don't get the pleasure of catching the felon in your car. The equipment is provided to the Dept's by lojack, and as they say is the only one. Now as for Assist. I hopefully it is not associated to On star at all. On numerous occasions they have refused to assist , even after several verification calls ect. Recently a Cadi/infiniti managers Escalade was stolen, with his personnel weapon inside. I was there when he was on the phone with Onstar. He told them repeated times about the weapon. They hung up . When he called back to see if it was activated they had no record ( different clerk) with the service number they had just provided him!

Por favor, ok I just checked Owners Circle and my E90 is EnRoute !

DL

dl7265

OK so I checked Wallenius and entered my VIN# I understand if it does not show up its not loaded in a vessel yet. I see there is a ship leaving Bremerhaven to Charleston, SC ( would be my port right ?) tomorrow . Guess I missed that 1

DL

dewey

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=10400

The above sites mentions new rumor about a 335i introduction sometime next year in Europe/UK. This will be powered by a 3.0 turbo engine.

A 3.0 Turbo makes sense because it may draw interest from potential M3 buyers who are turned off at the idea of spending Big Bucks on a dated model like the current M3.

shipo

A twin sequential turbo 3.0 liter 330 horsepower 335i? Drool, slobber. Oh jeez, if they dangle that carrot in front of my nose, I might just have to delay our planned family vacation to Germany, tentatively scheduled for next April. I'm thinking that Mrs. Shipo will not be too pleased with me, but hey, that car looks almost too good to pass up.

Almost too good?

Yup, almost.

Why?

Well, the article specifically made mention of an SMG type of application, implying no option for a three pedal version. Here's hoping that if BMW decides to bring that little beastie across the pond, that they bring it with a full stir your own option. There is hope regarding that issue as it seems that BMW has reversed their earlier decision and now, for the North American market only, the new M5 will have a check box on the order sheet for a fully manual gearbox. Kind of ironic if you think about it.

Best Regards,
Shipo

kyfdx

is out on the new wagon...

Can't print it here, because it is copyrighted.. I've seen it on other forums..

Only available as a 325xiT to start... in the Fall.

regards,
kyfdx

kyfdx

I think it will be awhile... According to the link.. One year from now for the continent, six more months after that for Great Britain..

So, even if we get it, you are probably looking at least 2 years from now.. By then, the M3 should only be a few months away.. I doubt it will come here at all.

regards,
kyfdx

blueguydotcom

Okay, well I just read Mazda is releasing a Mazdaspeed3 in the fall. that means I can probably snatch one of those buggers for 22-23k (mazdas always have discounts, lol), hold onto it and then wait patiently to see if the BMW M3 sedan materializes or if this 330 hp 330i comes to pass.

all my plans are lining up, muh-hahahahah. Oh wait, this isn't the World Domination Discussion board.

dewey

I am 50 percent euphoric about the 325xit news.

The other 50 percent is waiting for the 330xit news, which I believe may be a wait defined by decades not years or months.

.

ivan_99

nandob

If this has already been asked I apologize - does anyone know when they will start taking orders for 2006 325xi sedans? And if so - can anyone give me some guidance on what is the best way to negotiate a special order car - never done one. Thanks.

jon330cic

Of course any claimed discounts here really mean nothing when the dealer can say they are giving you a $500 or $5000 "discount" on the MSRP to appease you and then regain all the money and more in 10 different parts of the deal from trade-ins, accessories, financing/money factor markups and either inflated and padded or flat out completely bogus "fees."

...which is why I nevernegotiate a "discount off MSRP" and always negotiate a markup over the total Invoice price of the car and all options. And I never pay a markup on MF or Acq Fee, in the case of a lease, or any other garbage fees like Doc fee or Dealer Prep fee.

If you read back through this forum, you'll see that buyers have already done deals at $1250 over invoice. $1000-$1500 total dealer profit is totally possible if you go in informed.

gman330

Guys,

Have anyone noticed that the European and South African cars comes with their front head lights clear. I have seen a US brochure in PDF.format and it confirms my suspicion that we are getting the AMBER front lights.

Any comments???? :mad: