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Comments
As far as performance, the xi has no noticeable acceleration difference between the i that I can see (butt-dyno). Handling is incredible, but I opted for the Sport Package (the PP is a separate issue for me... I kinda have 1/3 PP ). The ride is still quite good, but if you want a quieter ride, the SP may not be for you. Test drive one with and one without the SP and judge for yourself.
As for the AWD, I haven't had the opportunity to try it yet, but somebody on here picked his up in Europe on the ED, and drove it through the snowy Alps and had no problems.
My configuration is:
2002 325xi
Oxford Green Metallic
Natural Brown Leather
5sp, SP, CWP, xenons, center armrest
wood trim (the titanium looked ridiculous with the natural brown)
YES! The xenons are worth it. I live in a rural area where there are no street lights (at least not enough to matter). The xenons really light it up for me. Again, this will be a personal choice, but I also love the look in the front. I know, not a real reason for the $700, but with the light they provide and the look they give... nice.
I've got some pictures of the car I just haven't developed yet. I'll post them here or on Webshots (or hopefully my Edmunds 3er's page - once I build it! )
-Paul
They then informed us that that held true only if we bought the CPO car at that dealer. Does that sound right?
I didn't receive a letter telling me the expected arrival date. Maybe it's an ED thing. And yes, I too need to think about selling my tired 4Runner.
They then informed us that that held true only if we bought the CPO car at that dealer. Does that sound right?
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
I saw an orient blue with brown leather, and what I liked is that the carpet and parts of the door that you touch were still black - so they wouldn't show the dirt. It had a two-tone quality. If I could afford leather, I'd definitely get brown, with Electric red paint.
PS: I agree that the titanium looks awful with any color interior except black. I saw a tan interior with titanium on the lot, and it just looked weird. It looks really sporty with black, though. I saw a CPO bright red 323i w/black interior and black trim, and it didn't look nearly as nice as the titanium or the wood.
Get your VIN handy, follow this link: http://schedule.2wglobal.com/GLWebApps.AppTracking, select Auto in the Drop Down List Box (the one that has a drop down arrow Track By Auto), enter your VIN, (cargo i.d.? ) click the "Track" link, and wait for something like two minutes. The system will then give you a full report about the voyage that your car is on.
1pierce: if your limited on options, i would pass on Xenon , the standard lamps are VERY good.I know most are buying them but if its between that and gettting the Color you want or real Leather... you see my point.
wheels: my V spoke style 54 wheels due to the small spokes are sooo hard to clean. my favorite wheel right now for ease of cleaning is the standard 325CI star spoke style 43 wheel, but alas its not a option on the sedan.
DL
I'm glad to hear so many people like the Topaz Blue b/c I ordered:
Topaz Blue/Sand Leather
AUTO
Run Flat Tires (Rims w/ Run flats seem nicer
than stock rims
Heated Seats
No Packages (330 comes very well equipped
already)
Read a post about titanium not looking good with interior colors other than black. I have an '02 X5 with Sand Leather that has titanium. It looks great.
kp40m: I wouldn't wait too long to order your car (of course, it all depends on where you are and how demand is). I, too, was going to wait until late summer. But, in talking with the dealer, I decided to put my order in early. Salesman used 02 figures, which is ok b/c residuals will only be higher on '03s, and money factors should not fluctuate too much.
My deal is basically $425/mo. with $3000 TOP (includes prepaid sales tax).
I'm looking forward to getting my 2nd Bimmer, and being a member of the board!
P.S. I'm the classic example of once you go Bimmer, you never go back!!!!!!!
My questions: (1) should I purchase the 1 additional year of BMW service protection for $750(extending the service coverage from 3 years to 4 years)? The salesman advised me that, after 3 years I'll probably need a brake job that costs $1000 dollars! Is it really likely that I'll need a $1000 brake job (new rotors??) at that time? If so, the $750 investment now probably IS worth it!
2) I'm considering getting LoJack for the car. I live in northern California and I see from LoJack's statistics that the statistics for stolen BMWs is really low when compared with Southern California. Is the $700 for LoJack the best protection against theft? (I won't buy a typical alarm because they're always going off at the wrong time and no one pays attention to them anyway!).
I look forward to your feedback!
I just turned in my 1999 328i (which has exactly the same brakes as your 2002 325i), and yes, it did need brakes after three years. That said, I did all four wheels for less than $250, and much to my delight, BMW brakes are REAL EASY to replace. Under the assumption that you are like most folks, and have no desire to "Roll your own", my dealer presented me with a bid for about $650 for the same job, which means that any decent repair shop that specialized in BMWs should be able to do the work for somewhere in the middle, roughly $450.
Given how reliable the E46 has turned out to be, it is unlikely that you will have another covered expense occur to justify the $750, which to me means a fair amount of money down the drain. So, obviously, if I were in your shoes, I would pass on the extended maintenance contract.
Similarly, I would also pass on the LoJack for a couple of reasons:
1) The standard Anti-Theft systems built into the E46 are pretty damn good, enough so that my insurance company gave me a discount on my insurance for that car. In addition, BMW has also designed an add-on alarm package that is integrated into your car and works from the standard factory key. That package can be had for $232.05 at www.pacificbmw.com in kit form if you want to do it yourself (between 2 to 3 hours of work). If you want it done, many folks have been able to negotiate with their selling dealership to install the alarm system prior to vehicle pick-up, or shortly thereafter for between $300 and $400.
2) Of late, the car thieves have developed new techniques to steal LoJack equipped cars, so, the old adage still seems to be in effect, "If they want the car, they will take the car."
Last but not least, congratulations on your new car.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Furthermore, the dealer has engineers over from Germany to fix the problem but no luck so far. Thank God the car was under warranty or I was gonna be screwed. They are talking about giving me a new car. I will go with 330i for sure. No more pushing my luck. Rest is up to you.
As far as the Xeon lights are concerned, yes they are worth the 900 bucks. You will get to love them. See my post # 16662 for this problem on edmunds forum.
Larry
If you drive in the mountains, AWD is great. Otherwise, you will be better served (and save some cash) by getting a set of winter tires for the white stuff. See: http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/features/1999/May/199905_feature_whatp.xml
Four-wheel drive helps get cars going. When it comes time to brake or change direction on low-traction surfaces, the extra mass of the driveline becomes more of a detriment. Folks who live in hilly places that get snow may need the climbing capability of four-wheel drive. If it snows a lot in those hilly places, they should probably invest in winter tires, too. Even flat-landers who happen to have steep driveways may wish to consider a four-wheel-driver.
Almost everyone else will most likely be better served by using winter tires. Acceleration takes longer, but in an emergency, the handling behavior and improved lateral grip of two-wheel drive and winter tires -- in the slippery stuff -- are the safer bets.
-murray
I asked if the car can be ordered that way, and the salesman said no,...but he said they do it in house upon request, and would change out the bracket/trim for me for free if I bought a car there. This is good to know, because I really didn't want a front lisence plate of any kind.
Had my heart set on Topaz Blue. They had a slightly dirty 330i in Topaz Blue on the lot. I tried to take the dirt into account, but then thought "hey, my car will usually be slightly dirty!" While the photos I've seen of cars this color look great, Topaz Blue did nothing for me when viewed in person.
They had an orient blue, one black, and several silvers, plus the red coupe and white sedan in the showroom. The white was really sharp w/black leather, and a red coupe,...well that pretty much is the come all and be all of BMW's.
Bottom line, I saved myself $475. I'm down to white or red. I plan to decide this week, and make my offers this weekend. The dealer said if I order next week, I can expect delivery in late July. He also showed me his leasing book, that indicated they are using the following residuals for 325i's:
36 mo, 15,000: 58%
36 mo, 12,000: 60%
36 mo, 10,000: 61%
Financing is running at 6.25% for a 5-year buy, and at 6.15% on a 3-year lease. I'll be required to put down first month's payment, security deposit (equal to one month's payment rounded to the next $50.00), an acquisition fee of $525, plus plate and title. That's $1,500 out of pocket, before I reduce the cost of the vehicle by a penny. I'm going to shop around for some alternative financing (maybe at my credit union or at AAA.
Front license brackets/molding--I really don't know what this about, maybe I should check it out. I will have a front license for sure & was planning to just have a simple black frame.
I kinda like the idea of black floor mats with tan interior. Dirt won't show as much, that's a plus. Nice tip, David!
Shipo: So that's what the Wallenius looks like.
Did you recently receive a packet of info. including Roadside Assistance Card/Owner's Circle card and a CD? I thought it was interesting to see (on the CD) the thought processes behind the safety technology and production techniques. The CD is another "cool" thing I've received from BMW throughout this process. To wit, here's my current order of cool things received:
1. Glow pen
2. Euro License Plate
3. First Aid Kit
4. Aforementioned CD
5. Hazard Triangle
p.s. I left a 1 cent Euro coin in the coin holder device to see if it makes it back. It's a test to see how thoroughly they go over my car before it gets back to me.
Thanks, ButMyWife
Well, I left a half-eaten Ritter Sport chocolate bar in my armrest when I dropped it off at Harms. It was intact (and yummy) when I picked it up a month later at the dealer. I was actually a bit disappointed that they didn't take more care in cleaning out the car for re-delivery. Also, the crack in the driver side sport seat was still full of Butterbrezel crumbs, which was my driving food of choice
sunnybrook, I removed all the manuals when I dropped the car off at Harms. Now I have 2 sets. I actually like the ED "binder" for the manual better than the one I got when I took delivery at the dealer. It's slimmer, so it fits better in the passenger door, and it has a cool little roundel on it.
Vkwheels - Shhhhh...don't tell 1Pierce about steel blue. We live in the same metro area and I've already seen a couple of others ;o) I've never seen or thought of a steel blue 325i with sand interior. Can't quite picture that. My second choice would have been steel gray. Hven't seen any of those locally. Another color combo I like is the oxford green with the sand, or, better yet if you're willing to spring for leather, the natural brown interior.
No I didn't get the Jag. I'm a bimmer man for life. I'd like to keep the 325i for say another 20 years or until I die. But, at the rate the wife is going, I'll probably have to get the new body style. Question for the board-which year did the steptronic option start becoming available? She want's to understand this BMW thing, & can't drive a stick. I really don't want to share, but I'm growing old. How well does the step rate with a stick.
Sorry for the long post, but thought you might find a bit of historical perspective entertaining.
All you need to leave in the car is the tool set, the manuals sans binder, flashlight, first aid box sans first aid kit and rear plate.
I hope this helps.
Based on your posts, you'll be shocked at how nice this installation looks. I'm definitely having mine done without the bracket - it changes the whole look of the front end. Let me know what you find out.
Guys, please stop trying to make everybody on this board into a Euro-racer. I learned to drive a stick in high school and actually had one in college for a while (1979 RX7). I also drove a manual pick-up on the weekends for a few years. That said, I haven't driven a stick regularly in over 10 years.
I test drove a 323 w/manual a few years ago, and it was fairly easy to drive. That said, I know I cannot shift the 325i smoother, faster, or as efficiently as the steptronic can. I'd wager a guess that 95% of the people who buy BMW's couldn't outshift the step, either, which is why those performance 0-60 numbers showing the car w/a 1 second advantage w/manual are bogus. Maybe w/a professional race driver they're legit, but not for most of us.
My advice is, if you're on the fence (which says something right there), and you can afford the step (which is steep at $1,275), you won't be the least bit dissappointed with the step. And,...you can now use your cell phone to make those long commutes semi-productive.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Shipo answered your questions already; I just wanted to second his opinion. If anything, the going rate for the 1 additional year of BMW service protection is ~450. LoJack is overkill, IMO but check with you insurance company - you may be able to get an additional discount for it.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
NYCCarguy--your g.f. might even like it so much she'll want to start driving you around in the Prelude...or get her own...or inherit yours when you get your bimmer!
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Anyway, what I want to know is can you always drive it in the manual mode? I know that it comes in handy when needing extra power to pass, as I did try this yesterday. I was coming up behind a big truck who was going quite slow, so I shifted over to manual then down shifted to pass, then when I got up to speed I up shifted then moved it back to D. Did I do this right? Do you already have to be driving to shift over to manual? Or can you just back out of your driveway and kick it into manual and start driving? Please help me here. I would like to try the manual mode in situations other than passing, but I don't want to do anything wrong that could cause some damage.
Thanks for the help. And again, I apologize for my ignorance in this matter. Kim.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD