Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Don't forget alternatives 'tho: many fine E 36 M 3s/ 328is's are now more than price competitive. If a new car is an absolute, great, but if you don't get the sport package, I keep a list and promise to cut off your head and fill it with nails! LOL! M
325xi
premium pkg
sport pkg
HK
xenons
steel gray metallic
I calculated the MSRP on this to be $36,285. We agreed on $34,100.
I'm looking at a 3 year lease, 15,000 miles / yr.
One last question: the salesperson had no idea how to keep me updated on the status of the car. How can I find out the order date, shipping date, where it is in transit, etc.?
Thanks.
- MCC
What build date is on your car tabbiecat?
http://www.circlebmw.com/parts/e46/e46-cat.htm
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Postoak: WRT to ED, BMW foots one months insurance and registration plus some nights hotel alsosome free meals...the details are on the bmwusa website. That would be me you are quoting about the I-just-took-the-wrong-turn-off-the-autobahn look you would get with faux or original german euro plates (think european pics). With ED, since your car will be registered for a month, you get nifty 'zoll' euro plates which you can keep as souvenir and tack it on to your car once she reaches statesside...provided you live in a one-state plate, of course.
mccerio: I believe that once you get the VIN, you can track progress through the bmwusa website under owner's circle section...but be warned the info is not constantly updated. There is a section on e46fanatics.com FAQ page that explains how you could get the vessel number and track where the ship (and your car) is, at anytime, on the atlantic ocean...that is after your vehicle is loaded on, of course. Alternatively, your dealer gets a daily prinout with status' on orders, he should be able to furnish you the info. Do you have the prod'n number or VIN...you should've gotten the info, otherwise you should go back and demand it.
bmwvadriver: Also...if ever a concern about differences in production integrity of SA vs. German assembled 3ers, they should materialize almost immediately, no? I mean, let's say that the SA plant does not have as efficient production/quality controls as their German counterparts. And also, let's say the 20% SA content of your car is not up to par...I am sure that you will be able to discern almost immediately. I don't think differences in quality will rear its ugly head only years down the road, differences in quality is always almost immediately apparent. From what I gather, except for those niggles that you mentioned, you are happy with your purchase. So, bottom line is, I think you are worrying unnecessarily. Just enjoy the car...:-) FYI, actually BMW is also locally assembled from CKD (Complete Knocked Down) kits as opposed to CBUs (Complete Built-Ups like we get here) in asian countries to combat exorbitant import duties and to promote the local asian economies. I think the 3s and the 5s are exported from Germany in CKD kits which have been adapted to the climes of those asian countries, and there have been no problems there.
Brave1heart: I am not Csaba Csere :-). I am just happy to be contributing to this fine forum, that is all. Although the subject matter of the BMW is an inspired one, at that....
tabbiecat: is your car an Xi or regular 325i sedan...trying to follow with much interest about colling systems failure in the Xi, as I am also considering an Xi alongside a Ci...
Top 3 problems with South African assembly
1. The car morphs into a Trabant the second you look away but only after you've taken delivery of it.
2. It falls apart completely and can only be re-assembled as a Pontiac Aztek.
3. The popular S.A.-only Flame-thrower option goes off on its own when it detects bad drivers nearby. The option is set to max for Lexus IS300 drivers and acts uncontrollably in their presence.
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It is entirely possible for a BMW to overheat. Until negotiations between BMW and the gods on Mt. Olympus resume in regards to relocation of primary production, a mechanical problem is still an uncommon but statistically possible event. Tabbie cat, sorry about the overheat, hopefully that will be a rare event balanced by many years of driving pleasure.
-Getz
Jim W
BMW DRIVER: You must live a charmed life if your actually taking the time (and energy) to consider trading in your car over it's build location. Sorry, I do understand if you are "concerned" about the assembly point. If you are, just do a little more research to put your mind at ease. What your suggesting is a little drastic, don't you think? I am just getting a little frustrated over the posts on this board concerning SA built cars.
tcn2k: The car was manufactured in Germany in March and I took delivery on April 3.
Thanks again.
Enjoy
http://www.bmw2002.co.uk/news.htm
Erhard BMW sells at MSRP... I got mine there and got 500 off, and I cant even begin to explain the hell I went through to get that. Many others have bought at MSRP there.. so if you want cheaper, you must go elsewhere. As far as SA builds go, if you get a 325, youre gonna have a decent chance of getting an SA built car... although I agree that no quality issues have been proven, there is one HUGE problem.... THE DELIEVERY FROM SA IS AN ABSOLUTE DISASTER!!!!! I am speaking from personal experience and totally agree that it is a good enough reason to avoid this location if at all possible. 10 -11 weeks for delivery is absolutely standard. Personally, I think that if youre paying this much for a car, you have a right to concern yourself with this kind of detail. If we as customers make this an issue , then BMW has NO choice but to listen. I like drooling over these cars as much as all of you, but I am not going to let that interfere with my ability to smack BMW upside the head if I have concerns, you shouldn't either. If you are concerned, make sure you either prevent it, or give them hell for thier delays. SA delays are standard, not an exception.
Oh and I had an IS300 for a week before Lexus tried to screw me and rework our oringinal deal. I took the car back and got my 325i. I love that car should have gotten it to begin with. IS has nice interior though, but it doesn't beat the ultimate driving machine!
First, has anyone driven both of the models and what were their impressions? I test drove the 330xi and was very impressed, but there is not a 325xi in town. I was wondering if the 330 was worth the extra five thousand.
Secondly, I am wondering if anyone has had any experience with the AWD in snow. Does the 38%/62% power distribution perform as well in the snow as I'm sure it does on dry road? I have always driven SUV's in the snow, but with AWD and traction control, I'm thinking that the BMW will perform as well if not significantly better.
Thirdly, any comments or reviews from you in the know regarding topics of interest or concern would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much for taking the time to tutor a new buyer of the ultimate driving machine.
This is a GREAT article. Warning: Do not read this article unless you plan on buying the car, because once you read it, YOU WILL BUY IT!
I can't help you on the 325xi, because I bought the 330xi and didn't test a 25, but I'm sure they are both great cars.
Also, I understand you can order no extra cost cloth seats instead of the leatherette, which would be very appealing to me. How can I find out about the color options?
Many thanks in advance for any and all responses regarding these matters.
I want to own the 325i. However, if I can't drive a stick car, is that mean the BMW is out of the question?
Thanks.
Joe
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All cars built between Aug. 2000 & Jan. 2001 have the over-boosted steering. BMW, realizing that it had erred, began phasing out the new steering in Jan. of this year but did not exhaust its inventory of "new" steering units until early this month. This suggests that a car built during the 1st quarter of this year may or may not have the "new" steering. Cars now in production have the more desireable "old" steering.
BMW is now contacting owners of cars built between Aug. & Jan. & offering to retrofit their cars with the "old" steering units. I don't know what BMW will do for those whose cars were built between Jan. & Apr.
Anyone who has more accurate info should certainly feel free to jump in.
Few things about your request, the cloth is a "special order only" and is extremely rare in the US. As a result, a cloth car will take a pretty substantial hit at resale time, as it is not the seat cover of choice amongst our BMW friends.
Filedoc? Performance in the snow? Remember something about slippery conditions and performance. Awd or 4x4 aid in one thing getting you going in the snow. And that is it for 99.9% of the drivers on the road today. Believe you me, most $40k 330xi drivers wouldn't know the first thing about pulling their car out of a power slide with the gas peddle once they enter a "situation" .
The sad reality of all of these ix's and Quattros that are on the road today is the driver does not know how to use the system to get them out of a bind once they are in them.
Quite frankly, after reading many of the posts on this board, the xi package is more of a marketing ploy than anything. Trust me on this one. Get a rwd 330 with traction control and you will drive the car within its limits in bad weather. Get an xi and most think that they are invincibe, often ending up in a situation that they would never be in if they drove with common sense.
As I have mentioned in the past, there is a body shop in my family in the Detroit metro area that does very well in the winter fixing the vehicles of over zealous awd drivers.
tcn2k...what do you expect from the mfr? Remember how this great franchise system works....BMW sells the car to the retail dealer and you buy the car from the dealer. You are much better off working with your local service dept. If that is of no satisfaction to you, contact the regional service rep in your area. This problem does not sound like Watergate III, I think with a few calls to the right people, your cooling problem should clear up.
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BTW, I checked w/ my dealer today - my 325i arrived at the NJ port yesterday, as scheduled, and they are expecting it at the dealership by the end of the week. My dealer's saying BMW is cranking out cars about a week ahead of schedule. It may be some kind of German manufacturing wizardry but I'm guessing it's more likely they've seen a slowdown in demand from the recent global economic downturn. She's claiming she hasn't seen any slowdown at all but then again, what else is she gonna say - 'I have fewer buyers'?!? That'll be the day.
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