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http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html/index.asp
Suspension & Wheels / Sway Bar Kits
"Since your production number is from April 2002, then the service bulletin only calls for replacing the accelerator pedal assembly and not the adapter plate"
Is this statement correct, or do I indeed need the pressure plate as well?
Thanks guys
The new assembly made a world of difference - much smoother.
Would appreciate comments on this point. Thanks.
In the end as I was negotiating with BMW North they lowballed me on trade for my 2002 Passat. The North salesman finally suggested I shop my Passat to Carmax. While at Carmax, I found a pristine 2000 5 Series with low miles, low price, in short a true steal compared to the ripoff attitude I was getting from the Houston BMW dealers. I bought the 5 Series from Carmax months ago, get random compliments on it all the time in parking lots, and highly recommend that anyone shopping in Houston consider a "lightly used" BMW first so as to avoid the Momentum/Advantage monopoly.
Wow that engine purrs. It's a night and day difference between the 2.5 and 3.0. The 2.5 felt, to me, like it was dragging and had zero pep. The 3 liter on the otherhand pulled so liquidy smooth that I was in heaven. 100 mph felt like nothing to that engine. And the handling with those 18s! Oh good golly that's an incredible car. A freeway off-ramp that was marked 35 slipped by at 80+ without a single lean or complaint from the car. It really is sublime.
Decisions decisions...more cash = more fun, fits like a glove, sexier shape, 3 years of free maintenance (50k will pass easily in 3 years), way better interior than the G35.
Downsides that I see = the car's ubiquitous in san diego, in all likelihood more unreliable than a G, suffers from a very negative stigma, far less interior space, extra cost, will be replaced in 05 or at the latest 06, huge depreciation.
Argh.
Don't forget that the current E46 came out in CY1998 as a MY1999. Most of the bugs have been worked out. Build quality is good. Who knows about 1st-year reliability or long-term build quality for the G35. We won't know that for some time. Why be their guinea pig?
Don't think you'd have to worry much about depreciation. No more than anything else. Might be less if you get it with manual and Sport Pkg. Number of miles you drive annually might be an issue. Just keep her in great shape.
As for interior space, how much do you need? It will seat 4 adults. And who really worrys about the rear passengers anyway? Even they know they are expendable. My wife, I, and our two kids fit fine in her 323i sedan. The kids would love the coupe. 3 Series is no problem on long trips. Roomy trunk with no space-intruding hinges.
I can afford the car and actually all my friends and family have been telling me for years to just suck it up and buy it as I'm such a car nut. strange when even your family tells you not be sensible.
cur: How much did you pay for your 330i? What options. i'm still on the fence over the performance package.
BTW - negative stigma, ubiquitous? A car that has sublime handling, fits like a glove, has a sexy shape, a liquid smooth engine, and pulls at 100 like nobody's business.
1) Based on your opinions of that vehicle one could see why many people might want to buy it, ergo leading to the condition of ubiquity, 2) you are not buying a propellor, to convince yourself of that re-read your previous post and see why you and other people might be interested in that car.
As far as your perceived feeling of unreliability goes, that is something you have to factor into your decision - stating the obvious here.
Her's 18K at time of purchase. So her's is still under 4/50 b-to-b warranty and she hasn't had to use CPO. But she now has 46.5K and will be into the CPO part of the warranty sometime later this year. She has gotten battery, wiper inserts, brake fluid change, and front brake pads/rotors under her 3/36 free full maintenance. And she put on new tires at about 38K. She's only had the Schedule 1 at about 30K. Due in a couple thousand more for 2nd oil service.
Mine had 52K at time of purchase. She now has 75K. I've used the CPO warranty for some odds and ends. Broken inside driver door handle. Rear cupholder. Idle control valve. Front passenger side airbag wiring harness. And the trip computer display. Probably sounds worse than it is. But if I hadn't had the CPO, I probably would've spent $1K. (For maintenance items, I put on a new set of tires at 73K. And she also had her front headlights replaced at about 58K and one rear bulb at 73K. Mine had an oil service around 62K. She'll be due for a Schedule 1 or 2 soon. Down to one green light. I'll be changing the brake fluid and coolant this year.)
Thanks
I got a loaner (on short notice, and much appreciated before the holiday weekend)- 2003 330Xi, Step, premium package. I've been driving the loaner for several days. Here are my observations on the differences:
1. Engine - there is a significant difference in engine power even though the 330 has an automatic. The 330 is much more powerful at lower rpm's, and more powerful at higher rpm's, although not as significant at the high end. The 330 is much louder on acceleration, but it all comes from the exhaust until over 4,500 rpm's, then you begin to hear the engine. My 323 is much quieter and all I hear is the engine (a wonderful sound I must say). The louder exhasut makes the 330 "seem" faster as well - don't be totally fooled by a loud muffler.
2. Transmission - the Step is a wonderful automatic transmission. My preference would still be a 5 or 6 speed stick in a BMW. The torque converter does zap power, but I can understand why folks find the auto satisfactory, especially in a 330.
3. Drive System - no matter what anybody says the AWD does NOT feel the same as RWD in a 3 series. On hard cornering, the front end bit hard on acceleration out of the corner and the outside front wheel "dug in" and dipped down. It was a bit disconcerting to me, although not dangerous. I'm used to a little understeer coming out of a corner on hard acceleration. The car also felt much heavier. That heavier feel was a significant detriment in the corners, although it rode more solidly in a straight line than my 300 pound lighter 323. My car has a sport package, the loaner didn't, so I expected some cornering differences.
4. Misc. - the HK stereo in the 2003 was much better sounding than my HK stereo. The 2003 had black leather, mine has tan leather. The black looks classy, but shows more dirt and especially dust. The beautiful wood in a 3 series, seems to disappear with the black leather, compared to tan. The drive-by-wire accelerator in the 330 was so touchy that I cound NOT get a smooth start from a dead stop. And there were delays in accelaration from the time I said GO until the car went. The delays were compounded by both the accelerator and the transmission. I hated that!
Fianlly, the sticker on my loaner was about $10,000 more than the new sticker on my 2000 323i. I don't think I could justify that difference. If I were getting a new BMW today, I would get the 330 (RWD) with the sport package and the 6 speed - no other options.
Um, you must get the performance package ($3900) to secure a 6 speed on the 330i.
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2- - 5417&highlight=speed
Re snob factor of a BMW, many of the luxury pickup trucks "good old boys" drive cost more than a 325i, and some more than a 330i. A GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 Extended Cab Denali pickup truck has a MSRP of $45,070. Heck, that's more than a **530i** Of course the GMC can haul lots of fertilizer and go off road, so maybe it's worth the higher price
That's great news though as that 6 speed and the new front were calling to me on the performance package. guess that's not needed now.
A local dealer has an Orient Blue 2001 330i CPO with premium and manual for 31k and 18k miles on it. Figure you should be able to knock another 1-2k off that price. Nice enough car. Edmunds claims that's a good 2k under TMV for a CPO. As does KBB.
What is the issue? At 18,000 miles this person's car likely was under both full factory maintenance and bumper-to-bumper warranty. The CPO portion doesn't kick in until AFTER 4/50 original b-to-b has expired.
I don't blame BMW for being cautious and suspicious when it comes to cars like M3 and M5. Many are abused. Some people just don't know how to drive a manual properly. They show off.
I'm also assuming this M3 was not SMG. If it was SMG, the engine & transmission electronics should prevent things like over-revving.
Did your friend seek an independent evaluation? File something with state AG or seek arbitration?
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?s=98e5462788c56a9- - - 2f97a9f392ac14374&threadid=30050
"Observations
The 330i has an awesome engine. It is significantly more “ballsy” than the 325’s and transforms the overall nature of the car. I really liked the extra balls of the engine. However, I must add that the 325 engine revs faster and is slightly smoother."
The cons of the BMW you mentioned just don't add up to nearly what the pros of this car are.
Like many have said, who cares what everybody else thinks. You're buying a BMW (maybe) because like you said you're a car guy. When you're ripping up that #5 Freeway at triple digit speeds on Sunday mornings, you definitely won't care what others think.
BMWs are ubiquitous in San Diego. I'll give you that one. According to Automobile or Autoweek (I think), the BMW 3 series is the 9th best selling car in the entire state of California. The G35 is the flavor of the month. As many of them as I see here in NYC, they're still awesome and I still can't wait to get my hands on one. By the time I'm ready, the new 3 series will be out a year or 2 with all the bugs worked out:)
While poking around a local dealer's lot, I saw 2 '04 3 coupes that were Black w/ the Natural Brown Interior. The color contrast was nice. It is definitely not a color combo you see every day.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Thoughts?
Also, anyone know the current BMW lease rate for a 330i?
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I've done up the math for a 43k msrp (40 sale price) 2003 330i with ZHP, Xenon, Leather and moonroof. blueguydotcom "leasing a 330i using multiple security deposits" May 26, 2003 9:48ammake=BMW&model=3%20Series&ed_makeindex=.ef16218
Seems almost too good to be true. 16k to drive a 330i ZHP for 3 years? Gonna swing by the dealer at 10 this morning to try out that silver gray 03 ZHP.
I changed my order from black/black to the new Med Silver with Nat Brown. Love the nat brown interior and I think I'll have a really "special" car! I must admit some thoughts to the black/nat brown combo, though. In the end, I already have a black Olds Intrigue (wife's car) and black Dodge Dakota (utility vehicle), so another black car just didn't seem right. BTW, Owners Circle shows it "scheduled for production" on June 6.
For the last week my soon to be 70 year old Mother-In-Law (we call her Muzzy; don't ask) has been with us so she can do "Kid Duty" while I am across the pond in London and Paris for the next week or so. Needless to say, given that she lives in Dallas, I have had to show her around to the various points that she will have to navigate to by herself during my absence. As a result, she has spent a fair amount of time behind the wheel in my 530i 5-Speed, PP, SP (yes, like her daughter Mrs. Shipo, Muzzy Loves driving cars with three pedals, go figure). What I find entertaining is her constant praise for how wonderful my 5er is to drive, and how good it looks, inside and out (she is an interior designer by trade), however, her most frequent comment is how smooth and supple the ride is. She has commented several times on how the ride feels smoother than her (former) employers' S-Class MB, which didn't handle as well either for that matter. To top it off, Muzzy (at a whopping 5'4" and 95 pounds) has absolutely no meat on her bones to absorb any undue/abrupt motions to her backside, so I guess she should know.
In the final analysis, a 5-Series (or a 3-Series for that matter) with the SP does in fact firm up the ride a little when compared to the non SP equipped cars (in exchange for a considerable bump in the cars' handling abilities), however, that does not mean that you are going to lose the fillings from you teeth every time you drive over a rough road.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Also, does anyone know if the current 6 speed 330 (non-perfomance package)uses the same gear ratio's as the 5 speed for 1-5 and just has a 6th overdrive gear? Or are all of the gear ratio's different?
Both cars have a 2.93 final drive ratio and the forward gears are as follows:
-----6-Speed---5-Speed
1st----4.35------4.21
2nd----2.50------2.49
3rd----1.66------1.66
4th----1.23------1.24
5th----1.00------1.00
6th----0.85------N/A
All in all, I am guessing that the 330i 6-Speed will be a hair faster than the 5-Speed model off the line. In the mid-range, there would be virtually no difference between the cars, and oddly enough, the EPA gives them both the exact same mileage ratings of 21/30 city/highway.
Given the wonderfully broad torque curve of the 3.0 liter BMW engine, I doubt that the new tranny will have any impact on how the car will perform under most circumstances. So, why the 6-Speed? Can you say G35? ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
Once you drive 6-speed you won't want to go back. I have a 6-speed (540i6) and a 5-speed (a work car). Every time I drive the 5-speed I'm always trying to put it into 6th. And when I can't, I wish I could. For no good reason other than to do it.
And don't forget about the war in automatic transmissions. BMW, Jag, and some others go to 6-speed ATs. MB readying its 7-speed AT. Others on the CVT bandwagon. Where will it all end?
I felt the same way when I bumped my 1970 Challenger from a 318 3-Speed to a 340 4-Speed, and then drove my friends 318 3-Speed Barracuda. I again felt the same way when I bought my 1979 Scirocco and would then give my Challenger its occasional workout. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Has anybody seen the Mystic Blue Metallic on a 3er? Is it that much different from the Orient Blue Metallic?
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
The salesman claimed the car doesn't need to be babied and that I should drive it as I normally would. Uh, I don't think he realizes how I normally drive because it's akin to as if I stole the car. I'm gonna take it easy, regardless of his suggestion...
Some pics:
http://www.blue-guy.com/images/Direct_Front.jpg
http://www.blue-guy.com/images/Front_Left.jpg
http://www.blue-guy.com/images/Rear_Left2.jpg
http://www.blue-guy.com/images/Side.jpg
http://www.blue-guy.com/images/Front_Right.jpg