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Might be a bit more valuable in future than average 330i with Sport Pkg. For someone who wants something a bit different, this might be an affordable it. Closest thing to a factory E46 4-door M3. The coolest BMWs to own are often the rarest high performance models. Check out the mid-1990s M3 MSLs (lightweights).
Guess it's where ya come from because the standard 330i seemed spooky quiet to me. Everybody who rides in or drives my car comments that it's more sports car than luxury sedan.
my point was, rates are either purely due to a dump sales strategy or if its not a dump as much as you can, then its purely based on regional statistics...
and fedlaw, my point was not to diss acura, i personally think they are excellent price/value ratios, but, i find it amusing that people use $ as a reasoning ball park and then compare cars that really don't fit together.
kssomaniac
I loved my two Infiniti G20s. My old G20t was a wonderful handling FWDer. She just lacked torque! I value fun to drive cars. The synergy of engine (prefer I6 or V8), manual transmission, and fully independent suspension (IRS a must!). Needs to be a reasonably roomy & practical sedan (have a family). And, where possible, LSD. My old G20t had it all but the engine.
Some interesting FWDers (like prior generation Maxima and last generation G20, though not mine) lacked IRS. Has sometimes been hard to find many V6 FWDer sedans with manual transmission (scratch the nice 3.2TL Type S). Too many can't seem to properly control torque steer, possibly my biggest gripe with FWDers. Good equal length half-shafts, LSD, and good performance tires needed for all FWDers!
I can't wait to see how the TSX comes out in comparison tests. Might make a nice work car. I'd love to drive a Honda Accord V6 6-speed coupe as a work car! Too bad Saabs still seem plagued by torque steer. (But you're right about one thing. I couldn't imagine buying a FWDer with an MSRP over $30,000.)
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
The accord V6 coupe is nice. I'll bet you'd probably appreciate the CL Type S w/ 6 speed and LSD. Too bad they've stopped making them. So the Accord V6 may be your choice. I say go for a CPO 330Ci or M3:)
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
multiply the MF * 24 and then move the decimal point 2 places to the right. O.0003 becomes 0.72%.
BTW, in my long search for any car but the 330i, i drove both the AT Accord V6 coupe and the manual. The AT version was decent and very quiet. Super luxurious car but the handling was really bad and the AT didn't even offer an automanual feature. The manual has a tighter suspension & bigger wheels. Those upgrades with the manual made the car far more spirited though it still would have required serious modding for my driving style.
Still for the crazy power, luxury and low prices (23-24k loaded EXs) the cars were solid.
As for virtual M3 handling, not really. I took one for a ride, and it's a very good ride, I'd say well worth the price of admission. I would compare it favorably to my old E36 M3, which was a joy to drive. The old M3 was like a sporty, better riding better handling 3, but inescapably a member of the 3 family.
The new M3 is just a different animal though. My wife is looking at 330ci convertibles, and the ride, the transmission... they're all a world different than the E46 M3.
It's just a lot more extreme, both in good ways and bad. It's closer to a pure sports car experience, but it pays for it in everyday useability. You could well confuse a ZHP for a ZSP if you didn't pay attention very closely - the differences are subtle and rewarding. You'd never confuse an M3 for a 330i sport - it slaps you in the face with its harshness.
Joes230: the G35 is a very nice car; a true alternative to the 330. But I personally like the aesthetic designs of the 330 more. The 330 is 'classier', IMO. And since I'm not looking for a fully loaded 330, the price differences should be minimal.
I'm not a racer or anything, and my driving skill is just adequate. But I've never owned a 'sleeper' either. My previous cars were '86 Celica GT, '87 Integra, and the recent '03 Maxima SE. I like a car that can go about casually, yet will spring up to life at moment notice. I just need to test drive a 330 w/ SP to finalize my decision.
kyfdx
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It is interesting to note that the way this interest is calculated, the actual interest you pay is slightly lower than the real interest that should get charged to you over the course of the loan, if the series formula was extended to count to a high granularity. So the consumer does tend to come out the winner... by how much... we are talking in the range of a penny on a thousand dollars though... but hey, atleast you got the benefit on your side.
kssomaniac
regards,
kyfdx
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Do I contact BMW dealership and complain, or am I stuck with this?
Ultimately, I was not sold what was advertised. The back should be replaced, I think.
Once you drive them back to back it's minimal. I was set on a 2004 G35 MT. But once I drove a 330i I couldn't see spending 30k on a car I didn't find appealing inside, out or in the handling department.
I turn 32 this month and felt the crisis coming on late last year. This is why I got the M3 and let me say that it has been worth every penny. No psychiatrist for me and no prozac--just some higher gas bills and lots of rubber left on the Houston streets.
I have one 2 year old little girl and another little girl on the way and my 2 year old already loves my car. She calls it the vroom vroom. Maybe I will keep it and give it to her in 14 years.
Putting the kid or friends in the back of the M3 is the way to go. There is something youthful about cramming people in the back of your car. The M5 just could not give me this feeling. It is a wonderful machine, but I figure you should be in your mid 40s or more before succumbing to society's pressure to have 4 doors.
PS: There is somthing great about pulling up to a good restaraunt in the M3 and getting the kid out of the back seat -- people do not expect a baby seat in the back of an M3. I can't wait to have 2 back there.
"rear end diff: this is at least $1000, more like $1800 with a core swap, too.
18" wheels: let's be conservative and say that to achieve the same level of OEM quality wheels is $400 a wheel, so that's $1600.
cams: plus software necessary for the cams. let's say that most cam grinds are about $1200; software is about $350 on the cheapish side.
suspension: let's call it koni's plus some H&R springs or eibach springs. let's be conservative and say $150 per shock (this is lowballing it) and let's say $400 (to really lowball) the MATCHED spring set. need we add sways, too? let's say those would be about $300 for front and rear, although, this, too is low.
$1000 + 1600 + 1550 + 1000 + 300....hmmmm... this seems to be about $5450 without tax, let's assume that some labor MUST be added since not everyone could install all of this stuff by themselves.....aha! and plus, you lose all warranties. so, let's also add then, an aftermarket warranty of one kind or another at about $1000 per year? "
He didn't include the cosmetic mods like the airdam, skirts, spoiler, anthracite headliner, alcantra wheel, aluminum trim.
That's how simple it looks, but it is not really that. the actual formula is a decided simplification of a series formula. In theory, all "rate" based formula are series formulae in nature, because they are based on "derivative math". They are only simplified cuz in the older world, doing a series by hand was ummm, lets say, its not worth having a clerk work 30 minutes on a math formula (assuming no screw ups) and only gain a few cents more....... and now we have kinda just lived on with the same in today's high number crunching computer world.
leenelsonmd
i have a 4 year old and we are decidedly against buying SUV's... but here's how i got my head start on my mid age crisis, which i believe i've still not hit... i bought my daughter a bmw kid car (the ones that go at 4mph) when she was 2... i made sure the family got into the circus earlier than i did... hahaha
kssomaniac
JR
Practical difference - leatherette is easier to care for, and is $1,450 less. Leather smells better.
Aestetic difference - not much. I have a hard time telling the difference and so do others.
I actually have leather seats because I got talked into the arguement "why would you buy a BMW without leather, are you crazy?" The next BMW, if I order another new one, will have leatherette, so I guess I'm crazy.
Black leatherette is tough to beat. Saves you money, holds up better, doesn't stain or wear. Still a tad bummed about my ugly gray interior. Then I drive and forget that my seats and carpet will need constant attention.
That said, I have a few tidbits that y'all might enjoy; I picked up a magazine in the lobby of my hotel in Paris and found the published prices for the 6 cylinder E60 for France (and maybe the rest of the Euro community):
525i (Petrol): 42,000 Euros
530i (Petrol): 45,000 Euros
530d (Diesel): 41,000 Euros
Hmmm, am I missing something? Unless the 530d is de-contented when compared to the 525i and the 530i, how is it that it costs less? From my perspective what with the extra performance and mileage, the 530d would seem to be MORE desirable than either of the other two. If I remember correctly, the published specs for the 530d rank it right behind the 530i in acceleration off the line, and even faster than the 530i above 40 mph. Go figure.
FWIW, I rode in one of the new W211 E-Class cabs again on this trip. I hailed it at something like 4:30 AM Monday morning for a ride from the Gare du Nord area to Charles de Gaulle airport. When we started rolling, I immediately noticed that this one was a diesel just like the E220 that I rode in back in April; however, it felt somewhat faster. When we merged onto the autoroute we were following some other traffic up the ramp, and as we hit the main roadway, my driver opened it up, and I was stunned at how fast that thing went from 60 kph (a little less than 40 mph) to 160 (100 mph). When we got to the airport the driver turned to me while patting his steering wheel and said, "What do you think of my new taxi?" I told him that I loved it. While retrieving my baggage, I noticed that I had been riding in a new E320 CDI.
Best Regards,
Shipo
BMW shows the German bases prices as follows for July:
520i 35100 euros
530i 40600 euros
530d 40600 euros
All including 16% tax.
Adaptive Headlight 400 euros
Dynamic Drive 2300 euros
Nav with TMC 2000 euros
Dakota Leather 2210 euros
H-K LOGIC 7 sound system 1250 euros
Servotronic 230 euros
Bluetooth Phone Kit 750 euros
Our prices might be a tad lower. Just replace the euro with dollars for a good idea of our prices. We pay less than the Germans for the same car. We just don't get a la carte option list.
I felt like Ferris Bueller leaving the keys to the Ferrari with those parking attendants. These guys swarmed my car instantly and began talking about it. Needless to say I was a tad worried. With good reason...
When I picked up the car my trip computer showed they had driven 8 miles (why? it was bumper work!) and my computer showed enough gas to go 2 miles. Furthermore, there were streaks of dirt up the back fender/lower side bumper from somebody peeling out - they just worked on that bumper!
I was super pissed but what are you gonna do? I know I will never leave my car with a valet. Guess I should get used to it.
I suppose the md stands for medical doctor.
Hey, I am taking a roadtrip next week.
Itenerary:
Wed (6/11)
Houston to Gadsden, AL
9am to 9pm (700miles)
Thurs (6/12)
Gadsden to Rome, GA
Rome, GA to Asheville, NC via the Chattahoochee and Nantahala National Forests.
7am to 7pm (300 miles of twisty roads)
Spend the Weekend and Early week driving all over the Appalachians.
Drive Home Thurdsay the 19th
Total trip mileage (4000 miles)
I can hardly wait.
I welcome any suggestions on driving through far western NC. I was going to take 68 north out of GA into TN and then take the Cherohala Scenic Skyway (165) into NC, then 129 to 19, then take the Blue Ridge Parkway from 19 into Asheville. This is not the shortest route, but it looked like it might be the twistiest.
I plan to replace my tires after the trip (about 17k total miles on the car)
Thanks in advance,
Jack
Price: 03's might be offered at better discount off the msrp compared to 04, plus the price on 04's is higher than 03's to begin with
Color: There are a couple of new colors for 04, but if they don't interest you, this is not important
Changes: The lights in the front are narrower, so the hood has dropped about 3/4th of an inch in the front compared to 03. I personally like the 04 lights better than 03, the shapes are slightly different. Also you have adaptive bi-xenon's available for '04. I was very excited about the theory of these lights, and i've to say, they definitely help light the corners specially on dark mountain roads in the nights. There are some new wheel designs on the sports package. There are a couple of new creases on the sides that I think are different from '03's and those were definitely not on the 02's...
All that said, to the average outsider there are not many differences. Of course to people on this board, every minor change is noticable... thats why we are here.
ksso
ksso
Any thoughts on the Cherohala Scenic Skyway?