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regards,
kyfdx
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Are you going to change your forum name with you get the new car?
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I have been driving Honda/Acuras since 1975.
I hope I have made the right move!!!!!!
EXTERIOR
This is always subjective, but I like having a car in a less common color. I’ve already gotten a number of compliments on it. Also, after looking at the new 5 and 6-series cars in the showroom, I’m glad to have bought the E46 instead of waiting for the E90. I think the E46 has more "character" in its styling details than the slippery but bland-looking newer models. IMO, the new 5 and 6-series cars look like they could just as well have come from Nissan or Acura.
INTERIOR
Audi really does do the best interiors in the industry right now. The way that the dash curves around into the door panels, the color and texture matching, and the consistent size and placement of buttons and other controls are very well done on the A4. The BMW is a bit less well put together from a design standpoint. And with the sand interior the black upper instrument panel is a bit too much of a contrast. At least the wood trim that comes with the PP looks really nice with this color combo. On the other hand, everything you need to get at is within reach of the driver, and it does come off as more of a business-like layout to match its "driver’s car" reputation.
FEATURES
The 325 definitely has a lot more "automatic" features than my A4 had, not all of which I was that enthused about. To me, "automatic" means that someone else is deciding how and when to operate something, and not always to my liking. After all, I do prefer a manual trans so I can decide when to shift :-). I’m especially skeptical about the rain-sensing wipers, but we shall see. I just hope the climate control works as well as it did in the A4.
Major non-features for me are the displays having to do with gas mileage, especially the one taking space below the speedometer. Yes, I know that the instantaneous mileage sucks when the throttle is well open and that I am getting 50 mpg when coasting up to a stop. Is this gauge (probably just a vacuum gauge) useful for anything in a performance car? The readouts on the computer are somewhat more informative, but still...
FIRST DRIVING IMPRESSION
I always enjoyed driving my A4 and would characterize it as being very "sporty" in nature, but the 325i just shouts "sport" at me without the "y" if you know what I mean. I used to think the A4 and 3-er were equivalent, but now see why the 3-series has been raved about for years. I am really going to have to watch my speed in this car. And what a sound and feel from that engine! This is my first in-line 6 ever, so that may account for some of it, but I can’t believe how quickly the engine revs or how good it sounds doing it (and I am trying to hold back during the break-in period).
I am also glad that my sanity returned in time to stick with a manual transmission, reversing my impulse to try an automatic for a change. The manual makes the car that much more responsive, with the feeling that the throttle pedal is directly connected to the push from the rear wheels.
Speaking of rear wheel drive, I haven’t yet felt any big difference compared to the A4. It was much more obvious when I went from my FWD Sentra SE-R to the A4 than from the A4 to the 325, at least so far. What does surprise me is that the 325 seems a lot quieter inside than the A4, but that might be due mostly to the tires that I had the last couple of years on the Audi.
LITTLE DETAILS
- The tool kit is really well done. BMW motorcycles have always had the best tool kits in the industry, and I see that their cars follow suit.
- Everything is there that I need to install a CD changer. I’m getting the Alpine model that plays MP3 files as well as regular audio CDs.
- The "BMW Assist" that came with the PP is not very useful, especially since the concierge service is only available by phone -- the satellite link is only for emergencies and roadside assistance, neither of which I plan on having. I surely won’t renew, but I’m stuck with that ugly wart on the back of the roof :-(.
SUM-UP
Right up to the day of delivery, I was worried about selling my A4 to get a car that maybe I wouldn’t like as well. The A4 is already fading quickly from my memory...
Regarding the rain sensing wipers, back when I got my 1999 328i, which had them as well, I too was a little skeptical. The funny thing about using them is that you don't really realize just how useful they are until you drive another car on a day that has intermittent showers or is lightly raining. On days like that, it seems that I am always fiddling with the intermittent refresh on my wife's car because then you are in traffic you need a much higher setting than you do when you are in the clear, however, on my car, I simply set the wipers and forget them. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Gordonwd.. Steel Blue rocks!!
regards,
kyfdx
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Imagine this: you hop into you dusty, dirty ride on a nice sunny Saturday morning. You think, "Ugh! I need to get this thing washed." Unfortunately, you are short on time so you drive to the automated carwash where you drive up, pay, pop it in neutral, ride through the wash, throw it in gear, and away you go. Except for one thing, your "Rain Sensing" wipers sensed rain inside the carwash, activated, caught one of the soft cloth brushes, and got mangled by the machine while tearing up the sheet metal on the hood of your car and breaking your windshield. My thinking is that that would kind of ruin your whole day.
Needless to say, having to "Re-Activate" them every time I start the car is a price I'm willing to pay to avoid the above scenario. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
The 3-Series carries a "Rust" warranty of 6 years, and through the 4 New Jersey winters that I had my 1999 328i, I'd say that you will never need the warranty. When I turned mine in there was not a single discernable speck of rust anywhere.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
and one more thing that really bothers me: what the **** is that weird thingy on the back of the roof? it looked darn ugly for sure and i definitely wouldnt want one on my car
I heard itll be adopting he styling cues of the new 5 series...I seriously hope its not true, bmw messed up the 5 series badly already, though i personally like the new 645ci, z4 and the new 7 series, but i really think the new 5 series is too much of a radical change, so unBMW it doesnt even look like one anymore.
and i really hope they wont be throwing in the lame i-drive into the new 3 series.
Of course, it will somewhat follow the styling theme of the other new BMW sedans.
If you are really that afraid of the '06 looking anything like a 5 series, then you should buy an '05.
The wart on the rear of the roof is for the BMW Assist "feature" (BMW's equivalent of On-Star) and maybe also if you get XM radio or whatever. It will be there if you order the Premium Package on an '04 3-series. I wish I could have avoided it also, as the chances of my actually paying for that service are about nil.
Where abouts are you?
oh and does anyone know where I can get the eurospec lights? (white turn signal covers) so far i could only find the ones for coupe-convertibles.
I now live in New Hampshire, and we got 114" here during the 2002-2003 winter, and my current ride, a 530i, is shrugging off the effects of winter here as easily as my 328i did in New Jersey.
Best Regards,
Shipo
All seriousness aside, I would really prefer not to have a "Big Brother Wart" on any car that I own.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Wait a minute! You got the sport seats w/o the full Sport Pkg? When did BMW change that? Holly crap, we're gonna change our order, which is to be built starting early part of May.
How much are these sport seats as a stand-alone option?
Good luck and Regards.
Webby
Here are the instructions:
http://www.bmw325i.net/maint_rear_diff_fluid.shtml
my preference will be auto tranny (i live in big city so manual isnt so good there), premium package and heated seats for sure (it surely gets cold here sometimes)and oh...xenon lights
anyways do you think its possible to get the woodtrim installed at the dealrship? i mean im pretty sure i can order it as sparparts but im not sure if the dealer will install it for me...
If the leatherette regular seats aren't so comfy, then will the leatherette sport seats?
If the regular seats w/o lumbar suck, then will the longer-cushion sport seats w/o lumbar be not as bad on your back?
One dealer disclosed that a 325i on special order can be equipped w/ lumbar on the premium package, but didn't tell me how much more $. Anyone knows?
No chime to warn you if you leave your headlights on. There are situations when I turn on my Xenons when there is still daylight but is getting cloudy or a bit darker, but then the sun reappears again and I go park somewhere completely forgetting to turn the lights off. Even though the Xenons turn off when the car is switched off, the tail lights and corner markers remain on. This could drain the battery if I was gone for an extended period of time.
Why no warning in a > 30K car? My last 2 cars have had them.
My '04 has this feature. Maybe it was added in the past couple of years?
I also find myself using the automatic headlight setting as well. On our GM car I don't like the fact that you can't force the lights off if the car thinks they should be on, but the BMW setup where you can have them automatic or manually controlled is nice.
At least driving in the rain meant I had to do my first car wash, which is always a good way to get familiar with the details of the car's bodywork. One thing it certainly has in common with my A4: lots of black brake dust on the wheels!
regards,
kyfdx
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