Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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For me, I wanted to get the all wheel drive "xi" option, so the added power of the 330 was particularly attractive.
Either way, great car.
Notice how i avoided the 325 vs 330 argument......not going there again!
Invoice (as shown on Edmunds or KBB) + $645 destination + $1400 for importing dealer + $250 for dealer in his own state + TTL.
Watch the TTL closely. At least in Texas, although we have both state and local sales taxes, on car sales only the state sales tax is assessed. Title fee is $13.00 in my county. License tag is $71.30 in Texas. The dealer will also charge a "documentation" fee in here. Consensus opinion on this board is that $45-50 is reasonable for this. WATCH THIS CLOSELY. Some dealers will try to slide in a $500 documentation fee. This is just pure profit for them.
The response to your question was inaccurate. As the "regulars" here know, I purchased a 330xi (manual tranny) in early April of this year. Six hours later, the engine overheated, and at least one component ruptured due to the excess pressure. My dealer took the car back and ordered me another. I am still awaiting that new car.
Bottom line, the problem does occur with the manual transmission (although I've heard it does not occur in the step, but I don't know for sure).
I HOPE BMW has this problem solved, as my new one is on the way....
Specs: 325i
Orient Blue Metallic
Automatic (the sweetest Auto I've driven)
Premium Package
In-dash CD
Xenon
-ette interior
Cold Weather Package (Maybe?)
Mind if I use the advise you gave hippo? Any other suggestions? Did you place a typical order for yours or was it European Delivery?
I can get it on line for $1250 under MSRP (carsdirect.com through un-named local dealer - probably Peabody)but I'd rather deal face to face.
And, please convince me one more time that its worth the wait.
Thanks.
unboringguy is correct. the problem is specific to the manual trannys. the step cars have 2 auxillary fans and even if this problem were to occur with one fan, the other would take over. This is straight from a knowledgeable BMWNA rep.
veekay 1 (325xi/sapphire/gray....boat docks in am!!!)
"Just a little more wind noise with the lines on the road going real fast like a video game, but very calm and composed" - I got that Porsche 911 to 140 a couple of years ago. The road really narrows at that speed and it's easy to get a tunnel vision if you are not used to it and keep your eyes glued to the road in front of you. I still find it very amusing that my wife was sitting next to me and she was telling me something (yeah, who'd remember - I just kept nodding). A minute later I asked her what she thought about the speed. She had NOT noticed; then she looked at the speedometer and she said it felt very safe and normal in THIS car.
Now, if we could only get an Autobahn in the States
325i
Orient Blue Metallic
Premium, Sport, Cold Weather Packages
Stick
sand 'ette
Xenon
CD
HK
I agree, you definitely should not pay full MSRP. I paid 1650 over invoice with 5.9%. I bought in S. California (though I live in N. California). If you're interested, I can give you the dealers name.
After 2200 miles, the car is just a blast to drive. I came from a '93 MR2 which turns on a dime so I had high expectations of the handling. I can definitely feel the weight of the car compared to the MR2 but it does handle beautifully. Engine sound is intoxicating... (I liked apine325i's BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR... about sums it up)... I've only gotten her up to 100 myself. Shifting won't be as big an issue for you but for me I'm just now getting really smooth shifts consistently. The interior is great... the coolest feature in my book is the very dim light that illuminates the stick at night... does this exist for the step?
I've had no problems with the car yet but I keep a constant watch on the temp gauge. I know that darn aux fan is going to fail some day...
All in all, it is definitely worth the wait (60 days for me).
In short, I feel reborn again. More info to come.
PS: The fishing was awesome!!!
Peace
Well, if only you were a Sixers fan but hopefully you'll convert by the end of the series. See - Bavarian sold out for cheap grog and hand-rolled tobacco. We can promise you you'll catch the biggest fish when you come fishin' on the East Coast ;O)
I have a setup very similar to yours:
325i
Orient Blue Metallic
Premium
Auto
Gray leather
CD
That gives you a MSRP of $33,700 and invoice is about $3000 less. What price should I shoot for? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
However, since your car is pre-wired for the alarm, you can have your dealer set your alarm settings even though you didn't buy any accessories such as the siren.
This will cause the clown nose to blink once a second while your car is locked, and the parking lights will blink, once or twice then stop, when you unlock or lock the car.
However, all of the "tripped-alarm" indicators will work as well, so you may want to find out what each of these means.
laker34: Been there and done that. I've probably seen all the 10-15 dealerships in Southern California. If they tell you that these BMWs are hot and your gonna pay sticker, that is a bunch of BS. I got my 330 for about $1800 over invoice and that was a little over a month ago, but it had the free HK and the Black Sapphire Paint that everyone wants.....Have you tried New Century, Assael, BMW of Irvine, Shelly BMW?????
Also, why the heck are people still waiting for their cars, there are so many choices in Southern California that the lots have many many 325's and 330's....Must be only Southern California where demand and yuppism is a little higher.
M3 Frank
Other than that, my 330Ci rocks.
Well, at least now I know that SOMETHING is happening with my car. "On Order" was a very painful stage of waiting. For those of you who's car is on order, I definitely sympathize with you.
The BMWNA rep I talked to yesterday said 5 to 6 weeks is usually the time from 150 to delivery for cars built in Germany and delivered to the East Coast.
I expect to take delivery in late July. June 11 + 6 weeks = July 23.
So a few minutes later I'm merging into another highway and I caught up with a Maxima in the S-curve connecting the two highways. I found a good line through the exit corner and came out at higher speed. The Maxima in front of me punched it and tried to run with me. I heard that hard-working sound that auto trannies make at full throttle and the Maxima was no match for the 325i manual, especially with the exit speed I was carrying.
After 2,000 miles, the car still seems to be getting sensibly faster. What's even more interesting is that the throttle response seems quicker. Do drive-by-wire throttles have the ability to reprogram themselves to better suit driver's style? Oh, I've also noticed that the exhaust has more growl at full throttle - all good stuff!!
330xi
Orient blue
Sand leather & wood trim
Stick
HK + CD and some ski stuff
(Xenon included here in Canada)
The deal I got is basically MSRP but I convinced this dealership to waive the so called prep and transport cost (~$US 1000). Also they were the only ones who thought about giving me a '98 328i loaner (for $400 a month) until the new one comes in (as my current A4 is off lease next week)
So here I am now prepping up for the upcoming torture wait.. :-)
The four of us were now rolling in a line as we were climbing the western side of the arched portion of the bridge over the main channel. Then it happened, as we crested the top of the bridge, we saw a solid wall of brake lights. We all gave each other a wave, and that was it. Bummer!
Best Regards,
Shipo
P.S.
On the sunroof debate from yesterday, I have two little ones in the back and they do not complain about any extra wind when the roof is open. It seems that the little pop-up wind deflector is more than ample at reducing the wind to the back seat. When you pull it down while at speed, the interior of the car becomes very blustery and uncomfortable.
The four of us were now rolling in a line as we were climbing the western side of the arched portion of the bridge over the main channel. Then it happened, as we crested the top of the bridge, we saw a solid wall of brake lights. We all gave each other a wave, and that was it. Bummer!
Best Regards,
Shipo
P.S.
On the sunroof debate from yesterday, I have two little ones in the back and they do not complain about any extra wind when the roof is open. It seems that the little pop-up wind deflector is more than ample at reducing the wind to the back seat. When you pull it down while at speed, the interior of the car becomes very blustery and uncomfortable.
The UD is not run by BMW. Rather, it's put on by a sports marketing firm of which BMW is a client. Apparently they do a sort-of traveling road show around the country. Most of the organizers are kids fresh out of college. All of the instructors, however, are certified drivers with racing experience.
The 2 hours is broken up into a half-hour of classroom/demo stuff followed by 1.5 hours of track time. The classroom time is devoted to vehicle dynamics and targets the role tires play in the acceleration, braking, and handling of a vehicle. Oversteer and understeer are explained in detail, as well as techniques to invoke and minimize each. Probably nothing that many on this board are unfamiliar with. The demos were interesting in that they pitted both a X5 3.0 vs a RX300 and 330Xia vs A4Q in a slalom course to show BMW's handling advantages. The AWD technological advantages were further highlighted in a roller-ramp demonstration that showed the BMW's ability (same cars as above) to climb with only one wheel gripping. Interesting, but no fun stuff yet.
On to the fun stuff! The roughly 50-person class was divided into its respective car selections: X5 3.0, 330Xia, and 530ia. No manuals -- all were autos. I had registered for the 530i group. The "tracks" were coned-off courses in the large parking lot. One track for each vehicle group (3). Each course had about 4-5 cars for the roughly 15 students and 4 instructors. At 3 students and 1 instructor per car, 4 cars seemed about the limit for the relatively small course. They encouraged you to be 100% aggressive with the throttle and brakes on the first couple runs. "Floor the brakes and floor the throttle" to get a feel for the limits. Then we added in some handling, which requires the "feet to follow the hands" in terms of smoothly executing and combining all three driver inputs. Then we each got a couple of full-bore test runs around the track, with the instructor giving you input along the way.
This all culminated in the competitive portion of the day: the timed team and individual runs. We were divided into two teams of 8 students + 2 instructors each. Each student was timed around the course with an instructor, yielding the individual times. Simultaneously, the team clock was running, meaning the "pit" times had to be minimized. Driver switches had to be done after each lap in a "tag the next driver" format: get out of the car, run to the next driver, tag him, and off he runs to the car to begin his lap. Hitting orange cones = 2 second penalty, hitting green cones = 4 second penalty. Although our team lost (one driver hit THREE cones), it proved to be very fun and competitive! Most individual times were in the 17 second range. I think the best student time was just below 16.00. I hit a good run with 16.54. Most of the instructors ran in the low 15's, with one of them breaking into the 14.9x range, so they ran about 1.5-2.0 seconds faster than the most students.
Need a quick break -- more to follow.
That was it! Again, I'd say it was 2 hours well-spent for anyone who drived or is considering buying a BMW, as well as anyone interested in learning more abour vehicle dynamics basics on a first-hand basis.
Separate from the UD was a tent where you could sign up for the roughly dozen of BMWs (330's, 325's, Z3's, 540's, 530's and X5's -- no M cars for obvious reasons) on-hand for test drives. Every mile driven = $1 donation from BMW to a breast cancer foundation -- a great cause. I drove a 540i wagon and a 330xi. Could not tell much difference b/tw Xi and my i on dry pavement. 540's engine is wonderful -- offers about the same acceleration from seat-of-pants as a 330i. There were no manuals -- all autos. I asked why, and they said that they put out 1 manual per day and it ALWAYS gets destoyed the same day. Go figure...
Also, when I drove the 530i, it was noticeably more ponderous and less responsive than my 330i. I guess that's the trade-off for increased size and luxury, but it reinforced to me why I bought the 3er.
Sorry for the rambling, random nature of this post -- just trying to get it all down on paper!
Interesting note about the A/C under full throttle starts -- wonder if anyone can verify.
I am not surprised that the manuals get whacked so fast - it's easy to get carried away with them and most people have never pushed a car that hard, especially with a manual. I think we kept the car in second all the way around the track - it was that kind of autocross.
As far as the A/C and full throttle, acceleration is noticeably slower with the A/C on in my car and I'm not buying what the instructors told us. It was excruciatingly hot, though, and I feel for them doing this the whole day but I can see for myself that my 325 is faster with the A/C off.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Hey, you should try to nip that Boxster with the A/C on next time - it seems like it's no challenge w/o the A/C.
As far as Boxsters, the A/C will ALWAYS be off.
Best Regards,
Shipo
As far as the Boxster, it has one of the finest climate control systems available. This is because not only does it have the standard temp. sensor, it also has an integral light meter to determine how much sunlight is pouring in through the windows. This way, you do not get "Arctic Blast" mode at night.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo