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BMW Owners Meet the Members
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As for cars produced by BMW early in their production cycles, the early E39s did in fact have more than their fair share of problems, however, I just turned in a very early production E46 3-Series after a 39-month lease. Said E46 was virtually perfect for its tenure with me, suffering only two burned out taillight bulbs, and my experience was not at all unusual, so the E46 seems to have been fairly solid from the very beginning.
BMW offers an option to order your car from a local dealership for European Delivery (ED), which then allows you to pick up your car in Munich, drive it for up to a month in Europe, and then ship it back here to the States when you are done with it over in Europe.
FWIW, given the low level of activity on this discussion, this is not really the forum for such questions. I would suggest that you visit the 3-Series and 5-Series discussions over in the Sedans topic. Those boards are full of folks who discuss these very issues all of the time, which will give you literally thousands of posts to read at your leisure and will most likely answer all of your questions.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I own a 330d (note the "d"), bought on Dec 2000. Yep, Diesel engine. Specs: Common Rail, turbocharged, 3l displacement, max. power 183hp@4000rpm, max. torque 288 lbft from 1700 to 3200rpm, rev redline 5000rpm, 90% of max torque available from 1200rpm up to 4300rpm. I travel approximately 25k miles a year, and plan to swap my current car against the same one in approximately 1 year's time. Equipment (S: standard, O: option): 17' alloy wheels [they're standard just because engineers needed to fit in the brakes...] (S), ABS with EBV and CBC (S), front/side/rear side airbags (S), ASR (S), automatic (non dual zone) climate control (S), multipurpose steering wheel [which includes cruise control] (O), folding side mirrors (O), tire deflate alert (O), sport suspension (O), xenon headlights (O), 6-CD changer, located in the trunk (O), Harmann-Kardon sound system (O).
"Those funky Europeans", I hear you say. "They buy such a great car with a Diesel engine... Why on earth?". Well, here's why:
- an avg 37mpg mileage at 75mph (need I say how much we pay for gas hereabouts?
- quarter mile 15'4 (in fact by here we measure 400/1000m with 400m ~ quarter mile, and 330d scores 15'4/28'8), top speed 141 mph,
- look at the torque: 288 lbft is more than a BMW M3 or a... Porsche 911, which gives:
- 50 to 75 mph in 5'4/6'6/8'8 on 3rd/4th/5th gear, only a 330i can barely beat that in 3rd, but hey, look at the mileages of a 330i...
In short, an astonishingly good fuel efficiency for a car which has nothing to envy to most petrol powered cars in term of performances. In fact, BMW has decided to replace 328i with 330i because of the 330d!
DL
Edmunds.com Generations: A 3 Series History
Have any of you people out there ever had a MB and switched to BMW (5 series)??
If so, how would you compare the two.
Thanks,
Sam
There were virtually no changes between 99 and 00. I think some exterior color choices were changed, but otherwise very minor stuff. 2001 brought the facelift you see on the newer models (clear corner lamps, "angel eye" headlights, etc.). If memory serves, xenons were standard on the 540, and optional on the 528. Either way, you can retrofit them (about $1000) onto a car without 'em.
The 540 versus 528/530 debate is not a new one, and you'll inevitably provoke a lot of heated arguments. The 528 offers marginally sharper handling (due to a rack & pinion steering setup, lower weight, and better weight balancing), better fuel economy, and slightly better reliability with the engine (statistically speaking), whereas the 540 offers "good God!" acceleration. I recommend you drive as many models of each as you can and decide for yourself. Either way, be sure to get a CPO model from a BMW dealer; even routine maintenance on a used BMW gets very expensive, and a comprehensive warranty is well worth it. Good luck.
I have a 2001 Jet Black 3.0i with sport package. Very fast car that can surprisingly hold its own in the twisties with a Boxster. It now has over 17500 miles. It is a fun car. I now need to use it as a daily year-round driver, so I sould have gotten the coupe. I admire all you M/Z3 coupe owners out there. You guys rule!
As for mmandel's question- personally, you will bond more with your car if you get the manual. The Z3 is very responsive and communicates well with the driver. I have driven Z3's with the Auto/man transmission, and a part of the car's spirit was stolen in the change. If you can drive a manual you will find it much more rewarding and reliable in the long run. The Z3 has a sweet shifter and the clutch isn't Ferrari stiff, so city driving shouldn't be a problem.
I commute daily in my car. . .what a wonderful feeling at the end of a tiring day to put down the top, put in a CD and "fly" home. My husband and I have also taken numerous trips in my Z3, and it has worked out well; we can put two week-ender sized pieces of luggage, a hanging bag, two tennis rackets, and assorted odds and ends in the trunk. My husband is 6'4" and fits comfortably in the car. I have had two warranty claims on my car in two years: my battery had to be replaced and one of my stereo speakers had to be replaced; Chris BMW in Decatur, Georgia provided wonderful service - warranties were honored with no questions asked and I was provided a "loaner" car for the day the work was done. I get approximately 21 mpg for city/stop-and-go driving; on the open highway, I get 25-30 mpg. I ordered Zaino products in 2000 when I purchased my car and washed and polished the car with those products several times the first few months I owned the car; now I wash the car about once every six months - I still use my original purchase of Zaino products and the finish on my car looks brand new even though I park in an outdoor lot in the hot Georgia sun every day at work.
What experiences have other long-term owners had with their Z3's? I'd love to know.
Black w sand "Ette
Sport suspension
Sport seats
power seats w/memory
In dash CD
Moonroof
Xenons
Fog lights
OBC
16" alloys
32,000 milesloveit! First bimmer and cannot imagine ever driving another car besides BMW. Of course, fingers crossed as far as reliability, but car checked out on all fronts, has good amount of warranty left, with a little maintenance time too. Also runs and drives super and is very clean as if well maintained. Lease return from reputable dealer in town.
Glad to be a member
jbreez1
2002 325xi
Oxford Green / Natural Brown leather
SP
CWP
1/2 PP (wood, armrest) (no moonroof or powerseats)
xenon
XM radio
tint
http://community.webshots.com/user/skimblz_
If you have a collapsible cart, it might be a bit tight, but that would depend on the cart design. If you have fold-down seats, it a non-issue.
-Paul
http://community.webshots.com/user/skimblz_
my carry bag fits no problem... i would imagine i could squeeze 2 of them in there in a pinch...
-Chris
-Paul
-Chris
Just get one of those cool little BMW trailers that cost as much as a small Ford.
I can picture it now, Chris flying down the highway, top down of course, and a cute little trailer behind with golf clubs stickin' out.
-Paul
i don't think i could handle a trailer... it's all i can do to back up my wife's pick em up truck without hitting a tree...
i'm not good in large vehicles...
-Chris
Lotsa trunk space in that.
-Paul
-Chris
My driveway is full enough with my Civic, Jeep, and BMW (I believe in diversity of automotive selection.
Is the 84 Seville the one with the trunk that looks smashed?
You know, we could take all those old Caddy's, clean out all fluids and dump em in the ocean and build some great artificial reefs. There should be enough space inside of them to put a diver with tanks through. heheh
-Paul
As for price, take the wholesale price and try to get about 1,000-1,500 above this price. I imagine that this might be difficult to get, however, if you're not doing the ED program.
The wholesale prices for a 2003 325i are as follows:
base - 25,460
automatic 1,210
premium 2,455
xenons 635
leather 1,320
prem sound 615
Wholesale TOTAL 31,695
If you're interested in saving more money (lower base price ($23,530) + more negotiating power) and don't mind a trip to Europe, you should look into ED, for which there also is a forum on Edmunds.com.
Would you happen to know the wholesale price for the 325Ci convertible?
Also, is it safe to say that there are no real sales discounts on these cars or is the dealer just "playing" with me? I live in the northeast, not very many BMW dealers in my area (1 in a 25 mile radius, 2 in 50).
Thanks, stclair454
The sales rep I used is Joern Esser (pronounced "yorn") at Passport BMW. 33K would be about 1,300 over invoice on the car you want. If you start there, you likely will be negotiated up a few hundred, unless you act like you have, say, a 1,500 over-invoice price from another dealer. I might try a few hundred lower as a starting point. Also consider that most dealerships add 200-300 advertising fee on all U.S. delivery BMW's.
But, remember that I never tried to negotiate a U.S. delivery BMW...just ED.
******
Stclair,
for the 325 convertible, invoice prices are:
33,555 for U.S.
31,060 for ED
I started--and quickly abandoned--an attempt to negotiate on the convertibles (a 330) with a handful of dealers in DC, PA and OH. They appear to be selling so well, there's simply no incentive for a dealer to negotiate. I didn't want the convertibly badly enough to be persistent.
One thing to keep in mind is that many items come standard on the convertibles, vis-a-vis the non-convertibles; plus, the premium package is about 1 K less for the convertible and the sport package is a few hundred cheaper. So, if you want a decked-out car, the price deviation between these cars tightens up considerably compared to the base prices.
--Was on the Autobahn this weekend in a rented MB C-class 220 turbo diesel. Handled nicely, but was a bit too much removed from the road for me. And with 5 people in the car, there was not enough power for my liking. Too much traffic, so could only get 'er up to 195 kph a couple of times!
The BMW 330 diesel has way more power (of course, it's a much bigger engine). I only wish BMW would start importing the diesels soon.
Good news - Picked up my first BMW just after Labor Day: 325i, Sport Package, Moonroof, Heated Seats, Steel Gray/Black Interior. Unfortunately I have a 15 minute walking commute so I've been looking for excuses to drive it every day!
Bad news - within a month I had my first ding! Came back to my beauty and guess where it was, right in the middle of my hood!!! How the heck did someone do that? That's what I get for street parking it in Boston.
-Chris
One whoosh of wind, and out comes the umbrella, dropping two stories upside down onto the hood of my car. A direct hit. From that point on, the car had "character"
2003 330i
gray green
black leather
premium package
sport package
steptronic
I should have gotten the xenon but I heard some scary stories on stolen xenon in the parking lot.
Regarding 'ding', my first car (Corolla) was less than an hour old when someone hit the hood with (I think) a pipe. It's really frustrating.
Anyway, I'm enjoying my new bimmer a lot. Congrats to everybody on your new bimmer!
I'm not usually worried about dings but since it's on the hood I think I'll pay to get rid of this one. It seriously reduces the enjoyment of turning around to stare at my beemer as I walk away.
Almost as bad is it will probably take me another month to get past the break-in period of the car. Two months old and just 600 miles on it. How can I be expected to keep the RPMs under 4500 for so long! Hopefully a little cheating here and there wont hurt too much.
i didn't mean to sound unsympathetic in the above post, my point was to not let it ruin how you feel about your car....
-Chris
-Paul
window controls, heavy doors,to many controls on the ac/heat/defrost. It gets up and scoots and the automatic is great. I just wanted a great car to trade if i didnt like it and wanted to try
something else. Now I just hope it doesnt get too ruined in the SIERRA WHER EI LIVE>
H WELL ITS JUST A CAR>
bob
I'm told that BMW is the only dealership that provides for connection of the XM to the rear of the HD already installed. Pricey to say the least, but necessary for a car enthusiast who must have music to shift to:) I'd love to hear from anyone who has actually installed one of these babies. For those of you not
familiar with the XM Satellite radio(101 stations: comedy, talk, country, rock,etc,....anything your heart desires)...definitely look into it!
Angelane
<http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14218&highlight=xm+radio>
Howevever you install, make sure you don't use an FM modulator set-up, if sound quality is imortant to you.
The $30k isn't a hard and fast rule, though it
would be nice.
Please contact jfallon@edmunds.com if interested.
Thanks!
If I could have found that kind of kit you have in your car, I may have reconsidered how I mounted XM in my car.
-Paul