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BMW 3-Series 2006
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Regarding mounting a set of winter tires. Most folks buy a set of wheels from TireRack when they order the tires. TireRack will then mount and balance them for free before they ship them to you. By doing this you are also able to buy a set of tires that are "Minus 1" in size and/or narrower in width, making for a better winter tire. Your other option is to buy the same size winter tire as your summer tires and then pay anywhere from $20-$30 per tire, twice a year to have them swapped onto your factory rims. As one can see, the tire swapping charges can add up quickly, making a second set of wheels seem like a bargain.
Best Regards,
Shipo
As you may remember, I am new into the BMW world and considering getting an xi because of my "hill from hell" driveway. I have found your recent comments regarding "i" vs. "xi", performance vs. snow tires, etc. really interesting and informative. I still have a few questions that would probably help me in my decision.
1. I have heard that performance tires have a shorter lifetime than all-season tires. How often should I expect replacing them versus the all-season, assuming same driving conditions? What about winter tires, for how long do they last?
2. Will the "xi" perform as well as the "i" with performance tires in the summer? I think all differences between performance are due to the larger wheel size and slight suspension modification. Of course, the "xi" will weight more than the "i" but probably I cannot feel the difference.
3. I noticed the 2005 xi comes with SP option with all-season tires. Would performance wheels be available from places like tirerack.com for the E90 xi? I am thinking of having all-season tires until they need replacement, and then change to performance tires in summer and winter tires in the cold months.
Thanks for your help, best regards,
Dom
Okay, point by point:
1.a) True, Performance tires have a much shorter life span than do All-Season tires.
1.b) The All-Season tires on my 328i were probably good for 60K miles, while the Performance tires on my 530i were probably good for only 25K miles.
1.c) My winter set has probably ~12K miles on it and the tires still look practically new. My best guess is maybe 40K miles.
2.a) An "i" with SP should be able to run circles around an "xi".
2.b) The mechanical differences between non-SP and SP are the wheels and tires, a lowered suspension with higher spring rates and stiffer/thicker anti-roll bars.
2.c) The difference in weight between a 2005 325i and a 2005 325xi is 242 pounds, which equates to about a 7.5% increase in weight. Can a driver feel that? Probably.
3.a) True, all "xi" cars are equipped with All-Season tires, regardless of whether the SP was ordered or not.
3.b) Yes, TireRack (among others) would be more than happy to sell you a set of performance wheels and tires for a BMW "xi".
3.c) Not a bad idea at all. Just keep in mind that the OEM tires will probably last several years. That and if your "Hill-From-Hell" is anything like some of the driveways around here, then you might find yourself peddling a lightly used set of All-Season rubber on eBay after your first snow.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Have you guys got on the BMW site lately to estimate your car. My 330i came out to 43,545 and with 36 months with 15k miles and the standard $1500 down was $745 per month. That seems extremely high.
Is this a realistic idea of there leasing prices? If that is the case, both Audi and BMW need to reevaluate or stop smokin from the same pipe.
Thanks
The BMW site is just a general thing, that doesn't really account for the myriad of vagaries in leasing.
When were you coming again? Right now it hits the upper 60's and low 70's for a high. Drops into the 40's at night.
Sounds like a nice trip. I live in West Germany close to Luxembourg.
Enjoy your trip.
I am surprised at that #! (43,545). That price is close to what you get when you price a 2005 525i w/Nav package, cold weather package and destination charges. Here is the price data on the 525i :
Base Price $37,765 $41,300
Selected Options $2,325 $2,550
Destination Charge $695 $695
Total $40,785 $44,545
There is no way (IMO) anyone will get a discount once they start showing up at the dealers. I am questioning the "value" of the new 3 since the pricing is steep. Any thoughts on what the heck BMW is thinking? They "do" have competition and they prob. forgot that fact since this will be the "new" hot car to get.
Thanks!
Mike V
there is no way (IMO) anyone will get a discount once they start showing up at the dealers. I am questioning the "value" of the new 3 since the pricing is steep.
I'm sorry but the price of the 330i is maybe $500 more than last year but it comes with more standard features.
A base 330i now comes with xenon, moon, auto headlights/washers. When I bought my 330i in 2003 all of those were extra.
My current car = 330i perf pack, xenon, leather, moon, metallica paint = msrp of 43k
An 06 330i with sport pack, leather, metallic paint (xenon and moon standard) = msrp of 41k.
That's a 2k drop in price for more content and more power.
Any thoughts on what the heck BMW is thinking? They "do" have competition and they prob. forgot that fact since this will be the "new" hot car to get.
Actually, they were very much thinking of the consumer and now the car offers more for less money. The euro is far more expensive but BMW isn't sticking it to consumers. Check out Audi's price jumps on the A4. The FWD 2.0FST starts at about the same as a new 325i (now a 3.0 liter engine).
And BTW, people are already ordering 3's for ED invoice plus 1k/1500 and in so cal many dealers are already doing 1k under MSRP.
MikeV
Hmmm, I don't. When the E46 first came out I ordered one within the first month and got a $1,750 over invoice deal, and that was with substantial waiting lists. I beleve that BlueGuy has previously posted that he is aware of dealers who are already doing "invoice plus" deals. I don't see any reason why one should wait if they are looking for a car now. Will waiting six months save you another $250-$500? Probably. Is it worth it though?
Best Regards,
Shipo
I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in. My wife owns an '05 325xi. Her car came with Goodyear RSAs I believe. Since she grew up in So. Cal and we now live in Colorado I took the RSAs off and put on Blizzaks for the winter.
The xi with winter tires is a true snowcat! The "spirited driving" part of the equation with the snow tires has a little to be desired however. Winter tires are softer and it is noticeable when you take a corner at higher speeds.
Anyway I decided to purchase another set of rims and put the RSAs on them for summer tires since it can still snow in April here and I don't feel like running the winter tires 6-7 months a year.
We ordered the xi with the sport package since we liked the sport wheels much better (now the winter rims) and wanted the sport seats also. The xi suspension is the same (sp or no sp).
I decided to get some M68 knock off wheels off of ebay for the summer rims and have been extremely happy with the purchase. They look EXACTLY like the BMW M68 wheels and I paid $653 for the entire set including shipping. Try buying even one OEM M68 for that price!
As far as "feel" on the i vs. xi, unfortunately I have only driven the xi (and a couple of M3s but they don't really count as a comparison) so I can not directly compare.
I kind of regret not test driving an i just for comparison reasons. If I had it to do again, I would drive an xi and an i back to back to get a feel for the difference.
I will say that "throttle induced oversteer" (my 3 favorite words by the way) is nonexistent with the xi. You hit the throttle and all 4 wheels hookup and off you go.
I did run the car with the new rims and the RSAs into a 180 degree corner the other day at a decent speed and she did fine so "using up" the all seasons is probably the way to go from a cost standpoint and 95% of the time you won't notice the difference anyway. I'm sure that last comment may inspire some debate.
Have you really looked at the pricing at bmwusa.com? go there and compare the content v. price. In 06 the 330i has MORE content for less money.
As for the TL, it appeals to different buyers (FWD) and is not in any way faster than a 330i.
The A4 is now priced higher than ever with the new B7s.
now the G35 is a real threat and there is a possibility the upcoming IS250/350 could challenge the 3 series some.
I'm with Shipo on this as I already know of people buying e90s below list and obviously ED is far below list.
I kind of want to the E90 the first week of release. If i reserve it now, should i negociate and set price now or set the price when the car arrives.
If I don't reserve now and just stop by the dealer in MAy, can I negotiate better price this way because the cars are already in the lot?
Thanks.
Mike V.
When I am wrong, I easily admit it:)
i believe you that it's fun and many are hoping the AWD system will trickle down to Acura's midsize and compact sedans. The RL, unfortunately, is more of a competitor with the likes of the A6 and departed I35. It's 49.6k MSRP is far above any 3 series i'd consider. I'm aiming to pay 36k or so for a 41k msrp e90 330i (assuming I like it enough to buy one...though the mazda 6 and miata or even an sti could steal me away...too soon to tell).
Dive one just for fun and you will see what I mean. Car and Driver ect, however put this in the category/company of the 5 series (not the 3). I have not made up my mind, but the RL(new for 2005) drives like it is on rails. The last decent Midsize car Acura made was the limited edition Acura GS (1995 last yr of prod). I drove what BMW had available at the time in 1994 (and price range) and it was a 525. The Acura was much faster and more fun to drive. The 525 was underpowered that year with a 184HP in-line 6. The Acura bought out the disaster RL! What a disgrace of a car. It took them 10 years to make something decent. This talk is all good. All the people here are genuine going to buy new cars and that’s great for the economy.
I will probably get around to driving an RL but for me it's far too large of a car. I'm a fan of smaller more nimble vehicles. I sincerely hope BMW brings the 130 to the states. While I enjoy my 3, it's too large of a vehicle for me. Yeah, that sounds odd compared to the majority of americans who want large cars. In many ways I have more fun driving my tiny, light (if 2700 lbs is "light") Protege than my 330i. the 330i is exceptional for long drives and it's got decent pick up but often i feel like the handling's hindered by the car's large mass.
Enjoy your RL.
Just checked the weather forcast for Monday for the 3AA in Dallas.80% chance rain ....
DL
330i Base Price $32,300
A22 SG paint $ 475
ZSP Sports Package $ 1,800
Domestic Freight $ 200
Customs fee $ 65
Total $34,840
I didn't get leather because in my experience the leatherette is a little more durable.
Of course I'll still have to pay taxes when I register it back in the states.
Well, almost. What I would have said (and what I think you meant) is, "I agree with blue-the bottom line looks good. $1,000-1,500 over base invoice with everything else at INVOICE would be about what you got."
Best Regards,
Shipo
I just ordered my new E90 330I. I was easily able to get 1K off MSRP. I was very fortunate in that there is a car already in production configure just the way I want. I was told it will arrive second week of May.
My next concern is the interest rate. I got approved financing via BMW and want to know what is a good interest rate nowadays.
Thanks again everyone.
I still have the spread sheet that I did on my 530i when I did that negotiation, so I will use it to illustrate the point:
ED MSRP ---- Invoice ---- Item Detail
$36,690 ------- $33,390 --- 2002 530i
$00,645 ------- $00,645 --- Destination Charge
$03,300 ------- $03,005 --- Premium Package
$02,300 ------- $02,095 --- Sport Package
$00,500 ------- $00,455 --- Xenon Head Lights
$01,200 ------- $01,090 --- Premium Audio System
====================================
$44,635 ------- $40,680 --- Sub Total
At this point there is zero dealer profit, if I then add $1,500, the total negotiated price of the car becomes $42,180, which is the exact price that my dealer actualy agreed to sell it for. Interestingly enough, my car is now being re-sold as a CPO, and it has an asking price of an astounding $36,999. Yikes, that seems pretty high considering what I paid for it. ;-)
Now, if you take the above chart and calculate the options at MSRP instead of Invoice, the dealer would have made and extra $1,095 in profit for a total of $2,595.
I hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Ok, read the Shipo crash course in negotiation. Sounds very logical and is what I have done in the past for my previous 2 vehicles. Tell me what you think of the following scenario. Because Edmunds does not have invoice pricing out yet on the 2006 330i, lets just use the 2005 330i configured as close as possible to my spec 06'.
I will make some assumptions as well in this scenario, if the msrp of the 06' is $36,300 and the msrp of the 05' is $35,700 the difference being $600 bucks, I am going to add $600 bucks to the invoice price of my 06' spec.
Item............................... Invoice $
2006 330i........................... $33,265
Destination......................... $695
Metallic Paint...................... $430
Cold Weather..................... $910
Premium............................ $2,000
Sport................................. $1,490
Steptronic.......................... $1,210
Total.............................. $40,000
So, invoice on this would be approx. $40,000. MSRP is around $43,500. I just need to add Dealer profit. How much do you guys think is a realistic amount for Dealer Profit?
Thanks
For the new 3-Series, I would consider $1,500 dealer profit to be "Fair", with $1,250 (or lower) being better for you (but very difficult to obtain given the newness of the car), and $1750 (or higher) being too much in the dealers' pocket.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Gee thanks! ;-)
[/Blush]
What I forgot to mention is that the Domestic MSRP on that car was $47,395, giving me a savings of $5,215 before the sales tax (and the then applicable Luxury Tax) were calculated, which in the end saved me nearly another $600.
Best Regards,
Shipo
http://www.blue-guy.com/images/BimmerInvoice.pdf
DL
2006 BMW 330i 6MT (Sparkling Graphite & Black Dakota Leather)
Base Invoice Price $33,215.00
Options - Invoice
Order Code Description
--- Metallic Paint (Sparkling Graphite) $430.00
ZPP Premium Package $2,000.00
Black Dakota Leather (ZPP)
ZSP Sport Package $1,455.00
4AC Poplar Wood Trim $-
655 Satellite Radio $595.00
Total Options $4,480.00
Sub-Total $37,695.00
Dealer Profit over invoice 3.00% $1,130.85
Destination $695.00
Total $39,520.85
My Offer $39,700.00
Tax @ 3% $1,191.00
Tags $600.00
Processing fee $299.00
Grand total $41,790.00
Thanks
Greg
Thanks,
Rusty
Best Regards,
Shipo
I guess I see the desirability of AWD somewhat differently than many people on this board, as I've been driving an Audi A4 with quattro for six years. Audi people seem to see AWD as more of a plus than BMW drivers.
#1 - The first person told me that there is a BMW purchase policy not to discount beyond MSRP for the next 6 months. Has anyone else heard this story?
#2 - The next person said that he would match whatever I came back with from the other guys but estimated that he could only go about $200.
#3 - Another dealer responded with a best and final with no discount off of MSRP.
#4 - Still waiting for a response since Friday from the last dealer...
Anyone know what is true and what is fiction....
1.Bull
2.Shyster's
3.Shyster's
4.well see....
Unfortunatly , there are plenty of ***** in the Dallas area that are paying full price on 2005 models.Whatever. Anyways, they are so arrogant they will wait on a poor sap instead of making a fair deal.You might try Center in Temple , especially if you want ED.
Good luck,
DL
Keep in mind, I live in the frozen north (the last of our snow just finished melting today) and have never actually dealt with a Dallas area dealer, I'm just posting what I believe I've heard.
Best Regards,
Shipo