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Car Forum / BMW Cars / May 20052006 BMW 330xi
I am going to give my 2003 Mini Cooper to my mom soon and I'm planning on replacing it with a 2006 BMW 330xi. I know the car's not out yet, but what do you think about it? I've looked on BMW's website and I really like this car. I know a lot of people say that the styling is not good, but I have to say I like the new 3 series. I haven't ordered it yet, but planning on doing that soon. Any chance of getting it below MSRP? Anyone else order one ? how much did you pay for it? I want to get the Premium, Sport, and Cold package so the MSRP is about $45K I think. (don't mind the e-mail address, actually, I live in Boston, so US prices are preferred) I drive a 2003, 530, & am considering a 330Xti as my next car. Even the touring (Station wagon) should look great. The sedan is a definite winner. Saw several in Paris last month, & they look GREAT in person. I still prefer the old interior, but I'll get used to it. > I am going to give my 2003 Mini Cooper to my mom soon and I'm planning > on replacing it with a 2006 BMW 330xi. I know the car's not out yet, [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > (don't mind the e-mail address, actually, I live in Boston, so US > prices are preferred) I own a 2002 330xi....outstanding car. You lose a little performance because of the xi and because mine is an automatic, but compared to what I used to drive, this thing is still a rocket. Great in the rain, almost impossible to break the wheels loose. LOVE the steptronic! When I someday replace the shocks on this thing, I'll lower it an inch or so. The xi is a little taller than the i or ci version. Things I wish I would have gotten......nav system. I never thought I would drive this car as much as I have. I have been lost in many parts of this country. My sticker was 43.5k with auto, sport, cold weather, premium, xenons. got it for 41k. I was happy the dealer came down $2,500. Since you're ordering one, make your list of things you want and start e-mailing dealers in your area. They'll all probably come down $500 to $1000 off MSRP, but offer one of them $4,000 less and see what they say. Buy the car at the end of the month or better, end of the quarter....the dealers are hungrier then. If your a BMW club member for a year you can get a rebate from BMWNA of about $500 after the deal is done. Usually the LARGEST dealer in town will make the best deals. Tom Allen President St. Louis BMW Club > LOVE the steptronic! You actually use it? I played with mine for a while then forgot it. The auto does everything I need.  Signature*What was the best thing before sliced bread? Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. >>LOVE the steptronic! > > You actually use it? I played with mine for a while then forgot it. The > auto does everything I need. Yes, actually, I use the Steptronic all the time. I would guess that at least 75% of the time I am driving, I'm playing with the gears. Steptronic is an outstanding toy if you don't want the hassle of driving a stick shift, but you still want to have some fun picking your shift points. I've heard you comment before that you don't use the Steptronic and that "Drive" does everything you need.....that's okay, but I like the idea of keeping the rpm's up for some additional power, entering a turn, or just to wind out the gears. You can't do that in "D." I probably drive more agressively than you. For the original poster, if you get an automatic, you'll love using the Steptronic and the 06's have 6-speeds.........and I bet you use it all the time. Hassle of driving a stick shift? Driving a BMW with a slushy tiptronic is like having sex with three condoms on. :-) >>> LOVE the steptronic! >> [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > Steptronic and the 06's have 6-speeds.........and I bet you use it all > the time. > Hassle of driving a stick shift? Driving a BMW with a slushy tiptronic > is like having sex with three condoms on. > > :-) Don't know about that as I've never tried it, but I do kjnow that you'll be hard pressed to find a BMW with "tiptronic". It's *steptronic*, and it's not that bad. -Fred W > > You actually use it? I played with mine for a while then forgot it. The > > auto does everything I need. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > you don't want the hassle of driving a stick shift, but you > still want to have some fun picking your shift points. Wonder if your car has a ZF box? In sport mode when pressing on it 'learns' your needs and ups the shift points. And I don't find driving a manual a chore - I far prefer it for a fun car where you're not commuting in heavy traffic. > I've heard you comment before that you don't use the > Steptronic and that "Drive" does everything you > need.....that's okay, but I like the idea of keeping the > rpm's up for some additional power, entering a turn, or just > to wind out the gears. You can't do that in "D." I > probably drive more agressively than you. I tend just to use kickdown. ;-) What annoys me about the steptronic is that if you nudge the red line it changes up same as in auto and then stays in that higher gear. I could forgive it not accepting a lower gear at too high a speed, but not this. If I want to rev to the limiter on a manual I can do. > For the original poster, if you get an automatic, you'll > love using the Steptronic and the 06's have > 6-speeds.........and I bet you use it all the time. I'd say he won't. Signature*Never miss a good chance to shut up.* Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. I bought a new 2005 330xi for $8500 below sticker ($4500 below invoice). Loaded and nice gray-silver metallic color. 16 miles on the odometer. I really like the classic E46 look, and I don't care for the new E90 (2006) look at all. So I found this bargain and went for it. If you're still up for a 2005 model, you can find amazing deals right now. You just have to ask. The 2006 will have a different flavor of AWD, namely, the x-drive. This is supposed to be superior to the fixed 62/38 split, but the success and reliability of the current xi speaks for itself. And Tom had it correct. Buy at the end of the month, and preferably at the end of the last month of the quarter, and you'll have more leverage in pricing. Also keep reminding your salesman that you're torn between the A4 and the 330xi. I test drove a 330i and 330xi back to back and felt almost no difference on dry pavement. The 330xi felt grippier in the test drive, and the acceleration felt just as good as the 330i's. The current model has about 1" more height than then sports 330i version. If this bothers you, wait and see if the 2006 model also has this gap. I actually like the look. It gives the car a little more of an aggressive stance. And I don't bottom out going into parking lots like I did in my last car. There's a lot of anti-xi bias on these newsgroups I have found. But if you don't race your car through cones on the weekend, you won't notice the supposed performance tradeoff of the AWD on dry road. |
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