Loseit

iTrader: (1)

So...
I dragged the wife to Elmhurst BMW with me yesterday afternoon to go drive the BMW product line . They had a CPO '04 M3 w/20K miles, CPO 2003 M5 with only 23K miles on it, a 645 etc., so I wanted to look at them back to back. And now that finances are in order (and I have the go ahead from the boss!) It is time to buy!! Pretty nervous, as some of you know I have been looking for a LONG time. Anyways this is how it went:

Drive 1) 2003 M5. Now, one of the guys at work owns one and he keeps making me drive it because as far as he is concerned it is the greatest car ever. Which, might not be far from the truth. This particular piece is in EXCELLENT condition. It still looks brand new. Drove perfect. The wifey HATED it. She said the interior looks very old. I can see her point. But man, that thing is a beast. Smooth. I will say this...the chassis doesn't seen as solid as I thought it would. But, i think the e39 model line starts the med 90's right? I can tell my wife didn't like it because she was totally quiet the whole time.

Drive 2) CPO 2004 645. I would't buy this year but the salesman insisted that I drive it. It really is a nice car. The interior is very nice. It felt solid even though it had 44K miles on it. More road noise than I expected but still pretty good. I am sure the huge tires have something to do with it My wife was talkative the whole time we were in that car. I couldn't find the right position in the seat with the steering wheel. I felt to low the whole time. The funny part about that Is that my friends make fun of me for my "leaned back" seating position that I normally have. This was an auto. Handling is real tight, minimal if any body lean. The engine is smooth as silk and nothing replaces that glorious V8 sound. That is my main problem with buying cars. I want a V8 and stick which for some reason is hard to find unless it is in the 60K range. Which, I cant do.
I would look for one in stick which is harder to find and i could only probably afford a 645...not the 650. I would get an 05.

Drive 3) CPO 2004 M3 6 speed. I swear their has to be difference between 04 and 05. Every 04 I have driven seems alot harsher than the 05's and 06's I have driven. I dunno why. It's funny when she is with me all the noises and little mechanical whirs are amplified 10 fold. It is was pretty loud in the car. I kept looking over to get a reaction out of her but again, she was quiet. Her only reply was that she thinks I will get bored or annoyed with that car sooner than later. Again, this piece did not feel as solid as 05's and 06's I have driven. Not to mention the road/ engine noise. This test drive ended earlier than the others because of the noise and lack of refinement. Plus, the rear end was clunking so even though it was CPO'ed i am sure something is going on in that diff.
Jesal's point about not being a good daily driver always resonates in my head.

Drive 4) When we were leaving for Drive no. 3 there was a white 335xi w/ 6spd, sitting next to the M3. I casually asked her about the red seats. My buddy and her refer to the red seats as "whore red". I kinda think they are ok, so I bug 'em about them. I I figured since we are here we might as well drive the 335 as well. I have driven them before but never w/o the salesman. Our guy was just lining up cars for me so as I pulled in he would hand me the keys to the next one. Everytime we pulled up he would ask me and then my wife how we liked the cars. He and I would always know her answers before she even said anything. So anyways....
This car was decked out. Nav, comfort access, premium, sport, HD radio, ipod and of course AWD. I think the sticker is @51k. This is how I would buy it except probably no HD or AWD. I think HD is a waste of money and AWD is not necessary...plus you cant do burn outs!
This was the longest drive. I took it all the way home(which is only about 8 miles)
, so that I could see how it feels on roads I am very familiar with. It soaks up the bumps pretty well. Sound deadening is OK. Shifter is a little notchy but gear engagement/ take off is smooth. I would definately get a short shifter, however. Power delivery is good. Lot's of torque. No turbo lag. At all. I tried to induce it but I was unsuccesful. Instant power. If no one told you there was a turbo you would never know. The power delivery is intoxicating. That is where the g37 fails. It is nice but you push on the gas pedal and not a whole lot happens, esp when you compare it to the 335.
I was able to find a great steering/ seating position. Ergonomically, short of knowing the I-drive completely, everything is easy to find. The rear seats have plenty of room., even w/ my "laid back" positioning. The trunk it pretty roomy. A very practical car. I knew my wife was in approval because she was talking to her mom on her cell phone on the way back from our house. As the magazines indicate this car is very hard to fault besides price.
And there's the kicker. Man, the 50k price tag kills me. For some reason i would rather pay 57k for an S5 then pay 50K for a 3-series. Why? i dunno...
So, we get back and and make small talk and then start tossing around numbers. He basically told me he could get me 500 bucks off of sticker and I said I want 500 over invoice ( i knew i wasn't gonna get that .. but you gotta start somewhere!)
More small talk and he explained why (very long winded salesman type of explanation) they are able to charge MSRP. He went to go get the Manager but he was buy with another customer. We waited for a while but it was already 5:30 pm at this time. My 1.5 hour trip was now a 4.5 hour trip and we had lot's of stuff to do before all the stores closed. We waited a little longer, shot the shit and then finally I told hem we will have to talk next week.
I decided to order jetblack with saddle and aluminum. 6 speed,sport, premium, cold, comfort access, navi, ipod and sirius.

I kinda wish the sales manager had been available and we had finished it because it would have been over and done with. But, here I am in the same postion questioning the 50k price tag. And have been talking myself out of since last nigt.

Well, there is my mini review for Saturday. I had a great time yesterday.

BTW, i wanna check out the s5 but i really don't want AWD. Otherwise, that car looks like sex on wheels.

1killercls

Nice review(s).

zeroday

If money is an issue forget the navi since you can always go aftermarket later on. my 335i was 45k with sports package/leather/heated seats. I keep a garmin Nuvi in the glove box in case i need navigation. I didn't get CA and I regret that every now and then since it was only 500 bucks.

I'd bag on the AWD too but that's simply because I prefer the handling characteristics of RWD.

Scrib

The day you buy a car is the day the internet implodes...

phil2

Nice reviews...I would look at the new s4/s5 before I made the decision.

Crazy Bimmer

Sarlacc

E39 M5

still one of the best cars ever made.

Crazy Bimmer

Oh and i dunno why you didnt ask me if i had a hook up at a dealer. My buddy can get you the sedan or coupe for $500 over invoice. No haggling needed.

Dont get jet black, its a pain in the ass to take care of. Plus it shows the most orange peel. Get black sapphire if anything.

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

you are the BMW guy. i wouldn't have done anything w/o consulting you
I was gonna ask you this week. I wouldn't have bought yesterday unless he gave me that price.
Will your buddy do trade ins?

Crazy Bimmer

No idea. I sold my A4 privately.

Im sure he would since he works for Fields

But dont bug him till you are gonna buy something.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

Don't bother with the S5. It's true that recently, Audi has made a lot of improvement on its cars in terms of dynamics, such as the TT and R8, but somehow they didn't do such a good job on the A5/S5. Audi seems to have put a lot of effort in this car; it has the new MLB platform, new front suspension and updated rear suspension, front differential and axle now sits between the engine and clutch (as opposed to engine and clutch all sitting in front of the front differential and front axle), aluminum fenders to save weight, steering rack is mounted lower and closer to the front wheel axle, and the quattro has been set to 40/60. All of these were to reduce nose heaviness (and hence understeer) and improved steering feel/response. But somehow all of these don't work as well as expected(somehow remind me of the G35/G37), the A5/S5 stills feels nose heavy, there's still a lot of understeering compared to the 3 series, and the ride isn't comfy due to stiff suspension setup (even more so on the S5).

If you are talking about the S5, it will disappoint you even more. It might be faster than the 335ci on the straight with its 354hp V8 engine, but the 335ci is more rewarding to drive, has much better ride comfort, and much better fuel economy. Of course, there's one last thing you have to consider, the price, I don't know about the States, but in Europe, the S5 costs Ł40,000 while the 335ci costs Ł34,000.

The choice cannot be any easier.

Crazy Bimmer

Why not get the G37?

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

^ haha, cause like he said,

"The power delivery is intoxicating. That is where the g37 fails. It is nice but you push on the gas pedal and not a whole lot happens, esp when you compare it to the 335."

1killercls

Slow.

Crazy Bimmer

<embed width="448" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid191.photobucket.com/albums/z249/oddjob2021/MVI_0294.flv"></embed>

Dem1K

iTrader: (1)

^---with a quickness, god damn

INSPIRE 32V

iTrader: (1)

^^ wish our cl/tl were that quick

csmeance

You do realize that you can grab a 2004 760LI for about 55K, right?

coconut

04-07 7 series are sexy!

eccjak

I'm assuming that you test drive the cars at the Bmw dealer along Lake Street. Well put on your review.

gdubb

damn!!! is yours this fast??

picus

Skip the nav, I don't think there is a single aftermarket unit that isn't better than BMW's nav, and I have it.

picus

Pretty much any of the tunes will get you something close to that, ya.

nokiaman

I-Drive is very slow indeed . Sometimes, I regret checking that little box on the options list. Otherwise, I like the interface,radio,basic car settings etc. Skip the navi


P.S I would have jumped on the white 335xi on red seats

JBlueCLS6

iTrader: (2)

I'm in same predicament as you... I'm tossing the Idea around of an E46 M3 a 335i or waiting for the 135. Most likely I'm crossing out the M3 since I can just get Procede for the 335/135 and get huge gains for 1,200. For an M3 to get that type of power I'd have to spend 10K.

I'm probably just gonna wait on the 135 since its smaller and should be more sporty.

Crazy Bimmer

I actually like Idrive/navi and hate HATE how aftermarket navi looks in our cars.

Granted its the worst OEM navi i have ever used..... but it gets the job done while looking nice.

I still have no regrets getting Navi over premium package.

einsatz

I dunno, I've been to two Audi dealers in the past two days and one S5 was $59k the other was $58k. The gas guzzler tax alone was like 3500. 21mpg highway... It's a fantastically sexy car, but unless you can afford it twice over, it'll probably be financially unwise.
Something about first-year model Audis also gives me a funny feeling...

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

i am not fond of i-drive or the BMW navigation...but i don't know if i can take wires and stuff hanging everywhere. That is a debate in itself. I like the clean OEM look. If there was somewhere to put I different head unit i would. I like everything being integrated.

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

i thought is supposed to be in red

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

drive 'em back to back. I love the way the M3 looks. It looks mean as hell. But the racket and ride don't fit with driving everyday. I know there is a lot of people who do, but I can't. I don't think I am that hardcore. I wanna believe in "M- magic" but I'm not worthy....

picus

I should have qualified what I said. I don't mind iDrive at all; in fact I like it in terms of it's ability to customize and monitor the functions of the car. I don't dislike the NAV particularly either, I find it to be reliable. That said, it is very slow, you can't search by destination, it tends to skip, it's fairly outdated... I like the way it looks too; but if someone is worried about pricing I think it's an easy option to skip.

I didn't get premium either, and don't regret that at all.

Infamous425

check out the S5 first. i finally saw one in person and wow it is beautiful

zeroday

You haven't seen my nuvi 660 setup...very slick. i'll post pics eventually. Having a humpless dash >*

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

wait, you guys didn't get premium package?

NightHawk CL9

on my 335, i got the prem, sport, heated seats i didnt get the navi as i dislike the two humps on the dash... it all depends on what you want.... but i personally dislike the twin dash... 335i sedan 6mt

picus

Premium is $4900 here and you get leather, and like a compass in your review mirror. So no, I didn't get premium. :p

Even if I wanted leather I'd have gotten it without getting premium, which I think is what Jesal did.

Crazy Bimmer

$2550 for that.

I got leather for $1,450. So I saved $1100 from not getting premium package. It depends if that extra stuff is worth it to you.

Lumbar Support - Never used it in my past cars

Mirrors folding- neat feature but dont need it for where I park

Dimming mirrors - would be nice but my tinted windows do just fine to keep the glare out.

Digital compass - no need since I have Navi

Intergrated 3 button garage - thats the only thing i wanted but wasnt worth the price for me.

BMW assist - I know how to use a cell phone

Bluetooth - I HATE talking on the phone while driving.

Only thing i could want is the dimming mirror with garage door opener which I still can get if wanted. The dealer sells it for $400 or so.

I was trying to keep the car under $45k but that didnt happen since i wanted leather. So i had to cut cost elsewhere.

I also didnt get the Cold Weather package for $750, instead I just got the heated seats for $500. Headlight washers annoy me since they always make a mess.

ONLY thing i regret not getting is SIRIUS Satellite Radio but its $595 and I can still get it installed for about $500. Just thought i could handle CDs and the radio and save the $595, but damn i was wrong. I miss my XM and i guess Sirius is my next move. Will be getting that in a week or so.

1killercls

Baller thread.

derrick

Great review.

Hope Jesal can hook you up with the price you want to pay.

I'm a similar predicament as yourself ... I can't quite justify the price tag of a 335 (in Canada) but the "difference" is that I don't really like the overall layout of the car. Car handles great; tons of power; leather interior nice. Idrive I'm not used to and in the auto tranny I drove, 1st gear seems to hesitate at a stoplight (I realize picus told me to use the manual mode to mitigate this flaw).

I guess I've been brainwashed by Japanese engineering my whole 'driving career' that it's hard for me to move on. Looks like a G37 for me in the spring (unless I can convince the wife I really need that 2002+ NSX ...)

zeroday

I use all this stuff on a regular basis...cept for the compass..

oh my god those goddamn popup ads are annoying as hell...had to retype this 2 times because of it.