Which New Car

[mazjac]

hi,
ive been a golf gti owner for about 4 years (sorry about the language!!)

anyway i am looking to purchase a second hand 3 series and i am torn between the 325ci sport and the 330 ci sport both petol and manual and my buget will get me around a 2002 model. ive spoken to a number of BMW owners and they all say go for the 330 although they are apparently both fantastic engines.

can anyone offer me any buying guidance - which one should i go for and what should i look out for. Also should i be put off by say a car with 50k miles plus.

hope you can help

thanks

[miztuhdan]

330i is just more powerful. Standard and premium features are the same. I'd go with either, the way I look at it (since I am doing it), is that a 330i costs a lot more for only a small boost in horsepower. You can boost the horsepower yourself for less than a 330 goes for.

[Q_BMW]

hey
not sure if you can boost the horsepower from like 180 or whatever a 325 i to 225 from a 330.
I have driven both and I was in the same situation 2 months ago when I bought mine, I would say def go for a 330 if you want a better ride. My choice was between an 01 325i with 32K miles or an 01 330i with 48K. Took the latter and dont regret it at all.
Q

[Q_BMW]

check this too:

http://www.bmw-forums.com/forum/inde...howtopic=31426

[mazjac]

Originally posted by Q_BMW@Feb 2 2005, 12:00 AM
hey
not sure if you can boost the horsepower from like 180 or whatever a 325 i to 225 from a 330.
I have driven both and I was in the same situation 2 months ago when I bought mine, I would say def go for a 330 if you want a better ride. My choice was between an 01 325i with 32K miles or an 01 330i with 48K. Took the latter and dont regret it at all.
Q

[snapback]284488[/snapback]

thanks
youve kinda confirmed what i had hoped you would say
i.e. go for the 330 even if it means buying an older one to fit the budget.
have you had any problems with yours and should i look out for anything in particular. Also ive noticed there seems to be a lot of automatics around in the uk -personally i think a car should be manual and should be driven and not the other way round.

[Q_BMW]

hey buddy
trust me my search took twice as long just because I was picky on a manual. Please take your time and look around for a manual and get one because if your like me, where your true joy is driving a manual you will get bored of an automatic even thou it has power in like a week!!!

I have not had any problems with my car so far (touch wood!! lol) , I am not sure what all you should look for in it, its more personal preference. Also, since its used and the choice is manual the options are kinda limited. For example, I wanted the winter pkg cuz I live in chicago and the premium pkg. The one I bought did not have the winter pkg but instead had the M pkg and Sport pkg so I decided to sacrifice a little....dont regret that at all either.

Also, one mistake or more like I wish I had waited like a week more and looked around a lot wwas that try and get one with navigation !! its only like 300-500 bucks more or maybe less now if you find a used one with it, but if you go to install one it runs in the thousands.

Anyways, good luck lemme know if you need any more info and pls make sure to post pics!!

Q

[///M Dream]

yea, take your time for research. when you find the right one, you'll know!

[TpBeemer]

Originally posted by ///M Dream@Feb 2 2005, 06:22 AM
yea, take your time for research. when you find the right one, you'll know!

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I recommend 330, yeah it costs more but you'll get what you'll pay. I have 04 330ci 6spd stick performance pack. It's so much fun to drive .

[gtc6244]

mazjac -

I didn't catch were you are located, but in some areas (Canada for sure!) the standard feature differ significantly between the two models. When I first started looking at E46s a few years back, I checked the costs and the 325 & 330 coupes in manual form where about 7-8 thousand dollars in difference in base form. After adding in the features to get the 325 up to the same equipment level as the 330 (330Ci in Canada has bigger rims, sunroof, DSC, etc, etc as standard features) , the price difference shrunk to about $2000 CAD. Not nearly as significant as the base vs. base price. I'm not sure if the same holds true for other areas around the world, but perhaps worth considering...

--GTC

[jisang1]

I say got for a 2000 323i. I drove all three cars, but the price on the 323i will be worth the fall in performance.

[PA330Ci]

have you test driven either of them yet? i recommend trying them out personally first, i think they both feel completely different, but thats just me.

[Vin]

Im from the UK and bought a 325Ci Sport back in September. I love the car but the only thing i regret is that i didnt get the 330Ci Sport. the price diff isnt that big usually. if u get an auto defintely get the 330 because the 325 auto is a bit sluggish off the line but once it gets 2nd is on its way. The 330Ci even gets better fuel consumption on the motorway owing to different diff and engine speeds. the 330Ci sport alos gets a larger louder exhaust. insurance price diffs arnt even that bad only £40 on tesco.com

either way u definitely wont regret it.

[BimmerDom]

Originally posted by gtc6244@Feb 2 2005, 08:43 PM
mazjac -

I didn't catch were you are located, but in some areas (Canada for sure!) the standard feature differ significantly between the two models.*

Yup, I was looking at leasing a 325i with Sport pack, sunroof, heated seats versus a 330i that comes standard with the 325's sport pack suspension, standard 17" rims, sunroof and heated seats. The only diff were the seats and steering wheel.

The difference between the two was $25/month on a lease.

I got the 325i because I took over a lease and got a HUGE lump of cash.

PS: I was also driving a VW for 4 years :wink