[Jay_328]

I'd go with Sports Package, it's worth every penny and definately helps with the appearance of your car.

.... not wanting to offend anyone , but I hate those stock 16's

[justchecking]

Originally Posted by city_girl

I have two options: 1) Just the navigation systems in my car or 2) the sport package, satellite radio,and 6-disc changer. I am not sure which option. Is the navigation worth it, is it super helpful??

Navigation is useful if you are out of town. Did a ED of 2006 330i and did not opt for navigation. Used Garmin c320 with Europe maps. Super helpful. If you are going to be using the car in your hometown where you pretty much know everything anyways, you will be fine investing in something like garmin car navigation unit that you use when you actually need navigation like when you take the car out of town or use a rental car etc.

-jc

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by e90fanatic

without nav...the car feels empty or something's missing

you could say the same about the sport package, but i guess only if you are a driving enthusiast.

[ska///235i]

If I have to choice either ZSP or Nav....I'll take the sports pack and maybe buy a portable $500 nav in the future.

but then...I gettin one with ZSP, ZPP, & Nav....lol

[longtran]

Originally Posted by Nikki

if the grown men reviewing the car say it is confusing, i can't imagine what a 19 year old girl would think.

a grown man is a moron if use it for 1 day and say its confusing. it took me a couple of days to figure everything out. i am very comfortable with it now. i can pretty much use it with my eyes closed. i cant see the e90 without it. it is very helpful. example, i went to san francisco didnt know that area at all. found my way with the navi. thanks navi. and if a 19 year old girl cant figure it out i dont know what to say. i am 26 btw. obviously nikki did no see t his thread on navi owners. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4908 you should check it out.

[BellasBmw]

Id do sport pkg too.
I realy want the navi just for the fun factor and locating phone numbers.. but other than that, i dont drive to random places very much. Usually its to work, school, friends, mall, beach..etc. So if u are traveling alot, id get it.. But def go w/ sports.

[Barry626]

Originally Posted by CnoteMD

If you never get navigation, you probably won't miss it. But after having it, I can't imagine buying a primary car without it.

Michael totally agree with you!

My first Navigation ever and it's super easy to work it.
Nav. is on the $ & knows way more than u do far as back roads, etc.

[UCe90]

Have Navigation on my 04 Toyota Sienna, didn't really need it on the BMW. Most long trips with family is with the van (finds hotels, gas, toyota dealers, and restaurants), BMW is mainly for daily commute (don't need it, got some AAA maps).

Originally Posted by Jay_325Ci

. . . . not wanting to offend anyone , but I hate those stock 16's

Couldn't agree more.

[thrill30]

Reading the first few words in your post, I was going to say go for Navigation, because it's worth every single penny you will pay for it, IMHO... Yes it's not perfect and you won't use it everyday but it's a big positive addition to the car. I won't bore you with another Navigation review, but I will tell you this: Even with it's shortcomings, Navigation rocks :rocks:

But the fact that your other option is Sport Package, I have to say that if you have to take one of the two, you must go for the Sport package. It's a must IMHO.

[borahatch]

Sport package over NAV for sure. That being said, I wish my sister would have gotten the NAV. The car looks so much better on the inside with it! But her E46 didn't have NAV, so it wasn't that big a deal. My G35 Coupe has NAV so for me, all my cars from here on out WILL have NAV. Once you see the light, you wont want to go back!

[Imperial]

I agree with those who say sport over nav. I have both in my car and *love* my Nav system as well as my sport package. The iDrive is really not that confusing to use at all. I had it figured out by the time I got home from the dealership on the day I took delivery. HOWEVER, if it's between iDrive and the sport package, then there's no question whatsoever -


SPORT PACKAGE!

[LEDZEP]

iDrive would be nice if I could aford to load the car with everything. But it would really be a novelty option for me. I put my money in the things I use: Premium package (a no-brainer to me), Satellite radio, heated seats, etc. Like Nikki said, the CD changer is obsolete (and expensive). Use MP3 CDs and iPod.

[davinet78]

i didnt choose the navigation either cos for that money all the other options that you mentioned are more worth it in my opinion and personally i would never use the navigational system myself

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by longtran

a grown man is a moron if use it for 1 day and say its confusing. it took me a couple of days to figure everything out. i am very comfortable with it now. i can pretty much use it with my eyes closed. i cant see the e90 without it. it is very helpful. example, i went to san francisco didnt know that area at all. found my way with the navi. thanks navi. and if a 19 year old girl cant figure it out i dont know what to say. i am 26 btw. obviously nikki did no see t his thread on navi owners. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4908 you should check it out.

I usually don't bother clicking on anything to do with iDrive since it doesn't concern me. All I know is that I am happy without it and I don't need it. Maybe it's just because I am good with directions, and I never leave to go somewhere if I'm not exactly sure how to get there.

[Wolf359]

I have both, sport package and navigation (And no, it's not confusing, if anyone finds that confusing, then for these folks programming a VCR must be a total nightmare).

Sport package comes top on the list though, no question there...!

[quackman]

If you're like me, you don't know your way the heck around. I love having nav in my new car- there's no fear in going wherever you please and getting lost. It's also nice to have a virtual map in the car in case you want to know what's ahead in an unfamiliar area.
I don't find it confusing AT ALL. I love BMW's nav+I-Drive.

[Nikki]

I was just basing the confusing statement on things that I've read.
I personally just don't see the point of shuffling through things on a huge screen
when I can just have a couple simple buttons instead.
I'm a Yahoo Maps person anyways.
Plus it's hard to get lost when you live in a place with only horizontal and vertical roads.
The beach is on my left, well then I'm heading south.
and all I need is my 6spd and my CD player. Then I'm in Heaven, lol.

[Wolf359]

Yeah, that's a case where nav is not needed! In my area the roads were built in the '70s by some twisted architects who had a thing for labyrinths I think... Pretty common in the suburbs.

But I must say again, Sport came first, and Nav was below that item in the list, so if someone has to choose between the two for budget reasons, I think Sport is way more enjoyable!

[magmd]

I agree with people here. If it comes down to Nav vs Sports....its a no brainer Sports package for sure. But like everyone, I have both and I do love the i-drive and the nav is very easy to use once you sit there and play with it for a bit. Forget the CD player!!! Maybe get an aftermarket Nav...my friend loves his Tom Tom Go. Looks like this

http://www.tomtom.com/

One thing to consider for others that may be contemplating this dilemma, is the area you live in. I used to live in boston...and the roads are terrible..in configuration and in quality ..potholes/construction everywhere. In this situation...I might have preferred the nav over the ZSP. 1) would have helped me considerably in getting around that backwards layout of a city 2) can't really enjoy the ZSP for a good part of the year (can snow from October to April!!!!!!)

[e90fanatic]

Originally Posted by theclay

Not to me, I usually know where I am going.

yea me too but it's the idrive that makes the interior looks complete.

Many people don't like the iDrive because of its first impression on the 7. The new iDrive on the 3 has been improved and it doesn't have as much features as the 7. Many people hate it because ur reading reviews and comments from 60+ yr olds that doesn't even type with two hands. The car is more integrated with the idrive as you can control everything using it. It's actually something that only the 3 has and none of its competitors have (e.g. Audi, Volvo, Merc). I know where Im going if I'm at home but once you go on a trip to somewhere u haven't bene to, you rather have the nav tell you where you are going than reading the map. For under 2000, i think it's the best deal there is but of course it's a luxury, don't get it if u have to choose between idrive and other features. At the end, it depends what really gives you the satisfaction.

Oh...and as far as aftermarket GPS units go, I used it in my 2002 S60 T5. They work great. But i just want a integrated clean look. Secondly, with those aftermarket units, you need to take it off whenever you park unless you want somebody to break into ur car. I'd actually recommend the Magellan Roadmate 750, my second pick would be the Tom Tom 700.

[CALIF65GM]

SP, but if you use your car for work (ie sales) then Nav.

But personally I am probably better than any Nav system at directions/maps myself.