[Peanuthead]

I currently drive a 2003 C32 AMG and
will be in the market for a new car in September.
I drove BMW's for more than 20 years, including a 318i, 528i, 535i and most recently a 328Ci.
I went to purchase an M3, but they were selling for $5K over MSRP at the time, so I switched to the dark side and bought the AMG.
I test drove a 2006 330i yesterday and was VERY impressed, especially with the acceleration, braking and overall handling. I had forgotten just how good these cars drive.
I am trying to wait for the 335Ci, if there is such a thing coming.
But, if I have to compromise on a 330i/330Ci, I am wondering, are there any former C32/C55 owners here, and if so, what has been your honest (pro and con) opinion of the switch from 349HP/332 lb-ft to the 255HP/220 lb-ft of the 330i?
I know in the handling department there is no comparison.
Thanks.

[3some]

Originally Posted by Peanuthead

I currently drive a 2003 C32 AMG and
will be in the market for a new car in September.
I drove BMW's for more than 20 years, including a 318i, 528i, 535i and most recently a 328Ci.
I went to purchase an M3, but they were selling for $5K over MSRP at the time, so I switched to the dark side and bought the AMG.
I test drove a 2006 330i yesterday and was VERY impressed, especially with the acceleration, braking and overall handling. I had forgotten just how good these cars drive.
I am trying to wait for the 335Ci, if there is such a thing coming.
But, if I have to compromise on a 330i/330Ci, I am wondering, are there any former C32/C55 owners here, and if so, what has been your honest (pro and con) opinion of the switch from 349HP/332 lb-ft to the 255HP/220 lb-ft of the 330i?
I know in the handling department there is no comparison.
Thanks.

Sorry not me. But nice ride anyways, can we trick you into getting a Bimmer again? Maybe a E90 M3 i think.

What you think....

[sunchild]

Was very serious on a C32/C55 or a 330i as well. I went with the E90 330i six-speed for two factors. (1) the new C class models will start rolling out soon (2) I did not feel like paying for maintenance on the C32/C55 as we all know upkeep on a mercedes is not cheap.

Powerwise the C32/C55 is awesome, yet the 330i is not a slow car, great for a daily driver. Maybe in the next 2-3 years a M3 or M5 will be my answer to that.

[Peanuthead]

Originally Posted by sunchild

Was very serious on a C32/C55 or a 330i as well. I went with the E90 330i six-speed for two factors. (1) the new C class models will start rolling out soon (2) I did not feel like paying for maintenance on the C32/C55 as we all know upkeep on a mercedes is not cheap.

Powerwise the C32/C55 is awesome, yet the 330i is not a slow car, great for a daily driver. Maybe in the next 2-3 years a M3 or M5 will be my answer to that.

Yes, the scheduled maintenance is definitely part of the equation. I have it on my 2003, but a 2007 would not include it.
I definitely would not miss purchasing Michelin PS2's for the rear, 4th set in 22K miles, and no, I do NOT do burnouts (at least not intentionally!).

[E90-4life]

Me 3 on the maitenence bit. Major reason as to why the majority of MB customers are lesees. The C55 and 330i are two completely different animals. I can say that having driven both. The C55 is a balls out drag strip racer, while the 330i is a highly talented gymnast/acrobat. The only thing fun about the C55 from my experience is the fact that this car can be driven fast easily and is somewhat pliable on the twisty bits(providing you know when and how to accelerate, the chassis isn't all that competent when you push it hard). Why not just wait for the E90 M3?

[Peanuthead]

I leased my C32 as well, and the lease is up in September.
As it stands now, I will probably go with a 335Ci if they are available at the time. If it is between a 330i and something else, including keeping the C32, it will be a hard call.

[E90-4life]

Originally Posted by Peanuthead

I leased my C32 as well, and the lease is up in September.
As it stands now, I will probably go with a 335Ci if they are available at the time. If it is between a 330i and something else, including keeping the C32, it will be a hard call.

Will you lease the 3?

[stressdoc]

335 E92 sounds like an excellent potential choice. The hard part is waiting with the rest of us in the interim.

[Peanuthead]

Originally Posted by E90-4life

Will you lease the 3?

Most likely, depending on the money factor and residual at the time.
Maybe a 24 month lease in preparation for the E92 M3 might be the best thing to do.

[E90-4life]

Originally Posted by Peanuthead

Most likely, depending on the money factor and residual at the time.
Maybe a 24 month lease in preparation for the E92 M3 might be the best thing to do.

I agree, and you'll get an experience you'd never recieve in any Benz, ever.

[Peanuthead]

Originally Posted by stressdoc

335 E92 sounds like an excellent potential choice. The hard part is waiting with the rest of us in the interim.

Hopefully the Geneva car show next month will give us some insight into how long that wait may be!

[E90-4life]

Originally Posted by Peanuthead

Hopefully the Geneva car show next month will give us some insight into how long that wait may be!

Won't be much a wait then. It's also been said we'll see an M3 concept.

[Peanuthead]

Originally Posted by E90-4life

Won't be much a wait then. It's also been said we'll see an M3 concept.

I can't WAIT to see that V8 M3 concept (as I sit here bummed out, over how crappy the Forza emulator is for the XBOX360).
Off Topic, if you plan to sell your XBOX to get an XBOX360, DON'T!
You will miss games like Forza, TOCA Race Driver 3 etc. The Microsoft software emulators are a joke! :mad:

[lux.sh]

Originally Posted by Peanuthead

From 349HP/332 lb-ft to the 255HP/220 lb-ft of the 330i?

whoa, NOT a good idea.

[rickb]

I agree, and you'll get an experience you'd never recieve in any Benz, ever

Any chance you can clarify what you mean here? The AMGs are some serious performance cars, and the experience between them and the M cars is quite comparable.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Peanuthead
From 349HP/332 lb-ft to the 255HP/220 lb-ft of the 330i?


whoa, NOT a good idea.

I went from a 2001 CLK55 to an 06 325i. I was extremely close to buying an 03 C32 but several things led me to the decision:
1. the '03 was preowned, and even though certified, would be out of warranty in 2.5 years.
2. the maintenance costs (as others have mentioned)
3. The toys - I got the e90 loaded up with everything, and there were several things the C32 didn't have - NAV was one, but more important to me was bluetooth - I drive from meeting to meeting some days and the convenience is even better than I had hoped for.

So I went from 349 HP and 362 lb/ft of torque to 215 and 185. The torque drop off is very, very noticeable. The HP is not as big a deal - but I don't drive like a drag racer most of the time, so it's not as important to me as for some.

The e90 is much more responsive than I expected - I'm not silly enough to call the two comparable, but the performance is quite acceptable to me, and it is great for highway driving around Orlando. The improvement in mileage is a nice bonus.

Plus, I took a short 2 year lease, figuring in 2 years I would want to be looking at the new M3 anyhow - I figured for two years, it would work just great. So far it has.

[Peanuthead]

rickb, just curious. Coming from a CLK55, why did you not go for the 330i? Do you find that you miss the coupe, or do you also like sedans as much?

[cntlaw]

Originally Posted by Peanuthead

if I have to compromise on a 330i/330Ci, I am wondering, are there any former C32/C55 owners here, and if so, what has been your honest (pro and con) opinion of the switch from 349HP/332 lb-ft to the 255HP/220 lb-ft of the 330i?
I know in the handling department there is no comparison.
Thanks.

I bought my C55 AMG W203 brand new in Aug 2004, now done 26,000km, and will keep it hopefully for another 2 years. I just bought a 330i E90 (non sport) Steptronic in Feb 2006 and have done ~600km already.

Even the 330i is still under breakin period, I am very impressed with its performance for day-to-day use. I guess the 330i 's 30kg/m torque at 2500rpm and 6 Speed Steptronic are major contributions to a smooth and confidence acceleration , which is no less than the C55 (5-Speed AMG Speedshift) for non-aggressive driving situations. I did not find I am driving a significantly weaker car on all the uphills, highways I drive daily. I will not be able to test high speed corner and critical overtakings during breakin in period. So far, with the 330i , I will still have 80% of fun as the C32/C55 if don't intend to race with the Porsche, Subaru...etc. If you used to a C32/C55, whether it is a 330 or a 335 , it does not really matter, right? Go ahead for the 330i if you don't want to wait for 335, at least the 330i uses 20+% less fuel than the C55. I think 260hp is the 'best power' for downgrade from 360hp; and 440hp is the 'best upgrade' for existing 360hp owner. If you go for a 300hp 335i, you need to manage your expectation for paying a little more and wait longer and not faster than your C32.

[Peanuthead]

Hey cntlaw, I have seen your posts over at mbworld.org. I was wondering when your E90 was going to arrive.....
Due to my lease-end timing, I may be perfectly positioned for the 335i.
Anxiously awaiting any definitive information on the new model.
The E90 330i that I test drove was so impressive, I can't wait to
see what a ~300HP E90 will drive like.

[tctic]

I think cntlaw's E90 is delivered to him already. We've seen photos of it too.

[dxk]

I had 2002 C32 AMG. Was having exact same thoughts as you and had a long discussion here with folks about 6 months ago.
I finally got 330I sport in September, no regrets at all.
350hp is the only advantage C32 has, almost everything else is better in the BMW. I don't have time to go into every detail, though.
It will take you few days to get used to the Bimmer after the Merc.
Just make sure you option it right and get the sport package.
If possible, I would probably wait till 335, but I would not get C55 AMG, it is probably the last year of prod, the new body should be out soon.

[cntlaw]

Originally Posted by Peanuthead

Hey cntlaw, I have seen your posts over at mbworld.org. I was wondering when your E90 was going to arrive.....
Due to my lease-end timing, I may be perfectly positioned for the 335i.
Anxiously awaiting any definitive information on the new model.
The E90 330i that I test drove was so impressive, I can't wait to
see what a ~300HP E90 will drive like.

C32 is not incorporated with 'direct control' like the C55, thus, you will find E90 steering feel is better the C32. Overall steering feel and balance of C55 and 330i are actually 'very close'. I guess the C55's better AMG suspension and E90's lighter weight (particularly frontend) are kind of offset each other in handling. Both are great sporty sedans. I would say, a 300hp BMW will not be faster than the C32/C55 's 4.9s but you will definitely feel it is as fast in most driving situations.

[lux.sh]

Originally Posted by rickb

Any chance you can clarify what you mean here? The AMGs are some serious performance cars, and the experience between them and the M cars is quite comparable.



I went from a 2001 CLK55 to an 06 325i. I was extremely close to buying an 03 C32 but several things led me to the decision:
1. the '03 was preowned, and even though certified, would be out of warranty in 2.5 years.
2. the maintenance costs (as others have mentioned)
3. The toys - I got the e90 loaded up with everything, and there were several things the C32 didn't have - NAV was one, but more important to me was bluetooth - I drive from meeting to meeting some days and the convenience is even better than I had hoped for.

So I went from 349 HP and 362 lb/ft of torque to 215 and 185. The torque drop off is very, very noticeable. The HP is not as big a deal - but I don't drive like a drag racer most of the time, so it's not as important to me as for some.

The e90 is much more responsive than I expected - I'm not silly enough to call the two comparable, but the performance is quite acceptable to me, and it is great for highway driving around Orlando. The improvement in mileage is a nice bonus.

Plus, I took a short 2 year lease, figuring in 2 years I would want to be looking at the new M3 anyhow - I figured for two years, it would work just great. So far it has.

Honestly, if you were able to afford CLK55, why did you go down to 325?