[chazmtb]

Do any of you regret getting a 325 instead of a 330. I am thinking of purchasing a 325 6spd with sport package , mainly for daily driving. Maybe in a year or two, wifey will let me get a used 911 as a fun car. If I get the 330, it's unlikely that I get the 911. But then again getting the 911 may never take place. I haven't hit the mid life crisis porsche stage yet, only 32 with one kid and hopefully more on the way.

What are some of your thoughts.

[noflash]

My advice is to always get the coolest car you can afford -- NOW!

Life is too short!

[Broken1]

I would get a 325. It's more than enough to have your boy racer joys filled!

[tim916]

I'm going from an E36 M3 to a 325i and though I have only driven the 325i about 10 miles, I can tell it is going to be nearly as fun to drive as the M3.

The main difference is the amount of road feel in the steering. The E90 definitely feels somewhat numb compared to the M3, but it also feels like it has just as much grip and very little body roll. Honestly, it's kind of unfair to compare the two because how many cars ever built give as much feedback as the E36 M3?

I cannot comment on the difference in power as I have not had the opportunity to wind out the 325 yet, but the new motor is certainly smoother.

My point is that if I can be satisfied going from an M3 to a 325, then I think that you will not regret going with the 325 instead of the 330.

[fusionnv]

SO far I am good with the 325i. I drove the 330 before and it does feel different but I can't say for sure. I am guessing these will be one of those things where you would have to be next to a 330 and race to see how well the car do and then compare.

[Athos]

Originally Posted by fusionnv

I am guessing these will be one of those things where you would have to be next to a 330 and race to see how well the car do and then compare.

In that case, I can guarantee it would not be the car but the driver that would make the difference. An even marginally better driver would make a bigger difference than there is between these two cars.

[arnie]

i will get the 330i, it is something totally different, spoil yourself mate.

[bmwczech]

I have also been debating over the same thing, 325i or 330i???

I have driven the 330i with a manual with sport package and I thought it was really quick and powerful. Then I test drove the 325i but unfortunatley in an auto with sport package(unfair comparison right off the bat with the manual vs auto) and I thought it was okay but not as quick as the 330i.

After driving both, I concluded at least for me that the 325i would be what I am going to buy. Eventhough the 330i has more power than the 325i, for my driving the 325i has sufficient power and as far as handling was concerned the two cars had the same road feel although the 330i had the 18" wheels which might give it a bit of an advantage. The other thing is if you get the 325i in the manual you can get more power out of the car in your driving. The other determining factor in my decision is price. The price difference here in Canada is $ 8,000. I know with the 330i you do get some extra features with the car besides the higher output in horespower, but $ 8,000 is a good chunk of change.

I hope this helps and good luck!

[Robbie!]

No regrets at all! I have a 325I with sports and premium packages and the car is amazing. Fast, handles well and is exactly what I wanted. I am 34 with one child and the back seat is a perfect size for a car seat.

[chazmtb]

Well, after thinking about it, I'll probably get the 330i. It'll probably be in late fall, because I like the Mystic Blue so much (loved it on the M3). After adding what you would get standard on the 330i power seats, xenons, and logic 7, vs options on the 325i, the difference in price is $2350 (based of U.S. inventory pricing). When you spread that over 5 years, its about 40 more dollars a month.

[34Three]

Way to go--I made the same call. I'm doing 330i ED to make it an even better trade off but there are several other things that make a 330i a solid bet in addition to Logic7, Xenon, Pwr Seats,

Std 17" wheels (no sport thanks with Chicago potholes)
Heavy Duty Transmission for add'l torque
Larger Brakes
Chrome accents

Of course you can go with 325 and do mods but why not just have it prepped, perfect, and warrantied. Plus I'd rather spend $40 / month than $4,000 on Dinan hassles and headaches...in the end is really a "savings"?? not really

No regrets on 330

[Athos]

Originally Posted by chazmtb

Well, after thinking about it, I'll probably get the 330i. It'll probably be in late fall, because I like the Mystic Blue so much (loved it on the M3). After adding what you would get standard on the 330i power seats, xenons, and logic 7, vs options on the 325i, the difference in price is $2350 (based of U.S. inventory pricing). When you spread that over 5 years, its about 40 more dollars a month.

I think your reasoning makes perfect sense if you would have optioned up the 325 anyway to get the 330s extras. Sounds like you would have and so the 330 is clearly the right choice for you. For me, although nice, I don't want the extras badly enough to justify their extra cost (IMHO--I can adjust the seat my self once in awhile, don't do that much night driving and don't like to blind people anyway, Logic 7 only sounded a couple of hundred dollars better--not $1200, etc.) In other words, I wouldn't option up a 325 to get them. For me the price differential between the two models is really almost $6K because I would rather save the money than pay for the extras. I just don't see the E90 as a $40K to $50K car. A terrific $30 to $35K car, though. Just my 2 cents.

[Robin_NL]

IMHO

ALWAYS go for the one with the MOST BHP(if your wallet can afford it) ALWAYS.

You CANNOT, I repeat CANNOT have too much horsepower

A 330i is a 'fast' car and that's it, you get used to the power in one week(even with theE46 M3)

That's a big problem for me

[Athos]

Originally Posted by 34Three

Of course you can go with 325 and do mods but why not just have it prepped, perfect, and warrantied. Plus I'd rather spend $40 / month than $4,000 on Dinan hassles and headaches...in the end is really a "savings"?? not really

Excellent point. Completely agree. I don't think it makes sense for the vast majority of people to save on a 330 and then to add mods to get back to a 330.

[fusionnv]

Originally Posted by Robin Hood

IMHO

ALWAYS go for the one with the MOST BHP(if your wallet can afford it) ALWAYS.

You CANNOT, I repeat CANNOT have too much horsepower

A 330i is a 'fast' car and that's it, you get used to the power in one week(even with theE46 M3)

That's a big problem for me

I couldn't afford the 330 instead I have to get the 325i with a couple of options I though was worthwhile. I think for me, it would have made a 3g difference. But those 3 g is still 3 gs. I wouldn't give somebody 3g easily.

[chazmtb]

For me, I will do European Delivery. Did that with my 2002 325ci. My car will not be heavily optioned. For a 330, the only option would be sport package and metalic paint. I have one kid and leatherette has worked fine for my X5 (thank God for it) and the 325ci. All in all, it will probably cost me $34,000 for the car including the BMW CCA rebate. The problem is I test drove an e46 M3 right after I test drove the 330i. The M3 was used and my salesperson let me beat on it a little bit. The power was addictive. The 330 was great too but had no where the punch as the M3. I may wait for the new M3, but I think that will be overpriced and dealers will charge 5 to 10k premiums for them. That will put it upwards of 65 to 70Gs. However, I have always wanted a Porsche. Maybe what will happen is I get the 330 now and wait until 40 to really reward myself.

[UncleWede]

Buy the 325, then get something with only two wheels for the crisis! My 325 and this http://user1.iswest.net/~uncle/Black_Lightning/ cost about the same. The 325 is more fun to drive right now, but that's just because its new. There's nothing like whitelining up to the front of the traffic, then scooting on down teh road when the green comes up.

[chazmtb]

Uncle,
Your bike looks great. However, I'd like to get something with four wheels and a roll cage once I hit that statge.

[Athos]

Originally Posted by chazmtb

For me, I will do European Delivery. Did that with my 2002 325ci. My car will not be heavily optioned. For a 330, the only option would be sport package and metalic paint. I have one kid and leatherette has worked fine for my X5 (thank God for it) and the 325ci. All in all, it will probably cost me $34,000 for the car including the BMW CCA rebate. The problem is I test drove an e46 M3 right after I test drove the 330i. The M3 was used and my salesperson let me beat on it a little bit. The power was addictive. The 330 was great too but had no where the punch as the M3. I may wait for the new M3, but I think that will be overpriced and dealers will charge 5 to 10k premiums for them. That will put it upwards of 65 to 70Gs. However, I have always wanted a Porsche. Maybe what will happen is I get the 330 now and wait until 40 to really reward myself.

There may be another option. There is rumored to be a 335 (aka 330tii) a turbocharged 330hp E90coming out in the next year that fits between the 330 and M3. Of course, nothing near firm or clear yet so probably not worth basing a choice upon.

[chazmtb]

I'm not really counting on the turbo yet. If I wanted turbo, I'll put on a supercharger later. Ooh, that gives me an idea, supercharged 3.0 325i engine. Naw, I want to keep it NA.

[ward]

Originally Posted by tim916

I'm going from an E36 M3 to a 325i and though I have only driven the 325i about 10 miles, I can tell it is going to be nearly as fun to drive as the M3.

The main difference is the amount of road feel in the steering. The E90 definitely feels somewhat numb compared to the M3, but it also feels like it has just as much grip and very little body roll. Honestly, it's kind of unfair to compare the two because how many cars ever built give as much feedback as the E36 M3?

I cannot comment on the difference in power as I have not had the opportunity to wind out the 325 yet, but the new motor is certainly smoother.

My point is that if I can be satisfied going from an M3 to a 325, then I think that you will not regret going with the 325 instead of the 330.

I'm doing the same thing, coming from an E36 M3,
save your money for a better toy car later, like the 911

[GrFa]

Originally Posted by ward

I'm doing the same thing, coming from an E36 M3,
save your money for a better toy car later, like the 911

Well that makes three of us. I have yet to drive the new 3s but I drove a 2006 525i auto with the new engine and it had plenty of poke, a 3 with that engine and a stick should be more than entertaining. Plus, a 325i and a 330i are both 3.0 engines so the feeling of power can't be too different. The difference is more in equipment than power as others have said.