[ssangjune]

Hi,

I live in northern east jersey, near NYC and i've been seeing more and more E90's popping up here and there. I have NOT seen a single 330i yet... It seems like more people are going for the 325 than the 330, i guess since BMW upgrade the 325 engine to a I-6 3.0L.
Would everyone agree 325 > 330 in qty? Does anyone else seethat trend?

I'm getting my 330i Blk w/ 18" Sp Pkg due end of July so I can not wait!

[Nathan]

it may be different in different markets. In Chicago, all i've seen is 330s, and the only 325s i've seen are on the lots. But, that doesn't really mean anything.

Nathan

[ACZakka325i]

up here in CT i notice more 330s than 325s

[johnfkitchen]

FWIW, there were 460 E90s on the Turandot arrived NY/NJ 01JUL05.

191 were 325i, 269 were 330i.

[RichReg]

Originally Posted by ssangjune

Hi,

I live in northern east jersey, near NYC and i've been seeing more and more E90's popping up here and there. I have NOT seen a single 330i yet... It seems like more people are going for the 325 than the 330, i guess since BMW upgrade the 325 engine to a I-6 3.0L.
Would everyone agree 325 > 330 in qty? Does anyone else seethat trend?

I'm getting my 330i Blk w/ 18" Sp Pkg due end of July so I can not wait!

There have been numerous threads out there about "upgrading" 325s to 330s and I'm sure that that isn't the reason you see more of them as opposed to 330s.
Historically BMW sells more 325s than 330s, so of course the probability is higher to catch a 325 on the road.

On a positive note, if you want to see a 330 in the New Brunswick, NJ area, pass by there on a nice sunny weekend & you'll stand a good chance of seeing mine.

[BellasBmw]

Ive seen 3 325i's here in san diego, no 330 yet..

[CC 330i]

When you come right down to it, the 330i is really a "niche" product, and the 325i is much more mainstream.

The 3 series accounts for most of BMWs sales, and is the least expensive product in the lineup. Typically people who want a small BMW get the 325 because it costs less and is a very good car. If power is not your primary concern, the 325 does everything that the 330i does, and costs less. The 330i gives a significant bump in power, but let's face it, 90% of BMW buyers are not JUST interested in performance.

Those who want a "Max Performance" small BMW get the M3 (if they can afford it, and don't mind only having a 2 door).

So the 330i (and the 330Ci) falls between the two of these cars, and is for those that want a little more performance than the 325i, but not as much as the M3. (and with a lot more comfort). The 3 series is the least expensive BMW, and the 325 is the least expensive 3 series, so for obvious reasons, it is a great choice for younger buyers that aren't rich and that still want 4 doors. The 330i is for those people that want a small BMW, but want a little more power. Some people don't think that the extra power is worth the extra money, and that's fine. That's what choice is all about.

The 3 series Coupe seems to always have a higher cost and resale value than the 4 door, even though they are basically the same as the sedan, but with FEWER doors... Very odd anomaly in my opinion. I could never figure out why someone would pay more for a 330Ci than for a 330i. But hey, that's the car market for you.

[BellasBmw]

Really? CI has a better resale value? My uncle is a car salesman and he always told me that a 4 door will always resale much better than 2 doors...

[CC 330i]

Originally Posted by BellasBmw

Really? CI has a better resale value? My uncle is a car salesman and he always told me that a 4 door will always resale much better than 2 doors...

While I don't doubt that this is true for most cars, it doesn't seem to be the case for BMW 3 series. Your uncle is definitely right for the majority of cars, though.

I just did a comparison on Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com) on a 2002 BMW 330i and 330Ci, and for the same year and options and miles, the 330Ci came out exactly $1000 higher in price. So when it comes to BMW 3 series, less is apparently more. If you search on AutoTrader, (especially in LA and SD) you will probably find the same is true, and there is even a higher premium placed on the 2 door in these markets.

I think I know why this is. People are willing to pay more for the 330Ci (and 325Ci) because they look a little cleaner with fewer doors, and they seem sportier. I say "seem" because it's anything but "sporty" in my opinion to have to climb over a seat to get in the back. It's annoying, but not really sporty. But since true "sports" cars only have 2 doors, then this is a little truer to the idiom.

But to each their own. The Ci is a little lighter and stiffer too, which will aid in performance somewhat. It's probably negligible, but it's something. It probably made more difference back when the 3 series chassis was not as stiff as it is now.

[onesixeight]

Here in Honolulu, Hawaii, I see more 330s vs 325s...

I see almost as many E46 330 coupes as I see E46 M3s...Lot of BMW fans here!

[CC 330i]

Originally Posted by onesixeight

Here in Honolulu, Hawaii, I see more 330s vs 325s...

I see almost as many E46 330 coupes as I see E46 M3s...Lot of BMW fans here!

Normally I would say that this must be due to the fact that there is a lot of money in Hawaii, and this is definitely true.

It's just that the only other E90 I have seen was in Montecito (near Santa Barbara, and a very expensive area). There was a very distinguished older guy driving the car, and it seemed weird to me that he was in a 325i, and I was in a 330i. I actually respected him for getting the 325 though, because he obviously had his reasons.

[ward]

Keep in mind coupes cost more than the sedans to begin with, so when you see them selling for more later a higher initial price has a big part to do with that.

my dealer told me the other day that they were surprised at how many 330's were showing up and how few 325's they'd put on the road so far. This will change with time though

[tim916]

In the month of June BMWNA sold 4,271 325's and 2,215 330's. So I guess it's nearly 2 to 1 325's to 330's. I think the ratio was much larger for the E46, more like 3 or 4 to 1.

[mid-corner fun]

I live in northern east jersey, near NYC and i've been seeing more and more E90's popping up here and there. I have NOT seen a single 330i yet...

Hey, that's pretty funny, I live in N. Jersey too, I've seen at least 5-6 E90 330i's where I park in Harrison (commute to NYC) but have yet to see a single 325i

[bmt_toronto]

About 50/50 here in the Toronto area. The 330i's are typically loaded (sport pkg, etc.) while the 325i's are generally pretty basic like mine.

Be interesting to see the sales for the 320i when it is launched here, the E46 version was very popular in Canada.

[CC 330i]

Originally Posted by ward

Keep in mind coupes cost more than the sedans to begin with, so when you see them selling for more later a higher initial price has a big part to do with that.

You are definitely right about that. I think that this is ironic, however, when the 2 cars are nearly identical except for LESS standard equipment, namely, the 2 extra doors. Granted, I think maybe the front seats slide back a little further in the coupe too, but they go back plenty far for me (at 6'3") in the sedan.

Funny when you think that adding a sunroof COSTS money, but adding 2 passenger doors SAVES you money. Oh you silly coupe drivers!

[ward]

volume is a big factor in that as well, BMW sells far more sedans than coupes.

The coupe usually has a small feature or 2 that's standard that's not standard on the sedan (on E46 it had fold down seats standard, probably a few other small things)

As for the seat tracks, if they went back any farther I wouldn't be able to touch the pedals, and I'm 6'2" . I did get the cheap manual versions though, maybe the manual seats slide farther back