BimmerFest BMW Forum banner

2005 330Cic...about to buy. Any warnings?

2K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  Redflea 
#1 ·
My wife is about to get a 2005 330Cic...any last-minute dire warnings or cautions before she drives off with the wind in her hair?

It's got 34K miles, Premium package, Sport package, Navigation, Silver/Gray. $19,995 in SoCal.

She's going to test drive it tomorrow or Tuesday and if it looks good close the deal.

Any comments/feedback appreciated.

BTW, can I assume that this car comes w/integrated bluetooth, or was that still an option even w/the Nav system?

Wife is pee-in-her-pants excited, she's been driving a minivan for the last 20 years. :)

Oh, and is there any good/effective alternative to the stock BMW wind deflector (aside from Maxwell Smart's Cone of Silence)? When she saw the defelctors priced at ~$350+ her head started spinning...
 
#2 ·
You've been around for over 4 years... have you read the WIKI? Are you getting a pre-purchase inspection by an independent BMW shop? If you answer no to either of these questions, lock your wife in a room and hide the checkbook until you can answer yes. :)

That car should have bluetooth (it was part of the premium pkg in 2005), but it's almost 8 years old now so there's no guarantee it will work with newest phones. You'll want to try it out during your inspection.
 
#3 ·
Oh, and the Nav unit is JVC...still trying to figure out exactly what this means. I'm assuming that the JVC is not the stock BMW Nav unit. Can anyone clue me in on the JVC?

Good news to have one, bad news? No big deal either way? Been doing some googling and haven't hit much yet.
 

Attachments

#7 · (Edited)
:) Thanks...

I have an 06, bluetooth paired right up with our new phone I got this summer.

It's a wonderful car, it isn't a roadster, so it does lack that certain something the Z4 has, however, it's still a blast to drive and it's a tad higher in quality than the Z4 - for example, the canvas top is triple insulated, the trunk and hood are lined and there's an overall attention to detail that's not quite there in the Z4 of this era - particularly in the way the top is stowed and much of the interior trim and design.

It also has better steering feel courtesy a hydraulic power steering system rather than the electric system employed in the Z4.

I've done a few write-ups over the years here in the E46 section - usually in December when my car's birthday comes up. :)

Enjoy.
I'm looking forward to it, assuming the car checks out. Some fun weekend touring w/the top down. I'd still like a Z4, but having to get a 330Cic is a first-world problem I can live with.

Wish I could find more about the JVC unit in the car...
 
#6 ·
I have an 06, bluetooth paired right up with our new phone I got this summer.

It's a wonderful car, it isn't a roadster, so it does lack that certain something the Z4 has, however, it's still a blast to drive and it's a tad higher in quality than the Z4 - for example, the canvas top is triple insulated, the trunk and hood are lined and there's an overall attention to detail that's not quite there in the Z4 of this era - particularly in the way the top is stowed and much of the interior trim and design.

It also has better steering feel courtesy a hydraulic power steering system rather than the electric system employed in the Z4.

I've done a few write-ups over the years here in the E46 section - usually in December when my car's birthday comes up. :)

Enjoy.
 
#8 ·
It seems pricey to me, but what do I know? I found several 07 and 08 verts for that price. I love the E46 and am not trying to say you should not buy one. But honestly, most E46 verts I see are in the $15k range. For $20k you should be getting a ZHP vert.

34k miles is low, but I'd take a 70k mile car for $15 over a 34k mile car for $20k. Considering these cars run well into the 300k mile mark, anything around 100k miles is going to be a good car.
 
#11 ·
It seems pricey to me, but what do I know? I found several 07 and 08 verts for that price. I love the E46 and am not trying to say you should not buy one. But honestly, most E46 verts I see are in the $15k range. For $20k you should be getting a ZHP vert.

34k miles is low, but I'd take a 70k mile car for $15 over a 34k mile car for $20k. Considering these cars run well into the 300k mile mark, anything around 100k miles is going to be a good car.
Thanks...I can't find anything in the '07/'08 range anywhere near 19K...well towards the mid-20's.

There are '05/'06 selling for less, seen several of them and have run into various issues that didn't leave me feeling confident about the seller or the car, so we passed on them.

Your comment on low miles/higher price vs. higher miles/lower price is well taken, though. Thanks.
 
#9 ·
I know the car looks real tempting, but it`s *way* overpriced (like at least $3,000 to $4,000). You should try to find out how long that car has been in their inventory....at 60 or more days, the sales managers should become VERY motivated to make that sale, especially at this time of year, which is traditionally known as "Death Valley Days" in car sales....
 
#12 ·
The JVC headunit is not a complete piece of crap, but there are much better out there. Personally I like the factory headunit, but I would look into replacing it if it were my car. The dynavin fits perfectly in an E46 but they are a little pricey. You could get a kenwood double DIN touchscreen that would be better than the JVC for around 500 buck if you are a keen shopper.
 
#13 ·
i would listen to Bob and Smolck, you can shave off a decent amount of money for a 70k miles on the clock that is in excellent condition. IMO $20k is too much for a car that is 8 years old :dunno:
plus that aftermarket Navi looks like crap in comparison to the stock one :rolleyes:
but u know, u get what u pay for, perhaps it doesn't require 1 bit of maintenance and has been taken car of ridiculously well, but i would look for alternatives with a lower price tag.
good luck :thumbup:
 
#14 ·
Cannot comment on price as the Australian market is quite different and we have RHD cars here that are BMW European spec. However, I have a 2004 - 330Cic "Individual" (I think that's what you guys call a ZHP) that I bought 4 years ago. High spec. model with 18" wheels, full leather, factory NAV, heated seats etc. It has now done 65,000 miles. Only problems have been usual service items: brake pads, rotors, new front CAB's plus water pump and thermostat replaced. Probably due to age more than mileage. Great car to drive both top up or down and suprisingly quiet for a convertible with top down, if you have the wind deflector. A must for >50mph. I bought one on E bay no problem but I would only get OEM unit. My radio / Nav unit is OEM and works fine - bluetooth connects to my iphone no problem. I have fitted a DICE unit so as I can use my ipod, again works fine. Great car - enjoy it!
 
#15 ·
For some reason I missed the photo of the nav yesterday. This raises some questions for me knowing what I know about the stock system. Fitting a unit like that may have, and probably did, require modification to the ducting for the climate control. And, then is the factory bluetooth still in tact or does this aftermarket headunit handle that duty? Is there any more audio equipment in the car? Amp, speakers, sub? If so, how good is the install?

Was the car originally equipped with factory nav?
 
#16 ·
Thanks for the comments...they are very helpful!

The car was not shipped w/Nav...that was one thing I was trying to figure out and DOH, just check the VIN.

So when we see it we'll check out that functionality carefully...

My wife is pretty set on this car, she get's her mind/heart made up and is pretty hard to re-direct (and it's her money so my leverage is limited :)). I am putting cars w/about 70K on them running in the $16's and that is getting some of her attention. Hopefully a good one that fits her requirements (she has very strong color desires - light metallic paint (no white!) and grey or tan inside, black top).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top