Opinions Please?

Hello everyone!

It's been about a month and a half since I lost my beloved 2010 328i in Monaco Blue to an accident.

I've been shopping around for a new F30 and have narrowed it down to two choices, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

1. 2012 328i Black Sapphire Metallic
Sport Line--Door Mirror caps in black, Sport Suspension, Anthracite headliner, Increased top speed limiter
Sport Line--Sports leather Steering wheel, 18" Light Alloy wheels, Sport seats, High-Gloss Black Trim, Highlight Trim finishers Coral Red Matte
Premium Package--Universal Garage door opener, Comfort Access, Moonroof, Auto-dimming Int.+Ext. Mirrors, Auto-dimming Rearview mirror, Power front seats with driver seat memory, Lumbar support
Technology Package--Navigation, Head-Up Display
Misc.--Sport automatic trans. with shift paddles, heated front seats, Park Distance Control, Xenon headlights, Adaptive light control, Automatic high beams, Smartphone integration, BMW Apps, Real Time Traffic Info.

and

2. 2013 328i Alpine White
Sport Line--Door Mirror caps in black, Anthracite headliner, All Season Tires
Sport Line--Sports leather steering wheel, 18" Light Alloy wheels, Sport seats, Brushed aluminum trim, Highlight trim finishers Black high-gloss
Lighting Package--Xenon Headlights, Adaptive light control
Misc.--Sport automatic trans. with shift paddles, Rear-view camera, Moonroof, Park Distance Control, Navigation, M Sport Suspension


The first one is about $1300 more than the second one. Which would you go for and why?

Also, does anyone have experience owning Black Sapphire metallic? Does it show scratches and dirt more readily than Alpine white?

Thanks everyone!

First off, welcome aboard.

Is there a reason you need to choose from only these two vehicles? If you're conflicted over options that one has over another, you can either order what you want from the factory or scour every one of the 20+ dealers in SoCal that either have inventory on lots or can tell you what's on the water.

Not sure why a well-optioned 2012 and a slightly-optioned 2013 are the only choices here.

BJ

Black shows every scratch, ding, dent and spec of dirt. All dark colors do, but black especially. It's very hard to keep black paint looking good, but when it looks good and clean, it is certainly sexy.
Alpine white is a lot less labor intensive for keeping the paint looking good and car looking clean. The car will get equally dirty and dinged obviously, but the white does not show dirt and damage quite nearly as much.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming that the 2012 model is one that's available at a dealership, and the 2013 is a build model you'd have to order??

Hey BJ, thanks for the reply.

I've checked out the dealers in my immediate vicinity, planning on "scouring" some more tomorrow.

Do you happen to know how long it typically takes to custom order one?

Reedo302,

Thanks for your input.

Actually, they're both available at the dealership.

Originally Posted by KnowledgeMC

Hey BJ, thanks for the reply.

I've checked out the dealers in my immediate vicinity, planning on "scouring" some more tomorrow.

Do you happen to know how long it typically takes to custom order one?

8-12 weeks depending on allocation. A large dealer will typically be able to get it in 8 weeks.

Thanks mr_clueless

Originally Posted by KnowledgeMC

Hey BJ, thanks for the reply.

I've checked out the dealers in my immediate vicinity, planning on "scouring" some more tomorrow.

Compose a single email with details about the precise configuration you're looking for and send it to every dealer in a 100 mile radius and you'll have a lot more vehicles to choose from. Mention that you want them to check their incoming inventory that is on the water and that you'll wait a few weeks for one of those if it meets your criteria.

The BMW site makes it easy to email their dealerships. Don't settle for a build you're not 100% happy with. Tell us the detail on what your old car was like and you'll get some really good feedback towards the new one.

BJ

Originally Posted by Reedo302

Black shows every scratch, ding, dent and spec of dirt. All dark colors do, but black especially. It's very hard to keep black paint looking good, but when it looks good and clean, it is certainly sexy.
Alpine white is a lot less labor intensive for keeping the paint looking good and car looking clean. The car will get equally dirty and dinged obviously, but the white does not show dirt and damage quite nearly as much.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming that the 2012 model is one that's available at a dealership, and the 2013 is a build model you'd have to order??

The thing about white is that in the summer, when you drive through insects at night, the front of the car looks really bad. But maybe it's just around here where I live...

If you're willing to invest time in keeping the car clean (washing, waxing, etc) - black is a better choice.

Originally Posted by krash

The thing about white is that in the summer, when you drive through insects at night, the front of the car looks really bad. But maybe it's just around here where I live...

Black looks just as bad. We have terrible insects during the summer here in Minnesota as well. Especially when driving through farm country. A grasshopper the size of a bat splattered across the hood looks bad on any car.
I had a Carbonschwarz E46 M3 and my wife just got rid of her black Civic. My current car is a silver Mazda. Bugs look terrible on all of them, and are quite noticeable.

Black is especially difficult if you live in cold climates where there's a lot of road salt used. Dark cars look two-tone pretty quickly. I had a white Explorer that looked a lot better/cleaner for longer than any of the 3 black cars I've owned.

Mineral Grey, Glacier Silver.

Those are the two colors you go to if you want the car to look good 90% of the time even if it's got a little dust or post-rain spotting.

Black is a nightmare to keep clean. White is slightly better but doesn't reflect all the flame surfacing which is one of the most important stylistic elements of the car.

BJ

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

Mineral Grey, Glacier Silver.

Those are the two colors you go to if you want the car to look good 90% of the time even if it's got a little dust or post-rain spotting.

Black is a nightmare to keep clean. White is slightly better but doesn't reflect all the flame surfacing which is one of the most important stylistic elements of the car.

BJ

Black is a high maintenance color, no doubt. I wouldn't call it a nightmare, but you have to remain diligent. I detail my car every 2 weeks, interior and exterior. Takes me 2-4 hours, but it looks fantastic when its done. If the weather is friendly, it will look good for most of those 2 weeks. One thing about BSM, it looks amazing in the morning, after a misty dew has covered the car, or a light snow. The way the moisture clings to the car, and the metallic glistens through it just looks great.

But it's not all good, because after driving in any kind of inclement weather, it looks filthy. And it does show swirlys and light scratches prominently. All in all, it's still one of the better colors BMW offers. If I had other choices, SGM looks good too, and is lower maintenance. EB is great too. Mineral white looks great, I just can't get over the fact that its a feminine color, in my opinion. (No offense to white bimmer owners, I just see it as a color for the ladies. Kinda like the blue water metallic)

Mineral Grey is what I got and let me tell you it looks great even when dirty, black is sexy but you're see all the dust on it