Anyone drive 330 and 325 and prefer 325?

Originally Posted by goodfella

Replacing my 325xi and thinking of 330i. A bit concerned about winter and don't want 330xi but loved the test drive in the 330i.

There are times when less power and weight is better matched to a chassis (Honda 4 cyl vs. V-6 is a good example due perhaps to the FWD platform)...I can assure you however that this is not one of them.

FWIW, my BMW is my first. If I was looking to buy now, I would be looking at a 5 series or a M3. But if I had a choice, it would depend on why I was buying the car? I would rather have (do have), a fully loaded 325xi rather than a stripo 330xi - yeah there may be a few more HP under the hood, but I might as well step up to the "next" level and opt for the 5 series or a M car...........

Originally Posted by goodfella

Replacing my 325xi and thinking of 330i. A bit concerned about winter and don't want 330xi but loved the test drive in the 330i.

I drove both. I liked the torque and the sound of the 330 over the 325. I did not think the power was enough to justify the price. I have no regrets with my 325 purchase.

Originally Posted by car_for_mom

..........and I'm thinking about the 330i; I'm actually thinking about European Delivery ; I hear that Santa Barbara BMW has a good ED specialist!

spend some time over at our European Delivery forum, lots of good info there. ED is great!!

The 328i s not a good "spilt it down the middle" option. My 325i is as fast as a similarly equipped 328i (Shark and CAI) with similar driving skills. I had a guy in a 328i at Lime Rock last year that I had passed on the track come up to me and ask me what mods I had in my 325i that it made it faster. He had as much track experience as me so it was a good reference point. The advantage of the 328 over the 325 is only noticeable in the left side of the tach because of the 328's significant torque advantage.

The 330 is definitely faster throughout the power band but the difference is least noticeable above 5K RPMs. I like the more aggressive gearing of the 325 and the speed with which it revs up through the tach. I also think that the 325 is somewhat more rewarding to drive because you really need to keep it ~ 6K RPMs on the track to squeeze all the juice out of it. It sure is very rewarding running faster than more powerful cars in your run group at the track

Originally Posted by car_for_mom

I consider my 325i my Training Bimmer ; my previous daily driver was a 1996 5-speed Toyota Camry, and I'd always had Toyotas that were given or bought for me by spouse or parents-in-law.

I decided, in 2002, that I wanted to buy my own car, all by myself ... I'm actually thinking about European Delivery ; I hear that Santa Barbara BMW has a good ED specialist!

Hey, can I be "Car for mom 2"? Just kidding, this sounds kind of like me right now, my oldest daughter, 17, wants a car, of course, so the plan is to give her the car I've been driving (a '92 Olds that my mom gave me... ) , and buy a new car for mom... since I was able to sell some shares of stock in the company I work for for a little over $30K (I also avoid debt; still gotta sell some more shares though, to get a few options, probably not many though.), I'm able to buy a NICE new car for mom. Plan on doing the ED thing, visiting relatives in Germany I haven't seen in ~ 25 years, picking up my first Bimmer, the e90, 325i. I'm really excited. Have been living at this site, mostly on the ED and E90 forums, have gotten lots of good info. Had also been considering the Volvo S40 and S60, but am pretty much decided now on the 325. Now just have to decide between Arctic and Sparkling Graphite..... heavily leaning toward the Arctic.

Edie (three months to )