opinions 325 wagon

Anyone have comments? I currently have an 04 325 sedan but am thinking of switching so I have more space to haul the doggie.
Just curious

Originally Posted by joeydosh

Anyone have comments?

I think you'll find that the Touring owners here are a fairly enthusiastic group. Go for it!

the wagon looks like a great car...

wish I had bought a wagon instead of the coupe as my gf replaced her company-supplied van with a Mini Cooper S... tons of fun for transporting the road bikes... (I will never put a road bike on the roof ever again since the BMW bike carrier incident... )

Same here. Wagons are cool - more glass area = more light in the cabin, more storage space than your average ""mid-sized"" SUV, goes like a normal car.

My dog loved the rental XC-70 I had last winter. Came with her own personal suite, aka the trunk area. And I think the 3 wagon looks pretty spiffy...though maybe not as nice as the 5. Pity there's no 330 wagon.

IMHO you'd have to find a stick version to avoid terminal slowness (the wagon is a little heavier, I believe), and that's tough, especially as dealers who brought them in probably assume they are soccer-mom-mobiles for defecting Saab and Volvo owners.

I have seen one or two sticks on the CPO list, though. I looked for one when I was buying but couldn't find anything in acceptable condition and needed to get a car for my commute in a hurry.

Originally Posted by michelito

wish I had bought a wagon instead of the coupe as my gf replaced her company-supplied van with a Mini Cooper S... tons of fun for transporting the road bikes... (I will never put a road bike on the roof ever again since the BMW bike carrier incident... )

Originally Posted by joeydosh

Anyone have comments? I currently have an 04 325 sedan but am thinking of switching so I have more space to haul the doggie.
Just curious

I had the AWD wagon for 2 years now: Fantastic car. When we bought it I wasn't convinced (increased noise? less performance? handling?). But my wife was right: I forget it's a wagon unless I look back or am coming back from Home Depot (in which case the opening rear window is a great feature for stuff that does not fit). Here in NE the AWD left me speachless the first time I went out in the snow! My daughter loves it too (she would like to ride in the cargo area all the time).
I just bought a E90 and am getting rid of the wagon, but I'll replace the E90 as soon as the new wagon is available.

with Sport Package, 5-speed. I've looked for a quattro wagon for a while; they are pretty tough to find with 5SP and SP. It is my daily driver and outdoors car (fishing, skiing, biking etc). Plus it is nice to have a 4 doors to haul people around when needed. It also seems to be a lot more comfy (than my 330Ci) for long drives.
And BTW, I love the why it looks.

I have the 325iT Sport & premium package. It drives like our old 330Ci just a little slower. Very nimble and I corner it like a sportscar. I had very little problems, just a couple of small ones so that's also great. The best thing are the sport seats... Love them...

I miss my wagon. But even with the 5-speed, it just didn't have enough torque imo. The E90, E91?, wagon may be worth waiting for.

I have an '04 325xiT. I love it. It was a real problem finding one with manual trans and all the other "goodies" (SP, PP, xenons). Couldn't find one with all that and nav too, so I retrofitted the nav.
Before anyone asks, I tried to order one from the factory, but I was just a few weeks too late.

Whatever -- it's a very sweet car to drive, not as HUGE as an SUV (or SAV), and I like the looks. It accellerates better than most cars on the road, handles better than most cars on the road, and is comfortable for a 400-mile run to the next gas station without stopping.

If I want more performance, there's always my other BMW --- '02 M coupe.

We're relatively new to the E46 platform as our new to us '01 touring has been with us just over 2 months. We have, however, driven the heck out of it since purchasing (about 4K miles!)

It's all that I had expected and hoped for. We haul kids back and forth from school, lunch, basically running around all day with it. Used to have a Volvo XC90 so this car is a lot smaller, but we really didn't need all that room.

Ours was found via craigslist and surprise surprise, it was a 5speed manual with sports pkg, xenons, cold weather pkg, and some other stuff for 21K and 37.5K miles. Great deal, super clean car.

If you're thinking about a wagon, I'd put the E46 on the list to check out. It drives very differently(3er is livelier) from the A4 Avant(nose heavy, but great interior and overall drive) and the Benz is, well, a Benz (softer, slower, more isolated)

Yeah, it's long winded, but I guess we're still enjoying the car.

-travis

Originally Posted by fatchance

...Ours was found via craigslist and surprise surprise, it was a 5speed manual with sports pkg, xenons, cold weather pkg, and some other stuff for 21K and 37.5K miles. Great deal, super clean car.

I wonder why the stick-shift E46 Tourings gravitate toward the SF Bay area? When we were searching for a new one, the salesman found three and they were all in the bay area -- alas, none of them equipped as I wanted.
Yes, the E46 Touring is a very nice car that deserves it's stateside moniker of "Sportwagon" in spades! Enough room to carry "stuff" without being bloated. An M Touring would have really grabbed me!

Dunno if the SF Bay Area has more 5 speed stick tourings as all the dealers I visited did not have any manual tourings and very few manual coupes or sedans(new and used).

There's been only one other manual wagon that I've seen and that was someone else at work, every other touring I've peeked at in parking lots or dealer lots have been autos.

It's doesn't have that sheer power of acceleration like a Porsche or big V8 sedan, but for everyday driving, it's nearly perfect.

-travis

Honestly, if you need more space I would highly recommend trying to stick to a wagon. The issue is that there aren't many larger wagons that still drive decently. If you can find a late model 5 wagon you'll be happy with the driving experience but they are a bit pricey.

For the mid to high 30s I would highly recommend a new Volvo V70 R (6-speed for fun but if you need an auto make sure you get an '06 as prior auto Rs were slow due to a different transmission that wasn't made for pushing a few hundred horses around.) I also think the Saab Aero wagon is a decent option but with the extra performance of the Volvo R and the substantial discouning (Saabs have big discounts too) I think the R is a better bet (and Saab seems to have been just about eliminated by GM through mismanagement.)

Too bad there isn't a 550 Touring on the near horizon...that would be killer.

Originally Posted by joeydosh

Anyone have comments? I currently have an 04 325 sedan but am thinking of switching so I have more space to haul the doggie.
Just curious

The wagon is absolutely fabulous. More room than you think with the seats down, plenty of room for kids in the back and absolutely great handling. I recommend getting a manual transmission, but that's for any car.

Originally Posted by fatchance

Dunno if the SF Bay Area has more 5 speed stick tourings as all the dealers I visited did not have any manual tourings and very few manual coupes or sedans(new and used).

There's been only one other manual wagon that I've seen and that was someone else at work, every other touring I've peeked at in parking lots or dealer lots have been autos.

It's doesn't have that sheer power of acceleration like a Porsche or big V8 sedan, but for everyday driving, it's nearly perfect.

-travis

I was pretty surprised (and happy) to sell my manual wagon on CL in less than a week. It held its value fairly well too.

Looked at VW Passat (felt heavy and didn't want to pay big $ for 4motion), Audi (seemed small on inside to me and two friends both had electrical problems with theirs), never looked at Saab (don't like design). Other friends raved about Subaru and I actually rented a Legacy in France for two weeks to drive it, but it was a bit too sedate for me.

I think the 3 series wagon has great styling and a favorable relationship of available space when needed and agile and lively handling. Did get Step as my wife will drive it sometimes. That said, I do really enjoy the manual loaners I get and sometimes miss driving a stick. I drive mine in Sport mode most of the time.

I've never owned a car that felt so safe on the road- acceleration to get out of harm's way when needed, incredibly solid and controlled steering feel on the road (I have a newfound appreciation for curvy freeway ramps now).

My only complaints about my car are the infamous brake dust and the fact that I don't like the way the center headrest blocks my rear view (although you can always fold it down) and I wish the side mirrors were a bit larger.

or with Sport Package. I've worked with two dealers in NJ (Open Road and Princeton) and all their cars seem to be Non-SP, automatic with PP.

BTW, when I looked to get a wagon as my daily driver, AWD was a must as well. I think it increases a lot the utility of the car.

What can I say? I am totally satisfied with mine. gordo

Originally Posted by michelito

wish I had bought a wagon instead of the coupe as my gf replaced her company-supplied van with a Mini Cooper S... tons of fun for transporting the road bikes... (I will never put a road bike on the roof ever again since the BMW bike carrier incident... )

What happened? I'm using a thule carrier.

Originally Posted by danpop

or with Sport Package. I've worked with two dealers in NJ (Open Road and Princeton) and all their cars seem to be Non-SP, automatic with PP.

BTW, when I looked to get a wagon as my daily driver, AWD was a must as well. I think it increases a lot the utility of the car.

They gave me a Dinan 3 Loaner at Assael in Monrovia, CA...

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...09&postcount=9

Love my 325xit with stick. Recently drove my sister's 325xit automatic and it was a bit of a disappointment.

That being said, she got a used '02 325xit automatic with sport, premium, cold for a very good deal in the SF area.

My advice: hold out for the E90 touring (E91?). Enjoy the increase in HP.

Love my wagon. I had to sacrifice sports pack for manual tranny but I still love it. I hauled a water heater home from the store the other day...can't say that too often on bimmerfest. I'll probably go with a e90 touring after a couple of years as long as they offer it in a 330.

So there you go, ringing endorsements for the touring!

I guess if you want some wagon-hating balance you had better try posting your question on e46fanatics!

Originally Posted by joeydosh

Anyone have comments? I currently have an 04 325 sedan but am thinking of switching so I have more space to haul the doggie.
Just curious

Originally Posted by bitmouse

What happened? I'm using a thule carrier.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...24#post1199824

I was not using Thule but the BMW OEM road bike attachment - didn't do its job very well... that E90 wagon looks better than the sedan I think... although I love my coupe, I may have to go to a wagon if my gf won't part with her Mini Cooper S (but the harsh ride with runflats may convince her otherwise long term...)