It is all personal preferance. Which ever one you like better is the one you should get.

Is there a question in here anywhere?

TD said:

Is there a question in here anywhere?

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But beyond those two elements, what are the differences? I definately prefer the front bumper of the Ci, and it does seem much sleeker.

I can't really find a real reason why the 330ci costs over a grand more than the 330i... what am i overlooking?

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You should have been a lawyer.

nate328Ci said:

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eventually, maybe...

But, I can only hope my cases are all as easy as this one :lmao: :flipoff:

TD said:

You should have been a lawyer.

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The coupe costs more due to 3 factors: Sport steering wheel standard, split folding rear seat standard and, most importantly, because they can! They can charge a little more for the coupe and get it, so they do.

I've gone through this decision twice when buying a 3er. The first time I was surprised to have USAA tell me that the insurance rate on a sedan and coupe was the same (this is in 1994, mind you; have no idea now.) For me the choice was easier because I so rarely have anyone in back; if I did carry passengers I would go for the sedan.

The rest is looks and personal choice.

I know I won't regret the 330i, but I could regret the 330ci.

One reason the coupe may cost more is the lower level of production.

I just wish that BMW USA would redo its web site so that I can visit it. I haven't been able to load the darn thing in a year or so. I use Linux exclusively except for one machine which runs IE6 (and it crashes as soon as it sees the BMW site).

LMC said:

The coupe costs more due to 3 factors: Sport steering wheel standard, split folding rear seat standard and, most importantly, because they can! They can charge a little more for the coupe and get it, so they do.

I've gone through this decision twice when buying a 3er. The first time I was surprised to have USAA tell me that the insurance rate on a sedan and coupe was the same (this is in 1994, mind you; have no idea now.) For me the choice was easier because I so rarely have anyone in back; if I did carry passengers I would go for the sedan.

The rest is looks and personal choice.

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One other factor that you might want to consider that hasn't been mentioned is that the sedan has a little more headroom. I'm 6'4" and didn't fit comfortably in the coupe so I opted for the sedan. BTW, I too thought I liked the front bumper of the coupe better than the 2002 sedan until I saw the sedan with the sport package. The 330i SP comes with the M aero package which gives it a much nicer looking bumper than the sedan without the sport package, IMHO, especially if you don't have to have a front license plate.

I don't care if I have to have a front plate.. it's not going on. If anybody asks, I'll shrug and say it was on there the last time I noticed... must have been stolen.

I've never had a car with enough headroom, so I am used to driving reclined, and have come to like it. I'm only 6'2" tho.

I wasn't sure about the sports package having the better bumper. I thought I saw some posts saying that it wasnt guaranteed.. I suppose I could always replace it afterwards, I'd just prefer to spend the money on a different mod, like replacing the wood trim and adding a discrete V1.

Mark49 said:

One other factor that you might want to consider that hasn't been mentioned is that the sedan has a little more headroom. I'm 6'4" and didn't fit comfortably in the coupe so I opted for the sedan. BTW, I too thought I liked the front bumper of the coupe better than the 2002 sedan until I saw the sedan with the sport package. The 330i SP comes with the M aero package which gives it a much nicer looking bumper than the sedan without the sport package, IMHO, especially if you don't have to have a front license plate.

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Tough decision there.

I'd look at what you are going to use it mainly for. I think that the coupe looks WAY sleeker and if I didn't have many luggages to haul around and people to transport, I'd have definately chose it over the sedan.

It's also surprising to hear that the insurance rates are the same. :dunno:

I really don't think that you can go wrong with either decision. You could always mod the thing (repeating your idea) to your liking if you get tired of looking at it. :thumbup:

I've had my insurance agent tell me I couldn't afford a 2 seat car vs. a 4 seat one but he doesn't care about 2 doors vs four.

One thing to keep in mind is that the doors are longer on a coupe, making it somewhat more difficult to open them in tight spaces, such as a parking lot.

With a sedan (I have a 530i and a 323i), I can usually get in and out of the car pretty easily on parking lots. Not so true with the last coupe I had (a Ford Probe).

I really like the look of the 330ci coupe (I considered a loaded one before settling for the 5er), but find a sedan more convenient, not only for rear passengers, but for putting perishables in the back seat floor rather than the trunk when shopping during hot weather. Doing that can be a PITA when parked at the grocery store in a coupe.

You forgot to mention that with the Sport Steering Wheel comes the sport suspension

LMC said:

The coupe costs more due to 3 factors: Sport steering wheel standard, split folding rear seat standard and, most importantly, because they can! They can charge a little more for the coupe and get it, so they do.

I've gone through this decision twice when buying a 3er. The first time I was surprised to have USAA tell me that the insurance rate on a sedan and coupe was the same (this is in 1994, mind you; have no idea now.) For me the choice was easier because I so rarely have anyone in back; if I did carry passengers I would go for the sedan.

The rest is looks and personal choice.

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Excellent point! Sport suspension is a must!

The original query was 330Ci vs 330i and don't they both have the sport suspension standard?

Larry

You are correct withe the 330's it comes on either. On the 325 sedan you must get sport packeag to get it I think though that in the 330 sedan you get the regular steering wheel w/out SP:dunno: (at least that what the catalogue on my desk says)

I guess I'm too focused on 325's to not point that out originally

LMC said:

Excellent point! Sport suspension is a must!

The original query was 330Ci vs 330i and don't they both have the sport suspension standard?

Larry

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The 330 sp comes with the m-aero package, the 325 does not

"I have never owned a 2-door car, and have always avoided them because I do drive other folks around.. but I've come to the conclusion that it isn't that inconvenient to fold a seat forward to get in back.. its not like its uncomfortable for me."

You also have to take into account the fact that due to the sports suspension the coupe sits a little lower than other cars, so much so that it can be awkward/painful for some people to get out of the back sear.
I bought a 2001 325Ci last year thinking the same thing, but I've gotten so many wise___ remarks from friends/others who hate having to climb into the back seat. I have since moved back closer to home & my family absolutely hates the 2-door so much that I am now thinking about buying a 330i. I would advise you to buy a sedan if you are going to be using the back seat.

It's so tough for me because I am not sure how inconvenient the folks I know would find it. Its only weekends that I usually have passengers, and we currently trade off cars.. one friend has a mustang and because he's big he puts the seats far back, an extended cab truck that is about as comfortable as the mustang, and a cadillac with a huge amount of room, but we're all afraid to be driven by its owner. Maybe I should just try it now while I am single.

I do love the exterior look tho. I think I'll go for the coupe.

drpahjee said:

"I have never owned a 2-door car, and have always avoided them because I do drive other folks around.. but I've come to the conclusion that it isn't that inconvenient to fold a seat forward to get in back.. its not like its uncomfortable for me."

You also have to take into account the fact that due to the sports suspension the coupe sits a little lower than other cars, so much so that it can be awkward/painful for some people to get out of the back sear.
I bought a 2001 325Ci last year thinking the same thing, but I've gotten so many wise___ remarks from friends/others who hate having to climb into the back seat. I have since moved back closer to home & my family absolutely hates the 2-door so much that I am now thinking about buying a 330i. I would advise you to buy a sedan if you are going to be using the back seat.

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Regarding insurance, I have AAA and they actually charge approximately $200 LESS (annually) for the 330 coupe versus the sedan.