I am sitting at the dealer thinking “what the hell am I doing here?”. Two months ago I never even cared about BMW’s. One month ago I though Elements were cool. Now I am flipping through a booklet on leather colors and heated seats, sipping an espresso, wearing dress pants, button down shirt and a leather black jacket. This isn’t me, I mean, I should be out riding right now … right? I am trying to figure out how the hell I am going to get my bikes around in this 330. I get the final quote, it will take them 10 weeks to build for me, so I tell the guy I will be in touch.
What am I going to do with this car…, Tom says I need a bald guy in a black turtleneck to drive me around, but with Joe training in the mountains and growing his Grizzly Adams beard, my chauffeur options these days are limited.
So I wander back home and check out the Audi A3 online, at least I can fit my bike in it, and I won’t feel so out of place as with that Bimmer … but damn that 330 flew.
Dude, I’ll have to dig up a picture of me with the Grizzly Adams beard AND the shaved head. I pulled it off, I think, because I have great genes for beards and my head is perfectly shaped for a clean shave.
Bimmers are nice Gary, I had a 325is 5 speed, back when I also had a '99 R1, and I really enjoyed them. A sedan isn’t really mid-ish life crisis though, it’s too practical. The Element is killer, you’ll be very happy with it. I really love Honda’s. My other car, which a friend is borrowing, is a '76 Honda Civic CVCC Wagon, and it’s yellow. The thing rocks. How about the Element and the S2000?
The 330 is $47,000 out the door, the A3 (bottom pic) is about $12k less and has room for a bike, it is a sport hatchback, the other option is to put a tiny hitch under the 330, hide it, and pop a Yakima arm in when toting the bikes, you would never know I had the hitch - no way to the roof rack idea. This is the exact model, there is no 330 coupe for 2006, the body style of the 330 is new for 06 and the coupe wont be built until 2007, but the sedan looks like a million bucks, even the sales guys mistook it for a 5 series … they did a very nice job of this model
Personally, I don’t like the new look of the 3 series. I have an '01 325i (which is awesome) and then I haul my tri/bike crap around in a Jeep Wrangler.
Isn’t it funny how things change as you cross the Atlantic? Here in England BMW drivers are universally viewed as sheep with more money than taste blindly following the crowd. They are viewed as arrogant people who drive like wankers, cutting up other traffic, causing accidents without complete disregard for the safety of others.
I guess the options of drivers cars are a lot greater, given the close proximity to Europe, and handling is held as more important given the style of roads that we had here.
Personally I would go for an Audi Avant and if the money is right, I would get a second hand S6 Avant and have a real Autobahn stormer, with better reliabilty than the BMW and more goodies and style for your money.
I was thinking it was quite sporty … I like it! And my bike can fit. Fully loaded with leather, power this and that, two sunroofs, it has 200hp and does 0-60 in 6.7s, not too shabby for a euro hatchback, 25mpg city, 31 hwy
I considered Audi, too. The A3 is way too smal if you want to bring a bike (unless you like taking bikes apart) … the A4 was still too small… now my bikebox fits in my V70 without me having to fold the rear seats… and it flys down the German Autobahn nicely!
Have you thought about the Porsche Cayenne? Unbelievable! I just went through the BMW/Audi/Porsche process. All other cars started to look like metal punched out of machines.
The Porsche rocks. Bike fits in the back. Actual mileage is 14 in town and just over 20 freeway (they have a real-time mileage calculator).
2/3 of all Porsches ever made are still on the road. They last forever and the lines are classic.
I got the 6 cylinder. Get the nav unit option, it’s well worth it.
All up, expect to pay 5-8% under MSRP, not much negotiating room.
Most BMW drivers in my area are A-holes… gENERLY THEY THINK THEY OWN THE ROAD. They cut you off, always in a rush, roll through stops ect… Now it seems to me you’re looking to spend some money because of plan old consumerism. Ya know spend cause ya can. Good luck!
