crunge

Hi all. I recently came across this board and its already been very useful and informative just by perusing the topics here.

I'm currently driving a 2002 330i (with a lease up in March) and I'm very close to ordering a 530i with the following options:

Titanium Silver Metallic
Black Leather
Anthracite Maple Wood Trim
6 Speed Manual Transmission
Cold Weather
Premium Sound
Premium Package
Sport Package
Xenons
Nav
Satellite Radio

Any thoughts on whether I'm missing any "must have" options?

I like the 545i but can't justify the extra $$$ at this time. The real hard decision was the transmission--the 3 has a 5 speed manual, and while I like the manual the traffic here in the DC area is horrible. Still, I have a hard time thinking of going any other way.

I'm going to have the Aux input option installed (for the iPod). I'm curious about other people's experiences here.

I have a pair of snow tires for the 3 that I purchased. Any ideas as to the best way of getting rid of these? ebay?

The only thing I'm a little concerned about is flashing my VZW v710 firmware to get it to pair with the 5. This board has been very informative in that respect. We'll see how it goes.

Thanks again all.

ademitt

Think about Dynamic Handling. It is my favorite aspect of my new car. The change to the vehicle's handling characteristics is unbelievable.

Good luck with your decision.

Welcome to the Boards.

crunge

Interesting. I hadn't heard of or seen this one, but I did a little research and it seems to be an option for E60s in Canada that includes Active Steering and "Dynamic Drive" (which I think is the same thing as Active Rolling Stabilization). Anyway, they seem to have broken these out of the Sport package for Canada, while they are included in the Sport package for the US.

soc_fans

If you think the transmission is a problem to you, why don't you try to get the SMG ? I'm not sure you have tried before but i think it's worth to get it. I've never tried 530i SMG but i've tried 545 SMG before, it's so AWESOME !

Well as for your tires.. you may try doing it in ebay or some forums like e46fanatics.com or m3forums.com especially yours is a 3-series.

And i notice you missed out an option for your car.. HEAD-UP DISPLAY! IMO it is a very useful option, ask your dealer to show you how the HUD works. Well, IMO you should also consider USED 545i. The price is the same as NEW 530i. Good luck !

crunge

Thanks for the feedback. I tried the SMG when I test drove a 545i and it seemed really jerky to me. And I didn't like the fact that I would accidentally shift the car when I accidentally hit one of the paddles while trying to use the turn signal or something else on the steering column. But, to be fair, I only tried it on that one test drive.

As for the HUD, I saw it on a friend's car. A neat feature, but not something I saw myself spending ~ $1000 on.

I appreciate the info on the wheels. Take care.

Jimbo

You should test the SMG and steptronic before getting the manual.
The steptronic has sport and manual modes when needed plus you can cruise in standard auto mode. The steptronic manual mode works well if you practice(let up briefly on the gas just after you click the next gear. SMG has an auto mode also. The auto trans is very responsive.

The sport pack. has summer/rain but not snow tires (you probably knew that already).

Check out the power rear/side window shades. Might be a good deal in place of tint. I should have ordered them.

Don't forget to add the extra wood decor: shifter/e-brake/rear controls(maybe standard now). I don't know if it comes in anthracite yet. You might want to think about the brushed aluminum trim so everything matches (more sporty look). Also, at least with the poplar, you can get the extra wood pieces, only the idrive is not wood. I really like the anthracite but there's too many colors going on w/o adding the extra wood pieces

Also, the black interior still has a lot of grey decor. I would think about a dark grey interior possibly with brushed aluminum trim. Might be a cool combo. Anyone else have pics posted of that combo?

If you have passengers often, get the heated rear seats.

Get the comfort seats, I regret not ordering them.

Fold down rear seats are cool because of the arm rest/dual cup holder that's included with the center arm pull down divider? or is that standard w/o fold down rear seats. Also, if you ever want to add a sub-woofer that can access the cabin, the FRS is the way to go since it opens part of the trunk area to the cabin.

Dynamic handling is included with the US sport package.

You can get a TomTom GPS for about $1k cheaper. NAV gets you voice commands...pretty cool. Wasn't available when I ordered.



Just my .02. No need to comment.

Jimbo

HUD puts the NAV on the screen in front of you. Well worth the $$ if you are getting NAV. It's very handy at speed so you don't have to look down to check your speedometer, especially while moving in traffic where it's easy to overshoot the speed limit. It wasn't available when I purchased. I have it on my 'vette and it is well worth it.

alohalc

welcome aboard, crunge ! i'll seriously think about getting a 545 instead. the new 545 includes steptronic, xenon, prem pkg and pdc. so the price won't be that much of a different.

Iceman

Welcome aboard, crunge !

soc_fans

Thanks for the feedback. I tried the SMG when I test drove a 545i and it seemed really jerky to me. And I didn't like the fact that I would accidentally shift the car when I accidentally hit one of the paddles while trying to use the turn signal or something else on the steering column. But, to be fair, I only tried it on that one test drive.

As for the HUD, I saw it on a friend's car. A neat feature, but not something I saw myself spending ~ $1000 on.

I appreciate the info on the wheels. Take care.
[/quote]

SMG is always jerky the first time when you try it. Many people solved the jerkiness after they drive them for about 1000 miles. IMO you should seriously think about 545i instead of 530i, just like alohalc said.. Gd luck !