[LZM Ray]

Is Dakota leather worth the money? this option will impact whether Premium package is added to my future purchase. Is leatherette a much poorer quality leather more prone to cracking and deterioration? thanks.

by the way this is my first post

also is sport package worth getting for a 335xi? (dealer informed me that XI will not have sport tuned suspensions.) basically $850 for sport seat and shadow trim only.

[deletedelete]

sport seats are awesome and worth it. And you get a sport steering wheel i think.

[DerekSelmanRacing]

Leatherette is actually vinyl and, depending on quality, may last longer than real leather. Obviously, the look and feel of the 2 products differ.

[clivem2]

Leatherette is what they use in BMs amd Mercs when they are spec'ed as taxis. Here in Europe anyway.

[STE92VE]

Welcome to the forum....let me introduce you to your best friend here...

[demosthenes]

Originally Posted by damadama

get the sport and premium packs you wont be dissapointed

+1

I hesitated getting leather, but after I sat in cars with leather and vinyl I decided leather was worth the extra cost. But don't buy leather unless you are willing to spend a few hours per year taking care of it.

[a l l a n]

Get the sports package. Even for just the seats it is worth it. I regret not it.

[akack79]

Originally Posted by STE92VE

Welcome to the forum....let me introduce you to your best friend here...

+1 Welcome to E90post.com.
IMO, sports package is a must.....premium is up to you. If I were to chose only one, ZSP FTW.

[Vnak]

leatherette is actually less prone to cracking and deterioration than leather. And leatherette is more easy to clean/maintain from what i hear on the forum. Definitely go for sports package. Like everyone's been saying premium is up to you, but the extra added features included in the package can be handy.

[Kev]

Sports PKG with the 18" wheel upgrade gets you the oil cooler. Definitely worth it.

[Seminole]

I can give you a pretty good opinion on this as my car has leather and my sister's has leatherette. You can definitely notice a difference between the two. The leather feels smoother to the touch and isn't as hot on a sunny day since it can breathe more. Also, whenever I get into my sis's car for some reason it smells like plastic to me. I'm not knocking the leatherette though, it will definitely hold up better over time (my GF has already scratched my side bolster!) and be easier to maintain. Also, for some reason her seats felt more padded than mine did when I drove her car. You also get a few different things like stitching on the door panels if you get leather. The other thing to remember is what else comes with the premium package (BMW Assist, Bluetooth, Power Folding Mirrors, Homelink, Autodim mirrors, and Compass). The compass I can live without (though it actually came in handy for the first time ever the other day when I got lost and I knew I had to head east), I LOVE the autodim mirrors that stop me from getting blinded, the homelink is useful if you have a garage, the bluetooth is great, and I haven't had to use BMW Assist, but it helps lower your insurance. So I would want almost all those things and to get them a la carte is expensive so it pays IMO to get the premium package.

[I335]

Leatherette smells gross...

[theblackmamba]

Get leatherette, premium and sport if you dont plan to keep the car.

Get leather, premium and sport if you plan to keep the car.

Get leather, premium and change your suspension and wheels. I'm not a big fan of sport seats, as I've had recaros and bride seats all my life up until my bmw, plus I changed out my steering wheel for my m3's wheel so it didnt matter to me.

[Seminole]

Originally Posted by ICanHasBoost

Get leatherette, premium and sport if you dont plan to keep the car.

Get leather, premium and sport if you plan to keep the car.

The Premium Package comes with leather, there is no way to get it without.

[abcommercial]

I can give you a fresh perspective because I looked at alot of 3-series over the past several weeks while making up my mind. Initially, on my first trip to the dealer lot, I didn't immediately notice a leatherette car being leatherette. I had no frame of reference. But browsing all the pre-owned selections over several weeks, I have come away with a more opinionated impression -- the leatherette cars look, to me, like someone was scrimping and saving on a car that was really pushing his/her budget, and just wanted to get into a beemer. To get leather (I think) requires getting Premium Package, and that package also gets you power seats. While it wasn't a big deal in other brands/cars, when I see a beemer with the manual levers on the side, it looks stripped down for the same reason. A stripped down look doesn't do much to sell the car, and your car will get overlooked for other cars with at least a decent sprinkling of options (I know because that's what I did -- glossed over the leatherettes/manual seats for better equipped ones).

Leatherette is superior to, say, cloth. But after getting familiar with the BMW product, it becomes very noticeable, and not as luxurious. Of course, it is incredibly durable and is far superior to a cloth interior (which BMW does not offer)...but if I could do any upgrade it would be Premium package.

Ditto on what others said about Sport package -- on standard seats, my butt is the weakest link, and the car is capable of cornering harder than my butt is capable of keeping me upright. Those sport buckets really help your derriere stay put. But it's gonna cost you. Also, as a side note, I look at a pre-owned car with more suspicion when it has sport package because I wonder how hard the previous owner drived it. That may affect resale (this is purely anecdotal of my own personal experience, of course).

[captainaudio]

The Dakota leather in the 335i is a relatively low end grade of leather. Not bad but not great. Leatherette is PLASTIC and there is no getting around that fact. The Dakota leather definitely benefits from proper care. The use of a good leather treatment (Zaino, Zymol, MeGuiars, etc.) will keep in nice and supple. There are some people who will claim they can't tell the difference between Leather and Leatherette but they are probably the same people who can't tell the difererence between a McDonalds Quarter Pounder and Chopped Prime Sirloin.

[viobruin]

If your sole concern is durability, go with the leatherette.

With that said, I do think that leather is the way to go. It feels much better and adds value to the car. I also think that premium package is great. I always use the bluetooth, bmw assist (voice dialing), and homelink features.

[Aurora Bearialis]

yeah get leather

[LZM Ray]

thanks a lot for all your responses. after looking at the sport package on the XI i have notice spirt package is less expensive than i thought 850$ for sport seats i guess its worth it.

as for premium package i really am still unsure. i would love my interiors are very reliable and less prone to cracking and deterioration. i do not need auto dim and garage door or lumbar support or compass. the onlything i want is the bluetooth and MAYBE the leather. i guess i will see the difference in person and make a decision based on that.

btw a little off topic, my 2005 G35 coupe 47k miles is offered $14000 on KBB. thats such a low value i do not think that $14000 can justify my car's value. if bmw offers me $14000 i would be pretty pist off. lol

[demosthenes]

I'm glad I got the leather, but it was a difficult decision because:

- the premium package costs around 10% the price of a 328i ($3,350)
- the cost of the premium package could be applied to upgrading to a 335i

Therefore, some enthusiasts skip the premium package, throw in a few more grand and get a 335i without premium.

[Kilgore Trout]

Originally Posted by iTzRayRay

thanks a lot for all your responses. after looking at the sport package on the XI i have notice spirt package is less expensive than i thought 850$ for sport seats i guess its worth it.

as for premium package i really am still unsure. i would love my interiors are very reliable and less prone to cracking and deterioration. i do not need auto dim and garage door or lumbar support or compass. the onlything i want is the bluetooth and MAYBE the leather. i guess i will see the difference in person and make a decision based on that.

btw a little off topic, my 2005 G35 coupe 47k miles is offered $14000 on KBB. thats such a low value i do not think that $14000 can justify my car's value. if bmw offers me $14000 i would be pretty pist off. lol

Dealers rarely give fulll KBB on trades. I'll bet anything you are offered closer to 12,000 or 13,000.

[LZM Ray]

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

Dealers rarely give fulll KBB on trades. I'll bet anything you are offered closer to 12,000 or 13,000.

sigh. its not liek i need the money to pay for the new car but damn giving my car away for $14000 just feels like such a rip off because i think my car is still a great car that is worth at least 50% of what i paid for it (around 20k) but ill keep you guys updated on my purchase experience thansk for all your input greatly appreciated.