[bavarianboar]

I am planning on, and almost ready to pick up a 335d off some dealers lot in Socal or somewhere on the west coast.

I hate the fact that I cannot order a custom build car

Thanks to my constraints for getting a lease approval, and the requirement of taking a delivery before 3rd week of September coupled with the factory closure in August which makes it a very close call.

This was my initial plan

2011 335d
Deep Sea Blue with Saddle Brown and Aluminium Trim
ZSP, ZPP, Heated Seats, Fold Down Rear seats, iPod/USB, Anti-theft Alarm.

I test drove a 335d but without ZSP, had only 10 miles on it, loved the torque.

I know, no way I will get that color combo with those options, dealers get conservative combos which are easier to sell.

Now, the deciding part comes, what are the things I can compromise on?

Or what other things I can consider adding to my list, in order to find a car that 'works'

[NiVeDh]

Must get ZSP for the seats alone. Everything else is icing on the cake.

[bavarianboar]

Originally Posted by NiVeDh

Must get ZSP for the seats alone. Everything else is icing on the cake.

True. Will never buy a 3er without Sports Seats. I also like those Style 195 18" wheels on the 335d w/ ZSP a lot!

[Ron1n]

I prefer the 193M's :P



Your option list is good, but I agree with everyone else...ZSP is an absolute must (ZPP is, too, if I'm being honest).

[bavarianboar]

hahah, I'd get ZMP, if it was not my first bimmer! Kinda ALSO making it a tad easy on the monthly payments

[John 070]

Isn't a diesel something which takes a long time to payback, and one of the benefits is that the motor will last forever? That seems to be contrary to what a lease is all about. The extreme would be leasing a Prius, it would never payback in 3 years...

[bavarianboar]

Originally Posted by John 070

Isn't a diesel something which takes a long time to payback, and one of the benefits is that the motor will last forever? That seems to be contrary to what a lease is all about. The extreme would be leasing a Prius, it would never payback in 3 years...

I ran my numbers in an excel sheet and compared to an equally spec'ed 328i E90 (talk of bad comparisons, I just made one). My calculations were based on Eco-credit and residual on MSRP (without Eco-credit deducted).

I am paying only $5 more per month taking fuel mpg into account. It is peanuts to what I will get in terms of torque and enjoyment!

Surprisingly, the 335d insurance quote came to be slightly cheaper than the one for 328i Sedan with same coverage limits.

[Moxie]

Might wanna consider PDC & comfort access, or just get the convenience package that includes the alarm. Once you have comfort access & PDC, you miss it.

[VTECaddict]

Only you can decide what you can compromise on since you will look at and drive the car for the next 3 years (or more if you decide to buy it). But I don't think most dealers keep a lot of 335d stock on hand, if at all, so your pickings might be really slim.

[John 070]

Originally Posted by VTECaddict

Only you can decide what you can compromise on since you will look at and drive the car for the next 3 years (or more if you decide to buy it). But I don't think most dealers keep a lot of 335d stock on hand, if at all, so your pickings might be really slim.

They're not popular here, the 15-20 cent more per gallon pushes the payback out even further. But when I was in Toronto, I actually saw 3 of them, which is 2 more than I've ever seen in the USA, since they were introduced.

[MrBonus]

Originally Posted by John 070

Isn't a diesel something which takes a long time to payback, and one of the benefits is that the motor will last forever? That seems to be contrary to what a lease is all about. The extreme would be leasing a Prius, it would never payback in 3 years...

I bought my d because I think it's the best motor for every day driving in BMW's lineup. The economy of it was just an added bonus.

[Karlb]

why not pick who is the best dealership in your area and give them the prioritized list of what you want and ask them to come as close as possible finding it.

[F32Fleet]

Dump the heated seats, sport package is ok (My E46,E90 were both spt pkg), but I don't have it with my diesel and tbh I don't miss it. The vehicle feels lighter with the 17" wheels, I can rotate my tires, and I don't have to worry as much about bent rims. Sure from a cosmetic perspective it doesn't look as good but I could careless about it.

[Thud]

The factory is closing in August? For how long?

[bdardashti]

Originally Posted by Thud

The factory is closing in August? For how long?

about a month.

[rothwem]

Originally Posted by Thud

The factory is closing in August? For how long?

Many european companies have long shutdowns (1-3 weeks) in august for summer holidays. The also work less hours in the work week.

[kcgman]

Originally Posted by Moxie

Might wanna consider PDC & comfort access, or just get the convenience package that includes the alarm. Once you have comfort access & PDC, you miss it.

If you haven't had comfort access before, it must sound stupid to hear someone put it on the priority list. My car came with CA, and I was annoyed that I was paying for a feature I didn't want. Now that I've had it for a year, I won't get another car without it. I'd throw out just about every other feature of the car before I'd get rid of CA. Sad but true.

[PJPHughes]

I'll play devil's advocate on the Comfort Access. I have it on my car, and I very rarely use it. I'm used to holding the keys in my hand when I approach the car, so pressing the button isn't a big deal. Plus, I once left the keys in my pocket, went to a concert and realized 30 minutes in to it that I had left my car unlocked parked on the street. Since then, I've always put the key in the ignition slot to avoid that dumb-ass move again.

Options that are critical to me....Sport and Premium packs, Nav, Sirius and Logic 7. The rest is icing on the cake, really. My car has the sun shades...nice feature, used them once in the past year.

The one thing I wish my car had was the 335is steering wheel with the paddles that are left for downshift, right for upshift. The set up we get makes little sense.

[Quasimodem]

Originally Posted by John 070

They're not popular here, the 15-20 cent more per gallon pushes the payback out even further. But when I was in Toronto, I actually saw 3 of them, which is 2 more than I've ever seen in the USA, since they were introduced.

How about a pic of the gas sign which has diesel 15-20 cents more than premium? i find that hard to believe.

[bavarianboar]

Originally Posted by Quasimodem

How about a pic of the gas sign which has diesel 15-20 cents more than premium? i find that hard to believe.

From what I have seen, Premium Gas > Diesel=Regular Gas in terms of pricing.
Then you are ALSO looking at an improved mpg in a diesel motor.

[anowlan]

Originally Posted by bavarianboar

I am planning on, and almost ready to pick up a 335d off some dealers lot in Socal or somewhere on the west coast.

I hate the fact that I cannot order a custom build car

Thanks to my constraints for getting a lease approval, and the requirement of taking a delivery before 3rd week of September coupled with the factory closure in August which makes it a very close call.

This was my initial plan

2011 335d
Deep Sea Blue with Saddle Brown and Aluminium Trim
ZSP, ZPP, Heated Seats, Fold Down Rear seats, iPod/USB, Anti-theft Alarm.

I test drove a 335d but without ZSP, had only 10 miles on it, loved the torque.

I know, no way I will get that color combo with those options, dealers get conservative combos which are easier to sell.

Now, the deciding part comes, what are the things I can compromise on?

Or what other things I can consider adding to my list, in order to find a car that 'works'

I have most of the options so I think I can make some comments.

For me, anything with the base stereo would be a no-go.

I'd hate the thought of paying over 50K for a car with vinyl seats, so leather seats would be a big plus.

I could live without CA, unlike most posters. My wife shares my car occasionally, and I found that the preferences were more reliably loaded at the point of unlocking the car without CA.

I could live without the sunshades.

Idrive is a strong plus. It's so useful, and integrates so nicely with the iPhone and iPod, that if you do any business while driving, it's so worth it.

The cold weather package is nice, but if you live in SoCal you can probably live easily without it.

I could live without the Premium Package.

I could live with really any color. Not crazy about Barbera Red, but I like all the others. I could live with any interior color- it's not like there's a bad one. The trim can be switched out at minimal cost, and the unwanted trim sold.

If I could choose only one option, it would be the upgraded stereo. Two options: Stereo, Idrive. Three: Stereo, Idrive, Sport (with paddles- I use them a lot.)

Four: Stereo, Idrive, Sport and Cold Weather. I hope that helps.

[AMASIAN]

Can't get Nav which turned me off of the 335d