[E34E39F30]

Thank you all for your contributions to this forum - I've found it invaluable in helping me decide on my order, and in reaching a deal that I was happy with.

To answer the two questions:

1. The specification is

330d xDrive Modern

Imperial Blue Xirallic (one answer to the non-M Sport colour for senior citizens)
Oyster / Black Dakota Leather with Fineline Anthracite interior trim and Pearl Chrome finishers

18" Turbine-style 415 alloy wheels (*)

Active Security Package
Advanced Parking Package
Interior Comfort Package
Media Package - BMW Professional
Visibility Package

Harmon/Kardon sound
Enhanced Bluetooth telephone with USB & Voice Control
Internet
Head-up Display
Speed limit display
Ext. mirrors - folding, auto dimming
Sports seats
Electric Front Seats + Driver Memory
Lumbar support, driver & front passenger
Seat heating, front
Parked car heating package (*)
Model designation deletion

Service Inclusive Package

List prices total (OTR): £47,465 (£47,830 with January increase)

2. The deal was £39,000 (there are some minor extras like satnav upgrades thrown in too) for an outright purchase (no finance). That's 17.8% or 18.5% discount, depending on whether your starting point is the pre- or post-January price (funny how some dealers tell you the increase is unavoidable and others that the current price is guaranteed - I've made sure that the standard contract has been amended in this regard). Diminishing returns were setting in, I was running out of time and energy in looking for better, and I'm content with the result, which in the end was with my local dealer.

I love the EB colour, but the M Sport option wasn't right for the way I'm going to be using the car (and much of the time I have a passenger who gets travel sick). The Modern decision was partly driven by the limited upholstery choices - I wanted a light shade, but (a) because of my usage the Oyster light/black combination is more practical than light throughout, and (b) I prefer Oyster to Venetian Beige anyway. I'm also quite happy without lots of shiny chrome.

(*) This is a strange option: the configurator for a Modern car offers these 18" wheels as a no-cost option, but when you select it insists on installing the Parked car heating package at £445 as well. In the end, I decided that the combination was probably worth the cost to me.

I do quite a lot of miles, and have always kept cars and put a lot of miles on them (I did 420k on the E34, which I had from the start, my 2 previous E39s, which I bought with 90/60k on them, each reached 200k+. All had premature ends, and my current E39 will be nearing 200k when I get the F30.) I'm buying this one with a view to keeping it indefinitely; I'm currently doing around 25-30k /year, but anticipate adding some motorway miles to that over the next few years (more frequent visits to elderly parent).

The order's on, but the configuration's still open to change, so I'm up for suggestions / advice. Given how I'll use the car, I suspect that Adaptive suspension and the like will be wasted, and the one option I'm considering adding is Active Cruise Control. I may well drop the Internet.

Thanks again, all.

[PrinceBarin]

Congrats, it's a fantastic spec that's clearly well thought through!

The wait is painful, believe me...

[matk]

Sounds like it will suit your needs perfectly. I have the 18" 415's for my winter wheels sprayed black. Enjoy you new car

[nordberg]

Sounds lovely and an excellent spec. The one thing I'd go for that's not on your list is sun protection glass...

[Rich9600]

Lovely car mate. Welcome to the wait!

[E34E39F30]

Originally Posted by matk

Sounds like it will suit your needs perfectly. I have the 18" 415's for my winter wheels sprayed black. Enjoy you new car

I should have added that I'm intending to get a set of winter wheels. I'm expecting the car 1st March or just later for a 14-plate, so I probably won't worry this winter. What I have in mind is to get in due course a set of 416s, which are standard on the Luxuries and which I rather like, and to use them for normal and the 415s with winter tyres.

[Hprice1099]

If your doing that many miles Active Cruise Control would be a god send, nice spec

[Alkidrew]

great sounding car and great price too for an outright purchase. Be nice to have a Modern on here rather than the usual MSports

[E34E39F30]

In for a penny ... I've added Active Cruise and Sun Protection. Many thanks for your helpful comments. A part of me still prefers Oyster / Dark Oyster to the Oyster / Black combination, but my head says that the latter will work better, especially in the long term.

My dealer tells me that build is scheduled for earlyish February, and should make 1 March delivery or thereabouts. Mind you, he also tells me that the corresponding lock-down date for the configuration is Tuesday 7th February - but 7th February is a Friday, and 7th January a Tuesday. I'd better check tomorrow what he means ...

[HFW003]

I can highly recommend the Oyster/Dk Oyster interior (other than the steering wheel).

Very classy when compared to the black IMO.

[sahajesh]

Hi,

Add ACC and drop Internet - nobody here has a good word to say about it (I had chosen initially myself) and if you do want the feature, it can be coded (added manually after the fact by a friendly forum member, just need to take your car to them to do so).

Parked car heating sounds good and not available on M Sport unfortunately - does it pre-heat the car or just do the heated windscreen?

Saj

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by sahajesh

Parked car heating sounds good and not available on M Sport unfortunately

Maybe that can be coded too?

[sahajesh]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Maybe that can be coded too?

It's not even an option on the configurator for the 3 series so I think it is an accessory - from what I have read, it's additional hardware and available on 5 and X cars, so will no doubt trickle down to us lowly 3 series owners in the future.

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by sahajesh

It's not even an option on the configurator for the 3 series so I think it is an accessory - from what I have read, it's additional hardware and available on 5 and X cars, so will no doubt trickle down to us lowly 3 series owners in the future.

Possibly an LCI update..... they need to think of something to add to the car and make people swap their cars!!!

[sahajesh]

Hopefully!

Supposedly it pre-heats the car interior, engine and defrosts the windscreen :-)

Launch control from the driveway (not!)

[PrinceBarin]

Originally Posted by sahajesh

It's not even an option on the configurator for the 3 series so I think it is an accessory - from what I have read, it's additional hardware and available on 5 and X cars, so will no doubt trickle down to us lowly 3 series owners in the future.

Yes, my understanding is that it's a dealer fitted modification (i.e. a parts & labour thing), rather than merely software.

Incidentally, I enquired about this for my forthcoming F32 and the dealer was told by BMW UK that it was not currently available with no information as to whether this might change. Accords somewhat with this thread: http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=616707

[Orjan]

Congrats! That is going to be a sweet car indeed!

Did you at some point in your prosess consider Luxury-line; and if so why did you decide against it?

[sahajesh]

Originally Posted by PrinceBarin

Yes, my understanding is that it's a dealer fitted modification (i.e. a parts & labour thing), rather than merely software.

Incidentally, I enquired about this for my forthcoming F32 and the dealer was told by BMW UK that it was not currently available with no information as to whether this might change. Accords somewhat with this thread: http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=616707

Cheers for the info, odd that @E34E39F30's dealer will do it then - do you mind sharing which dealer you bought the car from?

[Apl440i or 335d?]

Sounds like an awesome car.

Enjoy the wait!!...

[teaston]

I would drop internet if i was you, unless you don't have a smart phone?

The internet is £95 per year i believe! Also is pretty slow and a lot of sites don't work correctly on it from what i read in another thread.

Also drop the active security package, you'll already have the black panel display from the prof media pack, the dynamic security is mainly collision prevention which you already have with the automatic cruise control, and driving assistant & lane warning are just pointless!

[E34E39F30]

Thank you all for your very kind and helpful feedback. A few comments:

Originally Posted by PrinceBarin

Yes, my understanding is that it's a dealer fitted modification (i.e. a parts & labour thing), rather than merely software.

Incidentally, I enquired about this for my forthcoming F32 and the dealer was told by BMW UK that it was not currently available with no information as to whether this might change. Accords somewhat with this thread: http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=616707

As I noted in the OP, this is a bizarre one. BMW's configurator has the 18" 415 turbine-style wheels as a no-cost option for the Modern line, but when you select that it insists on including the Parked Car Heating. I've not seen it crop up anywhere else in all the other configurations I've investigated (and I've looked at SE, Luxury and M-Sport based ones, ie all those available for 330d xDrives), and this seems to be the only route to Parked Car Heating. I wasn't actively trying to get it, but I'll take it with the 415s as a package.

I've been assuming that it will be factory-fitted because (a) it's on BMW's dealer order configurator with option code Z4B, coming up accordingly on the detailed option list in my order confirmation document (the 415s show separately as option 2P5 at 0.00 cost), and (b) no-one at the dealer seemed to be aware of it until I asked about it after encountering this configuration quirk - I'm pretty sure they've never fitted one.

Originally Posted by Orjan

Did you at some point in your prosess consider Luxury-line; and if so why did you decide against it?

Yes, I did, and essentially the same set-up would come to £110 less at list prices (differences: 416 wheels for 415s, no parked car heating, and the trim variations). But then the light upholstery option is the Venetian Beige, which I found just too custard-creamy when I saw one in daylight, and I'm not too keen on all the shiny chrome. It's just possible that I'll do it, though.

Originally Posted by teaston

I would drop internet if i was you ...

I included it in the initial order, when I knew less than I do now. I'll either drop it, or leave it in and regard the £80 or so it's costing me for the first year as spent on experiencing it for myself.

Originally Posted by teaston

Also drop the active security package, you'll already have the black panel display from the prof media pack, the dynamic security is mainly collision prevention which you already have with the automatic cruise control, and driving assistant & lane warning are just pointless!

Tempting, but I'll leave it in (a) because the car will be driven a little by someone who's keen on this, and (b) for completeness. I notice that once you've specified Pro Media then the Active Security price drops by £140 because the BPD's already there, and it's annoying that the same doesn't happen when you go on to add ACC.

I need to get that correct final configuration date tomorrow!

[sahajesh]

Good luck on the date and please do let us know the dealer, so we can ask about a Parked Car Heater retrofit :-)