[darkside]

Yesterday I placed my order. The dealership found a car I liked at another dealer, but they would not give it up. So I had to order one and I hope to get my car by Christmas.There really are very few 330i's out there that are not already sold; at least ones in the configuration I want.

Here is what I specified:

Silver on black with aluminum trim. What is this about the aluminum trim not being available? They were not aware of this at the dealership. I'll probably find out next week when the order is officially submitted.

Also Sports, Premium, Heated front seats, Active Steering, Navigation, Steptronic, and Satellite Prep.

I'm trading my 03 M3 that I have loved for almost 3 years. I just want a car a little more on the comfort side, and after my test drive I am feeling really good about the e90; both from a comfort and an enthusiast's point of view. I've had very limited opportunity to utilize the M3 to its capability, and in many ways it is not a comfortable car for everyday driving. My wife would not drive it, so it became difficult for me to take her SUV when I am travelling with our dog. And finally I became disillusioned with caring for a Jet Black car that scratches if you just look at it wrong. I am an avid detailer, and it is just too difficult to maintain a soft black paint to Autopian standards.

[CALIF65GM]

Congrats.

[shimshimhada]

Congrats. How about you give me that little old E46?

[bmwczech]

Congrats darkside, I am in the same boat as you. I couldn't find the car I wanted so I am waiting for it to be built and I too will be taking delivery just before Xmas.

I can well image your frustrations with dealing with your black car. I have had a few black cars and I am a real picky guy and it drove me crazy. I found it didn't matter how careful I was I could always find the imperfections. I know I am a freak! I would have ordered Tiag, but I have had so many silver cars over the years so I wanted to order something different. I ended up ordering Alpine White.

[JonnyCrash]

Congrats on your order, Darkside. It sounds like you're in a very similar situation to my own: I have a car that I love (a 2002 C4s) in Lapis Blue, (as per my avatar). I love the car to death, but it is a pain to drive on the daily commute. It's a more difficult car to drive than the e90 seems to be. And keeping a dark blue car clean and beautiful is terribly difficult; I have enough swirl marks, scratches and paint chips to make a grown man cry. And I am that man.

My heart wants to keep the car, because I'll likely never be able to afford another, and because hey.. I've already lost about $50K CDN in depreciation. But on the other hand, I've got the ability to get out of it now, and I think I might take it, then replace the car with a silver or alpine white 330i.

The 330i drives nowhere near as nicely as the Porker. It lacks power, handling, poise and prestige in comparison. But considering it costs less than half of what the Porsche did new, its one hell of a car. And it seats four, has a trunk, and advertises a 33% savings on my fuel costs. Decisions decisions

P.S. There's a used M3 (2003) for sale here at the same price as a new 330i, but I'm not even considering it due to my issues with driveability on a daily basis and fuel economy. It tempting though...

[darkside]

Mr. Abulia,

I was really impressed when I test drove the 330i alone. On a good stretch of freeway I had the car close to 100 mph and I was surprised at how stable it felt; better than the 5 series I test drove right after this. I also was very impressed with the handling.
The M3 is a great car but kind of edgy. It is difficult to drive smoothly even with a lot of practice. You definitely feel every bump in the road. The seats in the e90 fit me to a T, and this is a huge issue for me. I am looking forward to a more comfortable car that still has the BMW feel, that I will not have to worry about what happens to the appearance every time it rains. My wife has a "bamboo" Lexus RX 330, and it is just so easy to care for. And, finally, I am on the list for the e90 M3, so if I regret my decision I can alway return to the M3 in a couple of years.

[stressdoc]

The E90 M3 or 335i would make the transition from a porker easier to swallow...

[Ioman]

Congrats!

Your car sounds very similar to mine.