[dreamspeed]

People keep saying the 320 is a bargain but is it really?

If this is your only car i'd imagine you'd want SOME options still and you are looking at ~35k msrp with only the lighting and sport packages

If this is a just for fun second car there are much better and cheaper used car options

[focal]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

That's a shame, those drivers are missing out big time. The sports seats, sport suspension and staggered 18s really transform the car

they just want a BMW to drive around. A to B transportation. For most, the brand is what they want.

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by focal

they just want a BMW to drive around. A to B transportation

In some instances, they just want a BMW to say "I drive a BMW".

Source: I know people who do this.

[focal]

the essence of a BMW is the chassis, engine, transmission and dynamics. you get that in every model.

the modern BMW driver also values tech and brand too. The badge and the prestige of that brand. Enthusiasts also value the brand, but definitely not as a 1st priority.

what makes BMW really special is the ability to cater to a wide range of drivers. The themes (base/modern/sport/m-sport/luxury) are a great example of the flexibility.

although BMW bundles a lot of options and doesn't have the a-la-carte of a Porsche, it's still possible to get a wide variance. Customization is still part of the luxury buying experience.

I contemplated a loaded '14 320i vs a modest spec 328i. Similar price. If I wasn't performance minded, I'd take the 320i happily.

[Kafkaesque328]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

That's a shame, those drivers are missing out big time. The sports seats, sport suspension and staggered 18s really transform the car

I wouldn't have gotten the car without it. Would have just paid the extra for the 328 or gotten a CPO e90. I drove a base 320 a few times and never tested a sport 320 but knew what the sport package was like in the e90s and that it was a must have w/the 3, for me anyway. In the 320i it gets you the M sport steering wheel which I love, the sport seats and sport suspension along with staggered hp summers and removed top speed limiter... For those times I'm doing 145mph on the way to work

[Ganxxta]

Originally Posted by Kafkaesque320

...and removed top speed limiter... For those times I'm doing 145mph on the way to work

Out of curiosity... what top speed limiter?

In germany its limited to 250km/h / 155mi/h, is it different in the US?

That should be enough for the 320


I agree with some that a 320 is a good machine, especially in europe where we pay taxes for the CO2 emissions and where the fuel price is climbing each day

[wdeerfield]

what a lot of people are forgetting is that for us that desire xdrive for our winter commuting and going to the mountains, sports package DOES NOT add the suspension bits on the xdrive models. We only get the slight appearance on the exterior, seats and steering wheel.

I still stand by that the 320 (without a tune) is a boring dull interior for a car that you cant get the msport with. while in sport mode and changing gears "manually" its as fun as it can be. my e46 was the same. At the end of the day, you can get a whole lot more car, so long as it doesnt have the roundel.

[Kafkaesque328]

Originally Posted by Ganxxta

Out of curiosity... what top speed limiter?

In germany its limited to 250km/h / 155mi/h, is it different in the US?

That should be enough for the 320


I agree with some that a 320 is a good machine, especially in europe where we pay taxes for the CO2 emissions and where the fuel price is climbing each day

The 320i with sport package has an increased top speed limiter of 146mph or thereabouts whereas I think the regular 320 is limited at 120.

Originally Posted by wdeerfield

what a lot of people are forgetting is that for us that desire xdrive for our winter commuting and going to the mountains, sports package DOES NOT add the suspension bits on the xdrive models. We only get the slight appearance on the exterior, seats and steering wheel.

I still stand by that the 320 (without a tune) is a boring dull interior for a car that you cant get the msport with. while in sport mode and changing gears "manually" its as fun as it can be. my e46 was the same. At the end of the day, you can get a whole lot more car, so long as it doesnt have the roundel.

Oh, right, I didn't think about that. In my mind the 320i was never an option w/out the sport package. The sport package transforms the car. I came from 3 years in a stage 1 GTI. My 320 outhandles the GTI by a long shot, is more composed at speed, has a more solid road feel and superior build quality. I guess it all depends what you are coming from but for the money I dont think you can beat it if you want the basic 'classic' 3 series elements w/out a lot of frills. I've driven the new Accord 'Sport' and it's not even remotely in the same ballpark. I don't know if you can get more 'car' at the end of the day, but for the price you could get a loaded economy car. I think C&D mentions in their review of the 320 that you could get a loaded Ford Fusion for the price of a 320i with ZSP. They ended it by saying "what would you rather drive?"

My job puts me in a lot of rental cars and if you have a pulse, you wouldn't rather drive a Ford Fusion.

[openwheelracing]

Originally Posted by ///M Power

Did Chris say the 320i has a turbo? It actually doesn't, it's just a 328i w/o the turbo but pushes better than a Corolla.

If ppl want a basic BMW, they should get it. It's just nothin but handle. I have a F30 335i and it's the best car I've had. It's better than 535, the S4, the C350, the IS 350 and even better than all the US muscle cars. Just install the Stage 1 and a drop in you are good to go!!!

Sorry I couldn't resist. I smell some butt-hurt from those who pay for higher digits.

[Kafkaesque328]

Originally Posted by dreamspeed

People keep saying the 320 is a bargain but is it really?

If this is your only car i'd imagine you'd want SOME options still and you are looking at ~35k msrp with only the lighting and sport packages

If this is a just for fun second car there are much better and cheaper used car options

Well, when I was shopping around wanting to get out of the GTI, the well optioned e90 328i's are holding at high 20s and low 30k range. There was the option of an A4 but I didn't want another VAG car. I guess for the $32 I paid I could have gotten a pretty well used 335i with no options. At the end of the day, for what I wanted, it was the best option for a well rounded daily. I'll tell you what though, even my GTI had heated seats and no heated seats on this car is lame. But if your budget is low $30k and you want a RWD sports sedan that is turbocharged with tuning capability, excellent handling and steering and road feel with a nice-ish interior, what other options are there really?

I definitely didn't want a Cadillac.

[georgere]

320i is not a good option, it is a budget option. making it sound as a smart buy vs 328i or 335i is wrong.
While I respect C.H., in this review, you can see he is just doing his job as a journalist and not speaking from his hart.

On the other hand, I do think 328i is hugely overpriced, even 335i is (though not as much). I wish I had enough time to go car shopping to find alternatives to BMW as I think BMW pricing is just too bold.

[Kafkaesque328]

Originally Posted by georgere

320i is not a good option, it is a budget option. making it sound as a smart buy vs 328i or 335i is wrong.
While I respect C.H., in this review, you can see he is just doing his job as a journalist and not speaking from his hart.

On the other hand, I do think 328i is hugely overpriced, even 335i is (though not as much). I wish I had enough time to go car shopping to find alternatives to BMW as I think BMW pricing is just too bold.

Well there's 30 seconds of my life I'll never get back...

Curiously, how much time have you spent in this particular car?

[Sabo]

Originally Posted by georgere

320i is not a good option, it is a budget option. making it sound as a smart buy vs 328i or 335i is wrong.
While I respect C.H., in this review, you can see he is just doing his job as a journalist and not speaking from his hart.

On the other hand, I do think 328i is hugely overpriced, even 335i is (though not as much). I wish I had enough time to go car shopping to find alternatives to BMW as I think BMW pricing is just too bold.

I've been following this tread as I have a 320ix Msport but instead of calling it budget option I would rather call it a sensible one. Luckily in Europe the 320i is available as Msport version which I have with the same options as any other model like heated leather, pro nav, sport auto etc. and it's a good car indeed. For me the 328i makes less sense as if you only want/can afford a 4cylinder have a 320i or just go for a 335i, but a well equipped 320i is more then enough for an everyday family car.

[georgere]

Originally Posted by Saby

I've been following this tread as I have a 320ix Msport but instead of calling it budget option I would rather call it a sensible one. Luckily in Europe the 320i is available as Msport version which I have with the same options as any other model like heated leather, pro nav, sport auto etc. and it's a good car indeed. For me the 328i makes less sense as if you only want/can afford a 4cylinder have a 320i or just go for a 335i, but a well equipped 320i is more then enough for an everyday family car.

right, I should have mentioned my post is more related to US. Europe and other countires have different perception of what a car should be. On a plus side you have a working public transportation and we dont.

[georgere]

Originally Posted by Kafkaesque320

Well there's 30 seconds of my life I'll never get back...

Curiously, how much time have you spent in this particular car?

Too bad, man. And also I have 0 time in the 320. What's your point? I stated my opinion based on CH review and theme going in the thread. Why does it have to be based on whether or not I've driven the car. And to your point, I do drive 325 e90 with sport, prem packages. It is also a 6-speed. When I was purchasing it I had a chance to by same year, mileage, and condition a 330 e90. It was 20-25% more so back then I thought why spending more for a similar car. Well, there have been many times when I thought I should have went for 330. It is just more fun car than 325. And 328 or 335 are more fun than your 320. So yes in US, buying 320 is a budget thing. If you have a budget for 328 or 335, go for it. That's my point.

[dreamspeed]

For low 30s the only thing you can get is a 320 with zero options. Which would be more poorly equipped than something like a Kia Optima or Toyota corolla.

If you are on a budget, getting a used car would be a better idea

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by dreamspeed

For low 30s the only thing you can get is a 320 with zero options. Which would be more poorly equipped than something like a Kia Optima or Toyota corolla.

If you are on a budget, getting a used car would be a better idea

Maybe if people walked in to dealers, looked at the MSRP on the sticker, shook the guys hand and said, SOUNDS FAIR!

My car for example was had for about $7k off.

[fecurtis]

Yeah you could easily get a 320i base for under $30k.

[dreamspeed]

Under 30k out the door?

[Kafkaesque328]

Originally Posted by georgere

Too bad, man. And also I have 0 time in the 320. What's your point? I stated my opinion based on CH review and theme going in the thread. Why does it have to be based on whether or not I've driven the car. And to your point, I do drive 325 e90 with sport, prem packages. It is also a 6-speed. When I was purchasing it I had a chance to by same year, mileage, and condition a 330 e90. It was 20-25% more so back then I thought why spending more for a similar car. Well, there have been many times when I thought I should have went for 330. It is just more fun car than 325. And 328 or 335 are more fun than your 320. So yes in US, buying 320 is a budget thing. If you have a budget for 328 or 335, go for it. That's my point.

The point is that since you haven't spent any time in the car, you don't really know what you're talking about. It's what's called an uninformed opinion. Your responses are pure speculation. I drove a non sport line 328 and it was definitely not as fun as the 320 sport pkg. For a 328 with M sport, the only 328 I'd buy, it is considerably more money. The no-line 328 with it's flat bucket seats and soft ride is not my idea of the 'ultimate driving machine'. Point being, a 'proper' 328, IMHO, is going to run around $10k more than a 320i and that's significant.

Mine was $32k OTD, four grand off of msrp, sport package and sunroof

[georgere]

Originally Posted by Kafkaesque320

The point is that since you haven't spent any time in the car, you don't really know what you're talking about. It's what's called an uninformed opinion. Your responses are pure speculation. I drove a non sport line 328 and it was definitely not as fun as the 320 sport pkg. For a 328 with M sport, the only 328 I'd buy, it is considerably more money. The no-line 328 with it's flat bucket seats and soft ride is not my idea of the 'ultimate driving machine'. Point being, a 'proper' 328, IMHO, is going to run around $10k more than a 320i and that's significant.

Mine was $32k OTD, four grand off of msrp, sport package and sunroof

Well, first of please don't take my uninformed opinions personal (not that u do but just in case). Second, my opinion is based on my experience with e90 cars so it is not exactly uninformed. Next, the proper 328 will cost only $6K more as you calculate the difference between the deal you made on 320 and MSRP of a proper 328. Assuming you would get the same 4k discount on 328, you have less than 20% difference between the 2 models. Now when you start splitting hairs here, 6 grand over long term is not that much money and if you sell the car you will get some of it back. Like I said depending on budget you make the decision here like many of us do. But given a better budget at hand, I mean if I had extra 6 grand, I would get 328. And I think most of us would, and the reason is - 328 is a better car than 320. If it was otherwise, BMW would never release the 320.

[openwheelracing]

My payoff for 320i is $30'400. Lease started 12/18 and I haven't paid a dime yet. I won't have to pay until March. MSRP is above 36K btw with lighting and sport pack. Tell me this car is not a steal