[wisbimmer]

Hi Everyone,

I am new to the forum (currently have an E46) and interested in purchasing a 2015 328i GT xdrive that has the M-sport package; I'm fairly certain you can only get the estoril blue colorway if you chose the m-sport package?

Ideally I wouldn't be purchasing one of these for another 4-6 months but I found one close that is available. Should I pull the trigger now because there aren't many available or am I just being crazy and will have no problem finding another in 4-6 months time (I'm willing to travel; located in the midwest)???

This car comes with m-sport, cold weather, lighting, driver assist, premium, and the upgraded sound system. It has everything I'd like minus the technology package.

Any advice would be great!

[scottomfg]

Yes, Estoril Blue was/is only available with M-Sport Package. I spent a bit of time looking for used GTs, I'd say that Estoril Blue is definitely one of the more rare colors. If the color is important to you and the car has everything else you want except tech, I'd say snap it up. I think it's highly unlikely you'd find another that has everything this one has again, especially close to you.

[Lazarus.Bird]

Yeah I did not see many of the blues when I was doing my search. I was looking for the 335 and only found one, but it didn't have all the features I wanted so I ended up going with a different black one.

[wisbimmer]

Hey guys, just a follow-up to my OP. I still haven't pulled the trigger but the car I'm looking at (2015 328i GT m-sport EBII) is still available.

I don't really need a new vehicle until the end of the year but the m-sport 328 gt's seem few and far between in my price point ($20-$25k). I'm considering trying to wait until the end of the year to see if a 2016 m-sport comes around in my price point.

Am I crazy to think in 7-8 months time I'll be able to find a 2016 328i gt m-sport model under 50k miles and within my price point? Is it even worth waiting for a 2016 or is the LCI update not going to matter much?

I'm most interested in being able to easily play music and nav from my phone and understand 2015 models have no access to carplay (although I hear it isn't great). Currently have an 02' E46 so have no prior experience with any version of iDrive.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[wisbimmer]

Nothing!?!?

[Billfitz]

GT owners tend to be older, if not wiser, and less inclined to go for an M Sport, so that's why so few are out there. If you want to see what you're likely to find used look at what's on the lots new. There's not much for M Sport GTs. As for playing music from phones, I use my phone for phone calls. I haven't a clue what carplay is, and don't care. If that makes me an old fart I embrace it.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by wisbimmer

I'm most interested in being able to easily play music and nav from my phone and understand 2015 models have no access to carplay (although I hear it isn't great). Currently have an 02' E46 so have no prior experience with any version of iDrive.

If the car satisfies you and is a rare find, not much reason to pass it by. Your above statement, however, suggests maybe you'd prefer some other brand altogether? If you are MOST interested, among all the qualities a BMW offers, in playing music and using the relatively poor nav from Apple assuming you have a cell signal, than BMW is not designed for you. If your MOST interest is in the driving experience, that is what these cars are designed for. Carplay is a distraction and doesn't work that well. Out of curiosity, I tried it, and then turned it off. The car's own nav works better, and Carplay won't let you use Waze/Googlemaps anyway. I'd say to get the car, drive it well, and leave the tech toys for non-driving time.

[scottomfg]

Originally Posted by wisbimmer

Hey guys, just a follow-up to my OP. I still haven't pulled the trigger but the car I'm looking at (2015 328i GT m-sport EBII) is still available.

I don't really need a new vehicle until the end of the year but the m-sport 328 gt's seem few and far between in my price point ($20-$25k). I'm considering trying to wait until the end of the year to see if a 2016 m-sport comes around in my price point.

Am I crazy to think in 7-8 months time I'll be able to find a 2016 328i gt m-sport model under 50k miles and within my price point? Is it even worth waiting for a 2016 or is the LCI update not going to matter much?

I'm most interested in being able to easily play music and nav from my phone and understand 2015 models have no access to carplay (although I hear it isn't great). Currently have an 02' E46 so have no prior experience with any version of iDrive.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Unfortunately when iDrive got CarPlay was also when the iDrive interface finally got really good—however I'd say iDrive on a 2015 is more than adequate for playing music from your phone via Bluetooth. It might not be the best possible experience but it also isn't bad, and you could totally live with it.

I also think iDrive Nav is pretty good in 2015 models, the biggest pain point is actually entering the address, the experience after that is better than a smartphone in my experience because the screen is much larger and is mounted in a perfect location in BMWs (up and very close to your eyeline for driving).

I can't really give you feedback about the price and possibilities for certain configs as I just don't have that knowledge. I would guess M-Sport is a more popular option on 335/340 models, so in addition to it's relative rareness, now, you are entering super niche territory of M-Sport *and* 328/330.

In my experience, if you want a lot of options and certain colors, etc, you have to be prepared to make some compromises when buying used. Getting the exact config you want is usually reserved for ordering new from the factory (the route I ended up opting for). This is probably less true for models that are very popular like a 3 sedan, but when you enter GT territory the pool of cars available is much, much, much smaller.

[wisbimmer]

Thank you all for the wise advice. I pulled the trigger and picked up my f34 today from a non-bmw dealer. I was completely oblivious to how seamlessly my phone worked with the car over Bluetooth (again came from an '02 E46 with no office); Clearly no real need for carplay at all.

Quick question, I'm under the 50k mark and therefore under warranty but will quickly hit the 50 mark. I want to take it to my local bmw dealership and get a look-over just to make sure everything is in order.

Will local dealers check out an under warranty car free of charge or is this a pipe dream?

Again, thanks for all the help!

[Tribalpinoy911]

Its pretty rare. Doing a nationwide search for the better part of the year for under 30k miles yielded me about 3 results. None of which were remotely near me (PA). To add, they were all priced above market or just a break even fair price.

Goodluck.