[metallicpea]

My car began production today. It has an estimated completion date of 5/30.

Of note, both the website and 800# had the updated information at the same time. I did not see the day or 2 delay that I have heard mentioned before. Since production was imminent I have been calling 2x per day, and yesterday evening it was still "scheduled for production with no confirmed production date yet" and this morning, both the phone and web showed production begins.

I need a VIN by Wednesday, who knows when in the process the VIN is assigned/released?

[DerekS]

Originally Posted by metallicpea

I need a VIN by Wednesday, who knows when in the process the VIN is assigned/released?

VIN is usually assigned when the car enters the body shop. You shouldn't have to wait long.

[metallicpea]

Car is still set to finish production on the 30th, but I did get a VIN on Monday and finished my deal last night.

I will post a write up later, but again, I must say Matt Martin and Cesni Ennis at DeFouw BMW in Lafayette Indiana were just excellent to deal with.

I cold called Matt and he provided me an excellent quote on his first attempt. They were accurate, quick and professional in their communication and when I showed up to sign the paperwork, everything was exactly as expected, no surprises, no funny fees. If you are in the greater Chicago or Indianapolis areas, I would really recommend you give them a call. I have bought many cars, and had many good experiences, but this one was at the top.

[metallicpea]

Update: I'm back from Europe. Dropped the car at the Munich airport on the 11th, so I will e-mail the carrier tomorrow to get the first shipping status.

One piece of advice, if you are dropping off at a location during appointment required times like I was - A Saturday - call the drop off location yourself beforehand to confirm. BMW had never communicated to them that I was coming. Luckily I called to inform them of traffic delays, and I caught them just before they left, otherwise my travel would have been really messed up.

[metallicpea]

Almost forgot, here are a couple quick pics to share.

[piokor06]

Congrats, car looks great!

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by piokor06

Congrats, car looks great!

Thanks!

It's on a boat leaving Bremerhaven today.

[metallicpea]

A few additional thoughts:

The 320i was just what I needed. I was very happy with the 704 M-sport suspension on the nice German roads. I will have to give it a more thorough exam on my local roads, but... And, the engine was more than adequate. Sure it's no 6 cylinder, but I never felt like it didn't have what I needed when I put my foot into it. The interior was nearly as roomy as my E60, so this is a big car, but the weight is low, so it didn't feel the heft that was obvious on my 550i. The anthracite fineline wood trim looks great. I saw so many 320s and sensatec cars with the default silver trim, and the dark wood looks much better. The led lights look really nice. The Mineral Grey looked better than I had hoped with the 320i sport wheels. Maybe I'll just stick with these wheels. The stagger and low stance really help make the car look more serious without being flashy.

The tires weren't as noticeably bad as the runflats on my 135i, but the roads are so smooth it's really hard to tell with the limited driving of 350km that I did. So we will see...

The seats and steering wheel are what I expected - fantastic. and with the sport headliner and black interior, I will need to tint the windows. I'm getting 35 all around as soon as I get it back.

Only other mods I have planned are front reflector delete and something with the front grills - maybe. Not black, but I'm going to try a few things. I will report back on that.

[John Casey]

Originally Posted by metallicpea

A few additional thoughts:

The 320i was just what I needed. I was very happy with the 704 M-sport suspension on the nice German roads. I will have to give it a more thorough exam on my local roads, but... And, the engine was more than adequate. Sure it's no 6 cylinder, but I never felt like it didn't have what I needed when I put my foot into it. The interior was nearly as roomy as my E60, so this is a big car, but the weight is low, so it didn't feel the heft that was obvious on my 550i. The anthracite fineline wood trim looks great. I saw so many 320s and sensatec cars with the default silver trim, and the dark wood looks much better. The led lights look really nice. The Mineral Grey looked better than I had hoped with the 320i sport wheels. Maybe I'll just stick with these wheels. The stagger and low stance really help make the car look more serious without being flashy.

The tires weren't as noticeably bad as the runflats on my 135i, but the roads are so smooth it's really hard to tell with the limited driving of 350km that I did. So we will see...

The seats and steering wheel are what I expected - fantastic. and with the sport headliner and black interior, I will need to tint the windows. I'm getting 35 all around as soon as I get it back.

Only other mods I have planned are front reflector delete and something with the front grills - maybe. Not black, but I'm going to try a few things. I will report back on that.

Great summary. My 320i fits my needs well too and I was very impressed with the way it handled on the Autobahn and German roads. Keep us posted with your mods, especially the front grills. I choose not to go with the black but am interested to see what you try.

[metallicpea]

Update: My ship arrived port in NY / NJ right on time this morning.

Now we will see how long it takes to get unloaded and trucked to Indiana. Perhaps under 1 week as I understand... Almost to the end

[DrivenByE30]

I am excited for you... Car is looking great... Tasty choice !!!
I love the color combo and the wheels you have are super classy clean and sporty...

More photos please...

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by DrivenByE30

I am excited for you... Car is looking great... Yasty choice !!!
Live the color combo and the wheels are super classy clean and sporty...

More photos please...

Thanks! Unfortunately I did not take as many photos on my ED as you did.

I can post a few more when it gets home. Very soon, it might be on a truck already.

[piokor06]

Did you get xDrive on your car? I noticed you're from Chicago. If you didn't get xDrive, do you think winter tires are usually enough? I'm moving next month and ordering my F30 soon, and I just assumed I need to get xDrive.

[sygazelle]

Have a great time on your ED experience. I picked up my 328i in Munich 3 years ago and its fantastic.

I couldn't help but notice your list of previous BMWs. From a 325, 135, 550, M3, and now a 320. That says a lot for this amazing little motor that someone who has owned the BMWs you've owned would even consider a "little 4-banger" after the power you've had under your foot.

My change from a 540i to a 328i wasn't quite as dramatic powerwise, but I'll tell you I have no regrets at all about downsizing. I hope you have the same experience. Keep us posted with photos and your experience with the little engine that could.

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by piokor06

Did you get xDrive on your car? I noticed you're from Chicago. If you didn't get xDrive, do you think winter tires are usually enough? I'm moving next month and ordering my F30 soon, and I just assumed I need to get xDrive.

Very good question. No x-drive for me. My short answer is a sport RWD for summer and a dedicated set of winter wheels & tires gives the best of both.

For a longer and somewhat heated - but very good read, check here.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1160997

Without knowing you and how you use your car, it's hard for me to suggest what you should buy, but I think you'll see what I think from this thread.

Have you always lived in a warm climate? or do you have winter driving experience?

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by sygazelle

Have a great time on your ED experience. I picked up my 328i in Munich 3 years ago and its fantastic.

I couldn't help but notice your list of previous BMWs. From a 325, 135, 550, M3, and now a 320. That says a lot for this amazing little motor that someone who has owned the BMWs you've owned would even consider a "little 4-banger" after the power you've had under your foot.

My change from a 540i to a 328i wasn't quite as dramatic powerwise, but I'll tell you I have no regrets at all about downsizing. I hope you have the same experience. Keep us posted with photos and your experience with the little engine that could.

Hello! I have been back for 3 weeks now. It was great. My 3rd ED. Car is almost at my dealer - any day now.

Well, I'm keeping my M3, so that was a factor, but given the light weight and other variables, the 320i seems fairly peppy to me. I just didn't use the grunt of my 550i anymore, and for my routine driving it was value that I couldn't pass up. After limited driving on it so far, I see no lack of urgency when I put foot into it. I'm glad your happy with your 4 cylinder too. I'm hoping for some decent longevity out of this one.

[piokor06]

Originally Posted by metallicpea

Very good question. No x-drive for me. My short answer is a sport RWD for summer and a dedicated set of winter wheels & tires gives the best of both.

For a longer and somewhat heated - but very good read, check here.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1160997

Without knowing you and how you use your car, it's hard for me to suggest what you should buy, but I think you'll see what I think from this thread.

Have you always lived in a warm climate? or do you have winter driving experience?

I've lived in Chicago my entire life except for the past three years, so I'm aware of how bad the winters are and how it can be to drive in the winters. My current car is an Accord with all season tires and it was pretty good in the winter. I used to be a delivery man before and there was nothing worse than fish tailing in the RWD Ford Econoline on I-90 when it started snowing. I'll probably be using my car mainly for city driving, but I will be going out to the suburbs a few times a month too.

Will winter tires really be enough to maintain control of the car and not get stuck/not fishtail?

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by piokor06

I've lived in Chicago my entire life except for the past three years, so I'm aware of how bad the winters are and how it can be to drive in the winters. My current car is an Accord with all season tires and it was pretty good in the winter. I used to be a delivery man before and there was nothing worse than fish tailing in the RWD Ford Econoline on I-90 when it started snowing. I'll probably be using my car mainly for city driving, but I will be going out to the suburbs a few times a month too.

Will winter tires really be enough to maintain control of the car and not get stuck/not fishtail?

I grew up in Des Plaines and spent 15 years driving the NW suburbs with rear wheel drive and snow tires. In my opinion, I prefer that. I also have had 2 Jeeps and a Land Rover, and except for deep snow, the RWD with Blizzaks does significantly better than the 4WD with good all seasons.

I won't say never fishtail, but with the traction control and Blizzaks it's extremely rare to feel loss of traction and not an issue. If you've driven a RWD van in Chicago winters, an F30 with the proper winter shoes will be like 6 wheel drive.

If you really feel better with the AWD, I certainly won't talk you out of it, AWD with Blizzaks is the most you can do. Just be aware your giving up a decent portion of the sports sedan to do so, and as I don't buy the x-drive, that's all I can really say. If I felt I needed it, I would have it. We get more snow where I am now - lake effect - and I have never spun out or got my car stuck and I drove my E46 325i, E60 550i and will drive this F30 320i all winter unless the snow is unplowed and so deep my non M sport bumper wont clear it.

I can't tell you what to do, I can only tell you what I would consider if I were in your position.

I already have a set of 17" BMW wheels and 225/50 x 17 Blizzak WS80 ready to go.

[finewayne]

Originally Posted by metallicpea

Bad news. I would think ED has a high priority. Everything has been confirmed. I'll post an update as soon as anything changes.

oww, that's too sad

[metallicpea]

Everything is good. All the important dates happened as planned.

Car seems to be delayed at port in NY/NJ, as it was unloaded the 6th and hasn't had a status update since. Don't think it has even made the VPC yet, as far as anyone can tell.

We will see.

[metallicpea]

After a small delay at port, it looks like my car was released from port yesterday and is now at the VPC. That's one week - more than normal and not what I was hoping for, but oh well.

It is scheduled to leave port/ arrive my dealer on the 16th. The info is very unclear after the boat arrives. Hopefully it does pass through VPC as quickly as planned. Saturday or Monday if things go as currently scheduled.

[metallicpea]

I am still waiting and increasingly frustrated. Has been in New Jersey 15 days and now I am told ED cars need to get a truck to Baltimore and then wait for a second truck to dealer. Due to carrier changes...

They can get it half way across the world in 15 days, but can't get it out of New Jersey in the same amount of time.