brybusa

My brother ended up buying one of these Saturday, after pondering for months on what to buy (various threads on subject kicking about on here!)

We test drove a 530 sport and the 330, both are stunning cars, but the 3 was that more involving as you’d expect.

Another thing that put us off the 5 was that the salesman had left the signage on the roof, and after a couple of miles driving, it flew off!

Being a substantial alloy thing, it scratched the roof, back quarter and dented the boot heavily………BMW salesman went from polite and attentive to dismayed and cursing quicker than the car went from 0-60

Anyone here got a 330? Thoughts and opinions?

Cheers

Scumbag

Quite nice, but pricey new. Test drove both 330 and 330D, but ended up paying LOTS less for a new Legacy B4.
My main problem with 330 was the size of the boot...absolutely pathetic for the size of car
SB

brybusa

Agree with the boot size, but has another car for the Tesco run!, and yes, expensive even nearly new, depreciation wise Beemers still hold their value well, dont they?!

Bobby Peru

On my 3rd, got a 330ci Clubsport now, love 'em, tough to beat as an all round pakage.

what would scooby do

As above - great all rounder, fab sounding engines once moving they can go along at a fair old lick.. even the 330D is good

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

OK, but don't you go through a LOT of foglight bulbs, having to have them on all the time?:

And then there's the cost of the hairdressing lessons??

Alcazar:

russell hayward

Had a 330 saloon, got a 330 touring now.

All round, probably the best cars I've owned.

Dracoro

I'm sure they are OK. They can replace them with the bulbs from the indicators

pflowers

Owned three 3 series ( touring, coupe, compact ) before buying my scoob, ( also a MINI cooper S, but I won't start on that )

All under a year old, one new and all let me down in some way, build quality was poor and my experience with BMW service was not great either.

I would go as far as to say they were the most unreliable cars I have owned.

IMO they are over rated. Sorry.

chris's scooby

I found my local BMW dealer to be very poor, mainly on the sales side. I walked in there a couple of years ago wanting to part with nearly 30 grand for a 330 but they didn't seem to give a to$$ about selling me one, so i went off to the Scooby dealer who was very helpful and bought a WRX.

20 months later a went back to pick up my WR1 and we're about to order a Forester for the other half.

BMW's lose i guess ;-)

Bobby Peru

Had 6 BM's and never had any problems, GF has a Cooper S and had a Cooper, never any probs on any of them, if this thread gains any momentum then it is a guarantee that the anti-BMW sentiment will come to the fore before too long.

pflowers

Its not anti BMW, all I know is that everyone I have owned has been problematic compounded by the pompous service departments.

As far as MINI is concerned he is extremely lucky, I had to reject 2 Cooper S models due to major problems. A visit to www.mini2.com will reveal many other people with similar experiences.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Anti BMW sentiment ?

I find the cars are fantastic, just a small minority of the owners are the problem !

a 330i driver got a little peeved at me the other day when he made a rash overtake on a motorway slip, any overtake of a Fiat Coupe Turbo is fairly rash when you are in a 330i it seems, he got his **** handed to him on a plate, I thought they were meant to be hyper quick ?

Are they all top end power or something, I suppose mine being chipped and having a little bit more boost than standard was a little unfair but it was enjoyable seeing him wonder why he tried to overtake on the hatched bit.

I do think they are as you say a superb package but a victim of their own huge success.

pflowers

Makes me laugh really, someone starts a thread asking for other peoples views on a particular car, and as soon as people give honest anwsers based on their own experiences someone gets the hump. Whats the point ?

Bobby Peru

I just realised why I hardly ever come on here anymore, back to TS I go, bbbbbyyyyyyyeeeeee!!

225

Its a shame as they are obviously good cars, however I will admit to my fair share of the anti-bmwness. It has to be said though I have lost count the amount of time that a silver 318, 320 etc has been stapled to my rear bumper. Even when you leave them far behind its not long before it appears again, well I assume its the same one as there are so many of them!

I personally don't rate a 3 series much higher than any other rep mobile (Ms aside) and that is purely because there so many of them, they seem to be driven (in most that I have seen) by arrogant sales reps.
Broad generalisation I know but I think bmw have shot them selves in the foot by making the contract rates so low and obviously doing good deals with fleet managers.
People ask me why I didn't buy one as I used to have a v6 156, and don't understand that for the money I paid for the LCR I wouldn't have got anything at the beemer garage. People say I slate them because of envy, but that is soo far from the truth its unbeleivable, everytime I pull in at a motorway service station and see at least 3 silver 3series I smile.
They do sound nice though and I do miss the V6 soundtrack.

Wild Mark

The guy is asking about the car and its turned into an anti BMW rant....at the end of the day there are wanŁkers in most dealers, keep on track guys.

Mad Gypsy

I've owned two E36 3 series (323 coup & 328 cab) and a STi Type R.
As a performance machine the Type R wins hands down. In every other department the BM's were far superior. Performance is bound to be better than a 323 & 328 though.
I also found the service at BMW first class (woods of Bournemouth)

Just last Saturday I test drove two E36 M3's Evo's, (a coup and a cab) The cab was a bag of sh1te (as was mine) but the coupe was very impressive, and thats comming from a Type R owner (former, just sold it). The M3 coupe wasn't much off the pace of my Type R, if any. The coupe had 110k on the clock and felt perfect in every way. Though I've been in M3's before, It's the first time I'd really taken a M3 by the scruff of the neck and I was impressed.
So much so, that if I was to choose between my Type R and a M3 I'd have to go for the M3. It matches 95% of the Type R's performance, but gives so much more in every other department. It would be a very tough decision, but the M3 offers more.
If I was to pick between the two for a second car, it would be the Type R every time.

I loved owning both my BM's and my scoob, they are very different but both excellent at what they are designed for.

There is a definite anti BMW sentiment on SN, why I don't know. A victim of their own success they may be, but over rated? Most certainly not.

What do the good people of SN think of my next car, the 996 911? Oh wait a minute, I don't give a ****!

emthreewannabee

OMG where is tiggers? Has anyone informed him about this thread yet?

emthreewannabee

Great post. On the money. Hit the nail on the head.....

IwantAscoob

boring and as common as muck, for the same money ,well a bit more, you could get a r33 gtr, id rather a 350z than the common im another bmw owner with a 330ci, nice car but as boring as a mondeo 2.0 glx.

Mad Gypsy

Very true, BM's are common as muck, I'll admit that. But you also have to admit that the scoob (classic at least) is now a chav wagon.
Does that make a classic a crap car?

Most of you are basing your opinions on what others have wrote, most of whom have never owned or driven a BMW! Many of you get caught up in the image that BM's have. You can not tell me any of us who bought a scoob did so for image? When I sold my 98 328 convertible and bought the scoob, people thought things had taken a turn for the worse! When a friend of my mothers saw my 'new' car, she came up to me, touched my shoulder and said "don't worry, things will pick up again".

Just because there are high numbers of a certain car on the road, or a car's image has suffered at the hands of the miss-informed, does not make that car any less in the eyes of anyone but the most hardent crack abusers.

One person said that the bull plop which is so generously abundant on SN is the reason they don't visit SN anymore. For me it's for this very reason that I DO visit SN, the comedy value is first class!

Funkii Munkii

225 Quote: They do sound nice though and I do miss the V6 soundtrack.

Straight 6..........

Had 3
320 coupe in red
325 MotorSport In Diamond Black absolutely adored this car, should never have sold it for .....
325 MotorSport Conv in Sebring Grey, handled really well for a rag top, but ultimately a duffer, nicked from outside the local Chinese 6 years ago (thank you) and bought myself my Scoob (silver LOL), If I had the money I would happily buy a 330 or a new scoob

pflowers

So basically what you are saying is the guy wants peoples experiences with the car, and we can say whatever we like as long as its in BMW's favour ??

I thought these threads were about being open and listening to other peoples points of view. Obviously not.

My experience with BMW has been poor, not on one car and one dealer but five cars and three dealers, what am I supposed to say ???

Mad Gypsy

The difference is, you have first hand experience with BMW's. It may not have been good and that's fair comment. It's the people who just jump on the 'I hate all BMW's because they are BMW's' bandwagon that make me laugh.
They are more of a sheep than the BMW drivers who they claim drive a BMW because everyone else does.

It depends on the BMW. If you drive a 316, 318 or 320, then your not going to be overly impressed.

Tiggs

i had a bmw...the car, the dealers, the service was miles ahead of anything i got from anyone else (esp subaru)

im getting a Z4 next as the good points of BMW ownership far outweigh the minority views of a few SN'ers.

pflowers

Thanks, thats fair.

I suppose I am actually the opposite of the 'anti BMW' brigade then, I bought mine ( 320d Touring, 320TD sport Compact, 325ci Coupe, Cooper S, Cooper S ) because I loved the look of the car and have no problems with the image. In fact I dont care about the image I just want a stylish and reliable car. It was the reliabilty part that let me down. I still see new shape Coupe's on the road and admire them no matter how many I see, and I have a twinge of frustration that I could not get anywhere with mine.

Still the Scoob has proved fault free and the dealer service 100% so I am happy enough.

So my contribution to this thread is to say that the BMW 330ci is a lovely looking car that drives beautifully ( yes I have driven one ) but in my view the reliabilty I experienced was unacceptable and so was the service.

pflowers

Here we go again, just because your experience of BMW has been good everyone else must be wrong eh ?????

Funkii Munkii

BMW are up there with MAN U these days in the hatred stakes, well especially in here LOL.

Love BM's, love Scoobs, love lots of cars, thats the idea isn't it

will13

Had a drive of a 330 sport coupe when I was deciding what car to go for (decided on STI), in comparrasin to the Subaru, I'd say it was way less fun to drive but the interior quality made it feel like a much more expensive car. Unfortunately I thought it was far too expensive new for what you were getting as an overall package in terms of what you could of had at the same price!! A4 Quattro was much smarter in my books and dosen't have the "bmw stigma" attached to it!
No offense to any beemer owning petrolheads on here but I imagine most beemers are purchased by people who aren't really into cars that much but have quite a bit of cash and can afford something smart whereas I'd say the majority of Scooby owners are people really into there cars!