Wes' BMW 330cic Website

Ownership - BMW 330ci Convertible - June, 2001

2008: January | February | March

June 1

Insurance
I knew this was going to be substantially higher than on my '98 Mitsubishi Eclipse, but not twice as much. Still, I'm glad that I have no accidents, no moving violations, and live in a relatively safe neighborhood.

I went through several insurance company websites using the same insurance package, as noted in Chart 1. Results varied by $1,100/year, as shown in Chart 2.

I still need to check with CSAA, State Farm, and Farmers, all of which either don't offer online quotes or had online tools that were down today.

UPDATE
I choose to update my existing CSAA policy, which took about 5 minutes over the phone. My premium basically doubled from what I was paying for my 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse RS.

Chart 1
Type of Coverage	Coverage (in thousands)
Bodily Injury Liability	100,000/300,000
Property Damage Liability	100,000
Medical Payments	Declined
Uninsured & Underinsured Motorist	30,000/60,000
Uninsured Motorist Property Damage	Not available in CA
Property damage	100,000
Comprehensive	$100 deductible
Collision	$250 deductible / no deduct. for collision caused by uninsured motorists
All risks	Declined
Emergency Road Service	Declined
Rental Reimbursement	Declined

Chart 2
Insurance Company	Term (in months)	Premium	One-year cost	Quote via
Nationwide	6	861.60	1723.20	Nationwide.com
CSAA	12	1541.00	1850.00	Phone
KemperDirect	12	1764.00	1764.00	Insweb.com
Travelers	6	1032.80	2065.60	Insweb.com
Geico	6	1111.40	2222.80	Geico.com
The Hartford	12	2680.00	2680.00	Insweb.com
Explorer	12	2722.00	2722.00	Insweb.com
GMAC	6	1412.00	2824.00	Insweb.com

June 2

While cleaning out the glove compartment of my car, I found the following items which my dealer never mentioned:

Sample audio CD
Leather key case
Quality Certification I checklist

Apparently, because the dealership made less than he could have on this car, the salesperson skimped a bit on prepping my car. As I've noted before, the entire check-out procedure took perhaps five minutes. The good news is that they didn't install a front license plate holder, which means the grill is unobstructed. The bad news is that I had no idea about some details, such as the trunk not opening unless the tonneau is completely locked.

Missing items:
- First aid kit (but who cares?)
- Unclear on whether the car is supposed to have come with a reversible trunk floor

June 8

Made the mistake of driving my boss' Porsche Boxster loaner.

Pros:	- Awesome clutch and shifter - Low to the ground, takes corners without fuss - Great road feel - FUN to drive and toss around corners - Seats are incredibly comfortable - Feels a bit quicker and no sticky accelerator pedal
Cons:	- $10K more for a car fewer options and less refinement - Top is hard to use - Windy even with the air deflector - No backseat or usable trunk space - Engine is noisy at all speeds (vs. the almost silent inline six in the 330)

June 15

Fan Problem

The Siemens fan used by BMW in the 330 is defective and has reportedly caused engine fires and overheatings.

After the second posting about an engine fire in a 330, I emailed BMWUSA about the problem, and they responded within two days.

Someone posted pics of both fans on www.bimmer.org. If they're accurate, I have the Siemens fan.

No resolution so far.