| Where's the best place to buy a BMW? |
If you're like me and don't like to haggle, try CarsDirect.com
All three of the San Francisco Bay Area BMW dealers I've dealt with (Weatherford BMW, Stevens CreekBMW, and Peter Pan BMW) have been well-managed with excellent service departments, but their sales departments are wildly uneven, with Stevens Creek being the most assertive and Peter Pan being nonexistant.
Since the .com crash, everyone is willing to bargain. I've heard good things about San Francisco BMW, so I'd check them out as well.
If I had it to do over again, I would go through BMW's European Delivery Program.
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| How much should I pay? |
You are probably going to pay within a few thousand dollars of BMW's MSRP unless you know (or have dated) someone with connections. The good news is that the downturn in the economy means that fewer dealers are selling above MSRP, which was definitely the case when I bought my car in April 2001. |
| Should I buy a BMW windscreen? Best price? |
Yes, I HIGHLY recommend getting the deflector unless you never drive over 25 mph. The lowest prices I've seen online are at Pacific BMW in Glendale. For comparison, I paid $425 for mine.
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| Is bird poop bad for the clearcoat and paint? |
Yes, especially from ducks. It will scar your paint photo. Carry around water or wash it off immediately. Normal poop (seagull, pigeon, etc.) will mar the clearcoat, but isn't as damaging as duck poop.
Yes, Zaino pretty much fixes this.
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| Any problems? |
Other than the two factory recalls for the faulty fan, no. I chose to have the steering rack replaced as well. Otherwise, the car has been rock solid—rattle-free, and trouble-free. |
| Gas mileage? |
Average gas mileage after 26,000 miles: 24.7 mpg (80% highway miles). Average speed: 46 mph
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| How do you fix the rattle in the subwoofer? |
My car doesn't have this problem. Check www.bimmer.org, where there are several suggestions for this problem.
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| If you hadn't gotten steel blue, what color would you have chosen? |
Black with natural leather. |
| If you hadn't bought a BMW 330 convertible, what would you have chosen? |
In order of preference:
- BMW M3 convertible
-
Porsche Boxster S |
| Fastest you've driven? |
110 with the top down. And I was smoking. |
Do you have the manuals for other models or years?
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No, I only have the 2001 BMW 330ci convertible manual (2.1 megs., PDF format). |
What do you do to care for your top?
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Nothing. I figure I'll just have to replace the canvas after 6-7 years. BMW sells a special cleaner for the top, but I don't know anyone that's used it. |
| How do I change the time on the dash clock? |
There's a knob to the immediate right of the odometer. Turn it to the left (counterclockwise) to move the time back; turn it the other way to move it forward. The longer you have it turned, the faster the numbers change.
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| Can the schedule maintenace indicator comes up can it be reset by the owner or only BMW service people? |
As far as I know, the only way you can reset the service schedule counter is to take it to a dealership. I'm sure there are ways around this, but I'm not sure what the consequences are if you're caught.
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| Should I get the alarm? |
I have the BMW alarm, which is dealer installed. I paid around $700 I think...it's somewhere on my site.
The convertible doesn't have the ultrasonic sensor. The logic behind this was explained to me by another user. Imagine if the top was down and leaves fell inside. A nightmare for the neighbors.
Here's my advice: if you live in a fairly safe neighborhood and don't worry too much in general about someone breaking into your car, don't bother with the alarm. I only bought it because I hang out in some rough neighborhoods and the clown nose (that red thing on the rearview mirror) flashes when you have the alarm installed. Some of the dumber robbers don't understand that the ignition is disabled when you try to hotwire the car.
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| Where is the best Peking Duck in San Jose? |
Silver Lake restaurant on Homestead and Wolfe in Cupertino. |
