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Notes on owning a BMW
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Color
Color is Color
Without a SMPTE or other color reference chart, it's almost
impossible to approximate the "true" color
of Steel Blue Metallic. This is just to compare what
appears on BMW's website with photos that I've taken.
Design Note:
The header graphic that you see at the top of every page
is actually a photo of my car's hood. |
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The Top |
My BMW 330cic has a blue soft top,
which blends nicely with the steel blue metallic paint.
I'm still amazed by the engineering that went
into the fully automatic top. Press a button, it disengages
itself from the top of the windshield, flips up the hard
cover, folds itself and the glass rear windshield into the
well, and snaps the cover shut—all in about 12 seconds.
I've had people stop dead in their tracks and watch in fascination.
The top is tied into the speedometer. At anything
above a crawl, it won't budge.
With the top up, visibility to the left and
right rear is severely diminished. The blind spot is big
enough to hide a Camry (much to the annoyance of the Camry
driver I started changing lanes into). You'll be dependent
on your side mirrors. |
Handling |
Handling is solid around curves
with minimal body roll, although not as flat as cars that sit
lower such as a Boxster. The brakes bring this relatively heavy
car to a smooth and straight stop. On the highway, the combination
of a powerful torquey engine, great handling, and responsive
brakes makes for confident driving no matter the conditions.
Blip the throttle even in fifth and you rocket on by.
NOTE: BMW increased the steering boost on some
330s built before May 2001, including the convertibles. BMW
offers a free retrofit to the "old" steering, and
I recommend that you take them up on it via the Owners Circle
on BMWUSA.com.
They responded to my request within 24 hours. NOTE:
This problem has been fixed in all post-May 2001 330s. |
Extras |
| Options |
Worth
it? |
Notes |
| Premium
package |
Myrtle wood trim |
Yes |
A nice touch despite
looking like imitation wood because of the thick plastic
coating |
4-way power lumbar
support for
front seats |
Yes |
Comfy, but I really
wanted the sports seats. I sit almost bolt upright to reduce
back strain on my daily 70-mile commute. Powered headrests
are handy. |
| Rain-sensing windshield wipers |
Yes |
A gadget for the truly lazy,
but now I LOVE having this during intermittent showers.
If you live in Seattle or somewhere where you get annoying
intermittent sprinkles or heavy mist, this is a must have. |
| BMW Universal Transceiver |
Maybe |
No garage, so useless for now
at least. I've tried tieing this to my house lighting with
limited success. |
| Automatic-dimming inside rearview
mirror |
Yes |
Handy due to the popularity
of SUVs among "soccer moms" in the Silicon Valley. |
| Cold
weather package |
3-stage, thermostatically
controlled heated front seats |
MUST
HAVE |
Indispensable on
a cool night. Low setting is usually enough, but I crank
it up to high on particularly cold nights (50 degrees). |
| Ski bag |
Yes |
I'm not a skier, but I figured
it would come in handy eventually. My prediction came true
when I bought a 4' orchid, which fit perfectly |
| Retractable, high-intensity
headlight washers |
Maybe |
Yes, these actually
clean off the headlight covers well, although the noise
is unsettling the first time they go off |
| Xenon headlights |
MUST
HAVE |
About twice as
bright as the headlights on my Eclipse. Illuminates objects
farther in the distance and are closer to daylight color
temperature (bluer) which means colors are less distorted. |
| Harmon
Kardon 12-speaker stereo system |
Yes |
I'm
not an audiophile, but the HK system sounds fine even with
the top down. True, the treble is a little tinny and the
bass rumbles, but I listen to talk radio 50% of the time.
The automatic adjustment for road noise works so well that
I forget I have it. |
| In-dash CD |
Yes |
Works as advertised,
although it's prone to skipping even on moderate bumps
(strange, considering you can now shake a CD Walkman as
hard as you want without missing a beat). Too bad they
don't offer a multi-disc, in-dash option, which is commonplace
in Japanese cars (as are CD players). |
| Rear distance sensors
(photo) |
Maybe |
This is pretty
useless if you're a halfway decent driver, but I got them
for those times when I'm in a modern parking garage that
seems to have been designed for clown motorcycles. It only
kicks in when you're 2' from an object, so you have to
back up VERY slowly. The automatic tilt down of the passenger-side
mirror is more useful. |
| Wind deflector
(photos) |
MUST
HAVE |
Buy one now.
You won't regret it. This is THE most useful accessory
I've purchased for my car. More>
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How drivers react
to seeing a BMW |
99% of all drivers will
completely ignore you, but then there's...
| The Authoritarian |
The Bitter |
The Racer |
The BMW Owner |
Reaction: Sees you coming
and moves out of your way, even if you're nowhere near
them
Driving: Any Toyota, Ford Taurus stationwagon |
Reaction: Sees you coming
and does everything in their power to block your way
Driving: Honda Civic with 2' tail fin, 17" wheels,
and clears. Any Saturn. |
Reaction: Sees you and
pulls up beside you, then punches his accelerator to
see if you'll race
Driving: Black 1995 Chevrolet Camera Z28 with fuzzy
dashboard or deeply tinted windows, orange late-model
pickup, SAAB Viggen convertible, Any Audi A4 |
Reaction: Catches up to
see if your car is a) newer, b) faster, c) in any way
superior to his car. If his car is at all inferior
to yours, he will speed off.
Driving: 323ci, M3 convertible |
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What your
friends say |
| Nice car |
| How much? |
| Are you insane? How is your company's stock
doing? |
| Have you smoked in it yet? I'll give you
three weeks. |
| Does this mean that from now on you won't
be using your turn signals and will be tailgating everyone? |
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What BMW
owners say |
| Congratulations. You'll love it. |
| How many horses? You've got to know these
things now that you drive one of these. |
| Let me know if you want tips on how to stop
using your turn signals and tailgating everyone |
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| What Porsche owners say |
| When are you getting the steering fixed
again? |
| Dude, I'm going to find you a Boxster for
the same price. |
| My car is faster. |
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What your
70-year old
parents say |
| Oh, it's very pretty |
| How much did you pay? Not more than $10,000
I hope. |
| But you don't even own a house! |
| No, no. I don't want to drive it. I might
get spoiled. |
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