[volinder]

I'm headed today to the dealership to hopefully lease a e90 325i or 330i. On one hand I really do want the power of the 330, however, the 325i is considerable less money. I'm sure many of you have gone through the process of picking between the 325i vs. the 330i. I would appreciate any constructive input as to why you choose one model over the other.

Currently I plan to lease either
330i with only sport package, no other option

or 325i with sport package, glass sunroof, no other option.

Quite a price difference between the two.


I do live in Canada and would appreciate hearing how much other's were able to negotiate off of MSRP here in Canada.

Thanks in advance.

[F32Fleet]

You'll get more goodies standard on the 330 than the 325.

[b1mmer2]

I believe sunroof is standard on all E90

[volinder]

Yes, 330i has electric seats and sunroof standard over 325i, what else???

[raychkg]

Originally Posted by volinder

Yes, 330i has electric seats and sunroof standard over 325i, what else???

what else?? the "feel good" factor of owning a top model of the line.
I'd recommend you to take a 323i rather than 325i if price is a concern, unless there is no 323i in Canada.

[com_mander]

I drove both back to back, and decided (for my money) the straight line benefit of the added hp wasn't worth the extra $6000(cdn). I didn't think there was much (if any?) difference in the driving dynamics between the two after that.

I have no regrets getting the 325i, and absolutely love it. Would I have loved the 330i more? Probably, but $6000 more? It depends how important straight line performance is to you.

as for what I paid, back in the summer for:

325i
Sport Package
Sunroof
metallic paint (~$800 I think)

$45475(cdn) + tax

[e90driver]

The 325 works great for me. I feel as though it has plenty of power- Sure sometimes I wish it had more, but I've met people that drive a car with 500 hp and they still want more. I choose the 325 because I could add more options that I wanted. If money is an issue, get the 325 and never look back...

[underDAWG]

If you can afford the payment, you should just get a 330i, and be done with it, especially if you are going to keep it for more than a few years. Yes, 325i is more than enough, but I have never seen a 330i owner trades in his for a 325i. Yes 325i is more than adequate, but so is a Honda. HTH.

[b1mmer2]

Originally Posted by volinder

Yes, 330i has electric seats and sunroof standard over 325i, what else???

Sunroof is not standard for 325 in Canada? It is in US.

[stressdoc]

Looks to me like you want a 325. The 330 becomes a logical choice if you were getting power seats, logic 7 stereo, xenons. The bigger wheels & brakes, more powerful engine, & trim stuff are nice, but pricey at 6k extra if the other options that are included with the 330i are not important to you.

I would opt for heated seats (500) and forego the sunroof. It adds weight in the worst place, and reduces headroom (which is still fine if you are not >6'4" or so). A 325 with sport is an excellent value. If the acceleration is a big deal, then you could wait for the release of the 328/335 at the end of the summer.

[beldredge]

If the extra power isn't that important to you, then it comes down to how you option the cars. If you plan on optioning out a 325 to the point that the difference between that and a 330 is minimal, then you should probably just spring for the 330.

But if you are looking at fairly lightly optioned cars, then the 325 offers a great deal of savings, for a very similar experience.

I drove a 325xi and 330xi, similarly equipped, back to back. The 330 definitely had more thrust, and personally, I liked the "growlier" exhaust note. But, in a way, it's not the best idea to drive them back to back. 'Cause, most likely, you will notice a difference. If you just drive the 325 and base your decision on its merits, you might find that it's perfectly fine for your needs. (more than fine, probably).

[SteveMD]

Here in the US, the lease rate on the 330 is 0.00195 (4.68%) compared to 0.00250 (6%) on the 325. For me pricing up a 325, once I discovered the lease rates, I was able to go from a loaded 325 to an almost loaded 330 and the payment was less.

Not sure about Canada though.

[SPoNGeBoB]

Originally Posted by stressdoc

... you could wait for the release of the 328/335 at the end of the summer.

Yea, what he said.

[volinder]

Thanks for the great input.

I agree that $6 is alot of difference for a little more straight line speed. I'm not planning on keeping the car for more than 3 years, so this isn't the biggest decision I've got to make in my life. I'm slowly beginning to lean towards the 325i, however I will drive both back to back.

Any further comments are definately welcome.

[noflash]

I love my 325i and it is never lacking in the power dept.

Plenty there for fun, safety, whatever.

My mildy optioned 325i cannot be beat for performance/value!

[ed328ci]

Remember, in Canada, xenons are standard in both 325i and 330i. The 330i DOES NOT include the Logic7 sounds system. Basically, the difference b/w the 330i and 325i are the engine output, and brake sizes. I believe the 330i comes with 17" instead of 16" wheels as well, but that is irrelevant if you go with the sports package in either model. I am not sure if the almost $7,000 CDN difference is justified here. In the US, yeah, you get more goodies included in the 330i. Not so here.

Ed

[HRC]

I used to modify my cars for better power/handling/looks. For me, in the end, modding for power was a waste of time and money. Sure I had fun doing it, and spending the money, it gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, but after all was said and done, I didn't get the power I wanted, made the car more difficult to sell and put a big dent in my pocket book. My lesson was buy as much factory horsepower as I can afford, the 330i was for me.

I don't care that I'm only a tenth of a second faster than the 325i, or that some people can't feel the differece between the 2. I didn't buy the car for those reasons. I just wanted as much stock horsepower as I could afford.

Danny

[stressdoc]

My apologies for not looking up the option difs in Canada. If all you get for 7k is the engine, the wheels, and the brakes, then I would definitely opt for the 325. Buy some stock with the savings and get an M3 next time around.

[volinder]

Stressdoc,

That is some great advice. I'm definately leaning more and more towards the 325i.

Would would be everyones driving impressions of the the e90 325i vs. the e46 330i

[RICH2005]

The differences between the 330i and 325i in Canada are actually the sunroof, power seats, extra horsepower, bigger breaks, 17" wheels and tires, adaptive xenon headlights (versus no adaptive), along with some trim differences (wood or aluminum are standard on the 330i and cost extra on the 325i).

There is a difference of $7,600 MSRP Canadian between the 330i and 325i. In my mind I priced the difference as follows, sunroof $1,000, power seats $1,000, extra power $2,500, better brakes $1,000, better wheels and tires $1,000, adaptive headlights $500, aluminum trim $500. A close call but I decided on the 330i.

[ben1364]

I think that this is a question thatyoy yourself must answer. We cannot decide for you. Good luck.

[LEDZEP]

Originally Posted by raychkg

what else?? the "feel good" factor of owning a top model of the line.
I'd recommend you to take a 323i rather than 325i if price is a concern, unless there is no 323i in Canada.

Well then, why not get the 760li? The more statements I read like this, the happier I am that I have 325s instead of 330s.