Last week I bought this car after a brief search. As I usually do, I prefer buying from a private owner, and this one was no exception. As I pulled into the driveway, the guy was using a leaf blower to dry the car...and it just got better from there. Even though I wasn't necessarily looking at a 330, that only sweetened the deal!
The car is in great condition inside and out. The only issues are some pretty severe curbing on all the rims, and the paint needs attention with a rotary. The paint is in excellent condition, but has a few hairline scratches and sort of an overall haze I haven’t been able to remove with my PC. Also, I’d like to upgrade the shifter with a short-throw unit to try to improve the rather vague feel.
Now, I’ve been hearing for years how great BMW’s are, perhaps in particular the 3-series because it is so often mentioned as a benchmark in an extremely tight market segment. For me, this segment isn’t so big as I insist on rear-wheel drive and precise handling.
So far I’d say the car delivers! After the Boxster (which I had to sell last summer) and the MINI (which is my wife’s), I don’t think I can really describe the car as “fun to drive,†but then again I haven’t put enough varied miles on the odometer. What it clearly delivers is a fantastic mechanical solidity, comfort, and responsiveness. I don’t really ask it to be more than a practical, solid driver, and it is quite a bit better than that. I’m looking forward to getting to know it better!
Here are the specs:
2001 330i, 72K miles
5 – speed manual
Sports Package
Harmon-Kardon audio
Fold-down rear seats with ski bag
Electric memory seats
Leather package
Linear Mode
