During the early days of the E36 3-series production run (1992- 99), a BMW product planner came up with a radical idea. Returning from a Lamaze class with his wife, and contemplating impending parenthood, he said, "Perhaps we need a four-door model in the M3 lineup." Radical, yes, but the concept found favor with top management, and the first-ever four-door M3 joined the lineup for the '97 model year. In the U.S., at least, the experiment was a success. Even though the four-door E36 went out of production in May 1998 to make room for the new E46 3-series sedans, 7760 were sold in 1997 and '98, accounting for more than 46 percent of M3 sales in the U.S. for those two years. With that kind of track record, you might have expected to see a four-door M3 in the new body style. Owing to the need for extensive body revisions (read "fenders") to accommodate the M wheels and tires, BMW balked. Unlike the E36, the E46 four-door shares very little sheetmetal with the coupe and convertible.
Since the U.S. was the only market with strong four-door M3 sales, the business case didn't add up. If you wanted M3 performance but you needed four portals, you were out of luck. That's still true, but for about four grand, you can be a little less out of luck than before. That's the price of BMW's new Performance package, a collection of cosmetic and mechanical upgrades that make a 330i four-door quicker and slicker. Cosmetic elements include a so-called aerodynamic package (deeper air-dam and rocker-panel extensions), Alcantara faux-suede seats and steering-wheel cover, black-anodized interior aluminum trim, and gauges with red needles. Reduced to verbiage, it sounds a little glitzy, but BMW's execution is subdued and tasteful. In any case, it's the go-faster bits that set this enhanced Bimmer apart from the rest of the 330i establishment. The list includes reprogrammed engine management, hotter cams, a six-speed manual gearbox (a first for a non-M 3-series BMW), and a shorter final-drive ratio-3.07:1 versus the 2.93:1 rear end used in the base 330i with manual transmission.
The suspension components are a smidge stiffer than the setup in the base 330i, and the Performance package gets an 18-inch wheel-and-tire combo versus 17-inch wheels on the standard version. The package also substitutes Michelin Pilot Sport tires for the Continental ContiSportContacts that come in the Sport package, with a slightly lower profile and slightly bigger rear footprints: 225/40ZR-18 front and 255/35ZR-18 rear compared with the Sport's 225/45ZR-17 front and 245/40ZR-17 rear. The engine tweaks don't add up to much-the redline goes up 300 rpm to 6800, peak horsepower goes up 10 to 235, and torque goes up eight pound-feet to 222. But a little more thrust and shorter gearing do pay off at the track. Our Performance-package 330i sprinted to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds and covered the quarter-mile in 14.3 seconds at 97 mph. The quickest 330i test times we've recorded prior to exercising this enhanced edition came in our first instrumented encounter with the 3.0-liter 3-series back in December 2000: 0 to 60 in 6.1 seconds, the quarter in 14.8 at 95 mph.
More contact patch pays off on the skidpad, where the Performance-package Bimmer pulled 0.86 g (compared with 0.83 in '00), and also in braking-158 feet from 70 mph versus 168. On the subjective front, firmer suspension tuning, lower-profile tires, and reduced (by 0.6 inch) ride height add up to responses that are quicker than the base 330i's. The distinction isn't vast-a little less body roll, a little more enthusiasm in brisk direction changes-but it's noticeable. And the tuners have managed to achieve this without any real sacrifice in comfort. None of your hard-edged M3 ride here. Of course, there's none of your hard-edged M3 go power, either. The last M3 we put through its paces ("Compact Adrenaline Delivery Systems," May 2003) hustled to 60 in 4.8 seconds and covered the quarter in 13.6 seconds at 105 mph-pretty much what you'd expect from 333 horsepower. Obviously, you don't get that with the Performance package. But you do get a nice uptick in all-around performance, with virtually no sacrifice in comfort, and of course four doors, for about seven grand less than you'd have to pony up for an M3 coupe.
That's a pretty good start on a college fund for the new baby. Private Seller Price - The amount you can expect to pay if you buy a BMW from a private seller. Dealer Price - The amount you can expect to pay if you buy a BMW from a dealer. Trade-In Value - Based on the Black Book value of a BMW, this is the amount you can expect to receive for your if you sell it to the dealer at the same time you are purchasing a new vehicle. Private Sale Price - The amount you can expect to actually receive for your BMW if you sell it privately. Nearly all cars depreciate over time, but some are way worse than others. Here are the vehicles that lost the most value in the first year of ownership. You know that sinking feeling you get in your stomach when you drive your brand-new car off the dealer lot and you know it just lost a huge chunk of value as soon as its tires hit the public roads? Yeah, well that feeling is about to sink even lower into the pit of your stomach. shows Black Friday is only the fifth-best day to get a heavily discounted car.
This year's surge in new car sales could make for cheaper used cars down the road. The American Public Media radio show Marketplace recently tackled the question whether modern vehicles were actually more expensive once you factored in important variables like inflation and cost of ownership. The seismic shift in American car-buying toward trucks and crossover SUVs is creating great deals on compact and midsize cars. View All Car Value Articles BMW InformationNew ModelsReviewsRecallsFor SaleValuesRebates & IncentivesDealersPhotosVideosCompany NewsMore InfoALL FOR SALE THREADS MUST USE THE FOLLOWING FORMAT - please readTravel Top 100 Restaurants Shopping & Lifestyle Luxury Transport Hotels, Resorts & Spas Elite Boutique Leaders in Luxury There are few car manufacturers whose name immediately screams quality regardless of the vehicle they have produced. However, German manufacturer BMW are not only afforded such a privilege in motoring circles, but they have also reached an iconic level of recognition and success all over the globe.
The motoring factory, which ticks towards 100 years in business, is the epitome of style and cool and continues to see production numbers rocket year on year. Quality is understandably expensive, and the most costly cars carrying the BMW badge are not simply the latest speed merchants- comfort, style and exclusivity are complicit in the generation of a sky high asking price. This reputation has been enhanced in no small part by appearances in video games, films and through a raft of famous personnel adopting the German manufacturers as their garage of choice. George Foreman is not only famous for his meat grilling machine and his status as the oldest man to ever capture a heavyweight world title- the entrepreneur is also a proud BMW owner as shown when he debuted the 2005 BMW 760LI. David Blaine, Katy Perry and Eva Longoria are other famous faces to have shown affection for BMW vehicles in recent years. The ultimate stamp of authenticity, the iconic blue and white logo and its origin has often been the subject of some debate.