FOR SALE: 2001 BMW 330i Only 18,000 miles

[prusecgew]

Four door sedan, five-speed manual transmission, titanium silver exterior, black leather interior. DSC traction control, Moonroof, Heated Front Seats, Xenon Headlights, Harmon Kardon Premium Sound System. Terrific condition; super-clean; one non-smoking owner, regularly serviced; has 1yr left on warranty. Car currently located in Jersey City.
$26,000 (negotiable).

[ercarta]

The value of the car is only about 20K. Your price is too high. Attempting to retrieve 6K above the value is a long shot. You may be driving that car for a while. Enjoy it!

[prusecgew]

The value of the car is only about 20K. Your price is too high. Attempting to retrieve 6K above the value is a long shot. You may be driving that car for a while buddy, get real comfortable in it.

thanks for the input smartass-but according to Edmunds, you're wrong and should really use your free time more constructively, instead of wasting it by criticizing people you don't know. Plus, I did say the price was negotiable:

2001 BMW 3 Series 4 Dr 330i Sedan
National Base Price $22,359
Optional Equipment $2,594
Heated Front Seats $253
Power Passenger Seat $238
Power Moonroof $532
Leather Seats $543
Metallic Paint $241
Rear Side Airbag Restraints $195
Power Driver Seat w/Memory $238
Xenon Headlamps $253
AM/FM/CD Audio System $101
Color Adjustment $104
Silver
Regional Adjustment ($143)
for Zip Code 07302
Mileage Adjustment $1,182
18,000 miles
Condition Adjustment $1,008
Outstanding
Total $27,104

[ercarta]

Hey Prusecgew,

Something must have come out wrong in my delivery, really. I couldn't fathom how I have given any offense. I never intended to give offense , so please do excuse me.

Secondly, the price that you looked up is the price dealers resell for, not individuals. The difference is the car gets an overhaul and a brand new warranty that lasts for the next 7yrs, which you don't have to offer.

Now I don't spend life doing this it's more like 19 seconds out of my life to cross reference the information I read. 20,800 in completely emaculate condition for the BMW that you listed w/o automatic transmission, that includes the credit for the low mileage. The actual value is all buyers are interested in, not the marked up one that works out to the sellers benefit. It's honest, and it's the way...

By the way I ran the appraisal via www.kbb.com.

[mark4]

I know a little about 4 wheeled monsters and I was amused by this listing. If I had $26,000 cash (or was willing to take out a loan for $26,000), why would I want to buy a 4 year old car? For $26K down, I could get a sweet deal on a 2005 330i with all the extras listed and more. Especially considering that the car only had 18,000 miles on it which means that it was sitting around idle for long periods of time which is bad news for a motor vehicle. If the car has this few miles on it, odds are that the fluids haven't been changed very often because no owner in his right mind will perform routine service on a vehicle which is going back into a parking lot. A 4 year old car w/o a warranty can be a potential nightmare, especially considering the service fees for a German sports car. $26K is way too much $$$$$$. Try $17k - $20K and eat the loss if you really want to dump the car. Otherwise try a trade in.

[ercarta]

Additionally, this vehicle does not qualify for sport car status. By definition a sport car must have a 8cyl. engine under the hood. This one falls short.

Anyhow, 26k is a wild number to ask for this car.

[mark4]

8 cylinders ?? Where did that come from? The traditional sports car only has 4 cylinders. Does that mean that all the MGs, Triumphs, early Z cars, most Lotuses and the venerable Dino were not sports cars? 8 cylinders or more qualifies a vehicle for GT or Grand Touring (Gran Tourismo) status.
If someone has a 330i with only 18k miles on it, I recommend you pack a bag and go for a nice drive up to New England and put some miles on that thing!

[ercarta]

All these cars just listed are SPORTY cars. I maintain that in order for a car to qualify for sport car status there must be an 8 cylinder engine under the hood. I won't post anymore on this topic because I talked myself out of this topic in fourth grade study hall, however, there is an immense difference between a sporty car and a sports car.

Where the BMW is concerned, it is a great car but buyers don't believe in that high ticket the second time around. When a buyer spends 26K on a used BMW, a buyer wants the convenience of a Five Series. Otherwise, one can go buy a new matchbox BMW for the same price. Now, I could be wrong but that is my theory.

[mark4]

A "sporty" car ? What the heck is that?? The traditional definition of a sports car is a 2 door convertible with 2 seats and a 4 cylinder engine. Modern sports cars include the Mazda Miata and the Honda S2000. The sports car originated in the UK where 8 cylinder motors are extremely rare due to the high price of fuel. The only British sports cars with 8 cylinder motors for years were Aston Martins (originally had 6 cylinders) and Jaguars (had 6 cylinders until the late 60s) which were designed for the export market. The ultimate sports car, the Morgan had 4 cylinder motors for 40 years until the US demanded an 8.

There are zero car magazines on the market which have the word "sporty" in their title or even make reference to such a word which proves the point further. But just to humor you, what are some examples of "sports" cars in your view?

As far as the BMW goes, a used M3 would command that price or more but the person who's buying a 330i is not the same audience for a 5 series. 2 completely different animals: one is a 2 door performance car and the other is a 4 door family hauler.

Get your cars straight.

[hkmax]

Hmm, I would consider V8's muscle cars. V8's are too heavy for sports cars in my opinion. As far as I can tell the cars with V8 on the market right now is Corvette and GTO.

Current sports cars not sporting V8 IMO
S2000, NSX, Miata, Elise, 350Z, M3

Possibly (4drs but fast)
Lancer Evo, Impreza STI, M5, S4

[ercarta]

A "sporty" car ? What the heck is that?? The traditional definition of a sports car is a 2 door convertible with 2 seats and a 4 cylinder engine. Modern sports cars include the Mazda Miata and the Honda S2000. The sports car originated in the UK where 8 cylinder motors are extremely rare due to the high price of fuel. The only British sports cars with 8 cylinder motors for years were Aston Martins (originally had 6 cylinders) and Jaguars (had 6 cylinders until the late 60s) which were designed for the export market. The ultimate sports car, the Morgan had 4 cylinder motors for 40 years until the US demanded an 8.

There are zero car magazines on the market which have the word "sporty" in their title or even make reference to such a word which proves the point further. But just to humor you, what are some examples of "sports" cars in your view?

As far as the BMW goes, a used M3 would command that price or more but the person who's buying a 330i is not the same audience for a 5 series. 2 completely different animals: one is a 2 door performance car and the other is a 4 door family hauler.

Get your cars straight.

I appreciate the question. In my view, the following are examples of "sport cars"... Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, Jaguar XK8, Ford Thunderbird, Lexus SC430, Avanti, Cadillac XLR, & BMW 645, I mean just to name a few.

Now with regards to that BMW we keep going back and forth about, I agree with you and I see your angle. These are two different animals and for two different audiences. I am the guy that needs the animal that hauls a family, has a big trunk for groceries/shopping, & four doors for eased entering & exiting for the family. So the small matchbox doesn't do it for me. I guess one who is single would believe my view on value is shot and that I am being shorted all the cool features of these smaller "sporty cars".

With respect to the board, I hope no one has been offended in our discussion. I'd prefer to believe that this is just "Boy Talk". After all, we are just talking about the cars.

[mark4]

I agree with you 100%. Boy, the Avanti was a cool car.........

[ercarta]

Mark4, the Avanti was cool back when, but it's still cooler than ever now dude! They even redid the Studebaker. They brought it back as a Hummer look alike.

Check it out...

www.avantimotors.com

I'm not sure if they still have the Corvette Engines today like the Avanti II did in the 80's.