# Pics of my Steel Blue 330i 6 speed



## Pete Teoh (Jan 27, 2002)

rumatt said:


> *:bigpimp: That was a pretty funny thread too.
> 
> Pete. Nice pic in the orange shirt after describing yourself as "stylish".  *


:rofl:

Give me a break... I was hiking on vacation in Hawaii... I'm allowed a little "bling". :bigpimp:


----------



## krantikt (Apr 7, 2003)

AEC,

anymore input for the differences between 6 spd and 5 spd.
Too curious and too killing waiting for my 6 spd. 

Asking for info so I can dream on .... :rofl: :rofl:


----------



## AEC (Jan 19, 2003)

krantikt:

I'm really enjoying the six speed, and I'm chomping at the bit to finish the break-in period. Any comparison that I could make with the 5 speed would be based on the test drives that I took before deciding on the 330i. The 6 speed is very similar in feel to the 5 speed and the gearing of first through fifth are nearly identical. The addition of the 6th gear is very nice for highway cruising. I'm working on smoothing out my 1st to 2nd upshift, it's still a bit rough and I'm not sure if it's because I'm shifting to slow or if the engine revs are dropping faster than I expect. Let me know if ther's anything specific about the car that you want to know about.

So far I'm extremely happy with my decision. I toyed with the idea of getting the ZHP but I really wanted a car with equal parts sport and luxury. I love the leather and wood in the interior and the black interior of the ZHP would be a lot less comfortable in the Florida summers. Also, I was concerned about the 18" wheels as I live in an area with brick streets and more than a few potholes. Lastly, I'm not sure I could have survived without my auto-dimming headlamps and rain-sensing wipers.


----------



## krantikt (Apr 7, 2003)

Thanks for the info AEC. I shall post some pics of my car once it arrives. What do you think of Orient Blue/Natural brown.


----------



## tgravo2 (Dec 7, 2002)

krantikt said:


> *What do you think of Orient Blue/Natural brown. *


:drool:


----------



## magbarn (Jan 28, 2003)

EXCELLENT combo! :thumbup: 
I just picked my 6 speed up last weekend
racked up 500 miles in 4 days, pretty amazing since it's my first manual :yikes: 
Still having probs with hills though  
anyways here's a linky to some pics 
(it was an overcast day so the car looks almost black, in sunlight it's beautiful, much more a deep blue)
Link
(scroll down)]


----------



## AEC (Jan 19, 2003)

Krantikt and Magbarn: I think the OB/NB combo looks awesome. When I went to pick up my car the dealer had an Oxford Green 330i with the Natural Brown interior. Also very nice.


----------



## magbarn (Jan 28, 2003)

some more OB/Nat brown


----------



## magbarn (Jan 28, 2003)

and more....


----------



## AEC (Jan 19, 2003)

magbarn: Very nice car. :thumbup: 

I'm toying with the idea of installing the M steering wheel also.


----------



## magbarn (Jan 28, 2003)

Get the M wheel! I know there has been numerous posts about this, but I love it! Very easy to install also. It's scary taking the airbag out though. It almost looks like a personal land mine. :eeps:


----------



## dusterbuster (Jan 29, 2003)

hey maybarn, how's it coming in terms of learning to drive a stick? i'm in the same position, planning a June ED of a ZHP.


----------



## magbarn (Jan 28, 2003)

It's going relatively well... Went to the dealer yesterday to have my key memory programmed and they also activated my self-installed alarm for free! Drove it for 45 minutes yesterday in stop-n-go traffic without smelling the clutch. Guess I did ok.  Overall, though still having occasional problems with hills and that damn 1-2 upshift still jerks. I think it's mostly due to the vague clutch of the e46. I drove a e36 yesterday and their clutch has so much feedback it's amazing. Here read this thread

PS the dealer gave me a loaner 2001 330i step and man oh man that steering stinks! Feels almost as bad as my overboosted 97 maxima. There was also more DBW lag. Guess, this is what alot of people say about the 01's... Funny, though I was able to have more fun with the step than my car since I didn't have to think about shifting so much and was able to concentrate on driving the pacific coast hwy


----------



## dusterbuster (Jan 29, 2003)

thanks for the update. i'm thinking i'll have to go out and rent a manual car on a couple of weekends before June to get more comfortable driving a stick. i've heard that after a short while, shifting becomes second nature and you don't even have to think about it. hopefully that will come soon for both of us.


----------



## AEC (Jan 19, 2003)

Matt:

I'll think you'll be very happy with Steel Blue. It will definitely be easier to maintain than Orient Blue. I think it's a great color, especially with the sand interior.

As far as the firmness of the SP suspension is concerned, I think it probably depends upon what you're currently driving. The SP suspension is perfect for me; stays flat in the corners with a controlled ride that doesn't punish you over the bumps. It is MUCH better than my previous car (a 2000 VW Passat) which had a very soft suspension.


----------



## SDDennehy (Jan 7, 2003)

*AEC*

Is that a custom steering wheel, it looks thicker and has a solid bottom spoke, looks like a M3 wheel?


----------



## magbarn (Jan 28, 2003)

yup it's the M steering wheel. $315 from Cutter or Crevier


----------



## Rich_Jenkins (Jul 12, 2003)

AEC said:


> I finally picked up my Steel Blue 6 speed 330i on Friday afternoon. It has the Sport Package, Premium Package, and Xenons. The delivery went great and the car is everything I was expecting.
> 
> The 6 speed transmission seems very similar in feel to the 5 speeds that I've driven. It may take some getting used to; I've found myself cruising along the highway in 5th, totally oblivious to the fact that I have another higher gear. I'm not sure why, but the window sticker that came with the car lists a 5 speed manual as standard equipment.:dunno:
> 
> ...


AEC - Hi, saw your post and thought would see how you were liking your car lately.

I saw by your signature you were in WP; we are also in Orlando just close by in Glen Eagle over in the WS area. We are also working with Fields in WP.

Turns out we went down this afternoon to look at colors on 330i sedans, and ended up picking Steel Blue/Gray interior as best choice. My spec on this car would be a 6 speed, with SP/PP and HID lights (maybe also park distance control) -- pretty close to your exact spec.

I was wondering, were you able to drive a 6 speed before you ordered the car? I am pondering how to approach Fields on this i.e. if I plunk down a deposit how are they likely to react if they order a "special car" and turns out I don't want to buy it. I'll talk this over with my salesman but I am just curious how you approached this or whether you were able to test drive a car prior to ordering?

Anyway, enjoy the car! It looks great...thanks for any info...

rich


----------



## wrwicky (Jan 17, 2003)

Nice Car!








That's exactly what I was going to get until I heard about the performance package (which also rules). I got mystic/alcantara (steel b not available) instead. It's awesome but it is not the easy living that steel/sand probably is.
Cheers, and Happy Motoring


----------



## lsedels (Jul 12, 2003)

So ... what made you pick the Sand with the Steel Blue as opposed to the Grey interior? I've got about another two weeks to finalize mine. Currently, it's Sand.

Larry


----------



## Icecreamfoo (Jul 4, 2003)

AEC said:



> Last one


That's great choice AEC, steel blue rocks!!! Do you have any more pics of ur steel blue? I'm also a new owner of steel blue 330i, and I find it difficult for my camera to capture the true beauty of it.... personally, i feel the color depth varies pretty significantly with different light levels. here are some pics which don't really do the color justice

http://www.pbase.com/icecreamfoo/330i

If u have more of urs, could you share them with me? thanks!


----------



## Rich_Jenkins (Jul 12, 2003)

Icecreamfoo said:


> That's great choice AEC, steel blue rocks!!! Do you have any more pics of ur steel blue? I'm also a new owner of steel blue 330i, and I find it difficult for my camera to capture the true beauty of it.... personally, i feel the color depth varies pretty significantly with different light levels. here are some pics which don't really do the color justice
> 
> http://www.pbase.com/icecreamfoo/330i
> 
> If u have more of urs, could you share them with me? thanks!


Icecreamfoo - nice car! Did not quite see what interior colour you had -- is it the gray? The Boss is picking the color's for me (since am pretty bad at colour selection) and tells me the she thinks the gray is a better match for the Steel Blue than the sand. Also, I believe Rumatt re: the problem of keeping Sand clean looking. Our current MBZ has light gray mats and they do get dirty looking pretty quick.

Can you post a pic of the interior?

rich


----------



## Icecreamfoo (Jul 4, 2003)

wingspan said:


> Icecreamfoo - nice car! Did not quite see what interior colour you had -- is it the gray? The Boss is picking the color's for me (since am pretty bad at colour selection) and tells me the she thinks the gray is a better match for the Steel Blue than the sand. Also, I believe Rumatt re: the problem of keeping Sand clean looking. Our current MBZ has light gray mats and they do get dirty looking pretty quick.
> 
> Can you post a pic of the interior?
> 
> rich


Hey wingspan, yes it is grey interior with wood trim. i didnt have a choice on the interior color since the car is a pre-owned. Original plan was to get a black on black but none was available. However the grey leather worked out well. Personally i feel the grey interior matches with the steel blue exterior, and it is slightly cooler than the black leather in this California summer. To me, the sand and grey leathers are probably equal difficult to keep clean, since both are light colors... it's just that they look less dramatic/obvious when they crease/crack.

The only downside of the grey leather that i can think of, is it is a very "typical" bmw interior, very "business" like, less of a custom kind of combination. On the contrary would be magbarn's natural brown interior. It is awesome with OB, and has that kind of personal "touch".. just my personal opinion. I've added a few interior pics today, with not so great lighting for you and your wife for consideration.


----------



## Rich_Jenkins (Jul 12, 2003)

Icecreamfoo said:


> Hey wingspan, yes it is grey interior with wood trim. i didnt have a choice on the interior color since the ... <snip> ...added a few interior pics today, with not so great lighting for you and your wife for consideration.


Many thanks! It looks great. Really appreciate the trouble you took...hope you enjoy the car.

I've emailed a bunch of dealers here in Central Fla to see if anyone has a recent 330i with a manual transmission. Will hope to find one to test drive soon...

cu...rich


----------



## lsedels (Jul 12, 2003)

rumatt said:


> In my case I picked the tan interior for two reasons. 1) I think it goes much better with the wood trim than any of the other interiors, and 2) I liked the feel of the sand color when in the car; it makes the car seem more roomy than the black does, and 3) it matches the hair on my yellow lab the best.  (Seriously).
> 
> I think the sand goes pretty well with the steel blue. It's not as nice of a contrast as the sand with Orient blue, but it's not bad. BTW, I posted lots of pics in the showroom if it helps you decide.
> 
> The biggest negative is that the interior is going to be a pain to keep clean. The light tan floor mats are going to be horrible looking in no time.


And what would your opinion be of Steele Blue with Natural Brown vs. Sand? The natural brown seems to have black trim.

Larry


----------



## jpherit (Dec 22, 2001)

*Steel Blue*

Steel Blue is a fine color. It shimmers blue in the sun and turns to steel grey in overcast weather. Great color. :thumbup:

:drive:


----------



## AEC (Jan 19, 2003)

wingspan said:


> AEC - Hi, saw your post and thought would see how you were liking your car lately.
> 
> I saw by your signature you were in WP; we are also in Orlando just close by in Glen Eagle over in the WS area. We are also working with Fields in WP.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the comments. I'm enjoying the car more and more each day and I'm very happy with my choice of Steel Blue, especially during the Florida summer.

Regarding Field's BMW, I had a good experience there but there are others on this board whose experiences weren't quite so positive. Hope your purchase goes well.

As far as the six speed goes, no I didn't drive it before I ordered it. I had originally placed an order for a 5 speed in January and changed my order to a 6 speed when I heard they were available with March production (I found Field's to be very accomodating with this order change even though my original order had started production). Now, having driven both 5 and 6 speed cars, I don't feel that the sixth gear makes a huge difference other than better mileage and quieter cruising on the highway. If I had to chose again, I'd probably be just as happy with the 5 speed.


----------



## AEC (Jan 19, 2003)

lsedels said:


> So ... what made you pick the Sand with the Steel Blue as opposed to the Grey interior? I've got about another two weeks to finalize mine. Currently, it's Sand.
> 
> Larry


I chose Sand for the same reason rumatt listed (well, except for the dog hair issue  ). I've been very happy with my choice.


----------



## AEC (Jan 19, 2003)

Icecreamfoo said:


> That's great choice AEC, steel blue rocks!!! Do you have any more pics of ur steel blue? I'm also a new owner of steel blue 330i, and I find it difficult for my camera to capture the true beauty of it.... personally, i feel the color depth varies pretty significantly with different light levels. here are some pics which don't really do the color justice
> 
> http://www.pbase.com/icecreamfoo/330i
> 
> If u have more of urs, could you share them with me? thanks!


Your car looks great. :thumbup: Unfortunately I don't have any recent photos of my car but I may take some after washing it this weekend. I'll post them if I do.


----------



## PropellerHead (Jan 3, 2002)

AEC said:


> I chose Sand for the same reason rumatt listed (well, except for the dog hair issue  ). I've been very happy with my choice.


 Loove steel blue!


----------



## KU Ned (Apr 23, 2003)

I love Steel Blue. One of the reasons I got Silver Gray in my ZHP is that it has a blue tint to it in direct sunlight. I really enjoyed my Steel Blue 323.

I had clears on my 2000 that really made the blue look good. I am contemplating putting clears on the ZHP but do not know if that is where I want to spend my money when that would get me two R-compound tires for the track and auto-x.


----------

