F'n New Guy from Oklahoma

Hello, I'm Fred. I actually heard about e46Fanatics before i took possession of my e46 last night. an old buddy told me about you guys-- he drove an e46for eight years up in the frosty north of Iowa. This 01 330Ci is my 4th BMW, FIFTH if you count the "Last Edition" 1000cc BMW R series motorsickle I used to have. but considering that i'm older than dirt, i've been thru a LOT of cars, period.

I will confirm one thing, though. Nothing drives like a BMW. Like they're on rails. My youngest daughter is still driving my previous 1995 BMW 540i, which i bought off eBay on a fly-n-drive in Cincinnatti, and drove back to Oklahoma.
i figure i've spent well in excess of what i initially paid for that 540 just repairing & maintaining it, but it's provided many miles of reliable transport for my family for a long time.

I must confess that I can already tell that this latest chapter, the 330Ci, is the quickest, most entertaining of ALL its Bavarian predecessors. Ear-to-ear grins.

Not to mention, when i look at it, it Really Ties the Room Together, man.

-- Fred

Welcome

I am Getting ready to pick up a 330Ci myself in March. No auto, only stick for me on this car. Congrats

Hi Thumbs,

Yeah, I would've preferred a stick, but my wife thinks
that SHE owns everything, so does her Cat. i'm just
here to "keep the checks comin'.."

SHE also has HER personal car, a 2003 Jaguar XK8
(bought new by an Admiral's wife, dealer svc'd, FULL records)
we're the 2nd owners of the Jag.

the 330 is to be My Car. Funny how it works. What's
Hers is Hers, and what's Mine is Hers.

back to the 330Ci. yeah, a stick would be more fun.
but still not much of a sacrifice for peace in the home
to go Automatic. and the Auto has the "sport shift"
feature, which i'd use if i wasn't afraid that it'd result
in premature death of the tranny.

what do you guys think? does the slap-shift thingy
abuse the tranny?

fred

Originally Posted by Fred22

Hi Thumbs,

Yeah, I would've preferred a stick, but my wife thinks
that SHE owns everything, so does her Cat. i'm just
here to "keep the checks comin'.."

SHE also has HER personal car, a 2003 Jaguar XK8
(bought new by an Admiral's wife, dealer svc'd, FULL records)
we're the 2nd owners of the Jag.

the 330 is to be My Car. Funny how it works. What's
Hers is Hers, and what's Mine is Hers.

back to the 330Ci. yeah, a stick would be more fun.
but still not much of a sacrifice for peace in the home
to go Automatic. and the Auto has the "sport shift"
feature, which i'd use if i wasn't afraid that it'd result
in premature death of the tranny.

what do you guys think? does the slap-shift thingy
abuse the tranny?

fred

Welcome!

The step-tronic will not abuse the tranny any more than if you drive it hard in fully automatic. It just electronically holds the gear in place till you desire to change it. I drive in "manual" mode almost the entire time! (it does help that I retrofitted an M3 SMG steering wheel with paddle shifters, so I can shift gears from the steering wheel. haha)

Any pictures of the car?

Matt- your car is auto-****** beauty!!
as for pics of my ride, i'm doing a couple of things
to it today, hope to make time to take a picture of it.

i have yet to take a single photo. with so many
amazing cars showcased on this website, i'm gonna
have to find a good setting, good light, and hope
to hold the camera steady!!

fred

Welcome to the site Fred

Originally Posted by TallSkinnyMatt

Welcome!

The step-tronic will not abuse the tranny any more than if you drive it hard in fully automatic. It just electronically holds the gear in place till you desire to change it. I drive in "manual" mode almost the entire time! (it does help that I retrofitted an M3 SMG steering wheel with paddle shifters, so I can shift gears from the steering wheel. haha)

Any pictures of the car?

You slut.. I want that so bad

Oh, and welcome OP!

Originally Posted by Fred22

Matt- your car is auto-****** beauty!!
as for pics of my ride, i'm doing a couple of things
to it today, hope to make time to take a picture of it.

Thanks! can't wait to see pics!

Originally Posted by icecold9485

You slut.. I want that so bad

Just do it! Probably the best mod i've done to my car!

Originally Posted by TallSkinnyMatt

Just do it! Probably the best mod i've done to my car!

I'd like to eventually. Right now my money is going to buying tires for my new rims and a drop. Im gonna be broke after that

Fred. Welcome to our forum! I hope we have everything you need to help you with any issues that occur and hope you become part of the family. Enjoy.