The BMW 330 in auto is just plain slower than a G35 coupe auto. Test drive both aggressively and its night and day. The G35 coupe is the best looking car under $40k. If exterior pimp factor is important, get the G

 

The new interior of the G for '05 is much different and can compete now with the interior of the BMW. Personally I dont think the interior of a BMW is nice at all its to blocky looking. they have improved the materials now for '05. BMWs are so blah looking because they are every where you turn. No competition

 

I think the re-sale values of the E46 3-series are going to be high for a couple reasons:
1) New 3-series is more expensive than current gen, so people cannot afford them
2) New 3-series is not very good looking. The design is too busy

But they could go down if the 1-series is introduced here and everyone starts buying those instead of used E46's.

G35 coupes will remain high on resale if they maintain the design for another 2-4 years. As the G35 matures, they will get increasingly more expensive & powerful, and the interior will get better.

 

Buy BMW! *** cars suck!

 

if u are gonna get a BMW

wait for the E90 330i..... and dont buy the E46
its out in less then a month

 

Agree that individual preference will paly a huge part. For me (6'5", 260lbs) I should be driving an H2, but love the sport sedan, and fit comofrtably in my 05 DG G35 Sedan. A bit too cozy in the coupe....

Have had my new G for 1 month, and aside from a lot of rattles and creaks (typical with any new car) I love it. The performance is great. The handling is excellent. The finish is fair, I use all Griots to car for all of my cars, and their products can dramatically improve protection and appearance. Bose is very weak, has been in all my cars that have had Bose. Bottom line is it is fun to drive, gets a lot of looks (3 series are a dime a dozen), stronger warranty, and more bang for your buck...(picked up mine for $950 over dealer invoice).

Did not care for the performance, or comfort of the 330i, and the BMW dealers in Phoenix are all pompus jerks anyway. Inifinit treats you better and are better to work with, in my opinion....

 

look at my sign, i had two 330i and now i have a G35c, but if you ask me to choose again, i'd stay with 330i. as for my next car, i'm going back to bmw, i think g35 will be my last japanese car.

 

Get the 330, but negoiate that price! The new ones are coming out soon, so i dont know why dealers would want the current ones.

 

I test drove both and chose the G35. It is a matter of opinion, yours is the one that matters most.

 

Any particular reason why?

 

First off, good luck with the choice... that being said, I come from a family that has had bmw's and I am not a fan. The interior while being nice when new, from my experience, will fall apart relitively quickly. Both of the bmw's that have been in my family have deterierated quicker than they should have and my mother in law also has the same problem with hers (head liner falling after 3 years). Please dont take this as me slamming bmw, they make a great car and the styling is top notch also, maybe it is just that since I grew up with them I dont like them. Again, good luck with the choice.

 

I was in a similar situation choosing between a 330Ci ZHP and a G35c 6MT. I've been considering a 330Ci for a while now but due to the huge price difference, I plan to get a G35c over the 330Ci ZHP. I just could not justify the 7-8k price difference knowing I could go with something that's slightly faster, just as good handling and knowing in the long run it's less prone to issues. I was aware of the recent incentives for the 330i which brought the prices of the G35c and 330i ZHP on par but I was in the market for a coupe. I'm also not that impressed with the BMW interior that so many here rave about when comparing it to the '05 G35c. To me the BMW interior is somewhat boring with the black radio and A/C unit controls but it's not bad. I like the exterior of both cars but once paired up with the interior, I felt the G35c was a better overall match considering the price tag. After seeing what both cars had to offer, I feel that the G35c is priced right for my budget. If the 330Ci ZHP had incentives like the 330i models, I would definately put it ahead of the G35c though.

But for your situation, you have to first decide if you want a coupe or sedan? With the new BMW E90 right around the corner, it looks very promising and will live up to the 3-series name so that's just something you might want to consider unless you're leasing. Also modding a BMW is not cheap. Like the car, aftermarket parts come at a premium. I would definately test drive both and if you like the 330i better, you will need to act quick since colors and options will continue to become limited with the new 3-series set to arrive next month.