I’m driving the 330e as of early April. It’s a 51K MSRP. Got it for around 180/month (150 after utility rebate) including 7MSD for 24 months.
Dealer is contacting me and showing me another 330e around 225 but with CarPlay (which I miss) and in a more fun color.
I also see another opportunity using ALL my incentives of going for a 530e without a ton of options on it. Based on my calculations (not confirmed with dealer) I think I can get it for around 350-375. It’ll have nav of course but I don’t think it’s gonna have that city driving or premier package.
Is it worth flipping the 330e to someone so I can get back CarPlay which I’ve become dependent upon? I assumed someone here would just jump on it. But it’s a bump in price…just for CarPlay really.
Is it worth upgrading to a 530e? The car doesn’t have a ton of tech options so I don’t know what the value is entirely.
I might also just be addicted to hacking sweet deals and wasting time for no reason so there’s that.
There’s no way to aftermarket CarPlay? Seems like a big price to pay for it.
I would take the 530e over the 330e every day of the week. Unless it’s a base model. The premium features that come in the packages are what make it fun.
I’m guessing you probably can’t claim the utility rebate on another car back to back like that. May need to look into that.
I know I maybe the minority on this forum, but the msrp delta between 330e and 530e , compared to the cars themselves is ridiculous. I dislike small sedans, and I am biased but I just test-drove both this week and felt the interior of 330e to be bluh and bland, compared to 530e. Its a much better car, compared to the msrp. Obviously when it comes to lease , you can get the 330e for a fraction of the cost of 530e but if I have money to spare, 530e is the car I would get.
I don’t think that’s the minority opinion at all. The 330e is significantly easier to hack, but it’s very clearly an entry level car, even when optioned up to nearly $60k. That’s what I found surprising about the 530e. It feels very refined — like they borrowed some pages out of the 7-series book.
From a buyer’s perspective, the 5 is where the value is. For leasing, the 330e is a killer deal against MSRP, but if you can afford to upgrade to the 530e, it’s worth it. That was what put me over the edge. I recognized I couldn’t get a unicorn on the 530e but knew I’d regret a 330e.
I think I tried replicating your deal, but even with 15% off, I cant get to that point with OL or loyalty or new grad.
Do you or anyone know if the OL code are dealer specific? The montery event is next weekend, and it has a 1k code with it, would I be able to use it to seal the deal by apr 30?
Not much out there for 2018 loaners, dealers aren’t really discounting enough, the quotes I have gotten are ridiculous. In fact, I found some dealers more reasonable with 2019 news than 2018 loaners… :S . I will be eligible for new grad in 6 months, worth waiting and trying to shoot for 15%-18% off again or should I take what I am seeing now?
Id be curious to know how youre getting 350 on a 530e and what equipment it has. I had looked at them as its the car i really want, but couldnt justify the numbers i was ending up with and so im looking at 330s now…
There’s another thread on here somewhere about aftermarket carplay for cheap. I think I’m gonna try this website this weekend: https://easyusbcoding.com/
I’ve never driven a 330e but I’m loving my 530e. If the 330e is big enough for you then I don’t necessarily see a reason to pay three times as much for the 530e though.
330e is a mode of transportation with a BMW badge on it. 530e is a luxury vehicle.
I already have a paid of mode of transportation, and paying 150bucks is not valueable to me.
all of those things can be coded for free, with the exception of CarPlay. Be forewarned though…if you don’t have a wifi antenna + enhanced blutetooth, you could have some trouble with CarPlay, or at least others have reported so. The wifi antenna is the more important of the 2.
As dukez can attest, I was disappointed in the 530e when I got into it first. In fact, after a dealer posted here and everyone magically thought loaners qualified for CVRP, I went in to sign and spent a day at the dealership before walking away. It was a 2018 530e with M Sport. It just felt so, so boring. And after all the fees, finding I didn’t qualify for a rebate I thought I would get, etc. I literally walked away before signing.
I didn’t feel the 330e was smaller than the 530e for some reason. I think gesture control is unnecessary and doesn’t work well. But maybe I’m wrong on the size and maybe the quality is better - i.e. it’s faster or quieter or the the nav/CarPlay will make me happy.
Yeah so I am well attuned to cutting through marketing spin. I want to understand actual difference on a car with comparable packages, how the 530e changes the experience.
