The 3 actually got a marginal by the IIHS for chest/thorax protection I believe, as for the mom thing, mine said the same thing, now we all drive Suvs

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This thread has been very helpful.. One thing that makes this site great is the huge wealth of knowledge you guys have, and I love hearing your opinions.. I think I've decided on the car I want. The E90 330 makes the most sense.. Perfect size, easy to park, better mileage, safe, extremely reliable, and so on.
I took the liberty of doing a build-your-own on the BMW website and this is what I'm looking at.
2006 (or 2007, by the time I get it) 330i
6-speed manual
Either Sparkling Graphite or Mystic Blue
Gray leather interior
Poplar wood
-Probably the sport package.. I haven't decided.
-Premium package
-Cold weather package
-Navigation/iDrive
-Comfort Access
-Satellite radio
-Rear PDC

The 3 just seems like a natural choice.. Every day, I get into my E46 and I enjoy driving it as much as I did the day I got it. Would I love an A4 or E500 as much? I don't think so. My 3 has over 101,000 miles on it and it still runs and drives like it did when I first got it. I've had only one problem with it, about 50,000 miles ago. My ignition coils arched, and the car broke down in my driveway. It was towed to the dealer, and the service there is great.. They had it fixed by the time I got out of school. I love my BMWs and I'm going to stick with them.

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E46 or E90? I know the side-impact tests on the E46 weren't that great..

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E90 got a marginal for chest/thorax I believe, I've always wondered how the X5 would do (its untested), Acceptable in 3 areas
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=622

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2005 BMW Z4 3.0i
2004 BMW X5 3.0i
2003 BMW 325i
2000 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4x4

Interesting as it states 2006 models built after november 2005. Apparently BMW has made some fixes we don't know about - just like on early E60's (there was a whole euro NCAP fiasco with it failing in its 2004 form... bla bla bla - BMW changed parts and now all is good).

Excellent choice on your future setup. Just two recommendations:

1) Drop the manual
2) Consider a non-gray interior color (it can look dull sometimes)

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CJ,
I'd get the manual, the Sport and Terra Cotta interior.

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I'm definitely getting a manual. Some of my friends think I'm crazy for driving a manual.. they think it's too hard, distracting, and too much work. I can't stand driving anything without a manual. If I drive our Volvo or A4, it annoys me.. The gear hunting, etc.. I prefer to be in control. And people apparently have some problem driving a manual in a traffic jam. I don't mind at all. I'm debating the sport package. My non-sport 330xi still handles better than anything else I've ever driven. The ride is hard enough (I live on a dirt road, with potholes and washboard bumps), and I'm rarely in situations where I need the car to handle better than it does. I'd say 80% of my driving is on the highway. I'm just not sure that it's worth the extra $1800 or so. I like the terra cotta.. I prefer lighter interiors though. I haven't seen a terra cotta interior in person, but on the BMW website it looks pretty dark. I'd consider it, though.

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See I wouldn't mind a sport package, but in my opinion the non-sport spokes look so much better then the sport package ones on the 330i.

But the E90's best wheels are on the 325i sport. Why does BMW always give the smaller engine the better wheels !?