2001 330i Sports Package with 32k 
2004 330i Performance Package with 24k 
iPod, GPS, 6 speed manual, titanium interior 
K&N filter fix, works pretty good 
Ahh photoshop!
I started out being a 4 door sedan guy and ended up turning into a 2 door sports car guy. During my transition between those two very different cars, I decided to purchase a couple 4 door 3 series sedans to "check them out". My first purchase was a 2001 330i performance package and the only reason I bought it in the first place was because I had NO car after my 328 was sold. This was my first of 2 mistakes, the 2nd being to purchase the M Roadster. The 2001 was a not a great car by any means. She was on OK shape but the gray exterior and black interior drove me crazy! Plus she did not have a sunroof and was missing other key features like Premium package, that most people would be looking for in a used car. Looking too trade her in, I was hit with the fact I had made a bad purchase and all of a sudden was upside down on my loan by over 5k! I decided it was not worth the loss and decided to let a friend borrow it instead, as long as he paid the bill's. Around the same time, I purchased the M Roadster and drove that instead for a year. Finally my friend bailed on too many payments and I had to get rid of the 330. Frantically trying too sell her online was unsuccessful and I had to sell her otherwise.
Looking around at a possible location for trading in the car, I went too a local dealer who was having a deal on trade-in's. They would give me straight up blue book value on the car under any condition. The deal was so good I decided to trade her in and get a 2004 Performance package 330i with all the toys. This way, I'd have a car that was worth money instead of one which was a dog. I did the deal, tossed down a TUN of money on the 2004 and drove it home a happy camper!
This 330i was completely decked out; Performance package, 6 speed manual, GPS with single disk changer and HK stereo, fold down seats, sun roof and xenon lights. It was exactly the color I wanted, exactly the interior I wanted and for once it seemed like the car too upgrade.
The performance was very good for a heavy car out of the box. I was impressed by how agile she truly was. Of course, the standard BMW understeer and the standard BMW heavy car syndrome, but overall a very decent ride. The Performance Package adds stiffer springs, which was BMW's answer too a more sporty ride. I did not like that decision because for a 4 door sedan, she had a pretty hard ride. My biggest complaint with the car was the motor and transmission, which is funny because its usually BMW's strong point. The motor seemed pretty weak, after driving M3's around all the time, I could not get use too the power loss. Of course the electronic throttle control always has pissed me off and it was just as bad on this car. The addition of a K&N filter on the intake was some what helpful in brining back some sound too the car, but it was not helpful enough. The car was lacking in all the ways my M Roadster was good at. The Roadster is loud, the 330 was quiet. The Roadster was aggressive, the 330 was tame... the list goes on and on. My final thoughts on the car were more based on its looks, driving feeling and comfort. I think the car is very comfortable, even though its rough on some of LA's highways. I also feel strongly the car looks hot, inside and out. The design is flawless and surprisingly easy to work on. The fit and finish is top notch, even though the GPS is hard to use. Overall I do miss this car as a daily driver, though she only gave me 18mpg!!!
In the first 3 weeks of ownership I noticed the first to second gear transition was weak. It was impossible to slam it into second gear from first. I went over to BMW and was unable to reproduce the problem. Over the course of a few weeks, I finally got too fed up with the shifting problem and went directly to a service manager and drove the car for him. His explanation was, this was NOT an M3 and to try shifting lighter. I told him I wanted a new tranny and he put one in! 3 days later, the car was back in my hands and as I drove it out of the parking lot, the flex disk broke! I coasted back into the lot and they gave me a loaner for another week. So almost two weeks later, finally back in my car just to find out the problem was still there. Frustrated and a bit angry that I was paying so much money for this car that I could not shift without grinding gears, I gave up on it.
I posted an add on craigslist and eventually sold her for a bit more then I bought her for initially. Wiped my hands of ever having a 330i and decided to spend my well earned pennies on the M Roadster!
So that's my 4 door story! I miss having a 4 door, but don't miss having the shifting problems and what I consider to be an under powered car.