[MrGonk]

Originally Posted by Hoooper

Whatever you decide to do, DO NOT PUT A FIBERGLASS BUMPER ON YOUR CAR. That is something you will undoubtedly regret after a year or two when its falling to pieces. If you feel that you must get a kit, at least get a quality urethane bumper.

Thanks for the input. This is exactly the type of info I need to get my head around what I would or would not entertain putting on the car.

[MrGonk]

Originally Posted by BB_cuda

I have Msport and have scraped the nose several times. My point is you may want to evaluate how many dips and such your car needs to go over. I like the the msport looks but i have damaged my lower edge of the bumper. If i were in your shoes and had to go up my driveway and area commute, I would leave the standard bumper on there. My 2 cents but others have not had this problem.

It got hung up on one of those parking lot bumpers and when i backed up, it got hung up and tore up a little. Its mainly scratched down to the white underlying plastic on the bottom "chin".

Excellent point. Until recently, I lived in the City of Pittsburgh, which is about as close to urban off-roading as you're going to get in the continental U.S., I'd venture. I would not even have considered owning a rear-wheel drive car there. I did have a 300M Special that I adored, but with just 5" of ground clearance, not only were parking bumpers a problem, but so were a lot of ordinary hills and driveways. Same with my until-now current daily driver, an Optima SXL.

I live in Cincinnati now, which despite also having hills (as opposed to NOTHING, like the rest of Ohio), is a much more forgiving topography. The additional half inch of clearance on the 335d might be a boon, though. I will be on the lookout for this issue for sure. Thanks!

[335dFan]

I have a base model 335d, although I did modify the suspension extensively. I consciously chose the base model because I didn't want to bother with staggered wheels and a lower front end. As it is, I have managed over 48k miles to ding the lower front on both sides by pulling too close to curbs. Although I have learned to be much more cautious, I am glad mine isn't any lower. The ding on the left side happened very early on, much to my dismay, when my inattention to a nearby curb in a car wash and the abundant torque available caused me to mount a curb on the left side, which scraped a bunch both mounting and dismounting. As much as I like the looks of the sport front ends, I concluded it wasn't worth it to me. I kinda like the stealth approach anyway. A few months back I got a quote from a local paint shop who does work for the dealer, and it was to be $375 to minimally fix it all. Not too bad, but in mind as soon as I do that I'll hit a curb again. It's hard enough to keep the Apex wheels un-dinged when parallel parking.

[MrGonk]

Finally arrived! I've got to be honest; now that I've seen her in person, I wouldn't change a thing.

Except maybe adding a JBD.

And some Angel Eyes.

But that's it.

[335D Alpha Pappa]

Nice! It will be worth the wait.

Get snows for the winter or your drive will be hell with this car.

You gotta add the RED SCOOPS or the jbd won't work properly at 100%.

[rulonger]

Originally Posted by 335D Alpha Pappa

... You gotta add the RED SCOOPS ...

Poor PR. Will he ever live it down?

[MrGonk]

So I've been driving this car for a few days now, and it is a freaking BLAST. Last night on the highway I realized I had accidentally hit 80 MPH when I'd just thought I was going about 65. This car accelerates to speed so utterly effortlessly. And you can really feel the torque the second you step on the accelerator; it feels like it just wants to catapult you straight into the sun. I really liked my previous Optima and I would recommend it to anyone, but this thing literally just puts a smile on my face anytime I get in the thing. I've never had this kind of experience driving a car before. Thanks to everyone here for all your tips and recommendations!