I've been following this board for some time and since my wife and I have (finally) decided upon moving forward w/ an e90 330i for her I thought this would be a great occasion for my first post (which happens to be rather long). I've a number of questions:

- Could someone recommend a good leasing terms tutorial URL? I've had a look at a few Leasing 101 style pages, but nothing that goes into sufficient detail around explaining residuals, MACO (sp?), money factor, et cetera. This will be our first lease and I've some trepidation going into it. I understand that if one fairly frequently opts for a new vehicle and isn't likely to own their vehicle beyond the length of their note that leasing is an attractive option, but since some of these concepts are new to me I'm concerned about my ability to negotiate favorable terms.

- We'd prefer to go the European Delivery route, but since my wife is entering her third trimester of pregnancy (our first!) it's appearing impractical for us right now. Given that, we're now faced w/ having to negotiate prices for vehicles out of local dealer allotments. For ED, I understand something like $12-1500 over invoice would be equitable, but I suspect we won't get near this in the near term. Given the following specs what should I expect to be able to negotiate:

330i
ZSP Sport
ZPP Premium
ZCW Cold Weather
Power Rear Sunshade
Sat. Radio Prep
Metallic paint

MSRP for this comes out to $44,195 and Edmunds.com indicates $40,510 invoice. What should I expect to be able to negotiate at this point?

A couple of other questions....

How well do the performance tires function in the rain? My wife really wants the performance package (primarily for the seats), but I'm concerned about how well they'll fare in the rainy winter months around here.

Can someone recommend a performance driver's school with near proximity to the San Francisco Bay Area? I'm thinking something like a day long course would be ideal. I think everyone ought to do this when they get a new car. The performance orientation of BMWs is great, but if you're unfamiliar w/ the true handling characteristics of your vehicle that capability is wasted.

What's the likelihood that when Comfort Access becomes available that it could be added aftermarket? Maybe I shouldn't phrase it that way... I suspect the likelihood is low. I even asked the local dealer here about it, but their product knowledge seems depressingly low. Anyone have info to the contrary?

What happened to the iPod integration kit? I understand there's now an aux input in the center console storage compartment, but that hardly assists w/ onscreen navigation & display of the content on the iPod. I attended Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference last year and BMW's were prominently displayed touting the iPod integration kit. It seemed to work well... is there any hope for one that works w/ the e90?

BTW, this will be our first BMW! My wife and I considered 5 other vehicles and this is the only one that I had an emotional response to. I've followed Bayersiche Motoren Werke products ever since as a kid we visited Munich as a kid... so I'm pretty excited!