e92, whats the sweet spot?

[matthias73]

In the next couple of weeks I'm going to finally buy a new car, and I'm pretty set on an e92.
Thanks to the gradual mind altering properties of this forum, I'm obviously disregarding anything diesel shaped and generally the cars I'm looking at are early 325i/330i.

I've got about 7k in my car fund, so ideally i'd like to leave some in the bork fund.
Having already owned an e46, an e34 and now an e39 I'm keen to try something newer and shinier. It's probably vanity but I also need something more reliable (and quicker)

So what's the crack? Best to get a low miler at the expense of some options/engine or will it not make much of a diference in terms of reliability? I'm not talking service items like brakes, but rather the usual habit BMWs have of spitting coolant out like water balloon at a hedgehog convention and that sort of stuff.


I guess what I'm really asking is, is my budget too low for a 335i? I've heard nasty things about turbos.

I'm aware there's probably a million topics on this already but Indiana jones forgot his digging tools today.

[MRobbins1987]

You will be looking at the rough end of the market for 335's at 7k, I would go for the 330 with a manual gearbox.

[MikeTFSI]

I have seen a few 335i at the 10k mark but even they were older and one was burgundy with wood trim.....

I have been searching for manual boxes only so my search might be more limited to yours.

I hear that the 3.0 325i is a few mods big away from being a 330i, but haven't seen any real examples in the UK yet.

If you are willing to look at older ones here is a '56 plate private sale just over budget http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

Edited by MikeTFSI on Sunday 19th June 08:53

[mwstewart]

I would take the 330 over the 335.

Some of my feedback in case it helps...

The good:
- The multi link rear suspension works well on poor quality roads. It's very compliant.
- As per BMW standard the lights are very good
- Overall build quality is excellent. BMW are still building cars that are higher quality than Audi (they just don't look it on first glance)
- Engines are fantastic and economy has taken a step up
- Manual gearchange is fantastic
- M Sport seats are good if a little soft in the centre.
- The ride on 18's with normal tyres is actually pretty good.
- As per BMW standard the NVH is excellent

Bad bits:
- I've not driven anything that is so devoid of steering feel. I'm not just making something out of nothing here - it's like your hands have been anaesthetised.
- It rarely feels rear driven like the previous model and just lacks the general level of precision and engagement, too.
- The control stalks are infuriating. You get used to them but they are never nice to use.

[mwstewart]

Oh yes - the sound systems are a massive improvement over the E46

[rallycross]

At your budget try to find a 330i manual rather than a 325 (lacks power v's 330) or 335i ( will cost more to maintain at this price range).
Mileage is not a worry on these if they have FSH they are capable of huge mileages.

[Zippee]

OP this thread may be of some use: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[DoubleD]

mwstewart said:

I would take the 330 over the 335.

Some of my feedback in case it helps...

The good:
- The multi link rear suspension works well on poor quality roads. It's very compliant.
- As per BMW standard the lights are very good
- Overall build quality is excellent. BMW are still building cars that are higher quality than Audi (they just don't look it on first glance)
- Engines are fantastic and economy has taken a step up
- Manual gearchange is fantastic
- M Sport seats are good if a little soft in the centre.
- The ride on 18's with normal tyres is actually pretty good.
- As per BMW standard the NVH is excellent

Bad bits:
- I've not driven anything that is so devoid of steering feel. I'm not just making something out of nothing here - it's like your hands have been anaesthetised.
- It rarely feels rear driven like the previous model and just lacks the general level of precision and engagement, too.
- The control stalks are infuriating. You get used to them but they are never nice to use.

I agree with a lot of the above, but not the steering feel. It's no lotus, but it has a lot more feel than many other similar cars, the right tyres make a big difference. Also the indicators, when I had mine it took me all of a day to get used to them, after that I never thought about them again.

The 330 would be the one to go for, the 325 is neither economical or quick. Avoid the 320i it's very problematic.

[cerb4.5lee]

The 335i is the one to go for if you want performance but the engine does have reliability issues but most will be sorted now though.

For a little bit old school the 330i is a cracking smooth and free revving N/A engine, but it will feel slightly unimpressive in performance terms if you are used to diesel or turbo's though.

[stevie99s]

Hi, I've recent bought a e92 325I msport (there's a thread in readers cars I did a couple of days ago with more info) there cracking cars and I had a similar budget to yours and preferenced reliability so went for an earlier n52 which are deemed as more reliable. A couple of friends have had many problems Inc turbos on 335s that put me off however they could be execptions, enjoy whatever you get!

[matthias73]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

Considering having a look at that at the weekend.

I really wanted one with a sunroof but they seem to be pretty rare. The one thing I dont want is cream leather with wood. My previous two Bimmers have had some variation of that and I need something diferent.

Whats the sketch with the satnav screen. Is it something worth having?

[rallycross]

That looks a nice car and a very good price for that mileage.
Satnav iDrive is pretty good on this model but will be priced a fair bit higher than non satnav examples (£500+}. The stereo with nav is much better, avoid low spec "BMW business" stereo model try to get one with professional or hifi.

Also worth mentioning on the coupe they all have sports suspension so the only difference on SE and sport is the bumpers they drive the same ( whereas on saloon and touring the SE comes with comfort suspension which is not great.

[stevie99s]

rallycross said:

That looks a nice car and a very good price for that mileage.
Satnav iDrive is pretty good on this model but will be priced a fair bit higher than non satnav examples (£500+}. The stereo with nav is much better, avoid low spec "BMW business" stereo model try to get one with professional or hifi.

Also worth mentioning on the coupe they all have sports suspension so the only difference on SE and sport is the bumpers they drive the same ( whereas on saloon and touring the SE comes with comfort suspension which is not great.

Iirc only the e92 335 se's have m sport suspension, the smaller engines variants have standard se suspension.

[matthias73]

There's a 335i with 120k on the clock, up for £6k on autotrader.

Spoke to the owner because the advert seemed decent, and the turbos got replaced under warranty last week.

Unfortunately I'm at work all week so I won't be able to view it until Saturday. If the car checks out *if the history checks out too, then I'm getting it. Sod being sensible.

My other thought was saving a considerable amount of money and just buying an e46 in the exact spec I want, but I looked at them again today and they really are just too old. The low mileage 2006 examples may only be a few months older than the e92s I'm looking at but they pretty much cost the same amount of money, so I might as well buy an e92.

Can't think of any other reasonable alternative either.

[rallycross]

These 335i are brilliant cars the twin turbo engine really makes the car come alive.

Don't worry too much about mileage if it's got FSH and the turbos were recently replaced then it has plenty of life left but find a good specialist never take it to a main dealer.

I've had a few of these, we had an e92 335i bought at 180k miles when under 5 years old and we sold it 3 years later at just under 200k miles never let us down and was still on its original turbo's suspension clutch etc. We replaced that with another 335i this time only 120k miles and again that's been totally reliable, these cars are capable of huge mileages.

We currently have several e90's including 335i and 330i and 330d (and E46 330i and 330d) the 335 is lovely but fuel consumption is always a shocker we generally get mid 20's mpg, 330i manual is a good mix of performance and acceptable economy - the 330 is a nice engine plenty quick but the 335 feels much quicker with a huge surge of power from 2,500 revs. The 2.5 325i is sluggish and still drinks lots of fuel v's 330.

[Smuler]

matthias73 said:

There's a 335i with 120k on the clock, up for £6k on autotrader.

Spoke to the owner because the advert seemed decent, and the turbos got replaced under warranty last week.

Unfortunately I'm at work all week so I won't be able to view it until Saturday. If the car checks out *if the history checks out too, then I'm getting it. Sod being sensible.

My other thought was saving a considerable amount of money and just buying an e46 in the exact spec I want, but I looked at them again today and they really are just too old. The low mileage 2006 examples may only be a few months older than the e92s I'm looking at but they pretty much cost the same amount of money, so I might as well buy an e92.

Can't think of any other reasonable alternative either.

You want a proper fast BMW, 335 is the only option on your list.
I had one, ran it to 85k and it was very reliable.

E46 would be my choice otherwise as they are smaller and have better steering feel. those positives make the E92 330s unappealing, but the E46 strengths are dwarfed by the power advantage of 335i which overall makes driving more fun.

[matthias73]

rallycross said:

These 335i are brilliant cars the twin turbo engine really makes the car come alive.

Don't worry too much about mileage if it's got FSH and the turbos were recently replaced then it has plenty of life left but find a good specialist never take it to a main dealer.

I've had a few of these, we had an e92 335i bought at 180k miles when under 5 years old and we sold it 3 years later at just under 200k miles never let us down and was still on its original turbo's suspension clutch etc. We replaced that with another 335i this time only 120k miles and again that's been totally reliable, these cars are capable of huge mileages.

We currently have several e90's including 335i and 330i and 330d (and E46 330i and 330d) the 335 is lovely but fuel consumption is always a shocker we generally get mid 20's mpg, 330i manual is a good mix of performance and acceptable economy - the 330 is a nice engine plenty quick but the 335 feels much quicker with a huge surge of power from 2,500 revs. The 2.5 325i is sluggish and still drinks lots of fuel v's 330.

Slightly off topic but have you got any photos of your...herd?
What's the collective for a large group of bmws?

[NiceCupOfTea]

Interesting thread - toying between e46 and e9x 330 in touring variant.

e46 looks a little long in the tooth and there are the rust issues (and hard work finding a manual sport that isn't clapped out). However, the e91 seems a lot more expensive and maybe a little too grown up. Also, that awkward age where it could start to cost a lot to run but initial purchase price is "substantial"...

[sleepysnake]

Having just bought an 05 E90 330i SE manual after moving from a Honda S2000, here are my thoughts.

Good:

• Lovely smooth engine with plenty of power and torque, though a little muted in exhaust sound.
• Comfortable and supportive seats (dakota lemon memory sports seats).
• The car feels solid and well put together.
• It doesn't leak water into the driver and passenger seat when raining heavily, and no rust at all on an 11 year old car.
• Plenty of car for the money. Mine has done 105k miles and cost £4k. No apparent issues or rattles.

Bad:

• The gear change is not pleasant. Its difficult to do a smooth 1st to 2nd change when moving at pace. This may me due to the clutch delay valve which I will soon be removing along with having the gearbox oil changed.
• The SE suspension doesn't urge you to push too much along curvy roads, this may just be because I'm used to the S2000, though there is plenty of body roll. It feels like the car has too much power for the suspension to cope with.

[Crackie]

335i all the way for me......... it is very different to the 325i/330i though. Some may prefer the NA engines' delivery but the blown 335i is a great engine too; BMW didn't quote the car's peak power specs, presumably not to step on the M3's toes but a 335i is far quicker than a 330i.

I don't agree with

MRobbins1987 said:

You will be looking at the rough end of the market for 335's at 7k,

I've just sold my 56 plate manual 2 weeks ago at 90k miles. It was in great condition, first person to see it bought it, £7500.

There were clearly issues with some early cars but as is always the case, the net exaggerates. Mine was very reliable during the 50k miles I had it; no issues at all with fuel pump, injectors, coils, clutch, turbos or wastegates. The car was mapped too, so the engine, clutch & fuel delivery system all had to work harder than standard.
I put new rear shocks on and replaced front bushes at 82k miles, refurbed 19s + Goodyear Eagle F1s with good tread all round.

The only significant items I replaced were the water pump and the brake / DSC ECU; these are not 335 specific and are faults on 325i/330i too.

Edited by Crackie on Monday 20th June 23:09