Would i regret buying a 325 over a 330?

[un1corn]

Looking at E90/E91's at moment, from around 2007 to 2010.

I'm on a certain budget but want nav/xenons. The example I can find are all 325i&d and very few 330i/d. I'd have a 335 but theyre too expensive and rare.

If i got a 325d or 325i, would i seriously regret it and always be thinking "what if?" and should have got the 330i or 330d?

Im pretty flexible at the moment regards d or i so i'm open to suggestions.

I think a 330 would always take priority, even if i was buying a 330d and snubbing the 325i, or vice versa, buying a 330i and snubbing the 325d.

[Dannbodge]

The engines in the 325i and 330i are pretty much the same bar intake manifold and map (from what I recall)

If power is the only reason that you think you'd regret it then you could always get the 325i mapped.

I was in the predicament in that I wanted an E90/91 and every time I looked at the 325i or 330i I knew one day I'd wish I got a 335i (so that's what I did) They do come up but sell pretty quickly.

If you are thinking about regretting buying the 325i before even buying it then chances are you will when you have bought one.

Also unless you do massive mileage a year I wouldn't consider a derv. My 335i will average nearly 40mpg on a long run at a sensible pace and averages around 25/30mpg combined. A 325i/330i will do the same if not better without the issues of DPFs and lack of exhaust note.

The Nav in Pre-LCI E90s isn't great either.

Edited by Dannbodge on Tuesday 7th July 17:18

[nickfrog]

Dannbodge said:

The engines in the 325i and 330i are pretty much the same bar intake manifold and map (from what I recall)

They both have the same DISA manifold so only a de-restrictive remap away from being identical - P Torque and Evolve are the usual names for this job.

[abarber]

The inlet manifold is different. It's s lot of work to swap. Have a look on e90post, some people have done it, but it's a lot of work.

You can compare the parts here.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=VB32-...

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=VB12-...

[bigfish]

I think you actually know the answer yourself - so hold out for the 330

[nickfrog]

abarber said:

The inlet manifold is different. It's s lot of work to swap. Have a look on e90post, some people have done it, but it's a lot of work.

You can compare the parts here.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=VB32-...

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=VB12-...

Bugger - are you sure it's not because you're looking at a US site ?

The reason I am saying that is because the Euro 125i N52 had the 130i manifold and therefore remapped to 130i power whereas the US only 128i didn't have it.

So I wouldn't be surprised is the US 325i didn't have it whereas the Euro 325i had it.

[abarber]

nickfrog said:

Bugger - are you sure it's not because you're looking at a US site ?

The reason I am saying that is because the Euro 125i N52 had the 130i manifold and therefore remapped to 130i power whereas the US only 128i didn't have it.

So I wouldn't be surprised is the US 325i didn't have it whereas the Euro 325i had it.

Yes, you select Euro and rhd. The part number is different on the 325i, but I haven't compared them side to side myself. The Euro 125i/130i/330i N52 all share the same part number,

If you want a cheap upgrade, get a late 325d E90, They are mechanicaly the same as the 330d, right down to the complete engine, turbo, gearbox part numbers. Both chip to close to 300bhp.

Edited by abarber on Tuesday 7th July 22:27

[Russ Sims]

abarber said:

Yes, you select Euro and rhd. The part number is different on the 325i, but I haven't compared them side to side myself. The Euro 125i/130i/330i N52 all share the same part number,

If you want a cheap upgrade, get a late 325d E90, They are mechanicaly the same as the 330d, right down to the complete engine, turbo, gearbox part numbers. Both chip to close to 300bhp.

Edited by abarber on Tuesday 7th July 22:27

This is what I have done...purchased a 2010 n57 204bhp engined 325d. Very high spec (pro nav, heated seats, elec memory seats, hifi stereo, folding mirrors etc) was less than a basic high mileage 330d and only had 43k on the clock. Added benefit....cheaper to tax than a 330d

[dcb]

un1corn said:

Looking at E90/E91's at moment, from around 2007 to 2010.

I'm on a certain budget but want nav/xenons. The example I can find are all 325i&d and very few 330i/d. I'd have a 335 but theyre too expensive and rare.

So if you desperately need those extra 50 BHP or so of the 330 over the 325,
then you are cutting yourself out of almost all the market.

Given that the UK motorway network will be mostly camera covered in a few years time,
and so 210 BHP of the 325 will be way enough, I'd say go with the 325.

You'll be winning at every petrol station visit, insurance, service time.

[Tea Pot One]

abarber said:

If you want a cheap upgrade, get a late 325d E90, They are mechanicaly the same as the 330d, right down to the complete engine, turbo, gearbox part numbers. Both chip to close to 300bhp.

Edited by abarber on Tuesday 7th July 22:27

I am not so sure they are exactly the same - I know loads of people say they are but DMS say not when I remapped. A 325d LCI went to 275bhp. My 330d LCI went to 305bhp which they said was what they expected as there are differences in what a few bits can do. They weren't specific but were adamant they map differently. Still, I think 275bhp is a better figure and would suit the car better.

[andy118run]

dcb said:

un1corn said:

Looking at E90/E91's at moment, from around 2007 to 2010.

I'm on a certain budget but want nav/xenons. The example I can find are all 325i&d and very few 330i/d. I'd have a 335 but theyre too expensive and rare.

So if you desperately need those extra 50 BHP or so of the 330 over the 325,
then you are cutting yourself out of almost all the market.

Given that the UK motorway network will be mostly camera covered in a few years time,
and so 210 BHP of the 325 will be way enough, I'd say go with the 325.

You'll be winning at every petrol station visit, insurance, service time.

Agree with this - I bought my 1 owner, 22k mile E90 325i a few months ago. Had I wanted a 330 in the same sort of price range it would probably have had 3 or 4 times the miles/owners.

No doubt the 330 is a nicer drive but given the choice between a really tidy 325 or a well used 330, I'm happy where I put my money.

However, as mentioned by another poster, if you are already doubting the 325 is for you then you should probably just go for the 330.

[Patrick Bateman]

dcb said:

So if you desperately need those extra 50 BHP or so of the 330 over the 325,
then you are cutting yourself out of almost all the market.

Given that the UK motorway network will be mostly camera covered in a few years time,
and so 210 BHP of the 325 will be way enough, I'd say go with the 325.

You'll be winning at every petrol station visit, insurance, service time.

Can't see any of those costs being much greater, certainly not fuel or servicing.

There's no replacement for displacement.

[toon10]

I had the same dilema with my current car. I wanted a 330i mSport, preferably in Le Mans Blue. I couldn't stretch to a 335i at the time.

I tested a basic 330i which felt brisk but it had no extras at all. I also tested a lovely 330 SE in grey with cream leather and it was luxurious but not really what I was after. I had to travel a bit further to get my current car. It's a 325i mSport in Le Mans Blue. It was exactly what I was after apart from not being the 330. I thought this would bother me but you get the same silky smooth engine and although it's not fast, it's not slow either. The mSport just handled so much better than the basic one and the SE I tested. Everything felt more sharp and sporty in comparison.

I've not regretted it. 4 years later and I'm after something less practical but once again, I'm struggling to find anything locally that suits. I have the same problem everytime I change cars.

[nitrodave]

I was in this situation a few months back and held out for a 330i and am very pleased i did. I got the later n53 version in manual.

The 325 is great, but a little flat. It has good useable power, but nothing spectacular. The 330 has a decent and fun amount of power. it wont blow your mind, but it's generous enough to feel like good fun.

Don't get a 325i thinking you can remap it to 330i spec. Just dont waste your time on that. I've read up on this and you'll get rough running, dodgy power curves and you'll just ruin the car in the long run.

As someone else mentioned, the idrive is now dated and not worth aiming for really. You can get a good dynavin head unit which is leagues ahead for not much cash.

Just hold out for a 330i if that's what you really want. Be quick though as they sell fast.

[xxChrisxx]

dcb said:

So if you desperately need those extra 50 BHP or so of the 330 over the 325,
then you are cutting yourself out of almost all the market.

Given that the UK motorway network will be mostly camera covered in a few years time,
and so 210 BHP of the 325 will be way enough, I'd say go with the 325.

You'll be winning at every petrol station visit, insurance, service time.

Say Whaaaat. Got a 325, lovely car. but:

The 330 gets almost identical fuel economy. If insurance is unreasonable on a 330, it'll be unreasonable on a 325 and it has exactly the same service requirements.

The gears (on a manual) are far better suited to the 330s power curve. There are times when I've found myself caught in a gear selection dilemma.


I bought it because it was dirt cheap compared to similar specced 330s.

[FurryExocet]

Spent a while looking for a 330D with everything I wanted, but none came up. However a very nice 325D appeared on auto trader, almost dismissed it as I really wanted the 330, but I sent to see it and bought it the same day.
No regrets after 6 months of owning it. It has everything I wanted, apart from the leather, although I now actually prefer the alacantara.

Once the warranty runs out, I'll look at a map, but the roads I use are always congested anyway

[abarber]

xxChrisxx said:

Say Whaaaat. Got a 325, lovely car. but:

The 330 gets almost identical fuel economy. If insurance is unreasonable on a 330, it'll be unreasonable on a 325 and it has exactly the same service requirements.

The gears (on a manual) are far better suited to the 330s power curve. There are times when I've found myself caught in a gear selection dilemma.


I bought it because it was dirt cheap compared to similar specced 330s.

Yes, mpg is almost exactly the same, as is insurance. The gears are already long anyway, the extra top end zip helps keep it going nicely.

If mpg is your aim, get an N53 engined car, although any advantage could soon be eaten away by coil packs, HPFP etc. The N52 is bullet-proof by comparison.

Apparently BMW put some restriction in so that you can't just load an N57 330d map on to a 325d, maybe that is holding some tuner's back? There are however there are plenty of people that claim the full 300bhp remap from a 325d N57, like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E08lWDu1fLk

[cerb4.5lee]

Had a E90 330d M sport and currently got a E90 330i M sport and I think both are great all round cars, which is best is very hard to make a decision on though, the petrol sounds lovely and is free revving but it feels completely gutless at low revs.

The diesel feels like a rocket low down but its a less rewarding engine in terms of noise at idle and low revs but does sound pretty good from inside for a diesel and overtaking is a doddle whereas in the petrol you have to work it to make good progress.

I would be happy in a 325d/325i too because the 330d/330i are hardly epic flying machines anyway but have nice power for everyday driving.

Good luck in the search.

[dcb]

xxChrisxx said:

The 330 gets almost identical fuel economy. If insurance is unreasonable on a 330, it'll be unreasonable on a 325 and it has exactly the same service requirements.

The extra 50 BHP or so of the 330 over the 325 can't be cost-free when
it comes to the petrol station.

330 is 2-3 insurance groups above the 325, depending on exactly which
one you pick.

So I'd say the 325 is a cheaper car to run than the 330. Maybe not
by much, but every saving helps.

The market seems to like them, since 325s on sale, according to original OP,
outnumber 330s by some considerable margin. Very few folks
seem willing to pay the extra costs associated with the 330.

Of course, the real savings are to be had by dropping downto the
next lower 3 series, the 320. They are about 4 insurance groups
below the 325, and being only 4 cylinder, have reduced service costs, too.

[Digitalize]

The 325D and 330D are similar, but different in a few ways.

A 325D won't quite map to the same power as a 330D, but it is close.

325D's have smaller brakes than the 330D.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=936...