Convince me a 330d is all i need. Will a 335i/M3 satisfy me?

[Mintdog531]

Ive bought an E93 330d and do love it however when i se a 335 or an M3 I'm a little bit envious. Has anyone driven all 3 and come to the conclusion that a 330d is all they really need?

[335d]

Mintdog531 said:

Ive bought an E93 330d and do love it however when i se a 335 or an M3 I'm a little bit envious. Has anyone driven all 3 and come to the conclusion that a 330d is all they really need?

I think Pistonheads might be the wrong forum if you want to be convinced that any particular car is all you really need. There is always a quicker alternative

I certainly wouldn't sell the 330d for a 335i, but the M3 is a different animal. However you probably don't need one!

[Smuler]

Mintdog531 said:

Ive bought an E93 330d and do love it however when i se a 335 or an M3 I'm a little bit envious. Has anyone driven all 3 and come to the conclusion that a 330d is all they really need?

who cares, if you love your E93 330d that's all that matters

[smashy]

......when your pushing on in the outside lane and you pass those cars in the middle because they darent put their foot down and look at the OBC at the same time there is really no need to feel envious

........being serious though Its funny how the big petrols stick to the middle lane ....

"they dont need to etc etc et " there beat you to it

[DennisCooper]

Hi,

You should have gone to drive the 335i and an M3 prior to your purchase!

Only you can decide what you want, so go drive those two other cars and make up your mind. If it turns out you do want one of them and in order to do so you lose money on the 330d, hopefully it won't be too much and next time you want a car, ensure you make a shortlist prior to making a purchase !

Cheers, Dennis!

[Patrick Bateman]

Need and want can be very different.

I'm sensing it's an itch that needs scratching.

[f1nn]

I've owned a 330D, which was then remapped to approximately 335D levels, and now own a 335i, again remapped to around 360-370BHP.

A 330D is a very, very capable car, and the 30D six just makes for a far nicer car than the 20D four bangers. As a compromise between performance and economy, it's pretty hard to beat IMO.

BUT, the petrol straight six is a corker...add two turbos to it in N54 form and remap and as I've said, I can't think of a package for similiar money that offers more, it's just a far nicer thing to drive than the derv cars IMO.

However, it all comes down to how important economy is for you, realistically the 330/5D will return somewhere in the region of 40mpg, the 335i somewhere in the region of 30mpg.

[pvogue]

330d if you are going to be doing moon miles

335i/m3 if you want the power, although 330d is no slotch

[f1nn]

Well I'd actually suggest a 320ED if the plan is a silly amount of miles per year.

I do about 18-20k per year so I'll live with the 10mpg reduction from 330D to 335I.

Also, something to bear in mind, a remapped 335I will keep an E90 M3 honest in a straight line, as per the many, many, videos on YouTube.

[helix402]

320d? No. Timing chain?

[f1nn]

My last company ran a fleet of 318D, 320D, 320ED and 520D, kept each (probably in excess of 50 cars) for 4 years and probably up to 140K in some cases, and not one had a problem with the timing chain.

Based on that, I'd say the issue is over exaggerated and wouldn't put me off buying one if it otherwise ticked the boxes.

[Welshbeef]

I had a 330d
I have a F10 535d

In between an RS6 C5


Now the key thing is that feeling of wow - every simgle day I had the RS6 (1year) if open all the windows every single time I started it up
Every time I saw it I'd smile
I'd actively look out for tunnels open the windows and sunroof then floor it in ever gear possible going through it

Amazing

But what posed me off was 2-3 times a week refilling on super premium fuel
Burning through tyres in 4K miles when I'm used to 35-45k miles out of a set.

Any problems mechanically would essentially mean engine out and £6k Bill

I maxed it out many times, I did full launches at as manny traffic lights as possible


I averaged 16mpg




330d I maxed out plenty of times
535d I've maxed out a few times

I love the economy of these diesels
I love the pretty brutal and effortless pace it can offer and overtake in give and take to the point I'm driving much quicker than the RS6 due to less revs and less noise important when the Mrs/SWMBO is in the passenger seat.



Where next?
I look all the time but it is limited extra performance but at a big cost. Family comes first for now. It I've been nearly pulling the trigger on E63 AMG bi turbos F10 M5's and V10 RS6 Avants but so far I've not pulled the trigger. Who knows when I will if I will as my car is lovely in every way but as a true petrol head and YOLO we will see

[smashy]

Welsbeef I was a passenger for the day in a new RS7 it was amazing ,a blast gut wrenchingly fast the burbling etc ..but you know what it was a relief to get back in my F30 30d,,,,they are pretty pointless in the SE of England they are just too much ...before I got in it if you had asked I would have swapped cars in a heartbeat but having experienced it I honestly dont know

Edited by smashy on Sunday 24th July 00:07

[Mr Tidy]

I understand what you are getting at OP, and TBH you should have tried them all before buying!

On a slightly different plane, I got a promotion at work in 2007 that meant I qualified for a company car (nothing on the list I wanted) or car allowance (so I took that)!

As the HMRC mileage rates were so pitiful I went diesel and bought a 10 month old 320td Compact which I had for 3 years and 42K miles until I replaced it with a pre-registered 123d.

Now many years on I have a 325ti Compact as a daily - just wish I had tried one before I bought the 320td! It's so much better to drive - also about as quick as the 123d but way more fun than any diseasel!

The mileage I ended up doing barely justified having a diesel, and had I known then what I know now the 320td would have been a 325ti and the 123d would have been a 130i!

So although you may have already bought a 330d, if you aren't convinced you should at least try the alternatives!

[Welshbeef]

It will also come down to what is the cost to change as it might be an unacceptable value.

[cerb4.5lee]

Had a E90 330d and a E92 M3 and currently got a E90 330i/F13 640d, I do think the 330d is possibly all you need to be fair as a daily and I'm not sure the M3 is worth the extra running costs for the odd occasion you can get the best from it and for most of the time it just feels like any other 3 series.

If doing big miles I'd go 330d too(have the 640d to cover high miles), if not covering big miles though the 335i would be my choice.

[Elysium]

Mintdog531 said:

Ive bought an E93 330d and do love it however when i se a 335 or an M3 I'm a little bit envious. Has anyone driven all 3 and come to the conclusion that a 330d is all they really need?

I've driven all three and owned a 330d and a 335i.

The diesel is very capable, but it's not inspiring. It's just a very nicely made, competent, but relatively 'normal' car.

The 335i starts to get interesting. Driving it is more of an event - it feels like a powerful car that can exceed levels of grip, which makes it an exciting drive. You can spank it a little without being a maniac so that every trip to the shops puts a smile on your face. I miss mine.

The M3 is great fun. I have driven one on the road and on track days. It's far more 'special' than a 335i, but in my opinion, not worth the additional expense for an everyday car, unless you are a real enthusiast. In which case you would know you want it.

If you are hankering for a 335i I would give one a go. It's definitely worth spending some money on compared to a 330d.

[Wills2]

Mintdog531 said:

Ive bought an E93 330d and do love it however when i se a 335 or an M3 I'm a little bit envious. Has anyone driven all 3 and come to the conclusion that a 330d is all they really need?

If you want one then get one, pretty simple really, you will either appreciate the engine and dynamics of the M3 or you won't.

335i will be the same as yours just with a more powerful better sounding petrol engine but the drive will be the same, on the M3 everything is different chassis/powertrain/brakes/steering and feels completely to a cooking 3 series.

Only you can decide what you want.

[Wills2]

smashy said:

......when your pushing on in the outside lane and you pass those cars in the middle because they darent put their foot down and look at the OBC at the same time there is really no need to feel envious

........being serious though Its funny how the big petrols stick to the middle lane ....

"they dont need to etc etc et " there beat you to it

I think most of us just get sick of the try hards in their diesels looking to prove something.

[dartissimus]

You can have what you want if you're prepared to pay for it.

You haven't quite found your comfortable position on the minimum requirement - total extravagance curve.

I'm on my 21st car in a 41 year driving history, never had a perfect car yet, there's always something that disappoints me, although my latest, 330d xdrive msport is getting pretty close.