Please help me decide and some advice - [2007] 335i or 330i

[pistontail]

Hey guys! how y'all doing? I just signed up because want to ask for some help.

I have owned (still owns) E46 2004 318ci m sport for about 4 years now and have a very strong itch to replace it.

I always wanted a big engined fast car so I would like a V6 (or V8 even) so I started looking for 645 but then it took me 2 days to convince myself not to go for it as the mpg will be very low and because it is heavier than 3 series, 333bhp probably wont be as fast.

Anyway, cut to short, I decided to go for 335i but been reading forums across the globe and seems like most people are saying 330i is better overall.

Now I would like to have some advice please. I am posting two links (hopefully autotrader links are allowed). Please tell me if i were to choose between those two, which one i should. Something that wont break down often and have me spending thousands straight away. My e46 318ci is bloody expensive because everytime i get is serviced or MOT i have to spend 1000s.

330i SE 2dr 2007 FSH+1 owner - http://goo.gl/WnTVoI

335i M Sport 2dr FBSH+1 owner - http://goo.gl/EubHFQ

I know the 330i is standard and not M, but I can look for M. This is just to show what I am interested in right now.

I want auto (personal choice) because i drive a lot and i am in London. What attracts me of 335 is dual exhaust and its 306bhp. 330i is very close 272bhp but single exhaust (i know it is just aesthetics but dual looks more meaner)

Please help before I make a wrong decision.

thanks

[pistontail]

Not to much on going maintenance per se. it's more things going wrong more often than usual or lets say there are more known problems than the other etc.

[pistontail]

Thanks SBN, that's the kind of experience i would like to hear

M3 is out of my budget purely because i drive my car daily. Maybe one day when I have 2 cars.. then one can be economical and other fun!

So the points are for 330i so far.

I have noticed there are very few to none M sports 330. What features aren't available in SE that are in M sport?

[pistontail]

Awesome guys! thanks a bunch for the responses. I think I'm gonna look for 330i. Will try M sport because I like the look of it and my current car is M and i don't mind the stiff ride. Although it's e46 so it might be different.

[pistontail]

gangzoom said:

Apart from better reliability I'm not sure why you would pick a 330i over the 335i. Infact the web is full of people trying to compare modified 335i to E9X M3s.

http://www.birdsauto.com/editorial/editorial-total...

I've had my modified E90 335i now for 3.5 years, and short for spending £50K on the new M3 theres nothing else on the market that offers the same combination of luxury, fun, practicality, and reasonable running costs. So despite the various reliability issues i've had, I cannot see my self parting with my 335i for a good few years yet.

If you have the money to maintain a 335i and modify it (LSD and Better dampers/spring are a must), you will not be disappointed by it

The only reason is that i googled 330i vs 335i last night and from the posts from various forums, it seems like turbos are common problem with 335i which are quite expensive plus the drive is much better on 330.

I have not driven either yet and I know I should before deciding, which I will, but just wanted to ask personally if you guys were to choose from those posted cars, which one would you go for.

I have budget. i am 32 so insurance is not a problem plus general maintenance and looking after is not a problem either, but I also drive within London daily. I would say I do about 100-120 miles a week which are city miles. So if you were to buy having these things in mind, which one would you?

[pistontail]

gangzoom said:

I think you need to test drive both. The 330i and 335i share the same chassis, suspension, brakes, only different been the engine, so I'm not sure why people think the 330i is better to drive? The engine in the 335i is pretty much lag free, i've only owned NA cars before the 335i and to be quite honest if you didn't tell me the 335i was turboed I would have thought it was another NA car.

My 335i is used for nearly all city driving, and I find it perfectly fine for that job, mine is also an auto so perfect for city driving. At the same time when I took mine on a 2300 mile road trip around Europe that included 6 Alpine passes and 140mph blasts on the autobahn, what ever the situation the 335i performed beautifully.....As you can tell I'm a big fan of the car.

I'm sure the 330i is also a fab car, but a simple remap on a stock 335i will hit 350-360bhp and 380-400bhp with a few simple bolt on mods...now tell me those power figures aren't tempting

Edited by gangzoom on Tuesday 14th October 22:43

I see. Yea I can tell you are a big car fan and love your 335. I will test drive it today or hopefully tomorrow. It was my first choice (after 645) so let's see.

Basically the reason I am scared is because when I bought my e46 2004 (n42) I didn't look for "common problems with n42" and straight after buying it, on my first service, i spent £1k. Then I thought ok thats fine now its done i will have a worry free drive but no.. every 4-5 months i was spending 200-500. even my last service i spent £1500.

I just don't wanna keep doing that. and enjoy the ride.

[pistontail]

hornetrider said:

The difference in fuel consumption between a 330i and 645i will be negligible.

really? I'm sure real world consumption of a 4.5 litre v8 would be far higher than the 330? I'm talking city drive.

[pistontail]

I am going to test drive the 335i.. lets hope my child syndrome (i want this now) doesnt kick in and i keep calm

[pistontail]

Well that was an interesting test drive!
1 owner, all mot and invoices along with fbsh and 2 keys. Car clean no scratch dent and scuffs even on wheels. What do you do? well i bought it...

So I am the owner of 2007 335i M sport Auto coupe - 72000 miles

It is lovely!

[pistontail]

I shall soon!

By the way, my luck! the battery low sign came up when i went to petrol station just after buying it. I thought maybe it's been stood there for a while so a bit of drive would solve it. not sure if 13 miles were good enough. Will check again if it comes up.

If it keeps coming, does that mean the battery is kapoot?

[pistontail]

Mine are 18" 193 style. They look nice.
I will be posting pictures soon. Let the weather clear up a bit.

In regards to the battery, thanks, i will see if it comes up after a long drive.

What do you guys think about warranties? Car came with 3 months from World of Warranty and they offered me upgrade to 12 months for £299. However I know and heard 3rd parties are a pain when it comes to the claim. What about BMW Warranty? It is around £700 tho (or monthly £72) with roadside and courtesy car.

[pistontail]

Smuler said:

I would chose a BMW warranty, when I read the terms of many third party providers they were never clear on what was covered. Mondial seem clear and tight.

However on your car, I think your BMW/Mondial warranty will be deemed a lapsed warranty, unless previous owner kept car under warranty and this means an excess of at least 100£ payable each time. Factor that in to your cost assessment.

Also, have you got all the details from the previous owner of what work has been done on this car? Plus, any advisories from MOT history. Get that first and you'll have a better understanding of your car.

You are right, the excess is £100 or can be £250. I think I will have the car for a year and see how it goes. Risk, but I do have the previous invoices and MOTs from previous owner. MOT had no advisory note and the invoices are up to do till march 14. The only thing might need replacing (from what i have seen on invoices) might be brake pads. But there is nothing on MOT so it might fly till next.

[pistontail]

Well guys, here are some pictures. They are not that great because a) need a proper wash and b) they weather has been pants.
I will be de-badging it. Just because I like the back clean n smooth

[pistontail]

Thank you!

A quick question: I am looking at Aerokits on google and it looks tiny bit different to what i have. Does that mean M sport doesn't have Aerokit?

Edit: Ahh they are different kits. I thought M comes with aero. Aero looks more aggressive.

Edited by pistontail on Monday 20th October 13:23