Information wanted E90 330d. Changing from MX5
Discussion
Hi all,
I currently own a Mk3 2.0 mx5 which I adore and love. ( I plan on selling it to a friend so as not to lose contact with it). However I'm desperate for something faster, more practical and fuel efficient. I've got my heart set on an e90 330d as it gives a good blend of the qualities I require. Currently looking around the 5k mark for an 07 ish car with around 100k miles.
Wondering about reliability and maintenance costs as the MX5 has been brilliant in that department.
If anyone has any advice, tips or information that would assist me, in terms of years to get/avoid or things to look or watch out for that would be much appreciated.
Much appreciated.
Lewis.
I currently own a Mk3 2.0 mx5 which I adore and love. ( I plan on selling it to a friend so as not to lose contact with it). However I'm desperate for something faster, more practical and fuel efficient. I've got my heart set on an e90 330d as it gives a good blend of the qualities I require. Currently looking around the 5k mark for an 07 ish car with around 100k miles.
Wondering about reliability and maintenance costs as the MX5 has been brilliant in that department.
If anyone has any advice, tips or information that would assist me, in terms of years to get/avoid or things to look or watch out for that would be much appreciated.
Much appreciated.
Lewis.
It will definitely be faster but I doubt the fuel economy would be much better than the mx5. A 5 grand 100k 11 year old bmw is potentially going to throw some big bills at you. I’d be inclined to keep the mx5 if you know and trust the car as the fun factor of the bmw won’t be higher. Unless you need the space of course, or are simply bored and fancy a change.
DPF should last 150k++ in these / did in mine and swirl flaps, simply use premium diesel all the time it’s the cheap crap derv that mucks everything up.
However mine on 118k Miles back in the day no issue at all and didn’t have swirlflaps changed.
People you do realise swirl flaps are to increase economy/reduce emissions so frankly removing them it might change VED banding......
However mine on 118k Miles back in the day no issue at all and didn’t have swirlflaps changed.
People you do realise swirl flaps are to increase economy/reduce emissions so frankly removing them it might change VED banding......
Welshbeef said:
DPF should last 150k++ in these / did in mine and swirl flaps, simply use premium diesel all the time it’s the cheap crap derv that mucks everything up.
However mine on 118k Miles back in the day no issue at all and didn’t have swirlflaps changed.
People you do realise swirl flaps are to increase economy/reduce emissions so frankly removing them it might change VED banding......
What do you mean by “cheap crap derv” I don’t think I have ever put in premium diesel.However mine on 118k Miles back in the day no issue at all and didn’t have swirlflaps changed.
People you do realise swirl flaps are to increase economy/reduce emissions so frankly removing them it might change VED banding......
Last 330d I did 250,000 miles with no issues and engine is still going strong.
My current 330d I am just about on 100k with no problems.
The mx-5 is light in comparison. The 330d only appears to give better mpg because they don't thrash it in their tests.
I had a MK2 mx-5 years ago, and despite driving it hard got quite good mpg. I've also had quite a few modern premium diesels and I haven't got near the official mpg figure in any of them.
Also, even if the 330d would win a traffic light grand prix, you'll get bored of it. It won't drive or corner anywhere near as nicely. It'll do long distance cruises better though.
I had a MK2 mx-5 years ago, and despite driving it hard got quite good mpg. I've also had quite a few modern premium diesels and I haven't got near the official mpg figure in any of them.
Also, even if the 330d would win a traffic light grand prix, you'll get bored of it. It won't drive or corner anywhere near as nicely. It'll do long distance cruises better though.
I had a 2006 model E90 330d for 6 years from 3 months old and did over 150k miles in it. I thought it was a great all round car. A nice mix of performance/economy, and the car was faultless in my ownership.
I actually preferred it to the 2006 E90 330i I had after it...which surprised me to be fair because I usually love petrol engines. The 330d made the 330i feel flat performance wise(the 330i needs lots of revs to feel quick and the torque in the 330d hides the weight better), and it also highlighted how thirsty the petrol model is.
I guess now that the cars are getting on a bit there is less to go wrong with the 330i when compared to the 330d though.
I actually preferred it to the 2006 E90 330i I had after it...which surprised me to be fair because I usually love petrol engines. The 330d made the 330i feel flat performance wise(the 330i needs lots of revs to feel quick and the torque in the 330d hides the weight better), and it also highlighted how thirsty the petrol model is.
I guess now that the cars are getting on a bit there is less to go wrong with the 330i when compared to the 330d though.
Thanks for the quick response. I had a chance to drive a Jag X type saloon the other week and was amazed how terrible the handling was. Guess I've been spoilt with the MX5 !! Still hankering after a 330d though... Something about the torque/economy/practicality mix that's hard to beat.
I bought an E91 325i earlier this year that was on 132K and stills runs great 4,000 miles later.
I went for petrol as it only does about 7,000 miles a year so a diesel just wouldn't have made any sense.
It doesn't feel that quick unless you really go for it, but quoted 0-62 is 7.1 seconds so it isn't slow.
Unless you do mega-miles I'd go for a 330i.
The novelty of a wave of torque wore off pretty quickly when I had my 123d.
I went for petrol as it only does about 7,000 miles a year so a diesel just wouldn't have made any sense.
It doesn't feel that quick unless you really go for it, but quoted 0-62 is 7.1 seconds so it isn't slow.
Unless you do mega-miles I'd go for a 330i.
The novelty of a wave of torque wore off pretty quickly when I had my 123d.
Mr Tidy said:
I bought an E91 325i earlier this year that was on 132K and stills runs great 4,000 miles later.
I went for petrol as it only does about 7,000 miles a year so a diesel just wouldn't have made any sense.
It doesn't feel that quick unless you really go for it, but quoted 0-62 is 7.1 seconds so it isn't slow.
Unless you do mega-miles I'd go for a 330i.
The novelty of a wave of torque wore off pretty quickly when I had my 123d.
Watch out for the 330i HTFP failure google it it’s the 272bhp engine whereas the 256bhp 330i is bomb proof I went for petrol as it only does about 7,000 miles a year so a diesel just wouldn't have made any sense.
It doesn't feel that quick unless you really go for it, but quoted 0-62 is 7.1 seconds so it isn't slow.
Unless you do mega-miles I'd go for a 330i.
The novelty of a wave of torque wore off pretty quickly when I had my 123d.
LBT said:
Are there any 330d's that don't have a DPF? Sure I met a guy who said he had an 06 pre efficient dynamics one and that didn't have a dfp on it?
Mine was a 2006 model(registered March) and that had a DPF on it. I've seen lots of 320d's without them with the down turned exhaust, but I'm not sure if you could get a 330d without a DPF.LBT said:
Fair enough. Seems that full service history will be a must then. I've been told to buy on condition, not millage ?
For reference the 2006 330d I had is now dead(according to DVLA) and it had 190k miles on it last year. Whereas the 2006 330i I had has around 78k miles on it and is still going strong. I think the miles do play a part because I'm guessing the 330d was uneconomical to repair(could've been written off in an accident though). So I do think that the lower the mileage the better, although I don't think there's a right answer overall and it's down to luck mainly.
Lots of good points above. The points I make below are mine and are likely to incur some criticism, but I've had BMWs and MX5s for years.
In bog standard form, BMWs are not likely to be anything like as rewarding to own as your Mazda...and since at £5000ish, the car you buy will be getting on in years, there is really no point in using main dealers for services. They charge 2 to 3 times the hourly rate of highly skilled independents who rely on their reputation for survival. Don't expect it to be as reliable as the Mazda either.
Don't scorn an independent garage service history, especially if it's had annual services; it's likely to have been maintained to a higher standard than an exclusively BMW S/H car. The BMW service schedule is inadequate for high mileage cars (again IMO).
Unless you buy an older one (E46), you won't avoid the DPF and it really is likely to give you some grief. The 330d/530d can be much more fun if you do a gentle remap. I'd recommend Jason at BW Chiptune in Hayes for mapping and service. Get shot of the swirl flaps (if they have not been removed already - if/when they break and get ingested, the engine is normally destroyed. Map the EGR shut and get the inlet manifold cleaned out and the motor will be silky smooth and rewarding for years.
If it's a manual, the clutch and DMF will be expensive at some point...oh and all the gearboxes (manual and automatic) and diffs benefit from oil changes. BMW's sealed for life policy means sealed for a shorter life than necessary.
The understeer that the 3 series and 1 series of that era have as standard can be deleted by installing M3 lower control arms on the front. They give a bit of negative camber and have stiffer inner bushes that improve the cars' turn-in and stability. TRW items are available for about £50 each from Amazon. They are not listed sensibly - only by part numbers: TRW JTC1426 & JTC1427. The BMW emblem will have been ground off.
Unless you're doing regular motorway jaunts, buying an N52 3 litre petrol 330i or an electronically strangled 325i (& get it mapped back up to 330i engine output) might be the best option for overall cost of ownership - they are likely to be cheaper to maintain in the long run. Remember that cost of ownership is not just about how much fuel you use.
I have a 130i and it has a lovely engine. It returns about 26mpg on my local commute and about 38mpg on longer motorway runs. My friend's 530d manual returns about 33mpg on a similar local commute, but his car has needed over £3000 of diesel specific indy garage attention that my petrol BMWs have not required in the same time period.
In bog standard form, BMWs are not likely to be anything like as rewarding to own as your Mazda...and since at £5000ish, the car you buy will be getting on in years, there is really no point in using main dealers for services. They charge 2 to 3 times the hourly rate of highly skilled independents who rely on their reputation for survival. Don't expect it to be as reliable as the Mazda either.
Don't scorn an independent garage service history, especially if it's had annual services; it's likely to have been maintained to a higher standard than an exclusively BMW S/H car. The BMW service schedule is inadequate for high mileage cars (again IMO).
Unless you buy an older one (E46), you won't avoid the DPF and it really is likely to give you some grief. The 330d/530d can be much more fun if you do a gentle remap. I'd recommend Jason at BW Chiptune in Hayes for mapping and service. Get shot of the swirl flaps (if they have not been removed already - if/when they break and get ingested, the engine is normally destroyed. Map the EGR shut and get the inlet manifold cleaned out and the motor will be silky smooth and rewarding for years.
If it's a manual, the clutch and DMF will be expensive at some point...oh and all the gearboxes (manual and automatic) and diffs benefit from oil changes. BMW's sealed for life policy means sealed for a shorter life than necessary.
The understeer that the 3 series and 1 series of that era have as standard can be deleted by installing M3 lower control arms on the front. They give a bit of negative camber and have stiffer inner bushes that improve the cars' turn-in and stability. TRW items are available for about £50 each from Amazon. They are not listed sensibly - only by part numbers: TRW JTC1426 & JTC1427. The BMW emblem will have been ground off.
Unless you're doing regular motorway jaunts, buying an N52 3 litre petrol 330i or an electronically strangled 325i (& get it mapped back up to 330i engine output) might be the best option for overall cost of ownership - they are likely to be cheaper to maintain in the long run. Remember that cost of ownership is not just about how much fuel you use.
I have a 130i and it has a lovely engine. It returns about 26mpg on my local commute and about 38mpg on longer motorway runs. My friend's 530d manual returns about 33mpg on a similar local commute, but his car has needed over £3000 of diesel specific indy garage attention that my petrol BMWs have not required in the same time period.
Superb information again. It really is the diesel I'm after, my daily commute is a 26 mile round trip that's about 80% motorway. However I do regularly have longer jaunts, up to 400 mile round trips. It's for this I want the 330d as the mx5 isn't built for that long a journey. DPF sounds scary, is it just a case of regularly doing long journeys to blow it out or does it go bang at a set time ?
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