Where are all the E91 330is?

[FlatPack]

As per the topic really, been keeping an eye out for months for something in my budget (£16kish) but no joy Only thing remotely close is a 2008 pre-LCI SE, decent spec but very beige interior and seems expensive for what it is at £18k (fact it's been there for yonks and hasn't shifted suggests that's true too!)

Is there a secret stash of them somewhere I'm not aware of? I realise they weren't exactly common and BMW probably binned the model because they didn't sell many, but they look to provide a petrol powered blend of practicality, performance and economy that works for me.

Do I belong in that Does Your Ideal Car Just Not Exist thread or perhaps there's something else worth considering?

[martin mrt]

My mate has one for daily/family duties and he is a true petrol head, despite this he genuinely wishes he went for a d over the i, but that's just him

Not a common car by any means, probably rarer than an e91 335d tbh

[FlatPack]

Does anyone have an LCI 335i? What sort of economy do you get from them on a motorway run in the real world?

Might need to stretch the budget a bit too...

[Drek]

martin mrt said:

My mate has one for daily/family duties and he is a true petrol head, despite this he genuinely wishes he went for a d over the i, but that's just him

Not a common car by any means, probably rarer than an e91 335d tbh

S'funny, I've had my d since May 2010 and I've never seen another one yet!

[Fox-]

FlatPack said:

Does anyone have an LCI 335i? What sort of economy do you get from them on a motorway run in the real world?

Might need to stretch the budget a bit too...

Mine did about 35mpg at 70.

[FlatPack]

Ta, that's about 25% better than my current car then

Get the impression from your garage that you didn't like your's much though!

[theboss]

LCI E90 and E91 330i's are like the proverbial rocking horse st I'm afraid... they were only manufactured for about a year until BMW discontinued them after which the only 330i's produced were E92/93, and they were dropped because they hardly sold. If you find one, especially a touring, and especially a manual, it is a very rare thing indeed. I had a manual LCI saloon and the only others I have seen for sale have been autos.

[Fox-]

FlatPack said:

Ta, that's about 25% better than my current car then

Get the impression from your garage that you didn't like your's much though!

Not really. It was good fun and had a simply fantastic engine but didnt feel the sort of car I could easily live with for years and years like I did my E39. Isn't as refined nor as well built. No 25k mile 2 year old car should have more rattles than a 9 year old 180k car. Depends what you want from a car I guess.

[BrakeFade]

I had a sprog this summer and had to get something practical and fast to replace my 993. I managed to find an M sport 2008 manual 330i e91 with the DI engine. It's been great. As for build quality, it feels like a Bentley compared to the pork. Certainly no rattles or squeaks. It's quick enough to be fun and the steering is sharper than the 911. Not nearly as much feel though. Its a good compromise. Fast when you want to have fun but extraordinary economy (for what it is) when you just take it easy. I managed 43mpg the other day on a 60 mile A,B road and motorway run.

If you can find one, I can't recommend it enough.

[gizlaroc]

I used to get 26mpg from my 335i, 32ish on a very fast run.

However was lent a 330i with direct injection and that was not only far more rewarding to drive but also returned 38mpg over 2 days and 490 miles.


I sold the 335i shortly after.

[FlatPack]

Fox- said:

It was good fun and had a simply fantastic engine but didnt feel the sort of car I could easily live with for years and years like I did my E39. Isn't as refined nor as well built.

I'm moving from a 13 year old Subaru, it's solid enough but not exactly inspiring inside and the engine certainly isn't what you'd call refined 3 series is probably a move up for me rather than down from a 5 series.


Still think the direct injection 330i is what I want if I could actually find one...

Am I right in thinking £18k is too much for a Pre-LCI 330i SE with the DI engine? AUC car, good spec (nav, leather, electric sports seats etc), but fully beige interior (only seen one like that in pictures, not convinced by it!).

Does anyone know what the changed with the LCI cars beyond the cosmetics? Is the M-Sport suspension a must have too? Sorry lots of questions, my 'friendly' local BMW salesman lost interest when I told him I was looking for a 6 cylinder petrol touring.

[Fox-]

The cosmetics make a huge difference, IMHO the pre LCI cars look plain crap.

Other changes include the major iDrive revision. The LCI version of iDrive - CIC - is immeasurably better with a bigger higher resolution screen, onboard hard drive, 3D Navigaton, etc.

[SBN]

What about this... thought this was gorgeous

http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/bmwauc/details/0,,1156_...

I have the 330d touring, and i love it!!! If you consider i never really liked diesels or autos this is by far, one of the best cars i have ever had. Plenty of 330d's available and similar performance to the petrol 330i.

Edited by SBN on Tuesday 20th December 22:42

[FlatPack]

Thanks, I could have just about sacrificed the looks of the later car if that's all there was to it.

SBN said:

What about this... thought this was gorgeous

http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/bmwauc/details/0,,1156_...

I have the 330d touring, and i love it!!! If you consider i never really liked diesels or autos this is by far, one of the best cars i have ever had. Plenty of 330d's available and similar performance to the petrol 330i.

Unfortunately that one's an auto The interior is something that you'd have to see in the flesh I think too
I think I'll try and drive a 330d to see if I get on with it though.

[SBN]

Have you driven a BMW manual before?

I have had around 20 cars since i have been driving (VW, Seat, Ford, Toyota) and i tried a manual e46 325i touring and it was a horrid thing. The Gear change from 1st to 2nd is like a lottery, you either give your passengers whiplash or a smooth ride. After a few months i got rid of it and got a e91 330d auto and the difference was like night and day - amazing car.

Note, i drove another e46 330ci manual and it was the same thing, the owner of that car agrees he would never own a manual BMW again. Oh and on the touring i removed the valve which is supposed to cause sloppy gear changes and it made no difference at all.

Try both

[Fox-]

SBN said:

Have you driven a BMW manual before?

Yes. I have owned two. I don't personally see where the hatred comes from - I really like my manual gearbox.

[BalhamBadger]

SBN said:

Have you driven a BMW manual before?

I have had around 20 cars since i have been driving (VW, Seat, Ford, Toyota) and i tried a manual e46 325i touring and it was a horrid thing. The Gear change from 1st to 2nd is like a lottery, you either give your passengers whiplash or a smooth ride. After a few months i got rid of it and got a e91 330d auto and the difference was like night and day - amazing car.

Note, i drove another e46 330ci manual and it was the same thing, the owner of that car agrees he would never own a manual BMW again. Oh and on the touring i removed the valve which is supposed to cause sloppy gear changes and it made no difference at all.

Try both

Not sure about this, the gear change on my very leggy e36 328 is still pretty good for nearly 200k miles.

[ghibbett]

I love the fact that it's tricky to get right. It makes it all the more satisfying when you do.

[Panda76]

I like the Manual boxes on the bimmer.Fair do it can be a touch notchy from cold at this time of year but I've had far worse boxes on cold morning.
Feels pretty slick and has a nice feel when it's going.To me anyway.
It's either good or I have had some pretty ste gearboxes in the past.

As for E91 they are almost like rocking horse crap for a spec you want.I have only seen another 2 around these parts compared to loads of saloons and coupe.
9 times out of 10 the spec you want will be on BMW used bit and overpriced with that.

I bought any old spec with mine and happy with it tbh.My next purchase will be an E91 but I will put some more thought into the spec next time.
I'll be shopping for 325i.

[Panda76]

Not sure if you want LCI or pre LCI but found this.

http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/bmwauc/details/0,,1156_...

Doesn't scream to me buy me,but looks ok.