EWG (2013+) N55 owners - would you recommend longterm?

[FakeCarGuy]

Been hunting for a nice F30 340i for quite a while now, but the kind of spec that i’m after is quite rare and seems to go for quite the premium (~£23k and above), and I’m just tired of checking the market everyday to cars that are either (1) out of my budget (which is £20,500) or (2) not specced quite how i’d like.

If there was a ‘perfectly-specced’ car (to my personal preferences), i’d probably just hand over the money (since i’m quite reluctant to max out my budget anyway) - but i’m just struggling to pull the trigger when (for example) it’s the wrong colour or if it’s missing certain options (like the electronic seats - or extended leather).

So, anyway, i’ve been looking at the F30 335i instead - and I think i’m quite willing to dial back my expectations on the vehicle specification (as long as the price is right) - but before I can think about any of that, it has to make sense logically in terms of the 335i being any good in the first place.

So, owners, are they? I’m sure the B58 is genuinely an upgrade - but in terms of long term ownership (6-7 years) will there be any actual benefits as an owner - from an economical perspective? Because other than that, they’re both 3.0 petrol turbo engines that make a lovely noise, get similar mileage, and can make similar amounts of power (i’m not bothered if I never make more than 420bhp, for example) - and maybe spending an extra £10,000 for the B58 won’t actually materialise into any tangible benefits over those 6-7 years of potential ownership?

Either way, i’ll be dropping about £1.3k on a full iDrive 6 touchscreen retrofit (and maybe another £800 on a digital 6WB cluster retrofit) - but, even when factored in, I’ll still save more than £7000 in most cases - at least over the long-term.

Thanks for reading. I look forward to hearing from other’s experiences.

[Who_Goes_Blue]

Hi. I`ve had a standard 2016 M135i (N55) for the last 4 years and recently drove a friends modded M140i (430ish bhp).
Yes it was much quicker. The torque felt stronger and came on sooner in the rev range.

But like you the price difference to get into a m140i (or something else B58 powered) with lowish mileage is just too high, so I'm sticking with my m135i. The B58 gets heaps of praise and mostly justified, but I doo feel its pushed prices up just a little too far.

And in my opinion the N55 sounds better at full chat

[Fox-]

The 340i appeared almost a decade ago now so I am surprised you cannot find a nice one for your budget.

A quick search of Autotrader reveals that the majority of 340i are advertised for under £22,500. Surely you should be able to find a nice one? I don't think buying a 335i and then spending £2000 on fitting equipment you'd have got with the 340i is the answer. I think the engine in the 340i is more reliable and more efficient so I'd need a good reason to pick the older one.

I suspect the issue lies with your specification requirements - extended leather is incredibly rare on any 3 Series and if you're insisting on that its no wonder you can't find a car. I would be surprised if there are many 335i with this option either.

[Dannbodge]

Unfortunately, you want a B58

Buying a N55 won't change this and you'll forever be wanting the B58.

The N55 is a great engine and I doubt you'd be disappointed but it's not the car you wanted.

[bodhi]

Worth looking at the 440iGC? From meory they had electric seats as standard, tended to have more kit and were more practical with the big hatch.

[swanny71]

6 years into N55 ownership (M135i) - the engine is lovely, it s been faultless and fantastic.
Son in law has an M140i, his feels a bit quicker but I prefer the N55 & manual combo in mine.