Panda sold. 2007 N52 330i Coupe takes its place instead..

[HannsG]

Hi,

I grew tired of the Panda 100HP. Having had M cars and in need of a cheap daily hack I came across a 2007 N52 engined 330i coupe. Made an offer at work and it was accepted.

I pick it up on the weekend. Having sold my M3 the Panda did its shedding duties fine, but fuk me is it slow.

Anyone have one? Is this the same engine which was in the 2003 3.0i Z4?

I had one, thought it was a terrific engine personally, but remember that only having 231bhp.

Car cost me £4,800

2007 reg, 85K on the clock. Needs some TLC but hey ho. Paint correction, new pads and discs all around and a full service.


Options are below (Sorry about the format!!!) - I gather it was specced with Bluetooth? Anyone know if I could stream audio from my phone?

Vehicle options L812A National version England / Ireland P337A M Sports package S1CAA Selection of COP relevant vehicles S205A Automatic transmission S2MFA BMW alloy wheel, M spider spoke 193 S302A Alarm system S428A Warning triangle and first aid kit S431A Interior mirror with automatic-dip S441A Smoker package S459A Seat adjuster, electric, with memory S481A Sports seat S4ADA Interior trim strips, alu, brushed, fine S502A Headlight cleaning system S507A Park Distance Control (PDC), rear S520A Fog lights S521A Rain sensor S522A Xenon Light S534A Automatic air conditioning S544A Cruise control with brake function S563A Light package S609A Navigation system Professional S612A BMW Assist S620A Voice control S633A Preparation, mobile phone, Business S694A Provisions for BMW 6 CD changer S704A M Sports suspension S715A M Aerodynamics package S760A High gloss shadow line S775A Headlining anthracite S7XAA M Leathr. wheel+shift paddle+multifunc. S850A Dummy-SALAPA S853A Language version English S863A Retailer Directory Europe S877A Delete cross-pattern operation S880A On-board vehicle literature English S8S2A Coding alarm signal S8S3A Automatic locking when driving off S8SMA Car ident. number visible from outside S8SPA Control unit COP

Edited by HannsG on Tuesday 19th June 22:58

[lord trumpton]

Ive just come from an f10 M5 into an e91 330i (n52)

Absolutely love it - engine is a real revvy peach of a motor. Pretty bullet proof too aside from the electric water pump than can fail

Awesome engine

[cerb4.5lee]

I had a 2006 E90 330i for 4 years with the N52 engine and it was silky smooth and it revved really well. Sadly mine was an Auto and the gearbox ruined the experience of the engine somewhat. The engine is very muted in the cabin as well which I thought was a shame for such a nice engine.

It was a fabulous bulletproof all round car though. It was a cracking cruiser but offered very little in terms of fun/enjoyment, but I think that was mostly down to the Auto gearbox. They do feel a heavy car to drive and they can feel pretty gutless unless thrashed.

[HannsG]

cerb4.5lee said:

I had a 2006 E90 330i for 4 years with the N52 engine and it was silky smooth and it revved really well. Sadly mine was an Auto and the gearbox ruined the experience of the engine somewhat. The engine is very muted in the cabin as well which I thought was a shame for such a nice engine.

It was a fabulous bulletproof all round car though. It was a cracking cruiser but offered very little in terms of fun/enjoyment, but I think that was mostly down to the Auto gearbox. They do feel a heavy car to drive and they can feel pretty gutless unless thrashed.

Thanks for responding.

Mines the coupe version with the auto and paddles.

Because its a daily I'm hoping to get 32mpg+ on motorway hauls.

[fathomfive]

HannsG said:

cerb4.5lee said:

I had a 2006 E90 330i for 4 years with the N52 engine and it was silky smooth and it revved really well. Sadly mine was an Auto and the gearbox ruined the experience of the engine somewhat. The engine is very muted in the cabin as well which I thought was a shame for such a nice engine.

It was a fabulous bulletproof all round car though. It was a cracking cruiser but offered very little in terms of fun/enjoyment, but I think that was mostly down to the Auto gearbox. They do feel a heavy car to drive and they can feel pretty gutless unless thrashed.

Thanks for responding.

Mines the coupe version with the auto and paddles.

Because its a daily I'm hoping to get 32mpg+ on motorway hauls.

I'm a couple of months into ownership of a 2006 E92 330i SE in a rather lovely manual guise. The engine, even though I'd heard great things about it over the years, is truly wonderful. Sonorous, eager to rev and howls beautifully towards the red line.
I'm seeing between 32mpg to 35mpg out of it, doing 360 miles of motorway plus maybe 50 miles of commuting per week.

It's more of a cruiser than a sports car, mind you.

[cerb4.5lee]

fathomfive said:

It's more of a cruiser than a sports car, mind you.

I really enjoyed mine on long runs and I always got out of it thinking what a great cruiser it was. Lovely engine and so smooth.

[culpz]

HannsG said:

Thanks for responding.

Mines the coupe version with the auto and paddles.

Because its a daily I'm hoping to get 32mpg+ on motorway hauls.

I'd say you got an absolute bargain there for under 5k with that mileage! I've been eyeing up the auto saloons for less than 3k, which are great value. I think it's the maintenance side of things that puts me off but i've heard that some of the cost of parts and certain repairs are actually fairly reasonable for a BMW.

I really like the Panda 100HP's too but i bet it's nice to jump into something more comfortable and quicker afterwards. They're both very different cars though, at the end of the day.

[fathomfive]

cerb4.5lee said:

fathomfive said:

It's more of a cruiser than a sports car, mind you.

I really enjoyed mine on long runs and I always got out of it thinking what a great cruiser it was. Lovely engine and so smooth.

I've come from a Saab 9-5 Aero and on long runs, the 3-series is easily as comfortable.

Plus it has red leather, which we all know is the best colour

[HannsG]

Just checked with BMW.

The car needs two recalls.

1. B+ Cable - Something to do with battery I assume?
2. Blower output

[rayyan171]

HannsG said:

Just checked with BMW.

The car needs two recalls.

1. B+ Cable - Something to do with battery I assume?
2. Blower output

Battery cable one is quite recent and quite serious. Made the news, BMW recalled all E9X models over it apparently. I guess the blower output is more model specific for yours. Defo get them done.

[Harrison-91xcg]

Nice need pics though.

I have a 2005 E90 330i with a few mods as I like to track it.

Engine is superb- although mine has gone through water pump, thermostats, 2 coils and a vanos solenoid in my ownership, and now needs a cam sensor. Despite quantity of issues none of them are major or catastrophic in any way. What impresses the most is the torque, for an NA it's sublime.

It's not the same as the 2003 z4, that's the old m54 - 231bhp. The N52 has between 258-265 dependent on application (E9x = 258)

[nickfrog]

[quote=Harrison-91xcg
Engine is superb- although mine has gone through water pump, thermostats, 2 coils and a vanos solenoid in my ownership, and now needs a cam sensor. Despite quantity of issues none of them are major or catastrophic in any way. What impresses the most is the torque, for an NA it's sublime.

[/quote]

The word sublime is not exaggerated - it picks up at ridiculously low revs without lugging and carries on all the way...

A very special engine, sadly missed.