Would a BMW 335i SE Coupe be my ideal next car?

[Rammy76]

I've never done any kind of what car before, but looking for advice on the BMW 335i SE.

I've currently got a Volvo S60 D5 SE as I was covering lots of motorway miles and it was the perfect car to pile miles on in comfort with good economy and minimal depreciation as it's not worth a great deal.

Now my situation has changed, I have a bit more spare cash and I will only be doing one motorway (round trip) commute of 300 miles twice every 6 weeks, otherwise I'll just be doing a 7 mile commute.

I've really taken to the way the BMW 335iSe coupe looks and from what I've read it drives well. I really fancy a rear wheel drive car with a bit of performance but still with enough space to fit kids in when required.

What's peoples experience with these, are they generally reliable? I've read certain things on the Internet about them but every car has its horror stories. I've never owned a BMW before but I really feel like I want to now as long as it doesn't ruin me financially!

[datum77]

Have you ever noticed those white hairy things, usually found in fields at the side of the road, munching away at the grass, - oh yeh, they're called sheep. I wonder what it's like becoming one...........

[Leins]

datum77 said:

Have you ever noticed those white hairy things, usually found in fields at the side of the road, munching away at the grass, - oh yeh, they're called sheep. I wonder what it's like becoming one...........

I don't know of any sheep that drive 3L twin-turbo petrols


OP, make sure to ditch the RFTs if you do

[SidewaysSi]

Depends what your budget is but what about a Lotus Evora? Probably cheaper to run over the course of ownership (running costs and depreciation), looks a lot better, drives infinitely better and is much rarer/cooler. Your children will be the coolest kids in school...

[TobyLerone]

They aren't particularly ruinous to run. Well, not any more than any other similar car.

Just have to remember, the running costs are those of a ~£40k car, despite what youpay for it.

[Jepmar]

I have no experience with the 335i - out of my budget.

I say go for it! the commute isn't too far to be unjustifiable.

I've never test drove one but from the reviews I have read, they sound fantastic.

[Rammy76]

datum77 said:

Have you ever noticed those white hairy things, usually found in fields at the side of the road, munching away at the grass, - oh yeh, they're called sheep. I wonder what it's like becoming one...........

Very helpful.

What would you recommend?

Edited by Rammy76 on Saturday 7th March 11:21

[Rammy76]

SidewaysSi said:

Depends what your budget is but what about a Lotus Evora? Probably cheaper to run over the course of ownership (running costs and depreciation), looks a lot better, drives infinitely better and is much rarer/cooler. Your children will be the coolest kids in school...

Thanks for the suggestion, I should have said budget is 12 to 15k hence why I thought the BMW would be a good shout for that budget.

If I had double that budget then a Lotus would be very high on my list!

[kambites]

For me they fall into the "dull but worthy" category. They don't appear to do anything badly but don't do anything exceptionally well either. The sort of car I'd recommend to the wife in case I had to drive it myself.

[Rammy76]

kambites said:

For me they fall into the "dull but worthy" category. They don't appear to do anything badly but don't do anything exceptionally well either. The sort of car I'd recommend to the wife in case I had to drive it myself.

Ok that's the kind of reply I'm looking for, whether positive or negative!

What would you recommend that is a bit more exciting than the BMW but covers my requirements?

I've been stuck in diesel barges for many years so I'm completely out of touch these days!

[anonymous-user]

datum77 said:

Have you ever noticed those white hairy things, usually found in fields at the side of the road, munching away at the grass, - oh yeh, they're called sheep. I wonder what it's like becoming one...........

Perhaps one day you might like to post something that isn't either a) slagging off German cars because you don't like them or b) slagging off main dealers because you don't like them?

It's only a suggestion, but maybe a change of username to "IHateGermanCarsAndMainDealers" would work for you, then you could make posts which aren't just the same tttery over and over and over again because everyone would know where you stand.

[Brave Fart]

Hello Mr Rammy76; I had a 335i SE E92 for 4 years and I think they are fantastic cars. As said above, avoid the run flat tyres, and consider getting a remap (mine was done by Evolve in Luton) which gives you 350 ish hp and makes the car really quick, but won't affect fuel consumption.
You should have a look at E90post forum where there's loads of information.
Are the 335i's reliable? Well if you believe everything you read on line you'd never buy any car; someone will be along in a moment to say "the turbos go" (they don't, it's the actuator which is not too expensive to fix) or "the fuel pump dies" (can happen, but not ruinous to fix). I think the issues are exaggerated - my car never missed a beat, but others will have different experiences.
I would want to have a capable indy nearby however; main dealers are useless with these cars. Here near Southampton there's at least two excellent BMW specialists, do some research to find one near you.
Finally, these cars are "just another 3 series" to Joe Public - I really liked the sleeper element, but if you want something to attract attention, look elsewhere.
Hope this helps; Mike.

[kambites]

Rammy76 said:

What would you recommend that is a bit more exciting than the BMW but covers my requirements?

Would an E46 M3 be economical enough? Most running costs would be higher on the M3 but depreciation will be much lower which should counter that to a degree.

If not, I think you'll struggle to beat the 335 although personally I'd go for an estate for the extra versatility and because I prefer the looks.

Edited by kambites on Saturday 7th March 11:36

[GroundEffect]

It's what I have.

I've had the car around 8 months and honestly, it's all the car you could need:

• Very strong performance (loads of people remap them to get 360-370BHP but I just haven't felt the need, with 400Nm from very little rpm it really is a weapon)
• Sounds great (seriously, 2000rpm to 7000rpm is brilliant windows up or down)
• Great NVH when not pushing on - mine is on 19" run flats and at 70mph on the motorway, it's almost silent - comparable to most Mercs I've driven
• Great handling - it might be 1610kg but the balance is sublime, the steering feel great and it does hide its weight well until 9/10ths driving
• Properly decent economy - my current average is 27mpg but that's a lot of town nonsense; on my recent commutes around the M25 to Gatwick it will do 35mpg easily
• Low running costs - brakes are normal, oil is normal, not many things that go wrong with them
• To get more, you need to spend A LOT more money. I paid £8900 for my 36000 mile example. To go noticeably faster with the same creature comforts, you're talking double the money, really

Now that brings me to the downside:

• Turbo wastegate design. My car despite only having 42000 miles on it, is showing signs of the issue. It makes quite a lot of noise. No DTCs raised at this point but I do know for a fact it will need done in the next 18-24 months. And that's a £1200 bill from an Indy Specialist.

Other than the above, though, it's a bargain performance car. If you want to get naughty, fit:

• BMW Performance OEM Exhaust
• BMW Performance Power Kit

That'll give you 340-350BHP and lots of noises.

[Rammy76]

GroundEffect said:

It's what I have.

I've had the car around 8 months and honestly, it's all the car you could need:

• Very strong performance (loads of people remap them to get 360-370BHP but I just haven't felt the need, with 400Nm from very little rpm it really is a weapon)
• Sounds great (seriously, 2000rpm to 7000rpm is brilliant windows up or down)
• Great NVH when not pushing on - mine is on 19" run flats and at 70mph on the motorway, it's almost silent - comparable to most Mercs I've driven
• Great handling - it might be 1610kg but the balance is sublime, the steering feel great and it does hide its weight well until 9/10ths driving
• Properly decent economy - my current average is 27mpg but that's a lot of town nonsense; on my recent commutes around the M25 to Gatwick it will do 35mpg easily
• Low running costs - brakes are normal, oil is normal, not many things that go wrong with them
• To get more, you need to spend A LOT more money. I paid £8900 for my 36000 mile example. To go noticeably faster with the same creature comforts, you're talking double the money, really

Now that brings me to the downside:

• Turbo wastegate design. My car despite only having 42000 miles on it, is showing signs of the issue. It makes quite a lot of noise. No DTCs raised at this point but I do know for a fact it will need done in the next 18-24 months. And that's a £1200 bill from an Indy Specialist.

Other than the above, though, it's a bargain performance car. If you want to get naughty, fit:

• BMW Performance OEM Exhaust
• BMW Performance Power Kit

That'll give you 340-350BHP and lots of noises.

Thanks a lot for that comprehensive and useful reply.

The statement that it's "all the car you could need" is interesting as that's the reason I've singled it out.

Your car looks very nice, you certainly got a good deal for that price/mileage! Is it an automatic?

[GroundEffect]

Manual. My mate had the automatic and that was good also but I think the manual is the better option given the car is already more muted than an M-car (I had a Z4M before it) so you don't want to completely remove yourself from the experience.

But don't worry about laborious gearchanging - I can use roundabouts in 6th gear

[Rammy76]

kambites said:

Rammy76 said:

What would you recommend that is a bit more exciting than the BMW but covers my requirements?

Would an E46 M3 be economical enough? Most running costs would be higher on the M3 but depreciation will be much lower which should counter that to a degree.

I'm not sure, I get the impression the 335i is much more economical on a run. As usual there has to be a compromise, and due to still having to cover 300 miles every 3 weeks that is stopping me getting something too "highly strung".

[kambites]

Yes the 335i is much (maybe 15mpg?) more economical. The M3 is in a completely different league in most other respects, though. Especially in terms of suspension calibration.

Groundeffect can probably give you some insight in the differences in running costs if he had a Z4M as well as his 335i.

Edited by kambites on Saturday 7th March 11:43

[Rammy76]

Brave Fart said:

Hello Mr Rammy76; I had a 335i SE E92 for 4 years and I think they are fantastic cars. As said above, avoid the run flat tyres, and consider getting a remap (mine was done by Evolve in Luton) which gives you 350 ish hp and makes the car really quick, but won't affect fuel consumption.
You should have a look at E90post forum where there's loads of information.
Are the 335i's reliable? Well if you believe everything you read on line you'd never buy any car; someone will be along in a moment to say "the turbos go" (they don't, it's the actuator which is not too expensive to fix) or "the fuel pump dies" (can happen, but not ruinous to fix). I think the issues are exaggerated - my car never missed a beat, but others will have different experiences.
I would want to have a capable indy nearby however; main dealers are useless with these cars. Here near Southampton there's at least two excellent BMW specialists, do some research to find one near you.
Finally, these cars are "just another 3 series" to Joe Public - I really liked the sleeper element, but if you want something to attract attention, look elsewhere.
Hope this helps; Mike.

Thanks Mike, they do seem ideal for my requirements and I also like the idea that they're a 300bhp car that's relatively unnoticed!

[GroundEffect]

kambites said:

Yes the 335i is much (maybe 15mpg?) more economical. The M3 is in a completely different league in most other respects, though. Especially in terms of suspension calibration.

Groundeffect can probably give you some insight in the differences in running costs if he had a Z4M as well as his 335i.

Edited by kambites on Saturday 7th March 11:43

That I can!

Expenses on Z4M (same as E46 M3):

- Front discs are £200 each (massive, floating, drilled - lovely items)
- Service 2 (major service) is £900 from main deal, £600-£700 from indy
- Service 1 (minor service) is about £350 from indy
- Tyre costs the same as 335i but it goes through rears at some lick with that LSD!
- It uses 0W-60 racing oil and about 9 litres of it...not cheap in itself
- E46 M3 has a unique issue in that the rear sub-frame to body-in-white fails -> BMW extended the warranty to 10 years on it, so check any prospective cars have it covered or are younger than 10 years to get it done
- Average mpg was around 21-23mpg; could get 30mpg on a motorway run

Ms are not cheap. Fun, but not cheap. I would have difficulty justifying one again...but E92 M3s are haunting me.