E92 BMW 330d best used diesel car you can buy cheap?
Discussion
I had an E90 330d at 3 months old, had it 6 years and put over 150k miles on it and I thought it was a fantastic all round car. Previously I'd had nothing to do with diesels but the 330d helped to change my mindset.
A few years later I got an E90 330i(paid £10k for it), whilst it was also a great all round car it wasn't as good overall as the 330d. The 330i was very thirsty in comparison and it felt gutless unless it was thrashed.
I think the 330d/335d make brilliant daily commuters, they just lack some fun and won't be a car that you'd just jump in and take for a drive for the sake of it. As a car to cover big miles quickly though, I think they're very hard to beat.
A few years later I got an E90 330i(paid £10k for it), whilst it was also a great all round car it wasn't as good overall as the 330d. The 330i was very thirsty in comparison and it felt gutless unless it was thrashed.
I think the 330d/335d make brilliant daily commuters, they just lack some fun and won't be a car that you'd just jump in and take for a drive for the sake of it. As a car to cover big miles quickly though, I think they're very hard to beat.
The inline 6 cylinder , 3-litre diesel engines that BMW produce are excellent powerplants. They deliver a smooth (for a diesel), wide ranging powerband and when coupled to the later ZF transmissions are a superb combination.
The engines can power a 3-series or 5-series (or any other BMW Product for that matter) along with pace and low revs superbly.
In comparison to a naturally aspirated 330i (inline 6) they feel much mightier due to the forced induction and of course have much more torque so feel much faster.
However, whilst all the above is true I would still opt for the Twin Turbo Petrol inline 6 that BMW offer personally . As this has many of the attributes above albeit less MPG but you do not have to wear the glove of shame when filling up and the throttle response is finer and the car feels lighter in its feedback and response due to the nature of the engine.
If I had a job where I had to travel 100's of miles on a motorway everyday I would probably go for the diesel. Otherwise the petrol would get my vote.
The engines can power a 3-series or 5-series (or any other BMW Product for that matter) along with pace and low revs superbly.
In comparison to a naturally aspirated 330i (inline 6) they feel much mightier due to the forced induction and of course have much more torque so feel much faster.
However, whilst all the above is true I would still opt for the Twin Turbo Petrol inline 6 that BMW offer personally . As this has many of the attributes above albeit less MPG but you do not have to wear the glove of shame when filling up and the throttle response is finer and the car feels lighter in its feedback and response due to the nature of the engine.
If I had a job where I had to travel 100's of miles on a motorway everyday I would probably go for the diesel. Otherwise the petrol would get my vote.
M511 said:
I would say the 335d is better but I'm biased I had one until yesterday. Mine was stock, and never felt like I needed to remap it at any time. Also kept up with and beat remapped 330ds. Only needed tyres changing in 3 years and you're right on the motorway it was hard to find anything that could keep up for 500miles per tank. But my reduced mileage forced me to get rid before I busted the dpf...
Some might say it’s better yes, but it’s way more expensive for one with under 100k miles, but the car is exactly the same inside. my 330d has 300bhp / 700nm got £300 so it’s no slower & it is more economical. :-)M511 said:
From experience and people I know who have a remapped 325d,330d and 335d, stock M3, against my stock car I always had the jump on the remapped cars (325 and 330 that is) and all the way to silly speeds. That smaller turbo seemed to make a difference all the time, and even against a 335i a few times, I surprised the other guy. The M3 was interesting on different types of races I found myself neck and neck but north of 80mph, the M3 would always win. The other remapped 335d had a stage one tune at 350bhp and 700nm. Beat my stock car, then remapped 3.0's and the M3 would only catch up to it in the top speeds. So to answer your question, I'd say the 335d is the best used diesel car you can buy.
Also you're in a manual and I can't imagine you would beat a 335d in your car. There are plenty of cars for that price under 100k miles, and they are so reliable I wouldn't worry about the mileage too much.
I did however, get rid of mine cause I was only doing 5 miles a day down from 80, so I didn't want to damage the dpf with my short trips!
Yes 335d is great, but auto makes the economy worse & they’re a fair bit more expensive. I wish I could make mine 350bhp as easily as you can in a 335d though haha.Also you're in a manual and I can't imagine you would beat a 335d in your car. There are plenty of cars for that price under 100k miles, and they are so reliable I wouldn't worry about the mileage too much.
I did however, get rid of mine cause I was only doing 5 miles a day down from 80, so I didn't want to damage the dpf with my short trips!
Edited by M511 on Friday 18th May 12:42
Edited by M511 on Friday 18th May 12:57
Depends on your personal requirements, surely?
Loads of ‘good’ diesels at that price point and mileage. E60/61 5-Series, 6-Series, 7-Series, X3, X5 etc. And if you look beyond BMW there’s Mercedes. The larger cars like S-Class and Audi A8 tank in value so sure there are some of those available as well.
No doubt the e92 (and e9# platform in general) is good, but they do have their downsides, especially as the mileage racks up. Main ones being knackered dampers, bushes and suspension components. I know this applies to all cars to some degree, but I think the overly crashy Msport suspension, combined with runflats makes the E9X platform worse than many.
Loads of ‘good’ diesels at that price point and mileage. E60/61 5-Series, 6-Series, 7-Series, X3, X5 etc. And if you look beyond BMW there’s Mercedes. The larger cars like S-Class and Audi A8 tank in value so sure there are some of those available as well.
No doubt the e92 (and e9# platform in general) is good, but they do have their downsides, especially as the mileage racks up. Main ones being knackered dampers, bushes and suspension components. I know this applies to all cars to some degree, but I think the overly crashy Msport suspension, combined with runflats makes the E9X platform worse than many.
James Lloyd Cole said:
I think the 330D E92 is the best car you can buy for under £9k.
I’ve owned everything from a Defender 110, to a megane RS 275, m135i and a A6 tdi.
The best all round car I’ve ever owned is my current 330d coupe with a manual gearbox. It’s remapped to 300bhp & still puts out over 40MPG if I go on a motorway drive easily. It can keep up with golf R & the like, and I bought it for £7.7K. I don’t believe there’s anything better you could buy for the money in the UK! And it’s fairly fun to drive, feels a lot more stable at high speed than a m135i that’s for sure.
What do you think?
I owned an E92 330D for 3 years. It averaged 34mpg over that time and the only thing I had to fix in those years was a puncture so it was very reliable. Dull as hell though. Mine wasn’t mapped though. I replaced it with a 2007 Audi S3 and I much preferred that. They’re easily mappable too (not that I did). I’ve owned everything from a Defender 110, to a megane RS 275, m135i and a A6 tdi.
The best all round car I’ve ever owned is my current 330d coupe with a manual gearbox. It’s remapped to 300bhp & still puts out over 40MPG if I go on a motorway drive easily. It can keep up with golf R & the like, and I bought it for £7.7K. I don’t believe there’s anything better you could buy for the money in the UK! And it’s fairly fun to drive, feels a lot more stable at high speed than a m135i that’s for sure.
What do you think?
James Lloyd Cole said:
Yes 335d is great, but auto makes the economy worse & they’re a fair bit more expensive. I wish I could make mine 350bhp as easily as you can in a 335d though haha.
I get a minimum of 500 miles per tank and 600 on a long run with a 335d .. No probs with the auto.For me the 335d has got more grunt in standard form and an animal when tuned - though not required so extended warranty remains intact
tjlees said:
I get a minimum of 500 miles per tank and 600 on a long run with a 335d .. No probs with the auto.
For me the 335d has got more grunt in standard form and an animal when tuned - though not required so extended warranty remains intact
That is not an E92 335d though is it? So it has a different engine and a completely different gearbox to the car being discussed.For me the 335d has got more grunt in standard form and an animal when tuned - though not required so extended warranty remains intact
Infact the only similarity really is the badge on the back...
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