E91 or F31 - advice please
Discussion
I want to get a 3 series touring but am unsure whether to look for a lower mileage E91 or a higher mileage F31. I had an E91 previously with the 3.0 litre engine but will be looking for a 2.0 litre petrol this time. Lots around, but it would be good to have views on whether the F31 is a significant improvement over the previous model. Thanks.
I had an E91 tourer previously, main issues were with the electronics going from the main body through to the boot hatch, to look at it all looked fine but the wires wear against the metal inside the protective sleeve and will eventually break.
I repaired them by soldering and insulating the wires but sold the car on not long after so don't know how long it lasted, BMW wanted to swap the loom at significant cost.
Mine was a 320i, if you are used to a 6cyl engine you will likely find the 4pot to be quite unrefined.
All that said I would go for an F31 because i think the E91 will feel quite dated at this point.
I repaired them by soldering and insulating the wires but sold the car on not long after so don't know how long it lasted, BMW wanted to swap the loom at significant cost.
Mine was a 320i, if you are used to a 6cyl engine you will likely find the 4pot to be quite unrefined.
All that said I would go for an F31 because i think the E91 will feel quite dated at this point.
Firstly 2.0?
Stay away IMO and stick with the straight 6s, so 325i or 330i (or 335i if you're brave enough)
Secondly; I'd buy the best you can for your budget; higher miles don't need to be worried about anywhere near as much as the servicing & maintenance of the car IMO. So look for an example that's been owned by an enthusiast that's been serviced, maintained and looked after and needed for nothing. And make sure that the car has paperwork to show this and NOT just a 'stamped book'; these can easily be faked and should be ignored IMO
Stay away IMO and stick with the straight 6s, so 325i or 330i (or 335i if you're brave enough)
Secondly; I'd buy the best you can for your budget; higher miles don't need to be worried about anywhere near as much as the servicing & maintenance of the car IMO. So look for an example that's been owned by an enthusiast that's been serviced, maintained and looked after and needed for nothing. And make sure that the car has paperwork to show this and NOT just a 'stamped book'; these can easily be faked and should be ignored IMO
I still really like the E91 and would probably go for one of them over the F31 purely because there are a few more six cylinder petrol engines to choose from.
Only downside is hen I was looking in May last year was that there were lots out there with a poor spec.
The F series is a much bigger car than the E9x but it’s still not massively practical. After all, BMW are masters of the reverse tardis.
If it has to be a four pot, then I’d be looking at the later cars which seem more reliable.
As Dan said, history and condition would be more important to me than mileage alone.
Only downside is hen I was looking in May last year was that there were lots out there with a poor spec.
The F series is a much bigger car than the E9x but it’s still not massively practical. After all, BMW are masters of the reverse tardis.
If it has to be a four pot, then I’d be looking at the later cars which seem more reliable.
As Dan said, history and condition would be more important to me than mileage alone.
Court_S said:
I still really like the E91 and would probably go for one of them over the F31 purely because there are a few more six cylinder petrol engines to choose from.
Only downside is hen I was looking in May last year was that there were lots out there with a poor spec.
The F series is a much bigger car than the E9x but it’s still not massively practical. After all, BMW are masters of the reverse tardis.
If it has to be a four pot, then I’d be looking at the later cars which seem more reliable.
As Dan said, history and condition would be more important to me than mileage alone.
I think in 2016 the 2 litre changed to a cutdown version of the B58 3 litre which was introduced at the same time (went from the 335i to 340i) and seems to be quite robust compared to the previous version, both are force induction in the F series and NA in the E series.Only downside is hen I was looking in May last year was that there were lots out there with a poor spec.
The F series is a much bigger car than the E9x but it’s still not massively practical. After all, BMW are masters of the reverse tardis.
If it has to be a four pot, then I’d be looking at the later cars which seem more reliable.
As Dan said, history and condition would be more important to me than mileage alone.
S600BSB said:
Thanks for the advice guys. The 3.0 litre I had before was a E91 325i, which I did like. I guess finding another one of those, or a 330i, would be an option.
I've got this in my eBay watch list:https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255286904015?hash=item3...
I went from a E91 to a F31 in June last year.
The main benefits seem to be better iDrive, more space, better auto box, improved ride.
The main downsides are steering (the EPAS is lifeless) and the handling seems less precise. Also the lack of a key slot in the dash is annoying as the key is always rattling around somewhere. It’s also unnecessarily large.
Think someone mentioned that size - it’s a longer car but not wider. So you get a little more legroom and a little more boot space.
Engine wise, I went from an N54 335i to B58 340i. Overall I preferred the N54 but now I’ve had the 340i I have realised that my 335i was remapped (not by me) as the 340i feels slow even though it has an 8 speed box compared to the 6 speed one on the E91.
All depends on what you want really. I’d choose any 4-pot F31 over a 4-pot E91. If you want a naturally aspirated 6-pot you are stuck with the E91 and I’d always go 330 over 325 as it’s not anymore economical than the 330.
All depends on budget really.
The main benefits seem to be better iDrive, more space, better auto box, improved ride.
The main downsides are steering (the EPAS is lifeless) and the handling seems less precise. Also the lack of a key slot in the dash is annoying as the key is always rattling around somewhere. It’s also unnecessarily large.
Think someone mentioned that size - it’s a longer car but not wider. So you get a little more legroom and a little more boot space.
Engine wise, I went from an N54 335i to B58 340i. Overall I preferred the N54 but now I’ve had the 340i I have realised that my 335i was remapped (not by me) as the 340i feels slow even though it has an 8 speed box compared to the 6 speed one on the E91.
All depends on what you want really. I’d choose any 4-pot F31 over a 4-pot E91. If you want a naturally aspirated 6-pot you are stuck with the E91 and I’d always go 330 over 325 as it’s not anymore economical than the 330.
All depends on budget really.
I currently have a manual E91 SE and auto F31 MSport in the household and I prefer the E91 in most ways. Yes the newer model is 'nicer' with better IDrive (non IDrive by choice in the E) and a more luxurious cabin but as mentioned the steering is awful in the F and the over all ride is just worse IMO. You may not notice in isolation but having them side by side and going from one directly to the other it's very noticeable. I find the E91 a better drivers car, more comfortable, more communicative and even subjectively nicer to look at.
I've had 2 330i's in the past in E92 spec, one auto one manual and tbh was dissapointed by both, The N52/3 on paper is impressive but I found it anything but in the real world. With economy/performance taken into account I prefer the denzil 4 pots to the 330i's (bold claim I know).
On balance my next car would be a well specced E91 330d over any F chassis. All subjective but that's my 'advice'
I've had 2 330i's in the past in E92 spec, one auto one manual and tbh was dissapointed by both, The N52/3 on paper is impressive but I found it anything but in the real world. With economy/performance taken into account I prefer the denzil 4 pots to the 330i's (bold claim I know).
On balance my next car would be a well specced E91 330d over any F chassis. All subjective but that's my 'advice'
S600BSB said:
Thanks for that. I am thinking a 330i now tbh - the best example I can find.
Good stuff, I much prefer the N/A six to the four pots.squareflops said:
I currently have a manual E91 SE and auto F31 MSport in the household and I prefer the E91 in most ways. Yes the newer model is 'nicer' with better IDrive (non IDrive by choice in the E) and a more luxurious cabin but as mentioned the steering is awful in the F and the over all ride is just worse IMO. You may not notice in isolation but having them side by side and going from one directly to the other it's very noticeable. I find the E91 a better drivers car, more comfortable, more communicative and even subjectively nicer to look at.
I've had 2 330i's in the past in E92 spec, one auto one manual and tbh was dissapointed by both, The N52/3 on paper is impressive but I found it anything but in the real world. With economy/performance taken into account I prefer the denzil 4 pots to the 330i's (bold claim I know).
On balance my next car would be a well specced E91 330d over any F chassis. All subjective but that's my 'advice'
The steering in the F chassis is pretty poor, especially compared to the hydraulic steering in ore facelift cars. To be honest, the earlier electric steering is better than that in the later cars in my experience (the EPAS in my 130 is better than the EPAS in my previous M140i).I've had 2 330i's in the past in E92 spec, one auto one manual and tbh was dissapointed by both, The N52/3 on paper is impressive but I found it anything but in the real world. With economy/performance taken into account I prefer the denzil 4 pots to the 330i's (bold claim I know).
On balance my next car would be a well specced E91 330d over any F chassis. All subjective but that's my 'advice'
I thought the F30 courtesy car I had rode well on 19’s, better than my E90 on 18’s (both M Sport cars). The later auto box is a huge step on too, but I still prefer the earlier car. I’m a big fan of the N52 and would far rather that to a diesel four pot. I’ve had one in a 3 series and two in a 1 series…not the fastest things compared to modern cars, but they make a great noise and love to rev.
Anyone know this car:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2022011513...
Seems to have used much of the advert from the recent ad on eBay for a similar car
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2022011513...
Seems to have used much of the advert from the recent ad on eBay for a similar car
S600BSB said:
Anyone know this car:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2022011513...
Seems to have used much of the advert from the recent ad on eBay for a similar car
IMO if someone has used another ads spiel to sell their car; I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole...http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2022011513...
Seems to have used much of the advert from the recent ad on eBay for a similar car
Mileage states 105k and then 115k in the details; which is it?!
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