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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Powertrain and Drivetrain Discussions > NA Engine (non-turbo) / Drivetrain / Exhaust Modifications > Trade in for FRS BRZ???



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      07-24-2013, 08:56 AM   #45
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ill give you the my honest opinion, being a college student myself right now i too have considered trading in my e90 325i for a newer and (relatively) more fun car. However, i realized that coming up with a down payment AND monthly would just be way too much to handle while keeping my grades up. I understand you wanting a FRS/BRZ because my cousin bought one and while it is an amazing handling car, it really is a one trick horse. Think about it, the e90 is a great handling car AND a great commute car AND has a ton of space. Looking at what the FRS/BRZ offers i really wouldn't give up any of what i have right now for a BRZ/FRS. Nevermind that the materials in the FRS/BRZ is shit inside and out compared to our bmw's. Let me tell you, when i was looking at the materials underneath the wheel well and the interior plastics toyota/subaru used throughout the car, i can guarantee you it will rattle in 50k miles easily because of how cheaply it is made. The cost cutting is not too apparent initially because of the performance but please don't be fooled, they have cut corners almost everywhere else. If anyone says that the bmw does not even compare to the FRS/BRZ, in some ways yes it can't, but I tend to forget it "doesn't compare" when i'm right on my cousins ass in his brand new FRS in a 4-door, 600 pound heavier car. and btw the steering feel on the FRS sucks because you know, electric power steering haha. But honestly, since you're in college now like me, just save up your money, graduate and keep the reliable BMW and if you really really really do want a FRS/BRZ, please wait for the 2nd and 3rd generations when they get the birthing problems and fuel starvation problems out.
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      07-24-2013, 10:34 AM   #46
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I would buy the FRS or BRZ. I like my e90 325i but I am dying with all the maintenance I have on it vs any other car I have owned. Granted this is my first BMW but if the maintenance keeps coming in as fast as it has for the first 5,000 miles of ownership, it will be my last as a daily driver. I'm regretting not going with a mustang or a 350z.

Mine has similar miles, bought it 2 months ago with 70k and now it's almost 76k. So far I have had to replace rear brakes, the trim around the front windshield, add oil because the valve cover gasket is leaking, and now replace a headlight that has blown. All within 2 months and 5,000 miles of ownership. Within the next 2-3k miles I will have to replace the tires and valve cover gasket as well as anything else that may go wrong.

My vote is for the scion or Subaru. Better mpg and lower maintenance plus anything for the first 3 years will be covered with warranty
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      07-24-2013, 11:25 AM   #47
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Originally Posted by NC325i View Post
I would buy the FRS or BRZ. I like my e90 325i but I am dying with all the maintenance I have on it vs any other car I have owned. Granted this is my first BMW but if the maintenance keeps coming in as fast as it has for the first 5,000 miles of ownership, it will be my last as a daily driver. I'm regretting not going with a mustang or a 350z.

Mine has similar miles, bought it 2 months ago with 70k and now it's almost 76k. So far I have had to replace rear brakes, the trim around the front windshield, add oil because the valve cover gasket is leaking, and now replace a headlight that has blown. All within 2 months and 5,000 miles of ownership. Within the next 2-3k miles I will have to replace the tires and valve cover gasket as well as anything else that may go wrong.

My vote is for the scion or Subaru. Better mpg and lower maintenance plus anything for the first 3 years will be covered with warranty

you didnt do enough pre purchase inspection before buying that car. I got my 328i with 41k, at 51k now and only changed the oil once.
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      07-24-2013, 05:38 PM   #48
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Originally Posted by Rival View Post
you didnt do enough pre purchase inspection before buying that car. I got my 328i with 41k, at 51k now and only changed the oil once.
I did a pre-purchase inspection when I purchased it from a BMW dealership and they told me "Most" of what was wrong, including the valve cover gasket, but they neglected to tell me the prices. With this being my first BMW purchase, or first non-American car, I was under the impression that much of what needed to be replaced would be a lot cheaper than it ended up costing me on the 325i.

Brakes for the rear, both pads and rotors ran me almost $575 out the door. I upgraded my rear brakes to drilled and slotted rotors with EBC race pads for less than $250 on my last car and it took roughly 2 hours to install on my own. I was certainly not expecting brakes, tires, the valve cover gasket, front windshield trim, and a headlight to cost almost $3,000. Had I known that, I would have continued to look before purchasing. I got a deal on the car, but not $3,000 off the blue book value.

My personal belief is that a car with a warranty, even if the initial costs are more, will be worth it in the end because the regular maintenance is always taken care of. VW's for instance when purchased brand new have the first 3 years covered. Everything but tires and gas/diesel is taken care of for you down to the oil changes and the such. But in the end, there are many cars and manufacturers because everyone likes different things from their cars. Some are willing to deal with more maintenance for a slightly higher quality car.

The above paragraph is something that the OP should take note of. The BMW would be a nicer car but the other cars, since new, will have warranty. Its a trade off. And about my car, I made a mistake when purchasing it before researching repair costs enough and I am paying for it, quite literally.
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      07-24-2013, 06:17 PM   #49
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$3,000 already? damn dude. Brakes on this car are no different than any other. I did all four corners (pads and rotors) for about $400 in parts, and a few hours on the driveway. that front windshield trim is about $20 part by itself. you can get oem headlights for $100 (halogen) to about $400 (Xenon) all day long on eBay.

The dealership is probably the worst place to go for maintenence/repairs outside of warranty. you really need to find an independent shop, or better yet, get the bentley manual, and do a lot of that stuff yourself.

I'm not saying that bmws are going to be cheap to repair, but they aren't nearly as bad as what you are paying at the dealership. Most stuff you can do at home, just like any other car.
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      07-28-2013, 07:09 PM   #50
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dude, bmw is not that expensive to maintain. People just assume its expensive cuz its luxary.

If you do everything yourself at home and DIY its the same price to maintain as any other car, assuming you dont buy parts straight from the BMW dealership.
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      07-28-2013, 07:16 PM   #51
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brz/FRS is very slow n that's a deal breaker for me.
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      07-28-2013, 07:52 PM   #52
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buy a new 220 i and get a tune on that bad boy for some nice power on the cheap
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      07-29-2013, 08:39 PM   #53
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hooy View Post
The 328 is noticeably quicker, but I didn't get it to go fast either. The coupe, imo, is much more attractive than the E90. It fit my needs perfectly whereas a 325 sedan wouldn't have. I'm now looking for an E46 M3, but if the FRS had more power, I would get that.

The 325 is nice, but a FRS/BRZ is fun. That's why I say it's a worthy jump.
Interesting you call the guys 325 boring when you drive a 328 which is extremely boring. Slow is slow and the 328 has a few more hp which is not noticeable. What a useless post to make to a guy who really sounds like he kept is car clean and enjoyed it whereas you are clearly having buyers remorse
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      07-29-2013, 09:45 PM   #54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NC325i View Post
I did a pre-purchase inspection when I purchased it from a BMW dealership and they told me "Most" of what was wrong, including the valve cover gasket, but they neglected to tell me the prices. With this being my first BMW purchase, or first non-American car, I was under the impression that much of what needed to be replaced would be a lot cheaper than it ended up costing me on the 325i.

Brakes for the rear, both pads and rotors ran me almost $575 out the door. I upgraded my rear brakes to drilled and slotted rotors with EBC race pads for less than $250 on my last car and it took roughly 2 hours to install on my own. I was certainly not expecting brakes, tires, the valve cover gasket, front windshield trim, and a headlight to cost almost $3,000. Had I known that, I would have continued to look before purchasing. I got a deal on the car, but not $3,000 off the blue book value.

My personal belief is that a car with a warranty, even if the initial costs are more, will be worth it in the end because the regular maintenance is always taken care of. VW's for instance when purchased brand new have the first 3 years covered. Everything but tires and gas/diesel is taken care of for you down to the oil changes and the such. But in the end, there are many cars and manufacturers because everyone likes different things from their cars. Some are willing to deal with more maintenance for a slightly higher quality car.

The above paragraph is something that the OP should take note of. The BMW would be a nicer car but the other cars, since new, will have warranty. Its a trade off. And about my car, I made a mistake when purchasing it before researching repair costs enough and I am paying for it, quite literally.
How can you blame the BMW brand on the need to replace the tires? Did you look at the tires before you bought the car? 6,000 miles ago the tires would have been at or close to the wear bars already. The brakes 6,000 miles ago would have shown up in the CBS maintenance menu as being close to due for replacement (once the pads get that thin, the CBS is very accurate in predicting pad life remaining). And a the valve cover leak? You could have seen that and smelled it right off the bat. If the dealer told you about it, why didn't you have them repair it as a condition of the sale to you. Don't fault the car for you not doing your due diligence with the pre-purchase inspection.
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      07-30-2013, 10:30 PM   #55
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Originally Posted by Efthreeoh View Post
How can you blame the BMW brand on the need to replace the tires? Did you look at the tires before you bought the car? 6,000 miles ago the tires would have been at or close to the wear bars already. The brakes 6,000 miles ago would have shown up in the CBS maintenance menu as being close to due for replacement (once the pads get that thin, the CBS is very accurate in predicting pad life remaining). And a the valve cover leak? You could have seen that and smelled it right off the bat. If the dealer told you about it, why didn't you have them repair it as a condition of the sale to you. Don't fault the car for you not doing your due diligence with the pre-purchase inspection.
I knew about almost all of the maintenance that came up. I am NOT faulting the car for the maintenance. I am however disgusted with the prices that the BMW dealer has been charging to take care of said maintenance. I have yet to find a good independent mechanic and lack DIY skill, so have had to take it to the dealer for everything. Before I owned the 325, I had a nothing but American cars. A Grand Prix and a Focus. The cost of things like brakes, headlights, tires, and the such are a minimum of 50% more expensive than it was for those cars. My dealer charges $110 an hour for labor where Ford was $80. It adds up quick. Nothing against the car. The car was and has been a good car compared to the others I have owned in the past, but all i'm saying is getting it repaired at the dealer is ridiculously costly.

I did a fair pre-purchase inspection and had them replace the drivers side mirror which would not align properly. They also did an oil change and gave me an extra bottle of oil. I was quite diligent with the inspection and they even showed me the valve cover wasn't leaking bad (a qt. per ~3k miles) but it's still an upcoming service.

At the end of the day, it was also very hard to find a low mile 6MT e90 for $15K and when I found mine, a 06 325i with 70k miles and both sport and convenience packages, I drove almost 300 miles to get it. I don't regret purchasing it, but I wish I did more research on cost to own.
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      07-31-2013, 01:36 PM   #56
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I've been working for a year after finishing up grad school. The first thing I did once I was settled with my job and apartment was to purchase a pre-owned 328i by trading in my 2008 GTI that had stage 2 tune and other mods similar to your 325i and around the same mileage. My biggest fear was the reliabilty of the GTI. With how often I have to travel to clients, it made sense to purchase a car with a good warranty and easy financing that I wouldn't be tempted to mod. I would have regretted doing this trade in during college, despite wanting to. Once I graduated, my savings basically disappeared through rent and food expenses while I waited for my job to start 3 months later. You cannot predict the future. It is best to save that money now and to buy your car once you have a steady income. Your car will last, mine certainly did and had a lot more left in it. Also, if you choose to live in certain places, you won't even need a car.
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      07-31-2013, 04:37 PM   #57
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NC325i View Post
I did a pre-purchase inspection when I purchased it from a BMW dealership and they told me "Most" of what was wrong, including the valve cover gasket, but they neglected to tell me the prices. With this being my first BMW purchase, or first non-American car, I was under the impression that much of what needed to be replaced would be a lot cheaper than it ended up costing me on the 325i.

Brakes for the rear, both pads and rotors ran me almost $575 out the door. I upgraded my rear brakes to drilled and slotted rotors with EBC race pads for less than $250 on my last car and it took roughly 2 hours to install on my own. I was certainly not expecting brakes, tires, the valve cover gasket, front windshield trim, and a headlight to cost almost $3,000. Had I known that, I would have continued to look before purchasing. I got a deal on the car, but not $3,000 off the blue book value.

My personal belief is that a car with a warranty, even if the initial costs are more, will be worth it in the end because the regular maintenance is always taken care of. VW's for instance when purchased brand new have the first 3 years covered. Everything but tires and gas/diesel is taken care of for you down to the oil changes and the such. But in the end, there are many cars and manufacturers because everyone likes different things from their cars. Some are willing to deal with more maintenance for a slightly higher quality car.

The above paragraph is something that the OP should take note of. The BMW would be a nicer car but the other cars, since new, will have warranty. Its a trade off. And about my car, I made a mistake when purchasing it before researching repair costs enough and I am paying for it, quite literally.
you had to be able to tell that the tires were close to shot?

And asking for them to measure or see how much brake is left is a quick check. The valve cover gasket, should of been seen as, if you fix it, ill buy this car.

I dont mean to rag on you man, but if you capable to doin a brake job on past cars, you can do one on a e90. and it would of been 5min to call 2-3 indy shops to see what the valve cover gasket would run ya
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      08-03-2013, 06:31 AM   #58
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Originally Posted by tigermack View Post
Insurance would not be cheaper unless he has full coverage on the BMW, the BMW is paid off so he doesn't have to and financing a FRS/BRZ would require it.
thank you!!!! that whole insurance debate about the brz being cheaper is a cop out. his car is paid off, drop the insurance down to plpd (personal liability/personal damage)!!! take that savings alone, bank it, and there is your repair money. I also carry a higher deductible to keep my insurance lower. $20-$50 a month doesn't sound like much, but it equates to a free repair in a year.
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      08-04-2013, 10:12 AM   #59
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hooy View Post
My 328 with just a flash was as fast as a stock 330.

What is wrong with the FRS? Dynamically the only problem is that it's lacking in power.
To follow up the discussion on 325i vs 328i vs 330i, I wanted to give my input as before I got my 330i I considered both the 325/328.

In numbers, there's actually a bigger difference between the 328i and 330i (25hp) versus the difference between the 325i and 328i (15hp).

However, I test drove all 3 of them before buying mine (manuals and automatics) and I noticed pretty much the same difference in power between the 325i and 328i as from 328i to 330i, both being barely noticeable from one to another. When test driving I have however kept them under 60mph, even if I wasn't shy to go WOT, so who knows maybe at higher speeds a bigger difference...

Edit:

For the OP's question, it's hard to say, it's normal for a car after a certain time to put some money into it, the problem is when it doesn't stop... if it does stop then you might as well keep your car, if it's a money pit then get rid of it.
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      08-04-2013, 12:39 PM   #60
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sales tax on a new BRZ would likely cover most if not all of your repair and maint for the next three years on your 328i
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      12-20-2013, 11:17 PM   #61
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NC325i View Post
I did a pre-purchase inspection when I purchased it from a BMW dealership and they told me "Most" of what was wrong, including the valve cover gasket, but they neglected to tell me the prices. With this being my first BMW purchase, or first non-American car, I was under the impression that much of what needed to be replaced would be a lot cheaper than it ended up costing me on the 325i.

Brakes for the rear, both pads and rotors ran me almost $575 out the door. I upgraded my rear brakes to drilled and slotted rotors with EBC race pads for less than $250 on my last car and it took roughly 2 hours to install on my own. I was certainly not expecting brakes, tires, the valve cover gasket, front windshield trim, and a headlight to cost almost $3,000. Had I known that, I would have continued to look before purchasing. I got a deal on the car, but not $3,000 off the blue book value.

My personal belief is that a car with a warranty, even if the initial costs are more, will be worth it in the end because the regular maintenance is always taken care of. VW's for instance when purchased brand new have the first 3 years covered. Everything but tires and gas/diesel is taken care of for you down to the oil changes and the such. But in the end, there are many cars and manufacturers because everyone likes different things from their cars. Some are willing to deal with more maintenance for a slightly higher quality car.

The above paragraph is something that the OP should take note of. The BMW would be a nicer car but the other cars, since new, will have warranty. Its a trade off. And about my car, I made a mistake when purchasing it before researching repair costs enough and I am paying for it, quite literally.
I completely agree with you. I'm going through the same thing right now. If i would have known that the maintenance on these cars were so ridiculously high, I would have gone with a different car. I bought my 07' 335i with 80k for 19k. In a years time I have spent over 3k in maintenance and still dealing with oil leaks. It's ridiculous. I thought these cars would be more reliable in that sense.

I actually just bought myself a 2014 FRS and it has been the best decision I've ever made and currently trying to sell my 335i. BMW's are good to lease or buy CPO with warranty. Other than that expect to be raped on the maintenance even with going to an indy shop. Trust me and trade that in and get yourself the FRS/BRZ it is worth it and plus you can't beat the reliability and peace of mind.

Just my .2 cents.
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      12-21-2013, 07:17 AM   #62
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There is absolutely no way I would even remotely consider BRZ. It is a toy for kids. Cheap and poorly made. I would rather get Mini or WRX.
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      12-22-2013, 09:39 PM   #63
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A BRZ pulled on me yesterday lol. Not a single fuk is given tho. I didn't buy a n52 for the speed.
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      12-23-2013, 12:07 PM   #64
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A stock 328i is faster than a BRZ. The E90 and the N52 make for a pretty solid DD. Why don't you just throw in a 3-Stage intake manifold with a tune, do a little weight reduction and call it a day. I honestly don't see the reason of you having to lose money on your 325i and then buying a new car. The only thing you need to do on your 325i is regular maintenance and the water pump whenever it goes out.
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      12-24-2013, 05:26 AM   #65
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With just a tune and stickier tires I kill my bro's BRZ! He has full exhaust an intake and a tune, which nets him almost no HP.
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      12-24-2013, 07:33 AM   #66
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xlid007 View Post
I completely agree with you. I'm going through the same thing right now. If i would have known that the maintenance on these cars were so ridiculously high, I would have gone with a different car. I bought my 07' 335i with 80k for 19k. In a years time I have spent over 3k in maintenance and still dealing with oil leaks. It's ridiculous. I thought these cars would be more reliable in that sense.

I actually just bought myself a 2014 FRS and it has been the best decision I've ever made and currently trying to sell my 335i. BMW's are good to lease or buy CPO with warranty. Other than that expect to be raped on the maintenance even with going to an indy shop. Trust me and trade that in and get yourself the FRS/BRZ it is worth it and plus you can't beat the reliability and peace of mind.

Just my .2 cents.
You bought a BMW with 80k miles. Not sure what you expected.
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