[JohnMan]

BMW is saying the E90's production is coming to an end this October:

http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/05/26/bm...-october-2011/

Which means the prices of second-hand E90 335i should also be dropping. I wonder how much a reasonably good condition 335i (i.e. no major problems with engine, transmission, suspension or electronics) with around 40,000-60,000km, how much does a 2nd hand 335i cost these days?

And how much of a price difference between a stock 335i and a modded 335i? As well as the price difference between pre-facelift and post-facelift.

[ny911]

Mods normally almost worth nothing when it comes to resale in HK.

You may pay a bit more if the mods are all in your taste. I believe you could get a 07 E90 335i thru private sale at about 360-380k.

E90 335i is rarer than E92/3. It may take you a bit longer time to get a good condition one with your choice of colours. If 4 doors is not a concern, I would suggest you finding E92 as there is more supply and more standard equipment than E90 (sport seats,logic-7, sport suspension,adaptive xenons). IMO,E92 is more roomier than E90,while E90 should handle a bit better.

Good luck with your hunting!

[JohnMan]

Originally Posted by ny911

Mods normally almost worth nothing when it comes to resale in HK.

You may pay a bit more if the mods are all in your taste. I believe you could get a 07 E90 335i thru private sale at about 360-380k.

E90 335i is rarer than E92/3. It may take you a bit longer time to get a good condition one with your choice of colours. If 4 doors is not a concern, I would suggest you finding E92 as there is more supply and more standard equipment than E90 (sport seats,logic-7, sport suspension,adaptive xenons). IMO,E92 is more roomier than E90,while E90 should handle a bit better.

Good luck with your hunting!

Hmmm...I might look for a stock/OEM 335i in that case, unless the mods are in my taste. The E90 sedan has better handling then a E92 coupe? I would have thought a coupe would have better handling then a sedan. Then again that bmw dealer told me the coupe was actually heavier then the sedan.

The coupe does look sweeter then the sedan, but the sedan is more practical, which is a plus for me, hmm...

[ny911]

Originally Posted by JohnMan

Hmmm...I might look for a stock/OEM 335i in that case, unless the mods are in my taste. The E90 sedan has better handling then a E92 coupe? I would have thought a coupe would have better handling then a sedan. Then again that bmw dealer told me the coupe was actually heavier then the sedan.

The coupe does look sweeter then the sedan, but the sedan is more practical, which is a plus for me, hmm...

IMO, too much nicely modded E92/3 on street in HK, I would prefer the looking of an modded E90 for its uniqueness. But yeah,stock E92 looks way better than stock E90.

I haven't driven any E90 335i,but I love the feeling on E90 330i than my previous E92 335i DCT.

Be aware of those HK-China 335i. I have seen about 3-4 HK-China E90 335i and more than 10 HK-China E92/3 335i.

[JohnMan]

Originally Posted by ny911

IMO, too much nicely modded E92/3 on street in HK, I would prefer the looking of an modded E90 for its uniqueness. But yeah,stock E92 looks way better than stock E90.

I haven't driven any E90 335i,but I love the feeling on E90 330i than my previous E92 335i DCT.

Be aware of those HK-China 335i. I have seen about 3-4 HK-China E90 335i and more than 10 HK-China E92/3 335i.

HK-China 335i? You mean those with mainland license plates and which travel frequently to the mainland? I am assuming those cars are subject to more wear & tear due to the poor quality of mainland roads (some HK roads are really no better, those midlevel roads are really terrible, hardly paved at all) or crashes due to the mainland "style" of driving?

Or are you referring to mainland-built cars (poor quality) but have the steering wheel secretly moved to the right to be able to drive in HK?

[ny911]

Originally Posted by JohnMan

HK-China 335i? You mean those with mainland license plates and which travel frequently to the mainland? I am assuming those cars are subject to more wear & tear due to the poor quality of mainland roads (some HK roads are really no better, those midlevel roads are really terrible, hardly paved at all) or crashes due to the mainland "style" of driving?

Or are you referring to mainland-built cars (poor quality) but have the steering wheel secretly moved to the right to be able to drive in HK?

HK-China means those with mainland license plates. Actually some HK-China cars are only being used to commercial area in Shenzhen,which the condition could still be ok. But no matter how good the condition is, the petrol in China is still worse than HK and not good for turbo engines.

Not only Mercedes,BMW,Toyota owners fill up the tank before heading back to HK,but also Porsche,Bentley,Maserati owners do so.

The only way to distinguish HK-China cars is to check whether the front license plate area has been drilled 2 more holes and the chassis no under the body should be painted and the paint is not easy to be removed.

Anyway,good luck on car huntings!

[JohnMan]

Originally Posted by ny911

HK-China means those with mainland license plates. Actually some HK-China cars are only being used to commercial area in Shenzhen,which the condition could still be ok. But no matter how good the condition is, the petrol in China is still worse than HK and not good for turbo engines.

Not only Mercedes,BMW,Toyota owners fill up the tank before heading back to HK,but also Porsche,Bentley,Maserati owners do so.

The only way to distinguish HK-China cars is to check whether the front license plate area has been drilled 2 more holes and the chassis no under the body should be painted and the paint is not easy to be removed.

Anyway,good luck on car huntings!

I'll have to be extra careful about that, thanks for the warning. Usually there are ways to tell a honest seller from a dishonest/crook seller, but these days there are many tricks and I have to make sure I don't fall for them. Second-hand car salesman as a rule aren't the most trustworthy bunch of people around.

Still, I think there could be a bargain if I find the right one...

Speaking of petrol, it's funny. On the mainland you get cheap but inferior gas that can harm your engine. In HK, you have the opposite problem. You get unnecessarily expensive gas because even the cheapest HK gas are extra "premium grade". That's how the HK gas stations rip off their customers. That's been confirmed in the news and other local hk forums.

[RR80]

Originally Posted by JohnMan

I'll have to be extra careful about that, thanks for the warning. Usually there are ways to tell a honest seller from a dishonest/crook seller, but these days there are many tricks and I have to make sure I don't fall for them. Second-hand car salesman as a rule aren't the most trustworthy bunch of people around.

Still, I think there could be a bargain if I find the right one...

Speaking of petrol, it's funny. On the mainland you get cheap but inferior gas that can harm your engine. In HK, you have the opposite problem. You get unnecessarily expensive gas because even the cheapest HK gas are extra "premium grade". That's how the HK gas stations rip off their customers. That's been confirmed in the news and other local hk forums.

That's mean the shell Vpower = shell 93?

[JohnMan]

Originally Posted by RR80

That's mean the shell Vpower = shell 93?

I mean just the regular ("cheaper") gas we have in HK, which is already considered premium in other countries. Perhaps for cars with performance like a bimmer, a higher octane rating (i.e. Ron 95+) is good, but for the average Toyota or Honda, it's not really necessary or needed. Provided it doesen't create knocking or other kinds of engine damage, a lower (and cheaper) octane gas should also be made available to other drivers. This is why I said the gas stations rip off their customers by not providing a cheaper gas option.

Btw, ny911, I should have mentioned this earlier, but you drive a 1M coupe in HK?! Man, I heard there are only around a few (under 10) 1Ms in Hong Kong. How did you manage to get one?

[RR80]

I don't think there's any 1M coupe in HK yet, my friend ordered one in white! Love to compare it with the 335i w/ power kit.

[JohnMan]

Originally Posted by RR80

I don't think there's any 1M coupe in HK yet, my friend ordered one in white! Love to compare it with the 335i w/ power kit.

I heard it cost more then a M3 or 6 series, lucky guy. The 1M is likely to end up as a future collector's item, much like the E30 M3. If it is properly maintained, it's value might actually go up in the future.

About the second-hand 335i, what other specifically HK issues I should look out for to avoid falling into any traps set by a dishonest seller? Beyond the usual suspicious activities (seller won't disclose full details of car and won't let you see it in person etc). The 325i that I have I got from a trusted friend I known for many years who acted as a sort of middleman who apparently know the previous owner. But since I don't know anyone (who knows someone) who owns a 335i, I can't go that route this time, haha.

[NL684]

First of all, the first batch of 1M coupe to HK has limited quota, the simple way is you have to maintain a really good customer network or relationship with your trusted saleman.

Secondary, due to the light weight of 1 series and shorter car body, even a 135i can make a 335i eat dust, i have real experience on this.

Thirdly, for the power kit, it is really subjective that it may not be a cost & benefit upgrade as it costs you nearly 30K from bmw hk for just a 20hps & 50Nm increase, of course some ppl think the kit comes with other supporting hardwares like big fan, bigger water box, plus warranty which compensate the high price.

[ny911]

Originally Posted by RR80

I don't think there's any 1M coupe in HK yet, my friend ordered one in white! Love to compare it with the 335i w/ power kit.

3 AWs and 1 VO have been arrived HKG and waiting for emission test. It should be delivered by the end of June. Can't wait to drive it.

The price is cheaper than a brand new E92 335i and costs about the same as a 135i Cabrio.

I have no idea about the resell value in the future. Price is the only thing attracting me to place the deposit without any consideration. I don't think I could really get a brand new M car at under 1mil in the future and I am not willing to spend more than 1mil for a BMW M car instead of a Porsche.

Regarding to performance wise, I would say M is M. Maybe a 335i with stage 3 ECU tunings, downpipe and FMIC could beat the 1M on straights. But the feeling of driving a M car should be very different given to its reputation. Tuned 135i/335i vs 1M sounds like the old debates on E92 335i vs E46 M3.

[RR80]

Originally Posted by ny911

3 AWs and 1 VO have been arrived HKG and waiting for emission test. It should be delivered by the end of June. Can't wait to drive it.

The price is cheaper than a brand new E92 335i and costs about the same as a 135i Cabrio.

I have no idea about the resell value in the future. Price is the only thing attracting me to place the deposit without any consideration. I don't think I could really get a brand new M car at under 1mil in the future and I am not willing to spend more than 1mil for a BMW M car instead of a Porsche.

Regarding to performance wise, I would say M is M. Maybe a 335i with stage 3 ECU tunings, downpipe and FMIC could beat the 1M on straights. But the feeling of driving a M car should be very different given to its reputation. Tuned 135i/335i vs 1M sounds like the old debates on E92 335i vs E46 M3.

I sure you will enjoy your 1M alot I think there will be more and more thread on tuned 135/335 vs 1M! But you are right, M is M! That's why one of my buddy traded in his FBO 335i for a M3 (His ex 335i is faster and more powerful than the M3).

[JohnMan]

Originally Posted by ny911

3 AWs and 1 VO have been arrived HKG and waiting for emission test. It should be delivered by the end of June. Can't wait to drive it.

The price is cheaper than a brand new E92 335i and costs about the same as a 135i Cabrio.

I have no idea about the resell value in the future. Price is the only thing attracting me to place the deposit without any consideration. I don't think I could really get a brand new M car at under 1mil in the future and I am not willing to spend more than 1mil for a BMW M car instead of a Porsche.

Regarding to performance wise, I would say M is M. Maybe a 335i with stage 3 ECU tunings, downpipe and FMIC could beat the 1M on straights. But the feeling of driving a M car should be very different given to its reputation. Tuned 135i/335i vs 1M sounds like the old debates on E92 335i vs E46 M3.

Do make sure to post photos of your 1M in HK once you get it. Wow, a M car for under 1M? Do treasure it, a 1M with right-hand steering wheel is rare indeed. Hopefully it can become another legend like the E30 M3. That might be a bargain considering how darn expensive M cars are in HK. You lucky guy, I guess you know someone well in BMW HK? Hahaha.