[husky33]

Hi all,

So i have been in the process of trying to purchase a 335i for a few months now. I have a couple that i have pursued but none have worked out yet. I wanted to get some advice. I have been shooting to find a 2011-13 335i to specifically get the n55 motor for reliability. So far i have been pursuing cars in the 55K miles or less range. This has kept me fairly limited on choices based on availability and price. I had a friend make the point that if i extend that range to say 65K or even 75K there may be more wear and tear overall but there's also a higher chance that many of the common issues, water pump, HPFP, OFHG, etc, may have already been dealt with compared to one with fewer miles. What do you think? Is it worthwhile to extend my range for acceptable mileage or should i be patient and keep shooting for the lower miles?

Thanks!

[macheff03]

it really comes down to your decision

When do you need the car by?
How many miles do you want and how much do you want to spend on it?

Buying a car where the owner has the service receipts is a great idea, carfax too.
You can always buy the carfax yourself by entering in the VIN on the carfax website.
https://www.carfax.com/

I recently bought an e90 with more miles then the range you're listing but ran through the same criteria.

Ultimately the right car will eventually come up.
I also recommend expanding your search distance even if you may not want to go so far.

And I know you weren't really asking for this but I HIGHLY recommend ChrisFix's guide to used car buying.

His checklist is here:
https://chris-fix.com/upload/How%20t...%20%20FULL.pdf

just google chrisfix used car and you get the whole series...

[husky33]

Originally Posted by macheff03

it really comes down to your decision

When do you need the car by?
How many miles do you want and how much do you want to spend on it?

Buying a car where the owner has the service receipts is a great idea, carfax too.
You can always buy the carfax yourself by entering in the VIN on the carfax website.
https://www.carfax.com/

I recently bought an e90 with more miles then the range you're listing but ran through the same criteria.

Ultimately the right car will eventually come up.
I also recommend expanding your search distance even if you may not want to go so far.

And I know you weren't really asking for this but I HIGHLY recommend ChrisFix's guide to used car buying.

His checklist is here:
https://chris-fix.com/upload/How%20t...%20%20FULL.pdf

just google chrisfix used car and you get the whole series...

That guide is great. Thanks for that. Yeah one of my toughest obstacles is trying to get service records. At this point the ones I've seen have at least 2 prior owners and usually more so it's tough to track the actual service history. I'm searching nationwide at the moment however logistically it'll be tough for me to go too far since I will have to drive my trade. Fortunately I have as much time as I need to find one, it's just hard to be patient! Haha

[macheff03]

Originally Posted by husky33

That guide is great. Thanks for that. Yeah one of my toughest obstacles is trying to get service records. At this point the ones I've seen have at least 2 prior owners and usually more so it's tough to track the actual service history. I'm searching nationwide at the moment however logistically it'll be tough for me to go too far since I will have to drive my trade. Fortunately I have as much time as I need to find one, it's just hard to be patient! Haha

Yes
The right one will eventually come up

I was lucky because even though my 325 had 2 owners it had all the service records and was almost always serviced at the same dealer here in town! It was also the color I wanted.

Keep looking on every site possible.

Autotrader, cars.com, Craigslist, etc

Let-go and offer-up are two great apps that sometimes uncover something hidden from the other sites
AutoTempest is another site that searches ebay, cars.com and craigslist listings in a certain mile radius so maybe try that too

Good luck and be patient ,
You’ll be glad you did!

[El02bmw335i]

If you need a carfax pm me I sell them. I personally bought a 2011 335i e92 from its original l
Owner last year with 70k miles and its had valve cover ofhg waterpump and thermostat all changed only thing I had to change was rear pads and spark plugs. I’ve only driven it 4k miles so far but it’s been perfect and the body and interior looks like it has 20k on it georgeous car there is always gems out there despite slightly higher miles. I would call the bmw dealer for all the service records they will usually give them to you sometimes not

[SilverSlug]

Service records are ideal, but not always available. Just define the must-have features to yourself and stay patient. Ive waited years and years for certain Beemers to appear with the exact package that I wanted.

Another thing to look out for nowadays is flood cars. We’ve had some major hurricanes the last few years, and sometimes those cars make their way further inland. You should be extra weary of cars from the Southeast.

Things to look out for are rusty screws/areas in the trunk.
Random repepitive scratches in one area (if there was a branch or debris consistently rubbing up scratching against the car when floating in water).
Faint smell like wet towel inside the car, especially if you turn on the heat/AC.
Sediment residue in crevises of the engine bay and/or undercarriage.

[macheff03]

Originally Posted by SilverSlug

Service records are ideal, but not always available. Just define the must-have features to yourself and stay patient. Ive waited years and years for certain Beemers to appear with the exact package that I wanted.

Another thing to look out for nowadays is flood cars. We’ve had some major hurricanes the last few years, and sometimes those cars make their way further inland. You should be extra weary of cars from the Southeast.

Things to look out for are rusty screws/areas in the trunk.
Random receptive scratches in one area (if there was a branch or debris consistent running up against the car when floating in water).
Faint smell like wet towel inside the car, especially if you turn on the heat/AC.
Sediment residue in crevises of the engine bay and/or undercarriage.

Thats a great point that I didnt think of, funny since being on the coast, I deal with hurricanes every year

Anyway, SilverSlug is right, it all comes down to what you want most.

If you're not afraid of some DIY that expands your options greatly and even leaves some room for money going somewhere else.

Obviously a pre-purchase inspection is a good idea but if you know what to look for its not always needed, and never do it the first time you see a car, it becomes a waste of money if you're not completely in love. Instead, drive it, inspect yourself, and finally bring up warning signs and maybe even the owner will get one for you.

My e90 has an oil leak that i uncovered just by looking in the engine bay and seeing the low oil level, even though it was recently changed, and I got a great deal that even after the repairs I will still be lower than average asking price for a similar one is.

[SilverSlug]

Also, many cars are not listed properly...

Example, I prefer to only drive manual, and like half the cars listed as manual 6spd are actually automatic (or some variation of it), not true manual 6spd.

Point is, anyone checkmarking for only automatics in a search, won’t even see all those miscategorized listings.

So you may have to take on the painstaking task of looking through a ton more listings when looking for your next perfect relationship... I mean, Beemer.

[macheff03]

Originally Posted by SilverSlug

Also, many cars are not listed properly...

Example, I prefer to only drive manual, and like half the cars listed as manual 6spd are actually automatic (or some variation of it), not true manual 6spd.

Point is, anyone checkmarking for only automatics in a search, won’t even see all those miscategorized listings.

So you may have to take on the painstaking task of looking through a ton more listings when looking for your next perfect relationship... I mean, Beemer.

I never use any of those filters, for colors, transmission, or anything besides price.

it always seems like you miss the perfect one because the lister didnt put what color it is or transmission, etc

[SilverSlug]

Originally Posted by macheff03

I never use any of those filters, for colors, transmission, or anything besides price.

it always seems like you miss the perfect one because the lister didnt put what color it is or transmission, etc

Yuppp, precisely!

[philgli]

i got a 2011 N55 when it had about 30k miles and sits at 70k know. it had warranty until about 55k. just from 30k to 55k i had 2 water pumps and thermostats and an oil filter housing gasket. From 55k to now, i did the oil filter housing gasket again. If you can DIY your fixes, nothing is too huge of a price tag. I would aim for one with service or parts records. Still think its more reliable than an N54 though!

[husky33]

Thanks for the responses and advice! I know my main obstacle is being patient haha. The other hurdle I have is that I have a trade I have to work into the deal so I unfortunately can't buy from private sellers. This has made another one of my challenges figuring out if I can trust the place I'm buying it from because so far I haven't found many through dealerships. The ones I have tried for have all been out of state as well and a PPI is a must for me so I've had to bite the bullet on those. But I'll just have to keep myself contained and stay patient. I appreciate all of this and I think I'll expand my mileage limitations but make service history more of a requirement for the higher mileage ones

[macheff03]

Originally Posted by husky33

Thanks for the responses and advice! I know my main obstacle is being patient haha. The other hurdle I have is that I have a trade I have to work into the deal so I unfortunately can't buy from private sellers. This has made another one of my challenges figuring out if I can trust the place I'm buying it from because so far I haven't found many through dealerships. The ones I have tried for have all been out of state as well and a PPI is a must for me so I've had to bite the bullet on those. But I'll just have to keep myself contained and stay patient. I appreciate all of this and I think I'll expand my mileage limitations but make service history more of a requirement for the higher mileage ones

One more thing that might be good to consider is to maybe put out a craigslist ad that you have a trade and just see what comes up ...

I know craigslist is hit or miss but you never know

[SilverSlug]

Any margin you work into the deal at a dealership will be nullified by the mark up and doc fees in the transaction.

You are wayyy better off selling the car first, then walking onto a dealer lot or private seller, swinging your nuts around with the purchasing power of cash in hand.

[macheff03]

Originally Posted by SilverSlug

Any margin you work into the deal at a dealership will be nullified by the mark up and doc fees in the transaction.

You are wayyy better off selling the car first, then walking onto a dealer lot or private seller, swinging your nuts around with the purchasing power of cash in hand.

Absolutely. It makes a huge difference.

[husky33]

Hey all. I just wanted to give a shoutout to El02bmw335i. He's ordered a couple of carfax reports for me for $6 each. It's been maybe a 3 minute turnaround time from PayPal payment to receiving the report, he's been super reliable.