[rorkor]

Originally Posted by CombatNinja

Nice try. US e36 M3 was 240bhp and 225 or 240 lb-ft. E90 still comes up well short of that, especially in the torque department. Curb weight is about 300 pounds more so it is easy to see that the performance difference is substantial.

BMW has become very conservative of it's published numbers. 228bhp and 199 lb-ft torque is easily over that versus the numbers from the 90's, which were known to be rounded up which led to the now conservative power postings. People getting the 300bhp N54/55's that were putting that to the wheels and 330+ at the crank without a tune are a great example of that.

US spec e36 M3 were shipped with 225lb-ft tq and then 240lb-ft tq after OBDII update in 2006. After OBDII update, many cars were found to be 225bhp and 225lb-tq, which let to a drop out of followers of the LCI model and the final rating of tq was downgraded to 236 as a consideration that at the time, all M division engines differed from one another as they were assembled by hand by different people and OBD I systems were favorable to BMW's original numbers. But I digress....

Anyone that says a 328 is a slow car has a problem with perspective. We all know a 335 is a faster car. the point I am making is that the 335 drivers have a faster car, but that doesn't make a 325/328/330 a slow car. They drive in drastically different ways. To reiterate, I have the last of a now dead breed, a 6MT naturally aspirated Inline 6 that reflects much of the tradition that BMW has started to veer away from in the turbo/cafe ratings direction.

[BoogeyMan'sBMW]

Dont regret a thing YOLO lol

nah, but in all reality i do not regret not getting the 335. those things are crazy unreliable. since i actually have to USE my car daily, i would prefer it over a 335. i currently have over 100k on the clock. How many ppl with 335s can say the same? ( i know it isnt impossible just not very common)

[alexwhittemore]

Nope, don't regret it at all. The 328 I bought was in budget. I got a very good deal financing it that will have me paid off and off the financial hook sooner than most. The car has plenty of power for me, particularly compared to other cars I was looking at. A 335 would have stretched me too thin, and I wouldn't have gotten crimson red which suits me better than anything else. The ONLY things I dislike about the car can be modded in at relatively low cost, and I like projects over convenience any day.

I totally made the right choice. If I had an extra 6 grand and lots of time and money laying around for dealer maintenance, a 335 would have been lovely. But I'm totally happy.

[Amini77]

If there was a 335 last year worth around 15.5 with less then 80k I would regret not getting it. But what I do regret is telling my dad a 03 540i is a V8 lol.

flame suit on by the way...

[RambleJ]

Originally Posted by Amini77

If there was a 335 last year worth around 15.5 with less then 80k I would regret not getting it. But what I do regret is telling my dad a 03 540i is a V8 lol.

flame suit on by the way...

I don't get it?? That car is a 4.4 liter V8...

[Amini77]

Originally Posted by RambleJ

I don't get it?? That car is a 4.4 liter V8...

he wouldn't let me get a v8 because of the gas consumption

[MonsterM]

Originally Posted by CombatNinja

Nice try. US e36 M3 was 240bhp and 225 or 240 lb-ft. E90 still comes up well short of that, especially in the torque department. Curb weight is about 300 pounds more so it is easy to see that the performance difference is substantial.

Not true at all:

2009 BMW 328i 6 Speed manual:
0-60 5.9 seconds
1/4 mile 14.6 @ 96 mph
http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...powertrain.pdf



In this particular test, the E90 was actually faster then the E36 M3. Not that it really matters but auto vs auto the E90 comes on top as well. They are much closer than you think, at least in a straight line.
Weight difference is NOT 300 lbs, this particular M3 coupe was 3230 lbs vs 3352 for the E90 above.

[shazzy04]

I used to regret it ALOT, but it is very sufficient in terms of being my DD (I put 60k miles in 2 years). It handles extremely well, and has given me hardly any problems. It keeps going for me, so I'll keep her for as long as I can.


And add more mods

[rorkor]

Originally Posted by MonsterM

Not true at all:

2009 BMW 328i 6 Speed manual:
0-60 5.9 seconds
1/4 mile 14.6 @ 96 mph
http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...powertrain.pdf



In this particular test, the E90 was actually faster then the E36 M3. Not that it really matters but auto vs auto the E90 comes on top as well. They are much closer than you think, at least in a straight line.
Weight difference is NOT 300 lbs, this particular M3 coupe was 3230 lbs vs 3352 for the E90 above.

He just has to be right. A 97 e36 m3 was my dd for almost 2 years, now it's my 328, and they are very close. My track times are not too far off either. My M had the convertible x-brace fix to strengthen the chassis, made it just as heavy as my e90 but was a top mod in its day to eliminate almost all flex in the chassis. The e90 doesn't handle quite as we'll but I have a lot less money in it so far so we shall see in a couple of years if I put some motons in it.

[Simon.bmw]

Why 335? Go for M3!

[monkey_wrench]

No regrets. The only thing I wish I had was a MT.

[Blindside_137]

Not at all. Bought my 328 off my dad earlier this year so I know this car is more mint than any other car in its mileage bracket. My dad is a clean freak about his cars. (Current ride is a '13 corvette Z06 convertible 427)

If I got the 335 instead not only would I be modding cosmetically but spending equally as much on performance mods. In my 328 I get decent MPG because I only drive fast when I need to, don't waste too much money modding (zero planned performance mods), and think the car drives great and is one sexy looking whip. I'm happy.

I want to keep my 328 and then get a used '13 E92 M3 when I graduate med school in hopefully 2017 or so.

[GoRomeo]

Back in early 06 my only option above 325 was in fact a e90 330i. yes I wish it had turbos but at the end of the day I have no regrets! its fast enough for me.

[B9M0W]

Originally Posted by DESI4life10

Love the 328 but I would make the switch to 335.

I am looking to trade my 328 for a 335. I want rwd instead of xi and manual instead of automatic. Less gadgets, the better imo.

They are both great cars, and the work I put into the 328 makes it a fun car. I am just ready to step it up some more to the tubo world :-)

Looks like we're on the same boat.
To OP,
I also didn't know much about BMW's but I knew I wanted one. I wish I had waited a month longer but I just couldn't drive my jeep any longer. I wanna trade/sell my car for a 335 but I got 3 years left to fully pay it Off. Worst part is I'm a college kid paying $400 a month for it and its a base model :/ rather pay that much for a 335 fully loaded.

[Kayani_1]

I love my 335i and sort of settled for it much like some of you might have settled for 328i. My original idea was to buy a M3. However, its gas mileage was just not practical for my daily driving needs. So I passed on it for 335i.

It has enough power for my daily needs any day. However, the modding bug as you know bites all of us BMW enthusiast during some part of our ownership. Thus, I added a Cobb tune and now the car feels like a terror. Other day my Cobb tune showed me that on one of my runs I was generating well over 400 lb-ft of torque. The car takes off like bat out of hell. One can only imagine that if it had the M3 suspension/lsd and DCT M programmed tranny (not 335is DCT) how fast it would have been due to lightning quick gear changes.

I can't wait for my Rennart catback exhaust to come in over this weekend. As the sound of N54 inline-6 in my opinion is classic and amazing in BMW performance tradition. I love my car for its practicality and performance

[AddictedToBavarian]

Don't be cry babies, nobody held a gun to your head at the dealership. Creating a thread about your buyers remorse only adds fuel to the fire for the 335 douchebags on here. Make yourself happy with your purchase or sell that thing for a 335. Hope the same identical car with a faster engine makes you happier in the end.

[andrey_gta]

Guys there are people modding 4 cylinder non turbo cars and classic cars.
Flaunt what you got to your liking LOL

[2M]

Yes and no. I also am in the same boat as you. I thought 328 was enough but after driving an N54 a few times i was amazed. I love my 328 but I been wanting a 335 a week after purchasing my car lol. Its been almost 4 yrs though and I plan on getting a 335IS DCT in the summer time . My 328 is a great car though, love the bodystyle, I have wheels and Mtech skirts and it handles great and had a decent amount of power. I love it but I'l love my 335IS more .

[06-330i-2Go]

Originally Posted by Ross328i

My 2 cents: I went from a Celica All-Trac Turbo that I had modded to around 300hp vs 200hp stock. Same engine as the MR2 Turbo. I had it for 12 years and loved it. After my daughter was born I rarely got to drive the All-Trac since I parked it at my parents' house and was driving a Nissan Murano. Really missed driving something sporty, so since the All-Trac isn't kid friendly I sold it, let my wife drive the Murano, sold her VW Jetta, and I bought the 328i.

I knew I wanted/needed a 4 dr sedan that was sporty so I was looking at the 3 series and Audi A4/S4. Found a 07 335i 6 spd with 78k miles at the local BMW dealer for only $17,990. It wasn't in perfect shape, had scratches that were touched up, trim was faded, etc. Interior was in pretty good shape, but definitely some wear on it. It was black on black (not my favorite) but overall it looked good. Here's the kicker though - they had it priced $1000 more originally and dropped it before it even got to the lot. That makes me think they found something mechanically wrong with it. At this point I knew nothing about the HPFP and injector issues. I probably would have bought it if it weren't for my wife being hesitant about it, just because it was so quick. I had driven a Dinan chipped/exhaust 335i 6 spd a few days before which was crazy fast, but this stock one was still very quick, a little quicker than my All-Trac I think. So the black one was priced way below book value, so I shied away from it. Really couldn't find any other good condition 6 spd 335i's in my price range, so I started looking at the 328i and found pretty much the perfect one at a dealership 10 miles from my house. 08 Monaco Blue with saddle brown leather, sport pkg, 6 spd, 60k miles, 1 owner no accidents. Almost flawless inside and out. Took it for a test drive, of course it was much slower than the 335i, but by then I had learned about the 335i reliability issues, and I loved the way it drove. I had to have it, and don't regret getting it. Even went to a BMW meet a few days after buying and the 335i guys were talking about all the problems they've had with theirs. Other than the water pump occasionally failing prematurely on the 328i there's not really anything to worry about, and it's an inexpensive do-it-yourself job.

I've since added matte black grills, tint to the orange turn signal part of the headlights, and tinted the windows. Also Santa should be bringing me a BMS Powerbox and DTRL harness for the angel eyes. I'll get LED angel eyes later on. Love the way it looks even more now, and the Powerbox should give it a little more pep and better driveability. I test drove an auto 328i with paddles and it was boring to me, so I'm really glad I waited to find a good 6 spd.

If the 335i didn't have its issues, yeah I'd love to have one, but when your price range coincides with ones that aren't under warranty anymore, it's just not a good choice for me. Yeah the HPFP has its own 10 yr/120k miles warranty, but I plan to keep the car for a long time and don't want to deal with it once that warranty runs out. Frankly, I don't want to deal with the car possibly being in the shop on numerous occasions even under warranty either. Then there's the injector issues, and the twin turbos - who knows if the previous owner(s) took care of them? Did they put the right oil in it and change it regularly? Did they try to run the thing on 87 octane? You never know. I was a maintenance freak with my All-Trac. Changed Mobil 1 oil every 3k miles and turbo timed it since the day I got it (which got old if you're parking on an incline and don't trust the parking brake alone because then you gotta wait on it). Original turbo was still going strong at 122k miles running 14-16 psi boost. Stock is about 8.

So yeah, I don't regret getting the 328i. Sorry that was more like 50 cents instead of 2.

Similar story for me when I was single a decade or so ago I had a 97 e36 M3, one of the best cars I have ever owned. Once I got married and had our first kid, I realized in two years I had driven the car less than 2,000 miles, so it was time to let it go (painful to this day). I wanted get something with 4 doors and more practical but with some kick, so I temporarily went to the “dark side” and got an Infinity G35x. After about 3 months I knew I had made a mistake, and it took another 3 months to inform the lovely bride that it had to go.

I was able to sell it and find the car I should have originally gotten: 2001 540/6-spd. Fantastic combination of 4 doors, big trunk, with sport package and 6MT was a blast to drive. Kept it 4+ years and loved it, but the main issue was it got about 15 MPG around town and it started to need a bunch of maintenance.

So I recently started to test drive different 3-series from 2006-08 in the 20k price range, and found a Black/Black (not my preference) 07 335i 6MT. Simply ridiculous power and handling, but seemed a bit worn with 73k miles, and I wasn’t sure the power was really “usable” around DC area. Drove a 335i automatic, but the siren song of the SWEET short throw 6MT was my preference. So now the issue becomes I preferred the “unicorn” of e90 3-series: 2006 330i with 6MT. As luck would have it, one appeared at the Carmax near me with only 60k miles with my color preference (Graphite/Black), so I jumped on it and could not be happier. Average 23 mpg and the power is amazingly fluid and instantly available in almost every gear.
Would I have preferred 335i/6MT? OF COURSE I WOULD, but the reality is I got the car that best meets MY needs and my requirements for Price vs. power vs. mpg vs. maintenance, with no regrets.

[jc5988]

Originally Posted by 06-330i-2Go

Similar story for me when I was single a decade or so ago I had a 97 e36 M3, one of the best cars I have ever owned. Once I got married and had our first kid, I realized in two years I had driven the car less than 2,000 miles, so it was time to let it go (painful to this day). I wanted get something with 4 doors and more practical but with some kick, so I temporarily went to the “dark side” and got an Infinity ......
throw 6MT was my preference. So now the issue becomes I preferred the “unicorn” of e90 3-series: 2006 330i with 6MT. As luck would have it, one appeared at the Carmax near me with only 60k miles with my color preference (Graphite/Black), so I jumped on it and could not be happier. Average 23 mpg and the power is amazingly fluid and instantly available in almost every gear.
Would I have preferred 335i/6MT? OF COURSE I WOULD, but the reality is I got the car that best meets MY needs and my requirements for Price vs. power vs. mpg vs. maintenance, with no regrets.

how do you compare your 330i vs E36 M3? in terms of engine response and handling.

[06-330i-2Go]

Originally Posted by jc5988

how do you compare your 330i vs E36 M3? in terms of engine response and handling.

Good question … for me looking back, the E36 M3 was a game changer because of its “balance”. I had previously owned Mitsubishi Eclipse Turbo, Mazda RX-7 type “sports cars”, and had not owned a BMW. To drive a vehicle that practical (having decent backseat room and a trunk) but still having the power and handling of a sports car was simply unreal.

But to answer your question, the 330i is better in almost every respect then my M3. The biggest difference is the upgraded drive train in the 330i with the short throw 6MT, 18in rubber via the Sports package vs. M3 5-spd and 17in rubber. With the 330i I can find the right gear for every situation, and when I apply power the suspension responds with an almost effortless “is that all you got?” I really believe my 330i is an updated “stealth” version of my M3.

[inline6ix]

Anyone that would turn down driving a 335i to drive a n/a E90, unless it's an M3, has to be crazy.

Now to OWN one, buying a 335i just by itself is a much more expensive ordeal, and insuring one would be even worse, especially for those that are my age. On top of all that, I would either have tons of tickets or have the car wrapped around a tree if I had one.

This is just like those that compared E39s with the I6 vs the ones with the V8 when I had my 528i.