[Hooy]

I fucking love my 328. I've had it for 4 years now, and I dont' regret it at all.

In its 5 years, it's had ZERO problems that required overnight repairs. A total of TWO problems ever, both of which were fixed within hours. I know a lot of 335 guys and I can safely say that all of them have spent many days if not weeks at the dealership or at indie shops waiting for repair after repair. Diagnosing problems every couple of weeks, replacing a bunch of expensive ass parts, etc. My ENTIRE cost of maintenance has been $670 in 4 years (excluding tires that I voluntarily change out since I swap wheels a lot).

If I had a 335, I can guarantee I'd be another $15k into it just to be faster for 3 seconds at a time on the highway. My cosmetically modded 328 outshines countless go-fast 335's simply because all their money is dumped into downpipes, tunes, intakes, blah blah blah blah blah. And yeah, the 328 handles just as well.

The 335 is one of BMW's greats, but it's not for everyone. I wouldn't trade up to a 335 unless my 328 is wrecked and I can't financially support skipping the N54/N55 altogether.

[Teeeg28]

Originally Posted by Hooy

I fucking love my 328. I've had it for 4 years now, and I dont' regret it at all.

In its 5 years, it's had ZERO problems that required overnight repairs. A total of TWO problems ever, both of which were fixed within hours. I know a lot of 335 guys and I can safely say that all of them have spent many days if not weeks at the dealership or at indie shops waiting for repair after repair. Diagnosing problems every couple of weeks, replacing a bunch of expensive ass parts, etc. My ENTIRE cost of maintenance has been $670 in 4 years (excluding tires that I voluntarily change out since I swap wheels a lot).

If I had a 335, I can guarantee I'd be another $15k into it just to be faster for 3 seconds at a time on the highway. My cosmetically modded 328 outshines countless go-fast 335's simply because all their money is dumped into downpipes, tunes, intakes, blah blah blah blah blah. And yeah, the 328 handles just as well.

The 335 is one of BMW's greats, but it's not for everyone. I wouldn't trade up to a 335 unless my 328 is wrecked and I can't financially support skipping the N54/N55 altogether.

Well said

[SavvyByNature]

Well said Hooy! Folks buy BMW for the handles... not for the speed.

[Lagger1]

Originally Posted by Teeeg28

I mean I would rather have a fully modded out 328 rather than a stock 335

Normally, yes. However, you're still without bigger brakes which is a large part of the equation.

Originally Posted by mlifxs

I do still regret not getting a manual

^ this. The N52 + 6mt is sexx, last of a dying breed

[thecadman99]

Sure I'd like to have the power of the 335, but not at the expense of the extra complexity.
I love the dynamics of my NA/6mt.

I don't regret buying a 330 anymore than the average 335 owner regrets not buying something faster.

Everyone has this mentality that every car on the road is racing, and the fastest car contains the happiest person, but... not really

Not all of my ownership satisfaction has to do with what a dyno tells me.

[kiwi29]

I regret not getting a 335 almost everyday I need moarrrr powwaaaaahhh
The 328 seems to lack a lot of that in accelerations and straight lines but as far as other driving goes, like the canyons, I'm fine with it. I do still wish it was faster though. Might just swap the motor for this crashed up x6m I saw twin twerbo v8! Hahaha jk might just grab a project car or I might just be serious enough to get the v8 tt lol either way, I hope it'll work!
Sad to say though, I was exactly like you. Didn't know too much of the e9x chassis. I just knew the m3 and 328 haha I wanted an m3 to begin with but my cousin explained the crazy gas mileage and how much monthly payment was, I was willing to settle with the 328. I'm happy though, it was an mtech package out of the factory and 6mt and the m3 was only in a coupe and dct. Dct didn't seem to be fun so that was a super deal breaker lol I still wish I had an e90 m3

[Teeeg28]

I really wish I had a MT. Maybe I will just do a transmission swap ... Wink wink lol

[PR3CI5N]

The OP asked if anyone regretted not buying a 335i, not who thinks which BMW car is better. That's been covered a few thousand times already and just ends up with BMW members bashing on each other.

[Delusive]

I regret it once in awhile that I didn't buy a 335 but there are times where i'm happy with my 328 because of all the mods i've done to it and what I regret most is not waiting for a manual.

If my 328 was a manual I would be happy and not regret buying it but that's not how the story ended

[VTECaddict]

Sometimes reading the forums I get jealous of how easy it is to make the N54 lay down power. Then I snap back to reality and realize I daily drive my E90 and hardly ever get to even let the N52 stretch it's muscles, much less an N54.

So long story short...slightly jealous of the potential of the N54, but not regretting my 330i one bit.

[KdoubleU]

I loved my 328 and I love my 335. Both are great cars. I did however absolutely hate the single side exhaust. Especially when "lesser" model cars would have a cool dual exhaust poking out.

[Johnny D]

My only regret use to be that I didn't buy a 6mt, but after picking up an e30 a month ago I got my manual fix. I love my car and will drive it until the wheels fall off.

[Mavus]

Originally Posted by Teeeg28

Not sure if this thread will be popular but Im bored and have time to waste
(Not sure if this is already a thread, but if it is..... no need to flame me for it because I can do what I want motherfuckers!)



Anyways, When I bought my e90 I got to be honest I knew NOTHING about a 325, 328, 330, or 335 lol. I only got my 328 because it looked fast and it was a bmw Not until months later did I join the forums and became educated about the car I drive. 2 Months in I realized that the right 3er for me was the 335 and then I started modding to make up for the "coolness" factor I thought I lacked.

But then I realized, it was probably for the better that I did not get a twin turbo charge 300hp engine, because of the way I drive my 328 I would have killed myself by now.

Now all my buds refer to me as "BMW boy" because they are impressed of all my bmw knowledge that I have gained form this website. haha I find it quite comical and I kinda take some pride in that

So long story short at first I was all bummed I didn't do some researching about the 3 series before I purchased but now I know the 328 is the right car for me and sets me up to gain much respect for the power of cars ( considering I dont have that much )

How about you guys? Any regrets? even though I hardly doubt it, they're all great cars!!

I did a lot of research for all 3 series variants including M3. I think the best values are used 330 and M3. Why? Simply put performance and reliability. If you need to fix something it is not a big deal.

I have a few mods and have no problems keeping up with 335s on track regardless of how much power they have cause they can't use it. There is some advantage on straights but lighter weight helps 330 in the curves. Also, I can't even use 50% of performance on public roads, other cars seem like slow motion so I just chill and watch people. :-)

My friend at work has 335 xi M-sport and he had hard time keeping up. To sum it up I love modded 330i, 325i and 328i. I did not want to pay BMW for their cheap N54 & N55 implementation. Excellent design on paper but poor implementation (cheap parts)!! BMW engineers must be pulling their hair out over the mess and embarrassment due to bean counters. I honestly feel bad for them cause I have to deal with this all the time at work.

Metaphorically speaking - it is awesome to have a one night stand with a model but not the best longer term option! lol

[MonsterM]

Not at all. However, I do regret not getting a E46 330i ZHP (pretty much impossible to find a clean one). Reliability issues with the 335 are not worth the extra power, IMO of course.

[rorkor]

I have been into bimmers for years. In my family, we have an m3, 545, 335, 330, 325 and my 328. I chose my car and waited for it. It has every option but m sport, which is the only regret I had but realized I would end up modding the body either way.

BMW is the ultimate driving machine, not the ultimate drag racing machine. My silky smooth, naturally aspirated inline six is the culmination of decades of development and what made BMW's so highly regarded in the first place.

A 328i is a fast car, just not the fastest car, but that is the same for a 335. In the twisties, less is more actually. The 2011 328 has more horsepower and torque than the us spec e36 M3 and does not weigh too much more than the sedan model. I can outrun my wife's e46 325, which is also not a slow car, so I think it is a matter of perspective.

I bought my car new. I could have afforded the extra 5k over my cars sticker for the 335 but it didn't make sense after seeing my in-laws experiences, such as maintenance and inconvenience around multiple recalls. I wanted a 335d for the mileage bump but did not want an auto trans so I went with the 328.

In short, hell no I don't regret it and don't understand why I should.

[cuiter23]

I love my car but psychologically, no matter which car you have, you will want something better.

A 328i owner might want a 335i, a 335i might then want an m3, an m3 owner might want something even more.

It's an never-ending pursuit for the best. It is hard to be 100% satisfied with what you have but you have to remember that you should be grateful for what you have as others might want your car as their next step up.

[RambleJ]

Originally Posted by kiwi29

I regret not getting a 335 almost everyday I need moarrrr powwaaaaahhh
The 328 seems to lack a lot of that in accelerations and straight lines but as far as other driving goes, like the canyons, I'm fine with it. I do still wish it was faster though. Might just swap the motor for this crashed up x6m I saw twin twerbo v8! Hahaha jk might just grab a project car or I might just be serious enough to get the v8 tt lol either way, I hope it'll work!
Sad to say though, I was exactly like you. Didn't know too much of the e9x chassis. I just knew the m3 and 328 haha I wanted an m3 to begin with but my cousin explained the crazy gas mileage and how much monthly payment was, I was willing to settle with the 328. I'm happy though, it was an mtech package out of the factory and 6mt and the m3 was only in a coupe and dct. Dct didn't seem to be fun so that was a super deal breaker lol I still wish I had an e90 m3

We have an honest one in the bunch! I applaud you good sir.
No matter what, everyone is going to justify their purchase. The one that I find laughable is the "I don't even get to use the full power of my 328/325 on the road." Gimme a break, and stop lying to yourself.

[SHEEDI]

3305
The difference between 328 and 335 is >>>

[KwlAznKid]

nope, i do not, i mainly chose the 328 over another 335 for reliability reasons. sure it wasn't as fast as my 335 but if i'm trading some speed for less headaches and days in the shop i'm all for it

[CoffeeBean]

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.

[rorkor]

It is so funny how the 335 guys can't help themselves and not comment and talk down to us like our cars aren't good cars cause we don't have boost. Just an observation....

[CombatNinja]

Originally Posted by rorkor

I have been into bimmers for years.


A 328i is a fast car, just not the fastest car, but that is the same for a 335. In the twisties, less is more actually. The 2011 328 has more horsepower and torque than the us spec e36 M3 and does not weigh too much more than the sedan model.

In short, hell no I don't regret it and don't understand why I should.

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.