[Tak1986]

Hi all,

Planning to change to a BMW when insurance due, which is next month.
I have been struggling to decide which one to go for. I have test driven a E90 335i M sport, loving the car in many ways, the sounds of a 6 cylinder engine and the options ....etc.

I am also considering any 6 cylinder diesel e90/ e92, any comments or opinions are appreciated.

Cheers
Sam

[jimmylimmy]

I guess it depends on a few key factors:

Do you prefer Manual or Auto? 335d only comes with an auto box (although it is well matched to the engine). 325d, 325i, 330d, 330i and 335i all come as manual or auto

How many miles do you do? Unless its above average, I would go with the 335i.

What is your budget?

Once you decide on your fuel type, you then have to decide on your packaging, M Sport or SE - do a search and you will find plenty of brain numbing discussion on the merits of both

Either choice will be a good one, d or i, SE or M Sport

[Tak1986]

LOL, I realized the option lists are endless too.

Ideally, a manual would be good, and I am doing about 10k miles a year...

My budget is about 15k, and trying to work out if added a little bit more on my budget would get a better spec / year / less mileage 3 series.

Cheers

[jimmylimmy]

spec engine and options is gonna make a huge difference

Only you can decide what is important to you - personally, I knew if I went for the 330d that I originally test drove, I would always be thinking "I should have gone for the 335d"

[davyk31]

There are a few well documented problems with the 335i engine and also another thread active about how the value of them has fallen so low. Would push me towards a 335d which is exactly what I bought.

[Tak1986]

I think i still need to view/ test drive the 335d before i make a decision lol

I have spotted a 56 plate e90 335i m sport with sat nav, leather, cruise control, fbmwsh, extended warranty till july 2012, it has done 67k miles and asking for 14k. I went to view the car, interior looks mint, few parking dents and stone chips round the car, scuff at the rear bumper. I guess these are not avoidable with its age and price ?

I am guessing might be worth waiting the 'Right' one come across or add a bit of money.

[briers]

If you like manuals and only do 10k the 335i is an excellent contender.

It is pretty cheap now too, perhaps people are silly enough to move them on because they dont like the £400 a year tax.

Hell of a car and tuned will be seriously quick.

A BMW extended warranty is an absolute must on these cars though. BMW will extend (through mondial) but you need to check the lapse time between the warranty running out and you taking up a new one if it's an 06 car. The gap might be too long or end up costing you a lot more.

As for the D, a different drive all together but still rapid. Depends what floats your boat, drive them both and don't discount the 330i in manual form. Love it.

[briers]

Originally Posted by Tak1986

I think i still need to view/ test drive the 335d before i make a decision lol

I have spotted a 56 plate e90 335i m sport with sat nav, leather, cruise control, fbmwsh, extended warranty till july 2012, it has done 67k miles and asking for 14k. I went to view the car, interior looks mint, few parking dents and stone chips round the car, scuff at the rear bumper. I guess these are not avoidable with its age and price ?

I am guessing might be worth waiting the 'Right' one come across or add a bit of money.

Most owners here look after their motors, even stone chips are repaired and scuffs polished out and certainly dents are obscent or minimised. You can tell a lot by just looking at the wheels and perhaps body work. If the wheels look badly scuffed and the paint work too, it does put me off unless the service history is impecable. Someone who looks after their car tends to avoid curbing at all costs unless they have a stupid wife.


Hello and welcome btw

[creepy coupe]

Welcome Sam. the E92 comes with a bit more standard kit over the E90. Xenon's for one. As for the 335i/335d question. I think only you can answer that.

If you see a 335i you like, ask a dealer for the claim history on the car, you might find all the major issues have been dealt with.

[Tak1986]

Yeah may give the dealer a call to get some information.

Have viewed a e90 335i, got all the toys with it, car is good apart from the slightly high milage,it might be the reason why price is slightly lower than others

[zltm089]

welcome!...advice form the others, spot on!

[Tak1986]

Originally Posted by briers

Most owners here look after their motors, even stone chips are repaired and scuffs polished out and certainly dents are obscent or minimised. You can tell a lot by just looking at the wheels and perhaps body work. If the wheels look badly scuffed and the paint work too, it does put me off unless the service history is impecable. Someone who looks after their car tends to avoid curbing at all costs unless they have a stupid wife.


Hello and welcome btw

Thanks for you advice briers!

I just found out the car I viewed only has one key, hence I would give up thinking of that 56 plate 335i, hoping the right one will come eventually.

I do agree with your opinions

I think i would need to find out how's the D drives like before i could make up my mind and do my search haha...

i have spotted a 330i e90 in manual in low miles, any owners there could tell me their experience?

Cheers
Sam

[Mike in Hampshire]

Greetings Sam, welcome to the best source of info for BM's, as far as I can see. If you're after a 335i I would hold out for a mint one. I say that, because these cars are often owned by people who look after them properly, they cherish them. Take my 56 plate 335i SE for instance; I can honestly say it is pristine, wheels refurbed, top quality Fuchs Titan oil every 5000 miles, only washed using soft rainwater..........

And I won't be the only one with this kind of OCD

If you see a car with high miles, scuffed alloys and all, walk away unless the price is ridiculously low. There's been loads of threads here recently from guys trying to sell some excellent 335i's (e.g. see Nick999's threads)....it is definitely a buyer's market.

As for the car, all I can say is.....Wow. Brilliant value right now, fantastic to drive, easy to take to 370+ bhp. You will find some doom-mongers describing engine problems with this car, but if that worries you, get a warranty. The Quentin Willson one is supposed to be good. Personally, I run without one but my car is very low miles and I've had zero problems in the two + years I've owned it. See also m1bjr (Steve) who's on 71k with no problems.

Take your time, read lots of threads on here, find a good car...happy days!

Mike.

[zltm089]

More info on the N54 engine...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_N54

[Tak1986]

After a month of ownership of an Audi s4 4.2, I am switching to a 335i E91 pre LCI on coming Tuesday, will get some photos up soon.

[ss134]

Welcome to the forum Sam - i would wait out for a couple of months until the new F30 3 series is officaly released in the UK (February i believe). This might see the prices of used E9X models drop even more which is common when an existing model is replaced with a newer one.

[Tak1986]

Originally Posted by ss134

Welcome to the forum Sam - i would wait out for a couple of months until the new F30 3 series is officaly released in the UK (February i believe). This might see the prices of used E9X models drop even more which is common when an existing model is replaced with a newer one.

True, the F30 release going to drive the price down even more. However, I will be picking up my e91 next Tuesday, should have waited couple of months longer.

[kaishang]

I wouldn't worry about kerbing. It happens. People can still be particular about their car and kerb a wheel.

I even park at the far, unoccupied end of supermarket carparks. If I'm forced to park next to someone, I find a car to park next to that has rubber door bumper strips fitted. But for parallel parking, sometimes I get it wrong so my wheels have scuffs on them. Don't worry about it.