[8262S]

Hello.

We have a 2022 G80 and love it. My son and I have been to Road America and want to do more track days. I also want a more analogue manual car and we have been looking for E46 328's and 330i's (tons of them out there, but manuals are hard to find).

We happened across a local 2011 335xi manual that is for sale.

This 335xi has 157,000 miles. The current owner put 75,00 miles on it over the past few years as his daily driver (he does lots of road trips). No external body rust. Some small dents, but it otherwise looks good and fits our "not too pretty to have fun with" mission.

When the current owner got it, it had on a set of 740 staggered wheels. The previous owner did not get the correct tire sizes. Last year the current owner said that the front diff seized. Last summer he had the front diff replaced with an OEM diff at a very reputable local race shop. The car is currently on the OEM (18") wheels that have been coated black. I have no interest in getting the 740 wheels and would probably put on a set of square APEX ARC-8's as summer wheels. The current OEM wheels have Blizzacks mounted at the moment, and they would continue to be the winter wheels.

The previous owner also installed coil overs, which are believed to be Megan Racing. We got a ride in the car and it feels like a skateboard. The current owner thinks there are some coil and damping adjustments that could be made to improve the ride. (My comparison here is the comfort, sport, and track settings of the G80 which might not be a fair comparison.) I am amendable to spending some money to upgrade the coil overs or suspension if I can't get the current coil overs dialed in.

The current owner installed a downpipe, cat delete, and a Cobb Accessport. He runs the Cobb 1+ tune, and has not gone any more aggressive. The dash throws an engine code which he said is due to the cat delete. Apparently we can update the Accessport and permanently clear that code. The car has replacement mufflers (unknown type) and sounds really good.

The current owner also put in a new cooling system (water pump and hoses) as he was chasing a coolant leak and just decided to replace all the hoses. A high pressure fuel pump was installed last year, and recently an oil filter housing adapter.

There is a slight grind going into second gear if the shift is forced. This is a recent issue. The seller thinks that it could be a second gear synchro issue. I have done some research and if this becomes a problem, it will require a replacement transmission. (How much would that cost and is it something some newbie home mechanics can do?) When we got a ride, it shifted into second smoothly as long as the rev's were matched. We were told that there is no issue shifting into second as long as rev's were matched. How big of a deal is this? If we drive it properly and match the rev's, will this mitigate any synchro issue? Or is this transmission eventually going to need to be replaced?

The seller says that the engine and drivetrain are otherwise fantastic.

The car comes with extra parts including a new radiator, tie rod ends, and a brand new set of 18" Conti summer tires. The sway bar was removed when the previous owner lowered it, but the current ride height would probably allow it to be reinstalled.

We are looking for a car that has not been completely molested, but don't want one that is pristine (too expensive, and we would be reluctant to do anything to it). This seems to fit what we are looking for, and I think we can get it for a good price. We would get a pre-buy inspection from the indy shop we have been with for many years and trust.

Getting an xDrive would allow us to use this in the winter and keep our G80 out of the serious crud. Following salt trucks after a snow storm in a G80 is not something I want to continue. We daily drive the G80 and don't baby it, but I want to keep it rust free if we can.

QUESTIONS:

Based on the description above, are there any significant areas of concern or things to watch out for in this model?

Could some new home mechanics handle a transmission swap? Apparently it's also a good idea to do the clutch while in there.

Would an xDrive be a good novice and intermediate track car? I ran the G80 in AWD, 4WS, and RWD at Road America. I just don't know how the standard xDrive performs. Is it still going to be a neutral to oversteer balanced car? Can you still kick the rear end out in a corner with an xDrive? (I know I definitely can in the G80 in 4WS MDM.)

Is there anything else that I should be thinking about here? We are not home mechanics, but between my son and I are willing to learn and would like to start doing bigger projects.

Thanks!

[8262S]

Anyone...?

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

[fastboatster]

As much as I love my 2011 335i, I would not use it on the track, at least not without something like accusump installed. See 1 series forums about oil starvation issues at the track.
There’s also a potential rod bearings wear issue, ig affects different cars in a different way, but at 157kmiles I would replace them before even thinking of going to the track

[mecheng77]

I would get a 328i with the N52,
Bulletproof reliable and people
Have tracked them reliably.

The N55 needs oil pan baffles for track use or you can spin the bearings and will never be as reliable as a n52. Rwd is much simpler than awd and I use mine in the snow with winter tires.

[8262S]

Thank you!

This 335xi would be 99% street and daily driving.

I would guess we do maybe 2-3 track days next year.

Presuming we install a sump with baffles, and look at the tie rods and general condition of the car, do these handle well on the track?

We are beginning novice track drivers just looking to have fun with our DD.

And I have put my G80 in RWD with Alpin 5 snow tires and it is a bit dicey trying to get around in everyday traffic.

I see this car as being more biased toward what we are realistically going to be doing with it. Which is enjoying it on the street.

[Canuck335]

I had to replace my transmission a couple years ago because it wouldn’t go into reverse.
A rebuild was quoted at $4k so be aware these aren’t cheap.
The transmission is a bit unique because they didn’t sell many of these, so finding them at a wrecker can also be a challenge.

The second gear issue you describe sounds like an abuse issue. When I was talking to the rebuilder he said slamming the transmission into 1st without fully depressing the clutch will cause the sleeves to crack and eventually fail. Which is why he recommended a full rebuild. My reverse issue was actually due to the sleeve being designed as thin and lightweight. He had seen several of them. I got lucky and found one at a wrecker 2000 miles away, but they shipped it directly to my mechanic so it was a hassle free repair. Still cost about $3k all in.

[8262S]

Thanks everyone.

I drove the car tonight. It is a fun car to drive. We will have to play with the coil over settings which are clunky up front. But that is something we can mess with. The car was very tight and responsive. I love hydraulic steering!

But the big issue is the transmission. I am getting a quote for a replacement, and I think the seller is going to negotiate that off of the price. It was very clear that something needs to be done. If you go very gently, it will slide into second, but it pretty much means the car cannot be driven in a spirited way (even rev matched it will grind going into second). I will likely pay out of pocket to get a new clutch installed while that work is being done.

We are also getting a pre-buy inspection. Then we can see if we can arrive at a price to purchase.

SO, TELL ME ABOUT THESE OIL PAN BAFFLES OR SUMPS PLEASE! This might be something that the shop can easily do if they swap the transmission.

We kind'a like this car! The transmission (with the exception of second) shifted like butter. It will be interesting to see if we can make this work so both buyer and seller are happy.

EDIT:

I am documenting my research here. Looks like 40 psi is the target oil pressure that will protect the engine in hard left hand turns. 40 rpm at low rpm up to 65 psi at higher rpm.

https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1914641

Accusump install. Baffles require dropping the subframe (at least on a 1 series).

https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1752666

N5x oiling issues and Accusump (E90 forum must not like this website -- ***********)

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