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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > Help Buying a 3 Series



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      05-07-2012, 07:58 AM   #1
greye92
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Question Help Buying a 3 Series

Hi everyone,

Im in a delama, i am not sure which one of the 3 series model is going to treat me right.

I personaly like to buy a 2006-2007 335I but as per the searches i have done, this model will give me alot of problems with the high pressure fuel pump, and again its got 2 turbos which could break and its an extra thing to fix on a car. But all in all i love the original power and the power gain on this model.

My second choice so far is a 330i, if i cant find a clean one for a good price then i might settle for a 328 or even a 325. What do you guys think of these models?


Please let me know what you think of these models, I dont want to buy something and break my pocket after as the costs for repairing kill.

and by the way, what parts have you guys changed on your cars and what have they costed you?

Thanks in advance.

:thumbup:
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      05-07-2012, 08:01 AM   #2
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Get the 335i but make sure it has a warranty. Remember that the fuel pump has the additional 10 year warranty PLUS there is that class action lawsuit. The 335i would be able to get a good tune and It'll be much more beneficial than the non tuned 330i
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      05-07-2012, 08:30 AM   #3
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I haven't had one problem with my 07 E92 335i, and absolutely LOVE it. It was recalled for the updated coding and HPFP replacement, but that didn't cost me anything.
You aren't going to have "lots of problems" with a 335i. But if that's your initial impression, then don't get one because you're never going to be comfortable and will just be waiting for "something" to go wrong.
Get a 328 and be comfortable with your choice.
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      05-07-2012, 08:48 AM   #4
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Trust me get a 335i.

You wont regret it. Yes you can read about it giving you problems but just make sure you get one that is CPO. Trust me I had a 2006 325 in the past and my girl has a 2011 328 and NOTHING is like my 335.

You will always hear the bad over the good because when people are upset about something they voice it more. There are plenty of people on these forums with 335s that have 120+K miles on it and the car is still running very strong.

It is a good car just have to take care of her and she will take care of you back

Best of luck with whatever you choose.
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      05-07-2012, 09:29 AM   #5
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Thank you so much guys for your thoughts and information about the 335i.

By the way what do you mean by CPO? I currently can only afford buying a 2007, what do you guys feel about the 07 since it was the first year they came out with the N54 engine. any changes after this year that made the engine better?

Regards

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Originally Posted by EuroE92 View Post
Trust me get a 335i.

You wont regret it. Yes you can read about it giving you problems but just make sure you get one that is CPO. Trust me I had a 2006 325 in the past and my girl has a 2011 328 and NOTHING is like my 335.

You will always hear the bad over the good because when people are upset about something they voice it more. There are plenty of people on these forums with 335s that have 120+K miles on it and the car is still running very strong.

It is a good car just have to take care of her and she will take care of you back

Best of luck with whatever you choose.
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      05-07-2012, 09:44 AM   #6
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CPO means Certified Pre-Owned. Its a designation used to indicate the car has a manufacturer's limited extended warranty. Most car manufacturers have some type of CPO program. They inspect, then certify the car and give it an extended warranty over the original warranty. This is not a 3rd party warranty, but one offered directly by the manufacturer.

I don't believe much change, if any, were made to the engines post-2007. Some may argue that, but even 2011 models have HPFP failures.

For me personally, I'd skip on a 2007 purely because its pre-LCI which means that model has the goofy looking front grill. Look at a pre-LCI 3-series and a post-LCI 3-series and you'll see what I mean.

You are definitely going to have more maintenance concerns with a turbo car and it sounds like this is very concerning to you. So based on that, I think you'd be better off with a 328i. A 330i is going to put you in an older car, probably too old. And since a 328i is cheaper than an equivalent 335i you will likely be able to get one that is newer than 2007 with more features over a 335i.
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      05-07-2012, 09:50 AM   #7
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2006 335?

If your looking at 325s and 330s, you don't have the money to fix a 335 when it breaks. And you don't have the money to look at a 335 with a warranty. Don't get a 335 on your budget.
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      05-07-2012, 10:22 AM   #8
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335 has risks but high performance
328 and 325 look the part and can be dressed up, but don't perform
330i is a balance.

you need to figure out how important performance is to you. they all handle very similar with the same chassis and suspension package.

realistically top speed should not matter because we cant drive at 100+mph on our interstates with any frequency.

the only factor becomes acceleration. how bad do you need the ability to get up to speed quickly?

do you do a lot of passing? highway driving? city? stop and go? all of those have different acceleration needs.

me personally... i do not drive around with the gas pedal floored unless i am on an on ramp or trying to pass someone. for this reason i would not benefit from a 335. i would like that extra acceleration but not to the point it is worth spending money and having reliability issues.

don't buy more car than you need, especially if you will have more shit that breaks.
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      05-07-2012, 10:45 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mike3000fl View Post
335 has risks but high performance
328 and 325 look the part and can be dressed up, but don't perform
330i is a balance.

you need to figure out how important performance is to you. they all handle very similar with the same chassis and suspension package.

realistically top speed should not matter because we cant drive at 100+mph on our interstates with any frequency.

the only factor becomes acceleration. how bad do you need the ability to get up to speed quickly?

do you do a lot of passing? highway driving? city? stop and go? all of those have different acceleration needs.

me personally... i do not drive around with the gas pedal floored unless i am on an on ramp or trying to pass someone. for this reason i would not benefit from a 335. i would like that extra acceleration but not to the point it is worth spending money and having reliability issues.

don't buy more car than you need, especially if you will have more shit that breaks.
said perfectly.


i have a 328. yea, sometimes i feel that buyers remorse because i want the 335, but at the end of the day i know what my pocket could handle. id rather have a newer/more feature-packed 328, than an older, less featured, 335. I just don't NEED the speed that often. I have a 6MT so i get my fun out of that.

Also, I still turn heads.
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      05-07-2012, 12:47 PM   #10
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I dont know how all the warranty thingys go for different model yrs of 335's, But ya even when you do have warranty its ticking time bomb lol. Id definitely have 2nd car to drive if I had one.
The 330i is great and really reliable specially the 06 with inline 6 engine. Expand your search to 500 miles via car sites and see what you find. I found mine for 3k under bluebook and I flew to get mine and drive it back. Even with all that cost it was really worth it for clean nice 330i.
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      05-07-2012, 01:46 PM   #11
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I have a 330i and love it. It doesn't have the acceleration of the 335i, but it's plenty for me and it's a very fun drive.

If I were you I would drive a 330i and a 335i and see which one I like better and then do a personal cost-benefit analysis.
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      05-07-2012, 02:05 PM   #12
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If your worried about fixing something and you cant buy a CPO, then try Carmax. They offer warranties on their purchases for about 2k and they last 6 years and untill the car reaches 150k miles
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      05-07-2012, 02:24 PM   #13
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      05-07-2012, 02:29 PM   #14
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since you're on bimmerpost & everyone here loves their car more than the standard owner, i assume you'll do some aftermarket mods to your car. in that case, get the 335i, it's got a lot more power and is just has some much more bmw-ness (ultimate driving experience feel) than the 328/330. with just a tune, you can get your power up to 320 whp/330 wtq (and it's a noticable difference compared to stock).


bottom line: its a BMW 3-series so you really cant go wrong
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      05-07-2012, 03:23 PM   #15
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335i with warrant or 330i without....cant go wrong with either 3 series tbh
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      05-07-2012, 03:30 PM   #16
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You can't afford a 335i, now or to maintain. The car you need is the 330ci. The C stands for coupe. These are sporty and reliable:
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      05-07-2012, 04:15 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by djjasper View Post
You can't afford a 335i, now or to maintain. The car you need is the 330ci. The C stands for coupe. These are sporty and reliable:
Exactly!



335s are being depreciated.

When 335s are depreciated, they fall into the hands of people that can't afford the maintenance or repairs.

When people who cannot afford the maintenance or repairs buy them, they are neglected.

When 335s are neglected, they get angry.

When 335s get angry, the turbo blows.

Don't blow your turbo, buy a 325/28/30. 325s start as low as $11k.
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      05-08-2012, 07:14 AM   #18
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Hahaha, very well said all. I like all comments.
To be honest i work hard for my money, so just like all of you out there that work hard for your money, i like to spend my money where im not gonna have to so often, at the same time i am in love with the 335i cause of its aggressiveness, response, exhaust tone, which it will all be modified at some point after i buy one. I can afford repairs, but i have heard too many nagging about the 335i turbo, hpfp, ... problems. This is why im asking everyone to see what their experiences have been like with their 07-09 335i. If comments are bad i will settle for a 330i or even down to 325i. To be honest i don't floor my gas pedal all day but i think im in that age were i feel that its time for my hard works to pay off, for that reason id like to get a 335i so that i can floor the pedal on a ramp to the highway or passing a car once in a while (Once a day! lol) that's all.

I think I will be more realistic now and go test drive the 335i, 330i, 328i, and the 325i to see the difference and see where i can settle. Im thinking as of now i would not be able to settle down for less than a 330i, but ill know soon once i get behind a wheel of one.

Cheers.
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      05-08-2012, 05:59 PM   #19
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I have an 07 335 with ZERO problems since i got it back 5 years ago. Its been tuned and FBO as well. These problems that the 335 have are really blown out of proportion as the only people you really hear about is the few that have issues with their vehicle. Get the 335, tune it and enjoy.
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      05-08-2012, 06:03 PM   #20
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One small point, the 335's don't have Valvetronic and the 328's do, so you won't have to worry about replacing the Valvetronic (stepper motor).
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      05-08-2012, 06:08 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ndog14
Quote:
Originally Posted by djjasper View Post
You can't afford a 335i, now or to maintain. The car you need is the 330ci. The C stands for coupe. These are sporty and reliable:
Exactly!



335s are being depreciated.

When 335s are depreciated, they fall into the hands of people that can't afford the maintenance or repairs.

When people who cannot afford the maintenance or repairs buy them, they are neglected.

When 335s are neglected, they get angry.

When 335s get angry, the turbo blows.

Don't blow your turbo, buy a 325/28/30. 325s start as low as $11k.
Are you a voice behind directv commercials?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93CsOgvNUoE
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      05-09-2012, 11:06 AM   #22
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I agree with most of the ppl here on 335 being a great car.
I bought 328 since i didnt know about much difference between 328 and 335..lol.
Since I bought used and plan to keep it for longer time, I'm happy to have non-turbo and pretty much satisfied with the 328 6MT power.
I would suggest, test drive both the cars and then list down your priorities.
After all these are BMWs, you cant go wrong with anyone.
328, 330 or 335 - If its used and 4-5-6 year old, always expect some maintenance.
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