[cowell.daniel]

I'm new to the forum, and looking for some general information. I'm looking to upgrade my current car, and was thinking a used BMW might be a good idea. I drive about 88 km (about 55 miles) a day, commuting mostly on the highway. I'm looking at a 2011 328i with xDrive, it has about 97,000 km (about 61,000 miles). I'm unsure what maintenance has been completed on it, and to be truthful have only see pictures online.

As owners, in your experience how reliable is this vintage of E90? I don't have a huge budget for maintenance, but I also don't mind doing some repairs myself as I've had plenty of experience with two other vehicles I've owned (both domestic).

Any advice anyone would have in regards to what to look for when shopping, basic maintenance guidelines, and overall reliability would be great.

Thank for your help!

[nsjames]

i purchased a 100K mile e91.

aside from changing all the fluids this is the parts list in 40K miles.

valve cover
eccentric shaft sensor
drive belt/tensioner
starter

if you are diy savvy, not expensive to own, and pretty much everything has been documented on the internet.
if you're paying someone for those repairs, it's about 2 grand worth.

only the starter left me stranded, and I changed it in a parking lot 2 states away with the tool set I had in the back.

[cowell.daniel]

Thanks for the info. How do you find parts availability? Do you end up finding a specialty "European" shop, or would a local autoparts store (Napa, Pepboys, etc) have what you need?

[nsjames]

i live in the middle of nowhere.

I order parts online.

though the autozone near where I broke down had the starter in stock. Triple a dropped me there. I replaced the starter and was on my way.

[dakotap80]

Depends what parts you're after but for the most part they're not too hard to come by, E90's are pretty common cars. If it's not absolutely imperative to buy your parts at a parts store, sites like ECS tuning and FCP Euro are pretty popular and usually have fair prices on OEM parts. Anecdotally, my old 2006 330i that my dad now drives has been rock solid since it's been in our family, the N52 engine gets great mileage when commuting while also being satisfying in the power department. Like any modern BMW, you'll need to pay extra attention to keeping them maintained well, but it's very very rare that they'll leave you stranded if you do. The common items that need replaced have been mentioned above, especially the valve cover gasket and eccentric shaft sensor. The water pump also usually fails around 70-80k miles for most people, so if you do pull the trigger on this one at 61k miles it wouldn't be a bad idea to replace it preventatively, as that's one of the very few things that can fail without warning and leave you stranded.

[Bmwneedsworkagain]

BMW reliability is generally lower than Japanese. Conventional wisdom is to avoid Xdrive models as there are more things to go wrong and more maintenance.

[Gamb1t]

Generally the most reliable e9x would be non-turbo rwd models. Preferably the least any of electronics the better!
There's nothing like owning and driving an unfettered back to basics RWD BMW sports sedan.

[Bmw_Crazy]

Originally Posted by cowell.daniel

I'm new to the forum, and looking for some general information. I'm looking to upgrade my current car, and was thinking a used BMW might be a good idea. I drive about 88 km (about 55 miles) a day, commuting mostly on the highway. I'm looking at a 2011 328i with xDrive, it has about 97,000 km (about 61,000 miles). I'm unsure what maintenance has been completed on it, and to be truthful have only see pictures online.

As owners, in your experience how reliable is this vintage of E90? I don't have a huge budget for maintenance, but I also don't mind doing some repairs myself as I've had plenty of experience with two other vehicles I've owned (both domestic).

Any advice anyone would have in regards to what to look for when shopping, basic maintenance guidelines, and overall reliability would be great.

Thank for your help!

I have my e90 xdrive about six years now no issues 145000 miles the only thing I did about a month ago was the starter... Just avoid the turbo models and you will be ok

[phillycx]

I have 2009 328i N52 sedan that I bought with about 24,000 miles on it in 2012 I believe. I have done regular maintenance which includes some repairs that I read as "regular maintenance" on these cars. Below are some of the repairs that I have done that will give you a good sense on what you may spend with ownership. I hope this helps:

* Recalls completed: Blower Motor Wiring and Positive Crankcase Ventilation (pcv) Valve Heater (12/7/18)
* Transmission fluid, pan gasket and filter change (106,215 miles) 11/23/18 $610
* Thermostat and water pump $690 Replaced; Oil change; rear brakes and rotors ($95 + 395) Replaced 8/11/18 Total $1180
* Head cover gasket, coil packs x6 , spark plugs x6 (NGK) and rear passenger door actuator replaced 4/4/18 ($1260)
* Passenger rear spindle and axle bolts replaced; alignment 4/5/18 ($1203 paid by insurance)
* Front rotors and pads 2/3/18 ($470)
* Oil filter housing gasket 1/28/18 ($273)
* Rear shocks (B)[Bilstein B4], shock mounts (B), Upper/lower control arms (Passenger) 1/25/18 (paid by insurance)

[Pladi]

Originally Posted by cowell.daniel

I'm new to the forum, and looking for some general information. I'm looking to upgrade my current car, and was thinking a used BMW might be a good idea. I drive about 88 km (about 55 miles) a day, commuting mostly on the highway. I'm looking at a 2011 328i with xDrive, it has about 97,000 km (about 61,000 miles). I'm unsure what maintenance has been completed on it, and to be truthful have only see pictures online.

As owners, in your experience how reliable is this vintage of E90? I don't have a huge budget for maintenance, but I also don't mind doing some repairs myself as I've had plenty of experience with two other vehicles I've owned (both domestic).

Any advice anyone would have in regards to what to look for when shopping, basic maintenance guidelines, and overall reliability would be great.

Thank for your help!

If you dont do your own work stay away from any e90.

[Efthreeoh]

Buying any used car is a risk. I generally like to buy new so I know what I'm getting and any manufacturing defects get vetted via the warranty. But as far as the E90 goes built with an N52 engine, the cars are pretty much tanks. Like any BMW, they have issues, which most all are common to the model, and now 13 years since its introduction, have been well documented and DIY'd on the internet (especially here at E90 Post). So you're not going in completely blind.

BMW's are incredibly supported on the internet; you have realOEM.com that is a fantastic parts look-up resource and newtis.com as an online manufacturer's repair database. I can't think of another brand this well supported. Back in the day we had to attain such info from "friends" at the dealership...

All I can say about the E90 is, I've driven mine as a daily driver for over 12 years. Over 11 of those years has been 175 miles round trip a day. However, I'm a serious DIY'er and invested heavily in my own shop facilities, but you can reach half of my mileage at I think a very affordable price. What I will say, after 30 years of owning BMWs, the expensive parts such as the engine, transmission, differentials, and axles rarely break and require full replacement. If you want to own a BMW and take it to high miles, it is best to be able to DIY, and you must learn to resist over-maintaining these cars. They really do not need the level of maintenance you can read about on line that some owners give them.

Good luck with finding a car.

[Bilbofraggins]

Originally Posted by Pladi

If you dont do your own work stay away from any e90.

I somewhat agree.

BMW in Canada have a really good program whereby they will complete a detailed inspection and give a years NA roadside for 60 CAD dollars.

We have had a basic 2008 323i runabout since new. Been a great car..and still is. In my sons hands for the last 4+ years.

At last years inspection, a laundry list of wear items was detected - the dealer cost to fix was 7K... on a vehicle worth 8K. First time anything other than oil, filters, plugs and fluids.

We fixed it for 2K. Only a shift shaft seal was passed to my Indy. And another 1200 bucks this year... the vehicle is in superb shape.

I echo what’s been said, but we have a great Indy shop which helps keep the cost of ownership and hassle next to zero.

At 160k this vehicle is as good as new.

I don’t know if it is suited to be dragged behind an RV but that may be its future as I consider such a purchase.

So with a good Indy to turn to if needed...and outfits like Rock Auto...the Non Turbo E90s, RWD and Standard tranny has proved it’s worth and does so everyday.

[Needbmwpartzz]

Buy if checks out....and DIY the bejeezusus out it... solid car!

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by skydiver1921

BMW reliability is generally lower than Japanese. Conventional wisdom is to avoid Xdrive models as there are more things to go wrong and more maintenance.

mine is xdrive.

I've never touched it other than changing the VTG fluid.

it does get 2mpg less.

but I also drove through 12-14" of unplowed snow last month.

compromises.

[6ixSpd]

You're looking at a model that is one of the best modern BMWs for reliability so that's good. At that mileage, budget $700 CAD or so for water pump and thermostat kit. 328 pumps usually last til about 150k KM so you may still be good for a while. Mine lasted until 250k (!).

Other than that, just some fluids (oil, transfer case, ATF) and budget for a valve cover gasket job.

Seeing as you're DIY capable, this engine is extremely easy to work on and there is a wealth of information on how to perform these routine maintenance and repairs on these forums and YouTube etc.

If the car is clean and you like it, go for it! E9X 328s are incredible bang for the buck on the used market right now.