[raspbrypi]

Hey all. Hope this is in the right subforum. I’m coming across some money soon, and I plan to put towards my car. I currently have a 2011 328i E90 Base trim with 141k miles. It’s pretty beat up, hasn’t had the valve cover done, belt, oil filter housing, or oil pan gasket done. It has a minor coolant leak, a really fucked up exterior (cosmetically), a bent rear subframe, bald rear tires, and absolutely destroyed rims from curb rash. I’m comfortable with getting all the repairs done myself and have quoted parts and tools to about $3000 (most likely not that much but i’d rather be safe than sorry). I’ve been doing some research and I could either do all that or just get a new to me B48 F30 and have a fresh start. I mostly want the F30 for its newer tech and more features. The B48 is also really appealing because this is my daily driver and economy is important to me (it also makes more power stock than my N51!) One thing i know i’ll miss for sure if i got a F30 is the “is your power steering broken or something?” handling that my E90 has. Im leaning towards getting an F30 because i’m worried i might put all this money into the E90 and end up not liking it or having something severe happen that renders the car totaled. I have a couple of months to make a decision, so im just doing my research and looking for opinions right now.

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Have you driven an F30? If you're okay with how it drives, it might be a good deal to get a newer model in a better shape.
If you prefer the E90 (especially for things like steering feel), it might be better to find a better example - lower milage, better condition, common maintenance issues already fixed.
Fixing your current E90 is probably cheapest in the short term, but as it ages and accumulates more miles it will get more expensive and time consuming to maintain. Don't forget the time and hassle cost of issues, especially if the problem stops you from being able to drive the car.

[lordnikon]

The brakes on the standard F30 also sucks compared to E90.

[Efthreeoh]

If your E90 is an automatic and has that many issues and you want a less analog car, I'd go with a later model 3-series. I'm no fan of the F30, but the LCI versions have improved steering and brakes as compared to the 2012 - 2014 versions. Outside of a project car/build, IMO, at this point in time, the only E90's worth bringing back from the dead are manual transmission, sport package models, or a manual M3 (maybe an automatic M3...). I'd also say with the N51, you have to have concern over the emissions performance if you live in Cali. If your coolant leak is in the radiator, the N51 radiator is very expensive due to the coating and sensor it has.

And a rear bent subframe? How'd that happen and what is the condition of the suspension components?

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

If your E90 is an automatic and has that many issues and you want a less analog car, I'd go with a later model 3-series. I'm no fan of the F30, but the LCI versions have improved steering and brakes as compared to the 2012 - 2014 versions. Outside of a project car/build, IMO, at this point in time, the only E90's worth bringing back from the dead are manual transmission, sport package models, or a manual M3 (maybe an automatic M3...). I'd also say with the N51, you have to have concern over the emissions performance if you live in Cali. If your coolant leak is in the radiator, the N51 radiator is very expensive due to the coating and sensor it has.

And a rear bent subframe? How'd that happen and what is the condition of the suspension components?

Good advice!!!

[TekkaMaki]

While I love my E90 & it would be on my short list, I would open my search to Volvo, Acura, Lexus & Mercedes. The I6 Turbo Volvo wagons are sweet, but honestly it depends what is available in your local market.

I like older, garaged, low miles cars & the availability of these is very limited, so I must look at multiple brands.

My '$13k 2011 e90 has 40k miles, but It's a n51 Xdrive, GM automatic. I could easily get 10 years of reliability from a car like this -driving my 6k miles a year.

A car concierge service can help you find a great car for a good deal. We have previously used Authority Auto out of Los Angeles with great results- even though we live North of Seattle.

https://www.authorityauto.com/

[raspbrypi]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

If your E90 is an automatic and has that many issues and you want a less analog car, I'd go with a later model 3-series. I'm no fan of the F30, but the LCI versions have improved steering and brakes as compared to the 2012 - 2014 versions. Outside of a project car/build, IMO, at this point in time, the only E90's worth bringing back from the dead are manual transmission, sport package models, or a manual M3 (maybe an automatic M3...). I'd also say with the N51, you have to have concern over the emissions performance if you live in Cali. If your coolant leak is in the radiator, the N51 radiator is very expensive due to the coating and sensor it has.

And a rear bent subframe? How'd that happen and what is the condition of the suspension components?

Sorry. Bimmerpost didn’t send me notifications for any if these replies so i just saw this. After some thought, it’s probably best for me financially to just get the subframe done, and the coolant leak fixed then just drive the car until it dies. The coolant leak is coming from the connection where the upper radiator hose breaks out to the heater core. Bent subframe is a long story, but the suspension is fixed and the only problem is the subframe itself. Its still perfectly drivable, but the alignment isn’t perfect, i’ve determined the only problem i’ll be dealing with long term is uneven tire wear.