[tc535i]

I paid just under 15k for my 07 335i w/75k and every option available besides split rear seat

Just be sure you have enough in the bank to deal with any issues, no sense overextending yourself on a car you won't be able to afford and have to sell at a loss

[stressdoc]

Originally Posted by yamazaho

07 cars have a LOT of trouble with the engine (it's the first year with N54), so don't get yourself into possible issues down the road.

Bullshi+

IMO 07 are a great year to own for an enthusiast. Steering is awesome. Only real problems with N54 were the fuel pump and the rattling wastegate actuators, both of which are water under the bridge. All the important stuff is rock solid BMW.

[stressdoc]

Originally Posted by ///M3NACE

Why 335i? 328i is the same chassis, different engine and way less maintenance cost.

Wow. Different strokes for different folks I guess. The 335 is a serious performance car if that is what the OP is (was) looking for.

[SSW]

OP:

You can get a 2008-2009 335i w/less than 100k miles in the SF Bay Area for less than $20k. Just shop around.

I got my 2008 E90 in the SF Bay Area for $16k w/85k miles. The 2007 models aren't all "junk" but they had typical 1st year problems. The 2008 had fewer of those problems but is not problem free. The 2009 even less so.

The 2009 has the CIC vs CCC iDrive system and, if you want nav, it's supposed to be better. However, the 2008 were pre-wired for the OEM alarm system; not so the 2009's. So, if that's something you want, you'll have to pay a lot for to retrofit an alarm into a 2009 than a 2008.

Good luck!

[Scrippy]

My 07 335i coupé is a champ. The only part failure was my front turbo's wastegate at 135,000. I pulled both turbos out and had them rebuilt locally for $900. This was a time consuming job but well worth it. I upgraded the compressor. Now I could swap my turbos in 1 day if I wanted. These people are all right...almost. The N54 is the darling of BMW and it's been the baseline of newer motors in use now. The first two years of production came without 2 things that newer models have...
1- oil cooler
2-upgraded wastegate pivots and actuators.
Other than that the only difference moving forward is cosmetic. If your not going to take care of your car don't buy one. These motors can produce high power, reliability and fuel economy.

[FitzMLife]

That's not true, my 02/07 build 335i has an oil cooler.

[Delta0311]

Not to be a dick but what is your budget range and income level (just rough estimate is fine)? Right of the bat $12k for a 335 with 122k miles is a bit much. I would never buy a car with that many miles let alone a BMW since you can be setting yourself up for some costly repairs.

[ritzzzzzwik]

Get the car checked, if everything checks out right, and has a good maintenance history. I've owned one of the most notoriously unreliable cars before this-the RX8. Renowned the world over for its engine blowing failing under 40K. I finally sold mine this year at 110K miles still on the original engine - still going strong.
The difference between a reliable and unreliable care I feel is the maintenance history. Also, if a car has a good history up till about 30-40K its probably not a lemon!

That said dont be cheap on maintenance. It was 50K car when new, so when stuff breaks expect to pay what you would to fix a 50K car. These cars will not function like a Toyota/Honda, but isnt that the reason we buy these

[rick100]

I woulndt touch a N54 with that many miles unless I was planning on being a weekend car or a project car ( meaning I want to spend money on it )

I've been to 3 bmw shops where I live , they all say the same thing , do not buy a n54 335 because they are very expensive to maintain .... I know there are people here that swear they have not problem with them but I personally wouldn't risk it

On the other hand most tend to agree the n55 is more reliable , but it is also more expensive ...

[danno_rueb]

I know many people with 07's including mine and the car runs phenomenally. Make sure routine maintenance has been on par and up to date i.e.. wastegate issues, water pump to name the more major financially expensive ones.

[XM_Rocks]

Originally Posted by rick100

I woulndt touch a N54 with that many miles unless I was planning on being a weekend car or a project car ( meaning I want to spend money on it )

I've been to 3 bmw shops where I live , they all say the same thing , do not buy a n54 335 because they are very expensive to maintain .... I know there are people here that swear they have not problem with them but I personally wouldn't risk it

On the other hand most tend to agree the n55 is more reliable , but it is also more expensive ...

In court this would be hearsay.

It also makes my blood boil for people to make these comments with no first hand experience.

07-08 N54's for the most part are reliable if maintained well.

Sure there were some growing pains up front prior to the HPFP recall and revisions.

These days there are some threads with people that bought a second hand 335i not understanding that cars occasionally break and these things cost more money than their budget allows. I just spent $3k last year in preventative maitenance. My car hasn't skipped a beat... It has never broken down or left me stranded. I am also still on my original waterpump.

I think there is a large majority of 07-08 owners who don't come posting in about a trouble free year. You are hearing from a vocal minority and people that fix cars for a living. Of course the N55 is more reliable than a N54... So is any model year 2011 compared to 2007..

[rick100]

Originally Posted by XM_Rocks

In court this would be hearsay.

It also makes my blood boil for people to make these comments with no first hand experience.

07-08 N54's for the most part are reliable if maintained well.

Sure there were some growing pains up front prior to the HPFP recall and revisions.

These days there are some threads with people that bought a second hand 335i not understanding that cars occasionally break and these things cost more money than their budget allows. I just spent $3k last year in preventative maitenance. My car hasn't skipped a beat... It has never broken down or left me stranded. I am also still on my original waterpump.

I think there is a large majority of 07-08 owners who don't come posting in about a trouble free year. You are hearing from a vocal minority and people that fix cars for a living. Of course the N55 is more reliable than a N54... So is any model year 2011 compared to 2007..

ok n54 are reliable ! , you spend 3000 dollars in preventive maintenance , meaning nothing broke down but you still spent 3000 dollars on the car that is worth less than 20k.

It means you are spending 250 a month just on preventive maintenance on an old car... I ll pass . I can only imagine what would happen if something breaks on top of that .

N54 is an awesome car , I can not argue that , it has more potential than the n55 but if you are going to deny its share of problems then you are just lying to yourself. Its not normal to spend 3000$ on preventive maintenance , its actually pretty crazy , something is wrong there ...May as well put that money towards a brand new car

Sell your 335 ( 18k-20k maybe) , put it towards a downpayment for a brand new car and I bet your monthly payments would be around 3000$-4000$ a year

[sirdaft1]

I drive my '07 335i w/ 138k miles and I LOVE it. The N54 has an incredible community that has documented, worked thru and solved nearly every issue imaginable with the N54. It's not for everybody, but if you enjoy tinkering/turning a wrench, this is a fantastic, incredibly quick vehicle. But again, it may not be for everyone.

[XM_Rocks]

Originally Posted by rick100

ok n54 are reliable ! , you spend 3000 dollars in preventive maintenance , meaning nothing broke down but you still spent 3000 dollars on the car that is worth less than 20k.

It means you are spending 250 a month just on preventive maintenance on an old car... I ll pass . I can only imagine what would happen if something breaks on top of that .

N54 is an awesome car , I can not argue that , it has more potential than the n55 but if you are going to deny its share of problems then you are just lying to yourself. Its not normal to spend 3000$ on preventive maintenance , its actually pretty crazy , something is wrong there ...May as well put that money towards a brand new car

Sell your 335 ( 18k-20k maybe) , put it towards a downpayment for a brand new car and I bet your monthly payments would be around 3000$-4000$ a year

$3k in maintenance is high? Of course you never asked what I did for that. Actually I might have spent closer to $4k... Would have to check my receipts.

This is my accumulated maintenance that I decided to tackle this year. So break that amount over 7 years.. Not one.

I just did a full suspension refresh top hats, all bushings, bolts and rubber bits, all control and trailing arms and struts/shocks(Koni FSD), AT Filter and new fluid, spark plugs, oil pan gasket, serpentine belt, both idler pulleys and the tensioner, new brake fluid, rotors and pads, power steering, intake valve cleaning, coolant flush along with all hoses and diff fluid. I did some of the work myself which saved money.

When I do maintenance I do it right... I don't cut corners because I don't want my car to be some 100k mile jalopy with bits worn sagging and squeaking. Some nagging issues that annoy and tend to make you hate the car... I replace it before it becomes an issue.

So I sell my car for $15k and spend another $50k to replace my 335i with a new one and save money?

You realize that's a $35k spread? How is spending $3-4k on maintenance every 6-8 year a bad investment over a new car?

[rick100]

Originally Posted by XM_Rocks

$3k in maintenance is high? Of course you never asked what I did for that. Actually I might have spent closer to $4k... Would have to check my receipts.

This is my accumulated maintenance that I decided to tackle this year. So break that amount over 7 years.. Not one.

I just did a full suspension refresh top hats, all bushings, bolts and rubber bits, all control and trailing arms and struts/shocks(Koni FSD), AT Filter and new fluid, spark plugs, oil pan gasket, serpentine belt, both idler pulleys and the tensioner, new brake fluid, rotors and pads, power steering, intake valve cleaning, coolant flush along with all hoses and diff fluid. I did some of the work myself which saved money.

When I do maintenance I do it right... I don't cut corners because I don't want my car to be some 100k mile jalopy with bits worn sagging and squeaking. Some nagging issues that annoy and tend to make you hate the car... I replace it before it becomes an issue.

So I sell my car for $15k and spend another $50k to replace my 335i with a new one and save money?

You realize that's a $35k spread? How is spending $3-4k on maintenance every 6-8 year a bad investment over a new car?

You spent 4000 dollars in preventive which did not include other main components that are more than likely to go bad in a used car ( water pump , alternator , started , etc ,etc) that you can not do anything about because the car is old period and that is not even including the turbos which are notorious to fail in this car and the tranny or engine ( more than likely the last two would be ok unless you are abusing your car)

The OP wants to pay 15k for a used car which probably did not have any preventive maintenance done ( not the extent it should) to it because the old owner probably did not want to deal with it ( smart decision on his part) . The OP would have to spent another 4000 or so just in preventive maintenance on top of what he paid for a used car ( 7 years old) which now would bring the price of the car to 20 000 k or so.

And yes spending 4000 dollars in preventive maintenance is just crazy specially when none of the car main components (aside from suspension) have been replaced ... At least you may keep the car for long but still...

I highly doubt you are going to sell your car after spending 4000 in maintenance , unfortunately for the other people buying used 335 (year 2007 and 2008) , they are not getting cars with all these done , instead they are getting cars that the last owners did not want to spend that kind of money on...

To each its own ... Would I spent that much money in preventive maintenance , hell no!! waste of money. But I can respect you like to keep your car working properly , its your money .. Ops case is totally different , I highly doubt the last owner spent that much money before selling the car

A 335 with 122k miles is not worth more than 10-12k at the most. And I would not even have it as a daily car, more than likely it would be a track car or weekend car and I ll be ready to put money down to upgrade the car. N54 with twin turbo are without a doubt a great car to make power. So I can see why you invested so much money in preventive maintenance , but it is not normal and not for everybody to spent that much money ... Again I m not trying to bash on you but the OP case is different

I would probably jump on a N54 for cheap and high mileage if I was looking for a fun car to play with but I wouldnt recommend anyone buying one with that amount of mileage if they want it as a daily car

[vwetish]

Originally Posted by rick100

A 335 with 122k miles is not worth more than 10-12k at the most.

Very true! In my area you can buy 335i with 100k+ on the clock every day, left and right for 12k. They depreciate more then non turbo 3 series models. Pretty much the monthly payment is equal to how much depreciates. More expensive when brand new, higher the payment, cheaper to buy used, especially BMW, non M in particular.With the introduced free maintenance opportunity for these cars to be neglected presented itself. I'm referring to the free service intervals that are few and far a part. So the owner is not throwing anything into maintenance. Absolutely nothing, and buy the time time they are out of warranty are already dying at accelerated rate. That way owner try to dump them quick onto the next poor chap that didn't know better. For used car, either with low mileage, like under 50k when it will last you for a while with out major issues or over 150k when all repairs have already been done.

[G35brandon]

Wow, tough crowd lol