[MRD]

Hi,


About a year ago I bought a 15.000mile 330d E90 LCI. Really happy with the car! Great engine, really fast when you want to and I get excellent mileage out of it.
But, as it turns out, I won't be needing a 4 door saloon anymore and I would love to get a Coupe.

A mate of mine has a 335i M Sport Coupe he's trying to sell and since I drive about 6.000/7.000 miles a year, I guess Petrol wouldn't be a bad option.

I was wondering what you guys would do? Would you consider trading the 330d E90 for the 335i E92?
What about all the 35i issues I usually read about on the forum? (HPFP, etc)…

Need some advice!! My 245hp 330d runs great but I just feel like there's something missing whenever I feel like driving harder. Maybe the roar of the 35i will fix that.

Here are the main specs of each car. Could you guys give me an estimate value for each too, please.

Thanks a lot!!


My 330d Saloon LCI specs:
- 11/2008
- 25.000 Miles
- Steptronic gearbox
- 17" V-Spoke alloys
- Heated leather seats
- Xenon headlights
- Professional GPS
- 6 CD changer
- Keyless Entry
- Parking Sensors (front + rear)
- Light and Rain Sensors
- Elec. Folding Mirrors
- Elec. Sunroof
… and a few other minor things (Isofix, Sport steering wheel, etc)

The 335i M Sport Coupe I'm considering:
- 01/2009
- 28.000 Miles
- DKG gearbox
- Leather sports seats
- Xenon Headlights
- Professional GPS
- Parking Sensors (front + rear)
- Light and Rain Sensors
- Elec. Folding Mirrors
- Alarm System
… and most likely a few other extras...


Cheers!

[phil200tdi]

If it's noise and alot of extra fun you need I'd say go for it..

If you want more power, consider a remap which will take you to 290bhp ish and be comparative with a stock 335i.

I traded my previous c320cdi (mapped to 270bhp) for the 335i and never looked back - oh and I do 25,000 miles per year!!

[zltm089]

335i ..way to go!...never heard of a DKG gearbox though!...

[kaishang]

The 335i is missing a sunroof!

[m1bjr]

Like a hole in the head?

Why weaken what is a fairly stiff chassis by cutting bits out

[kaishang]

So you can drive on the beach standing up on the seat and steer it like a boat.

[kaishang]

Why blunt a performanace car with additional weight like air-con, stereo, back seat, soundproofing, carpet or headliner?

[MRD]

Thanks for the replies.

DKG is BMW's 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. Apparently it shifts instantly. I never drove a car with one but VW has had theirs for a while and everyone, from Porsche to Ferrari, seems to be heading that way.
http://www.worldcarfans.com/10801172...g-transmission

One thing that is holding me back - maybe the only one - is the engine reliability and everything I've been reading about it. I asked my mate and, according to him, the car's never had any issues so far during these 28k miles, although it was an employee's car for the first 15k.
Although it's an incredible piece of engineering, there's just so many reports, especially on the HPFP, that I'm wondering if it would be a smart move, changing from the 330d.

To all 335i owners: even with the few issues you might've had with the car, would you still go back and buy it??

I'm really leaning towards buying the 335i right now. M Sport version, silver, plenty of extras... it's a great machine! And driving 6k to 7k miles a year, the fuel cost difference wouldn't be a huge problem.

[Kerr]

Some guys have problems some don't.

The thing is with forums many people just join to seek help with problems, so often it exaggerates the problems.

I think the general advice is look for a good one, make sure you have warranty or be able to extend the warranty.

I'm just about to extend my BMW warranty and the quote was £41 a month.

[BIGTIME]

I have a 335i with 12k miles on the clock with no problems (touch wood) & I work with 2 people with around 30-40k miles and they have had no problems at all.

[zltm089]

Originally Posted by MRD

Thanks for the replies.

DKG is BMW's 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. Apparently it shifts instantly. I never drove a car with one but VW has had theirs for a while and everyone, from Porsche to Ferrari, seems to be heading that way.
http://www.worldcarfans.com/10801172...g-transmission

One thing that is holding me back - maybe the only one - is the engine reliability and everything I've been reading about it. I asked my mate and, according to him, the car's never had any issues so far during these 28k miles, although it was an employee's car for the first 15k.
Although it's an incredible piece of engineering, there's just so many reports, especially on the HPFP, that I'm wondering if it would be a smart move, changing from the 330d.

To all 335i owners: even with the few issues you might've had with the car, would you still go back and buy it??

I'm really leaning towards buying the 335i right now. M Sport version, silver, plenty of extras... it's a great machine! And driving 6k to 7k miles a year, the fuel cost difference wouldn't be a huge problem.

well....as someone who has suffered from the known issues....mixed feelings really...

because the way things turned out....I would answer YES....I would still buy my car if i could turn back time....

but thats because i had the support of a few knowledgeable people on here and BMW UK actually sympathised with me and gave me an extended warranty for another year (which the service manager of coopers cobham helped me with).

I bought the car from a BMW dealer and had the AUC warranty ...."luckily" all the issues happened within the warranty period....so i got lots of brand new expensive parts for my engine.....new pump, 6 injectors, vanos valves, software updates etc....for free...

If i were to buy another 335i NOW...

I would buy from a BMW dealer( just for the BMW warranty)

and get something in writing from the dealer principal confirming that when the known issues occur they will "look after me" properly! ...ie no charge for loan car, an M car as loan car, pick up service etc....etc....

if they start saying, ohh but not ALL 335i will suffer these issues...I would say...GREAT, THEN you don't have to worry ...and promise me that I will get an M car and some other little perks IF things go wrong...

[zltm089]

Originally Posted by Kerr

Some guys have problems some don't.

The thing is with forums many people just join to seek help with problems, so often it exaggerates the problems.

I think the general advice is look for a good one, make sure you have warranty or be able to extend the warranty.

I'm just about to extend my BMW warranty and the quote was £41 a month.

These are not just random problems....


THERE ARE KNOWN ISSUES ACROSS THE WORLD WITH THE N54 ENGINE.


yes not all 335s will suffer from those....but there is "quite a big" chance i wud say!!! no point getting into the whole probability argument thing....


I wish i saw the threads about the issues prior buying my one, i would have been more careful and be less stressed when my problems occured....

[zltm089]

forgetting the issues....

the 335i is fast and can easily be tuned to go faster....

the handling is good...very good in fact, as around the track it can easily compete with the Audi S5 (QUATTRO, 4 WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM) which has about 50bhp more than the 335i.....


get rid of the runflats, get a nice suspension/ coilover system with an lsd, a simple tune, and you hav a 400bhp coupe that will make porkys sweat on track!!!...

[sim303]

I'd say go for it. I've had no trouble with mine but I'm happier having first the AUC warranty and now the insured warranty. I don't anticipate any problems but am aware that on a car like this costs for faults can soon escalate to silly money.

The only other advice I would suggest is I personally wouldn't buy or sell a car to or from a friend. But that's just me!

sim

[Arch Stanton]

go for it, my 35i has had the usual HPFP issues, all replaced and its the best car I've ever had. Plenty quick enough, room in the back for the dogs, room for the kid, and returns 30mpg on the plod to work. Drops to low 20s when having fun though. Considered moving in to something else bit nothing I could afford came close so she's a keeper.

[m1bjr]

Originally Posted by kaishang

Why blunt a performanace car with additional weight like air-con, stereo, back seat, soundproofing, carpet or headliner?

I could sell a car without a sunroof.

But not without any of the points in your list.

At least, not in the exec market.

[m1bjr]

I run a 2006 car with 70k.
Modified, dailydriver.
No issues at all with the 'reported' weak points.

[MRD]

Yeah it's really tempting... I think BMW's Premium Selection warranty on the 335i will end in about 6 months or so. I wonder if I could get an extension on that and how much it would cost me...

I know what you guys mean about buying the car off a friend. Warranty issues do worry me. Always bought my cars at BMW dealers. This one used to be an employee's car up until 18 months ago or so. But now I'd be getting it off my mate. Price makes it even more tempting. Could easily add an extra 3k if I were getting it off a dealer.

There is still the issue of my 330d though. He's looking at getting a diesel and, although an E90 wasn't his first choice, he said he'd keep it until he'd find a buyer for it so he could get a touring later on. So I guess we might be looking at a trade here.
How much d'you think the value difference of the two cars is?

Thanks a lot everyone!!

[SO8]

I tried a Z4 35i auto and a 330d auto ... before buying the 330d. I know a Z4 35i is not a 335i but the engine is the same thus my reply

The 35i engine is without doubt a lot quicker - especially over 60mph ....but I found how often do I need that ... and with the 330d being so quick in it's own right in LCI form I opted for that.

Try both back to back - I didn't like the 'dsg' style gearbox one bit when I tried this engine in the Z4 .... maybe it's different in the 335i or a normal auto still ?

Sound wise there is no contest but from a personal point of view as someone who does 9K a year I still preferred the 330d .... something that amazed my mates but there you go - I bought what I preferred and it is all I need in fun whilst being frugal

FWIW I find the only way to engine twisty B roads is using the paddles though as the auto box is too slow and does what it thinks not necessarily what you want

[pjs]

I went from a e90 330d to a e92 335i. And I do a lot of miles. Even though I've had a few issues, I've rarely regretted the move. The 330d was very good, but the 335i has a fantastic engine and a great sound.

[MRD]

The car I'm looking at is Jan. 2009 machine. Just over 2 years. Wonder where it stands on the whole HPFP version and turbo software that's been mentioned on another 335i thread. Any ideas?

No doubt it's an awesome machine! I'm starting to think reason will have little to do with my decision on this deal. My 330d works great, couldn't ask for more out of it. But it's just not enough I guess... It's an almost perfect machine but it lacks a bit of soul.
I was standing next to a 335i at a traffic light today and just stayed back listening to its sound driving away... beautiful!


How much d'you reckon my 330d and my mate's 335i are worth with the specs I mentioned on my original post?

[335iLondon]

Do it.

I smile eveytime im in the car and the revs creep over aprox 4k
Sod the cost and risk, all in its a great package. I take great pleasure in the fact most people think its a boggo 3er with 200 odd bhp.
But when you wind out the 370 break you can catch alot of cars off guard. And I would say the usability of the power is what makes it one of the quickest cars you will ever need in the UK.
I regularly have to remind myself to slow down as the speed just piles on effortlessly in 6th at a cruise, one twitchy foot and you (not me of course ) can find yourself in some very naughty speeds
Did i mention the noise?