[fiche335]

I've recently become the proud owner of an e91 335i and I thought I'd post up my reactions after the first couple of months and 3000 miles of ownership.

I must stress that my car is substantially modified (ex Doughboy) and I have no experience of an unmodified 335.

I'd identified that I wanted a manual e91 LCI 335i that I would then add a quaife LSD and Birds B3-3.5 suspension. The first problem was upon finding out how rare manual e91's are, I'd been looking for around 9 months by now. After a chance comment on this forum I was contacted by another forum user offering me his car which had the correct spec and all of the mods I wanted albeit in a colour I wasn't too keen on and a touch older than I'd originally wanted.

To cut a long story short, we settled on a deal and I had what I thought was the ideal car.

Within about 4 weeks of taking ownership I took the car to the Italian Lakes for the family holiday. Four up, fully loaded the car soaked up the journey down the French autoroutes cruising beautifully at about 90mph. I was a bit concerned that the B3 suspension might be a bit harsh but the comfort is remarkable, so much more compliant than the Focus ST that I used to have.

Once up in the mountains the M3 suspension arms really made themselves felt with fantastic turn in response. Hairpins could be taken without the need to move my hands off the wheel and the torque from the engine meant I rarely had to change out of 4th gear. The quaife LSD helped by the soft damping at the rear generates amazing grip and traction out of the hairpins, even when damp but the body is always totally controlled.

The engine.....what a thing. It's got the JB4, decat pipes, intercooler and DCI. It has incredible torque but will rev right to the red line without breaking sweat. It's so smooth but also has a lovely rasp to it. I had one of the last E36 M3 evo saloons a few years ago which had a great engine but (helmet on) I prefer the N54. Sure you lose a little throttle response and top end bite, but for everyday driving I'll take the torque of a turbo. You can make such quick progress without feeling like you're having to try too hard. As a bonus, after 2600 miles of motorways and mountain passes, all with four people in it returned 30.4mpg.

I'm glad I held out for the manual box (with CDV delete) as the changes are as snappy and precise as any BMW box I've used.

So all in all, I'm not sure if I've conveyed my feelings. Do I love this car....yes. To coin a post from here a few months ago. 335i...best car in the world? For me, at the moment YES. I've grown to appreciate the colour as one of the things I love about this car is it's anonymity and silver really helps. The only downside was that someone decided to give me a coachline down one side. The b*****d got both wings and doors with a quoted cost of over £900 to put right.

Thanks to this forum, it's full of really good information and it's where I did all of my research.

Thanks also to Doughboy to building my ideal car then looking after it for me! You we're right about the colour.

[E90325iM-SPORT]

Wow what a car

[fiche335]

Thanks, it was well worth the patience it took finding it.

[dest]

Sometimes I think I should of got a 335i instead of my 330d....
I do know that it will be my next car though!

[Alex.J]

Absoluetly beautiful!!

The spec sounds great and i bet it is the true definition of 'ultimate driving machine'

I am in the silver e91 msport club, albeit alittle further down the ranks!

I hate silver cars, but an e91 in silver, just seems great! Love it!

[TheCake]

Originally Posted by fiche335

This. Is. Ace.

[AWBimmer]

Brilliant read and great write up!

[mob17]

You really did well to get doughboy's machine. Well looked after and excellent mods. Jealous!

[fiche335]

Originally Posted by mob17

You really did well to get doughboy's machine. Well looked after and excellent mods. Jealous!

Yes, I think I snook in under the radar. I can imagine I've upset a few people!!

Thanks for all the comments, I'm a serial lurker on forums and I thought I'd offer my impressions of a fantastic car. If it helps someone else take the plunge then great.

[zltm089]

Originally Posted by mob17

You really did well to get doughboy's machine. Well looked after and excellent mods. Jealous!

plus one!

Although I'm not a big fan of tourers, DB's car has been well looked after and has top quality mods.

Enjoy the 335!

[1sh@Crystalwhite]

Congratulations! and gorgeous shots!

[breathe3asy]

Truly stunning pics man!

[fiche335]

Originally Posted by ceaton88

Truly stunning pics man!

Thanks. The wife wasn't too happy that I kept stopping to photograph the car and not the children!

[achu]

great read and great pictures i've never seen an e91 335i! well done on the find

[Shere]

Great looking car mate, and I love the pics!

[Tak1986]

Nice LCI Touring with the 335i in! mine is a pre-lci one

[Ste133]

Very nice indeed! Would love one of these one day.

[AdamC]

Good write up and great pictures.
This really is a great car!

[Josh1a1h]

Thanks for that read!

Doughboy did create a nicely setup ride! Great choice of mods make it an exceptional car!

A stock 335i would be such a let down lol

[john-vfr]

Same as about the colour. Definitely didn't want silver but what did I end up with...Titan silver. Love it now after18 months or so,always looks cleanish even when filthy and says quality.N-I-C-E motor !

[gangzoom]

Great car, great photos

[Danny.B.]

touring. lci. 335i. jb4

perfect!