Change from DE to HR

[MartynB85]

Has anyone owned an early 350 and upgraded to a later model? I have a 2004 but I'm getting an itch for something newer. I'd love a 370 but the price is a little out of my reach at the moment. I've looked at tons of cars and other than an e92 335i, the only thing i fancy is trading in mine for a zed with a HR. Would if be worth the hassle, with the HR only being 3 years younger? Are the engines that much better?

Cheers

[Ekona]

Yes, it's much better as you get the newer interior as well as another 1000rpm to play with which makes a huge difference to the drive.

 

That said, I wouldn't move in that direction unless it was for relative peanuts. It's really not worth another few grand unless you have the spare cash.

[MartynB85]

Would i be better off going with a high milage 370? I've seen the odd one or two for £12-13k

[Ekona]

Only you can make that call really. I'm not keen on the 370 so my opinion isn't going to help you on that, but FWIW I don't think it's enough of a jump to warrant it. An E92 335i would be a much better shout, however you have higher running costs to consider on that one.

[brillomaster]

my running costs are I believe fractionally lower so far, both were running 18" wheels, 'cept my bmw will do 28mpg on a cruise, the zed was 27mpg. Am personally not expecting servicing to be any more, and at any rate, its less frequent than the zed was.

 

on the other hand, the beemer is way faster, quieter, more comfortable, has a better interior and seats 4 with ease. although the zed sounded nicer and arguably looked a bit better.

 

personally I wouldn't upgrade a DE engine to a HR engine, not different enough to warrant the change. I would consider a 350z to a 370z though.

[BobbyZ]

I was looking for an E92 335i before going for a zed. They all seem to have been ordered with such terrible specs that in the end I gave up looking for one that wasn't specced by a blind person who can't change gear manually and got a zed instead

[Luke0549]

im on my 4th DE.

 

for me, i cant see enough of a jump to warrant the extra money on the HR

 

once the 370z comes to around 8/9k ill probably get one.

 

but i dont think atm the 370z is double the price as its not double the car.

 

370z are in e92 m3 territory, and i know i would rather have one of those.

[Kev]

If you can find a 335i with DCT they're great cars for the money. Rare option though.

 

I would touch a e92 m3 for less than early 20's. Many say they feel slower than a 335i DCT on the road, but obviously they're not.

Edited April 18, 2016 by Kev

[Roscoe]

My friend has a 335i manual, they are the standard bmw nice to be in. Less road noise than the zed. His is completely bog standard. Pretty much completely matched on straight line performance as my HR. I personally prefer the more involving drive the zed has to offer.

[GT Driver]

for me, i cant see enough of a jump to warrant the extra money on the HR

 

I'd have to agree with this.

 

Also, prices on parts for the HR are generally more expensive than a DE - for example Clutch and Flywheel, slave cylinder etc. Plus, if the slave cylinder in a HR fails it's a much bigger job than a DE due to it's location (gearbox out job, right?)

 

But I have driven del0r's HR 350z on here with Motordyne ART test pipes and it's absolutely savage having that extra rpm

[MartynB85]

OK, so i'll forget the idea of selling my DE to replace with a HR, it doesn't really make sense come to think of it, not for 4-5k.

 

So i guess its the 335 or save a little for a 370. For you guys that have or own a 335i coupe, what are they like? I have sat in a few in the showroom but I find them a little bland. How do they drive compared to a Zed? I guess the good thing is that it has twin turbos so getting more power is easy, the open diff is a bit of a let down though.

[BobbyZ]

Haven't owned one, but the one I test drove was a very different experience to a zed (if we're still talking E92). Pretty similar in terms of outright performance, but much less physical and involving. On the flipside, probably a much better cruiser. Obviously you'll find this out for yourself if you decide to go for one

[Ekona]

It's easier to make an E92 more hardcore than it is to make a 350Z more civilised.

[tomzzzcattle]

You could also consider getting a supercharged 350z for this sort of money, there's been a few around for sale recently, big step-up in power and makes an already great car even better!

[brillomaster]

indeed, my 335i coupe on standard suspension is a very civilised place to be, quiet and very comfortable when cruising. however there is a bit too much roll when cornering, and the open diff is noticeable in the wet when trying to apply power! fortunately the TCS is a lot better than the system in the 350z, it just sorts the problem rather than cutting all power.

 

on the other hand the zed does drive better as standard, but I'm sure some coilovers and ARBS would have the same effect on a 335i. both sound muted as standard as well, the beemer even more so cos its so well insulated from road noise.

[P15UL T]

You could also consider getting a supercharged 350z for this sort of money, there's been a few around for sale recently, big step-up in power and makes an already great car even better!

 

I'm in full agreement with you Tom but really biased as I've a supercharger to sell :-D

[FooFighter]

I went through the same thought process two years ago. I was looking at changing my DE for a 370z but wasn't sure the 370z was worth the extra money. I tried an HR just to see what it was like and was instantly sold.

 

I loved my DE but I think the engine and other improvements of the HR are worth the extra money. The 370z is fairly quiet stock while my HR is louder than my DE was (both with stock exhausts) so an aftermarket exhaust is a potential additional cost on the 370z to consider. Suggest you try an HR and see what you think.

 

[Rock_Steady]

Someone shoot me down in flames if i'm wrong but, isn't the HR engine a bit more of a fragile flower than the oil burning DE?

[Ekona]

Fragile? In what sense?

[Zeezeebaba]

Well it certainly has more potential problems and is costlier to own but not fragile.

[ZEUS]

It's only the oil gallery problem as far as I know on the HR.

[350zedd]

^^^ What Zeus said, as far as I'm aware also, its just the oil gallery gaskets.

 

The HR has larger main bearings and reinforced main caps and supposedly 80% of engine components have been redesigned or strengthened to cope reliably with the extra 1000 revs.

[Roscoe]

Standard Hr is stronger internally than a standard de

[Dave6188]

Only crap thing from DE to HR is the slave cylinder placement inside the bell housing apart from that everything else is a bonus on the HR, better engine although most DE owners will disagree, looks a bit better and interior is much nicer, but this is only my opinion though and I'm an HR owner but that's why I bought an HR in the first place.

[BobbyZ]

Only crap thing from DE to HR is the slave cylinder placement inside the bell housing apart from that everything else is a bonus on the HR, better engine although most DE owners will disagree, looks a bit better and interior is much nicer, but this is only my opinion though and I'm an HR owner but that's why I bought an HR in the first place.

 

How odd. What reasons do they give for the DE being better?