Ekona Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Okay, I know this was touched on on my other thread, but that was getting a bit jumbled and I thought it might be good to keep this all in one place. So anyway ( ), I'm starting to narrow down the list of next car possibilities with a view to purchasing, and I have to say the 335i is ticking very many boxes. However, what little I know about them can be written on the end of my tiny winky so I'd appreciate any thoughts or knowledge people could share with me. It will have to be either a saloon or estate for practical purposes, but otherwise I need educating. Common faults, stuff to ask about if it's been done, servicing costs, warranty possibilities (AUC?), running costs, everything. I'm not decided between manual or auto, although finding a manual estate would be a challenge! Gangzoom et al, your thoughts would be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docwra Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 In before Gangzoom comes and waxes lyrical ............ They are excellent, excellent cars - engine is brilliant even before mapping, they are fairly economical, comfortable and really rather fast too. Only things Id mention is that I think you (as in Ekona) would find them a bit softly sprung/damped and I imagine you would notice the lack of LSD even more if you stiffened it up. The only car Ive driven that comes close is an XF and they are even softer, I cant imagine many people who buy E9x 335's finish up disappointed 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted November 19, 2014 Author Share Posted November 19, 2014 You're right, I should probably clarify the intended use for the car Basically, it would replace the Mini as Jo's daily driver, but it would also function as my GT car. It would have to cope well with continental trips and the odd blat. I have the MR2 for ultimate twisty fun, so I don't expect the GT car to replicate that: More to complement it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 (edited) Check the alloys. They are prone to cracking and the run flats make it worse. If you can find one with the DCT gearbox it is well worth having, it's as good as the PDK. They are rare as the DCT was a expensive option and a basic auto was also available. They feel quicker than m3's to most people on the road, due to the torque and the fact that the m3 v8 needs to be driven hard, due to its lack of torque. It's also worth getting the OBD port moved or secured as they are really easy to steal. Tends to be M3's that the scum bags target though. Overall great cars. Edited November 19, 2014 by Kev 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeezeebaba Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Nice cars but just make sure you always have a couple of grand aside for when something goes wrong. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
370Ad Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Boring, don't make you feel special, everyone has one and it looks like a 320d. This is probably because they are a very good all round car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted November 19, 2014 Author Share Posted November 19, 2014 and it looks like a 320d. Kinda why I want one. I've got the loud shouty car, I want something that blends in. I might even consider *gasp* a grey or silver one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
370Ad Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 and it looks like a 320d. Kinda why I want one. I've got the loud shouty car, I want something that blends in. I might even consider *gasp* a grey or silver one! Oh no, re-sale grey. Your life is over when you get that colour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangzoom Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I think I've gone on enough about 335i on here before But in short, the good bits: 1. Surprisingly quick. 2. Decent economy, and repairs aside cheap to run/tax given the performance. Realistic 25-30mpg in town, insurance cheaper than Z, road tax around £145/year on all post sep 07 models. 3. Looks a 320d so attracts next to no attention. 4. Lots of modding options, if you really wanted to you can tune it to GTR power levels with uprated turbos and stock internals. 5. NOT a M car out of the box, so if your after top level handling your need to mod it. 6: Standard auto box is good enough for me - DCT is meant to be even better. 7: No longer seem to be depreciating. Bad bits: 1. It's BMW - nothing wrong with that, but I'm a Honda/Nissan/Toyota owner at heart, so the whole 'premium' badge stuff is wasted on me. 2. It will break, some 'common things', coil packs (cheap), injectors (not so cheap), high pressure fuel pump + oil filter gasket (guaranteed to fail), electric water pump (guaranteed to fail), ABS/TC pump, steering wheel lock, and worst of all turbo waste gate rattle. Lots of people don't recommend owing one without warranty.....If your not going to modify one, than your be crazy not to take out BMWs extended warranty. For the official BMW extended warranty it needs to have full service history from at least VAT register garage using BMW OEM parts. Over 60k prices go up, normal cover is about £400-500 year I believe. 3. It looks like a 320d. 4. Lots of modding options. 5. Fold down rears seats is a cost option on the E90 saloon....I've never personally seen a E90 with fold down seats, you can retrofit but looking at £1k to get hold of all the hardware. Overall all though best car I've owned to date. Excluding mods mines cost £2-2.5k in repairs over 3.5 years of ownership, and depreciated about £10k in the same time period, which isn't too bad. Infact 335i values have been going up in the last 12 months!! Even my wife who hates wasting £££ on cars have conceded that it's a decent car, and when you put the foot down it just goes.....She has been using the 335i a lot the last 12 months, and now finds the Civic a bit cheap inside compared to the 335i and wants an auto. Hence we're now getting rid of the Civic, and funny enough her only compliant about the £32k Lexus we're about to buy is the fact it doesn't shift like the 335i when she puts her foot down 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 Great stuff, thanks fella Very surprised about the fold down seats in the saloon, that would seem to be a very basic thing to have in any 4 seat car! That might well limit me, or it might not. Depends on how big the boot actually is in person, I guess. On a side note, how much access to the rear seats is there in the coupe with doors open and front seats forward? In terms of putting a kiddy in a seat in the back, doable? I thought the BMW warranty was a little more flexible than the Porsche one with regards to aftermarket parts, i.e. whilst I don't expect the engine to be covered if I strap new turbos to it, I do expect the stereo to be covered if I put an exhaust on. Maybe I've read that wrong, which is a shame. The 60k limit is definitely noted, I think I'd be looking at cars around 30k - 50k max anyways. Is there a thread on here matey where you've covered your ownership that I could have a read of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock_Steady Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Apparently, the E91 335i DTM model had problems with the swirl flaps (type of valve for those who aren't sure), they would eventually unscrew the bolt that held them in due to its movement and the bolt would drop into the engine and cause untold damage. I know some people removed them which resulted in a lack of torque in lower rev ranges. Hopefully this has been rectified in later models of the 335i. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 I can only find the swirl flap problem related to the diesels, not the petrols. Not to say you're wrong, just that a quick Google didn't bring anything obvious up. I'll have another look later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuse Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I've got an e92 325i and in terms of access to the rear for kids I don't have any problems at all. I've got a 6 month old and with the door open and the seat pulled forward I find it dead easy to get him in and out and can lift the whole seat out comfortably. You've just got to be aware that being a coupe the doors are pretty massive, so you have to be a bit careful where you park if you need to get a kid in or out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuse Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 In fact, with the seat pulled forward I find there's enough space to actually stand in front of the back seat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 Mate, that's superb help, thanks! Certainly makes finding one a bit easier, plenty of coupes and convertibles around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuse Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Plenty of people told me I'd end up selling it, it's too impractical. Granted it's not as easy as a saloon, but I've certainly not found it a struggle. I already compromised by selling the zed, I can't compromise any more or I'll find myself in an mpv (something I've sworn I'll never do!). I'm actually toying with the idea of an e92 335i myself, what I've got now is far from slow, but it just doesn't have the grunt that the zed used to. Ideally I want the f32, but I'm pretty sure the budget won't stretch that far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock_Steady Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 No, you're right Ekona. it is only diesels. My mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted November 22, 2014 Author Share Posted November 22, 2014 Good to know, I'm scaring myself with possible bills enough already! Definitely think I need to go have a drive. These look very promising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangzoom Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Don't worry about repair bills, find a good local garage and your be fine!! It's the mod costs you have to keep an eye on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 E90 M3's are available for silly money now. Well worth considering. Epic sound! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 http://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/showthread.php?p=1518947#post1518947 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted November 28, 2014 Author Share Posted November 28, 2014 What a beautiful colour Didn't realise that the EDC was an option on these cars, ironically that's something I would try to avoid to avoid expensive repair bills in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 Paint is one area where the Germans usually win Seen a mineral grey m4 today. Stunning colour, so much nicer than in pics I've seen. I agree about the cost of the EDC. It seems to be a popular option on m sports due to the hard standard ride. Especially with the awful run flats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bems Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 Techno violet has always been a fave of mine. Going back quite a few years i tried to buy an S reg 3281 msport in techno with prtty much the same colour interior. I was in love with it but due to points i had at the time my insurance quotes were through the roof. It hurt a lot every time i saw that car for some time afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangzoom Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 I've never seen Electronic Dampers on any 335i before. The photos from the car interior also don't show the EDC switches, which on the M3 is found next to the gear stick drivers side.....Than again I also have never seen a E90 that colour before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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