brillomaster Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 (edited) So, 350z has gone, and have now moved onto this little beauty! Picked me up a 2006 BMW 335i, cream leather interior, automatic box with flappy paddles. Bought for a song as well, 1 owner from new with full BMW service history, 54,000 on the clock, an absolute bargain at £8,200! Was originally advertised for £8,995, and i thought he'd never go lower than £8700, but he did! First impressions... its certainly a lot quieter than the nissan! in fact, can hardly hear the engine at all, its pretty much silent until about 4,000 and then theres a slight hint of straight six soundtrack. but by this point you're doing a buck ten, so probably wanting to back off a touch! ride is great, road noise is practically nil, and its nice to have everything working as it should. theres even an extending arm that passes you the seatbelt when you close the door, which is gimmicky but very useful! The auto box responds well - takes a bit of finessing to pull away smoothly, but once you're up and going the shifts are smooth. the flappy paddles work really well - cruising along at 60, hit the downshift twice and instantly drops you to 4th, ready for you to accelerate. and then in a few seconds it reverts back to full auto mode. Or, shift the lever across into Sport mode and use the paddles, and it'll shift into manual mode, and stay in whatever gear you tell it (unless it either redlines or approaches stall, in which case it'll change) upshifts are quick and smooth, downshifts are accompanied by a nice throttle blip without the actual need to heel and toe (which i can never do smoothly on the road anyways - i'll save heel and toeing for the manual track car) but the acceleration - well, think a jet engine accelerating for take off - no drama, just a seamless wall of power underneath you. just needs a soundtrack to match. oh, its even more economical than the zed - a simple A road cruise netted 31 mpg, whereas the nissan would be around 27mpg. a few modifications planned - firstly, the wheels are only 17s, and the rears are still on bridgestone runflats, while the fronts are a combo of non-runflat cooper and avon tyres - not that brilliant really. so the plan is to get some 3SDM 0.01s in 18s, with goodyear Eagle F1s front and rear. Also, one of the key reasons i got this car rather than a 645ci or an E46 M3 - ease of remap! £395 gets you an extra 60bhp and 80lbft of torque, to take you to approximately 370bhp and 370lbft, which should be plenty to be getting on with! And lastly, since the engine is so quiet and deceptively fast, and theres plenty of budget left over from my planned £10k, maybe some scorpion back boxes. Still wont sound as good as a nissan V6 with a cobra exhaust i think, but bmw straight sixes still sound way better than a 4 cylinder. so thats that! might even keep it for a few years longer than the zed, since theres no reason to chop it in now! Edited October 17, 2016 by brillomaster 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissanman312 Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 This makes me sad But I hope you enjoy Brillo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Very nice and I know these do go very well as my old man has an 07' 335i M sport. You definitely did well on the price. Enjoy the new ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirag1988 Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Very nice looking motor mate 370 in bhp and torque sounds like it'll be plenty for the daily drive. My only niggle is the colour, not sure if it's the lighting in the pics but it looks like a dull blue rather than a metallic finish? Maybe it just needs a proper clean, polish and wax lol. Either way, looks like you've made a good choice there man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MITZ@CougarStore Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 I always tried to convince Gang to opt for the Scorpion, we do miss seeing his 335i since he sold it, let us know if you want to purchase the exhaust... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 I would say nice purchase but I hate BMW. I hope the manual "how to drive like a knob" didn't come with the car. If it did throw it away...... NOW!! Congrats though matey. Oh and I see Prodrive have a new office.... Well I say office.... More like an industrial park all to themselves. Just so you know I live literally 5 mins from there. You'll have to pop in for a coffee 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted May 24, 2015 Author Share Posted May 24, 2015 chirag - blame the camera and the dull day... and it could do with a decent wash, will take some more pics when shes clean and the suns out. Mitz - might well be in touch for the exhaust, will see how i get on after the wheels and remap are on! Ian - nah i flashed someone into a side turning the other day, and i'm normally pretty chilled... hopefully the BMW-ness doesnt rub off on me! Yeah new office is pretty swank, shame the rest of the road is still a building site! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissanman312 Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 You work at prodrive? Brillo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humpy Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Good choice and a whole lot of bang for buck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted May 24, 2015 Author Share Posted May 24, 2015 Yeah, really been a fan of BMWs recently... after all, I've had 4 older BMWs now for track cars, and they've been great. obviously the E46 330ci was the best, so smooth and refined, thought it time i had a BMW as a roadcar. And also i do feel a sense of pride that i own a BMW, and its also my first genuine 300bhp car! finally reached that milestone bought an E92 even though i hadnt ever driven one before, but as i say, the E36 was good, the E46 was better, so would have been very surprised if the E92 was suddenly terrible. and its the best looking bmw in recent years in my opinion - most other 3 series look rather dull (with the exception of the E46 coupe) but the E92 coupe looks good. just needs some slightly bigger wider wheels! only car i think i prefer more is a 6 series like dan has - but was put off one of them due to the size, the age and that i've never been that enamoured with V8s - prefer cylinders in multiples of 6, and hey, twin turbos! and this is my first ever auto... thought why not, lets try having a computer changing gear. and even so, i still have the track car for manual heel and toe thrills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 (edited) Very nice, good purchase matey Odd you mention the 645, as the 335 was my original plan until I ended up with the V8. Oddly I don't find the E63 to feel that big on the roads, I'll have to have a look in a minute as to how mine compares with yours size-wise. Beautiful looking car though, that's a great colour combo you've gone for. I'd stick with the 17"s though, cheaper rubber and better handling to boot. Edit: Mine's 8" longer, 3" wider, identical height, and 75kg heavier. Or that's what I tell the ladies, any way Edited May 24, 2015 by Ekona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Nice one Andy, enjoy. I've been very impressed with the beemers we have owned and it was only a matter of time before you got a proper one. Have fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veilside z Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Nice car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Nice one mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 Hmmm seems that sports mode is what I need for day to day driving... now things have got interesting! Cruises with the revs around 2000rpm rather than normal auto mode which shuffles to the highest possible gear as quickly as possible. No wonder it didn't feel the full 300bhp fast before, even low boost twin turbo'ed engines don't do a lot at just over idle. And the chap that had the car before me never even used the flappy paddles, which would hopefully suggest that the car hasn't been driven that hard. Although was on a diet of standard unleaded - it'll be running super during my ownership, especially as I plan to remap it soon and you get the best power (and economy) gains on 97+ RON. Usefully though, even the standard BMW brakes are certainly as strong as the Brembos on the Nissan - I guess they might fade with repeated hard stops, but that's an unlikely occurrence for me on a road car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed divine Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 What a great purchase, that's so much car for the money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Andrew - what have you done ?? !!!! Jap to German - welcome to my world. Does sound like a lot of car for the money mind. Enjoy. Spotted the number plate - ready for the wedding hey ? As I am 3 minutes from Wasso - surely small meet is in order at a nearby pub ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock_Steady Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 (edited) Really nice choice!! it's an E92 right? EDIT: just read what it is Edited May 26, 2015 by Rock_Steady Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350zedd Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Next thing you know, you'll be hitched with a few sprogs on the back seat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 Andrew - what have you done ?? !!!! Jap to German - welcome to my world. Does sound like a lot of car for the money mind. Enjoy. Spotted the number plate - ready for the wedding hey ? As I am 3 minutes from Wasso - surely small meet is in order at a nearby pub ? Haha, I've had various sporty germans for years, thought it time I settle down with one day to day! the number plate is pure coincidence - its going back as soon as the paperwork comes though. And yeah mini meet sounds like a good plan, our usual works pub is the George and dragon in Chacombe, will message you both. 350zedd - Married, yes. Sprogs, hopefully not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Andrew - what have you done ?? !!!! Jap to German - welcome to my world. Does sound like a lot of car for the money mind. Enjoy. Spotted the number plate - ready for the wedding hey ? As I am 3 minutes from Wasso - surely small meet is in order at a nearby pub ? Haha, I've had various sporty germans for years, thought it time I settle down with one day to day! the number plate is pure coincidence - its going back as soon as the paperwork comes though. And yeah mini meet sounds like a good plan, our usual works pub is the George and dragon in Chacombe, will message you both. 350zedd - Married, yes. Sprogs, hopefully not! Problem is I leave the house at 6:45am and return around 7:30-8pm - so you'll probably be by the time I get there 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangzoom Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 If you want noise remove the primary cats, straight through pipes are about £300. It's a fine balance though, for me I always thought of them as Q cars. Having a really loud exhaust just makes them sound a bit chavy.....The stock exhaust is actually very loud at 4krpm, it's simply because the cabin is so well insulated you cannot hear anything!! ...Oh the brakes do fade, not as badly as the stock ones on the 350Z Best mod I did on the car was the Birds B3 suspension kit and the Quaife LSD. Pricey bits of kit but worth every £. If I hadn't fitted the LSD I would have sold mine after 2 weeks. Enjoy the car, I've said it before enough times, but my old 335i was the best petrol car I've ever driven/owned interms of overall speed/economy/refinement/fun.....Still these days I prefer my Leaf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangzoom Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 (edited) If you want noise remove the primary cats, straight through pipes are about £300. It's a fine balance though, for me I always thought of them as Q cars. Having a really loud exhaust just makes them sound a bit chavy.....The stock exhaust is actually very loud at 4krpm, it's simply because the cabin is so well insulated you cannot hear anything!! ...Oh the brakes do fade, not as badly as the stock ones on the 350Z Best mod I did on the car was the Birds B3 suspension kit and the Quaife LSD. Pricey bits of kit but worth every £. If I hadn't fitted the LSD I would have sold mine after 2 weeks. But you wouldn't get much change from £5k going down this route, not worth it on a sub £9k car as you wouldn't see much return on these when you sell, and if you have another fun/weekend car than the stock handling isn't half bad. Enjoy the car, I've said it before enough times, but my old 335i was the best petrol car I've ever driven/owned interms of overall speed/economy/refinement/fun, for under £9k you just picked up a car with the same engine (minus lots of cooling hardware) as the new M3/M4 ....Still these days I prefer my Leaf Oh I really wouldn't worry about using super-unleaded. The ECU is far better at knock detection and managing fuel grades than the Zs. Mine lived on normal unleaded for 4 years, still made 380bhp+, with wheel spin on the dyno. When your stuck in traffic, super unleaded gets brunt up just as quickly as unleaded Edited May 27, 2015 by gangzoom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 Hmmm cheers Gangzoom - maybe will try driving with the windows open a crack then to let some exhaust noise through! shame at the moment theres no noise from the turbos, not even slightly aware theres anything sucking and blowing under the bonnet. suspension and diff mods im going to leave it, as you say its a lot of money to put into a £9k car, and it will never see any track work. I think the money is better spent on tyres for the track car! interesting to note on the fuel, i'll see what I get out of this tank and then maybe run a tank on normal - but at the moment i'm happily cruising towards 400 miles from a tank this first week so even if I keep it on super its still cheaper than the zed (although offset by the £200 a year increase in tax!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Picked me up a 2006 BMW 335i, cream leather interior, automatic box with flappy paddles. Bought for a song as well, 1 owner from new with full BMW service history, 54,000 on the clock, an absolute bargain at £8,200! Was originally advertised for £8,995, and i thought he'd never go lower than £8700, but he did! ^^ That is RIDICULOUSLY cheap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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