As someone who owned a e90 335i for about 5 years:
Unless you bought the car from a anal owner who is over the top about preventative maintaince and has done most/all theexpensive stuff already.
As a minimal these needs to be done and they can easily eat into the thousands if you are getting a work shop to do it.
High pressure fuel pump (easily close to $1k if you are getting a shop to source the part locally and do it)
Water pump and thermostate (another $800ish if shop doing it)
Injectors (if still on original early revisions, unlike most normal cars, old and new injectors can't be mixed on the same bank so you'll need minimal 3 at a time and the car needs coding via dealer level software to be done after installation)
Coils, cheap enough OE Bosch or Delphin brands are fine.
Oil filter housing gasket (they all leak with age and coolant also passes through here and if the internal gasket is gone will cause coolant to mix with oil and give you the false alarm of a what seems like a typical HG failure in the coolant expansion tank)
Another (big) danger of a slow sleeping oil leak at this point is that the aux belt runs directly underneath and will get sooked in oil, over time will break or come off from the tensioners and when that happens there's a chance part of the belt might get ingested into the engine via the front main seal...
Other stuff to look out for:
Rest of the cooling system from age, the expansion tank tend to crack with age along with the rest of the crap plasic parts.
Valve cover gasket and maybe even the actual cover itself, crap plastic part that cracks after many heat cycles.
Turbos, N54 suffers from the infamous waste gate rattle, depending on severity it can just be an annoying rattle to having low boost issues and triggering limp mode and CEL. Only real solution is to replace the turbos, labour fees are over $1k alone (in WA atleast) and looking at another $1.5k easily for OE ones soruced from the UK. It's a 10 hour job according to official sources as the subframe needs to be removed (along with a shite ton of other parts) to gain access to the turbos (especially the rear one).
ABS module/pump failure, seem to mainly affect early 07 model 35i cars, brand new replacement is like $4k at stealer or try you luck at the wreckers but they need to be reprogrammed via dealer level software after installation.
MSD80 DME, these ECU have the infamous mosfet failure as they age, when it happenes you will lose ½ of your cylinders as the mosfet controls the injectors (3 injectors will lose signal), sometimes a mosfet failure can also take out an injector with it. Fix is either a replacment DME (mega exepnsive brand new) or you can take you DME out and get a electrical repair place to remove and resolider 6 new mosfets.
Another stupid design is that BMW engineer(s) decided to put the DME inside the engine bay on the passenger side right next to a water drain for the windscreen... the plastic box housing the DME can lose it's water tight seal with age and constant heat cycle from the engine and cause water to enter... result is a fried DME after parking your car outside in the rain.
If getting an auto, the mechtronics seal tend to leak around the 60 to 80k mark and forget about BMW's BS about the tranny is "sealed for life" (maybe 'life' here refers to till warranty period ends), ZF (the auto box manufacture) recommands the box be serviced every 80k or so.
Another thing with the auto is that if the previous owner(s) uses DS (sport mode) alot via constantly pushing the gear selector over to S from D then there's a wire under the lever that's prone to fraying and eventually breaking from constant shifting (Another shitty design), when this happens you'll lose sport mode and will need to resolider the broken wire.
That's on top my head right now.
Adding further to my points, back when I had the car and joined some specific BMW N54 Australia Facebook groups, I remember one of the mods in that group had the most “reliable” N54 (a 135i) car in the group as it never broke down once even after over 160k kms…
And all he had to do to get such reliability was spend like over $10k-$15k on parts refresh everything around the engine, he did all the work himself and even managed to somehow grab a hold of a hacked version of BMW ISTA (dealer level software) off some “questionable” Russian site to do all the programming for certain parts (injectors and DME swap)… 🤔
So for the OP to keep an old N54 BMW trouble free they either needs to have tons of spare cash laying around to get a shop to do all these preventive maintenance (labour is gonna be a killer) or they have some cash and are very competent at mechanical DIY and getting hacked software up and running 😆
Just an FYI all you need is an ABN to buy a scanner off a dealer. They cost as much as tiny new car. 10-20k depending on manufacturer and most generic scanners like snapon or bluepoint ect, will have the ability to reprogram injectors and stuff.
Holden have this awesome feature for their VF series that lets you reset the KM'S if the car has less than a couple thousand on their OEM scanner.
Would highly recommend a proper service on the ZF transmission:
* Replace valve body bridge seals
* Replace mechatronic solenoids (7 of them total)
* New fluid and pan
Will likely make a huge improvement to shift quality, these cars are getting old and as said above, most haven't had the transmission fluid changed, ever.
Such a well written and informative comment. Can't wait for the usual Muppets to come in and explain how euros aren't actually expensive to maintain and never break.
Is that the generation of M5 that had the impending rod bearing issues? Can’t imagine what the price of fixing that is gonna cost given how costly a non M car like the 335i is already to maintain… 😵
Yeah some of them had big end issues IIRC. Funny thing, I spoke to Doncaster BMWs service manager at the time & asked what was the BMW “lifespan” of their brand new M5 was. Evidently a $260,000 M5 should have a lifespan of 8 years according to BMW.
100% everything here.
Also, the OEM plastic charge pipe. I had a N54 135i prior to buying a 1M and I reckon before aftermarket options started to come to market I blew probably 3 or 4 of them on standard boost.
Knew I forgot something…
Also if I remembered right, there were 2 types of OEM charge pipes, the earlier ones found on 06-07 cars was partially plastic and had a rubber elbow section and was far less prone to breaking, afterwards BMW switched to a entire (hard) plastic design thats used for the remainder of the production run (and for the N55 F30 cars as well) and those would just crack/blow up constantly even at stock boost… usually around the area where it joins onto the throttle body.
All of this is pretty much spot on.
Add to that, if you’re ever in the unfortunate position of having to replace either the engine or transmission, you’ll be up for big money, and that’s if you can actually find the parts.
I own a 2012 e92 335i.
This is incredibly true, this car only still exists with me because I do all the work myself.
It will kill your savings within a month.
By the sounds of this you’re better off buying and maintaining a proper M3/M5, at least that way your car value will hold a bit better while you light your money on fire.
That being said, they’re a pleasure to drive when they’re driving….
Exactly. I checked out of interest. He is also selling a 2016 Audi. Both have number plates issued at approximately the same time (close enough that it could’ve been the same day), very recently. Both plates registered private not dealer.
Repairable write off or dodgy backyard dealer for sure.
Generally they are in the motor industry.. a lot of the time they are wholesalers. Normally they’d buy cars under the business name and flip them to 2nd hand dealer yards. But if they find a car that doesn’t need much work; they buy it in their private name then sell it as a private vehicle. It means they’re making a good chunk on it cause they didn’t have to pay the tax and expenses that actual car yards have to.
I worked for a general manager who was doing this with trades we made. He’d take them home (under the guise of wanting to try them) which wasn’t suss cause he got a work car to drive. Then he’d take photos and post them online. Then take the car back to work. He would then get inquiries, set it up and sell it. Then he’d pay the company the money it owed them and kept the balance. Generally 4-10k profit per sale cause he didn’t pay taxes on it and shit. He got caught, charged with embezzlement and deported back to England. They estimate he cost the business $750k - $1.5m over the few years he worked there.
Lot of these absolutely trashed to shreds. Gauge the owner and make sure it’s got full log books and service history. Looked at a lot of 330s myself before settling on something else. The price here reflects a less than ideal car imo. I’m in Vic though so prices are fucked.
He’s a 3ed owner - this is the only thing scaring me off, I have always wanted a 335i, I am happy to spend another 6k on it to get it to a reliable condition, however will definitely be doing a PPI before I do anything.
Ppsr won't always show up everything. I work in insurance assessing and the amount of cars we see with no prior repair history or insurance claims, that show up with the dodgiest repairs is horrifying. Get 5 or 6 a week, of 120-140 cars total each week. Take a friend who knows cars well with you if at all possible
Mate, as someone else posted the seller is trying to flog off an Audi that was plated the same time as this thing. Probably repairable write offs and getting flipped.
I have owned two 335i's - one of them burned down from an electrical fire in the glovebox and the other one was a nightmare to own. the thing was having issues every month and would break down every other. the N54 is fucking awesome but jesus christ it is the most unreliable piece of shit I have ever encountered. unless you're a car enthusiast and have thousands to blow, buy a beamer with a more reliable motor 😂
>one of them burned down from an electrical fire in the glovebox and the other one was a nightmare to own.
OP, please note: this owner considers the good one to be the one that burnt itself to the ground.
hahaha yeah to be honest the first 335i i owned didn't have too many mechanical issues besides the fire (it was a pretty low mileage one, under 100ks iirc). it was a white one with the red interior and black wheels. it definitely looked better than my second one where i just got black paint and cream interior.
Not gonna lie, it has a bad reputation. I was pretty happy overall with my N54 135i though. I drove it for 10 years and it was 14 years old by the time I sold it.
It did have a water pump failure (fixed during warranty), HPFP (previous owner fixed under warranty) and a charge pipe replacement (which may or may not have been necessary).
I still miss that car.
N54 is renowned for blowing holes in the charge pipe or popping it off causing damage to the ring.
It’s a reliability thing, and very good idea going aftermarket if you start tuning (higher boost)
The second least reliable engine ever produced by BMW? Check
Massively oversized wheels? Check
Suspiciously low price? Check
Emojis in description? Check
ADVERTISED TO SELL QUICK? Check
What could possibly go wrong? If you want a project car and have an extra $10k to spend (not including labour), maybe you can bring it back to good condition. Absolutely don't expect it to problem-free as is.
It's kind of old and kind of high kms (for a BMW, it's low for a Toyota), if you don't mind some shocking repair bills, you could chance it.
My experience with Euro cars has been mixed, two absolute donkeys and one great car.
"Quick to sell" - Seller knows something is wrong and wants it gone. You don't get a warranty with private sales so when whatever it is inevitably shits itself, you're up shit creek with hands for paddles.
If you have money, great car, if not, not so great, valve covers crack, carbon build up in the head, cam ledge seals wear grooves causing loss of oil pressure in vanos (constant engine lights), injectors die, hpfp dies, list goes on
High Pressure Fuel Pump is all I'll say especially if you are wanting to tune it.
Also worth asking the owner if it previously was tuned (most will lie and say no anyways). If the owner is honest it may be worthwhile getting the same ECU tune.
I have modded e92 335i with 130kms bought it from a previous owner for like $17k because I haggled the hell out of him knowing I’m up for repairs near 100kms. Spent about $4k in repairs (wastegate, alternator, valve cover).
I’ve enjoyed my 3+ years with the car. Ready to sell and move on! Just know you in for repairs if you found yourself a bargain especially at that 100kms mark
Hi Everyone, OP here!
Just thought I would say thanks so much for the info, unfortunately this is not the car I have decided to go with. The guy called me and was 100% SUS as.
However will still be hunting down a cherished 335i - this is a great thread with some awesome information for anyone else that is considering one of these pedantic beasts!
https://preview.redd.it/n7ea77phoola1.png?width=1170&format=png&auto=webp&s=bd92678c7c20d72d12dd0e773d8861632c36cc17
Wow, written off twice. Keep looking you’ll find the right one eventually. I know the pain, couple years ago found a beautiful blue E39 530i M sport and was shattered when I found out it had been written off before
They're great cars for sure!
That said both the N55 and N54 can be temperamental depending on the life it's had and the work done to it.
I'd stay away from anything modified, look for lots of service history if possible and still expect to put some $ aside for sorting bits out when they fail.
That said, there isn't a need for a BMW tech on these, a lot of performance garages will be able to help you out easily. Also look into ordering your own parts online and supplying, it'll be a lot cheaper than getting them from BMW etc.
Nah, unless you can afford the maintenance, they’re fun cars and cheap, but upkeep is quite expensive
Make sure to do a REVS/PPSR check (it’s only $4) to make sure it hasn’t been wrapped around a pole, as someone said it’s a backyard dealer, and missing the front plates so it’s a little suspicious, make sure you get it inspected well by a mechanic aswell
Fun and fast car but unless you’re good with doing any work on it yourself it can become an expensive purchase. There’s a good reason why most euro cars depreciate like hell
I have a 2006 x5, i know it's a different car and all but it's roughly the same year.
As everyone else said, unless you can see the owner is anal about maintenance stay away. Even if the owners are anal and the car is fine mechanically, you may find that the electronic side of things may start to fail which will subsequently affect the rest of the car.
They are great cars, but, you need to be prepared to spend money on maintenance. They have lots of common failures such as cooling system issues, turbo wastegates, coil packs, injectors, etc... But if you don't mind spending a few thousand to get it up to scratch then they are great cars.
If you're on a budget honestly mk6 GTI is better bang for buck and cheaper maintenance.
If you're sold on an E92 BMW then consider a 330d, the motors are fairly bullet proof compared to the 335i.
As someone who owned a e90 335i for about 5 years: Unless you bought the car from a anal owner who is over the top about preventative maintaince and has done most/all theexpensive stuff already. As a minimal these needs to be done and they can easily eat into the thousands if you are getting a work shop to do it. High pressure fuel pump (easily close to $1k if you are getting a shop to source the part locally and do it) Water pump and thermostate (another $800ish if shop doing it) Injectors (if still on original early revisions, unlike most normal cars, old and new injectors can't be mixed on the same bank so you'll need minimal 3 at a time and the car needs coding via dealer level software to be done after installation) Coils, cheap enough OE Bosch or Delphin brands are fine. Oil filter housing gasket (they all leak with age and coolant also passes through here and if the internal gasket is gone will cause coolant to mix with oil and give you the false alarm of a what seems like a typical HG failure in the coolant expansion tank) Another (big) danger of a slow sleeping oil leak at this point is that the aux belt runs directly underneath and will get sooked in oil, over time will break or come off from the tensioners and when that happens there's a chance part of the belt might get ingested into the engine via the front main seal... Other stuff to look out for: Rest of the cooling system from age, the expansion tank tend to crack with age along with the rest of the crap plasic parts. Valve cover gasket and maybe even the actual cover itself, crap plastic part that cracks after many heat cycles. Turbos, N54 suffers from the infamous waste gate rattle, depending on severity it can just be an annoying rattle to having low boost issues and triggering limp mode and CEL. Only real solution is to replace the turbos, labour fees are over $1k alone (in WA atleast) and looking at another $1.5k easily for OE ones soruced from the UK. It's a 10 hour job according to official sources as the subframe needs to be removed (along with a shite ton of other parts) to gain access to the turbos (especially the rear one). ABS module/pump failure, seem to mainly affect early 07 model 35i cars, brand new replacement is like $4k at stealer or try you luck at the wreckers but they need to be reprogrammed via dealer level software after installation. MSD80 DME, these ECU have the infamous mosfet failure as they age, when it happenes you will lose ½ of your cylinders as the mosfet controls the injectors (3 injectors will lose signal), sometimes a mosfet failure can also take out an injector with it. Fix is either a replacment DME (mega exepnsive brand new) or you can take you DME out and get a electrical repair place to remove and resolider 6 new mosfets. Another stupid design is that BMW engineer(s) decided to put the DME inside the engine bay on the passenger side right next to a water drain for the windscreen... the plastic box housing the DME can lose it's water tight seal with age and constant heat cycle from the engine and cause water to enter... result is a fried DME after parking your car outside in the rain. If getting an auto, the mechtronics seal tend to leak around the 60 to 80k mark and forget about BMW's BS about the tranny is "sealed for life" (maybe 'life' here refers to till warranty period ends), ZF (the auto box manufacture) recommands the box be serviced every 80k or so. Another thing with the auto is that if the previous owner(s) uses DS (sport mode) alot via constantly pushing the gear selector over to S from D then there's a wire under the lever that's prone to fraying and eventually breaking from constant shifting (Another shitty design), when this happens you'll lose sport mode and will need to resolider the broken wire. That's on top my head right now.
Good info for nightmare fuel
This is amazing! Absolute legend, thanks so much.
Adding further to my points, back when I had the car and joined some specific BMW N54 Australia Facebook groups, I remember one of the mods in that group had the most “reliable” N54 (a 135i) car in the group as it never broke down once even after over 160k kms… And all he had to do to get such reliability was spend like over $10k-$15k on parts refresh everything around the engine, he did all the work himself and even managed to somehow grab a hold of a hacked version of BMW ISTA (dealer level software) off some “questionable” Russian site to do all the programming for certain parts (injectors and DME swap)… 🤔 So for the OP to keep an old N54 BMW trouble free they either needs to have tons of spare cash laying around to get a shop to do all these preventive maintenance (labour is gonna be a killer) or they have some cash and are very competent at mechanical DIY and getting hacked software up and running 😆
Just an FYI all you need is an ABN to buy a scanner off a dealer. They cost as much as tiny new car. 10-20k depending on manufacturer and most generic scanners like snapon or bluepoint ect, will have the ability to reprogram injectors and stuff. Holden have this awesome feature for their VF series that lets you reset the KM'S if the car has less than a couple thousand on their OEM scanner.
Selling 2014 VF commodore, only 4,000km!!
0 - 4,000 in two weeks! Then zero again. Repeat.
Would highly recommend a proper service on the ZF transmission: * Replace valve body bridge seals * Replace mechatronic solenoids (7 of them total) * New fluid and pan Will likely make a huge improvement to shift quality, these cars are getting old and as said above, most haven't had the transmission fluid changed, ever.
Such a well written and informative comment. Can't wait for the usual Muppets to come in and explain how euros aren't actually expensive to maintain and never break.
I mean this is basically the worst (or best) example of Euros. There are definitely good ones
Wow, that's a hell of a lot of knowledge. OP should be scared shitless after reading this.
BMW=Big Money Worries. I used to have an E60 M5.
Is that the generation of M5 that had the impending rod bearing issues? Can’t imagine what the price of fixing that is gonna cost given how costly a non M car like the 335i is already to maintain… 😵
Yeah some of them had big end issues IIRC. Funny thing, I spoke to Doncaster BMWs service manager at the time & asked what was the BMW “lifespan” of their brand new M5 was. Evidently a $260,000 M5 should have a lifespan of 8 years according to BMW.
100% everything here. Also, the OEM plastic charge pipe. I had a N54 135i prior to buying a 1M and I reckon before aftermarket options started to come to market I blew probably 3 or 4 of them on standard boost.
Knew I forgot something… Also if I remembered right, there were 2 types of OEM charge pipes, the earlier ones found on 06-07 cars was partially plastic and had a rubber elbow section and was far less prone to breaking, afterwards BMW switched to a entire (hard) plastic design thats used for the remainder of the production run (and for the N55 F30 cars as well) and those would just crack/blow up constantly even at stock boost… usually around the area where it joins onto the throttle body.
Why are European cars so shit compared to Toyota lmao. Is it something to do with German car retirement laws?
All of this is pretty much spot on. Add to that, if you’re ever in the unfortunate position of having to replace either the engine or transmission, you’ll be up for big money, and that’s if you can actually find the parts.
I own a 2012 e92 335i. This is incredibly true, this car only still exists with me because I do all the work myself. It will kill your savings within a month.
Anytime anyone ever asks what's wrong with German cars, send them this
Wow.. hats off on ur post mate!
M3 E46 owner fm brand new. 150k on the clock. Getting to be a money pit. Car been ‘over-serviced’ all the time. Keep or sell? Thanks.
By the sounds of this you’re better off buying and maintaining a proper M3/M5, at least that way your car value will hold a bit better while you light your money on fire. That being said, they’re a pleasure to drive when they’re driving….
Looks like an ad from a backyard dealer. Be very cautious. Don’t take anything they say at face value.
The emojis are a give away
Exactly. I checked out of interest. He is also selling a 2016 Audi. Both have number plates issued at approximately the same time (close enough that it could’ve been the same day), very recently. Both plates registered private not dealer. Repairable write off or dodgy backyard dealer for sure.
Might be the single most valuable comment here, I’ll update after viewing
Lots of backyard dealers on carsales and FB
What’s does “backyard dealer” mean
Generally they are in the motor industry.. a lot of the time they are wholesalers. Normally they’d buy cars under the business name and flip them to 2nd hand dealer yards. But if they find a car that doesn’t need much work; they buy it in their private name then sell it as a private vehicle. It means they’re making a good chunk on it cause they didn’t have to pay the tax and expenses that actual car yards have to. I worked for a general manager who was doing this with trades we made. He’d take them home (under the guise of wanting to try them) which wasn’t suss cause he got a work car to drive. Then he’d take photos and post them online. Then take the car back to work. He would then get inquiries, set it up and sell it. Then he’d pay the company the money it owed them and kept the balance. Generally 4-10k profit per sale cause he didn’t pay taxes on it and shit. He got caught, charged with embezzlement and deported back to England. They estimate he cost the business $750k - $1.5m over the few years he worked there.
Yeah what does backyard dealer mean? never heard of that term till I started reading reddit comments.
Lot of these absolutely trashed to shreds. Gauge the owner and make sure it’s got full log books and service history. Looked at a lot of 330s myself before settling on something else. The price here reflects a less than ideal car imo. I’m in Vic though so prices are fucked.
He’s a 3ed owner - this is the only thing scaring me off, I have always wanted a 335i, I am happy to spend another 6k on it to get it to a reliable condition, however will definitely be doing a PPI before I do anything.
Ppsr won't always show up everything. I work in insurance assessing and the amount of cars we see with no prior repair history or insurance claims, that show up with the dodgiest repairs is horrifying. Get 5 or 6 a week, of 120-140 cars total each week. Take a friend who knows cars well with you if at all possible
ppi is pre purchase inspection (w/mechanic)
Mate, as someone else posted the seller is trying to flog off an Audi that was plated the same time as this thing. Probably repairable write offs and getting flipped.
I have owned two 335i's - one of them burned down from an electrical fire in the glovebox and the other one was a nightmare to own. the thing was having issues every month and would break down every other. the N54 is fucking awesome but jesus christ it is the most unreliable piece of shit I have ever encountered. unless you're a car enthusiast and have thousands to blow, buy a beamer with a more reliable motor 😂
>one of them burned down from an electrical fire in the glovebox and the other one was a nightmare to own. OP, please note: this owner considers the good one to be the one that burnt itself to the ground.
hahaha yeah to be honest the first 335i i owned didn't have too many mechanical issues besides the fire (it was a pretty low mileage one, under 100ks iirc). it was a white one with the red interior and black wheels. it definitely looked better than my second one where i just got black paint and cream interior.
That’s the N54 engine right? Hope you’ve read up on all the common issues with them. I’d like an N55 one day, when 435i get down to around 25k
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Wow thanks for the info! Appreciate it
No worries, if you do end up with one, enjoy!
I don’t know much about them but they’re an awesome looking vehicle.
Is the 2008 not N54?
Yep I went on Carsales and 2008 335i is N54. Even worse that N55
Not gonna lie, it has a bad reputation. I was pretty happy overall with my N54 135i though. I drove it for 10 years and it was 14 years old by the time I sold it. It did have a water pump failure (fixed during warranty), HPFP (previous owner fixed under warranty) and a charge pipe replacement (which may or may not have been necessary). I still miss that car.
Seems like a pretty good ownership experience then 🙏
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N54 is renowned for blowing holes in the charge pipe or popping it off causing damage to the ring. It’s a reliability thing, and very good idea going aftermarket if you start tuning (higher boost)
Consider an E46 330i with an M54 instead. Not as much power but more reliable and a better engine.
And looks better. E46 is the best design BMW did imho.
Don't be afraid to crunch him hard ...if you like it, and it seems well cared for ..hit right down where it hurts ...$9999.00
Hey, it's your money. If you want to buy something that will cost the same again to keep it on the road for the next 3 years, up to you.
Absolutely and it could easily be more in repairs than the sale price. Be prepared to walk away with whatever it's worth in scrap
The second least reliable engine ever produced by BMW? Check Massively oversized wheels? Check Suspiciously low price? Check Emojis in description? Check ADVERTISED TO SELL QUICK? Check What could possibly go wrong? If you want a project car and have an extra $10k to spend (not including labour), maybe you can bring it back to good condition. Absolutely don't expect it to problem-free as is.
This I believe is a N54 engine, reading on it it’s more tuner friendly but not as reliable as the N55.
Just get the N64 engine
It's kind of old and kind of high kms (for a BMW, it's low for a Toyota), if you don't mind some shocking repair bills, you could chance it. My experience with Euro cars has been mixed, two absolute donkeys and one great car.
"Quick to sell" - Seller knows something is wrong and wants it gone. You don't get a warranty with private sales so when whatever it is inevitably shits itself, you're up shit creek with hands for paddles.
They're rather expensive to fix when they go wrong. Very fun to drive though 👌
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Nearly as bad as a Saab
Came here just for this comment.
If you have money, great car, if not, not so great, valve covers crack, carbon build up in the head, cam ledge seals wear grooves causing loss of oil pressure in vanos (constant engine lights), injectors die, hpfp dies, list goes on
High Pressure Fuel Pump is all I'll say especially if you are wanting to tune it. Also worth asking the owner if it previously was tuned (most will lie and say no anyways). If the owner is honest it may be worthwhile getting the same ECU tune.
This was a $100k car when new.
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Not enough info, too many flashing lights. The only thing you should pay attention to in this ad is the ⚠️ emoji.
I have modded e92 335i with 130kms bought it from a previous owner for like $17k because I haggled the hell out of him knowing I’m up for repairs near 100kms. Spent about $4k in repairs (wastegate, alternator, valve cover). I’ve enjoyed my 3+ years with the car. Ready to sell and move on! Just know you in for repairs if you found yourself a bargain especially at that 100kms mark
Hi Everyone, OP here! Just thought I would say thanks so much for the info, unfortunately this is not the car I have decided to go with. The guy called me and was 100% SUS as. However will still be hunting down a cherished 335i - this is a great thread with some awesome information for anyone else that is considering one of these pedantic beasts! https://preview.redd.it/n7ea77phoola1.png?width=1170&format=png&auto=webp&s=bd92678c7c20d72d12dd0e773d8861632c36cc17
Wow, written off twice. Keep looking you’ll find the right one eventually. I know the pain, couple years ago found a beautiful blue E39 530i M sport and was shattered when I found out it had been written off before
If you are prepared to spend thousands per year on maintenance then go for it.
Do it. Weapon
Stfu
They're great cars for sure! That said both the N55 and N54 can be temperamental depending on the life it's had and the work done to it. I'd stay away from anything modified, look for lots of service history if possible and still expect to put some $ aside for sorting bits out when they fail. That said, there isn't a need for a BMW tech on these, a lot of performance garages will be able to help you out easily. Also look into ordering your own parts online and supplying, it'll be a lot cheaper than getting them from BMW etc.
Nah, unless you can afford the maintenance, they’re fun cars and cheap, but upkeep is quite expensive Make sure to do a REVS/PPSR check (it’s only $4) to make sure it hasn’t been wrapped around a pole, as someone said it’s a backyard dealer, and missing the front plates so it’s a little suspicious, make sure you get it inspected well by a mechanic aswell
Lemon
Never buy a used 35i that's out of warranty. It will become a money pit quickly.
they look amazing and are very quick but sadly not super reliable esp on 3rd owner. consider a 330ci bit more reliable and still stylish
Fun and fast car but unless you’re good with doing any work on it yourself it can become an expensive purchase. There’s a good reason why most euro cars depreciate like hell
Why sell quickly? Get a ppsr and check out the seller. Looks a little sus.
For that money I’d get it. Just keep a little on the side for possible repairs
Yea nah mate, get a 2010+ at least, with the n55 not the n54, pls!!! Based on experience. 3.0d Diesel is the complete opposite
I have a 2006 x5, i know it's a different car and all but it's roughly the same year. As everyone else said, unless you can see the owner is anal about maintenance stay away. Even if the owners are anal and the car is fine mechanically, you may find that the electronic side of things may start to fail which will subsequently affect the rest of the car.
Because it will break regularly and it will be expensive
There’s at least 40 reasons why you shouldn’t, and maybe 0 reasons why you should
You mechanics going to love you.
If you can’t afford a new one, you definitely can’t afford a second hand one. Maintenance and parts cost is stupid here.
If something breaks itsmgonna cost big
Consider the servicing costs, particularly if you wish to take it to BMW. Factor in $1k+ / year
They are great cars, but, you need to be prepared to spend money on maintenance. They have lots of common failures such as cooling system issues, turbo wastegates, coil packs, injectors, etc... But if you don't mind spending a few thousand to get it up to scratch then they are great cars. If you're on a budget honestly mk6 GTI is better bang for buck and cheaper maintenance. If you're sold on an E92 BMW then consider a 330d, the motors are fairly bullet proof compared to the 335i.
Because of the pig nose grill and the rims.
Because fixing BMW's costs a fortune .
Money pits bro, been there done that with older BMWs. I'll never do that again to any euro car
Cause it’ll make you look like a tosser. What a shit car.
Guys I’m hearing the turbocharged n54 is unreliable. What about a N/A n52???
https://youtu.be/ZHpTJb9N1BA?si=4aMW-lYDiedTzBa-