**BMW Crew**

[arekieh]

are maintenance costs and reliability really equal on an m3 and 330? That and trying to insure an m3 at 19 are whats holding me back. wheres a good place to find e46 m3s the ones on craigslist are beat and the ones on bmw forums they ask 15k over kbb

Honestly, from what I remember its pretty close. M3's are more reliable from what I have seen anyways.

I was looking at this a couple years ago though so my numbers might be a bit off. Insurance blows, welcome to owning a nice car when you're young. I doubt an M3 coupe would be much more than a 330ci though.

M3 vs 335i for me was very similar even though the M3's i got quotes for were valued almost 2x as much as the 335i I was looking at. (I did it out of curiosity, I wish I could buy an E92 M3).

[kvo1]

New to the crew with a manual E46 325i. Looking to do slight modifications

[80benrichards]

^^ e46 is a beautiful platform. First mod: new wheels

[thatskinnydude]

New to the crew with a manual E46 325i. Looking to do slight modifications

Nice E46, looks CLEAN

[anonymous]

been driving the wife's first gen 3.0i Z4 for the last couple of weeks as my DD and I have no idea how they got a rep as a 'girls car'

fun as sh-t to drive and every morning my commute over the nowhere-for-cops-to-park bridge has some try hard ricer trying to challenge me to race.

Decided to keep it for my car and get her the X1 she always wanted before they ruin it with the 2016 Senior Citizen FWD model (the 35i for dat N55)

[thatskinnydude]

been driving the wife's first gen 3.0i Z4 for the last couple of weeks as my DD and I have no idea how they got a rep as a 'girls car'

fun as sh-t to drive and every morning my commute over the nowhere-for-cops-to-park bridge has some try hard ricer trying to challenge me to race.

Decided to keep it for my car and get her the X1 she always wanted before they ruin it with the 2016 Senior Citizen FWD model (the 35i for dat N55)

Z4 are go karts how could anyone not like them?

[giannski]

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/4593957036.html

what do you guys think of this? what would be a fair price for it?

that car is sick. check if those are real bbs's. I'd lower it to 8500 and you'd get a killer deal imo. take it to a mechanic before anything.

7-10k is an immaculate e36 m3. so go off that.

[milgauss]

picked it up on saturday.

[NotBigEnough206]

Ive goat a coolant leak on my 08 535i

I have checked the electronic water pump, its working and I had actually set it to bleed the air out of the system by itself. Yes that German Engineering is nice, the pump runs about 10 minutes and bleeds the air itself once you set it like that by holding down the gas pedal with ignition on, heater set to max heat low fan, and hold gas pedal down for 10 seconds and the water pump will cycle itself and bleed the air out.

I had been finding puddles under the car, now the puddles are gone, but the reservoir tank still empties in about 20 miles or so, I am not sure WTF is going on, going to get under the car and find out.

That N54 is notorious for water pump failures.

[bmx045]

anyone have experience with the 335d's? good? bad? do they exhibit similar reliability issues as the n54?


also, do the N55's share similar failures as the N54's?

[NotBigEnough206]

anyone have experience with the 335d's? good? bad? do they exhibit similar reliability issues as the n54?


also, do the N55's share similar failures as the N54's?

The motors of n55 and n54 are similar, just not sure what the difference between the turbos was

tuner wise the n54 is a better option, bigger marketplace, and the 07 and 08 as all models came with forged internals, but the 07 and 08 came with a forged crank too.

[bmx045]

The motors of n55 and n54 are similar, just not sure what the difference between the turbos was

tuner wise the n54 is a better option, bigger marketplace, and the 07 and 08 as all models came with forged internals, but the 07 and 08 came with a forged crank too.

i know the tuneability for the 54 is greater than the 55, as well as power gains too. Though I'm not overly concerned about that. the power of the 55 with a stage 1 should be all i'd ever want. I'm concerned more about water pump, oil filter housing seal, hpfp, wastegate rattle issues.


edit: a 335d would be torque heaven with a jbd.

[NotBigEnough206]

i know the tuneability for the 54 is greater than the 55, as well as power gains too. Though I'm not overly concerned about that. the power of the 55 with a stage 1 should be all i'd ever want. I'm concerned more about water pump, oil filter housing seal, hpfp, wastegate rattle issues.


edit: a 335d would be torque heaven with a jbd.

the n54 hpfp is recalled and covered to 120k, so no worries there, the turbos are covered to 80K.

Water pump and thermostat is a 1000 dollar job with parts, and it will go out between 50 to 75k miles.

My car otherwise has been solid and I romp on her hard with the tuner. Only thing I paid out of pocket was to get the water pump replaced and t stat. N54tech.com is the place to be if you want to learn more.

[bmx045]

I originally was looking for an 09+ 335 xdrive, but the fact that 08's are forged is tempting.

[NotBigEnough206]

I originally was looking for an 09+ 335 xdrive, but the fact that 08's are forged is tempting.

I think the 09 to 14 are forged too, just not the crank.

[bmx045]

I think the 09 to 14 are forged too, just not the crank.

ahhh. I'm a sucker for dat der LCI

[Med-Tec]

If you're looking for a sedan, definitely pick up an LCI model, they're much better looking. Either way, don't worry about the internals being forged or not, these motors have proven over and over to be fully capable of handling plenty of power. Current limitations are in the automatic transmission and fuel delivery. The rare number of engines that have grenaded seem to be related to poor/unmonitered tuning and meth injection failure.

I love my '09 335, it is a blast to drive and has been perfectly reliable as a DD. Just make sure you're consistent with your interval maintaiannce and keep an eye on everything if you choose to modify, and you should be good to go. It's a great platform to explore and build up your mechanical skills. Plus, these cars seem to get props from all automotive types (american muscle, JDM, other euros), they are a rightfully appreciated platform.

[Antonio519]

SMG doesn't exist in the e92 m3's right?

I'm looking at an ad that says SMG...

Is an M3 worth dat dere extra 10-12k over a 335i (used of course)

don't know anything about bmw's crew

[bmx045]

If you're looking for a sedan, definitely pick up an LCI model, they're much better looking. Either way, don't worry about the internals being forged or not, these motors have proven over and over to be fully capable of handling plenty of power. Current limitations are in the automatic transmission and fuel delivery. The rare number of engines that have grenaded seem to be related to poor/unmonitered tuning and meth injection failure.

I love my '09 335, it is a blast to drive and has been perfectly reliable as a DD. Just make sure you're consistent with your interval maintaiannce and keep an eye on everything if you choose to modify, and you should be good to go. It's a great platform to explore and build up your mechanical skills. Plus, these cars seem to get props from all automotive types (american muscle, JDM, other euros), they are a rightfully appreciated platform.

thanks. I've been in the tuning crowd for several years, had an 08 legacy gt fully forged and tuned with 20g, blew it up before that, learned a sobering lesson. I have a few friend's with N54's, no one with an N55 though. I love the look of the LCI. One thing that irks me is the fact that many 09+ 335 x drive's do not have paddle shifters, sedan speaking. IMO the standard steering wheel is bulky, ugly, and huge.

[80benrichards]

Ive goat a coolant leak on my 08 535i

I have checked the electronic water pump, its working and I had actually set it to bleed the air out of the system by itself. Yes that German Engineering is nice, the pump runs about 10 minutes and bleeds the air itself once you set it like that by holding down the gas pedal with ignition on, heater set to max heat low fan, and hold gas pedal down for 10 seconds and the water pump will cycle itself and bleed the air out.

I had been finding puddles under the car, now the puddles are gone, but the reservoir tank still empties in about 20 miles or so, I am not sure WTF is going on, going to get under the car and find out.

That N54 is notorious for water pump failures.

07 n54 335 here.... i top up coolant once a week don't get me started on wastegate rattle.

[markehx]

Got to test drive an M4 last week. Not sure if I want to bother with one now. Tinny exhaust and strange cabin digital noise. Handlings nice though, good engine response, it just doesn't feel great. Back to square one.

whuuuut i drove one and its sick, i had one on order but ended up cancelling cause when I saw it in person back in march, it didnt justify a 75-80k sticker

gonna wait on next generation m5 or next generation g wagon

[anonymous]

Saw a z8 on my commute this morning, did a double take since I've never seen one in person. Funny looking little monster

as is usual in the Bay it was being driven by someone who the car was totally wasted on, tootling along at 60 in the slow lane

[80benrichards]

Saw a z8 on my commute this morning, did a double take since I've never seen one in person. Funny looking little monster

as is usual in the Bay it was being driven by someone who the car was totally wasted on, tootling along at 60 in the slow lane

lol, that's the way it goes here, too. 65 yr olds in m5's going 50mpg on the highway.

[Med-Tec]

My '09 is N54, hasn't been much trouble for me really. The wastegate rattle is irritating but with the JB4 I can quiet it down for the most part. Other option is to just press the gas pedal harder and drown out the rattle with louder spooling.

[rdog3]

My buddies broken down S52 swapped e30 and my miata with a hammock, hehe. It was a bad external fuel pump btw

[LieutenantGains]

My pics from a local meet last Sunday on BMW Blog:

http://www.bmwblog.com/2014/08/20/bi...photo-gallery/

[80benrichards]

my 335xi is a 335i right now..... transfer case actuator broken. Fun in the summer, not so much when the snow comes.

Any other xi drivers ITT have that problem?

[Kukayla]

my 335xi is a 335i right now..... transfer case actuator broken. Fun in the summer, not so much when the snow comes.

Any other xi drivers ITT have that problem?

No X drive in NB? No thx jeff.

Would put on winter wheels/tires instead of buying a xi crew.

My wife had a 328xi few years ago. She drives an e92 335i with a few mods now. She swears the 335i with winters is easier to drive than the 328xi with all seasons in the snow.

[FearNoHardship]

No X drive in NB? No thx jeff.

Would put on winter wheels/tires instead of buying a xi crew.

My wife had a 328xi few years ago. She drives an e92 335i with a few mods now. She swears the 335i with winters is easier to drive than the 328xi with all seasons in the snow.

well winter tires make a bigger difference than AWD but having both can be better in some cases but i drive rwd in winter as well and no issue with good winter tires.

[LieutenantGains]

Pilot Alpin PA4 crew on RWD checking in. Got me through the worst winter here in like 40 years, no problem.



Although I'm moving to the city and won't have a need for a car, gonna keep the 335i stored and on a battery tender and use it as mostly a weekend car soon. Plus now that I'm lowered winter driving isn't really practical anymore.