E9X Are they decent to own and maintain

[Kevinl]

I am wanting to get a newer vehicle the e30 is not going anywhere

I wanted a truck but the prices are out of hand

I was thinking about a E90 or E92 ,maybe a E82

Will I regret it if I buy one

are the NA models semi reliable?

[shameson]

My dad recently bought an '06 E91 325xi touring, like 3 months ago. Absolutely loves the car, very sleek and quick for a wagon. His runs really well considering it's 8 years old already. But he's already having problems where the radio randomly stops having audio, and only would work after the cars been turned off and restarted. The amps for those could be expensive if that's the issue. The passanger door lock already doesn't work with the key, have to manually lock and unlock it.

ther than that the cars been great and hasn't had any other issues. Feels like it's a solidly built car. I definitely wouldn't mind having one, as you can pick them for a good price now. But I feel like they will be prone to the typical window regulator/ electrical issues down the road. I've also heard of auto trans leaks and vanos solenoids needing replacement in some of the cars as they're now all a few years old, but nothing too radical But in the end, if you do your own work on the car, the e9x shouldn't be an expensive car to maintain and will be reliable.

[nando]

Go drive one. you'll want it. :)

[Sea Aych]

Go drive one. you'll want it. :)

Parents own one (e90, 323i) - really nice to drive. Clutch is quick, which kind of reminds me of my e30. Unlike the mazda 3 that came before it where the clutch catch point was about 8 miles long.
So far the only thing that's gone wrong is the blower motor (squeaky squeaky)...Not sure how cheap those are to replace though.

[dnguyen1963]

My friend had one...electronic gremlins finally forced him to give it up. It was a few hundred dollars every three months or so. No problem with the engine whatsoever, but when the windows did not roll up in the rain, it was a major problem. The fan stopped working, the interior lights did not light up, the headlights did not turn on randomly, on and on. Maybe he had a lemon.

[md-va]

We have a 08 335i. And by we, I mean my wife. On the occasions I do get to drive the car, it is a blast. As what was said earlier, you will probably end up having a lot of the same issue most modern BMWs have. Our's has been pretty good in the few years we have owned it. I think the HPFP is about to shit it self. It is occasionally showing the symptoms. Luckily it is covered under a 10 year warranty.

[heatmakerz]

e9x's are pretty good cars and I will doubt that you will regret buying one if you did. Parts for it (once the warranty is up) do tread the line of being pricey.

[Todd Black 88]

Have a 2012.
Just had a bit of warranty work done last Saturday, and more coming.

So far,

Both bottom seat cushion covers have been replaced due to cracks in vinyl. Drivers side twice.

Steering rack, steering colom, steering knuckle, passenger window regulator,sunroof rail,door seal that split. And more.

I think my e46 was better built, but at least the axle boots have not split..........yet.

[JinormusJ]

'06 E91 325xi touring

Oh gawd so much want

[Nesset]

I got the chance to drive a E9x M3 sedan comp package car at a few car control clinics. I loved it. But then again that was the first "fast car" I ever drove.... Drive one!

[haggardfab]

they are really nice cars, my buddy has a low mileage 09 335i that i've driven.. I forsee them being a big pain in the ass down the road tho, they have a ton of stupid little problems, especially the direct injection turbo ones.. having to get the cylinder head walnut blasted every 30k miles doesn't sound like something id wanna deal with or worse yet buying a car that the previous owner didn't stay up to date on..

[Jon325i]

Will I regret it if I buy one

Perhaps a turbo model. Check out E90 forums and search for topics re: HPFP (high pressure fuel pump). Some nightmare owner experiences out there. BMW made revisions to this part, not sure they entirely solved the problem. The turbo motors will require more frequent maintenance too due to their high performance specification. If you're looking for something as a DD that won't require a lot of attention, this may not be the ideal car for you.

are the NA models semi reliable?

Considerably. Of course, any NA E9x can be a problem child if the previous owners ran it hard, didn't maintain it properly, etc. Generally speaking, they are much more dependable. I have 2 family members who own 2006 model E90 sedans, both have been very dependable cars. They purchased them as used cars from Craigslist a few years ago without any sort of warranty. Just normal maintenance stuff is all they've had to address during their ownership.


Jon

[glucklich21]

I've had an E90 for almost 5 years now. While it's fun (mine's a 6 speed), maintenance costs are starting to become a factor. Last month was about 3K which included new brakes, front thrust bushings, charge pipe (old one exploded), rear wheel bearing, new tires, and all the drivetrain fluids changed. Now I could have broken up some of those costs over a few months, but they all needed fixing, especially the charge pipe (I was able to limp it home).

All of that isn't why I'm selling mine soon, it's the gas mileage. My car has the N54 which other than recalls and the charge pipe has been fine (I'm at 79K). It likes to eat oil, but that's just the nature of the beast. However the mileage is atrocious in it. Even if you keep your foot out of it I've never seen anything higher than 22 mpg. The car is rated at 26 and 17 in the city. The gears are so long that you either have to keep it in a lower gear or go to a higher gear and let the boost do the work around town. Kills the mileage either way. I would say it's better suited for the highway, but the mileage just isn't there above 70.

If I was to do it again I would get the 335d. My dad had one for a few years and that thing had 90% of the performance of my car, but still got high 30s on the highway. I even averaged 28 mpg hauling this thing home at 85 down a toll way:

[nando]

IMO avoid the turbo unless you want to fix it all the time.

[shameson]

Oh gawd so much want

Right after he bought it he allowed me to take it for a spin in snow. Even with summer tires....oh lawd it was fun



My touring needs AWD damnit