E92 335i

[CorvallisBMW]

So the one I was interested in was sold. Maybe was for the best because I still need to think about the expenses and also selling my e30 because parking is crazy near my house and my landlord is an asshole. I just can't justify having 2 cars at the moment. But I went on CL and found this

2007 BMW 335i e92 $13500

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5521979179.html

This is what I would go for. I just think I need to give it 2-3 more months to sort out some stuff and I may find myself being a part of the no e30 club here on r3v..


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Damn, that's a ton of car for the money! I'd snap that up in a heartbeat if I were in the market, though personally I prefer the e90 to the e92; something about the e92 silhouette just never worked for me.

Having recently purchased an '11 335D, I can say that e90s are certainly fun, capable cars. But they are infinitely more complicated than an e30, which means there are more things to go wrong. Just be prepared for it, get a good code reader (an OBD2 bluetooth dongle, plus the TorquePro app, which should run you $20 or less total) and you'll be 80% of the way there. 335i's have the advantage of being more tuneable and having more support than the D's as well, as they're more popular and sold in much higher numbers. Also make sure the car you're getting has the options you want. Premium sound system? Comfort access? iDrive (stay away from anything '05-'08 )? Cold weather? etc. Modern cars vary wildly in options and features from car to car, unlike e30s which are nearly identical aside from the engines. Also, if you're going for big power, plan on upgrading to some kind of LSD, which will run ~$2.5k. The open diff sucks balls even at stock power/torque levels :hitler:

[4tDX]

Damn, that's a ton of car for the money! I'd snap that up in a heartbeat if I were in the market, though personally I prefer the e90 to the e92; something about the e92 silhouette just never worked for me.

Having recently purchased an '11 335D, I can say that e90s are certainly fun, capable cars. But they are infinitely more complicated than an e30, which means there are more things to go wrong. Just be prepared for it, get a good code reader (an OBD2 bluetooth dongle, plus the TorquePro app, which should run you $20 or less total) and you'll be 80% of the way there. 335i's have the advantage of being more tuneable and having more support than the D's as well, as they're more popular and sold in much higher numbers. Also make sure the car you're getting has the options you want. Premium sound system? Comfort access? iDrive (stay away from anything '05-'08 )? Cold weather? etc. Modern cars vary wildly in options and features from car to car, unlike e30s which are nearly identical aside from the engines. Also, if you're going for big power, plan on upgrading to some kind of LSD, which will run ~$2.5k. The open diff sucks balls even at stock power/torque levels :hitler:

Despite what I said earlier, if they sold n54 e91s to North America I would have definitely pick another one up long ago.

That brings up some good points. I can't believe these cars never came with LSDs and were not even an option. Beyond stupid!
These cars have been out for a while now. So, if you are patient, you can find deals on used ones on the forums.

Also, fold down rear seats are an option!?!

Also, Also, they started putting servotronic steering in later cars (I think starting with LCI), which I personally hate. So, may be one more thing to consider.

[CorvallisBMW]

A 335i or 335D wagon would be in my driveway as we speak if they had ever been offered... fucking bastards.

But yes fold-down seats were part of the cold weather package, so if you want those, you have to look for it. AFAIK the Servotronic variable-ratio steering was a standalone option which very few e9x cars came with.

Oh and if you're concerned about resale value, look for cars with more options and/or rarer options, such as the M Sport package, aluminum interior trim, etc. There's just too many low-option 335i's out there flooding the market, so if you want to recoup some $ in a few years, aim for a unique one. For example, M Sport 335Ds with little to no other options are going for $24-$25k with 40-60k on them, while a fully-optioned 335D with sport package at similar miles would be $19-$20k. They only made a few hundred M SPort Ds, so they command big premiums.

[varg]

Turbos seemed to need replacement often on these cars.

I've read/heard that it's partially because tunes which increase boost pressure beyond a certain amount cause the turbos to overspeed. It is certianly plausible, not sure how true it is though, I don't have the maps for an N54's turbos in front of me.

[Northern]

A 335i or 335D wagon would be in my driveway as we speak if they had ever been offered... fucking bastards.

This 100%. Thinking of making one someday. I'll probably buy a touring or an E90 N54 335i/6 soon either way...

[crzylildude]

lol... I have a 2007 E92 335i Coupe 71K miles on them / Sports Package - Premium Package / Paddle shifter / N54 StepTronic (New Turbos by dealer / all recall done by dealer / new water pump / new injectors / Bilstein&HR suspension combo / AG 19" wheels / Akra exhaust tips / Catless DownPipes / ER-intercooler / PASSED SMOG test with flying colors / CarFax / Clean Title (PinkSlip) on hand / NEVER TUNED (virgin) / never tracked .... runs great / well cared / city driving only ... mine is for sale but I WILL NEVER LET GO for KBB price ...

[nando]

I can't believe nobody has made an E91 335i yet. All you need is an E91 and a 335i parts car..

[varg]

I can't believe nobody has made an E91 335i yet. All you need is an E91 and a 335i parts car..

If nobody has done it, it probably isn't as simple as it sounds. Either that or people don't like wagons in reality as much as the internet would lead you to believe.

[nando]

no, it's just that people who own newer BMWs don't actually know anything about working on cars, other than paying somebody to work on it for them.

E91s are awesome. If something happened to the N52 in ours, the first thing I'd do was look for a parts car. :)

[4tDX]

There have been a couple of S65 e91 builds. Although, I have seen very little technical information on what was done/needed.

[KIRIEIW]

Like stated above, the newer BMW's with direct injection are suffering from carbon build up on the intake valve's. Currently the only fix is to have a dealership, or shop with the tools needed, squirt walnut shells onto the valve and vacuum up the debris. Walnut shells aren't super abrasive, but work well enough to take the carbon off the valves. I have no clue what that would cost, but it's something that should be done every 50-60k miles from my understanding. Lots of manufactures are switching to direct injection these days it seems so don't let it keep you from buying a newer BMW I guess.

[4tDX]

Like stated above, the newer BMW's with direct injection are suffering from carbon build up on the intake valve's. Currently the only fix is to have a dealership, or shop with the tools needed, squirt walnut shells onto the valve and vacuum up the debris. Walnut shells aren't super abrasive, but work well enough to take the carbon off the valves. I have no clue what that would cost, but it's something that should be done every 50-60k miles from my understanding.

You can rent media blasters for ~$100 now and walnut media is pretty inexpensive. Also, if you are take a look at the regional forums there (at least in the PNW) there were always some guys doing group deals for $200-300.

I personally just got a ton of carb cleaner and a gun cleaning kit with a bunch of brass brush heads. If I did it again I would definitely just rent the media blaster.

[KIRIEIW]

You can rent media blasters for ~$100 now and walnut media is pretty inexpensive. Also, if you are take a look at the regional forums there (at least in the PNW) there were always some guys doing group deals for $200-300.

I personally just got a ton of carb cleaner and a gun cleaning kit with a bunch of brass brush heads. If I did it again I would definitely just rent the media blaster.

Just found this video after a quick google search, doesn't seem like the worst job in the world after all. Also happened to be a e92.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONp6gQXpyKU

[Staszek]

Just found this video after a quick google search, doesn't seem like the worst job in the world after all. Also happened to be a e92.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONp6gQXpyKU

Yes that was what I was going to add, you need to get these things blasted I would say every 30-40k and it will run well.

As others have stated the HPFP was one of the major issues, fixed later in the model year. I missed it did you say what year this car was there is a pretty big difference between the N54 and N55. N54 is more tunable, but the N55 tends to be more reliable.

If the car hasnt been tuned and beat the turbos shouldnt be too bad, I havent seen a lot go down on the non tuned 335i's.

I think its a great car, I have an E93, although S65 not turbo, and knock on wood it has been one of the more reliable cars I have ever owned. Before that I had an E90 330i again non turbo but the only problem I had with that car was the coils, airbag seat pad, and then late in life when it had about 160k on it my cat was going.

[CorvallisBMW]

Like stated above, the newer BMW's with direct injection are suffering from carbon build up on the intake valve's. Currently the only fix is to have a dealership, or shop with the tools needed, squirt walnut shells onto the valve and vacuum up the debris. Walnut shells aren't super abrasive, but work well enough to take the carbon off the valves. I have no clue what that would cost, but it's something that should be done every 50-60k miles from my understanding. Lots of manufactures are switching to direct injection these days it seems so don't let it keep you from buying a newer BMW I guess.

Lots of forum guys are out there doing it for a couple of hundred dollars. There's a guy here in Portland who posts on e90post all the time and does it for $200 I think. So I wouldn't worry too much about the cost. Unfortunately the diesel motors are 100x worse due to the EGR system. The oil vapor, coupled with exhaust soot, turns to fucking rock and coats EVERYTHING in the manifold. The whole thing has to be pulled out and ultrasonically cleaned, then the ports have to be walnut blasted AND the swirl ports as well. It's like 10x more complicated and time consuming than gas cars :down: