Looking for a new Daily

[sector6]

Hello boys and girls,

I'm in the process of looking for a new daily and would value any input. Bottom line is AWD for winter commute.

That being said, talk me out of picking up an e90 328i xdrive with 70k for around 10/11k. Reviews seem good on the 328, but maybe some of you have had first hand experience with them and would advise otherwise?

Thanks for your time!
Paul

[Tisoc]

Are you looking strictly at BMW’s?

[nando]

Skip the xdrive, get a 6mt. E90's with the N52 are fantastic cars. All you need are some snow tires. Or at the very least, get xi/6mt.

the RWD cars drive way better than their AWD counterparts. Source: I owned both at the same time. :)

the AWD is actually pretty good, but the steering is slow and numb, the suspension is wallowy, it weighs a lot more and robs power. it's also harder to work on.

primary maintenance issues are the OFH gasket, serpentine tensioner, and waterpump - which last 100k+ miles, but can fail suddenly. Just get them all done at once right away and the car is relatively worry free otherwise. my 330i 6mt has cost me about $500 in maintenance over 40,000 miles (including four oil changes), the rest has been tires (two sets) and gas. If you can't DIY however, you will pay a lot in labor.

With 6at and AWD, your fuel mileage will not be that great either (maybe 19-21 average). I average about 24mpg, but on all highway trips it easily gets 30-35.

[Staszek]

Skip the xdrive, get a 6mt. E90's with the N52 are fantastic cars. All you need are some snow tires. Or at the very least, get xi/6mt.

the RWD cars drive way better than their AWD counterparts. Source: I owned both at the same time. :)

the AWD is actually pretty good, but the steering is slow and numb, the suspension is wallowy, it weighs a lot more and robs power. it's also harder to work on.

primary maintenance issues are the OFH gasket, serpentine tensioner, and waterpump - which last 100k+ miles, but can fail suddenly. Just get them all done at once right away and the car is relatively worry free otherwise. my 330i 6mt has cost me about $500 in maintenance over 40,000 miles (including four oil changes), the rest has been tires (two sets) and gas. If you can't DIY however, you will pay a lot in labor.

With 6at and AWD, your fuel mileage will not be that great either (maybe 19-21 average). I average about 24mpg, but on all highway trips it easily gets 30-35.

I will agree with this, I have no problem with RWD and snow tires, I use an E38 7 series all winter and I love it.

I also owned an E90 330i and drove that call all winter back in the day with all seasons and got by no problem, so with snows the car would rock.

The 328 is a solid car, pretty reliable compared to their turbo counterparts. If you can find a 330i though go for it! They are usually loaded and the engine is definitely stronger.

There are also a lot of other options too though if you are not sticking with BMW.

[agent]

If you're interested in a RWD 328i, I have one for sale. Black over chestnut brown, Sport Package, meticulously maintained.

PM me if you'd like more info.

[Staszek]

If you're interested in a RWD 328i, I have one for sale. Black over chestnut brown, Sport Package, meticulously maintained.

Ohhhh Chestnut brown! Rare and my favorite non M interior for the E90.

[MrBurgundy]

e39

[sector6]

Are you looking strictly at BMW’s?

No, I was also looking into an Impreza, but the new(er) ones seem to be shit from what I read.

[sector6]

Skip the xdrive, get a 6mt. E90's with the N52 are fantastic cars. All you need are some snow tires. Or at the very least, get xi/6mt.

the RWD cars drive way better than their AWD counterparts. Source: I owned both at the same time. :)

the AWD is actually pretty good, but the steering is slow and numb, the suspension is wallowy, it weighs a lot more and robs power. it's also harder to work on.

primary maintenance issues are the OFH gasket, serpentine tensioner, and waterpump - which last 100k+ miles, but can fail suddenly. Just get them all done at once right away and the car is relatively worry free otherwise. my 330i 6mt has cost me about $500 in maintenance over 40,000 miles (including four oil changes), the rest has been tires (two sets) and gas. If you can't DIY however, you will pay a lot in labor.

With 6at and AWD, your fuel mileage will not be that great either (maybe 19-21 average). I average about 24mpg, but on all highway trips it easily gets 30-35.

Nando, I appreciate the feed back. That was exactly the info I was looking for. All the RWD 328's are a bit less expensive than the AWD's, so that helps my bottom line too. Thanks again.

[roguetoaster]

e39

Yes, they are great DDs!!!!

[TFJR]

I'm also considering picking up an E9x, albeit an E91 as I'm a fan of the long roof. I'm looking for an LCI car with sport/M-sport, cold weather and premium packages. non X-Drive and preferrably a manual but would settle for an AT with the steering mounted paddle shifters.

From what I've read and friends with the platform they sound like wonderful cars!

[nando]

yeah, I loved our E91 (except for the AWD part, lol). it was a 6mt, I did a 3 stage swap on it with my tune, it was awesome overall.

You can definitely find them in RWD, 6mt, sport - but it will cost you. Another option is you can always do a 6mt swap.

Funny thing about the E39/E90 - they're basically the same size. The E90 does drive like it's smaller than it really is, but man, the jump from an E30 to an E90 is pretty big (and newer BMWs are even worse).

[Julien]

I will agree with this, I have no problem with RWD and snow tires, I use an E38 7 series all winter and I love it.

I also owned an E90 330i and drove that call all winter back in the day with all seasons and got by no problem, so with snows the car would rock.

The 328 is a solid car, pretty reliable compared to their turbo counterparts. If you can find a 330i though go for it! They are usually loaded and the engine is definitely stronger.

There are also a lot of other options too though if you are not sticking with BMW.

Same engine in 325/28/30 just a different intake and tune

[djjerme]

I'll throw another vote for the E90. Though, I've been going E83 for daily. It's pretty versatile, drives like an E46, and can tow the race car around.. And they made a cubic buttload of them, so parts are about as cheap as BMW's can get.

And they'll last for 200K easily.

[nando]

Same engine in 325/28/30 just a different intake and tune

while true, the 330i tends to come loaded - where the 325/328 are often stripper models. They 325/328 also get weaker transmissions and usually smaller brakes/wheels/tires, and the non-sport seats are total crap (you can get them on the other cars, but it was an extra option).

On the other hand, idrive is so annoying I wouldn't even want it. Especially the early one which feels like a Windows 95 computer. A typical smartphone does navigation, music and diagnostics better anyway.