thoughts on the '06 330i? anyone own one?

[evident]

It's the first year of the E90 3 series, and the only year to have the 3.0 N/A engine, as opposed to the 3.5L twin turbo starting in 07 w/ all of the HPFP issues.

wondering what the reliability on it is? been browsing bmw forums and while some people say its reliable, it has the typical bmw problems (thermostat/water pump failure for no reason and replacement $1K+) among other random stuff that i've been seeing on true delta probably due to it being the first year of the E90.

I'd be willing to give up on performance of the 335 and get this vehicle if it's significantly more reliable.

http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistor...S16374&cs:rv=1C0F5DCC5F1A0057E01D62F8EB33BB8C

carfax states it was "corporate" owned for the first 30k miles. what exactly does that mean?
this one has the sports, premium and cold weather package; it's also $2k above KBB price.

second owner within the last year had the thermostat replaced twice within 10k miles, aside from that everything looks pretty good.

basically my car accord is going to need new tires in 20K miles and suspension is starting to get rough. paint is chipping and peeling on some plastic body panels. Nothing too crazy, but definitely at the point where I have to think about making a switch. If i picked up the v6 when i bought the car I woulda said F it, dropped $2k to fix my suspension and tires and keep going, but now i want moar power

 

[hans007]

The engine isnbasicaly the same as the one with the lower tune. There's even conversions to get the 3 stage intake and convert the 325/328 to that setup.

I've heard there have been issues with the magnesium bolts snapping but I think IRS generally considered more reliable than the turbo 6 e90s. Basically it'll have all the same problems as any n52 like 328 and 325 e90s

 

[soccerballtux]

I keep looking at the 328i for a potential upgrade, but want to go 3 stage intake on it for the same performance as the 330i. So why not just get the 330i? I don't recall, there might have been a few issues ironed out. I like current car enough I trying to forget about the BMW :hmm:

my plan was just proactively replace the thermo/water at like 100k or something and do it myself save $, other than that I like this car because there's no turbo like the on the 335. Less to worry about, better gas milage, etc

I wouldn't touch anything $2k above KBB. Where I am, these cars can be had for $9k around the end of the year.

 

[evident]

I keep looking at the 328i for a potential upgrade, but want to go 3 stage intake on it for the same performance as the 330i. So why not just get the 330i? I don't recall, there might have been a few issues ironed out. I like current car enough I trying to forget about the BMW :hmm:

my plan was just proactively replace the thermo/water at like 100k or something and do it myself save $, other than that I like this car because there's no turbo like the on the 335. Less to worry about, better gas milage, etc

I wouldn't touch anything $2k above KBB. Where I am, these cars can be had for $9k around the end of the year.

only reason why I think they are trying to justify $2k above kbb is they are a bmw dealer, and it has all of the packages, and it probably is in pretty clean condition . the dealer is about 90 miles out of my way. not sure if it's worth going there to check it out, only to have them not move on the price, or lowball my trade-in. it's an 07 accord in good/fair condition and 120K miles. black book has my trade in at $7.7K. They were initially asking $15K for the car, then dropped it down to $13K yesterday. KBB is $11k for clean condition @ 80K miles. basically my car is going to need new tires in 20K miles and suspension is starting to get rough. paint is chipping and peeling on some plastic body panels. Nothing too crazy, but definitely at the point where I have to think about making a switch. If i picked up the v6 when i bought the car I woulda said F it, dropped $2k to fix my suspension and tires and keep going, but now i want moar power

I've been reading most of the DIY's and it seems like I can handle a proactive thermo/water pump replacement. only thing that is catastrophic seems like a valve tap that requires a new engine, lol.

i'm not in a rush to get a replacement car. just curious and can definitely wait, indefinitely.

 

[tracerbullet]

Corporate owned may mean it was leased, and the company doing the leasing is the corporation? That could be why it was serviced at the dealer during that time.

I think that's it, but admit it's just a guess.

 

[Wuzup101]

Roommate has an e46 330i ZHP that is a sweat car. Personally I would go with one of those over a pre n54/55 e90 (mostly because I'm a huge fan of the e46 generation though). If you can get the price down, both would be good cars.

 

[evident]

can any bmw owners chime in, am I dreaming to think this car can last me another 120K miles to 200K without me pulling my hair out?

 

[halik]

My brother bought an 07 335i for 16K last year, high 13s seems expensive

 

[Jimzz]

significantly more reliable.
.

If you are worried about reliability then why are you looking at a used European car out of warranty?

Get an Asian or American car if reliability is a concern. There are plenty of good Sport/Lux cars that are reliable.
My wife HAD to have a European car... sold our Mercedes after 1 year and went back to a Cadillac. Much happier and only work done has been tires and oil changes.
My SiL HAD to have a Audi. Had to sell it to CarMax as the head gasket, plus many other things, went out with less than 60k on it. She now has a Lexus and only thing I have done is oil changes. Tires and maybe brakes are next year.

 

[Insomniator]

can any bmw owners chime in, am I dreaming to think this car can last me another 120K miles to 200K without me pulling my hair out?

No. If you are worried about that, then buy another accord or keep your current one. I've been looking at similar cars, and plan on being OK ~1500 a year in sudden repairs (not to mention premium gas, tires wearing quickly, synth oil etc)

 

[vshah]

see if you can find one at a carmax & get their aftermarket warranty

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I own one and use it as my primary car. I bought it as a CPO car with 13K miles in the spring of 2008. It has something like 55K miles on it now. My car is a manual and has the Premium, Sport and Cold Weather packages with Comfort Access, alarm and iPod connection. I also put a ZHP shift knob and E90 M3 steering wheel on it. I drive it all year in Minnesota, with Blizzaks in the winter. I have also used it for a number of track performance driving events, where it did great.

It is a great car overall (I still think it offers a stellar blend of driving precision with usability), but I can't say it has been a paragon of reliability. The engine had problems that are apparently fairly common on these cars (thermostat, VANOS solenoids), but I have also had some other very costly repairs, including replacing the ABS pump and computer (I got a junkyard part or this would have cost something like $3K). I also had a very costly repair done under warranty, when a failed vapor barrier on the driver's door caused water to get into the subfloor, shorting out the entire fiber-optic sound/media system. God knows what that cost to fix.

My mechanic tells me that these cars tend to get some fairly costly repairs at about 60K miles (mine got them sooner), but after that they settle in and are generally reliable for another 100K. I doubt I will keep the car that long, however.

 

[JulesMaximus]

It's the first year of the E90 3 series, and the only year to have the 3.0 N/A engine, as opposed to the 3.5L twin turbo starting in 07 w/ all of the HPFP issues.

wondering what the reliability on it is? been browsing bmw forums and while some people say its reliable, it has the typical bmw problems (thermostat/water pump failure for no reason and replacement $1K+) among other random stuff that i've been seeing on true delta probably due to it being the first year of the E90.

I'd be willing to give up on performance of the 335 and get this vehicle if it's significantly more reliable.

http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistor...S16374&cs:rv=1C0F5DCC5F1A0057E01D62F8EB33BB8C

carfax states it was "corporate" owned for the first 30k miles. what exactly does that mean?
this one has the sports, premium and cold weather package; it's also $2k above KBB price.

second owner within the last year had the thermostat replaced twice within 10k miles, aside from that everything looks pretty good.

That means it was a fleet vehicle. Company car or maybe a loaner or possible a lease? Does it say what company?

Keep in mind this is an 8 year old German car with 83k miles on it and it will have problems crop up that will need to be fixed.

can any bmw owners chime in, am I dreaming to think this car can last me another 120K miles to 200K without me pulling my hair out?

You'll likely pull some hair out.

 

[soccerballtux]

only reason why I think they are trying to justify $2k above kbb is they are a bmw dealer, and it has all of the packages, and it probably is in pretty clean condition . the dealer is about 90 miles out of my way. not sure if it's worth going there to check it out, only to have them not move on the price, or lowball my trade-in. it's an 07 accord in good/fair condition and 120K miles. black book has my trade in at $7.7K. They were initially asking $15K for the car, then dropped it down to $13K yesterday. KBB is $11k for clean condition @ 80K miles.

I've been reading most of the DIY's and it seems like I can handle a proactive thermo/water pump replacement. only thing that is catastrophic seems like a valve tap that requires a new engine, lol.

i'm not in a rush to get a replacement car. just curious and can definitely wait, indefinitely.

I've had trouble getting deals from the dealers. The ER is expensive.
Call them, explain you're 90 minutes away, interested in buying, but only if they're flexible on the price. If not, flexible on the trade in. Make the decision for yourself.

You can get a mechanic who regularly hits auctions to target and fire for you if you have cash good to go. I'm considering this route

 

[soccerballtux]

can any bmw owners chime in, am I dreaming to think this car can last me another 120K miles to 200K without me pulling my hair out?

is it Auto? That's something to be concerned with and why I was looking at manual.
I would drain the trans fluid and refill first thing.

It's the random other things that break like water pump, Tstat, my friend's windshield wiper fluid pump (wtf?? never heard of those breaking at 70k miles)
I'm not sure I have the energy or interest to do the work myself to make it financially less of a hole

 

[soccerballtux]

If you are worried about reliability then why are you looking at a used European car out of warranty?

Get an Asian or American car if reliability is a concern. There are plenty of good Sport/Lux cars that are reliable.
My wife HAD to have a European car... sold our Mercedes after 1 year and went back to a Cadillac. Much happier and only work done has been tires and oil changes.
My SiL HAD to have a Audi. Had to sell it to CarMax as the head gasket, plus many other things, went out with less than 60k on it. She now has a Lexus and only thing I have done is oil changes. Tires and maybe brakes are next year.

handling is completely unacceptable on asians

 

[evident]

handling is completely unacceptable on asians

im also considering a G37S sedan. much cheaper, and much more reliable it seems. not too sold on the exterior styling, and no folding seats in the back is a downgrade from what i'm coming from too. from what i've read it's almost as good as the 3er.

 

[Jimzz]

im also considering a G37S sedan. much cheaper, and much more reliable it seems. not too sold on the exterior styling, and no folding seats in the back is a downgrade from what i'm coming from too. from what i've read it's almost as good as the 3er.

My BiL got a G37 recently. He wanted AWD and most CTS were RWD. Changed the tires and that helped a bit.
We also looked at the G37 but went with a CTS when we found one with the sports/performance package and low miles.

Both have been reliable so far and changing the tires on both fixed the biggest complaints we had.

 

[Throckmorton]

If you are worried about reliability then why are you looking at a used European car out of warranty?

Get an Asian or American car if reliability is a concern. There are plenty of good Sport/Lux cars that are reliable.
My wife HAD to have a European car... sold our Mercedes after 1 year and went back to a Cadillac. Much happier and only work done has been tires and oil changes.
My SiL HAD to have a Audi. Had to sell it to CarMax as the head gasket, plus many other things, went out with less than 60k on it. She now has a Lexus and only thing I have done is oil changes. Tires and maybe brakes are next year.

Maybe he wants a BMW because not a single American or Japanese RWD sedan from that time period was available with a manual (or almost impossible to find)

 

[hans007]

can any bmw owners chime in, am I dreaming to think this car can last me another 120K miles to 200K without me pulling my hair out?

the e90 non turbo cars are actually really reliable . probably the most reliable E series car bmw made.

so its possible.

my dad actually has a 2004 x3 3.0 (older engine S52 i think) and it still runs fine, and he's had no major issues (sunroof started squeaking after about 6 years...).

135k miles and its fine (though he barely drives it now since he also has a 2014 one)

 

[JulesMaximus]

handling is completely unacceptable on asians

Compared to an 8 year old BMW with 84,000 miles on the original suspension? BWAHAHAHA!!! Unacceptable to who? You?

I'd take a newer, low mileage 350Z or G35 over this money pit any day.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Maybe he wants a BMW because not a single American or Japanese RWD sedan from that time period was available with a manual (or almost impossible to find)

Why would that make any difference? I'd bet that a majority of BMW 3 series sold are also automatics... just like the car the OP is considering.

 

[ballmode]

If I heard correctly the most reliable E90/92 is actually the M3. Unlike the pricey E46 M3 upkeep, the E90/92 was built solid compared to the turboed N54/55

 

[evident]

Why would that make any difference? I'd bet that a majority of BMW 3 series sold are also automatics... just like the car the OP is considering.

yes i'm considering an auto. wife cant drive stick and dont know if i want to put up with a stick on my commute either.

Might be scratching the idea on an 06 330i. all the ones in my area are beat up. test drove a 330xi w/ 55K miles that had a very rough idle. Looking into newer 328's at this point. wagons are definitely interesting, slower but more practical i guess.

tbh i really like the new IS350, I'm thinking about waiting a year or 3 so I can get this current generation as a CPO. all of the Lexus from that era don't have fold down seats which is a partial deal breaker for me, especially on a smaller car like the IS.

 

[Midwayman]

all of the Lexus from that era don't have fold down seats which is a partial deal breaker for me, especially on a smaller car like the IS.

Such a weird thing on luxury cars not to have it. I bought my acura TL without even checking, assuming it had it since every cheaper car I'd owned did. Nope. Was annoying on occasion and if we didn't have the wife's CRV it would have been a problem from time to time. My C350 I checked, but even then fold down seats are an option on the c-class. fricken weird.