Potential BMW E90 330i purchase any advice from any owners?

Soldato
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Hi all,

Considering replacing the old E46 I currently have with a slightly newer E90, one i've spotted is a 05 55 plate 330i se, nice looking motor in a similar dark blue to my 320, leather and a few other bits an pieces, its got 55k on it and is going for 7.3k which I dont think is bad. Anyway just after any advice from anyone who knows anything about them or has one such as whats common faults etc etc
 
Man of Honour
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It has an N52 engine which is fundamentally pretty reliable and doesnt have the problems the newer N53 has. Though to be honest I struggle to see the point, it isnt much of an upgrade really and unless it has Nav the interior is seriously bland even compared to the E46.
 
Soldato
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[TW]Fox;22383152 said:
It has an N52 engine which is fundamentally pretty reliable and doesnt have the problems the newer N53 has. Though to be honest I struggle to see the point, it isnt much of an upgrade really and unless it has Nav the interior is seriously bland even compared to the E46.

no nav but that doesnt really bother me, your right its not a huge upgrade but its an upgrade non the less
 
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I really wouldn't bother, if nav doesn't bother you what about the E90 appeals - the best bit about is the cool techy stuff and you don't get that without Nav because Nav gives you iDrive. Remove the cool techy stuff and you are just left with a blander looking car that isn't as nicely made as your E46.

Wait until you can afford to get something thats genuinelly better rather than simply newer.
 
Soldato
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[TW]Fox;22383228 said:
I really wouldn't bother, if nav doesn't bother you what about the E90 appeals - the best bit about is the cool techy stuff and you don't get that without Nav because Nav gives you iDrive. Remove the cool techy stuff and you are just left with a blander looking car that isn't as nicely made as your E46.

Wait until you can afford to get something thats genuinelly better rather than simply newer.

I could afford to purchase something a lot newer if I was to finance it, however i like to buy my cars outright and after a dificult few years I can afford to spend around 7k in cash, I drove a 320d E90 that my mum had as a courtesy car and i just liked the way it drove, far superior to the E46 I have now. Main problem with my E46 is the rust, every wheel arch is going and tbh ive had it for 3½ years now which is the longest ive ever owned a car (bar one, i think im upto 23 cars now) so just fancy a change, ill probably only keep it till next year anyway
 
Man of Honour
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I had an E46 330i sport and now have an E91 330i SE and feel that the E91 has a number of improvements that very much add up to the sum being greater than the parts.

Thoughts:
- I actually prefer the looks of the E46, but that's just personal preference
- Was very happy to move to an SE, which has a much more pliant ride and doesn't shake my teeth out on poor roads
- I eventually managed to find an SE with the sports seats. They're quite rare, but definitely worth the effort
- The E91 does feel the 10% more powerful that it actually is
- Lot of things said about iDrive and Nav, but despite having it in our E91, I'm not convinvced. The SatNav works fine one you've added in your destination, but to do that drives me nuts as it has no postcode entry. How BMW got away with charging so much for something so pants is beyond me. Additionally, I understand that it's possible to replace the stereo in the non-iDrive version, not possible in the iDrive one
- Our E91 seems to be around 10% more economical than the E46
- Both of our cars have been autos. The E91 has a newer 6 speed box vs the old 5 speed unit. The 6 speed does appear to be a better.

In short, our E91 330i looks like pretty much any boggo standard 320D, which I like (first thing I did was to debadge it). Get inside it though it has the lovely sports seats, I like the interior and it's lovely to drive, whether you want to just pootle around or give it some beans.
 
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Mine is a 2006 model using an m52 unit, ie the less economical but more reliable unit. We achieve roughly 22 mpg purely in town (London) upto 30ish on a run.
 
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