335i v 330i v 330d

DiamondMark said:
Thats got a slightly rough round the edges look to that one, perhaps its just me.
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Yea I nearly posted that but thought I'd get abuse so kept quiet, but thats exactly what I thought as well. To be honest several of the cars I saw were quite shabby in places despite being only 3 years old and sold by main dealers.

The dealers always promise it will 'get prepped' but some of these cars had marks and scratches on every panel..

I know I'm fussy but I dont think its unreasonable to expect to be able to obtain a car thats 3 years old and in better condition than the 9 year old one you are changing..

I keep my cars for a very long time - I'd rather waste months and months and months being fussy and picky and then enjoying 5 years of perfection than go 'That'll do, its not that bad' to save a bit of time. Besides, I think summer is when the 08's will start hitting retail in volume :)
 
[TW]Fox;18720807 said:
Yea I nearly posted that but thought I'd get abuse so kept quiet, but thats exactly what I thought as well. To be honest several of the cars I saw were quite shabby in places despite being only 3 years old and sold by main dealers.

The dealers always promise it will 'get prepped' but some of these cars had marks and scratches on every panel..

I know I'm fussy but I dont think its unreasonable to expect to be able to obtain a car thats 3 years old and in better condition than the 9 year old one you are changing..

I keep my cars for a very long time - I'd rather waste months and months and months being fussy and picky and then enjoying 5 years of perfection than go 'That'll do, its not that bad' to save a bit of time. Besides, I think summer is when the 08's will start hitting retail in volume :)
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Im the worlds worst for being lazy, iv wasted thousands this year buying cars unseen over the phone, you stick to your guns, but when the right one comes up, sod a little scratch or a few extra quid, jump on it, bird in the hand an all that.
 
Nice read, probably sums up what most people thought anyway (about your opinions).

I still don't get the diesel thing though. I have no cabin rattle and my steering wheel certainly doesn't vibrate, nor does my gear stick (although that's an auto). Perhaps this is a 3series issue? Sure, you know mines a diesel at start up but the second it's moving it's not noticeable unless you hit the throttle hard.
 
Lucero said:
I still don't get the diesel thing though. I have no cabin rattle and my steering wheel certainly doesn't vibrate, nor does my gear stick (although that's an auto). Perhaps this is a 3series issue? Sure, you know mines a diesel at start up but the second it's moving it's not noticeable unless you hit the throttle hard.
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PMKeates new 535d had the diesel-rattle as well (But as it was an auto, not the gearstick) :p
 
Gaygle said:
Oh and, powerwise, how did the coupe feel compared to the convertible?
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Much better. I've posted my thoughts on the convertible before - it just didnt feel super-fast. Infact I'm inclined to think the 330i Coupe is probably as quick if not quicker than the 335i cab.
 
[TW]Fox;18720807 said:
I keep my cars for a very long time - I'd rather waste months and months and months being fussy and picky and then enjoying 5 years of perfection than go 'That'll do, its not that bad' to save a bit of time. Besides, I think summer is when the 08's will start hitting retail in volume :)
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It's definitely worth waiting. I was in the market for a manual 335i a couple of years ago and saw a few dogs while I was looking.
At one point I was tempted to go for something that wasn't quite right just because they are bloody rare.
In the end I found one that ticked all the boxes and was literally a mile away from home (I walked round when picking it up :p) and am very glad I waited now.
 
w1lliam said:
Is the 330i engine naturally aspirated or is there a single turbo vs the twin in the 335i?
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NA.

I prefer the idea of a 330i over a 335i. I don't want that much power. 272bhp is plenty. To be honest, the 325i would probably be enough for me, but as Fox points out (many times lol) the 330i has pretty much the same running costs so why not etc etc.
 
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w1lliam said:
Is the 330i engine naturally aspirated or is there a single turbo vs the twin in the 335i?
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It's normally aspirated - there is now a single turbo 3 litre petrol - this is the N55 engine and it's replaced the N54 twin turbo engine in the 335i as of the 2010 facelift.
 
I have no understanding why they are so rare...

Literally 3 series approved used market revolves around 318 and 320. There is nothing else. Quite poor, and unfortunately reinforces strong residuals and chance of knocking a salesman down on a newie is very low on such a rare car.

All in all, I think Fox did a good summary - I was originally put off automatics as it is a disassociation with the whole driving experience... plus some right horror stories of autoboxes going haywire. I do not believe this is the same with the German designs... maybe British, French and Japanese...

I am erring towards including originally excluded models in my choice: Saloon, Convertible in addition to Coupés. Generally this doesn't affect the performance or eco figures, but may open up a larger pool of vehicles.

Mysteriously the Coupé attracts a HUGE premium above Saloon, in the order of £4k. This is very strange since it has more technology (2 additional electric windows, 2 extra doors...).

I am now considering what sort of limits would be placed as the *best* price possible for a new buy... after all, there is a great deal of inflation of the prices since the car industry 'changed'.
 
Unlike the E46 where they were pretty similar, the E92 is massively better looking than the prefacelift E90 Saloon which I think accounts for a lot of the price premium. They look quite different and the lines are very different. The pre facelift E90 is not a good looking car, whereas the E92 is particularly handsome.

You will get a lot more E90 for your money - look at the chap on here who just got a '56 330i M Sport Saloon for £13k. Compare that to £20k for the same car but a year newer as an E92..
 
same is true of the E90 M3 saloons.

Pre facelift 08 cars are dropping down near or under 30k.

The 09 LCI ones are stuck around 40k however. A lot of them have DCT too, which helps resale value even further being a desirable expensive option.
 
Thats odd really because the E90 M3 wasn't afflicted by the horrible front end of the E90 pre LCI, it had a different design.
 
Basically, if you want a nice BMW which fits your spec, the long and short of it is, it will probably end up being a diesel. I would never buy a BMW brand new, if I did, it would be petrol. I can't even get close to finding an F10 petrol Sport and whilst I know they are even newer than the 3 series, the fact remains that when I come to buy, I will be limited even further to those that don't really match the spec I want.

This is why, unfortunately, I have to be realistic and assume that if I find everything I want in my next car, it probably won't be from the BMW stable :(
 
f00f1ght0r said:
You say Diesel as if it is a bad thing... !
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Diesel will never really be the enthusiasts *choice* - though we may be forced into them for other reasons. Diesel works in many cars - it's good in a big luxury car, it's great for pounding motorways in a 530d or similar, etc etc but if you want to really enjoy driving I dont think it will ever compare to a decent petrol engine and it doesnt matter how fast they are because the performance isn't the point.

We are being ever forced down the diesel route because most car buyers are misinformed or base purchasing decisions on perception and assumption - they assume you need a diesel without checking what the petrol is like. The salesman tells them they need a diesel or the residuals will be terrible. The salesman tells them the diesel is as good as the petrol when the reality of it is that the salesman has probably never driven the petrol let alone lived with it.

And the more people who buy them, the more it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

Everywhere you go on the internet and discuss diesel there is overwhelming amounts of purchase justification syndrome going on. People WANT to think diesel is better - because the circumstances they are in dictate they must have diesel, or they already have diesel, and they end up beleiving it it is better, full stop.

How many people who ordered a 330d tried a 330i first? Hardly any. I'd be amazed if it was even 5%. So in reality they've no idea how it compares - they just took the word of the salesman.

A 57 plate 330d is just 4mpg better on the combined cycle than a 57 plate 330i. 5mpg. Thats it. FIVE miles per gallon.

A 100 mile journey in the 330d at the combined mpg would cost £14.70. In the 330i it would cost £15.95..

In 10 years time you simply will not be able to buy a car like a 330i.

And that is a huge, huge, huge shame.
 
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[TW]Fox;18720807 said:
The dealers always promise it will 'get prepped' but some of these cars had marks and scratches on every panel..

I know I'm fussy but I dont think its unreasonable to expect to be able to obtain a car thats 3 years old and in better condition than the 9 year old one you are changing..
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I find this hugely depressing and that is in the context of spending less than a third of your budget.

My reaction to the "what do you expect, its a # year old car" I tend to get from the "Honest Joes Used Car Emporium" type place is- "Well lets go and have a look at my 8 year old car and use that as a starting point." :rolleyes:

The cars in question are way out of my league but it was interesting to read your thoughts on them. I can understand why effortlessly quick can be a negative thing. Hell, I often think the same of my car which is only 200bhp but also has that diesel like power delivery coupled with pretty long gearing. Sometimes I find myself stirring the gear stick just for the sake of it when out for a spirited drive when in reality I could just leave it in third most of the time :p
 
lordrobs said:
My reaction to the "what do you expect, its a # year old car" I tend to get from the "Honest Joes Used Car Emporium" type place is- "Well lets go and have a look at my 8 year old car and use that as a starting point." :rolleyes:
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Absolutely. It's a huge pain especially when you start needing to travel to the other side of the country to view cars.

'Well sir its a 3 year old car...'

Great, it can be somebody elses 3 year old car. It is perfectly possible to own a car and NOT trash it. And I'm not complaining about stonechips here - they are a fact of life.
 
I've not driven a 135i because it's probably a bit small for my tastes - but I'd imagine it's a case of 'As 335i, but less refined and more nimble'.
 
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