[katatonia]

I need to start saving some more money and thought I should sell my 335i before it's worth nothing. I'm looking at a 2006 330i as they are probably the cheapest and most reliable sporty bmw you can buy (according to my research). N52 is very reliable, 255hp is plenty for my uses, and I intend to put many kms on the car on road trips and the 330i is pennies to run as a daily compared to the 335i. I found a black 330i with saddle brown seats, sport package, 6 speed, 100,000km.

Just wondering what differences I will find if I go this route? My 335i has msport package, nav, manual transmission and premium sound. 330i has sport package, manual transmission, premium sound.

Aside from the obvious power loss, will the interior feel as premium as mine? Will the shifter feel the same? Will the sound system be comparable? Is there an aux input?

I guess the tl;dr is how much a downgrade is a 2006 330i from a 2011 335i?

[hassmaschine]

Should be pretty similar other than power (and early nav sucks anyway, so no worries on missing it). yes, there's an aux input in the center console. IIRC all 2006 330i's came standard with logic7 sound, so that should be the same too. E90 interiors are for the most part the same, there are some improvements in later ones and also things that got removed.

IMO if it's saving you several thousand you can't really go wrong, the '06 330i is a pretty fantastic car overall.

[SpeedBuggy]

Yes, Logic 7 is standard on the 330i, I believe seven speakers total also.

[gT-BMW]

this is interesting thread because when i was shopping for a bmw i test drove all the models, including a 335i (which broke down on me during the test drive which made me scared to own one) and ended up with the much cheaper 325i. I bought the 325i real cheap, it has all the service records with the thought of reselling but i ended up keeping it. It already has AA headers and i will be installing the 3im this weekend. less than $500 in mods.

I dont know about you guys but i think the 325i is an awesome car if you can it it real cheap. Mine has the earlier nav which i know you guys says it sucks, but its a map and i know how to read a map. saved me many time finding alternate routes when there was traffic

[GoRomeo]

and this why I wont sell mine...

[Pladi]

335 is an awesome car for the money.. if you cant afford it what the point to downgrade to a 12 year old car.. maintenance costs ... this doesnt make any sense to me.

[hassmaschine]

330i maintenance costs are way lower than a 335i, for one..

[gT-BMW]

Originally Posted by Pladi

335 is an awesome car for the money.. if you cant afford it what the point to downgrade to a 12 year old car.. maintenance costs ... this doesnt make any sense to me.

335i or nothing right. m3 owners try not to flame him to hard hes canadian

[Delta0311]

That's kind of like going back to Pornhub after being blown on the regular at a strip club. I mean it will get the job done but the experience is not quite the same.

[katatonia]

Originally Posted by Pladi

335 is an awesome car for the money.. if you cant afford it what the point to downgrade to a 12 year old car.. maintenance costs ... this doesnt make any sense to me.

I agree, it is. Maintenance costs on an n52 car will be almost camry level though, from what I read. The only problems those cars have are gasket leaks and water pump. Tons for sale in perfect running order all the time with 300,000+ kms.

I'm more worried about the depreciation of the 335i though. 12 year old BMW is already fully depreciated and won't really cost anything to drive. I could buy a good condition 330i for like $8000 cash and drive it for a while and sell it for basically the same as I paid. I bought my 335i for $24k cash two years ago and if I drove it to 200,000km I'd be lucky to get $10k for it. Maybe I'm missing something

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by Delta0311

That's kind of like going back to Pornhub after being blown on the regular at a strip club. I mean it will get the job done but the experience is not quite the same.

Honestly my 328i is enough for me and where I drive. The 330i has even more power.

[lab_rat]

The E90 330i is a great car.

Perfect balance of power, agility, and speed for a daily. And it has been reliable too.

It's a great car, and the fact it (and the 325i too, for that matter) was only made for one year makes it a bit special in my opinion.

I've added Dinan springs/Bilstein dampers for extra zing on the road, and did an NBT Navi conversion to update the interior (kept all the stock parts, just in case I decide to go back to stock).

I would wholeheartedly recommend a 330i. I plan on keeping mine as a permanent member in the stable.

[BimmerNugget]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

Honestly my 328i is enough for me and where I drive. The 330i has even more power.

I agree, my 328i with BMS PBX and Ikon exhaust is plenty of power. I pass 335s and M3s all day.

[Delta0311]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

Honestly my 328i is enough for me and where I drive. The 330i has even more power.

I’m kidding the 06 330 is an awesome car.

[BravoJohny33]

The difference between the 328i and 330i is like 20 hp right?

[adam_c]

I have a 328, really wishing I had gone for the 335, not sure if the 330 would satisfy me

Would the difference between selling your 335 and getting a 330 be that much? 330s are getting old and the maintenance may be more than keeping your newer 335

[cahme]

Here's my opinion ... an '06 330i will cost more in maintenance and repair than an '11 335i over the next 5 years. I believe the extra, normal maintenance over years 12-17 of a car compared to one over years 7-12 will be more than the difference between n52 to n55 engines.

I own both ('07 3.0si Z4 & '11 335i) engines and don't see how the n52 will give you pennies on the dollar in maintenance. What expected maintenance/repair on the 335 do you think will be so much $$$? I'll give you the HPFP (still not *that* common in N55) since the N52 is port injection, but where do you believe the 335 loses the $$$? The N55 doesn't have the injector nor turbo problems of the N54 and most of the other issues are common across the chassis (OFHG, OFG, VCG, water pump, etc) and with an '11 and the VANOS bolt recall, the VCG was already replaced for you.

[hassmaschine]

Coils, turbos, injectors, cooling system, walnut blasting - just to start - the N52 either doesn't have them or the same parts last much longer.

[cahme]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

Coils, turbos, injectors, cooling system, walnut blasting - just to start - the N52 either doesn't have them or the same parts last much longer.

With all due respect, I'm betting you're not very familiar with the N55.

[hassmaschine]

Thanks for your concern, but I'm quite familliar.

[ghst]

Why would your 335i be worth nothing? They've already hit a hard depreciation wall IMO, and I can't see them tanking out of nowhere, unless you literally destroy the car and rack up the mileage. Fully loaded LCI's are still going for 18~22k with under 50k miles.

Edit: just re-read the post, I guess since you're commuting a lot that could contribute, I just don't think it's going to be "worthless" anytime soon.

[cahme]

Well, you win some and lose some ...
My experience is so far off with what you list, I'm just going to leave it be.