Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

Black Spyder

Black Spyder

Well-Known Member
Hi, am considering a preowned 335i convertible, around 3-4 years old. Would appreciate ANY advice on what I should be aware of in terms of:

(1) price - what's a fair price? Is $170k too high for a 3+yr old car?
(2) upkeep - what do you reckon will need to be changed, assuming mileage
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

Hi,

Now I'm learning about possibility of roof leak and fuel pump issues. Hmmm.... should I be concerned? :ehhh: Would be grateful for any feedback or personal experiences about the E93 before I pull the trigger. Many thanks!
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

(1) Price - do a depre comparison, assuming apple to apple comparison. Means AD vs AD car, PI vs PI car. You take the list of SGCM's car and compare across the board and work out the depre numbers. Absolute selling price does not tell the story, without knowing other issues such as OMV, number of owners....

(2) Parts "upkeep" - typical wear and tear stuffs in BMWs..... plus issues such as wastegates, HPFP...... you need to see the car. One car could be a low mileage car of the owner, another car could be a high mileage car that has been tracked.

(3) does it all make sense? - with the new 3 series out, and the N55 already available, does it make sense to get the N54 car, seeing as how that it doesn't have DCT? Personal choice, given different preferences and depre numbers. Talk to Andre of Boss Motorsports to compare on possible problems of an older N54 block vs the N55 block.
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

Thanks for the advice, bro! Very useful. Will give Andre a call.

By the way, where would you recommend I bring the car to for an inspection before buying? I'm thinking J4C.... anywhere else you would recommend? It's got to be detailed enough to detect things like leakage of the roof etc.
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

I reckoned Andre would have seen enough 335s both N54 and N55 to give you a fair assessment - he was an owner of a E92 N54 who "experimented" all sorts of mods on his car.

On the roof, I understand that there are 700+ parts in that hard top. Good luck on creaks and leaks.
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

Just test drove a 2008 335i earlier today.

I was very surprised to hear a loud rattling / rattling sound when I started the engine. This sound lasted about 10-15 secs then went away. Is this the waste gate rattle? It actually sounded like it was coming from the rear - the exhaust?

Was also disappointed when the car felt totally underpowered and laggy when driven in the carpark. It was like the car could not properly engage a gear. Very weird feeling like stepping on the accelerator had no effect on the car. No "pull" at all, even though I had stepped quite hard. I don't get this feeling at all with my Audi 2.0 Tfsi engine which pulls nicely even at low speeds.

What went wrong???
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

Black Spyder;751427 said:
Just test drove a 2008 335i earlier today.

I was very surprised to hear a loud rattling / rattling sound when I started the engine. This sound lasted about 10-15 secs then went away. Is this the waste gate rattle? It actually sounded like it was coming from the rear - the exhaust?

Was also disappointed when the car felt totally underpowered and laggy when driven in the carpark. It was like the car could not properly engage a gear. Very weird feeling like stepping on the accelerator had no effect on the car. No "pull" at all, even though I had stepped quite hard. I don't get this feeling at all with my Audi 2.0 Tfsi engine which pulls nicely even at low speeds.

What went wrong???
Click to expand...

335i (E93), cant blame as it is about 1900kg......................(very heavy car)





cheers
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

Put in jb4 and u will get the "pull" u like.
Cannot compare Audi 2.0 with 335. Try driving them on track and you will know which is a better car.

Personally, I would prefer a e92 coupe vs convertible.

Good luck to your shopping! Hope u get the car u like soon.
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

Black Spyder;751427 said:
Just test drove a 2008 335i earlier today.

I was very surprised to hear a loud rattling / rattling sound when I started the engine. This sound lasted about 10-15 secs then went away. Is this the waste gate rattle? It actually sounded like it was coming from the rear - the exhaust?

Was also disappointed when the car felt totally underpowered and laggy when driven in the carpark. It was like the car could not properly engage a gear. Very weird feeling like stepping on the accelerator had no effect on the car. No "pull" at all, even though I had stepped quite hard. I don't get this feeling at all with my Audi 2.0 Tfsi engine which pulls nicely even at low speeds.

What went wrong???
Click to expand...

A bit hard for the forumers to comment as they've not driven the same car.. For all it's worth, the car you tested could be unique insofar as it's problems. I don't think many would feel that the 335i is laggy by any means... Maybe there was something wrong with the car you test drove?

Good luck with your hunt anyway!
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

Black Spyder;751427 said:
Just test drove a 2008 335i earlier today.

I was very surprised to hear a loud rattling / rattling sound when I started the engine. This sound lasted about 10-15 secs then went away. Is this the waste gate rattle? It actually sounded like it was coming from the rear - the exhaust?

Was also disappointed when the car felt totally underpowered and laggy when driven in the carpark. It was like the car could not properly engage a gear. Very weird feeling like stepping on the accelerator had no effect on the car. No "pull" at all, even though I had stepped quite hard. I don't get this feeling at all with my Audi 2.0 Tfsi engine which pulls nicely even at low speeds.

What went wrong???
Click to expand...


Audi 2.0 TFSI better than N54? Hee hee


The car u have test driven confirmed has problems. May be HPFP. ABS pump failure etc. is the car black?
N54 is one of the best engine if it can be more reliable.
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

Black Spyder;751427 said:
Just test drove a 2008 335i earlier today.

I was very surprised to hear a loud rattling / rattling sound when I started the engine. This sound lasted about 10-15 secs then went away. Is this the waste gate rattle? It actually sounded like it was coming from the rear - the exhaust?

Was also disappointed when the car felt totally underpowered and laggy when driven in the carpark. It was like the car could not properly engage a gear. Very weird feeling like stepping on the accelerator had no effect on the car. No "pull" at all, even though I had stepped quite hard. I don't get this feeling at all with my Audi 2.0 Tfsi engine which pulls nicely even at low speeds.

What went wrong???
Click to expand...

When getting a preowned, sometimes, you gotta trust your gut.... If you don't feel good about this purchase, why make it? Save your ca$h and splurge it somewhere else!
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

Good point. Don't ever 'force' a purchase you'll end up regretting later
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

quote=Black Spyder;751427]Just test drove a 2008 335i earlier today.

I was very surprised to hear a loud rattling / rattling sound when I started the engine. This sound lasted about 10-15 secs then went away. Is this the waste gate rattle? It actually sounded like it was coming from the rear - the exhaust?

Was also disappointed when the car felt totally underpowered and laggy when driven in the carpark. It was like the car could not properly engage a gear. Very weird feeling like stepping on the accelerator had no effect on the car. No "pull" at all, even though I had stepped quite hard. I don't get this feeling at all with my Audi 2.0 Tfsi engine which pulls nicely even at low speeds.

What went wrong???[/quote]

Doesn't sound right. Sounds like a lemon.

Why don't you buy from PPS? Gives you another 1 year warranty with peace of mind. Alternatively, send the used car for pre-check at any pro-BMW workshop before purchase.

Good luck with your search! The N54s are great engines. They wouldn't put one in the 1M if they aren't. Not a fan of Audi (except asthetics) so no comments........ :shakehea:
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

maybe its a langgar car?? go with pps, at least peace of mind. and if something does happen to car, still have recourse with pps.



DrK;751565 said:
quote=Black Spyder;751427]Just test drove a 2008 335i earlier today.

I was very surprised to hear a loud rattling / rattling sound when I started the engine. This sound lasted about 10-15 secs then went away. Is this the waste gate rattle? It actually sounded like it was coming from the rear - the exhaust?

Was also disappointed when the car felt totally underpowered and laggy when driven in the carpark. It was like the car could not properly engage a gear. Very weird feeling like stepping on the accelerator had no effect on the car. No "pull" at all, even though I had stepped quite hard. I don't get this feeling at all with my Audi 2.0 Tfsi engine which pulls nicely even at low speeds.

What went wrong???
Click to expand...

Doesn't sound right. Sounds like a lemon.

Why don't you buy from PPS? Gives you another 1 year warranty with peace of mind. Alternatively, send the used car for pre-check at any pro-BMW workshop before purchase.

Good luck with your search! The N54s are great engines. They wouldn't put one in the 1M if they aren't. Not a fan of Audi (except asthetics) so no comments........ :shakehea:[/QUOTE]
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

Had a 07 335 for 3 years.

There should be no rattling whatsoever sound on cold or hot start.

Very high failures for HPFP. Mine failed twice. I'm under the impression the latest change was a different HPFP to the original ones that came with factory.

Avoid Active Steering. Mine failed once. Not my definition of fun keeping steering wheel 45 degrees right while driving straight. At times unable to start the engine as electronic lock fails to release steering wheel.

Throttle lag is due to drive by wire than turbo lag. Easy fix. Was told this was sorted in late models but never test driven to verify.
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

Thanks all for the invaluable advice! I totally agree that I should go with my gut feel about a car and don't buy unless TOTALLY comfortable. I'll continue to test drive other units just to be sure I understand fully how a fully functioning N54 335i should feel, how it sounds, how it pulls, how it steers etc. The last thing I want is to buy a car only to then have it camped out in the workshops fixing fault after fault!!! The CO$T would kill me, not to mention my wife too!! :shakehea:
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

I had a 335 coupe since Sept 08 till todate.
No loud ratling noise so far.

Had HPFP issues during warranty period, changed 3 times in 1 year.
4th HPFP change from outside workshop, no problem for the past 1.5 years.
The rest of the wear and tear bit is normal, i have not faced with major breakdown so far (touch wood). Have done almost 80,000km and everthing seems good.

Interestingly, this car has many things to mod, very poisonous. One of the best car i have ever driven. No lag, easily can push up to 380hp with just a JB4 or tune.

Just my 2 cents..;)
Happy searching
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

becos the OMV is only 36k

At 183k its 26k depreciation...might as well buy M3!
 
Re: Advice needed! Thinking of Buying a 2nd hand 335i....

How come OMV so low? Is this the bare basic model with everything taken out? Or, somebody play punk with the declaration?
 
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