Looking to pick up an e90 - am I making the right decision?

[LagWagon]

Hola.

I've recently been looking for a newer car to replace one of my M3s and was initially looking at late model WRXs (for my wintery state, it seemed right). But, in my search of a wrx, I was called a lesbian way too many times, and decided to see what was out there locally by way of newer BMWs.

I found one, and thanks to some crappy marketing, this dealer is desperate to move the car..


Here is some information:

2007 BMW 335i 6-speed sport
81,000 miles
3 Owners (1st owner sold it at 8k miles, 2nd owner at like 50 something, 3rd owner at 80 - then they sold it to a dealer, who sold it in an auction)
Its dark gray, forgot the color code
Body is close to perfect, one tiny nickel sized dent on the rear bumper (m-tech anyways when I can afford it - no care)
AFE dry intake (two cones)
Bavarian autosport shifter
Has an oil cooler

Getting the PPI and warranty history tomorrow.

The dealer let me borrow the car for the remainder of the week and I've been driving it and I friggin love it. However, I never stayed up to date with the 335 twin turbo.

They want 17k for the car - does it seem like a good deal? Should I be wary of the price or steal it now?

[ndog14]

Sounds good. At that mileage the water pump (electric) may go, it is common to go as it is to not go. Hit or miss really.

As an 2007 the HPFP failure was common, I guess the first owner got sick of it and dumped it. 2nd owner kept it the remainder of factory warranty. 3rd owner got an M3.

That is all theory without looking at dates.

Read some of the info on the early N54s. By now it has the 3rd design, of 4, HPFPs which is damn as good as the 4th. And it's warranted 8yr(10?)/120k. And fuel injector ticks for 07-08s which would have been resolved by now. And the wastegate rattle, don't know much about that.

If the PPI is clean I would get it and replace the dry intake cones with the oiled ones and get a Procede tune and catless downpipes.

[tphss]

The 2007 335i has the N54 engine with actual two separate turbos (N55 one turbo two vanes), you might know this, but 2007-2008 is also the very first batch of the N54 and it has some potential problems associated with it.
The price is pretty good if it has no accidents/clean title and is overall good condition.

There are several problems that you should check:
1) wastegate rattle of the turbos, you can hear a metallic sound during idle and when release the throttle. This will inevitably result in turbo failure. Some cars got extended warranty (BMWUSA) to 80k miles but you would be out of that.
2) I've read some DME's failed
3) HPFP and sometimes injectors would cause problems (injectors might trigger different codes that will not point towards them)

Other than that I think you should be good. I read on e90post someone has his N54 e9X at over 200k miles...

[LagWagon]

I've checked for wastegate rattle and the hpfp has to be good for now because the car starts up in 20 degree weather in a millisecond (push button, boom, starts)

The only weird noise this car makes is me giggling when i hit boost

There is no ticking, no weird anythings about it, though i suspect the drivers side suspension bushings may be a hair more beat up than the passenger side, but it still drives like a new car.

Its a lot of car - i dont know what to expect as far as cost of ownership goes... but im starting to think i dont even care

[LagWagon]

Update:

I got the PPI done and the only thing they were able to find wrong with the car was an angel eye is out

The only warranty work done was a voluntary HPFP done in late 2011...

[ndog14]

Replace the angel eyes with an aftermarket. A good set costs about $150.

Here are mine:
http://www.bimmian.com/WeissLicht-LED-Halo-Upgrade-Kit-for-BMW-E90-or-E91-3-Series

EDIT: Buy it.

EDIT 2: The car. And the angel eyes aftermarket kit.

[LagWagon]

I did end up buying it - and I got the dealer to replace the bad angel eye bulb. I might go aftermarket at some point but I really like the oe look for now

[graphite9]

I did end up buying it - and I got the dealer to replace the bad angel eye bulb. I might go aftermarket at some point but I really like the oe look for now

How do you like it so far?

[LagWagon]

How do you like it so far?

It is insanely nice and a considerable upgrade from an e36... but the e36 is way more fun to drive... and that's the N/A one I'm talking about.

I just needed something more practical

[tphss]

It is insanely nice and a considerable upgrade from an e36... but the e36 is way more fun to drive... and that's the N/A one I'm talking about.

I just needed something more practical

I agree, my e46 ZHP was probably one of the best cars I've driven. Steering for example was better than a Porsche 911 (which I drove often), and better than any e9X in my opinion.

As much as I loved the ZHP, my current 335i M-sport is a huge upgrade in terms of power, interior quality, and the sound system (logic7). Although it's not as sharp.
Before selling the e46 ZHP, I was very close to pull the trigger on a supercharger and keep it.