New member, question about buying used E90 330i

[Manoman]

Hello everyone!

First post on Bimmerforums. I'm planning on buying a used E90 330i with appx 10k-25k miles on it. Getting premium, sport, cold weather, and possibly Nav/I-Drive. Any tips on what things I should look out for (pitfalls, common problems, etc) during the buying process?

I'm new, so if there is some sticky post or FAQ about this that I haven't found, redirection would be greatly appreciated

Thanks.

MM

[rdadhania]

I would go with a CPO car just for peace of mind after the standard warranty expires....Sure you will be paying slightly more, but you just need to shop around for a good deal. I got my car from the dealership for less than the cost of a private seller (similar option package). Sure I had to drive up to NJ to get it, but it was totally worth it to save a few thousand dollars and get the CPO warranty. I highly recommend waiting for the right deal...there should be a lot of good deals popping up near the end of this month simply because of the struggling economy and dealerships trying to push old inventory that has just been sitting on there lots.

[NinetyEight740]

wow, this is honestly like the 3-4 time someone has asked this exact question in the last month...

[deems]

I would go with a CPO car just for peace of mind after the standard warranty expires....Sure you will be paying slightly more, but you just need to shop around for a good deal. I got my car from the dealership for less than the cost of a private seller (similar option package). Sure I had to drive up to NJ to get it, but it was totally worth it to save a few thousand dollars and get the CPO warranty. I highly recommend waiting for the right deal...there should be a lot of good deals popping up near the end of this month simply because of the struggling economy and dealerships trying to push old inventory that has just been sitting on there lots.

Great advice, especially now that we are in a buyer's market. I think an E90 330i is a great choice. It's got 255hp, 3 stage intake manifold and no turbo.

[rdadhania]

Great advice, especially now that we are in a buyer's market. I think an E90 330i is a great choice. It's got 255hp, 3 stage intake manifold and no turbo.

+1

[deems]

The 335i is a rocket ship and it's preferred by most posters to this and other E90 forums. But the 330i is a great choice for buyers that are concerned about the reliability of the N54 engine, especially if they plan on keeping the car for many years.

I love my 328i. But it would be nice to have the 3 stage intake manifold and higher torque/hp numbers of the 330i.

[Manoman]

Thanks for the advice. Right now I'm looking at an 06 CPO 330i with 32,000 miles, premium, cold weather, and sport for around $27K. They also have an 08 328i with 10,000 miles CPO listed for $33K (premium, sport, Ipod adapter). My inclination is to go with the newer car and see how low I can get the price.

Is the difference in performance between the 328i and 330i worth sticking with the higher mileage car?

[deems]

I think BMW's published 0-60 time for the 330i stick was 6.1; it's 6.3 for the 328i, but Car & Driver got 6.1.

I recommend you drive them both because 0-60 times don't tell the whole story. I ask recommend you search for "328 vs 330" on this forum and e90post.

[FLEX]

Thanks for the advice. Right now I'm looking at an 06 CPO 330i with 32,000 miles, premium, cold weather, and sport for around $27K. They also have an 08 328i with 10,000 miles CPO listed for $33K (premium, sport, Ipod adapter). My inclination is to go with the newer car and see how low I can get the price.

Is the difference in performance between the 328i and 330i worth sticking with the higher mileage car?

The 06 328 and 330 are entirely different animals.

I am shopping now for over a year, and I havent found the right 330i yet...Their used prices are still high and there are some 335s now coming down in price too...so I might be looking at a 335.

CPO, CPO, CPO..thats the most important thing..I guess if you can get them to extend the maintenance warranty too thats a score.

[sprung]

We test drove both an 06 330 and an 07 328. The 328 was a "nicer" vehicle overall (more options), it just didn't have the same "seat of the pants" feeling as the year older 330.

You need to determine what you want out of the car, and drive the 328 first. If that satisfies you, then go for it.

We made the mistake of driving a 335i first and trying to compare the others to that.

sprung