Educate me on the BMW 330i, dear gentlepeople

There's a 2006 330i with a 6 speed manual for sale locally. It has 80k miles. Is this worth investigating?

e90 or e46? 2006 is the split year for the US.

Either car can be great just so long as it's been properly maintained.

Since it is Easter, bringing this back from the dead. The 2006 E90 330i Sport Package is looking very appealing. Any reliability data from this fountain of knowledge? Besides "introducing" the battery to the car any other weirdness one has to be aware of? Theoretically they should be much cheaper, more reliable and get better fuel economy than the 335i.

Also if the "street" proposal passes, with camber plates, they could double as a fun DD/Autox car.

I'm also shopping 330i E46's... they seem awesome, and an order of magnitude cheaper than M cars.

A BMW mechanic I know says the E9X have E36 M3 reliability. However, from what I've seen and heard (edit: other than the mechanic), the naturaly aspirated models are trouble free, consumer reports agrees. I personally love the 330 it has has just the right amount of power IMO. Be sure to ditch the run- €rap tires when they are due for replacement. Light colored interiors can develop an interesting (disgusting) patina over the years. Furthermore, many parts of the interior plastics peel on early cars. These cars also put out a lot of brake dust. Often times, this will be caked on the wheels but can be removed with some Brasso. Additionally, BMWs are known to bend wheels, I'm not sure if this is the fault of the run €raps or if they come with soft wheels, so be sure to investigate any steering wheel shimmy. Often, I find you can "get a deal" on a car with the options you want by scanning the local BMWCCA websites and BMW forums but that goes for all cars.

E36 M3 is that the filter word or the car? Had the car for about a year and it gave me no problems in that time. I only did the cooling system overhaul as preventative maintenance. If they are that reliable, they may be worth a look. Thanks Mmadness

hotchocolate wrote: E36 M3 is that the filter word or the car? Had the car for about a year and it gave me no problems in that time. I only did the cooling system overhaul as preventative maintenance. If they are that reliable, they may be worth a look. Thanks Mmadness

I was referring to the filter word but it is a pun in that sense isn't it? Consumer Reports said the 2006 was "fair" and the 2007-2008 was "good". My Grandfather has a (2007?) 335xi and has had no problems other than a gready (and I suspect dishonest) $tealership, an alignment that keeps going out of spec and premature wear on the center counsel and armrest. However, I suspect that all of those issues are more because of the owner than the car.

I love my E46 330ci, the E90 330i shares a lot but is a little more difficult to DIY from what I hear. Nearly bulletproof drivetrain, though.

SlickDizzy wrote: I love my E46 330ci, the E90 330i shares a lot but is a little more difficult to DIY from what I hear. Nearly bulletproof drivetrain, though.

You can DIY the maintence and replace simple components you can pick up with an OBDII scanner but many parts are difficult to diagnose without the diagnostic software. Many enthusiasts have figured out how to download (and run) the diagnostic software but it isn't easy. Do a search for "BMW INPA" and you'll find what you need but bear in mind that technicians go to school for two years to learn how to do this.

Every time I visit my trusted local indy BMW shop, there's an E90 in a bay that needs some shockingly expensive part and the techs are shaking their heads and muttering in empathy with the car owner.

This has deterred me so far.

I've heard the same maintenance concerns about the E90-era cars. The E46 3-series and E39 5-series are not too terrible to DIY most things, and parts in general are expensive but not coronary-inducing.