335i vs 330d vs 320d: What to get?

Spannie

New member
I remember the first time driving a E90 325i auto. I disengaged the DTC and was expecting a really fun shove in the back and a little bit of a squirm as it shoots down the road... Needless to say I was left feeling very disappointed in the BMW. I thought all E90's were rubbish until I drove a 330d and I knew I had to have one. I would also love a spin in the 335i (modded) just to feel all that power.
 

pimpassdaddy

Well-known member
Spannie said:
I remember the first time driving a E90 325i auto. I disengaged the DTC and was expecting a really fun shove in the back and a little bit of a squirm as it shoots down the road... Needless to say I was left feeling very disappointed in the BMW. I thought all E90's were rubbish until I drove a 330d and I knew I had to have one. I would also love a spin in the 335i (modded) just to feel all that power.

325i are designed for cruising, not for performance. Owned one for about 4 years... Absolutely capable cruiser. Definitely not a robot racer though.
 

KarshS

///Member
I also had the 325i in Manual was very nice when it wasnt sitting in the BMW workshop.

N/A bmw's arnt so nice in Auto. It is irritatingly laggy.
 

The Shaikh

New member
In my opinion don't rush for a "big" car just because it's affordable now. Little things like tyres (which you'll replace more often on the 330d or 335i) are things to look at, also the higher fuel consumption.

If I were you, I'd forget about the 330d or 335i and get yourself a 320d. You'll will have by NO MEANS short changed yourself.

If you use only your head, then 330d. If you use your heart, then 335i, but if you combine both head and heart... 320d, hands down!


BEST ADVICE EVER, I'm also looking to get a BMW 3er (First BMW) and this post and comment have made me reconsider the bigger 6 cylinder. I think i'll start with 4 cylinders
 

individj

Well-known member
i have this philosophy & most will think its really dumb..i live by it when it comes to cars...when I'm 80 years old with an awesome spaceship..i want to look back at my car history...chat to my sons & their friends..& smile & know i owned cool ass cars...because when I'm 80 I'm not going to care about any reason why i didn't own a specific car i wanted & could afford with a bit of a hustle..:=):
 

skiet

Member
pimpassdaddy said:
Mate, my advice after reading all these comments... For your budget, get yourself a 320d.

At about R170k - R180k you will get yourself an LCI version, with good mileage on the clock.

IMHO, the 320d is the best car BMW makes when you have to balance economy, performance and satisfaction. You honestly CANNOT go wrong with a 320d. You will at NO POINT feel like the power is inadequate.

If you were looking to spend R220k - R250k, then a 330d would be my advice. Don't look solely at performance, but mileage and longevity as you want to keep it for 5 years.

A quick search on AutoTrader shows that 330d's for your price are 2006 or 2007 models... Least a 2008, but already have like 160 000km's. Add 75000km to that and that car will be well over 200 000km by the time you finish paying for it.

If you use the same criteria for a 320d, that changes EVERYTHING. FAR More choice. Also, you will easily find one that still has motorplan left on it, I've seen PLENTY. By the time you finish paying for it, that car would only be clocking 160 000km to 180 000km max.

In my opinion don't rush for a "big" car just because it's affordable now. Little things like tyres (which you'll replace more often on the 330d or 335i) are things to look at, also the higher fuel consumption.

If I were you, I'd forget about the 330d or 335i and get yourself a 320d. You'll will have by NO MEANS short changed yourself.

If you use only your head, then 330d. If you use your heart, then 335i, but if you combine both head and heart... 320d, hands down!

I think you have it a little wrong here:

If you use only your head, then 330d. If you use your heart, then 335i, but if you combine both head and heart... 320d, hands down!

I would say its:

If you use only your head, then 320d. If you use your heart, then 335i, but if you combine both head and heart... 330d.

As you can see from my signature my head fights with my heart alot :rollsmile:
 

herco

///Member
idividj,

You are not helping! lol!:hammerhead:

I feel like just taking the plunge and getting a pre lci 330D, and deal with the 'hassle' as you say. But the LCI ones seem considerably better than the pre lci. And I am still not sure if I want to push my budget to 200k.

The 335i will unfortunately not work for me. The list of problems on that car, Im scared I cannot afford it. If something major goes wrong a few times in a row, the car will stand.

330d vs 320d...

Decisions decision decisions!
 

herco

///Member
My budget won't allow me to buy a 330d still under maintenance plan.

If I want to go the motorplan route, I think the 320d is my only option.
 

skiet

Member
herco said:
My budget won't allow me to buy a 330d still under maintenance plan.

If I want to go the motorplan route, I think the 320d is my only option.

Pretty simple choice then I would say :YesNo:
 

herco

///Member
individj said:
no like from a company

I I understand. Like those ones wesbank offer. I never even cared to consider that an option. It was very pricey for my 320i, but atleast you have peace of mind for a year or two.


skiet said:
herco said:
My budget won't allow me to buy a 330d still under maintenance plan.

If I want to go the motorplan route, I think the 320d is my only option.

Pretty simple choice then I would say :YesNo:

Skiet, you mean 335i, don't you? I agree it is very simple. :hammerhead:
 

herco

///Member
Sounds amazing Ash,

Buuuuuuuuuuut, trade in and finance. :( Thats why I can't do a private sale.
 

osiris

///Member
Just to add to this thread regarding fuel consumption.

My dad recently bought a mint 2008 E92 335i M-sport auto with 68k on the clock, He complains allot about the fuel consumption, tells me its worse than his old X5 4.4L V8, when I got in the car it was sitting at 17.3L/100km :skit:

So we decided to take the car for a drive down to shelly beach, I drove most of the way, I reset the consumption and put cruise control on at 128kph and the ultimate best I could get with no aircon, all windows closed, sunroof closed etc was 8.3L/100km For me this is terrible as with my E46 330i in town I am getting 8.6L/100km

When we arrived at Shelly beach we drove around and the car was getting 13.6L/100km with normal driving if I put foot and drove the car properly the thing drank like a bloody sink hole.

The car has insane power and its beautiful to drive but barely making it to shelly beach on a tank of petrol sucks if you ask me, we actually fulled up again before shelly beach as the km the computer was telling us that we had left didn't = what we still had to cover to get to shelly beach. :thumbdo:

Personally I blame the auto box, I believe a manual 335i would get a hell of allot better fuel consumption especially on the open road.
When I had my E46 330d when it was Auto it was thirsty, I used to get 12L/100Km if I drove it hard every now and then but when Gizmo did the 6 speed manual conversion to it my consumption in town was less than 6L/100km and I was getting almost 1000km to a tank, When it was auto I used to average 600 - 650km per tank.

I am yet to drive a manual 335i but I would love to know what the consumption is on one of those, but I would like to see it for myself, I hear fantasy stories from allot of people regarding fuel consumption till I see or experience it for myself.


In saying all of this, I would still 100% buy a 335i or 135i, the acceleration is madness and that's stock! I can only imagine what a modified one must feel like. Stuff fuel consumption the car is bloody awesome! Not to mention the Coupe M-sport looks so beautiful I could never in a million years choose a 4 door diesel over that.
After my experiences with a diesel I can tell you if it does decide to give you issues it will cost just as much or more than a 335i. If your wanting to mod try stick to manual. As strong as the new auto boxes are I still don't trust an auto anymore! Being stranded 700km from home wasn't funny and the money spent to get it to JHB and to convert it to manual is just not worth your life long happiness.

Another thing to I would like to point out and sorry if its been said already is that, yes a 335i is heavy on juice but the service intervals of a diesel are half of a petrol if I remember correctly, factor that into your fuel costs and see if you would actually be saving money in the long run? Just a thought.
 

Iceman007

Active member
Ive owned an E46 325i manual and it was a great car reliable and it had enought performance for its time. I had it for 5 years and i actually wish I kept it. Then I got an E90 LCI 325i auto. What a mistake that was. Heavy on fuel 16L/100km in town. Endless problems injectors gearbox mechatronics. Fuel pump. Etc and the head was replaced on 60 000km and thats when i knew after a year and a half is to cut my losses and go for a diesel.

So I drove a few E90 LCI 330diesels all in the 65 000km to 75 000km range. 1 day before I was to take delivery of an Msport 330d I went to another BMW dealer to look a a 330d there. Very good sales guy said to me for the same price I could get a standerd F30 320d demo with 10 000km on the clock and a few extras like Xenon, 17inch wheels, pdc, and wood trim. I said to him but they are slow and I have never driven a 320d as I was under the impression they were unreliable. So he insisted I go for a quick spin in the F30 320d. Well needles to say I ended up with the F30 320d and it still puts a smile on my face after 2 years and I have decided its a keeper. Yes its not a 330d but by this time the 330d would have been out of mp and tyres would have hurt my bank balance.

As I understand the E90 LCI 320d has the same engine. For the amount you want to spend and lower mileage I would recomend the E90 LCI 320d and start looking around for they are very popular due to the price range and what you get. If you get one with low mileage and in good condition you will have to jump fast.

In the end of the day its your choice and you have to decide what is practical and affordable and make you happy in the sense value for money and performance. Buy with your head and not your hart. Remember you can easily push up that torque from 380NM to 420NM+ easily and safely in the future. Also remember in town its that torque you realy want when you want to get ahead to the next robot. We all know what happens if Oom spiedkop catches you doing 180km/h+

Just to say if I had the moola I would buy a F30 330d or 530d in a heartbeat but it all boils down to what you can afford. I could buy a F30 330d but ill have to eat pap every day and use my bonus on tyres. So ill be broke every month and sit at home and that is a big No No

Good luck on your decision and when you have found what you are looking for just ask any fellow fanatic that has knoledge and experiance with the car you buy to also have a look for they will know what to look for. :coolShake:
 
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