Hey guys! Been a while since I posted and thought I would pick your brains once again.
For those who know me they would know I had a 2011 X3 Xdrive35i and SWAMBO had E90 pre-lci 330D.
In the time since I last posted a lot has happened, the E90 got totaled by a drunk driver (luckily we were not injured) and I got rid of the X3, it became an absolute nightmare to keep on the road! I had been quite anal with the servicing of the vehicle but it still did not help. Fast forward to early this year first thing that went on the X3 was the rear main seal, then the coolant bottle, followed by the water pump. I then had PCV failure and replaced the tappet cover, then the PCV hose literally disintegrated in my hands when I was changing the tappet cover, I just replaced it with radiator hose lol.
Some of these I realized when I bought it were maintenance items such as water pump and such, but this is where things took a turn for the worse. I started getting drivetrain warnings constantly and having it reduce power, I took it to a specialist and they could not pinpoint what was wrong at first then it turned out to be VANOS solenoid, got this replaced, then the oil filter housing gasket started leaking. I then got another drivetrain warning on iDrive and this time it turned out to be the HPFP. I was done at this stage and sold the car about 2 months ago, I felt this was just too many issues for a car with 125000km on.
Sorry for all the back info but had to set up my question correctly because I know many will just say "get a 335i or 340i" however my nightmare experience with the N55 in my X3 has completely put me off BMW petrol reliability, the E90 330D we had was faultless though.
So we are looking for a replacement for the X3, I have narrowed it down to a F30 330D or 2014+ Lexus IS 350 F-Sport 228kw 377nm( looking for reliability and a car to keep for 5-7 years ) so I wanted your opinions on these 2 options? I work from home now so trips are very limited.
I have test driven the IS 350 F-Sport of a buddy mine who is selling his and I was quite surprisingly impressed. It certainly lacks the low down push the X3 had but on the top end my butt dyno tells me it feels faster, especially after 4200-4500rpm (JHB altitude) where it will push you nicely into the seat until it changes. Interior is extremely well made and seats are very comfortable, the nav/infotainment system was horrible compared to iDrive though. Looks are subjective but I found the car uniquely attractive. Gearbox is okay, not on the level the ZF 8 speed is, but very good none the less, my biggest complaint of the powertrain is the lack of a kickdown, you need to manually gear down if the gearbox decides it isn't dropping as many gears as you want, this I found frustrating coming from a BMW, especially with it being naturally aspirated and having the useable power much higher in the rev range. On the biggest and most positive note, after all my research and my personal experience of the build quality, one can tell this is a Toyota product and it will be as reliable as a Camry.
I have yet to test drive a 330D but wanted to ask from those who own/have knowledge about the reliability/long term ownership of them if they would chime in and help me make the right decision? How reliable are they? Is it something I should be looking at if I plan to keep the car out of motor plan for 5-7 years?
On a last note, I honestly think the IS 350 F-Sport may just just be faster than a stock F30 330D, even at this altitude. With the wife (now driving a 2017 Focus ST) following us on the test drive, lucky for me having the known owner of the Lexus he told me to line up with the ST at the following robot and go for it, talk about confidence lol. Swambo was in to give it a go and to my amazement when we set off by the time we got to around 130km/h the Lexus was around 2 car lengths ahead...didn't expect that. Same story on a roll from 40km/h, this time I held it in manual mode right in the powerband and it destroyed the ST, really not what I expected at this altitude.
I myself have had a go in the ST against a F30 330D and it could not get away from me at all, hence why I think the Lexus may just have the edge between these 2, what are your opinions though?
My buddy is willing to let his 2015 Lexus go for R260k@83k km full service history at Lexus Constantia, the cheapest local 330D I can find with comparable mileage is R349k and that's a 2013...I do around 1000km a month only and all driving is in town, negating diesel saving.
What would you guys do if in my shoes? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Also if anyone has directly compared these cars or cross shopped the IS 350 with a BMW I'd love to know what your thoughts/experiences were too.
Cheers
For those who know me they would know I had a 2011 X3 Xdrive35i and SWAMBO had E90 pre-lci 330D.
In the time since I last posted a lot has happened, the E90 got totaled by a drunk driver (luckily we were not injured) and I got rid of the X3, it became an absolute nightmare to keep on the road! I had been quite anal with the servicing of the vehicle but it still did not help. Fast forward to early this year first thing that went on the X3 was the rear main seal, then the coolant bottle, followed by the water pump. I then had PCV failure and replaced the tappet cover, then the PCV hose literally disintegrated in my hands when I was changing the tappet cover, I just replaced it with radiator hose lol.
Some of these I realized when I bought it were maintenance items such as water pump and such, but this is where things took a turn for the worse. I started getting drivetrain warnings constantly and having it reduce power, I took it to a specialist and they could not pinpoint what was wrong at first then it turned out to be VANOS solenoid, got this replaced, then the oil filter housing gasket started leaking. I then got another drivetrain warning on iDrive and this time it turned out to be the HPFP. I was done at this stage and sold the car about 2 months ago, I felt this was just too many issues for a car with 125000km on.
Sorry for all the back info but had to set up my question correctly because I know many will just say "get a 335i or 340i" however my nightmare experience with the N55 in my X3 has completely put me off BMW petrol reliability, the E90 330D we had was faultless though.
So we are looking for a replacement for the X3, I have narrowed it down to a F30 330D or 2014+ Lexus IS 350 F-Sport 228kw 377nm( looking for reliability and a car to keep for 5-7 years ) so I wanted your opinions on these 2 options? I work from home now so trips are very limited.
I have test driven the IS 350 F-Sport of a buddy mine who is selling his and I was quite surprisingly impressed. It certainly lacks the low down push the X3 had but on the top end my butt dyno tells me it feels faster, especially after 4200-4500rpm (JHB altitude) where it will push you nicely into the seat until it changes. Interior is extremely well made and seats are very comfortable, the nav/infotainment system was horrible compared to iDrive though. Looks are subjective but I found the car uniquely attractive. Gearbox is okay, not on the level the ZF 8 speed is, but very good none the less, my biggest complaint of the powertrain is the lack of a kickdown, you need to manually gear down if the gearbox decides it isn't dropping as many gears as you want, this I found frustrating coming from a BMW, especially with it being naturally aspirated and having the useable power much higher in the rev range. On the biggest and most positive note, after all my research and my personal experience of the build quality, one can tell this is a Toyota product and it will be as reliable as a Camry.
I have yet to test drive a 330D but wanted to ask from those who own/have knowledge about the reliability/long term ownership of them if they would chime in and help me make the right decision? How reliable are they? Is it something I should be looking at if I plan to keep the car out of motor plan for 5-7 years?
On a last note, I honestly think the IS 350 F-Sport may just just be faster than a stock F30 330D, even at this altitude. With the wife (now driving a 2017 Focus ST) following us on the test drive, lucky for me having the known owner of the Lexus he told me to line up with the ST at the following robot and go for it, talk about confidence lol. Swambo was in to give it a go and to my amazement when we set off by the time we got to around 130km/h the Lexus was around 2 car lengths ahead...didn't expect that. Same story on a roll from 40km/h, this time I held it in manual mode right in the powerband and it destroyed the ST, really not what I expected at this altitude.
I myself have had a go in the ST against a F30 330D and it could not get away from me at all, hence why I think the Lexus may just have the edge between these 2, what are your opinions though?
My buddy is willing to let his 2015 Lexus go for R260k@83k km full service history at Lexus Constantia, the cheapest local 330D I can find with comparable mileage is R349k and that's a 2013...I do around 1000km a month only and all driving is in town, negating diesel saving.
What would you guys do if in my shoes? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Also if anyone has directly compared these cars or cross shopped the IS 350 with a BMW I'd love to know what your thoughts/experiences were too.
Cheers
