[Antnee]

Hi all,

Soooo, new guy... intro post is here.

Basically, the long and short of it is that I want to upgrade from my Mk1 SEAT Leon Cupra R which has 110k miles on it and is coming up on 9 years old, to an E92. I know I can't afford an M3, so that's struck off the list immediately. However, I could afford a 335, 330 or 325, within reason (probably looking at £16-17k max spend, depending on what I can raise from selling the Leon). I don't want to go straight from one high-mileage car to another, even if they are all motorway miles. I bought the Leon at 94k miles 2.5 years ago and I'm on 110k now so I don't do a lot of miles, but I don't want to jump straight in to a 4 year old car with 80k miles on it as a lot seem to. It doesn't feel like a big enough step forward, if you know what I mean?

Has to be petrol; I just don't get on with diesels like petrols. Personal preference and all that. I also want a minimum M Sport but the Highline looks nice too (I gather it's a relatively minor upgrade over the M Sport).

I don't really want to go without the bluetooth either as I have it in the car now and it's a life-saver.

Lastly, I really want iDrive. I have no reason beyond the fact that I'm a web-developer so gadgets and geeky shiz appeals more than it really ought to. For that reason, I have to have iDrive!!!! The more bells, whistles, dials and displays, the better I guess. No, my car does not have various boost and temperature gauges scattered around the cabin

So, being very unknowledgeable on the subject of E92s, I'm keen to take on advice. I'm also keen to take on any offers for the Leon Seriously; looking around I see a lot of cars don't have iDrive. Why is this? Was it considered too expensive for most people to justify? Is it troublesome? Just plain rubbish?

Is there anything in particular to look out for? I've read on here a few people saying that 330s appear to wear more than others (I'm sure that's tongue in cheek, but nevertheless...). What are the turbo E92s like? I happen to love turbocharged cars (until they go wrong anyway) so I'm quite happy to take the step in to a turbo-beemer if it's the right car.

Thanks for reading guys, and thanks even more if you have anything to share.

Ant

[Cocktails]

Not sure how low a mileage 335d or 330d you will get for that mate. I'm not sure what petrol prices are like compared to diesel but i spent £18k on a 4 year old 50k 335d E90 M Sport last year.
I personally would go slightly higher mileage to get the model i wanted so maybe stretch the mileage and get 335i M sport........

[Antnee]

What are these engines like at high mileage? I assume they're pretty bullet proof? Turbos reliable on the 335i? I'm also thinking about major service intervals. I don't want to buy one and a month later need to do cambelts or whatever is considered major on these engines (are they even belt driven? I don't know!). The Leon needs the cambelt and water-pump doing every 60k for example, so what looks like a good price could end up shafting me one over because I need to get some major-ish work done on a simple service just a couple of months later.

I think that in reality, I'd like to keep it below 20k a year. I'll get the average mileage down easily enough as I do about 7k a year and I'm soon to start a new job that although is further away, also involves a lot of working from home. At present I think I'm putting 70 squids of petrol in the Leon every 2 weeks-ish.

There appear to be some great deals going on Autotrader at the moment, and some are very low mileage considering, which makes me dubious about their history. Of course there's every chance that the owner just wants a quick sale or doesn't know what it's worth, but I'm still a little suspicious on one hand, and really, really tempted on the other

[ChubbsBmth]

To give you an idea of what you can get for your budget....I bought my E92 (pictures in another thread) for £16k from a BMW Dealership so comes with all the benefits of an Approved Used Car, best being the 12 month BMW warranty and its only got 40k miles on the clock.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=598046

Its got full BMW service history and is in immaculate condition inside and out.

I had to travel to NI to collect it, but that was easy and I even negotiated a full tank of fuel to get ti home.

For me getting to and from NI wasnt to difficult and the flight and ferry cost me under £200, but I had negotiated down from 17K so I was happy to pay it.

According to other posters on here, big petrol cars arnt what people want over in NI so you can pick up a bargain so dont rule it out.

This car was to the exact spec that I was searching for as well, because my must haves were M-Sport, Black with Black Leather, manual and 19's.

[BGM]

Originally Posted by Antnee

What are the turbo E92s like? I happen to love turbocharged cars (until they go wrong anyway) so I'm quite happy to take the step in to a turbo-beemer if it's the right car.

all the good engines in the range have turbo(s)

.. now someone will tell me the 320i is turbo charged too.. :s

[Antnee]

Originally Posted by ChubbsBmth

car was to the exact spec that I was searching for as well, because my must haves were M-Sport, Black with Black Leather, manual and 19's.

Hi mate. Thanks for the advice, that's really helpful. The motor looks sweet too; good catch!

BGM; cheers also.

I think now I've set my heart on the 335i and I've read a few positive opinions I'm definitely swaying that way. I read some talk about people having problems with this engine but they appear to be on 2006 models as far as I can tell, and I'm preferably looking for a 57-on. I gather the road tax is a lot lower (more like the £250-ish that I pay already for the Leon) than on the earlier models?

Amusingly I guess, the biggest concern I have is the garage. I measured it conservatively at around 475cm long. Parkers says the 335i is 458cm long, so it's VERY tight for space, although width is adequate. There is no way I'd leave the car on the road though. I don't live in the roughest of areas, but the road is a VERY tight one-way system and there is no driveway parking available (very old houses, predating cars by some way!) and nearly every car on the street has a mark on the back bumper where someone's brushed them driving around and one wing mirror damaged. So it's either garage, or don't buy one! I was thinking about an admittedly ridiculous setup where I mount a laser pointer somewhere fixed, get someone to watch me reverse the car in and tell me when I'm right at the limit. At that point, the laser-pointer (which is aimed sidewards on to the wall) will be used to mark the wall so that next time I can line up perfectly. Like I said, over the top, but I could probably get the car in to a garage with 2cm space instead of 17cm I'm not sure I trust parking sensors enough to get the car in safely to such a gap.

[ChubbsBmth]

Originally Posted by Antnee

Hi mate. Thanks for the advice, that's really helpful. The motor looks sweet too; good catch!

BGM; cheers also.

I think now I've set my heart on the 335i and I've read a few positive opinions I'm definitely swaying that way. I read some talk about people having problems with this engine but they appear to be on 2006 models as far as I can tell, and I'm preferably looking for a 57-on. I gather the road tax is a lot lower (more like the £250-ish that I pay already for the Leon) than on the earlier models?

Amusingly I guess, the biggest concern I have is the garage. I measured it conservatively at around 475cm long. Parkers says the 335i is 458cm long, so it's VERY tight for space, although width is adequate. There is no way I'd leave the car on the road though. I don't live in the roughest of areas, but the road is a VERY tight one-way system and there is no driveway parking available (very old houses, predating cars by some way!) and nearly every car on the street has a mark on the back bumper where someone's brushed them driving around and one wing mirror damaged. So it's either garage, or don't buy one! I was thinking about an admittedly ridiculous setup where I mount a laser pointer somewhere fixed, get someone to watch me reverse the car in and tell me when I'm right at the limit. At that point, the laser-pointer (which is aimed sidewards on to the wall) will be used to mark the wall so that next time I can line up perfectly. Like I said, over the top, but I could probably get the car in to a garage with 2cm space instead of 17cm I'm not sure I trust parking sensors enough to get the car in safely to such a gap.

The tax seems to change later on in 2007 as mines in the higher tax band. Dont let that put you off a good deal though as they are worth every penny!

You can get a hell of alot of car for your money if you down the petrol route and I am glad that I havent gone done the Diesel route.

[Antnee]

I've nothing against diesels themselves; they certainly have their place, as do hybrids, but their place is not in my garage. I prefer the higher/quicker-revving nature of petrols and can't bear the sound of diesels. Hybrids I consider too expensive for TCO so not worth looking at yet unless you're made of money, which I'm not, and certainly won't be if I buy one of these . When I hear diesels coming I turn around and expect to see a Transit or something. It just doesn't have the right effect for me. Now, a 6-cylinder 3 litre engine? That's something COMPLETELY more appealing

I get the impression that a lot of big petrol powered cars are going cheap as people dive for something cheaper to run. Personally I don't have a problem as long as I'm not paying extortionate dealer service/repair costs any time soon as the lower tax on the 335i is the same as on my Leon, the insurance is only a couple of £100 a year more than the Leon (despite a massive car value difference) and the fuel economy appears to be about the same too, judging from what I'm reading on here and elsewhere. Looking in to the tuning too and seeing that a JB4 with all of it's fancy features and multiple maps would cost about the same as a standard, generic stage 1 remap for the Leon which is clearly not as clever, and that you can do a sports intercooler swap without even removing the front bumper, just makes me think that the 335i is probably actually going to be the better car to run.

Can anyone tell me anything about the rear parking sensors? I've never tried one, so I'm curious about how soon they tell you that you can't go any further. ie will there still be a foot behind the car? Will I actually be touching? Still thinking about squeezing in to that garage and leaving room at the front.

[ChubbsBmth]

Originally Posted by Antnee

I've nothing against diesels themselves; they certainly have their place, as do hybrids, but their place is not in my garage. I prefer the higher/quicker-revving nature of petrols and can't bear the sound of diesels. Hybrids I consider too expensive for TCO so not worth looking at yet unless you're made of money, which I'm not, and certainly won't be if I buy one of these . When I hear diesels coming I turn around and expect to see a Transit or something. It just doesn't have the right effect for me. Now, a 6-cylinder 3 litre engine? That's something COMPLETELY more appealing

I get the impression that a lot of big petrol powered cars are going cheap as people dive for something cheaper to run. Personally I don't have a problem as long as I'm not paying extortionate dealer service/repair costs any time soon as the lower tax on the 335i is the same as on my Leon, the insurance is only a couple of £100 a year more than the Leon (despite a massive car value difference) and the fuel economy appears to be about the same too, judging from what I'm reading on here and elsewhere. Looking in to the tuning too and seeing that a JB4 with all of it's fancy features and multiple maps would cost about the same as a standard, generic stage 1 remap for the Leon which is clearly not as clever, and that you can do a sports intercooler swap without even removing the front bumper, just makes me think that the 335i is probably actually going to be the better car to run.

Can anyone tell me anything about the rear parking sensors? I've never tried one, so I'm curious about how soon they tell you that you can't go any further. ie will there still be a foot behind the car? Will I actually be touching? Still thinking about squeezing in to that garage and leaving room at the front.

I have always owned petrol cars, started my driving career with 1.4 ford focus and then went for an e46 325i coupe.

When I was looking for a new car, I wil admit I was considering a diesel until I test drove one and I didnt like it at all. It was a 320d so 4 cylinder and sounded awful.

Now I am sure the 325d's and upwards are better because they are 6 cylinder, but they are so much more expensive. A good 325d in the same spec as my 335i with similar mileage would of cost in excess of £2k more and I dont do the miles to justify it and wouldnt buy a 325d when I could get a 335i.

The parking sensors have improved from when I had an e46 as they used to beep as if you were right at the wall but you still had quite a way to go. The e92 ones are improved but they still give you a little bit of gap.

[Antnee]

OK cheers. The parking sensors sound like they'll do the job fine so the ~17cm I have to play with should be enough. One way to find out I suppose

I know it's not the same, but I learnt to drive in a few different diesels and hated them. I also don't do the range for diesels to really become cost effective and while I've no doubt that you can still get the performance, I just don't like them like I like a petrol... or something

Suffice to say that as long as I get the wife's approval, I shall be going for the 335i. In all honesty, if she doesn't allow me to spend so much then I'll probably go for a 325i, rather than the 330i.

So... what's the deal with iDrive? Is it any good? Why are there so few for sale with iDrive?

[ChubbsBmth]

Originally Posted by Antnee

So... what's the deal with iDrive? Is it any good? Why are there so few for sale with iDrive?

I havent heard great feedback about it and it certainly wasnt a deal breaker for me not having it.

For me the main thing that is where your value for money is the mileage and not i-drive.

There is no doubting it looks better though.

[Antnee]

Yeah, I'm with you on that one actually, but for sure, all other things being equal, I'd take an iDrive equipped car over a non-iDrive model.

OK, I think I'm pretty good for answers now unless anyone else has anything to chip in that doesn't agree with what's already been said. Time to make sure the wife is on side and to start looking for actual cars to buy

Thanks a lot

[Antnee]

Cheers. I appreciate your candour. You say I won't get much E92 for that budget, which is one reason why I've been a little suspicious of some of the motors I've seen on Autotrader, however there are a lot of very satisfied 335i owners who have paid less than what I'm looking at paying, so I guess it's the luck of the draw? Likewise on whether you get one that's trouble or not?

So, what makes them expensive past 60k miles? Need to prepare and budget as best as possible

[Antnee]

Understood re. the warranty. Is it generally accepted that if you have one of these that you take out the warranty? Nice one on the classified, thanks mate

[Nick999]

Originally Posted by Antnee

Understood re. the warranty. Is it generally accepted that if you have one of these that you take out the warranty? Nice one on the classified, thanks mate

Yep buy one with an AUC warranty. Most owners keep this up after the three year manufacturers warranty ends. It can be transfered with the car. I pay £28 per month for mine. Although my 335i is still under 20k miles. May be a little more expensive for higher mileage. But I wouldnt be with out it. Havent needed it, but parts are sooo expensive on Beemers!!

Most 57 plate 335i's fall into the higher £445 road tax band including the lovely white one in the classifieds. Look out for the 08 Efficient Dynamics model These are just £260.

[Antnee]

Again, thank you very much The biggest put-off of the white one in the classifieds is the auto box, rather than the tax; I'd prefer a manual but it's not a deal breaker

[Nick999]

Originally Posted by Antnee

Again, thank you very much The biggest put-off of the white one in the classifieds is the auto box, rather than the tax; I'd prefer a manual but it's not a deal breaker

Got to be the 335i manual.. Would have sold you my mint Black un, for £18k with just 18k miles, but have taken a deposit. The guy is trying to arrange finance.

[Antnee]

Well if it falls through... if you've got another sale without losing any cash I suppose you could afford to hand back the deposit?

[Nick999]

Originally Posted by Antnee

Well if it falls through... if you've got another sale without losing any cash I suppose you could afford to hand back the deposit?

It's been for sale with a dealer for six weeks now. Already had another guy leave a deposit, but couldnt get finance. This guy paid a deposit last Friday, so I guess I will know in a day or two.

I'm surprised it hasnt sold quicker because it took me ages to find this spec. Black with full black leather, 19" alloys and manual gearbox. No nav in mine, but The car is only used for pleasure at weekends. Hence only 18k miles. On the rare occasions I need nav, I use my TomTom.

Usually you will find if a 335 has been specced with sat-nav/idrive, it wont have too many other options like 19's, heated seats, bluetooth, usb/ipod interface, sunroof etc because all the £2k budget been spent on just the one option!!

[Antnee]

Originally Posted by Nick999

Usually you will find if a 335 has been specced with sat-nav/idrive, it wont have too many other options like 19's, heated seats, bluetooth, usb/ipod interface, sunroof etc because all the £2k budget been spent on just the one option!!

That's a good point. There weren't a lot of options on my current car but it does have the £1200 Recaro front and rear seats, which are rare. But then, this wasn't a £40k car, it was a £17k car

[Nick999]

Originally Posted by Antnee

That's a good point. There weren't a lot of options on my current car but it does have the £1200 Recaro front and rear seats, which are rare. But then, this wasn't a £40k car, it was a £17k car

Yeah these 335i M Sport models are the bargain of the cetuary at the moment. My car is 08 plate. Just 3 1/2 years old. Cost £41k new. Still just like new, but only worth £18k private!!

I pretty much made up my mind, if this sale falls through again, my private plate is going back on and I'm gonna keep it for a few years to come

Was gonna buy a Focus ST, but I guess that will be a bit of a come down after the 335i

[Antnee]

Well it's up to you mate. I'm dead serious about getting one, I just need to a) offload the Leon and b) find the one for me and I WILL be buying one. If it does fall through and you're undecided, feel free to give me a shout for sure