E90 BMW opinions?

Looking at 06-08 3 Series, the last BMW I owned was an e46, so I know nothing about E90s. Most likely mileage will be over 90k, please let me know what you guys think of these? What should I be looking for or should I just look for something else? I already have an NA Miata so thats not the answer this time. thanks! Nick

I bought an e91 in Oct. xDrive, n52 motor. I like it a lot. No issues other than a rear wiper shaft for $120. Comfy, handles well, the motor is smooth and makes nice noises. Would do it again.
Regrets, the sport seats and steering wheel would have been nice. The 335's can be really expensive when the turbos go. You really have to be careful when buying one, the magazine had a good write up on them a few months back.

I think some people reported that the cooling systems are still fragile.

thanks guys!

For the mileage on an n52/54 it's due for cooling system ($750 in parts), water pump, starters are known to fail around 80-90k. Headlight wiring inside the units is biodegradeable and likely for valve cover and oil filter gaskets. If those items are deferred it could be a couple grand to bring it up to date. Turbos tend to accelerate the wear on the cooling system

Looks like we're going with 2009 e92, AWD, do you guys know if I could swap wheels from an 02 325i to a 2009 328 X drive? I believe the bolt pattern is the same, but offset may be different?

thanks

As long as they clear the brakes they should be fine. E46 and E9X are close enough.

The E82/88 requires higher offsets since it uses the E9X suspension but on a narrower car

The electric water pumps used in the E90 seem to be hit or miss. I have read of them failing before 100K miles and some at 150K or more. I am changing out the original in my daughter's 06 325i next week at 150K. Not because it has failed but for peace of mind as I only have access to the car 2-3 times a year. I think a lot of the cooling systems 'horror stories' on BMWs are overblown. Other than a starter (those DO seem to be pretty fragile), her car has been pretty good.

Are some of you reporting that the E90 is fairly reliable, and much more reliable as my E36? I better put my E36 into race car duty ASAP!

I've heard a lot of bad comments from techs, but these are guys who work on them and don't drive them. I won't buy one based upon their opinions.

Our '06 has needed a water pump, belt tensioner and belt, a starter, rear shocks, and an oil pan gasket before 100k.

The engine bay is tight and stuff is layered in there so it can be a PITA some times. For example, the intake manifold must come off to change the starter.

Great sedan, BTW. Drives itself. Not the cheapest BMW to operate, but so far it has been worth keeping around.

markwemple wrote: I've heard a lot of bad comments from techs, but these are guys who work on them and don't drive them. I won't buy one based upon their opinions.

Ahh, to be one of yall that drives but DOESNT work on them. So much simpler!

'06 330xi 6-speed here, The ride is way to stiff with the run flats, I could tell you if I've run over a quarter or a penny. Even with the non-sport pack I find the suspension stiff, yes it can take off-ramps at 90mph. The non-sport seats and steering wheel are pretty awful and uncomfortable. My car has 70k on it, so maybe it needs shocks, I dunno. Make sure you test drive more than one before buying.

We have a BMW 325i 6spd with the sport package. Unfortunately ours has Idrive which is a big pile of crap; easily the worst thing to come out of Germany since Hitler. It has about 125K miles and I've replaced the water pump/thermostat, oil filter housing gasket, belt tensioner, and tires (get rid of the run-flats!). However, it does leak from the oil pan, and the clutch is probably ending its life soon.

I got mine for $8K 2yrs ago I can't think of anything in that bracket that would be even close. If mine didn't have Idrive, I think it would be about perfect.

I took a shot with a 2011 E90 335i xdrive for my wife. Just out of the CPO warranty mileage at 64k so it was relatively cheap for a very clean, loaded car.

The only reason I bought it is because she drives only 6 miles a day. If she put a lot of miles on it I'd probably have opted for something with a warranty or just something less German and more Japanese.

So far so good. knocks on wood

DirtyDiesel wrote: My car has 70k on it, so maybe it needs shocks, I dunno.

If your car is 10 years old w/ 70k miles on it on the original shocks, yes, it needs shocks. The OE Sachs units are just a notch or 2 above crap.

Thought we were going with a sedan, but looks like its gonna be an 09 328X Coupe. Cleanest one we could find. Pictures to come....... ps. saddle brown interior..

kilgoretrout wrote: Unfortunately ours has Idrive which is a big pile of crap; easily the worst thing to come out of Germany since Hitler. If mine didn't have Idrive, I think it would be about perfect.

I'm curious, what's the beef with Idrive?

Mine works great. My nephew figured out the nav system in about 10 seconds just last weekend, so it isn't especially hard to understand. I updated to the 2016 maps for $40. The phone connects every time with no drops which is more than I can say for my 2014 Lexus. The music interface works flawlessly. I only considered cars that had Idrive when I was shopping.

Aspen wrote:

kilgoretrout wrote: Unfortunately ours has Idrive which is a big pile of crap; easily the worst thing to come out of Germany since Hitler. If mine didn't have Idrive, I think it would be about perfect.

I'm curious, what's the beef with Idrive? Mine works great. My nephew figured out the nav system in about 10 seconds just last weekend, so it isn't especially hard to understand. I updated to the 2016 maps for $40. The phone connects every time with no drops which is more than I can say for my 2014 Lexus. The music interface works flawlessly. I only considered cars that had Idrive when I was shopping.

Our 2011 version is easy to use. I'm not sure what the complaint is either.

Not so much that it is hard to use but if the controller goes out (Which mine did at 22K miles), it's expensive and needs programmed.

They got better as they got newer but the 08 which we had was ehh at best. I would have rather had the base stereo and no nav instead of that whole setup. I like the interface on my G37 better.

I wasn't a fan of mine but I think I've talked about that before. Too many items went out on a car under 30K miles and the parts were expensive.

I can see that. They tend to work out most of the bugs as the car moves forward. Also why I bought the 2011 since it was the tail end of the E90 cars and uses the N55 motor rather than the N54.

Yeah, I went to a tech session with a mechanic last weekend, and when it comes time to replace turbo(s), you definitely prefer the N55.

At 6 miles a day for my wife's commute (with some highway trips inserted intermittently to air it out) I'm pretty sure I won't have to replace turbos before we move on to something else, but you never know.

I do make oil changes a priority.

I've got a 2010 335xi with just under 40k miles on the clock. It's developed a weird misfiring/shaking on cold starts. From the forums, it seems the coil packs may be the problem. Besides that, it's been problem-free (bought it CPO at 25k miles about 2 years ago).

The big issue with this chassis is that non-M3 versions have a horrible, choppy ride. The combination of runflats and excessive rebound damping (especially on AWD models) makes every pothole a pile-driver up your spine. My solution was to replace everything: non-runflat tires; H&R springs; and Koni SA dampers. Now the car finally feels like a BMW should.

The other thing is, like most modern BMWs, you can't get a real LSD. That's not such a big deal on an AWD/slush-box/commuter car like mine, but it really sucks the fun out of it if this your RWD/six-speed/fun car. A bunch of guys on the forums have swapped Wavetrac torque-bossing diff units and seem happy with the results.

I guess my point is, unlike BMWs of old, you have to put in a bit of time/money to really unlock the chassis.