[OTK_KART]

I have been driving 3 different Acura for the past 9 years and I am debating if I should try the BMW. All my Acura has been reliable but the driving excitement is just not there. Is there anyone intend to keep their 335i longer than the typical 3 to 4 years? It seems to me a lot of people here lease their vehicle so reliability is not their concerns. Since I am going to finance the vehicle, I would like to know how good/bad they are in terms of reliability. I test drove a E90 335I with the sport package and the power is awesome. I feel like I was driving my kart on open road.

[HyperM3]

I dont think anyone knows how reliable it will be 3-4 yrs down the line when nobody has had one that long yet. Pure speculation at this point.

[wj4]

I bought my 335i and I intend to keep her for years to come. I will look into buying the extended warranty before the regular warranty expires for peace of mind.

While I've only owned the car for 6 months and put only 11k miles on her, she's still working completely fine.

[achien]

Originally Posted by wj4

I bought my 335i and I intend to keep her for years to come. I will look into buying the extended warranty before the regular warranty expires for peace of mind.

While I've only owned the car for 6 months and put only 11k miles on her, she's still working completely fine.

Same here, but I will Procede my car so where along the way...

[OTK_KART]

what about the overall reliabilty in 3 series? I have read the engine in 330i is bullet proof and I assume the 335i is using the same basis engine platform in addition to the turbos, direct injection and lower compression.

[achien]

My friend has his 330xi since 2001, no issue so far for him.

[Spool]

Originally Posted by achien

My friend has his 330xi since 2001, no issue so far for him.

totally irrelevant to what the OP is talking about...



This car is a ticking time bomb...

[HyperM3]

Originally Posted by joech

what about the overall reliabilty in 3 series? I have read the engine in 330i is bullet proof and I assume the 335i is using the same basis engine platform in addition to the turbos, direct injection and lower compression.

Theres no long term knowledge of how the forced induction setup will affect the engine. Its already known that theres excessive heat in cylinders 5 and 6. An engine block can only keep that up for so long.

[wj4]

Originally Posted by achien

Same here, but I will Procede my car so where along the way...

I considered that route as well, but for some reason I'm not into modding as I used to be. I'm looking to just drive the car as is until it depreciates almost completely and buy a 997 S as the next 'nice' car. The only way I'd get rid of my 335i is if it gives me a lot of headache when warranty expires. I don't mind a glitch every now and then though, since BMW is known for electronic issues.

Originally Posted by joech

what about the overall reliabilty in 3 series? I have read the engine in 330i is bullet proof and I assume the 335i is using the same basis engine platform in addition to the turbos, direct injection and lower compression.

From what I read, the engine for the 335i is based off the engine in the E46 330i. OT but I have a friend who owns a 1999 E46 328i with over 200k miles and the little sucker is still going strong. I hope my 335i does the same.

[achien]

Originally Posted by Spool

totally irrelevant to what the OP is talking about...



This car is a ticking time bomb...

Well, the OP was asking about the reliability of 3-series, which includes the E46s.

But I have to agree, this is a ticking time bomb. It blows up everytime I hit the ramp and onto the highway.

[Spool]

Originally Posted by achien

Well, the OP was asking about the reliability of 3-series, which includes the E46s.

But I have to agree, this is a ticking time bomb. It blows up everytime I hit the ramp and onto the highway.

Is it a bad idea to buy a E90 335I and keep it past warranty?


3 series overall can't be judged, because there are many trims, many engine sizes, etc...esp. this one since it's turbo'ed, and is the first year production car, imagine how expensive it would be to maintain it after warranty runs out.

[achien]

Originally Posted by Spool

Is it a bad idea to buy a E90 335I and keep it past warranty?


3 series overall can't be judged, because there are many trims, many engine sizes, etc...esp. this one since it's turbo'ed, and is the first year production car, imagine how expensive it would be to maintain it after warranty runs out.

With limited data on 335i, we just have to go with past BMW 3-series (E46 and E30) performance and realiability.

For BMW, they have a reputation of producing great performance sedans.
For Toyota, they have a reputation of producing realiable vehicles.

When no one can accurately predict the future, you have to rely on history to extrapolate possible future scenarios and results.

[Spool]

Originally Posted by achien

When no one can accurately predict the future, you have to rely on history to extrapolate possible future scenarios and results.

I agree with you on this, but we really can't use the past N/A models and compare it to the 335i of today. It's a whole new car, new chasis, new engine, different technology. Just look at how many people have had issues with the car on the board, and how many that don't go on the board as well. The fuel pump problems, several blown turbos, nav freezing up, rattles everywhere...just to name a few. we can't use past models to speculate the reliability of this one, we can, however, project the current data and see where it's going.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by joech

I have been driving 3 different Acura for the past 9 years and I am debating if I should try the BMW. All my Acura has been reliable but the driving excitement is just not there. Is there anyone intend to keep their 335i longer than the typical 3 to 4 years? It seems to me a lot of people here lease their vehicle so reliability is not their concerns. Since I am going to finance the vehicle, I would like to know how good/bad they are in terms of reliability. I test drove a E90 335I with the sport package and the power is awesome. I feel like I was driving my kart on open road.

In general, it's better to buy a model towards the end of it's run ssince by the most of the kinks have been worked out. BMW has a long history with turbo diesel engines, and just recently came back w/ turbo gasoline (335/535). Internet forums by their very nature magnify problems with any car. So you're going to read many posts of people looking for help diagnosing "xyz" problem.

IMO, I would wait atleast 1 more model year ('09) before buying a 335.

[noro]

Heh, in my case even under warranty I am having problems getting things fixed. The problem with cars now isn't that they are less reliable, is that all the parts are becoming more sophisticated and therefore very expensive.

[phrozen06]

Originally Posted by noro

The problem with cars now isn't that they are less reliable, is that all the parts are becoming more sophisticated and therefore very expensive.

very true.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by joech

Is there anyone intend to keep their 335i longer than the typical 3 to 4 years?

We will keep ours for 6 years, maybe longer. Probably 120k miles or so.

[retlod]

Originally Posted by joech

I have been driving 3 different Acura for the past 9 years and I am debating if I should try the BMW. All my Acura has been reliable but the driving excitement is just not there. Is there anyone intend to keep their 335i longer than the typical 3 to 4 years? It seems to me a lot of people here lease their vehicle so reliability is not their concerns. Since I am going to finance the vehicle, I would like to know how good/bad they are in terms of reliability. I test drove a E90 335I with the sport package and the power is awesome. I feel like I was driving my kart on open road.

Lease the 335 for 3 years, then go back to Acura and get the AWD, turbocharged TSX Type S that's rumored to come out in 2009 or 2010. I love Acuras, but like you said, just not enough giddy-up.

[7586]

Originally Posted by wj4

I bought my 335i and I intend to keep her for years to come. I will look into buying the extended warranty before the regular warranty expires for peace of mind.

While I've only owned the car for 6 months and put only 11k miles on her, she's still working completely fine.

Damn! I've had mine for close to 5 months and only just hit 2000. I don't drive much i presume

[kronzprinz]

IMO, I'm concerned with people worrying about expenses when they're buying a 3 series or higher end vehicle. If you can't afford the maitenance then stick with leased acuras or toyotas.

[wj4]

Originally Posted by 7586

Damn! I've had mine for close to 5 months and only just hit 2000. I don't drive much i presume

I drive a lot...and this is cutting back already. 10 miles each way to school, random drives on the PCH, etc. In my old car, I put 29,500 on her in the 15 months of owning it.

Originally Posted by kronzprinz

IMO, I'm concerned with people worrying about expenses when they're buying a 3 series or higher end vehicle. If you can't afford the maitenance then stick with leased acuras or toyotas.

Very ignorant comment. It's not the fact that if one can or can not afford the maintenance (look at how many people are trading in their E46 M3s due to warranty expiring and moving on UP to more expensive cars). Let's give a scenario...you have a 335i with 100k miles on it, warranty is gone, the car is probably going to be worth less than $20,000...can you justify keeping the car if it costs you say $3,000-4,000 in maintenance every year? Let's say the fuel pump goes out after the warranty is gone...that's $1,300 in part alone, not counting the labor.

[mmm def]

If you are worried about it, lease it. i did that, if my car is flawless during my lease, i will buy it out knowing i will be paying a lot more..but the piece of mind that it is my car and i know the history is worth a lot.

If my car turns out to be a pos, il turn it in and go buy a Civic Si sedan.

So far 8,000 miles and not 1 hiccup. I love it.