[robbiejones]

I have decided to purchase either a 2006 330i or a 2007 335i if I can find one within my $20k budget. I am only looking for a car with sport package and 6-speed manual transmission.

Are these cars DIY cars? What kind of maintenance can a garage mechanic perform on our own? oil and filter? transmission fluid? spark plugs and etc?

Obviously I am looking at higher mileage car due to my price point, so the warranty will most likely be expired along with the free maintenance. Also, i prefer not to pay the dealer for service if it's something i can do on my own.

Finally, is one more reliable than the other?

[smass]

DIY is possible with tools and skills. I do all my own repairs and maintenance on my 330i. The Bentley manual is a must have. You will be able to easily get a 60k mile 330i for under $18k. Finding a 335i for under $20k with less than 100k miles will not be easy.

[ctuna]

will give you some idea.
There is also a maintenance one.

330 is more reliable read the HPFP threads for the 335 n54 engine even without that
the extra turbo hardware is a long term maintenance problem on any car.
Plus a 335 runs at a higher temp and under more pressure.
You have to pay for performance.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=16

335 must be more difficult to work with the turbos and extra associated hardware.

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e60...e-our-m5s.html

You will need a scanner and good torque wrench

[robbiejones]

Originally Posted by smassey321

DIY is possible with tools and skills. I do all my own repairs and maintenance on my 330i. The Bentley manual is a must have. You will be able to easily get a 60k mile 330i for under $18k. Finding a 335i for under $20k with less than 100k miles will not be easy.

Is the only difference between the cars the turbo motor? Were there any updates to the 2007 cars outside of the engine?

In regards to servicing the 330i, are there panels that need to be removed to service the car easy to access?

Thanks

[ctuna]

They will give you a good idea or how hard it is Oil is easy.
The rest is a little more involved.

There are a lot of extra parts in a turbo setup its not just the Turbo's
The turbos themselves run at very high rpms which means the oil gets hot
and needs to be replaced more often if you want to do optimum maintenance.

Wastgates, Injectors , Turbo oil cooler this stuff keeps coming up on these
boards for the 335.

You need to search the other threads especially HPFP and read them.

updates I think were minor to my knowledge
things got more expensive as time went on an stuff
that used to be included cost extra

Although the motor is the same displacement there are other differences between the
N52 normally aspirated motor(330) and the N54 ( x35) turbo motor such as the n52 has a magnesium engine block . The n52 is valvetronic, The 07 to I think 2010 n54 is not.

[tlow98]

NOT having a valvetronic on the N54 is a big bonus, IMO. Sure more performance with vanos, however, many of the older gen BMWs end up with a rattle sounding vanos after a certain amount of time/mileage.

Overall the 335 is likely higher cost-wise in the long run, but wow, how can you complain when it beats 95 % of the cars on the road.

I'm between the 335 and 330 myself as well. The 335 is sucking me in like the dark side. I've had a NA BMW I6 and DIY'd everything on it. It's a great motor, BUT I just keep looking at those falling turbo prices and it's getting very borderline... Besides their few issues they seem pretty strong and they have it in almost every car they make meaning there will always be parts to be had...

[dcat151]

I have a 330i and do my own maintenance. It's not bad. Some of it is slightly more complicated than other cars I've owned, but I think that's mainly due to BMW not wanting people to be able to work on their own cars. Nothing I've tried to do so far has been impossible or exceptionally difficult.

[BK]

The 330i is a great car but it's a slight performance bump from the E46 330i. The 335i is a huge step up. The 335i has 45 more HP and 80 lb-ft more TQ. It's a second faster 0-60 and a second and a half faster in the 1/4 mile. It has front brake disks of 13.7" versus 13.0" on the 330i, although stopping distance is basically the same because the 335i weighs a lot more.

Standard features are basically the same from 06 330i to 07 335i E90. The 07 has chrome accents on the steering wheel, smaller clown nose, maybe a few other minor differences. The recess hatch in the trunk is uselessly shallow on the 335i versus the 330i because of the dual exhaust. The 335i has a more useful oil temp gauge rather than a real time mpg gauge like the 330i and BMWs of old.

Early 2006 models (pre-Sept 2005) had some minor nuisances compared to the post-Sept builds. These were related to programming, like setting DRLs and door locks, and so on, but I can't really remember for sure what the differences are. You should search if you are looking at a pre-Sept 05 build, but I recall the differences are minor.

Later 2007 models (post-March 2007) had some added features compared to early 2007 builds. For example, chrome accents on smaller radio knobs, oil temp gauge to 340, oil coolers on all cars equipped with ZSP (this used to be only on the MT), iPod adapter available from the factory, and shortcut buttons for iDrive. Oh, and welded rear differential.

If you're looking at both and are hungry for performance, get the 335i because the performance is significantly better. OTOH, the 330i is signficantly more reliable. Both are fun to drive. To be honest, I planned to keep my 330i only 4 years and have a new car by now, but I can't bear to part with it. It has been reliable as hell and always fun and comfortable to drive.

[jomegared]

I just bought a 2006 330i 6MT. I cannot tell you how fun it is to drive. Looking into the DIY though, I cannot seem to find too much information on this one. I found a ton in these forums, but simple stuff like videos on how to replace your serpentine belt are not available for this model. Probably because it is really easy for most of these enthusiasts.

If DIY is a factor, and it was for me, look at the information available on both the models you are looking into. Who knows, maybe that will help you decide. I have this crazy squeal coming from the engine upon low acceleration that I am trying to figure out with my "new to me" car. Its more annoying than anything, but it is so fun and such a great drive.

[jwalker87]

Your price range is definitely doable. I was looking at a 2007 335i with 66k for $20k when I bought my 2008 with 40k for $24k. You'll enjoy it!

[yangrou8]

^ I think pricing is very location dependent. I believe he is located in Cali and for 20k, it will be near impossible to find a relatively low mile 335i. Both the 330i and 335i are amazing cars. My impression is that if you take care of both cars regularly, their reliability is solid.

As far as DIY, I have found the e90 is a little more cumbersome than previous cars I've owned (a honda, an infiniti and an e36). I agree with a few posts up - it seems like bmw doesn't want people to work on their cars (changing AE bulbs requires removing the fender liner?!). That being said, if ur handy, most everything is do-able.

[jwalker87]

Originally Posted by yangrou8

^ I think pricing is very location dependent. I believe he is located in Cali and for 20k, it will be near impossible to find a relatively low mile 335i. Both the 330i and 335i are amazing cars. My impression is that if you take care of both cars regularly, their reliability is solid.

As far as DIY, I have found the e90 is a little more cumbersome than previous cars I've owned (a honda, an infiniti and an e36). I agree with a few posts up - it seems like bmw doesn't want people to work on their cars (changing AE bulbs requires removing the fender liner?!). That being said, if ur handy, most everything is do-able.

Ah, true. Then you should fly to FL, buy one and drive it back

[dre_2ooo]

I recently did all the fluids/60k/lubrication/checks/filters on my 330i. It was really no harder than any other car I owned. Some things were even smarter/easier (like Jubilee clips on hoses, and auto-coolant-bleeding feature w/electric water pump, and oil filter right on top of the engine, brilliant!). Some were not (like clutch bleeding and pwr steering fluid ). You will need a Bentley service manual though and this forum's DIYs .

Do like I am doing, buy a 330 for under 20k, put in a 3.64 LSD for $2500, and you'll ahve a car that handles better and than a 335, goes to 60 in 5 seconds, and have no turbo/fuel pump/wastegate issues all for less than a 335i

[MonsterM]

Get the 330i if you are worried about DIY maintenance. 2007 335i is probably the worst MY when it comes to reliability, not that any MY 335 is really reliable.

[AddictedToBavarian]

Originally Posted by smassey321

DIY is possible with tools and skills. I do all my own repairs and maintenance on my 330i. The Bentley manual is a must have. You will be able to easily get a 60k mile 330i for under $18k. Finding a 335i for under $20k with less than 100k miles will not be easy.

Where did you get the Bentley Service Manual?

[dre_2ooo]

Originally Posted by 328xi0wner

Where did you get the Bentley Service Manual?

Got mine on eBay

[DenverJayhawk]

nice to see the love for the 330i. I was torn about whether to get a 335 or 330 when i picked up mine in 2008. I'm sure I would love the 335 and I still get a pang of "what if..." when i see a new 335 on the road. But I could not be any more pleased with my 330i with sport, active steering, and 6MT. It's the perfect sport sedan, IMO. Still plenty quick, sounds great, good MPG, and comfortable. My only wish is that the back seat folded completely down.

[AddictedToBavarian]

Originally Posted by dre_2ooo

Got mine on eBay

Are they really worth it? I see them for like almost $100.

[Express]

i havent ever had a problem that this forum didn't answer. you dont need a bentley manual.

all my service/repairs are done at home, by me. easy car to work on.

[tropical335i]

when i sold my E46 328i,it took me 2 years to get a decent fully loaded secondhand 335i.at some point i was even bound to go for a 330i due to budget.then one day i decided it had to be a 335i even if i had to wait longer.and it finally paid off.today i am the proud owner of a 335i LCI sedan MSport with ALL the extras i wanted.so forget about HPFP issues and all,the 335i is just awesome,as i say,"when u drive a 335i,objects in the rear view mirror appear to be reversing....."

[pdips]

not to thread jack or anything but when i bought my car i got one hell of a deal. I bought it with 32k miles for only 21k...335xi with the works except navi but i dont need navi lol

[dre_2ooo]

Originally Posted by 328xi0wner

Are they really worth it? I see them for like almost $100.

It's well worth it when it's 2am and you're under your car waiting for someone on the forum to reply to your thread you just created because you hit a roadblock.

I got mine for $80 and it's well worth it. Also, i find it MUCH easier to thumb through a real paper book than spend 10 mins searching online...