[Jackbmw]

Hi guys,
I wanna buy a used 335i E91 Touring in a few months and I am considering some options now. I live in Switzerland.

There some classifieds with 335i and consider which would be best for this car. I surely won't buy a car without M-Package and xenon headlights. But I am considering which kind of transmission would be best for the car and for me.
6MT is considered sporty though I live in the city where streets are very congested and sometimes it drives mad to start and stop and swap the cogs.

There are here also more cars with xDrive. Does it really give you more safety or is it just better to have when you've got a house in the mountains or in the woods. I have now an old 320i E36 with RWD and really see no reason to have AWD which incurs additional ~100kg to the curb weight of the car.

Finally, is it worth to consider only LCI cars which look a little bit better IMO and have LED blinkers? What are the main differences (except visual, navigation and LEDs) between pre-LCI and LCI. Due to the costs I can only afford N54 cars, the later N55 335i's are much more expensive that I'd rather buy an M3 instead.

Would be grateful for any tips and your opinions

[Kolyan2k]

Correct...xdrive adds no safety but would be good for those alpine roads when its snowing like crazy.

[CombatNinja]

RWD with snow tires is all you need. Adding XDrive to these cars has too many compromises.

[John 070]

Originally Posted by CombatNinja

RWD with snow tires is all you need. Adding XDrive to these cars has too many compromises.

I agree with this totally, in theory. RWD with snow tires works, but x-drive with snow tires all around works better.

I have a 335i RWD with 4 snows, and I am not afraid of 9" of new snow, it works fine. But if I can, I will take the AWD car out if my wife isn't using it, and keep my 335i in the garage.

Since we're talking about Switzerland, I would go 6-MAN with AWD, that's just me...

[roundle]

If you are happy with the E36 w/ RWD, why change to X-Drive? Also, if you get X-Drive, the M-Sport (ZMP) will come with standard, non-sport suspension (weak!).

As for trans, I love my 6MT. That said, as the 335i had loads of mid-range, I'd probably be happy with the AT as well.

One other option to look for: The big, glass roof is awesome. It's standard in the states, but optional in most other parts of the world. Also, in my opinion, the upgraded sound system and leather are very nice to have.

[Jackbmw]

Originally Posted by roundle

If you are happy with the E36 w/ RWD, why change to X-Drive? Also, if you get X-Drive, the M-Sport (ZMP) will come with standard, non-sport suspension (weak!).

As for trans, I love my 6MT. That said, as the 335i had loads of mid-range, I'd probably be happy with the AT as well.

One other option to look for: The big, glass roof is awesome. It's standard in the states, but optional in most other parts of the world. Also, in my opinion, the upgraded sound system and leather are very nice to have.

Yeah I know that with xDrive there is no sport suspension. I am simply not sure if I want it cause it adds extra weight, centre of gravity is higher and so on. I am not a pussy and can drive RWD in any weather conditions safely.

Leather is mostly standard on all the cars I saw here. Very few of them have alcantara seats which are also nice IMO. Surely I don't want beige seats or at least the complete in interior (seats, lower part of the dashboard, carpets) in beige - too elegant, too unsporty for me.

I know that the upgraded sound system would be great, but I am not sure whether I'd like the panaromic glass roof. Two cars I saw didn't have it and I even liked it. I have never had glass roof in my previous cars so maybe I would not miss having one in the future.

Roofrails are also an option which I wouldn't like to have, but again most tourings have them. I am not going to use them so probably I would consider deleting them although it's not that easy.

There are more tourings with RWD and manual trannies here. But finding a LCI 335i with manual, M-Package and i-Drive is almost impossible or beyond my budget.

http://www.autoscout24.ch/de/d/bmw-3...03&yearto=2012

http://www.autoscout24.ch/de/d/bmw-3...03&yearto=2012

http://www.autoscout24.ch/de/d/bmw-3...03&yearto=2012

When it comes to motor, has anyone of you, here in Europe, had any problems with turbo or HPFP failures in cars with mileage less than 100k km?

[///M3NACE]

Originally Posted by Jackbmw

Yeah I know that with xDrive there is no sport suspension. I am simply not sure if I want it cause it adds extra weight, centre of gravity is higher and so on. I am not a pussy and can drive RWD in any weather conditions safely.

Leather is mostly standard on all the cars I saw here. Very few of them have alcantara seats which are also nice IMO. Surely I don't want beige seats or at least the complete in interior (seats, lower part of the dashboard, carpets) in beige - too elegant, too unsporty for me.

I know that the upgraded sound system would be great, but I am not sure whether I'd like the panaromic glass roof. Two cars I saw didn't have it and I even liked it. I have never had glass roof in my previous cars so maybe I would not miss having one in the future.

Roofrails are also an option which I wouldn't like to have, but again most tourings have them. I am not going to use them so probably I would consider deleting them although it's not that easy.

There are more tourings with RWD and manual trannies here. But finding a LCI 335i with manual, M-Package and i-Drive is almost impossible or beyond my budget.

http://www.autoscout24.ch/de/d/bmw-3...03&yearto=2012

http://www.autoscout24.ch/de/d/bmw-3...03&yearto=2012

http://www.autoscout24.ch/de/d/bmw-3...03&yearto=2012

When it comes to motor, has anyone of you, here in Europe, had any problems with turbo or HPFP failures in cars with mileage less than 100k km?

Not sure if the Euro version if different but 8/10 users with the 335i 07 and 08s have issues.

I would get a N/A 6 speed RWD. AWD is a waste and can cost you more money if something goes wrong. You get a flat and ride on it for too long and transfer case messes up thats 5k right there.

[DDS2015]

If it were my money I'd get the xdrive with a manual. Hell, thats what I bought (albeit in 328 form). I absolutely love the manual. I'll never buy a car without it from now on given its an option. In terms of AWD vs RWD, I live in a very snowy, very cold part of North America so I wouldn't buy a year round car without it. I also have snow tires on my car and on my GF's Mini (FWD). Both cars feel very safe and planted in this weather.

In terms of LCI/Pre-LCI, I would go for the LCI version. It has everything thats newer about it.

Wait to find the perfect car for you, there are loads of them out there so just be patient.

[///M3NACE]

Originally Posted by DDS2015

If it were my money I'd get the xdrive with a manual. Hell, thats what I bought (albeit in 328 form). I absolutely love the manual. I'll never buy a car without it from now on given its an option. In terms of AWD vs RWD, I live in a very snowy, very cold part of North America so I wouldn't buy a year round car without it. I also have snow tires on my car and on my GF's Mini (FWD). Both cars feel very safe and planted in this weather.

In terms of LCI/Pre-LCI, I would go for the LCI version. It has everything thats newer about it.

Wait to find the perfect car for you, there are loads of them out there so just be patient.

I agree with you completely but I know how much snows where you live and I would buy a beater E30 325ix over there.

[roundle]

Originally Posted by ihsanshaik

Not sure if the Euro version if different but 8/10 users with the 335i 07 and 08s have issues.

I would get a N/A 6 speed RWD. AWD is a waste and can cost you more money if something goes wrong. You get a flat and ride on it for too long and transfer case messes up thats 5k right there.

Agree. If you're going to keep the car as long as you've kept the E36, better to get a 330i or 330d.

[John 070]

Originally Posted by ihsanshaik

Not sure if the Euro version if different but 8/10 users with the 335i 07 and 08s have issues.

This statement is so misleading. A 2007 car has been on the road 6 years. Chances are, the original owner had troubles when it was 2-3 y.o.

I am the original owner of my car, and it did have problems. Those problems were fixed, and it has had zero issues for 22 mos. now.

In other words, whoever owned the car originally, probably had some return trips to the BMW dealership. They went through the hassle, and got it fixed.

One has to love how people give advice on things where they didn't personally experience it. A 335i driver shouldn't give advice on what it's like to own a 325i, and vice-versa. That's just my opinion.

what does 8/10 actually mean? Is that statistically valid, or reliable?

[CombatNinja]

I strongly advise against the panoramic roof. Constant source of annoying squeaks for me.

[Hybrid For Life]

6mt forsure.
I'd prefer RWD, with the shitty weather in Switzerland, AWD might be a better choice

[Speedwagon]

Originally Posted by CombatNinja

I strongly advise against the panoramic roof. Constant source of annoying squeaks for me.

My 2012 E91 must have some improvements on the panoramic roof, it makes no noise at all even at speeds over 100mph.

[ziggy55]

All I got to say is if you can find a 6 speed go for it! I think 6 speeds for the E91 are not that common and would stand out when resale time comes around. 6 speed+ RWD is the way to go!

[pits200]

Originally Posted by ihsanshaik

Not sure if the Euro version if different but 8/10 users with the 335i 07 and 08s have issues.

I would get a N/A 6 speed RWD. AWD is a waste and can cost you more money if something goes wrong. You get a flat and ride on it for too long and transfer case messes up thats 5k right there.

Ha another reliability thread. I'm fbo with meth xi and about 50 drag pulls with no issues with the transfer case. Knock on wood. There are some other fbo xi guys with no issues with the tc, actually there are very few tc failures. Stay away from 07s and 08s I think we agree on that due to other issues besides awd.

I know people will say it defeats the purpose of the xi but you can lower the car with asts and have a car that handles 95% as well as an equally equipped rwd model but with the added knowledge of having awd in better whether. And I'm sick of people only mentioning snow as the bad weather, it includes rain also and if you rwd guys think an open diff is great in rain well slap me silly.

[Osobear]

6MT would be awesome, but if it's your daily driver and you are going through congested streets on a regular basis, nothing beats the 6AT. 6MT isn't that much fun in moderate to heavy traffic.

[Jackbmw]

Originally Posted by Hybrid For Life

6mt forsure.
I'd prefer RWD, with the shitty weather in Switzerland, AWD might be a better choice

The winter here is not that sheety I think. I live in Zurich and here it doesn't really snow that much as in the Alps or in Austria about 200km farther.

RWD and 6MT seem to be pretty rare and I regard such combination as something for purists Unfortunately all the cars are pre-LCI E91 and are now about 5-6 years and have around 100k km. The one I saw a few weeks ago had still the original turbos and HPFP according to the salesman. I don't know if it means that will die pretty soon or just that previous owners took care. Doeas anyone know how reliable the turbos in N54 are? How many km do they live maximally?

It's a pity that there are here really no E91s 335i from 2009 or 2010 with M-Package and navigation, both of which are a must for me. Cars from 2011 or 2012 are much more expensive and cost at least twice the price of 2007.

[slowSwede]

I have a RWD 6 MT. Living in Sweden I'm sure to see snow every year.
As for RWD vs xDrive I'd say xDrive is for ease of mind and not so much safety, the biggest problem in winter is usually stopping, not accelerating.

MT vs AT, that's a question only you can respond.
I like my MT since I live just outside the city, I don't have to commute in rush hour traffic and usually drive on the highway.
If I would have lived in the centre of Bangkok or Mexico City commuting by car on a daily basis, I probably would have gone for an AT.

I did have an AT once, almost everytime I got in it I felt a bit displeased about the transmission. But that's my personal opinion based on getting stuck in traffic about twice a year.