[sharadn]

I am thinking to sell my 2002 e46 M3 vert and possibly buy a 335i vert. I'm hoping that the 335i will be a bit more civilized. I am pushing 70 with my wife not far behind and as much as I love the M3 it has harsh ride and is kinda loud. These things count more as you age, as you will all see...Anyways I know my way around the e46 platform pretty well and have had 2 e91s so this platform is totally not unknown. I am wondering how much trouble I will get in by having to deal with the issues related to the 335i, like turbo waste gate rattle, HP fuel pump, injector issues, walnut cleaning and so on.The M3 is naturally aspirated and has been pretty reliable so far (3 yrs) My fallback position would be an e46 330i vert for reliability and cost issues. Don't slam verts I love them. Please share insights and thoughts.TIA

[tlow98]

The e46 330i is a less reliable car than the e46 M3. Take a look. Lots of intake parts rot away. The cool ping system is very fragile. And then there’s the usual e46 issues to boot; oil leaks, etc.

If you get a 335i get the n55 motor or a 328i vertt.

Avoid the n54.

[sharadn]

Thanks for the input. The 330i I am looking at has only 37K miles. How reliable can I expect an N55 335i to be?

[dpaul]

I love verts and love the way my E93 M3 drives but almost regret the purchase of a convertible. I can honestly say that the hard-shell convertible top is the most mechanically complex tinkertoy that I have ever seen. You will develop leaks and rattles that will likely be very expensive to address. You will find very little expertise regarding these tops out there, dealer or indy. Plus, the thing adds 400lbs to the weight of the vehicle AND almost completely fills the trunk when retracted - you can put a briefcase in there and that's about it.

I also have an N54 powered E90 335xi. I love it as well but this is the single most unreliable car I've ever owned. In only 60K miles of ownership (89K total), I'm on my second engine (rod bearing failure), my third water pump, third set of injectors, second set of turbos, oil pan gasket, OFH gasket, DME, guibo and center driveshaft bearing and coils. That doesn't count the small stuff like ABS sensors, VANOS solenoids and boost solenoids.

To be sure, my car is tuned and that adds stress. But tuned or not, you will need deep pockets or be a dyed in the wool DIYer. Lucky for me I can walk to work.

I can't speak to the reliability of the E46 330 but I owned an E46 325i xdrive sedan which had a lot of character although woefully short on power. Reliable as a stone. In 9 years I replaced an alternator, a window regulator and a couple of front axles. It did develop a little rust over the rear wheel wells. That's it!

[sharadn]

"I also have an N54 powered E90 335xi. I love it as well but this is the single most unreliable car I've ever owned. In only 60K miles (89K total), I'm on my second engine (rod bearing failure), my third water pump, third set of injectors, second set of turbos, oil pan gasket, OFH gasket, DME, guibo and center driveshaft bearing and coils. That doesn't count the small stuff like ABS sensors, VANOS solenoids and boost solenoids."
Ouch!
The retractable hard is one of the cons in my opinion also. I have the top on my M3 pretty well sorted out by now and all the tops on the e46 verts are the same.

[neilvan]

I have 2 N54 cars and they have been quite reliable; That being say there is always that lingering what if(fine for me but if you want reliable more than anything maybe not).

N55 will have a few less issues but my this age most of the N54 issues will have been taken care of so its similar other than the N55 having bearing issues as an option (though with the S54 im sure your familiar with that risk as well)


Have you thought about an N52? Can make ~300hp N/A with a few mods and its much more on the reliable side; Itll behave very similar to the S54 did in power delivery

[tcphoto]

I owned an E46 325Cic for nearly seven years and loved it. I've owned my E92 335 with N54 for over five years and I prefer it over the E46 for so many reasons. As mentioned, the hardtop adds 400 pounds and can develop a lot of issues. If I had to replace my car I'd find a clean 328 or E92 with N55 but it's have to be another manual car.

[marvinstockman]

Before you sell a good car and buy a 'bad' car, see if you can get an extended test drive, with the wife, in the 'new' car.

I made a really bad mistake and gave my 1998 M3 to my son, as my wife squawked and complained every time she got in it. I replaced it with a 2011 328i, with standard seats, thinking she'd be more comfortable. I'm now uncomfortable, and unhappy, and she's still complaining. The end result of which is that we mostly always drive her Odyssey van.

[p1zaul]

I made the same migration, had a 2002 E46 M3 vert and moved to 09 335i n54 vert. Honestly I have had zero issues. The car itself is definitely more civilized. Huge difference in the two in terms of feeling like your in a modern car. The top is super complex but if you keep it will lubricated and gummi pledge the seals each year you should not have any issues, also I only operate the top at a complete stop. I did look around for a while to get a well maintained adult owned car. Looked at tons of them and even had 2 or 3 through pre purchase inspections before I find the one. Going on 3 years now and valve cover gasket only thing I've had fixed.

[StradaRedlands]

sharadn Have you looked at the E87 one series cab? Smaller than an E93, but mostly in back seat and trunk. Cockpit is pretty similar. And they still have the I6 engines either N52 or N54 (and N55???). All that and it has a soft top vs. the retractable hard top on the 3, which I believe is a huge positive. I've been kicking around the idea of just this, and the thing that holds me back is the lack of manual transmissions. They're out there, but few and far between. That and we literally just had to buy four cars over the last six months, so kind of done with searching/buying/fixing up right now. Let me live through you!!!

[sharadn]

I was also exploring 1 series and 235s as well. This one will be an auto so that it is easier for my wife to drive. I may just hang onto the M3 and sell our 2003 325i sedan and put the funds towards the purchase of one vert or another. I did test drive 230x drive vert and I guess I could get used to it but compared to the e46 and e90 it felt more like a toy than car. I didn’t feel like it was made out of metal. I also had a 228 xdrive as a loaner and it felt big and handled terribly. I was shocked at how unstable it was when swerving to change lanes quickly

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by sharadn

I was also exploring 1 series and 235s as well. This one will be an auto so that it is easier for my wife to drive. I may just hang onto the M3 and sell our 2003 325i sedan and put the funds towards the purchase of one vert or another. I did test drive 230x drive vert and I guess I could get used to it but compared to the e46 and e90 it felt more like a toy than car. I didn’t feel like it was made out of metal. I also had a 228 xdrive as a loaner and it felt big and handled terribly. I was shocked at how unstable it was when swerving to change lanes quickly

I've always loved E30s, and we used to have a '91 325i cab before kids. I think the 128i cab is the closest thing we could get to reliving that. Same size, power/weight, good solid engine & drivetrain. Auto or manual, they're good cars. But so are E46 M3s! Only you know your situation, but M3s of whatever era have always been something special!

[sharadn]

Yeah I have kind of backed off selling the M3 for now. I do want another convertible and will sell the 325 sedan. At some point I will have to downsize to two cars and one will be the E91 wagon and the second one will be a more civilized vert.

[krhodes1]

Originally Posted by sharadn

I was also exploring 1 series and 235s as well. This one will be an auto so that it is easier for my wife to drive. I may just hang onto the M3 and sell our 2003 325i sedan and put the funds towards the purchase of one vert or another. I did test drive 230x drive vert and I guess I could get used to it but compared to the e46 and e90 it felt more like a toy than car. I didn’t feel like it was made out of metal. I also had a 228 xdrive as a loaner and it felt big and handled terribly. I was shocked at how unstable it was when swerving to change lanes quickly

You may find a 1-series to be a better compromise. I prefer how my currently lowly 128i convertible drives to how the M235i I had drove. MUCH more like an e46 than like the f2x.