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I've owned two N54's and now own an N55.
Both of my past N54's were FBO making around 400+WHP. I did not have too many problems with the first N54 powered car that I owned, which was a 2008 135i 6AT. I would get fuel pump codes and other fueling codes every so often, but never anything super costly or annoying to deal with. My Last N54 was a complete nightmare (2010 335i Xdrive Msport). Running FBO, I killed both fuel pumps, I went through coils, MAF sensor, plugs, and turbos. The car was extremely expensive to maintain and was in the shop once a month. I know you've got to pay to play to make the power you want, but Christ, what a headache.
To date, I've got 5K miles on my current 2014 335i with JB4 installed at 800 miles. Not one code, no fueling BS, nothing.
I know the car is young, but she pulls hard and is a joy to drive. I do not fear the codes or BS that might pop up when driving, like I used to with my prior N54's. The fueling thing is a huge pain in the ass with the N54's. I've had my HPFP shit the bed in rush hour traffic, luckily the car was able to restart, after 10 tries and I was able to get home.
Anyway, something to keep in mind.
If you want to make crazy power, and don't mind opening your wallet when things go bad, go N54.
If you want more reliability with a little less power, and a badass transmission, the DCT rocks.
I've driven my tuner's M3 DCT on a few occasions and it was such an awesome driving experience.
You will get great sounding exhaust noises, burbles and pops with downshifts, and you will not miss having a clutch and stick to deal with.
You get the option of shifting on the gearbox or the paddles.
Just my 2 cents.
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