Quote:
Originally Posted by justinmj
Can anyone tell me if there's any reason why I shouldn't consider a 2010 or 2011? Any disadvantages or changes in the car back in those years that are noteworthy?
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Yes, 2010 is the last year of the N54 motor. Some on here will find that incredibly desirable as it's more tuner/mod friendly so you can get more power out of it. The downside is possible reliability issues with a few of its components, which is why BMW stopped using that engine in most its cars and switched to a similar engine, the N55 from 2011 on, with the same 300 hp/300 ft-lb of torque on paper.
The N55 is supposed to be a lot more reliable, but you can't squeeze as much power out of it. My sense is you're not going to be modifying the car or trying to get more power out of it, so I think for you 2011 and beyond would be better. Also, the headlights and taillights changed I think on the 2011's - adding the eyebrows to the headlights and the rear taillights changed from a 3 LED horizontal bar design to more of an L shaped design.
If you have any other questions, let me know as I had a 2008 135i and a 2013 135is, so I know them both pretty well and the dealers in LA - both good and bad.