An owners perspective please, I'm looking to buy in September.

[CharleyGFX]

Hello fellow BMW owners, currently I am driving a 2007 e92 335i Coupe with the N54 in it. At 137k miles it’s not worth it for me to keep dumping money into the car to keep it running versus buying a new car. I’ve been creeping back and forth on the m3post, e90forum, 1addicts for the past couple of months now (6 months to be exact). At 25 years old, I now live in San Francisco and make enough money to be able to afford a used M3. But the running cost and living situation in SF is very harsh for a an M3 car, let alone a bigger one at that. So I’ve decide to make a big boy decision and buy a cheaper car, so I can actually be comfortable while still putting money towards my Roth IRA/401k. Sure I won’t be driving an M car now, but I know in the future there is a high chance of me getting into one anyways so pushing it back a couple of more years is not too bad.

So like I’ve state above, I’m pretty familiar with the plat forms of n54 and n55 as far as tuning and running cost. But I wanted to get an owners perspective on a couple of things. Feel free to quote this part below and answer the questions as you wish, any feed back is good.

Which should I go for? I love the 08-10 N54 but for a little more money I can get a newer N55 and have it CPO and worry less. My budget is 25-30k, I’m looking to put down 6k and also get 6k(worst) – 8k(best) for my 335i. No I will not be selling privately.

Which do you think is best for a mecha city filled with hills and potholes like San Fran? A manual or the DCT? I refuse to get the auto. Currently my 335i with hill assist isn’t too bad in SF, but the traffic sometimes makes me want to switch over to a DCT. Does the 2011-2013 models have an LSD with it’s 6 speed?

How much money and work would it take for me to tune the 135’s suspension into like that of an M car? As most of you have done the 1M replica build, I would like to know what else is needed besides coil overs, upper and lower control arms, bushings, etc… please list parts if you know them.

Soon as I get the car, I’m looking to get a Jb4 for it. As I have the same tune in my car and it has been simply amazing and reliable for the past 4.5-5 years now. I know tuning the n55 will make less power, but I hear it’s more reliable then the n54 (Don’t want to start another war here) Which QUAD exhaust is the best set up to go with the tune? I’m looking to also do the front, side fenders and rear 1M replica bumpers (Not looking to widen the rear quarter panels).

Last but not least, what do you love and hate the most about your 135? What are some things that tend to fall apart in the 135i that is different than the 3 series? Are there anything I should be looking for when going to look at the car in person?

My insurance from Florida is up in September, so that’s when I know I’ll have to upgrade. Because it seriously makes no sense for me to dump another 4-5k into my 335i to have it running properly again, while the value of it is only 6. Thank you for reading this super long ass post.

[Bimmer-Bob]

I don't think it makes very much sense to buy a used 135i and dump a bunch more money on coilovers, an M suspension conversion, a quad exhaust, and a 1M replica body kit if you're planning on saving your money and getting into an M car within a "couple years," particularly if you're having trouble keeping your current car running properly (not trying to be a dick, just reading between the lines in your post).

[IEDEI]

just get an M3.

SF streets are like velvet compared to NYC streets and I daily drive my 1M.

I think it's pointless for you to spend $30k on a 135 and then pour another $10k into making it sort of like a 1M but not really....you can't really make it a 1M unless you swap subframes/hubs, steering racks, brakes, add M-diff, etc etc etc....will cost you waaaaay more than $10k to do that.

So just pay the $35-40k and get a used M3 now.....live for today. that's what it seems you want....go for it.

Not trying to dissuade you from a 135 because I think they are great....but from what I gather it's not what you really want

[swagon]

Test drive an M3 and see what it's like. It's gonna be a different experience as it's high revving NA engine vs. a JB4'd I6, but the chassis is miles better than a stock 135i, interior is of better quality etc. And last but not least, it's an M car and it might be the last ever naturally aspirated you'll ever buy (for a sensible amount of money).

[Yeineken]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

just get an M3.

SF streets are like velvet compared to NYC streets and I daily drive my 1M.

I think it's pointless for you to spend $30k on a 135 and then pour another $10k into making it sort of like a 1M but not really....you can't really make it a 1M unless you swap subframes/hubs, steering racks, brakes, add M-diff, etc etc etc....will cost you waaaaay more than $10k to do that.

So just pay the $35-40k and get a used M3 now.....live for today. that's what it seems you want....go for it.

Not trying to dissuade you from a 135 because I think they are great....but from what I gather it's not what you really want

Completely agree here.

On the other hand regardless I would go with a DCT for SF due to the hills. No that you couldn't make a manual work just DCT will be easier.

If you decide on a 135i I recommend the n55 CPO. The n55 has shown to be a little more reliable than the n54.

[RoundelM3]

I'd say get a 2013 CPO (or used with a BMW Gold extended warranty - cheaper that way) or look into the M235i. Might be a few of those available as CPO/exec cars, etc.