11' 135i or 08' 135i/ im a pleb any advice appreciated

[jconner]

hey everybody,

I'm fairly new to the scene so please bare with me. I'm in the market for a 135i. I'm planning on buying this week and have two particular 135's in mind.

one is a 2008 135i with ONLY 25k MILES!!! for $12,500
the other is a 2011 135i with 57k miles for around the same price.

This is where my predicament comes in. I know the N55 is a bit more reliable, and honestly if and when i tune my car i don't plan on going over 400whp. Its going to be a daily driver so less problems the better. But i would feel like an idiot buying a 135 with 32,000 miles more for the same price just for a hopeful reliability. I previously owned a 07 335i with an n54 and honestly it was a nightmare, it was the best car ive ever driven but had every problem the n54s are known for. but at that time i must admit I knew very little about cars and didn't take very good care of it. I have a whole different attitude going into this next purchase, I have done the research and I will have more funds to really take care of this car if problems do arise.

This is where you guys come in. from personal experience if you've owned a n54 or n55 or even both. What would you do in this situation? have you had similar experiences with the n55 as the n54? would you substitute the "reliability" of the n55 for an almost new n54 or is 57,000 miles new enough in your mind to go with the more reliable option?

i'm sorry for the simple/ maybe dumb sounding questions. I'm learning the ropes and really appreciate some outside opinions.
thanks!

[AZ1]

There are many threads on this discussion. I purchased a ‘10 (n54) with 37k on it. It’s been like 2 months and now have 48k. Recently got an oil change and will need new tires soon I really like it. Hoping I don’t run into any issues. I looked for a long time and found one with a great service history that ::bonus points:: smelled slightly like an old lady. The new one will hopefully have more features. idrive and Bluetooth audio would be important to me. I would go with the newer one assuming it has more features and with the caveat that it needs an impeccable service history...

[lab_rat]

Either choice is a great one. The N54 and N55 are great engines, and the E82 is a great chassis.

I will suggest a third possibility - have you considered the 128i w/N52?

The 128i a GREAT car, and (puts flamesuit on) arguably a better balanced combo (power/chassis) over the 135i. I have two N52 powered cars in my garage, and they are just as entertaining as my N55...a different animal, yes, but just as fun.

Mileage doesn't scare me - in my experience, a car with more highway miles is often a better buy than a car with lower city miles.

Since you've narrowed it down to the two choices you mentioned, my suggestion in choosing between them is the maintenance history and current overall condition. Ultimately, that's the key to which 1er will [likely] be more reliable.

I would also suggest to spend a little bit upfront and get a independent/third party PPI (pre-purchase inspection). And a PPI can be a tool to help you negotiate a better deal.

If you do go with another turbo, my personal suggestion would be to concentrate on:
1)maintenance
2)suspension upgrades
3)power (and/or cosmetic) upgrades

Post back with your decision (and pics!)

[iminhell1]

Turn it into a logic situation.


Both are equal starting price, what will their values be after 3 years and 40,000 more miles?
That is, which depreciates faster. Let that be the deciding vote. Afterall you are buying it to perform appliance duties and not for fun/track duties. Appliance = daily (fun or not is irrelevant).

If you want to figure more, add in cost of ownership,,, which has lower insurance costs, fuel bills, projected repair bills, etc.

Does one have better amenities? The 2008 will have the older flip up iDrive while the newer will have the stationary screen and newer software. No other real interior changes took place.
The must have is the sport seats, if you don't have them you will regret it. If only one of the cars has, pick that one.

[bobowar135]

I've only driven my own n54 08' with sports seats. I'm a larger chap but these sports seats hold me in place like a vice. Forget about tech, it's all crap you will hardly use anyway. It's all about the drive!

[ShocknAwe]

The K series N54 in the '07 335i was what started most of the reliability scares over the engine.

Check the service records on the 2008 car and make sure it's up to date. The IJ N54 is perfectly reliable as long as you keep up with maint and get the recalls/fixes done.

I say this because if ~400 is your goal you can do that with bolt ons.

Deal breaker is if it doesn't have sport seats.

[Happy Jose]

Don't buy any BMW unless you have ample disposable income to fix the numerous problems they will have. Also, no car and especially a BMW is an Investment. They are all money pits. The best way to consider a BMW especially a used one is as a hobby.

Remember, you can buy a reliable Toyota Corolla or a Mazda and drive it forever without spending anything on repairs!

[tracer bullet]

If I was currently shopping I wouldn't be able to decide on the info given alone. How are the bodies on each for dents & etc.? How well were they maintained by whomever owned them, and who did own them? What about things like having M-Sport seats?

[Happy Jose]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

If I was currently shopping I wouldn't be able to decide on the info given alone. How are the bodies on each for dents & etc.? How well were they maintained by whomever owned them, and who did own them? What about things like having M-Sport seats?

The one thing the Germans are well know for is their metal work. The coach work on BMWs, MBs, Audis, etc is first rate. In fact, BMW has a 12 year warranty against rust. MB has a lifetime warranty as long as the car is always serviced by the dealer.

Now comes the rub. BMWs are well known for leaking oil at just about any place where there is a gasket. Another problem area is their new ideas often aren't well worked out or thoroughly tested. One good example is X-Drive which I have heard a lot of negative stories about. Finally, over time, you can expect some electrical/electronic gremlins to pop up.

I suggest you go to Consumers Research, I get mine from the library on line, and look at the problem areas reported by owners. One interesting thing you'll discover is owners are pleased with the driving performance of the vehicle but pissed about its reliability.

In recent years, the brand's reliability has improved, but it is no where near that of Lexus, Toyota, Mazda, etc. In short, I don't recommend the car to my poor friends. For me, I have deep pockets plus I can do a lot of work by myself. If a perplexing problem does show up, I can usually diagnose it myself. This is important, so you don't get ripped off by some repair shop if you decide not to fix it yourself.

Frankly, in the long run, many owners get tired of all the BS associated with the brand and end up driving a Lexus or Mazda. Some just lease and save themselves the grief.

[Gangplank]

Will need to see the full specs on the cars to make an informed decision.

Auto - manual or DCT?
Options?
Modifications- current or past?
Get a Pre-Purchase Inspection done before you buy.

[olds350]

I have to agree on the statement about sports seats. My first 128 vert had the standard seats, the second one currently has the sports seats. Night and day in regard to comfort. HIGHLY recommended you hold out for the sport seat model. I've also read where the N55 is the better engine to grab in terms of reliability, but there is strong support for both engines. I have the N52 and like it because it's a bit easier for me to work on and it's just a cruiser car for me.

[Kheadley]

The n54 will blow up five times before the n55

[jw.e36]

I haven't personally owned both, I've only owned an N55 (and for a short amount of time) but I was actually in a pretty similar boat before I bought my n55 135.

I was looking at an N54 '09 e92 335i, 160k kms on it, bone stock. or, my '11 N55 135i with 190k kms on it, and personally I opted for the N55 car. Both pretty much the same price, but the N55 car came with a stack of service records, so I felt a lot better about it, because it did run well, but a lot of the common problems hadn't been addressed in the N54 335, and that kind of scared me, especially with the miles starting to get up there.

It was a close decision, but ultimately the biggest deciding factors were the service history, options (135 is an M sport, my favorite color combo, and sport seats as opposed to non m sport black on black boring 335 with peasant seats) and the 135 being an e82 (where I live, e9x 335's are super common in the car scene, and I rarely see 1er's).

So if I were you I would take more of the other stuff into consideration and let that stuff be the deciding factor.

[NorthernDancer]

Lots of good info here. I will just say as others have, a PPI and maintenance records to prove its been well maintained. My 08 128 is low mileage [62K] never seen winter [hence the mileage] and had its 1st "repair" last summer [VCG]. Its got about 5 track days on it {which means 5 very good inspection prior}

[tracer bullet]

I wonder how it turned out. This was OP's first and last post it seems.

[JM98]

Probably came to his senses and bought something more reliable lol

[ERKinATL]

I'm looking at a 135i myself. I have looked at all the posts here and have decided "you cant scare me"

I have a Mazda, 2008 MX-5 with almost 200k. It will continue to be my Primary driver. The 135 will be the second car. I figure on alternating driving the cars during the week. I don't like to let a car sit.

[DarthFader]

I've owned both. The N55 will be more reliable by far (never had a CEL and I'm 72k miles). The N54 will require more maintenance to keep it running at optimum performance (fuel pump, injectors, walnut blasting, waste gate, etc - had to do all of those by 60k miles).

That being said, unless your committed to 135i, I believe the e82 chassis is most fun in 128i with manual transmission. Reason being it puts the power down perfect without overwhelming the chassis and it can pull all the way to redline. My current 135i can barely put the power down and it only has PPK. And as an added bonus, the N52 will likely be the most reliable.

Good luck with your decision.