[Tone91]

Made my mind up to trade in my 2003 pikes peak white 350z 6MT for a 335i e90. Really love her but only 2 seats got old quick. Looked at pretty much every sporty 4 door car on the market that my budget allowed for (G37, Evo, WRX sti, Genesis, IS 350 F, etc. The 335i's power potential sealed the deal for me. I like the 09-10 styling a little better than 07-08 and the usual suspects of problems would be under warranty longer so thats what I'm currently looking at. Unfortunately there is practically no manual's around me. Are the paddle shifters still pretty fun to drive? Also what differences should I expect in the daily drive compared to the Z?

[bad karma]

Manuals are hard to find in these cars. Probably a 1:10 ratio, or even higher, of MT:AT. The paddle shifters are fun, I enjoy playing with mine from time to time, and (relative to other transmissions out there) the ZF unit in these cars responds very quickly to manual input. Still, it lacks the connection of having a true manual. Nothing compares to a real row-your-own when it comes to a thrilling driving experience, even though the AT can shift faster and more accurately then I could ever dream to.

As far as differences with driving, you'll definitely notice the additional power, and how quickly you can access that power. Peak torque at 1400RPM instead of 5200RPM makes a big difference. That's twin turbos for you. The 335 will nail your back to the seat any time you go WOT, especially with a tune.

Both are good cars that serve very different purposes. 2 doors vs 4 doors and all that. The BMW will offer more refinement in every category, because it's a luxury sport sedan. It will balance luxuriousness, handling, power, and passenger space. It'd be a toss-up on the track, because the Z already handles well, and even moreso with upgraded suspension bits. But it is definitely more raw, more plasticy, more cheap, etc etc.

[silver07335i]

Manual e90 335i's are out there, but you have to be patient and search frequently. Test drive an auto 335i and see if you like it. In terms of driving experience I'm sure you'll appreciate the quality luxury interior, leather sports seats (sport package is a must), faster ride, sports tuned suspension, spacious back seating, and big modding opportunity. Good luck with your new car hunting! Go with the manual 335i if you can. If not, the 6AT 335i has one of the best auto transmissions I've tested.

[ryanakata]

I drove a manual 335, and then Alpina Flash on mine. I like mine better as a daily driver.

[jeremicium]

As silver07335i said, manuals are out there, be patient they're worth the wait. Not that the AT is bad, just not as fun if you're an MT kinda guy.

If you're getting a car with Nav its best to get an 09 or later, much better infotainment set-up.

As a daily driver it doesn't get much better than the 335. Comfort, refinement, plenty of power, good gas mileage (Over almost 70k miles i've averaged 22.5 mpg with fairly aggressive combined driving, near 30 mpg for long freeway trips). Suspension-wise the 335 will feel kind of soft when you push it hard compared to the Z, the trade off for having a more comfortable car. A set of coilovers will mostly fix that.

Be sure to read up on common problems with these cars and set aside some $$. Depending on the mileage some common problems are Vanos solenoid, water pump, injectors, coils to name a few. I've had a mild tune on mine for 20k miles, still on the original water pump, injectors, coils, but I do need to replace my Vanos solenoids (easy job and about $250). A lot of these cars have been pretty unreliable, others like mine have been very reliable. I say look at its service records, how often its been in the shop. If it's been a good car for the last few years it is likely to stay that way. If it's been in the shop non-stop i'd expect it to stay that way.

Hope this helps.

[e90Cam]

My next car I was actually thinking about a 350 LOL.

[GMe90]

The paddles are more fun than a regular automatic because you can still control the gears. But if you are a "manual guy," you will not be satisfied without a manual. The paddles may appear cool at first, but the novelty will wear off quickly, and you will find yourself paying a lot of money for a car you are not 100% satisfied with. If you love manuals, do not buy an automatic for any reason. You will regret it.

[Miller335]

Originally Posted by e90Cam

My next car I was actually thinking about a 350 LOL.

Wut?

[scotty_miller]

I went from an auto to a manual. Best decision I made. As others have said, if you want a manual get a manual. Might have to be patient but being patient is a lot better than kicking yourself in the ass

[J-Spec Dan]

really depends on what your commute or preference will be like and such. if you're in bumper-to-bumper traffic every day, you may want to consider the AT with Alpina flash.

trust me, I've driven Blaster400's monster E92 335i with Alpina flash...INSANE.

I've got a 6MT E90 330i and love it to death. my commute isn't that hectic but my left leg sure can get a workout if I get stuck in Chicago traffic.

I wanted to track my E90 so 6MT was exactly what I wanted...but then I got married so track days are totally out of the question.

[norsairius]

Originally Posted by e90Cam

My next car I was actually thinking about a 350 LOL.

Originally Posted by Miller335

Wut?

Haha, I wouldn't act TOO surprised. The 350 isn't a bad car. The interior is nowhere near as nice as what you'd find in a BMW, but if you're looking at the motor, Nissan's VQ35DE/VQ35HR (I'd go with the latter) is pretty awesome. They're smooth and, if you ask me, are among the best-sounding V6es you can get!

I test drove a 350Z convertible w/manual and the thing was a real hoot! Didn't feel particularly quick, but I could tell it was beaten on quite badly. Gears didn't engage smoothly (synchros seemed shot particularly in second/third).

The 370Z I test drove was much faster and shifted nicely (probably because it was much newer) but the VQ37 lost a lot of the refinement that the VQ35 had. NVH was noticeably higher, but in a way it made the car feel more raw in a good way. Oddly the clutch engagement point felt like it was too far off the floor. I almost felt like I was going to hit my face with my left knee by the time the clutch was engaged or starting to engage, haha. An exaggeration of course, but it was pretty high!

As a 2-seater sports car though, the 350Z/370Z is fairly competent and I'd consider it a pretty good value since you can get them for relatively little money.

Anyway, OP: I think you'll be happy if you find a 335 sedan. I'm pretty car-crazy and have been looking tirelessly for an all-around performer with some practicality and creature comforts and the E90 fits the bill better than anything else I've had or tried. You can expect a lot more power/speed and what might be surprisingly good handling for a four-door family hauler. The sound quality is debatable since, if you ask me (as I mentioned above), the 3.5L V6 in the 350 sounds pretty damn good, but I personally think the 335 sounds very nice too. Just also expect to pay more in maintenance costs.

[Johnny Boost]

Originally Posted by norsairius

Haha, I wouldn't act TOO surprised. The 350 isn't a bad car. The interior is nowhere near as nice as what you'd find in a BMW, but if you're looking at the motor, Nissan's VQ35DE/VQ35HR (I'd go with the latter) is pretty awesome. They're smooth and, if you ask me, are among the best-sounding V6es you can get!

I test drove a 350Z convertible w/manual and the thing was a real hoot! Didn't feel particularly quick, but I could tell it was beaten on quite badly. Gears didn't engage smoothly (synchros seemed shot particularly in second/third).

The 370Z I test drove was much faster and shifted nicely (probably because it was much newer) but the VQ37 lost a lot of the refinement that the VQ35 had. NVH was noticeably higher, but in a way it made the car feel more raw in a good way. Oddly the clutch engagement point felt like it was too far off the floor. I almost felt like I was going to hit my face with my left knee by the time the clutch was engaged or starting to engage, haha. An exaggeration of course, but it was pretty high!

As a 2-seater sports car though, the 350Z/370Z is fairly competent and I'd consider it a pretty good value since you can get them for relatively little money.

Anyway, OP: I think you'll be happy if you find a 335 sedan. I'm pretty car-crazy and have been looking tirelessly for an all-around performer with some practicality and creature comforts and the E90 fits the bill better than anything else I've had or tried. You can expect a lot more power/speed and what might be surprisingly good handling for a four-door family hauler. The sound quality is debatable since, if you ask me (as I mentioned above), the 3.5L V6 in the 350 sounds pretty damn good, but I personally think the 335 sounds very nice too. Just also expect to pay more in maintenance costs.

A 350z wouldn't be a terrible car. They sound good and they're quick. But a 370z with the VQHR engine would be better in every way and a lot less outdated.

[Blackhawk36]

I have an 07 335i 6MT. I had to order it new. I have driven many 335 AT, both E90 and F30, 6 sp autos and 8 sp autos. I prefer my manual. Sometimes in DC traffic I wish I had an auto but that feeling goes away pretty quickly. PS, I know the auto is faster but I still like the manual. As a bonus, all of my sons can drive a stick. None of their friends can.

[jt335i]

I am the exact scenario as you. I had a 2003 350Z Touring Chrome Silver 6MT which I bought new in Sept 2002. Was a great car and enjoyed how it performed and handled the curves. Definitely was built for the track. Also added all NISMO mods (CAI, Cat-back, LMGT4 rims) and a Motordyne plenum spacer. Acceleration wise, it’s not as fast as my 335, but of course with forced induction it can give it a good run. After 7 years of driving it, I realized my back pain was a result of the seats which did not have much lower back support so I traded it for a new 2010 335i E92 with the AT/Steptronic. Loved that 350Z and miss it as it reminded me of my pop's 1991 300ZX TT, but I did not miss the back pain.

I’ve had my 335i for nearly 5 years now and, based on my experience, using the paddle shift or the center console shifter takes a little time to get used to as you don’t have that actual physical manual shifter feel when it’s in ‘DS’ mode, but the car it does have that upshift/downshift transmission shift feel to it when it accelerates or decelerates. Now even if you manually upshift or downshift, the car’s CPU will automatically shift when it reaches a certain RPM as opposed to you being able to keep it in a certain gear at a very high or low RPM.

I don’t use the manual ‘DS’ mode all that much when driving in every day city and rush hour traffic and just keep it in regular auto mode, but when I want to get on it I’ll switch to ‘DS’ and shift manually or let the car’s CPU do it. Although, it would’ve been nice to have a 6MT, I am happy with the AT/steptronic. If I want to drive a stick, I still have my 2005 GT Stang to cruise around.

[Fundguy1]

I wanted a manual 335 vert. When I WA buying of the 3,000+ 3 series on dealer lots nationally, there were 2 manual 335 verts in the country. Gotta look hard depending on what you want.

[Tone91]

Wow thanks for all the responses. Great community you guys got here. Sounds like an alpina flash will make the paddle shifter more responsive and more like a MT? I'm also interested in the open flash tablet. Thanks for letting me know the navigation in the 09+ models is better. That deff. factors in. I found a space grey 2009 with nav + performance and sport packages 42 k miles for around 24 grand... that sound about right

[Johnny Boost]

Originally Posted by Tone91

Wow thanks for all the responses. Great community you guys got here. Sounds like an alpina flash will make the paddle shifter more responsive and more like a MT? I'm also interested in the open flash tablet. Thanks for letting me know the navigation in the 09+ models is better. That deff. factors in. I found a space grey 2009 with nav + performance and sport packages 42 k miles for around 24 grand... that sound about right

That pricing sounds about right. I highly recommend the m-sport package also if you can find a car with it. Compared to the sport package, the performance will be the same. But the m-sport comes with several cosmetic changes. If you try to add the m-sport parts later on, it will be very expensive.

[WreckerX5d]

I went from a 350z base MT with all the NISMO mods, to a 335d AT. I enjoy the e90 so much more. The 350z was a really fun car to have, but very impractical. Coming from that car, the things you must have is the sports package (I wasn't informed enough when shopping so I didn't look for it), and if you need, a 09+ model year nav.

[rebattery]

go for mt, I've got a 335ix coupe with mt & msport pak, and i'm 62, have own 61 cars, this the best daily,all weather driver ever!!!

[snaimpally]

Don't settle for an automatic!!! You can find a 335i with a manual. It took me a few weeks of searching but I found one. In California, you shouldn't have any problems. Widen your search to include LA and SF etc. and you can find one. These days the dealers post extensive photos and video plus carfax report so don't be afraid to put a deposit down over the phone.

[Fred_Boosted]

350-335=15.

Man you down grade 15

Welcome to the community

[ethanjoon]

Originally Posted by Blackhawk36

I have an 07 335i 6MT. I had to order it new. I have driven many 335 AT, both E90 and F30, 6 sp autos and 8 sp autos. I prefer my manual. Sometimes in DC traffic I wish I had an auto but that feeling goes away pretty quickly. PS, I know the auto is faster but I still like the manual. As a bonus, all of my sons can drive a stick. None of their friends can.

This