Quote :

"Disagree, I think that Nitto NT-05 is at least right there with them. Also, I've had multiple sets of both (but not on the same car)."

Looks like they are closely matched, but the Nitto only comes with 6/32nds tread depth while the Dunlop is 10/32nds. If you plan to drive the tire on the street as well as track you would obviously want to go with the Dunlop. It also seems to be the Autox street tire of choice.

Quote :

"I was considering one of those high performance ones a bit but wasn't really feeling the 4 hundred per tire I was quoted"

You talking about Michelins or something else? Because something like the Dunlops I'm mentioning I can have a set of 4 mounted on my car for around $750. Granted I don't know what tire size your BMW takes but that's a big price gap.

6/6/2012 8:30:06 AM

The Michelins. I got the second best tire in that line, with the top of the line one being about twice what I paid per tire. Spent about 1100 for the install, tires, and warranty.

6/6/2012 9:55:19 PM

Someone help me out here. Looking to become a first-time BMW owner.

I don't understand the badge designations. For example this listing (my possible front runner) advertises xDrive as well as being AWD (which I understand are not necessarily linked to one another). But the badge states 328i, not 328xi. Is there an error or are the AWD models not specially identified in the badge number - and if not why I have seen some badges with an x in them?

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?endYear=2013&zip=20634&doorCode=4&sellerType=d&transmissionCode=AUT&maxPrice=25000&modelCode1=3_SERIES&driveCode=4WD%7CAWD&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&showcaseOwnerId=67040875&makeCode1=BMW&startYear=2009&maxMileage=45000&searchRadius=200&listingId=313870496&Log=0

Also looking at this one:

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?endYear=2013&zip=20634&doorCode=4&sellerType=d&transmissionCode=AUT&maxPrice=25000&modelCode1=3_SERIES&driveCode=4WD%7CAWD&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&showcaseOwnerId=67040875&makeCode1=BMW&startYear=2009&maxMileage=45000&searchRadius=200&listingId=323844347&Log=0

[Edited on June 17, 2012 at 7:05 PM. Reason : ]

6/17/2012 7:00:44 PM

^this is a good example of why the new BMW badge designations are super gay.

Before being switched to the "xDrive" labeling they just used "x". So if you were looking at an AWD 328i built recently it would have the xDrive label on the front fender and a 328i label on the trunklid.

6/17/2012 7:15:03 PM

Thx. Looks like that change was made in 2009, as I see some listings for 2008 models that do carry the x in the badge...

edit: I drive an IS300 and I love it. We test drove a 2009 IS250 today and very much didn't like it. Absolutely a different car which has no relation to the 300 in any way whatsoever.

So, we also test drove a 328i today (sticker said "XI"). Great ride, very planted. It's a clear step above the IS300. Not a huge one, but it is measureably better.

Has anyone driven a CTS (non-V), and if so, how does it compare to a 328i? I don't care so much for power as I do for sharp handling, which is why I'm considering the BMW this time around. We live in the middle of nowhere, so it's gonna be an entire day to test drive anything - if the CTS is in the ballpark we'll make the trip. Otherwise we'll save the trip...

[Edited on June 17, 2012 at 8:15 PM. Reason : ]

6/17/2012 7:50:05 PM

The CTS is altogether a much larger car that competes against the 5 series and E Class. If you're looking for a sharp handling sedan I would stick with the smaller sedans you've been looking at. You seem to be wanting/needing AWD so have you considered test driving an Audi A4 Quattro?

6/18/2012 8:32:30 AM

having driven a couple cts i would say... if you're looking for handling... consider the V but don't consider the rest.


The normal CTS drive like a normal caddy.

6/18/2012 8:51:22 AM

Thank you for your replies.

Quote :

"You seem to be wanting/needing AWD"

Well....not necessarily. The one we test drove was AWD. But snow is rarely a problem here in MD, and even when it does snow I've been fine in the IS300.

Is performance going to be markedly better with a RWD? If so I'll save the money and skip AWD...

6/18/2012 9:44:55 AM

You'll get better gas mileage with just RWD. The car will also weigh less and have less parasitic drivetrain loss so the car should accelerate faster and handle better. However we're not talking about a big difference and most people wouldn't notice.

6/18/2012 9:58:15 AM

^ In that case I probably won't notice. Difference seems to be consistently only about $1000 between the two. We'll just pick the one we like then.

6/18/2012 10:21:07 AM

don't forget that with an AWD car it's just something else to break if you don't really need it.

Actually it's a lot of somethings to break.

6/18/2012 10:30:55 AM

A very good point. And in light of that, our current frontrunner, going to drive it this Saturday:

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=20634&endYear=2013&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&showcaseOwnerId=67040875&startYear=2009&makeCode1=BMW&transmissionCode=AUT&sellerType=d&maxMileage=60000&doorCode=4&searchRadius=100&maxPrice=24000&listingId=315738408&Log=0

6/18/2012 10:38:58 AM

^ Have you test driven a 335i? If not you should to see what you will be missing out on. Also get a 3 series with at least the sport package, if handling is what you are looking for, you will love the sport suspension. If I were you I would be looking for something that's fully loaded..

6/18/2012 11:02:55 AM

i would also recommend the Sports Package. However part of that package includes a staggered wheel/tire set up which means you cannot rotate your tires. Just something to be aware of.

6/18/2012 11:16:28 AM

Haven't seen anything in our price range ($24k). Prefer not to go older than 2009, that's probably why.

6/18/2012 11:57:16 AM

Quote :

"Also get a 3 series with at least the sport package, if handling is what you are looking for, you will love the sport suspension. "

Agreed. That was my first thought when I clicked on the cars you posted and noticed they didn't have it.

Quote :

"Haven't seen anything in our price range ($24k). Prefer not to go older than 2009"

You should be able to get a 2008 for that (meaning negotiate to/near that point) and it can come with a CPO warranty if you're worried about repair bills. plus you won't be eating as much depreciation...plus it'll be a whole lot more fun to drive
[Edited on June 18, 2012 at 12:36 PM. Reason : -->

6/18/2012 12:22:40 PM

Ok. Expanding search now to include 335.

Boom. State red and all:
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tab=summary&recnum=&actLog=&listingId=92631675&paId=460922684&listingRecNum=0&criteria=prMx%3d25000%26sf1Dir%3dDESC%26prMn%3d0%26mkId%3d20005%26stkTyp%3dU%26bsId%3d20211%26mdId%3d20445%26rd%3d100%26crSrtFlds%3dstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId-pseudoPrice-bsId-trId-slrTypeId-yrId%26zc%3d20634%26rn%3d0%26PMmt%3d1-1-1%26stkTypId%3d28881%26slrTypeId%3d28878%26sf2Dir%3dASC%26sf1Nm%3dprice%26yrId%3d20145%26sf2Nm%3dmiles%26isDealerGrouping%3dfalse%26trId%3d25905%26rpp%3d50%26feedSegId%3d28705&tracktype=usedcc&pageNumber=&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE&certifiedOnly=false&&aff=national


[Edited on June 18, 2012 at 12:37 PM. Reason : ]

6/18/2012 12:25:56 PM

I'd try to find one with a CPO...either from private party who bought from dealer or direct from dealer. Might take some time, but you'll find it in your price range.

6/18/2012 12:42:45 PM

Is the CPO really necessary if it comes with the remaining factory warranty?

(we will not buy from private party, searching exclusively for dealers)

Also can I get an opinion from you pros on that red one? ^^

Appears to be fully loaded and with remaining warranty...

[Edited on June 18, 2012 at 12:59 PM. Reason : ]

6/18/2012 12:46:47 PM

I wouldn't imagine there would be much factory warranty (4yr) left on that red one. Probably only a few months imo. Other than that it looks great. Fully loaded and such. A CPO warranty would give you another two years warranty (not bumper to bumper, but not *that* far off either)

And by dealer, I mean an actual BMW dealer where you can get the CPO warranty with the car...not Uncle Jack's Auto Sales

6/18/2012 1:24:31 PM

The ad lies. That car does not have sports package. Your clues are wheels, steering wheel, and lower cushion seat bolsters.

Overpriced by about 1.5k.

On 328i you dont need CPO. On 335i I would recommend it highly. If you enjoy handling have you thought about E46 m3. $24K will get you nice low mileage M3.


[Edited on June 18, 2012 at 1:36 PM. Reason : f]

6/18/2012 1:35:36 PM

Quote :

"On 328i you dont need CPO. On 335i I would recommend it highly."

Why is that?

Quote :

"If you enjoy handling have you thought about E46 m3"

Okay, I do, but keep in mind I was quite satisfied with my 2010 328i test drive. My only complaint was that it lacked a teeny bit in power but I was willing to look beyond that.

Since you guys pointed to the 335 "one year older," for the same price point that seems to deliver me the car I want. Now you're tryna push to an M. Much appreciated, but this needs to be a reliable DD. Baby coming within a year or two. I think I need to stop at the 335i.

As for that red one, I will use that information if/when we discuss a final buying price. I will also be sure to press on the other packages it purports to have.

6/18/2012 1:46:36 PM

335i is a great car, but it is less reliabe than 328i. CPO warranty is something you would want on this car. E46 M3 is FAR more reliable car than 335i, but considering you have a baby, I'd stick with CPO 4-door 335i since M3 only comes in coupe trim. Definitely give out a bit more to have CPO warranty on 335i.

If you can wait out another year, considering buying '11 335i which has single turbo as oppose to twin turbo. It also has valvetronic which will give you 2mpg more and more reliability than N54 engine in '07-10 335i.

6/18/2012 2:00:17 PM

^ Okay reading up I think I understand what you make that statement. 335 has turbos, 328 does not.

And turbo replacement can run $6000?

If that's true I'm thinking I'll probably go back to the 328i, regardless of performance. Not a risk I'm willing to take. I've never been to a track and am not likely to ever go to one. I just want to enjoy my every day driving.

6/18/2012 2:22:37 PM

Quote :

"If that's true I'm thinking I'll probably go back to the 328i, regardless of performance. Not a risk I'm willing to take. I've never been to a track and am not likely to ever go to one."

Turbos aren't known for failing all the time, but more importantly, that's what the CPO warranty I keep mentioning is for. It will fix stuff like that. And you don't need to go to the tracks to appreciate the power of a 335i..I can assure you of that.

6/18/2012 2:27:45 PM

Yeah, I understand the purpose of the CPO. My current was a CPO and it paid for itself.

But there are no CPO 335i options out there within our price range. There are some just outside of it, but we're going to drive 3 hours each way to see it. I guess that's what it takes.

6/18/2012 2:32:57 PM

Scared of turbo failures?

Don't be a pussy, get a M3...

6/18/2012 2:57:29 PM

This isn't 1985. Factory turbos don't fail that often.

6/18/2012 3:38:26 PM

^^^

Quote :

"But there are no CPO 335i options out there within our price range. There are some just outside of it, but we're going to drive 3 hours each way to see it. I guess that's what it takes."

I got mine from Connecticut (and I live in Raleigh) - message_topic.aspx?topic=608052

The asking price was $27,650 and I got it for $24,700 (with 1.9%, but I could have/should have got free maintenance through 100k)

And honestly, if it's a CPO from a BMW dealer, you don't really have to "check it out." The thing is gonna be in pristine condition with no scratches /wheel scuffs/interior flaws/etc and it'll probably have new tires. Just find the right car for the right price and buy it. Fly and bring it home if you have to.

It's gonna take a more work, but you'll be much happier in the end

6/18/2012 3:44:41 PM

Quote :

" There are some just outside of it, but we're going to drive 3 hours each way to see it. I guess that's what it takes"

If you want CPO car in your price range you will have to drive or take a flight, especially if you live in the middle of nowhere.

6/18/2012 3:47:30 PM

^^ I would not make that blanket statement. Soem dealers are pretty incompetent and CPO cars that still have a tune on them when the new owner inspects. There have been some horror stories from CPO cars. If you going to buy a car do your due diligence and check the car out, trust no seller.

[Edited on June 18, 2012 at 5:52 PM. Reason : ]

6/18/2012 5:52:16 PM

for the 335 guys on here. i am fed up with the waste gate rattle in my 335 and found a set of used RB's. i am going to put them on in the next 2 weeks, they should be to me wednesday this coming week. i know some haters gonna hate but 500 to the wheels from a bolt on is going to be a lot of fun. there should be a fair number of used RB's coming up for sale with all the people planning to go single. i can not justify 8k to go with a big single.

6/24/2012 4:54:54 PM

I wish i could import a european diesel e46

6/24/2012 8:34:05 PM

^^RB turbos make 500whp easy, but R&D with fuel system hasn't caught up yet. Stock fuel system will not be reliable. I'd wait another year or so. I had waste gate rattle fixed, but apparently people say problem comes again.

6/27/2012 7:23:09 PM

Quote :

"^^RB turbos make 500whp easy, but R&D with fuel system hasn't caught up yet. Stock fuel system will not be reliable. I'd wait another year or so."

Not sure what you mean about the fuel system not catching up? want to clarify?

6/27/2012 7:42:49 PM

being direct injection you need someone to make fancy pumps and injectors to make 500hp that no one has made yet.

6/28/2012 12:08:01 PM

stone, there is more on shiv's single turbo thread as well as on dzenno's threads.

some summaries of stock system.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=512759

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=515398

stock fueling is adequate up to 400whp, past that you are really pushing the envelope, as injectors and pump need an upgrade. currently, there are no complex enough pumps to support this power level (at least not on this car).

6/28/2012 1:50:29 PM

i have seen fbo and rb's, NO meth making 450 whp. i am willing to bet running 85 and my setup i will get close to 500whp. with meth 500whp is do able.

6/28/2012 9:28:37 PM

85 as in e85?

that's only going to make the stock fuel system max out about 30% earlier since the energy density is lower.

yes, the car and the parts can do it but you can't make power without fuel.

The 450 you saw was probably running leaner than most people feel comfy hence most stick to the 400whp number.

to be honest i have no idea what cc the injectors are on a 335 but i doubt the pump and injectors can flow 500hp worth of e85.. (that's over 300lph & 670cc injectors)

6/28/2012 11:39:58 PM

so far there are 650whp cars running stock injectors and pumps. all the logs look fine, nothing running lean. that is with the big singles. they do run meth. no meth singles i have seen at 500whp with no problems.

the logs on the 450whp rb's with no meth look just fine as well. i have not seen any thing that makes me thing the fuel delivery is an issue. the 500 who with rb's and meth look great also.

the lack of fuel was an issue in theory but so far it has not been a problem with rb's at 450 and big singles at 500.

the E85 maps i have seen are putting down the same hp as meth cars. all the logs look nice and clear there as well.

6/29/2012 9:32:34 PM

the single got released today. so i guess lots of these will be around.
http://www.procedetuning.com/BMW/n54/styled-15/index.html

6/29/2012 9:36:53 PM

Done.

2009 328i w/ prem package

Happy to be in the club

---

I did look up how to check and reset the oil change timer. But it appears stuck at 8000 miles. Is that the programmed interval or the miles remaining rounded to the nearest thousand?

[Edited on July 3, 2012 at 9:56 AM. Reason : ]

7/3/2012 9:36:19 AM

the asshat with the rb's backed out on me. pretty pissed cause it was going to save me 2200 off a new pair.

7/3/2012 9:20:30 PM

Test drove a '97 E36 M3 coupe today. Due to frustration with being a tall dude with an S2000, I'm looking for a cheap car that I can track basically "out of the box".

It was my 1st time driving any BMW other than an E36 325i in a parking lot. I liked how it drove, and the cosmetic issues with the car were certainly acceptable for a track rat. I fit in it with a helmet on as well, hah.

Only problem is...30 minutes before I arrived at the small used car lot that has it...some old lady in a minivan backed into it and completely crunched the front passenger fender. No accidents listed on Carfax for the car previous to this either, pretty frustrating. I probably would've driven it away had that not happened.

Their insurance adjuster is coming Thursday to do an estimate, and then they'll fix it. For my purposes a repaired fender doesn't matter if they do a halfway decent job, so we'll see how it goes and if they come down on price at all because of this. So I might be joining the BMW club here in a few weeks

7/4/2012 2:20:26 AM

how much should I trust the onboard diagnostic info?

'06 E90 530xiT ~50k miles. brakes are squealing like a frat pledge doing his first elephant walk. diags say brakes have 8k left on them.

I know you're gonna say "pull the wheel off and look at them." Cool, but i'm not sure i'll know the visual difference between halfway worn pads, and pads that need to be replaced.

7/6/2012 8:26:52 AM

squealing is pretty much the indication that they're worn enough to replace, unless you are running racing compound pads, which squeal, like, all the time

7/6/2012 9:52:03 AM

^^They probably need to be replaced. And for future reference when you look at the brakes for pad wear you can usually differentiate between the pad wear material and the pad base which is metal and NOT used for friction wear Depending on the brake design though the pads aren't always highly visible.

Jek, even with the seat lowering brackets you couldn't make the S2000 work?

[Edited on July 6, 2012 at 10:07 AM. Reason : k]

7/6/2012 10:06:42 AM

^ Not with the lowering brackets I ordered, I'd need custom brackets. And the stock seat belts won't work with bucket seats and custom brackets, so I'd have to go harnesses and no longer be street legal and have to tow it to the track. It's just a huge pain in the ass basically, and I just want to get something that I can track basically without worrying about all this crap for a while.

My wife has a 4Runner that could tow the S2000, so maybe in a year or two when she wants a Land Cruiser / Land Rover / Range Rover I'll look at messing with the S2000 again and getting it to the point where I can track it. It's still my favorite car heh

7/6/2012 11:21:54 AM

Since when are aftermarket seat belt harnesses illegal?

7/6/2012 11:29:10 AM

Depends on the type of harness, the state you live in, and the cop that pulls you over. In some states, they're not considered seat belts and you can get a nice big nasty no seat belt ticket.

Very few are DOT certified, and to be DOT certified they must have a quick release button (camlock does not qualify apparently), some states complain that it is too hard for emergency services to get you out of the car in an accident, etc etc etc nanny state.

It's really hard to find anything specific on it, but from everything I've read you can get busted for it in most states. If anyone on here has run harnesses on a street car, feel free to chip in, heh.

7/6/2012 1:18:15 PM