Thinking about getting an E9X xdrive to replace my E46 and Jeep

I drive an 01 Jeep Wrangler that I ordered and purchased new in 2001. Since then I have added quite a few after market modifications to make it a better off road vehicle. I rarely go off road though so its mostly a winter vehicle. I also have an 02 E46 330i with about 40,000 miles on it. I love driving it but the rwd won't make it up the hill leading into our development. We've been think about selling them and getting one vehicle to replace them. My wife also has an AWD Ford Flex and we really don't need 3 vehicles. Finding something to replace both of them that fills all my wants and needs seems to be difficult though. I want something that will be fun, for me that means it has to be a standard. That probably also means a 335i. I also want something that will get me up and down the hill so Xdrive is also a must. But reliability and practicality are also important so I'm thinking a 328it or what ever they call the wagons these days may be the most reasonable choice. I'll probably also want to keep the price under $25K used.

I guess my questions are, how good is Xdrive? How do the 335 and 328 compare in terms or reliability? Can you even get an AWD wagon with a stick?

The e91 does come in AWD with a stick (see View My Garage).

g/l

328xiTs are available with manual transmission... We own one and are quite pleased with it. This year, we put dedicated snow tires and I was amazed how well it drove in a recent snowfall... Not much of a snowfall, but cars were sliding around and i was driving up hills without issue. The hard part will be finding one... I read somewhere that only 10% of the BMWs in the US are now manual, and since so few wagons are imported, they are like a needle in a haystack... good luck!

I found 2 out on www.BMWUSA.com ... Unfortunately, they are outside your price range... One is a 2011 for 36k, and the other is a 2009 for 29k...

Originally Posted by Salvator

328xiTs are available with manual transmission... We own one and are quite pleased with it. This year, we put dedicated snow tires and I was amazed how well it drove in a recent snowfall... Not much of a snowfall, but cars were sliding around and i was driving up hills without issue. The hard part will be finding one... I read somewhere that only 10% of the BMWs in the US are now manual, and since so few wagons are imported, they are like a needle in a haystack... good luck!

Yeah, when I start looking I'll check out the forums first but I'm sure it won't be easy. Are the 328's more reliable than the 335's? Last I read the fuel pump issue has been sorted out

Past the HPFP (which seems to have been resolved), the 335's have an issue with intake valve coking due to the direct injection system. From a long term perspective, the turbos will be a repair item that a 328 won't have.

That being said, I do love my 335i xDrive. Does very well in the snow with a set of Blizzaks all around, albeit with a tendency to tramline in slush, likely due to the width of the tires.

Originally Posted by Zooks527

Past the HPFP (which seems to have been resolved), the 335's have an issue with intake valve coking due to the direct injection system. From a long term perspective, the turbos will be a repair item that a 328 won't have.

That being said, I do love my 335i xDrive. Does very well in the snow with a set of Blizzaks all around, albeit with a tendency to tramline in slush, likely due to the width f the tires.

If/when I do go to one DD I'll get two sets of wheels and tires, one set for summer fun and one for winter fun. How long do the turbos usually last on these? Is there a fix for the intake valve issue?

There haven't been a ton of reports on out-of-warranty turbo failures that I've seen. Seems to be the same as other cars with turbos.

The intake valve issue has a simple (but a bit costly) fix of using ground walnut shells in an air cleaning system to clean the valves off. Costs seem to be in the $400 - $800 range, seems to start to be an issue in the 50,000 - 100,000 mile range. It can also be done manually using brushes if you are handy with a set of tools and want to dedicate a Saturday to the task.

I've had mine since it left the factory (I drove it down the ramp in Munich), and I'll cross 90,000 miles this week. I've got a big maintenance update at that point. The two things I'm still deciding if I should do or not are:

1. should I replace the water pump preemptively, and
2. should I have the intake valves cleaned even though I haven't seen any indications my car needs it yet.

Even with that and a short ton of age or mileage based fluid changes (differentials, transfer case, PS, coolant, brake fluid, etc.), I still love this car.

Originally Posted by Zooks527

Past the HPFP (which seems to have been resolved), the 335's have an issue with intake valve coking due to the direct injection system. From a long term perspective, the turbos will be a repair item that a 328 won't have.

That being said, I do love my 335i xDrive. Does very well in the snow with a set of Blizzaks all around, albeit with a tendency to tramline in slush, likely due to the width f the tires.

Turbo reliability surprises! Coming up on 450k mi, pickup, no issues ever.

BMW's early issues with wastegate rattle seem resolved. Intake valve coking fixed by walnut shell blast may as well be considered routine maint every 60k mi.

Originally Posted by 01tj

Can you even get an AWD wagon with a stick?

Yes but they seem pretty hard to find...

Can any of you tell me how the E9X 325, 330 and 328 compare to the E46 330i?

the turbos are warrantied for 100K miles or 10 years, I think I read somewhere. I would more be worried about the transmission fluid not being changed until 100K
walnut blasting the intake valves is cheap to do every 50K miles. I could probably do mine since I have a compressor, would have to purchase the tool and the walnut media, just a tedious job.

Hondo

Originally Posted by hondo402000

the turbos are warrantied for 100K miles or 10 years, I think I read somewhere. I would more be worried about the transmission fluid not being changed until 100K
walnut blasting the intake valves is cheap to do every 50K miles. I could probably do mine since I have a compressor, would have to purchase the tool and the walnut media, just a tedious job.

Hondo

With the manual?

How much is the walnut blast?

How concerned should I be about this ticking problem I've been reading about. I'm finding good prices on 330xi's but I wonder if they are selling for so cheap because of the ticking noise. Does the 335 have this issue?

Originally Posted by 01tj

How concerned should I be about this ticking problem I've been reading about. I'm finding good prices on 330xi's but I wonder if they are selling for so cheap because of the ticking noise. Does the 335 have this issue?

There is no need to be concerned. It is benign. Much like the VANOS rattle on the E46 ZHP. It has zero effect on the market value of the E90 330.

Originally Posted by 01tj

Can any of you tell me how the E9X 325, 330 and 328 compare to the E46 330i?

We had a 330i e46. It was a great car, but it had all kinds of annoying reliability issues (five, yeah count 'em, five window motor failures, gazillions of water pumps,etc) that I have not had with my E91.

Originally Posted by 01tj

I drive an 01 Jeep Wrangler that I ordered and purchased new in 2001. Since then I have added quite a few after market modifications to make it a better off road vehicle. I rarely go off road though so its mostly a winter vehicle. I also have an 02 E46 330i with about 40,000 miles on it. I love driving it but the rwd won't make it up the hill leading into our development. We've been think about selling them and getting one vehicle to replace them. My wife also has an AWD Ford Flex and we really don't need 3 vehicles. Finding something to replace both of them that fills all my wants and needs seems to be difficult though. I want something that will be fun, for me that means it has to be a standard. That probably also means a 335i. I also want something that will get me up and down the hill so Xdrive is also a must. But reliability and practicality are also important so I'm thinking a 328it or what ever they call the wagons these days may be the most reasonable choice. I'll probably also want to keep the price under $25K used.

I guess my questions are, how good is Xdrive? How do the 335 and 328 compare in terms or reliability? Can you even get an AWD wagon with a stick?

Well, now. What about a $1100 Wavetrac Limited Slip Differential? Gets ya up a hill easy, with snows should be no problem at all. And you still have a car you love to drive....CraigsList/Ebay your Jeep and you're nicely ahead.

Sure, lists $1295, but should be easy to find discounted - I did.

Hey, tiny added weight, less maint 'n' x-drive, and handles much better!


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