22-08-2017, 09:43 AM
(This post was last modified: 22-08-2017, 09:59 AM by Midnightclub.)
Well i drove the 335i over the weekend and i like it a lot, first impressions probably more so than the M3 tbh. Seats are lovely, driving position is nice, wheel is smaller than mine which i like. Interior in general just feels newer. The torque is just miles ahead of even the M3, it starts early and pulls all the way up the rev range, still revs to 7k. The earlier 335's are twin turbo, later ones with the n55 are single turbo but the power delivery is very similar. Whilst i did like the M3 it just didn't feel different enough for buying a new shiney thing
I don't doubt that at the limit/hooning/track the M will be the better car, but my daily drive is mostly MW and dealing with traffic etc.. clutch on the 335 is much lighter than even the one on my 46. On paper the 335 manual is as quick as the 46 M3, both at 5.5 to 60 - obviously be even quicker with a map. Problem being is you can only give it so much on a test drive..
For what I want to spend, i can either get a low miles 335 (I'm talking 40-60k) or a 100k+ M3. Maintenance for both I'm not too worried about as it'll be me doing it, but you do get M tax just for stuff like discs, pads, wishbones etc.. other thing is the rear subframes are not cheap to repair and it's pretty much a guarantee it'll need to be done some time. I don't dislike my 330 by any means, i just normally get bored of a car after a year or two and I've owned it for 4 now and need a bit more power in my life
One i looked at had the wastegate rattle Ruan, AFAIK it doesn't cause any actual problems other than annoying noise. You're right about the valve adjustments though, they need to be checked every 30,000 which wouldn't be too much of an issue, i do between 5-7.5k a year but it'll cost ££ to get done. The N54 actually sounded awesome, much more noise and tone than i expected from an OEM turbo motor.. it can also be mapped with your phone, maps are $49 each too i believe
As a side note, some people in the states run silly power on stock internals.. like 700whp+ on e85
I don't doubt that at the limit/hooning/track the M will be the better car, but my daily drive is mostly MW and dealing with traffic etc.. clutch on the 335 is much lighter than even the one on my 46. On paper the 335 manual is as quick as the 46 M3, both at 5.5 to 60 - obviously be even quicker with a map. Problem being is you can only give it so much on a test drive..
For what I want to spend, i can either get a low miles 335 (I'm talking 40-60k) or a 100k+ M3. Maintenance for both I'm not too worried about as it'll be me doing it, but you do get M tax just for stuff like discs, pads, wishbones etc.. other thing is the rear subframes are not cheap to repair and it's pretty much a guarantee it'll need to be done some time. I don't dislike my 330 by any means, i just normally get bored of a car after a year or two and I've owned it for 4 now and need a bit more power in my life
One i looked at had the wastegate rattle Ruan, AFAIK it doesn't cause any actual problems other than annoying noise. You're right about the valve adjustments though, they need to be checked every 30,000 which wouldn't be too much of an issue, i do between 5-7.5k a year but it'll cost ££ to get done. The N54 actually sounded awesome, much more noise and tone than i expected from an OEM turbo motor.. it can also be mapped with your phone, maps are $49 each too i believe
As a side note, some people in the states run silly power on stock internals.. like 700whp+ on e85
![[Image: Ty8kl7b.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/Ty8kl7b.jpg)