Too Problematic with the turbos and HPFP. My dad has a '10 - you know, in their later years the manufacturer is supposed to work out the bugs. Regardless, at about 8,000 miles the HPFP went out. I would only buy one that is CPOed and has an extended warranty. Even then, I would be cautious. If you want German and turbo power, I would stick with VAG (VW/Audi). But considering any CPO 335 you are looking at will be in the 40,000 mile range, it gives you about 60,000 miles until the extended warranty expires. I imagine if you are taking a loan on the car you will be at three years. Keep in mind the average person puts on about 12,000 miles on their car a year. So by the time you have paid off the car your extended warranty will soon be up and then instead of giving money to the bank it will be going to the "emergency" fund - that helps pay any hidden expenses in maintaining the car.
Every Mercedes I have driven, with the exception of the SLK and C300 in manual, have about a mile and a half of no throttle response... Even the SL 600 with a V12! They are old people cars, get the Audi!
I think you have a good point, I've been reading about this too. My mother has a 2009 335i w/ the DCT transmission. Very nice, but you cannot get the DCT here. Maybe I should just focus on finding a nice 328i with an M-Kit on it.
I'm having a hard time finding an A5 that's reasonably price and that still has the options on it that we want. A lot of them seem to be pretty basic. Also, how can you tell if it's an S-Line or not? I'm hardly seeing ANY used A5s with the S-Line package.
If it's S-Line there will be badges on the exterior/interior. I say still go with BMW. The 650i is a solid car and with the V8 you can't beat that.
Yeah-there will likely be very few. A quick visual difference is the sportier, more bolstered, and alcantara seats:
I noticed that too, S-line seems to be more badging then anything..... they all seem very well equipped. Check out cars.com, or autotrader.com
She wants a two door, so cannot get an A4. The S4 cabrio is indeed very nice, but she thinks that the S4 is already "old body". I know I know
That IS a beautiful car ! Some notes on reliability of the High Pressure Fuel Pump going out - BMW says its American Gasoline with Ethanol that is killing the pumps; nevertheless, they are replacing them free of charge for 10 years, or 120,000 miles. That is amazing that they would do this for this long. I am happy about this. So, this begs the question, can they or will they build a fuel pump that will not break down or just continue to replace them? Whatever is cost effective is what I think they will do.. The N54 twin turbo engine - amazing power, and great mileage. All Turbos will break in time and this car has 2 of them. If I were buying one, I would insist on seeing how often the engine oil was changed and with what oil if possible, as this oil also lubricates the turbo bearings. Also might want to learn about how to treat a turbocharged engine. In a nutshell, you dont spool them up right off the starting of the car; rather, wait until the oil is up to temperature. Secondly, before you shut off the car, you let it idle for a minute or 2 to help cool down the turbo bearings. Last- the Sparkplugs in this engine need to be changed at 45,000 miles, not 100k, etc..The computer in the car wont tell you to change them, apparently a lot of Technicians dont know or cant remember, so you have to make sure if you buy a used one that is over 45k miles, that the spark plugs were changed per factory recommendations.. Most people who buy Bimmers enjoy the driving experience of cars, and that is why they are called The Ultimate Driving Machine ! All German cars are expensive to own and maintain, there is no getting around this, unless you are a mechanic at the BMW dealer or Independent Shop. Parts are extremely expensive. For example - I have a 97 540i with 121k on it, and it needs one of the 2 Catalytic Converters replaced. The part alone costs $2100.00 and labor, tax, etc.. An Aftermarket converter will fit, but will cause the Computer to throw a code and the car will not be allowed to pass Emissions Inspection every 2 years here in WA. What's a Detailer to do?? Lets see, how many Details will it take to buy the part ?? If you really wanted to do something fun, you could order one and pick it up in Germany. BMW will sell it cheaper, pay for a week's worth of Insurance, so you can drive it all over Europe, and you drop in off in several different countries, and they will ship it back free, to your selling Dealer. I believe they also pay for a plane ticket, cant remember that for sure.. My wife and I are going to do this some day and time it to be able to see a Formula-1 race - maybe Monaco !!! Been a BimmerHead for about 12 years now, belong to the CCA, etc., own 2 right now, and am so happy to be able to Detail hundreds of these vehicles that an Independent Shop sends me regularly.. Good luck with your search !! Dan F
The 328i is the most overlooked package out there. Its way more reliable because has less stuff stuck on it. If you get the Sport Package, and maybe find one that also has some M sport added features, they are selling all kinds of performance packages now from the factory, with less power than its bigger brother, it will be more engaging for the driver to keep the rev's up , but that is ok too !! The metal convertible top is a thing of beauty - you just need to see how much trunk space you have when down, and see if this going to be do-able for you guys.. I hear its really quiet in there since it is metal top and not the cloth variety.. Just thought of something - I just Detailed a 2011 MINI Cooper Convertible - it is really, really nice! It was a rare powder blue color (belonged to a young girl), with black interior, and it was a major head turner when I drove it home to do the work. All 3 of the girls who live in this house gave it unanimous thumbs-up! Ran strong, like riding on rails, nice exhaust tone. The first design MINI's were pretty hard riding, lots of road noise, but these newer ones are nicer - might be fun to Test drive one! Good Luck with this! Dan F
Well boys, bought my wife a 2011 BMW 135i today. Full loaded, apart from navigation. Alpine White with Lemon leather interior, Harman Kardon, DCT, etc. etc. Absolutely love it.
CONGRATULATIONS !!!! An absolutely beautiful car and color !! When you get in from driving it someday let us know what options - Sport Pkg, Prem. Pkg. any "extra" M parts on it, etc.... I hear lots of good things about the dual clutch tranny! It's a little rocket, right ?? Oh, that's right, you have to keep it under something like 85mph for 1200 miles, right ? Great job, great job !! Dan F
