Thinking of moving to an e90... Positives and negatives?

I actually own one, a 2006 325I w/ Sport Package and manual, so I'll chime in here.

As previous owner of a E30, E36, E46, and now an E90. I can tell you that my E90 is the best 3 series I have ever driven (excluding Ms of course). This isn't based on some loaner car or quick test drive, but 25,000 miles of daily grind driving. The 3.0L motor is similar to what all we E46 guys know and love, but with more power on the base E90 325.

The manual tranny is a bit less notchy than the previous bimmers I've owned. The suspension tuning on the OEM sport package is a bit better as well. The car is larger, more planted in feel, and just a better driving car compared to my E46.

DIY is not impossible, I think that is a pure myth. This car is almost as easy to DIY than my E46. After the warranty expired, I do my own oil changes (not having a dip stick is no big deal), tranny fluid, differential, and spark plugs. The differential no longer has drain plugs, which means you need to remove the differential cover to drain the fluid. But if you ever did a differential job on most trucks/jeeps, they are the same way, no big deal.

In short, the E90 is slightly to moderately better in almost every way to the E46. I loved my E46, but the E90 is absolutely been a better car. Also, the new F30 is completely redesigned, with a completely different looking front and rear end, but the sides look almost identical to the E90. Even if you buy the E90, it won't look that old or dated compared to the F30.

As for problems? I did have only one problem, that was the car shaking at idle due to a bad plug coil because the previous owner never changed the spark plugs. Cost me $54 for the coil, and new plugs which I had to change anyways.

Issues to worry about? I would say the electric water pump is a future fear. If it fails, the car will probably get really hot with little warning. I may want to change that as a precaution at 100,000 miles, I'm at 78,000 at the moment.

Originally Posted by OrientBlau

I had the E9X as a loaner and liked my e46 much better.

+1

Except I owned an E92 for a short time.

Originally Posted by peytonracer4

You cannot DIY. Period.
And get the sport package, or suffer a Toyota like feel.
If you have any specific questions I might be able to answer them as my dad has an e90 so I'm familiar with them

Agree with everything here. E90Post is pretty much just a classified and gallery website and E90fanatics will never replace E46fanatics because there is no DIY for those cars.

Most people swap steering wheels for sport wheels, swap in rear fog lcms, swap up to compass/homelink mirrors, swap in big rims and that is pretty much it for DIY or modifications.

I think someone attempted to retrofit navigation on there but it was so expensive that when he ran down the budget it was something like 200% more expensive than if he'd just bought a car with navigation. Also the coding required made the job near impossible. And I think he could only use parts from a 5 or 7 series shipped exclusively out of Germany.


So make sure you get

- Navigation (if you want it because don't expect to find a feasible DIY for it anywhere anytime soon),

- Sport Package (if you want it - but I assume sport package components should be swappable),

- Premium Sound Package (even if you don't want it you will because the base sound package is lame),

- Premium Package (you will want it because without it you will eventually feel like your E92 looks and fancy as an E36)

-Xenons because non Xenon models come with no angel eyes and whiles there is a DIY retrofit for angel eyes I'm not sure if there is one for xenons or even if DEPO makes xenon retrofit kits.

- A spare fuel pump to keep in the trunk if you get a 335i. Like the E46 water pump the E9x cars have the fuel pump issues.

The F30 is coming out so E9X are going to depreciate more. So get a 335i in Montego Blue on Saddle in stick.