Didn't know OP was paying EBT, my bad.
Thinking about going from an E90 328 to F30 340
- Thread starter mosaud1998
- Start date
I had two E90's and I currently have a F32.
Interior bits on the F30 are much better than the E90. No peeling door handles or steering wheels for example.
There's more room in the engine bay on the F3x. It is a bigger car like the E90 is larger than the E46. I remember how I thought the E90 was too big and I lost the great visibility of the E46. Change is constant!
Steering is electric which is a complaint among people coming from older BMW models. It lacks resistance in non-sport setting and there's no real feedback to speak of. People seem to say that Porsche is the only automaker that has implemented it well however a lot of BMW owners think the new rack in the G2X( 4-cylinder) is really good. Obviously that's not the F30 but whatever.
ZF8HP gearing is much better than the ZF6HP.
The B58 is more complicated because turbo and the dedicated air/water cooled intercooler. Like the M3/M4 the intercooler can develop a small leak. .
The biggest problem with the 340 is that it fits squarely in the wheelhouse of serial BMW leasee. More often than not the vehicle will have been tuned or otherwise modified (ex, catless downpipes), ran hard with numerous "look at my 0-60 pulls bruh". I always recommend that you become familiar with the various tuning products and how they're installed so you can look for the telltale signs of tampering. Fox example do the downpipes look cleaner compared to the rest of the area?
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Ones I'm looking at are CPO. I don't think z car can be a CPO with modifications
Of course they can.
JB4 is common and is piggyback, fully removable. Remove the JB4, install stock parts, who's going to know? Owner trades the car in and installs the parts on the next car or sells them online.
Have had techs swap their stock parts onto trade-ins. Free upgrade and the trade in is CPO.
Even leases can have JB4?
The only requirement is that the vehicle is in stock configuration at lease end. Typically the previous owner will try selling their mods once they've turned in the car. Peruse the BMW forums. "Used JB4 for sale". etc.
This is why you need to become familiar with how these items are installed so you can look for signs of tampering and then make an offer.
e30 interiors suck big time, it’s too close to call
Wrong, that title goes to Porsche for the 911's
Oh man my base model 996 was a craptacular mix of B4 Passat plastics and switches and '98 Taurus swoopy roundness
The shifter, gauges, and seats were awesome though.
The 340s are already pretty loaded (active LEDs, HK audio)
but mine has these extra. The options are perfect for me and probably exactly how I would have ordered this car.
Tech pkg (HUD, Navigation, etc.) love the hud!
Sport Line pkg (staggered 19s, summer tires, Dakota leather, oyster trim, sport steering wheel, sports seats)
Optional heated seats
Well said.
It's got the HUD, Navigation backup camera, front and rear backup sensors, M-sport Package power trunk, blind spot, lane keep assist etc. Heat seats. No apple car play or android auto though. Thought that was standard?
I think it depends what you are looking for.
If technology and 0-60 time are top priorities, the F30 340i is great. The B58 engine and ZF8 trans combo is excellent, and IDrive is great. Beyond that I think the E90 is superior. I'm obviously biased because I own an E90, but I've driven several F30s, including a friend's heavily tuned 335i M-Sport. There is no doubt the F30 is quicker, larger, and has more advanced tech, but the "feel" isn't there. The steering is numb, even on the LCI models which my friend's 335i is. The interior while larger seems to not be as "tight" and I've been in a few that have rattles in the door panels, center plastics, etc at relatively low mileages.
While the F30 seems to be more reliable, it's also newer, and I've been seeing similar leaks and issues on the F30 that the E90 has. The F30 is very capable on the twisty roads, but you can feel it's size, and the feedback from the steering is lacking. I can't really comment on brakes, since both of the cars I spent extended time in were M-Sport with larger brakes/wheel combo. If you are flogging the car, it feels quick and fun, but otherwise it honestly feels like a faster Camry and slightly uninspiring. The E90 is closer to the generation before it (e46) where it still has that analog feel. If that isn't as important compared to the things I mentioned, then go for the F30, but I wouldn't expect it to be a huge leap forward in other areas. My friend with modified F30 still has an E46 330i ZHP he drives on the weekend fun roads.
If technology and 0-60 time are top priorities, the F30 340i is great. The B58 engine and ZF8 trans combo is excellent, and IDrive is great. Beyond that I think the E90 is superior. I'm obviously biased because I own an E90, but I've driven several F30s, including a friend's heavily tuned 335i M-Sport. There is no doubt the F30 is quicker, larger, and has more advanced tech, but the "feel" isn't there. The steering is numb, even on the LCI models which my friend's 335i is. The interior while larger seems to not be as "tight" and I've been in a few that have rattles in the door panels, center plastics, etc at relatively low mileages.
While the F30 seems to be more reliable, it's also newer, and I've been seeing similar leaks and issues on the F30 that the E90 has. The F30 is very capable on the twisty roads, but you can feel it's size, and the feedback from the steering is lacking. I can't really comment on brakes, since both of the cars I spent extended time in were M-Sport with larger brakes/wheel combo. If you are flogging the car, it feels quick and fun, but otherwise it honestly feels like a faster Camry and slightly uninspiring. The E90 is closer to the generation before it (e46) where it still has that analog feel. If that isn't as important compared to the things I mentioned, then go for the F30, but I wouldn't expect it to be a huge leap forward in other areas. My friend with modified F30 still has an E46 330i ZHP he drives on the weekend fun roads.
Back to OP:
It’s only money, you’re young and have plenty of earning potential. However it’s best to start investing / saving as soon as you’re able. Also owning a car outright and driving it a long time is wise.
It’s only money, you’re young and have plenty of earning potential. However it’s best to start investing / saving as soon as you’re able. Also owning a car outright and driving it a long time is wise.
I've definitely seen some E36 interiors that looked awful, but mine is holding up pretty well after nearly 27 years.
There are a lot of complaints about brakes on F30. Of course, complaints that they are not really BMW brakes (they are still leaps and bounds above 99% of cars on the road).
Problem with F30 is that it wanted to be Lexus, Audi, MB, and BMW at the same time. They had 3 (three) different pad materials for American market (EU was getting only one). That is to satisfy these buyers that are more concerned what neighbor will say about their wheels.
In US F30 335/340 was coming with two different rotors sizes, same pad size, but 3 different materials:
1. Base (Grey calipers, 340mm rotor): Soft feel=Low dust=Garbage.
2. S2NHA code (M Sport-Blue Brembo calipers 370mm rotor): Lots of bite. Extremely aggressive=True BMW pad, on all EU models as base pad.
3. P337 M Performance (ANy color Brembo caliper, 370mm rotor): Soft bite, low dust. Garbage IMO.
Good thing S2NHA fits all Brembo calipers, base or Blue, regardless of rotor size.
They are very intolerant of any form of neglect. Or even apathy, I think.
It doesn't even look like your glovebox has started sagging!
Not true. We have the same brake options. My Fathers 2012 320d Sport had the 340mm single pot brakes.
Just to add for the OP. My Father bought his F30 brand new in 2012 as one of the first in the country. He kept it for 5 years, putting a smidge over 170,000miles on it and it NEVER went wrong. Other than some ARB bushes, it never needed anything other than basic maintenance. The 20k OCI's were adheared to in some fasion. I know it hit 25k between OCI's a few times. Fantastic cars.
