[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by saliva

These were my thoughts as well! I was very much leaning toward the certified RWD 328 before posting hoping to engage others opinions to the contrary. Much success! Since I want only the liquid blue with Venitian beige, options are limited.

Thanks again for everyone's input!

I forgot to mention this before, was focusing on xDrive/RWD part mostly.

Certified should always be your first priority when buying used BMW.

[rking117]

Originally Posted by saliva

Others have also stated that the Xenons are a "must have." I have a hard time believing that they are that much better.

First Post... nice. The HID lights are a different animal and a must have. Why they dont have these on every car is beyond me. So when others say they are worth it you should really listen to that.

[rking117]

Originally Posted by Bbb34

I forgot to mention this before, was focusing on xDrive/RWD part mostly.

Certified should always be your first priority when buying used BMW.

Agreed! I suspect that you can get them to throw in the CPO for the xdrive vehicle if you bargain right.

[M Smurf]

Originally Posted by rking117

Agreed! I suspect that you can get them to throw in the CPO for the xdrive vehicle if you bargain right.

Not likely. The xdrive being sold from non dealer.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by saliva

Not likely. The xdrive being sold from non dealer.

It's your money, but I'd look for CPO'd car if you insist on xDrive.

xDrive and lighting package without CPO in my opinion should not cost the same as similarly equipped CPO'd RWD (no lighting package if I recall?). I may all work out just fine, but things can get expensive fast with these cars.

[CalCarNut]

Originally Posted by roll_the_dice

I was just in the same boat as you although I live in a warm climate, but we have family in upstate NY and drive there often in the winter it seems. My last BMW was a 2010 E90 x drive...never had problems in the Syracuse weather. We had cold weather pkg and the heated steering wheel is nice on those cold winter mornings/nights to warm your hands.

This time I purchased a RWD F30 with all the options I cared about. One of those options that was a deal breaker was the Xenon and adaptive lights. Not only do the halos look much better as DRL than the halogens, the xenons are so much better at night it isn't in the same class. I am surprised halogens are still offered on the BMW.

My last BMW was SULEV and I had a lot of work to be done a few months ago and it wasn't cheap to repair. It has 90k miles and I spent $2400 on repairs that would have been cheaper in a non SULEV car ...so this time I opted for the N20 (non SULEV) for that reason.

So I would opt for the non SULEV engine if at all possible.

Hm...the only thing I knew being different was the DP on the N20/N26. On my car (an SULEV N26), even the hoses are stamped N20....so I don't understand why there would be a huge cost difference besides the DP.....

[insanecoder]

I'd get winter tires anyway.. so I have lesser need for AWD and RWD is lighter and mo fun

[roll_the_dice]

Originally Posted by CalCarNut

Hm...the only thing I knew being different was the DP on the N20/N26. On my car (an SULEV N26), even the hoses are stamped N20....so I don't understand why there would be a huge cost difference besides the DP.....

My last was the N51 SULEV (E90)...I had to replace the gas tank because the fuel pump regulator was built into the gas tank not a separate piece as in the N52 engine. So hopefully the N20/N26 are closer cousins than the N51/N52.

[Carbon.F30]

Originally Posted by saliva

First post!! Shortly pulling the trigger on a 2013 328. Here's my dilemma deciding between 2 cars. Virtually the same price and miles, $25k, 25k miles, as well as the color combo I want.


1. 328i, premium, cold weather packages, certified
2. 328ix, premium, cold, lighting


I live in Mpls, MN.
I have spent countless hours reading on this forum to deduce that I'd be better off and enjoy driving more the RWD with both a summer and winter wheelset.

With the x drive, I would simply change out the OEM tires for a max performance AS tires.

Others have also stated that the Xenons are a "must have." I have a hard time believing that they are that much better.

There's quite litterally 1 car like the 328i in the colors that I want with cold weather package in the country! Very few RWD with cold weather package and others have stated here that retrofitting heated seats is cost prohibitive.

I look forward to hearing others thoughts!

X-Drive buddy, hands down. The car uses the RWD most of the time, but XDrive lets your car pull/push its way out of most situations. Snow, mud, deep puddles, steep hills, etc. RWD is a little tough around corners if you haven't experienced it before, BMW does a good job with it but you might spin a bit on wet roads. XDrive will pull you out of the corner more efficiently, especially on wet roads. In the end, it really depends on how and where you drive. I dont know about the 328, but I still get good range on the 335 (450-500 km from each tank). So it's not too bad on gas either.

[Carbon.F30]

Originally Posted by saliva

Thanks for all the replies! Other comments have prompted other questions that I have been heavily researching.

1. Extended warranty? I hold on to cars for many years putting north of 100k miles until there's come a time where I need to move on. Consumer Reports collectively reccomends against these warranties.

I actually made several calls to BMW repair shops around the area asking whether or not it's a good idea. Granted, most said that they werent seeing many of these cars since 2013 generally falls under the mfg warranty. Other said, at best, it's generally a wash to buy the extended warranty.

2. SULEV? Because of said miles above that I plan to use, and living in MN where the special warranty doesn't apply, many on this forum and online have reccomended against SULEV since it can be so costly should something go wrong.

Again, so appreciative of the knowledge and the input on this forum!

I'd say extend the warranty, with so much tech in the car something is bound to go wrong eventually. I just had my transmission replaced under warranty, $2000 part without the warranty NOT including labour. Also, older generations have had serious issues with the twin turbo, and the fuel pump. Both of which are not cheap to repair. Haven't really heard major issues with the turbos in the newer models though, let's see how it goes.

[Beek]

Also in Minneapolis, my signature is the solution I came up with, hope that helps.

[Ristau]

Totally thought there was gonna be a GoFundMe page or something like that... hahahaha

I just bought a 335 with RWD, and it's loads of fun.

My friend had a 435xi and it was also loads of fun, so if I were you I would go with the more practical option. That would obviously be the xDrive, since you live in a snowy area.

[G20Captain]

Originally Posted by saliva

First post!! Shortly pulling the trigger on a 2013 328. Here's my dilemma deciding between 2 cars. Virtually the same price and miles, $25k, 25k miles, as well as the color combo I want.


1. 328i, premium, cold weather packages, certified
2. 328ix, premium, cold, lighting


I live in Mpls, MN.
I have spent countless hours reading on this forum to deduce that I'd be better off and enjoy driving more the RWD with both a summer and winter wheelset.

With the x drive, I would simply change out the OEM tires for a max performance AS tires.

Others have also stated that the Xenons are a "must have." I have a hard time believing that they are that much better.

There's quite litterally 1 car like the 328i in the colors that I want with cold weather package in the country! Very few RWD with cold weather package and others have stated here that retrofitting heated seats is cost prohibitive.

I look forward to hearing others thoughts!

X-Drive with extended package, Xenons are a must.

[jmg]

I'd go for the lighting package, it makes a big difference in light output and aesthetics. But that's just me. Regular lights look very very cheap IMHO. BUT I would wait for a certified one to pop up.

[M Smurf]

For all you passionate X-drivers in the snow belt. Do you run AS tires or swap in winters?

[Carbon.F30]

Originally Posted by saliva

For all you passionate X-drivers in the snow belt. Do you run AS tires or swap in winters?

I usually switch to winters, they're helpful on stops. To be honest though that's just personal preference. You don't really need winters with the AWD, all seasons should be just fine.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by nrajput

I usually switch to winters, they're helpful on stops. To be honest though that's just personal preference. You don't really need winters with the AWD, all seasons should be just fine.

Really bad advice in my opinion, going by that logic you don't "need" xDrive either.

I'll repeat again, if you're buying winter car with safety in mind, driving without winter tires in areas with lots of snow is just careless. As a family we currently have both, RWD and AWD vehicles that we drive year round, 4+ months of snow covered roads, 35+ ski days every winter. We also used to own several FWD cars in the past. On all of them tires made the most difference, drivetrain came second. Yes AWD is the best, but on snow and ice covered roads all season tires take that advantage away completely.

[nicknaz]

neither because no sport seats or sport suspension

I think sport seats, sport suspension and xenons are definitely must haves. My first BMW was a 6MT E90 328 with just those options. It was awesome

BTW, for what it is worth, if I could go back in time, I would have started off with an M car, as old as needed to fit in budget. Nice clean E36 M3 sedan for $12k would be an AMAZING first BMW. Keep the $13k as savings, or mod and maintenance money.

[metallicpea]

I've had the x-drive discussion a few times, but I would 100% go with the RWD, dedicated snows and the certified vehicle - that's a 100k factory warranty still right?

I never even think about the light my cars shine on the road. I guess I don't do enough country driving at night, or I have night vision.

For me, I really dislike the x-drive and after having driven several and living in an area with lake effect snow, my BMW purchases have all been RWD. With Blizzaks I get around as well as 95%(or more) of other cars on the road in all snow conditions.

BTW, I'm not getting into the x-drive debate again, just stating my opinion of what I would buy. Honestly, there is no question in my mind.

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

neither because no sport seats or sport suspension

I think sport seats, sport suspension and xenons are definitely must haves. My first BMW was a 6MT E90 328 with just those options. It was awesome

BTW, for what it is worth, if I could go back in time, I would have started off with an M car, as old as needed to fit in budget. Nice clean E36 M3 sedan for $12k would be an AMAZING first BMW. Keep the $13k as savings, or mod and maintenance money.

Certainly good points. For me the must have when buying a BMW are RWD and sport package. Those are 1 and 2, rest of the stuff is far less important.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by metallicpea

Certainly good points. For me the must have when buying a BMW are RWD and sport package. Those are 1 and 2, rest of the stuff is far less important.

Could not agree more.

I've said it many times, common sense and set of good winter tires go a long way in winter conditions. For the rest of the year, for me personally, no contest between the two.

[M Smurf]

Originally Posted by metallicpea

Certainly good points. For me the must have when buying a BMW are RWD and sport package. Those are 1 and 2, rest of the stuff is far less important.

It's great to see people so passionate about their cars! Special thanks to you and BBB34 for asserting that RWD and winters perform admirably in places that receive more snow that I do! Driving characteristics and modest cost savings aside, I think there's something to be said for a simpler drivetrain in a car that I plan on pushing hard and putting many miles past warranty potentially. Sticking with the RWD! The seats Ill have to try out. I drove an Audi years ago with Ricaro seats that I absolutely loved!

I started searching for what's out there in the used market with Sportline pkge and sadly, not much. There's a few m-sports out there but it's pushing my budget, not to mention the inability to downsize to 17' winter tires. The cost difference between 17 and 18 is crazy!