[Slim415]

Thanks everyone you have given me a lot to think about. As someone asked, if I could keep my E92, the answer is I could not afford both and only have garage space for one. And in response to another question, I'm not looking for comfort, fuel economy, space or any of those types of upgrades. I'll worry about that later in life. For now I'm more focused on having a car that is fast, fun to drive and overall a great experience. And I definitely get that with my E92 335is. With the catless downpipes, intake, bov and tune, the car just sings at high RPM. I constantly think to myself while driving, "God I love this friggen car!". You guys have definitely helped me decide to keep my car. I know an F30 is in my future but I don't see any reason to rush to that right now. Hopefully in a few years I will be ready to get into an F30 M3 which would definitely be an upgrade. 👻

[MmmmmM2]

Originally Posted by smrtypants44

Steering is bad.... theres like a 2 inch dead spot on center that drives me crazy.

A big plus on the f3x platform is that the alignment setup is less aggressive so your tires last a lot longer

Yeah that dead spot just plain sucks. Only thing I dislike about the F30. Although I will say it has improved since getting rid of the RFT's.

[jh_f30]

Originally Posted by Slim415

Thanks everyone you have given me a lot to think about. As someone asked, if I could keep my E92, the answer is I could not afford both and only have garage space for one. And in response to another question, I'm not looking for comfort, fuel economy, space or any of those types of upgrades. I'll worry about that later in life. For now I'm more focused on having a car that is fast, fun to drive and overall a great experience. And I definitely get that with my E92 335is. With the catless downpipes, intake, bov and tune, the car just sings at high RPM. I constantly think to myself while driving, "God I love this friggen car!". You guys have definitely helped me decide to keep my car. I know an F30 is in my future but I don't see any reason to rush to that right now. Hopefully in a few years I will be ready to get into an F30 M3 which would definitely be an upgrade. 👻

Good call! Just a heads up, F-chassis M3 is chassis code F80. Not like the E-series, where E9x designated everything from a 325 to the M3.

[2000Z3M]

Originally Posted by chiefneil

You can see from the responses that’s ultimately a personal decision. I went from an E36 to an E46 to F30. The F30 has convinced me that my love affair with BMW is over and my next car will be a Porsche.

It’s a competent, fast, comfortable car no doubt. But I just feel no connection to it, the way I felt connected my E36 and E46. The steering is a huge part of it, and exhaust sound is probably the rest of it.

I honestly don’t think the problem is really the switch from hydraulic to electric steering - I think the lack of feel is by design. My wife went from an E53 (X5) to an E70 X5, both hydraulic steering. The steering on the E70 was about the same as my F30; it totally lost all feel compared to the first-gen E53. You can also see in interviews with BMW engineers and designers that they’ve purposely taken steering feel out (one even said it was to appeal to people who want to drive one-handed on the autobahn).

I fell the same way with my f32. The car has zero soul. It feels like a point A to point B car. So disconnected from the road.

[FaxData]

Originally Posted by Slim415

It's been so far so good with no repairs needed aside from basic maintenance. Been spending tons on performance on body modifications though. Pretty worried that one day my turbos will need replacement. That will be a bad day.

Thought I’d chime in although it’s a very personal decision. I drove my e92 6MT 335i for 13 years until the turbos failed. The PCV system seemed to act up around the same time (I had the VCG, PCV valve and vent hose replaced but not the cover itself at around 120k miles) and one of the indy shops I had look at it thought it was not inconceivable that excess positive crankcase pressures had damaged the valve seals. So I could replace the turbos alone and take a chance it would fix my 30FF / white smoke, or not... so essentially the car was mechanically totaled. All after I took so much care of that car, all the preventive maintenance, no tune, didn’t make it to 150k miles. Oh well. N54 life.

I was also very afraid of hating the F30 and it’s steering due to this forum. But on the test drive, I was pleasantly surprised to find out I didn’t mind it at all. I barely notice it on day to day driving. (The audio downgrade on the other hand... but an amp fixed that!) I haven’t regretted the jump at all, and two test drives helped convince me I wouldn’t. So I encourage you try driving one around. And believe me, there is so much more peace of mind driving around a reliable 25k mile motor compared to a 125k motor that I was constantly repairing. Also I’ve been surprised how fast my 330e feels. 0-60 is comparable to my old N54 (5.9s now instead of 4.8s with my 335i, probably could beat that with bootmod3, maybe I’ll try it one of these days); I’m guessing the electric assist helps a lot with the feeling of speed since there’s essentially no turbo lag.

Grain of salt: I had a first gen N54. I went through 6 HPFPs, the last one outside the factory extended warranty which means I had to replace it myself... still loved that car though.

[Firaxis]

Originally Posted by Slim415

Thanks everyone you have given me a lot to think about. As someone asked, if I could keep my E92, the answer is I could not afford both and only have garage space for one. And in response to another question, I'm not looking for comfort, fuel economy, space or any of those types of upgrades. I'll worry about that later in life. For now I'm more focused on having a car that is fast, fun to drive and overall a great experience. And I definitely get that with my E92 335is. With the catless downpipes, intake, bov and tune, the car just sings at high RPM. I constantly think to myself while driving, "God I love this friggen car!". You guys have definitely helped me decide to keep my car. I know an F30 is in my future but I don't see any reason to rush to that right now. Hopefully in a few years I will be ready to get into an F30 M3 which would definitely be an upgrade. 👻

I've driven plenty of cars with good handling, some mind boggling G force inducing power houses. I can't remember the last time I drove a car with steering feel, most electronic racks are rather numb in the modern age.

Kinda sounds like you're after a hot hatch though as opposed to a modern BMW which are IMO the best all rounders. I love the F30 but of course no single car is for everyone..

[FaxData]

Originally Posted by Slim415

Thanks everyone you have given me a lot to think about. As someone asked, if I could keep my E92, the answer is I could not afford both and only have garage space for one. And in response to another question, I'm not looking for comfort, fuel economy, space or any of those types of upgrades. I'll worry about that later in life. For now I'm more focused on having a car that is fast, fun to drive and overall a great experience. And I definitely get that with my E92 335is. With the catless downpipes, intake, bov and tune, the car just sings at high RPM. I constantly think to myself while driving, "God I love this friggen car!". You guys have definitely helped me decide to keep my car. I know an F30 is in my future but I don't see any reason to rush to that right now. Hopefully in a few years I will be ready to get into an F30 M3 which would definitely be an upgrade. 👻

Silly me, didn’t see there was a second page when I posted! I don’t mean to be a downer when you’ve already decided. And if it helps, you have a fantastic car in the 6MT 335is. There’s a 335is in the employee lot where I work (used to be the twin to my car), and I miss my e92 every time I hear her start up.

[335imax]

So my F30 had the clunking steering problem and my CPO extended warranty paid to replace the whole steering assembly. Got the car back, and clunking is gone. However Steering feels even lighter. I could drive around using my pinky finger. Any way to adjust this heavier? Mechanically or through coding?

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Slim415

Thanks everyone you have given me a lot to think about. As someone asked, if I could keep my E92, the answer is I could not afford both and only have garage space for one. And in response to another question, I'm not looking for comfort, fuel economy, space or any of those types of upgrades. I'll worry about that later in life. For now I'm more focused on having a car that is fast, fun to drive and overall a great experience. And I definitely get that with my E92 335is. With the catless downpipes, intake, bov and tune, the car just sings at high RPM. I constantly think to myself while driving, "God I love this friggen car!". You guys have definitely helped me decide to keep my car. I know an F30 is in my future but I don't see any reason to rush to that right now. Hopefully in a few years I will be ready to get into an F30 M3 which would definitely be an upgrade. 👻

Good choice IMHO. The 335is is a special car and I would hang onto it as long as you can over an F30. The only way I see an upgrade to something more aggressive is to go to a F8X. I went from two F30s to two F80's and it will check more of the boxes you have. I would also look into an M2C if I were you.

[2000Z3M]

I don't think you would be happy with a F3x. Good call on keeping the 335is. Do you have a manual or DCT?

[hybrid90]

I was in the exact same situation four months ago. I had a 2013 E92 DCT 335is. I had come from a 2011 E90 335i w/Power Kit and loved that car (engine characterstics) so when I went to the 335is, I was a bit weirded out because the engine responded quite differently (N54 Twin Turbo vs N55 Twin Scroll Turbo). But after 18 mos. I had gotten used to the 335is characteristics.

Wife kept complaining because it's always my car we take when we go anywhere, and she preferred my E90 (four doors), so I had taken a look at an F30 and the F25 X3. While my wants/needs are different than yours, I do understand what you are going through, so I'll just put my two cents out there for you to think about.

I did ultimately buy the F30 340i (they cut me a deal I couldn't pass up), and here are my takeaways from the "upgrade":

The steering is lighter than the E90/E92, but I noticed immediately that once I put my Eibach Pro Kit springs in (M Sport Adaptive Suspension), the steering did gain some more resistance, or "weight", and if I put it into "Sport Mode", it tightens up even more. It's still not quite as good as the E90/E92, but it's not that bad. I recently drove up the PCH from San Luis Obispo to Monterey (the whole time in Sport Mode) and the car felt great to me. It's not quite as connected as the E90/E92 and nowhere near as connected as the E46, but it did feel good and putting seven hours of seat time in it (four and a half non stop) was not a problem at all.

The new tech is very nice and it's very comfortable, and it even has a decent exhaust note (just wish it was a bit louder), and I'm actually really enjoying it, but those are the things that I remember when I have to remind myself why I traded the 335is in.

To this day, I still miss the E92. I miss how connected it felt to the road (Koni STR.T shocks and H&R Sport Springs) and how it handled (but I have noticed that the F30 handles bumps in the curves better). I def miss the exhaust tone. That was one of the things that sold me on the 335is vs the regular E92 335i. I miss the "presence" of the 335is vs the F30. If I'm out and about and see a custom/modded F30, it's nice and I appreciate it, but when I see a 335is (especially if it's custom/modded), i'm drooling over it. My next step in modding the 335is if I would have kept it would have been to put 437M wheels on it. I can guarantee that if I'd done that before the dealer called me, I would still have the 335is.

But, I'm 50 and I don't need to have the fastest 0-60 time or do 180MPH. I DO need a bit more room (in the cabin and in the trunk) and I just could not get that with the 335is. I also really didn't like how long the doors were (but i got around that by always parking at the end of the lot so I had plenty of room to open the doors). And in my particular case, I also gained a few years warranty with my F30 whereas my 335is was out of warranty and I really didn't want to have to replace turbos or the DCT Tranny before I'd paid the car off.

If I could have kept both, I would have done that in a heartbeat, but it just was not an option (like you). So I had to give up a bit of Sportiness, "Wow" factor and Connected feel, but I think that what I gained with the F30 was worth it, but my needs/wants were different than yours. IMHO, if I were in your shoes and didn't have those requirements, I would choose the 335is as you have.

But that's just my two cents...

[F30lolz]

I feel blessed/fortunate to have both platforms. The e90 feels small inside compared to the f36 which isn’t a surprise. Long trips I use the f36 or the CTS. Traveling solo the e90 is fine but not as comfy as the other two.

If your goal is the f80 M3, make it happen. In a few more years the 2018’s should come down more on price so enjoy the 335is until then.