[Mracer]

Originally Posted by F30lolz

Prices are through the roof so you might have to travel to find the best deal. If money isn’t that much of a concern, have you considered a CPO b48 330i? Is a warranty a must or no? Care to share your budget? Are you looking more for a private party or dealer transaction? Since this would be your wife’s car and modding isn’t an issue, a n20 post March 2015 would be fine.

You can get away with finding an earlier build n20 if proof is shown that it has the updated parts. N55 2014/2015 are pretty much reliable but recently a member here posted that a shop messed up his n55 by botching his OFHG repair and they aren’t owning up so if you do get a N55 and it needs the OFGH replaced down the road, take it to a reputable shop that’ll stand by their work.

budget is in the low $20k if possible. Warranty is not a must. I have an excellent BMW indy by me that has been working on my E46 M3 for years, so I trust them.

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by Mracer

budget is in the low $20k if possible. Warranty is not a must. I have an excellent BMW indy by me that has been working on my E46 M3 for years, so I trust them.

The problem with getting a N55 now is that you won't be able to find a CPO one, so you will be looking at other trade-ins or private party. That raises lots of other questions, like service history, mods/tune in its past life, etc. I personally would not buy a used BMW that is not CPO, but that's just me. Yes, CPO is not fool proof but at least you get a fairly rigorous inspection process, replacement of anything that is worn (tires, brakes, etc), and a full serviced vehicle. I would definitely go N55 over N20, but whether or not you go N55 or a newer B48 really depends on your goals and planned use case for the car.

[sspade]

Originally Posted by MHF30

Okay, maybe I'm misinformed. Can you show me charts or something quantifiable that shows me that I'm "flat out wrong"? If my Stage 1 N20 is quicker than a stock N55 F30 than that's great. You telling me I'm wrong without showing anything that proves otherwise does nothing to help anyone either.

Car and Driver has tested the 335i xDrive at 13.3 quarter mile and the current leader of N20/B48 ranking is 12.6 - that's all Im going off, pure facts. Im sure its possible that there are stock 335's that are slightly quicker than what C&D tested but I highly doubt they missed the mark by that much.

FWIW... the 12.6 vehicle Im referring to above is on stock turbo, internals etc. Thats what I meant by light mods... basically downpipe, intercooler and tune.

[sspade]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Where are you getting this info from? Where does it say BM3 develops separate maps for the 20i and 28i, and only for stage 1?

As someone who's had both 20i and 28i vehicles flashed with Bootmod3, I can confirm that the maps are definitely different. How much different could be up for debate... and I can't say for sure exactly what is different on the back end programming side but its certainly related to the compression differences (20i being higher of the two).

When I say different... I mean the maps are clearly labeled differently and when the software reads your DME, it selects the proper one (no risk of flashing wrong map).

If I remember correctly the 28i tune has a -L in the name (low compression) and the 20i has a -P in the name (no idea why its a P).

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by sspade

As someone who's had both 20i and 28i vehicles flashed with Bootmod3, I can confirm that the maps are definitely different. How much different could be up for debate... and I can't say for sure exactly what is different on the back end programming side but its certainly related to the compression differences (20i being higher of the two).

When I say different... I mean the maps are clearly labeled differently and when the software reads your DME, it selects the proper one (no risk of flashing wrong map).

If I remember correctly the 28i tune has a -L in the name (low compression) and the 20i has a -P in the name (no idea why its a P).

Oh yeah i know the maps are different, i just wasn't sure where he came up with these equivalencies:

Originally Posted by gameson

yes, that's what i meant. 320i stock to bm3 stage 1 is 328i stock level

however 328i stock to bm3 stage 1 is probably in between max of the bm3 stage 2 (please see below)

graph

320i stock
320i bm3 stage 1 = 328i stock
328i bm3 stage 1
320i bm3 stage 2 = 328i bm3 stage 2

[sqwinny]

Stage 2 320i with bm3/jb4 puts down ~260 at the wheels. With the larger exhaust, a 328i stage 2 bm3/jb4 will put down around 280 with same mods same everything. It's close, but not quite equal.

I could take stock n55 cars with a stage 1 328i from a dig and roll. I think those f3x cars are PWG however. Stage 2 328i OTS map id keep up or be equal to a stage 1 135/335 it seemed. Anything more and I was left behind no questions asked. Thus I went big turbo.

I'm pretty sure if a 320i got a b58tu HPFP and custom tune, they could crack 300

[F30lolz]

Originally Posted by Mracer

budget is in the low $20k if possible. Warranty is not a must. I have an excellent BMW indy by me that has been working on my E46 M3 for years, so I trust them.

Budget would be too low for a CPO UNLESS you would be able to find a 2017/2018 320i but even then, prices would be at least mid 20’s. Private party would be your best bet for service records and getting a PPI done. Would you consider traveling far for the right one?

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by Mracer

budget is in the low $20k if possible. Warranty is not a must. I have an excellent BMW indy by me that has been working on my E46 M3 for years, so I trust them.

Not that you need me to look, but I like to, so I did. Of course, no idea where you are in PA, but here’s a very nicely loaded 328i xDrive with pretty low miles. It has had multiple owners. https://www.fredbeansboyertown.com/u...4879232b5b.htm

[MHF30]

Originally Posted by sspade

Car and Driver has tested the 335i xDrive at 13.3 quarter mile and the current leader of N20/B48 ranking is 12.6 - that's all Im going off, pure facts. Im sure its possible that there are stock 335's that are slightly quicker than what C&D tested but I highly doubt they missed the mark by that much.

FWIW... the 12.6 vehicle Im referring to above is on stock turbo, internals etc. Thats what I meant by light mods... basically downpipe, intercooler and tune.

Fair enough, my initial comment was more with respect to the N20 with BootMod3 Stage 1 wherein at most you've maybe done a chargepipe upgrade but otherwise have a stock car. I'm not surprised at all that with more bolt-ons that it would out perform stock n55s and with a Stage 2 tune gap it significantly. Circling back to OP though, considering he doesn't have plans to build this car, opting for the N55 would provide better performance from the start without the need for flash tunes and aftermarket parts and consequently may be better for long term reliability as well which he's looking for.

[lens]

Originally Posted by sspade

Car and Driver has tested the 335i xDrive at 13.3 quarter mile and the current leader of N20/B48 ranking is 12.6 - that's all Im going off, pure facts. Im sure its possible that there are stock 335's that are slightly quicker than what C&D tested but I highly doubt they missed the mark by that much.

FWIW... the 12.6 vehicle Im referring to above is on stock turbo, internals etc. Thats what I meant by light mods... basically downpipe, intercooler and tune.

Thing is anyone owning a N55 or B58 will most probably never leave it stock, N55 owners usually go FBO for less than a year and slap a PS2 or BigBoost kit on it, same goes for the B58.

Its very rare for someone to leave their straight six stock.

I have a friend who goes 12.9@105mph with his 2014 435i xDrive.

[sqwinny]

N55 all day. You'll spend the price difference and then some in an n20 to catch the n55 and your stuck trying to surpass it when the n55 is FBO these days.

Things are changing, but the n20 stock turbo size is stuck at 22-23 psi or 310/320whp on a full e85 tune. Upgrade the turbo and you are around 350-360whp on 93, maybe 25-35 more with e85 to break 400whp. Maybe meth might help break that 400 whp barrier.

Custom manifold + custom turbo "upgrade" is needed to go more as there isn't anything off the shelf.

TLDR: go n55. Save yourself the headache later.

[F30lolz]

All this talk about tunes when the OP said he wasn’t ‘planning’ on tuning

[F30lolz]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

Not that you need me to look, but I like to, so I did. Of course, no idea where you are in PA, but here’s a very nicely loaded 328i xDrive with pretty low miles. It has had multiple owners. https://www.fredbeansboyertown.com/u...4879232b5b.htm

Nice find, even though OP would have to stretch that budget.

[lens]

Originally Posted by F30lolz

All this talk about tunes when the OP said he wasn’t ‘planning’ on tuning

Everyone says that until they do it.


Ask my buddy who says "I'm keeping the car stock" on his B58 Z4.

1 month later, he currently has FBO+Pure850 making 550whp/578wtq

[F30lolz]

Originally Posted by chaungo

Everyone says that until they do it.


Ask my buddy who says "I'm keeping the car stock" on his B58 Z4.

1 month later, he currently has FBO+Pure850 making 550whp/578wtq

Well it’s for his wife, unless she has a heavy foot that OP doesn’t know about.

[McGyv3r]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

Not that you need me to look, but I like to, so I did. Of course, no idea where you are in PA, but here’s a very nicely loaded 328i xDrive with pretty low miles. It has had multiple owners. https://www.fredbeansboyertown.com/u...4879232b5b.htm

That is the worst fucking photo interface I've ever seen. I just want to click through some pictures without jumping all over the place!

[johnung]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

So are you just completely guessing here or is there documentation from BM3 on this? Or at least some datalogs from a 20i and 28i running stage 1 or 2?

Bootmod3 shows power percentage increases for three different versions of the N20. Guys might incorrectly assume that they are running the same BM3 maps because it's the same BM3 part number purchased for all three N20's. But when a Bootmod3 license is connected to a VIN, they obviously do a lookup of exactly what model of N20 engine the car has and only display the maps for flashing that will run on that engine.

Below is the link to Bootmod3 N20 performance gain listings..

https://bootmod3.com/collections/boo...428i-520i-528i

[rjd_F30]

I can speak from experience, as I've actually owned both. I had a 2013 328i xDrive with the N20, and in about 5 years of ownership, I literally did nothing other than preventative maintenance. It was absolutely rock solid with zero problems. In one year of owning the 335i, the chargepipe blew (not really an issue, this is a very well known, preventable, issue), had the OFHG replaced due to leaking, and I had one coolant line pop and got that replaced. So, obviously for me, the N20 was more reliable. Whether or not other people will or have had the same experience is up to you to research. That said, even though my N20 was technically more reliable than my N55 (so far), I really think they're about equal reliability wise. The timing chain can be issue, but IMO it's overblown and doesn't happen as often as you might think. Get a later build date for peace of mind, and I wouldn't worry about it much. If you're at all interested in power/sound, the N55 is miles better than the N20, and for that reason, I'd get the N55. But if reliability is your ONLY concern, it's a coin toss between the two IMO.

All of that said, any B series engine is probably going to be more reliable, if nothing else because it will be newer, but also because they're heavily updated and improved compared to their N series predecessors.

[Mracer]

Originally Posted by tturedraider

Not that you need me to look, but I like to, so I did. Of course, no idea where you are in PA, but here’s a very nicely loaded 328i xDrive with pretty low miles. It has had multiple owners. https://www.fredbeansboyertown.com/u...4879232b5b.htm

that is definitely in the sweet spot for what I am looking for and willing to pay more $$$ for lower miles.

Cheers,

[Mracer]

Originally Posted by F30lolz

Well it’s for his wife, unless she has a heavy foot that OP doesn’t know about.

Correct, I will not mod this car. My M3 gets all the mod money

[n55david]

love the hilarious power comparisons..

bottom line, ewg n55 over any other option.

and if anyone who was stage 1 beating stock n55 cars, it was not an ewg car lol.

[lens]

Originally Posted by rjd_F30

I can speak from experience, as I've actually owned both. I had a 2013 328i xDrive with the N20, and in about 5 years of ownership, I literally did nothing other than preventative maintenance. It was absolutely rock solid with zero problems. In one year of owning the 335i, the chargepipe blew (not really an issue, this is a very well known, preventable, issue), had the OFHG replaced due to leaking, and I had one coolant line pop and got that replaced. So, obviously for me, the N20 was more reliable. Whether or not other people will or have had the same experience is up to you to research. That said, even though my N20 was technically more reliable than my N55 (so far), I really think they're about equal reliability wise. The timing chain can be issue, but IMO it's overblown and doesn't happen as often as you might think. Get a later build date for peace of mind, and I wouldn't worry about it much. If you're at all interested in power/sound, the N55 is miles better than the N20, and for that reason, I'd get the N55. But if reliability is your ONLY concern, it's a coin toss between the two IMO.

All of that said, any B series engine is probably going to be more reliable, if nothing else because it will be newer, but also because they're heavily updated and improved compared to their N series predecessors.

My N55 has 172k miles

There's no coin toss at all, the N55 is more reliable. I race my car every summer doing lapping and I drive it in the winter.

Your lack of maintenance does not mean it's not reliable, chargepipe is a known issue since the platform existed, it's a 200$ fix. OFHG and coolant lines are other known issues as well, heat cycles will wear out gaskets and the plastic as per any car, so you'll also have valve cover gasket to swap as well.