[The TRG]

So I've been living over in the F10 forum for a bit but found an absolutely gorgeous 340i Xdrive last night. Hoping for some community opinion as to the cars performance and/or reliability.

My 2011 535i xdrive has been wonderful. I have a Dinan motorsports stage 1 kit installed as well as a sprint booster... the car is undercover beastly (for a 6cyl). I'm approaching 96k miles however, so I began searching for a '15/16 550i xdrive I decided against owning an N63tu engine with all of the continued issues.

So the 3 series... I've owned 3 of them from a 2001 328i wagon, a 2007 328i wagon, and a 2008 330xi . I loved them and drove two of them to over 165k miles!!

Below is a link to the car being advertised. 1 owner 340i xdrive lease turn in all from my local dealer (whom I trust) with only 32k miles and a warranty combination that will go thru Nov of 2020. She has all the features I'm looking for, but I've not owned an F generation 3-series so I thought I'd reach out.

https://www.internationalbmw.com/cer...6b274d71e6.htm

[Wolfus Aurelius]

TRG,

I'm new to these cars -- since March of this year -- though not to German autos, and my 2015 328i has the N20 turbo four-cylinder engine instead of a six. My car has another month or so of the factory warranty on it, plus a year of CPO, and I have a good independent I've been patronizing for some 17 years. But so far the car has been dynamite.

Before I jumped to BMW from the sporty-ish Buick Regal I'd been driving for five years, I checked on boards like these. I did not see endless complaints of broken this and failing that. Apparently the F30 platform, which after all has been out for some seven years now, is pretty darn reliable and a good bet, especially if you have warranty to get you through the earlier period until anything that crops up has been fixed. I had a bad taillight connector which the dealer fixed under warranty, and a rattle while driving that they also found (it turned out to be a lipstick tube rolling around in an under-seat air vent!).

From what I gather, there are lots of mods you can make to the F30 if that's your taste. Or, like me, you can pretty much flick it into gear, punch on the stereo, and drive the beast till it growls.

[jdg54]

Nice car. You're certainly paying for CPO at that 32k price mark. With the G20 coming out, I'd push for sub-30k and call it a deal. You'll love how nimble it is compared to the 535. My dad had a 535 and while the space is nice, your everyday solo drive is much nicer in a 3. Gas is slightly better, too.

[The TRG]

Originally Posted by jdg54

Nice car. You're certainly paying for CPO at that 32k price mark. With the G20 coming out, I'd push for sub-30k and call it a deal. You'll love how nimble it is compared to the 535. My dad had a 535 and while the space is nice, your everyday solo drive is much nicer in a 3. Gas is slightly better, too.

Yeah, that's their list price and not done negotiating yet. We are also looking at a 2016 X5 3.0 for my wife, so I'll get some good negotiating leverage.

[The TRG]

Originally Posted by Wolfus Aurelius

TRG,

I'm new to these cars -- since March of this year -- though not to German autos, and my 2015 328i has the N20 turbo four-cylinder engine instead of a six. My car has another month or so of the factory warranty on it, plus a year of CPO, and I have a good independent I've been patronizing for some 17 years. But so far the car has been dynamite.

Before I jumped to BMW from the sporty-ish Buick Regal I'd been driving for five years, I checked on boards like these. I did not see endless complaints of broken this and failing that. Apparently the F30 platform, which after all has been out for some seven years now, is pretty darn reliable and a good bet, especially if you have warranty to get you through the earlier period until anything that crops up has been fixed. I had a bad taillight connector which the dealer fixed under warranty, and a rattle while driving that they also found (it turned out to be a lipstick tube rolling around in an under-seat air vent!).

From what I gather, there are lots of mods you can make to the F30 if that's your taste. Or, like me, you can pretty much flick it into gear, punch on the stereo, and drive the beast till it growls.

Thanks Wolfus. From what I'm finding this car has the B58M motor (twinTurbo in-line six cyl). So I'm curious about its performance versus the N55 TwinTurbo i-6 that I have now.

[ndx6spd]

I think this is pretty much fully loaded, other than M sport aero kit? Good find!

They might budge on the price a bit, or you can have them throw in some extras...like all season mats or something. Even if they don't, I think it's a decent price, if on the high side. Get it!

[F30lolz]

Originally Posted by The TRG

I'm approaching 96k miles however, so I began searching for a '15/16 550i xdrive I decided against owning an N63tu engine with all of the continued issues.

Below is a link to the car being advertised. 1 owner 340i xdrive lease turn in all from my local dealer (whom I trust) with only 32k miles and a warranty combination that will go thru Nov of 2020. She has all the features I'm looking for, but I've not owned an F generation 3-series so I thought I'd reach out.

https://www.internationalbmw.com/cer...6b274d71e6.htm

15/16 N63TU’s still have those issues? Thank GOD for the Customer Care Packages.

That 340 looks nice, though first thing I would do is change out the cheap plastic CP. The B58 is a great reliable motor (so far) so having the CPO gives you added piece of mind.

[adhrp]

FYI, the Carfax shows damage reported on this vehicle. If you are okay with that, you certainly have more leverage to negotiate the price.

[The TRG]

Originally Posted by adhrp

FYI, the Carfax shows damage reported on this vehicle. If you are okay with that, you certainly have more leverage to negotiate the price.

Yeah, I did see that but with no accident showing. The upside is that if the damage was reported (like it is) it at least means they went through a reputable shop that correctly posts that information against the van. Given that it passed all of their safety check and they designated it as a CPO I'm comfortable with it.

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by The TRG

Yeah, I did see that but with no accident showing. The upside is that if the damage was reported (like it is) it at least means they went through a reputable shop that correctly posts that information against the van. Given that it passed all of their safety check and they designated it as a CPO I'm comfortable with it.

Good. Many buyers would balk at that (often unnecessarily so), so you can take advantage of that when negotiating. The car looks great otherwise.

Just curious - why are you replacing the 535 that is modified to your liking and has been wonderful? Especially considering that you took some of your other BMWs to over 165k.

[upsidedownfunnel]

Originally Posted by F30lolz

15/16 N63TU’s still have those issues? Thank GOD for the Customer Care Packages.

That 340 looks nice, though first thing I would do is change out the cheap plastic CP. The B58 is a great reliable motor (so far) so having the CPO gives you added piece of mind.

The B58 uses a water to air intercooler. It won't have the same charge pipe that blows. And anyway, it's very rare for a charge pipe to blow on a stock N55.

[bimmer456]

Originally Posted by Wolfus Aurelius

TRG,

I'm new to these cars -- since March of this year -- though not to German autos, and my 2015 328i has the N20 turbo four-cylinder engine instead of a six. My car has another month or so of the factory warranty on it, plus a year of CPO, and I have a good independent I've been patronizing for some 17 years. But so far the car has been dynamite.

Before I jumped to BMW from the sporty-ish Buick Regal I'd been driving for five years, I checked on boards like these. I did not see endless complaints of broken this and failing that. Apparently the F30 platform, which after all has been out for some seven years now, is pretty darn reliable and a good bet, especially if you have warranty to get you through the earlier period until anything that crops up has been fixed. I had a bad taillight connector which the dealer fixed under warranty, and a rattle while driving that they also found (it turned out to be a lipstick tube rolling around in an under-seat air vent!).

From what I gather, there are lots of mods you can make to the F30 if that's your taste. Or, like me, you can pretty much flick it into gear, punch on the stereo, and drive the beast till it growls.

The E90 platform was probably the worst earlier and later cars are more reliable.

[bimmer456]

Originally Posted by upsidedownfunnel

The B58 uses a water to air intercooler. It won't have the same charge pipe that blows. And anyway, it's very rare for a charge pipe to blow on a stock N55.

I haven't heard of charge pipe blowing on B58.

[The TRG]

Originally Posted by adhrp

Good. Many buyers would balk at that (often unnecessarily so), so you can take advantage of that when negotiating. The car looks great otherwise.

Just curious - why are you replacing the 535 that is modified to your liking and has been wonderful? Especially considering that you took some of your other BMWs to over 165k.

[QUOTE=adhrp;24906857]

Originally Posted by The TRG

Just curious - why are you replacing the 535 that is modified to your liking and has been wonderful? Especially considering that you took some of your other BMWs to over 165k.

As a money making hobby I've been doing Lyft Lux and Uber Select after work and on occasional weekends. Lyft is making my '11 535 too old for Lux. With a '15 I can do Lyft Lux and Lyft Black along with Uber Select. A single airport ride from near my house pockets me $65 on Lux... well over $100 on Black.

[F30lolz]

Originally Posted by upsidedownfunnel

The B58 uses a water to air intercooler. It won't have the same charge pipe that blows. And anyway, it's very rare for a charge pipe to blow on a stock N55.

My stock e84 35i (N55) had a cracked CP around 28k miles and other N55 owners down here in FL had cracked ones as well. Basically every enthusiast where I’m at has aftermarket CP’s with N54/55’s with fear of the OEM’s giving up the ghost.

Originally Posted by bimmer456

I haven't heard of charge pipe blowing on B58.

Glad that BMW sorted that out.

[upsidedownfunnel]

Originally Posted by F30lolz

My stock e84 35i (N55) had a cracked CP around 28k miles and other N55 owners down here in FL had cracked ones as well. Basically every enthusiast where I’m at has aftermarket CP’s with N54/55’s with fear of the OEM’s giving up the ghost.



Glad that BMW sorted that out.

He hasn't heard of it because the B58 doesn't have that type of charge pipe. It's a water to air intercooler. The pipe from the turbo to the engine mounted intercooler is not subject to movement like it is on the N55 with a chassis mounted intercooler.

Also, I understand it's still possible for stock engine charge pipes to crack, but it is rare. It's certainly not common enough for someone to swap it out before failing. I can guarantee water pump failures are far more common and you never hear of proactively replacing the water pump. or the oil filter housing gasket. Advising someone to change out a charge pipe on their otherwise stock N55 is pointless.

[F30lolz]

Originally Posted by upsidedownfunnel

Advising someone to change out a charge pipe on their otherwise stock N55 is pointless.

We’ll agree to disagree on this. From my experiences and from what I’ve seen regarding stock CP’s on N55’s they are weak.

[ImBlue]

Originally Posted by The TRG

Thanks Wolfus. From what I'm finding this car has the B58M motor (twinTurbo in-line six cyl). So I'm curious about its performance versus the N55 TwinTurbo i-6 that I have now.

Just a correction on this...It is a single twin-scroll turbo in both engines.