If i buy an n54 engined car and have an extra 10K on the side to spend on repairs am I safe?

If i buy an n54 engined car and have an extra 10K on the side to spend on repairs am I safe?

nice meme, if you buy one properly maintained with all the typical n54 problems addressed (HPFP, water pump etc) you should be fine with a much smaller rainy day fund than that.

Much more than safe, you have money for sick modz dood

what about turbo wastegate rattle? How much will it cost to replace turbos with low KM second hand ones?

Either do the 29.2 fix, or
>buy one properly maintained with all the typical n54 problems addressed
or drop the few grand to get the wastegate replaced. I've read people spent about 4k on parts for wastegates, actuator, and new turbos so I doubt just wastegates with labor would be anywhere near 10k.

>or drop the few grand to get the wastegate replaced. I've read people spent about 4k on parts for wastegates, actuator, and new
There are a pair of very low KM n54 turbos on ebay for 1.5k AUD im thinking of buying them as a backup

>Tfw I considering getting an m135 @ 80k miles...for free

Don't steal cars bro it doesn't end well trust me

m135i has the n55 which isnt an unreliable bucket. But it has a weaker bottom end with less potential for mods.

Don't believe ebay mileage claims, they all say 40k or something, almost all bullshit. I wouldn't buy something you don't need and potentially wont ever need.
Again, look for one that recently had stuff like this addressed and you shouldn't have to worry about it for at least 70k miles.
pls explain

Nah it ain't like that. It's a lengthy story but let's say my dads fiancé died a while ago...and it was her car and he's still having trouble taking care of her things...
Skin cancer sucks lads, get checked

or should I just avoid an n54 all together and get an n55 engine m135i?

>buying stock turbos
>not buying Borg&Warner turbos from a fucking dump truck instead

N55 is going to be in a more expensive car, since it'll be newer. I'd just get an N54, same exact power stock but intercooler, downpipe, intake, and a JB4 and it'll be an M3 killer

yeah but then i'll have to chuck an lsd in which will cost a fortune when I can easily find an m135i which has been optioned with one. I don't like the idea in sinking tonnes of money into a 10 year old car when I can have something newer.

Quaife LSD would be under 3 grand, N54 car with LSD would still be cheaper than an N55 car and you don't even have to have an LSD. You do what you want.

My condolences to you and your dad. Yeah cancer in general seems to be what's killing people nowadays, probably because we've found proper treatments for almost everything else. Really horrible stuff but medical science advances every day.

Hope you get the car though man, that'll be really fun


If you know a mechanic that you trust who doesn't charge too much and you can foot the costs, you'll be fine with an n54. It's all up to you whether it's worth it or not

Anyone know what sort of power gain I'd get out of an n54 with tune only no bolt ons?

50 bhp.

Not really related but are BMWs really as pricey as people claim they are regarding repair and maintenance?
I was thinking of getting an F30 some time down the road, but I'm new to european cars and hear horror stories about german cars in particularly having notably expensive upkeep over the years.
How would upkeep on one of these guys stack up to something like a similar category Lexus or Acura?

I own an n54 engined 335i and ive been able to do all the work myself. You can replace the turbos with a single turbo kit and have a new water pump and thermostat and transmission service and still have change left over after tuning

>are BMWs really as pricey as people claim they are regarding repair and maintenance?

Generally, yes. Fanboys will claim otherwise, but BMW didn't earn this reputation for no reason. Learn to do some work yourself and you'll save a ton of money.

>How would upkeep on one of these guys stack up to something like a similar category Lexus or Acura?

No comparison. You can neglect a Lexus and it'll have far less problems than its German rivals. This is a huge selling point for "Japanese luxury".

buy an s54 engined car instead.

why so much plastic on BMW engine?

Same with Audi and Merc...

because weight reduction and fuck reliability.

That's a shame. I assume even if I handled some of the upkeep myself, it'll still be more expensive than a japanese one?

Short answer... Probably.

BUT it really depends which BMW you buy and what your skill level is as far as working on cars.

Former n54 owner here, 10k will be okay, but you will be fixing the water pump, vanos shit, and probably dealing with the $2 oil flow wear issue lel.

Fun engine to tune though. Muh juicebox

lel maybe on the lowest setting. Engines can do 15 psi for fun. Go racegas for more fun.