So I'm looking at getting an E90 335i. The model years with the n54 as I do intend on doing some mods...

So I'm looking at getting an E90 335i. The model years with the n54 as I do intend on doing some mods, nothing crazy but not exactly stock either. How are the reliability on them, besides the electric water pump? Is there a better 4 door, rwd, and manual car? Engine size and configuration is not an issue, as long as it is moddable I'll be happy Budget is between $5-9k

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>How are the reliability on them
its hit or miss on the reliability depends on the specific car, could be $100 in oil and windshield fluid or $10,000 in repairs.
>Is there a better 4 door, rwd, and manual car?
yes the e46 easier to work on, cheaper to work on and more variety of parts available also just a better car in general
>Budget is between $5-9k
if thats the entire car which i hope it is then thats leaves nothing in parts but if thats your mod budget id say put it into suspension, charge pipes and a tune (nothing else is worth the money besides fi), not worth modding the engine unless youre upgrading the fi and to do that im guessing its your first bmw so id say do your research for at least a year and a half and dont get cheap with parts. Plus 5-9k might sound like alot as far as modding goes but its really nothing in bmw parts if you want serious power then youre better getting a cheaper car with better options like anything from japan

I failed to specify, I did mean as of the whole car. I'll look into the e46 as well. The main turn on for me with the e90 is the easy mods that can turn out some good hp. ECU reflashing along has yielded ~70 hp and ~80 tq. I did see that their parts cost more than my current vehicle, 95 s10 that's turning into a unreliable junker ever so slowly. I'm 18 and I don't own it, it's a spare vehicle my parents rarely use and I have it till my 14 year old brother gets his license. I'm not strictly BMW either, but from what I saw the e90 is something of interest. I also do my own work so owning a BMW isn't as bad from what I've read. Keep in mind I've only worked on Chevys

>inb4 Chevy is shit tier

The s10 has 300k with only a couple of clutch changes and my parents had it since 95, can't be that shiity

As an N54 335i owner myself I will give you an honest opinion. It is one of the best cars for the money performance wise as you can pick one up for around 7 grand and put another grand into it and have 400 whp reliably. They are very finicky cars once modified, but after you work out the initial quirks they are honestly fine. Do NOT take it to a dealer or shop to service it, DIY everything. It is not terrible to work on, and there is great info on forums for any DIY as well. If on a budget, buy mods off of forums for the best deals and don't get ebay parts. The car is really not comparable at all to any E46 performance wise, it is leaps and bounds better. Since you are obviously interested in modding your n54 I would not recommend any E46 because like mentioned before it isn't even comparable on the amount of power you can make with an N54 aka the german 2JZ.

I have an n55 e92, so kind of near your target.

Your first mods should be front control arms, LSD, and rear subframe bushings. The car has plenty of power stock.

E90/2s are a very good platform for a nice street car.

>70 hp
well ecu reflashing is basically the only worthwhile and easy mods on these cars but trust me your lucky to get 10 hp on a tune wherever you found 70 is either a scam or very misinformed
>BMW isn't as bad from what I've read
trust me it is I have an e46 and as easy of a car is to work on most are put off by the complexity of the components and maintenance the e90 is even worse since it comes with a turbo setup already

with your budget youre better off getting a e46 330i but again these arent simple cars if i were you id suck up my pride and get something like a civic if you want to learn to work on these kind of cars simply put you neither have the money nor experience to mod an e90 or deal with the repair if it needs one which it likely will...trust me not trying to shit post but theres a reason everyone in the bmw community hates e90s

LSD is not really the first thing I would do for $2k on this platform, you could realistically do fbo plus coilovers for that money

>>yes the e46 easier to work on, cheaper to work on and more variety of parts available also just a better car in general

you couldn't be any wronger even if you tried, what the fuck are you doing dude.

>your lucky to get 10 hp on a tune
You obviously know nothing about N5x engines. Stop trying to compare your E46 to a 335i

>moddable
>a car where everything is fucking cramped, over engineered and theres no room for anything.

plenty of room for a single turbo 800+ whp setup

I prefer the lsd over power. Something about corner exiting oversteer is appealing to me. Others may like highway pulls and will fbo+tune. To each his own.

OP should get a NB Miata with that budget tho.

>400 whp reliably
>reliably
I’m a diehard bimmerfag but come on, those things have horrible reliability for a daily driver

Is it just me or do these cars look H E A V Y as fuq?

I'm not trying to pigfat meme here, but they just look like they'd be an absolute swine in corners.

The N54 platform literally has the largest aftermarket community for any modern BMW engine.

>yea just pay tens of thousands for the car then shill out another 20k for mods and shit

Every BMW that's over 12 months has terrible reliability. Even the infants have mediocre reliability. I don't understand why, either. Is it their QC or are they just using too many chink parts now? Too many useless ragtops in the factories in Germany?

I meant reliably as you can easily reach 400 whp not that they are literally reliable, bc they are not

Please keep in mind that BMW is not the only option I'm looking at. I am looking at the g35 or 37 and an audi a4. The BMW looks better to me imo

Noting like super serious. I'm not trying to drag supras. The most competition I have is truck ricers in their 10 foot tall trucks. Or the very rare Ford GT that goes through my small town (And yes little s10 was trying to keep up with it...)

From my research they are heavy but balanced cars. I know they have handling mods and most roads I drive on are straight so handling is not a big deal. Not saying I'd want an Impala SS though, I'd need my boat license for it

single turbo setup is like 5k max plus a car for 9-10k you have 800 whp for 15k. Name another car that does that

The car would last 1,000 miles before the engine blows. You truly are a fucking idiot.

If you care about power 335i is better than all those options

They are a bit heavy, but very capable. Also, it's a luxury gt car, not a pure sports car.

They have forged internals stock, thats why they are such a meme. Nobody in the n54 community is blowing up motors from 800 whp

Another note: I am going to do reliability mods to it. Metal water pump and t-stat (I know the water pump exists, unsure about t-stat), oil cooler (or better one if it already has one. Unsure if it has one or not), and I sure as fuck ain't cheaping out on the oil filter with TT!!

educate yourself before sperging out
youtube.com/watch?v=HWvIoYm6CJI&app=desktop

2bh pham it tries to be everything all at once, like most BMWs

7 series is luxury

z4 is performance/handling

everything in between is a jack-of-all-trades compromise, even the M stuff

>Fatt Marah with a flat-brim snapback

urge to kill intensifying

also make sure you buy one with an oil cooler as they dont all have one. My 07 doesn't

not user but having owned an e90 330i and a e46 m3 at the same time ill say theyre almost comparable to work on if the e46 had a turbo from factory, higher maintenance cost for the e46 but would be offset by the initial price of a more comparable model of the E90. I sold the E90 and kept the e46 mostly out of personal choice as well the e46 will always retain more value then its e90 m3 brother simply because how much the community shits on them. Imo the e46 is more of a drivers car while the e90 is more luxury oriented.

You really have no idea what kind of stress 800+bhp puts on an engine. We're not talking about sleeves disintegrating or rods bending, we're talking about chains and belts snapping, bearings turning oblong, gaskets frying, seals crimping, and just about every weak point in a car that ISN'T address by """"FORGING INTERNALS""".

The engine wasn't made in fucking Mordor, it's not meant to run that kind of power for any length of time. The fact that it can do it at all is not surprising, as it's German and is naturally embodied with certain superior traits. But the engineering Jew is an insidious one, and he's had his way with every BMW product in some form or another.

Noted! Probably gonna upgrade a bunch of stuff for reliability then fuck around with making more power

I agree. I couldn't do the cayman tho cuz I have a gf and a dog.

If he was going to buy an NA e90 like a 330i I would agree with you but since he wants 335i it isnt really comparable performance wise

try not to buy one with an oil pan gasket leak as they are a serious bitch to fix. The most common leak is valve cover gasket which is an easy job. Also do not buy a car with wastegate rattle as it is easy to spot and saves you from replacing turbos in the future

Wut? Bunch more common problems than a water pump. If you can’t work on it yourself don’t buy it.
I’ve had three n54’s a 535i and two 335i’s. I have book of warranty work done on these.

Fbodies

You have one so maybe you can answer this for me. I'm not a BMW guy, I have an A4, but all the modded n54 335s I see at the track are running high 12s on what they call stage 2. Multiple owners have told me to get higher you have to do turbos and the tuning for them is finicky, to put it mildly. I've always heard they have a reputation as great cars for modding though so I don't know what to make of all that. 400 wheel should put those in the low 12s with the 1.8s 60' times they put up (awd and auto). What does 400 whp entail in those and why don't I see many with typical mods running faster than high 12s?

OP and BMW fags BTFO FOR ETERNITY