BEST BMW for $15K | 2011 335i Review
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
- Across the board, the E90 3-Series provides some of the most value you can find in used BMWs. This 2011 335i XDrive with the 6 speed manual is one of the best everyday cars I've ever owned. Considering what I paid, it is also the "most car" I've ever gotten for my dollar. What makes it such a great daily driver? What are the downsides?
00:00 Introduction
01:35 E90 Basics + Engine
03:35 XDrive/Handling
04:47 Interior
06:10 Handling/Track Impressions
09:11 Comfort
10:20 Final Thoughts 
Авто/Мото
I got mine with just over 75k miles and immaculate maintenance with records for 9k. Thankful more and more everyday for the steal I got!
That’s awesome I bought my 2011 2 years ago for 12k and just hit 150k. Still running strong
I got my white 2008 e93 43k miles with n54 engine bone stock, 1 old owner, garage kept brand new condition for 10k $. Injectors index 9 but it’s perfectly fine still, now it’s 47k and stage 2+ with high flow cats and walvetrac lsd. It’s a super fun car, I live by the ocean in Cali and it’s more like weekend car and some times I enjoy it on track
Holy hell is this channel underrated. Wonderful production!
Thank you, that really means a lot!
Very true! We need more content not featuring Ferraris, Lamborghinis and other unattainable things!
I agree great video
Cinematography in this video is insane, definitely have to get together again this summer and shoot some more cars.
Sounds great man, thank you.
Note: Something I should've mentioned is that some of my complaints with the AWD tuning can very likely be remedied with XHP. An advantage of being electronically controlled, you can actually tune the power split (or even disable AWD completely). I just posted a video about trying it if you're interested! (it helped a LOT)
I have had this exact car in a beautiful Vermilion Red over black as my daily for a little over three years now and although it lacks the M sport package (M suspension with regular sport package), is an automatic and (still) stock power, it has always given me a smile every time I’ve driven it and hope to hang on to it for hopefully three years more
Really really nice video, there's some beautiful videography in this and great to hear your thoughts on the car throughout your ownership experience. I recently bought my own E90 335i, very much enjoying it so far!
So cool! So happy i got a e90 n55 this year!
Amazing videography, I’m stunned, please don’t stop keep it up!
Thank you!
Love The 335i / 335i XDrive! E90 Squad! Loved my E46 for 7 years before I pulled the trigger on a 2010 335i xDrive. No regrets. Love your comparison/contrast of the two cars. Great Video! Thanks for uploading! 🔥 🙌
I have a 2011 335i Msport manual RWD that I picked up through the European Delivery program. I’ve always over maintained it, changing oil at 1200 miles, then at 5k, with 5k or annual ever since. Diff and trans at 5k, then again at 30k. It has performance power kit, M3 suspension components, sticky Michelin tires, but otherwise stock. It rarely sees rain as it’s a dry weather daily driver with 59k miles. I’ve ask the independent BMW shop I use about rod bearings but for now he suggests keeping an eye on the oil analysis results I get with each oil change. Great analog car (no idrive) that I’ll keep for years. In bad weather I use my Tacoma. For even more analog fun I drive my Elise. The three are a good balance and follows what Road & Track writer Peter Egan once said was the best combination: Sports car, sports sedan, and a utility vehicle.
I think that as time goes by E90s are going to be viewed more favorably than they were when new. As you state in your review it’s a good balance between the earlier and newer models. I also prefer the n55 over the n54 as I don’t abuse it and am not going to mod it any further. Mileage is between 20-30 mpg city/highway but can dip into high teens if nothing but stop and go traffic. N54s were a lot more thirsty and had more issues. I know it’s not a Prius but it is reasonable for what it is. I’ve owned many cars over the years including air-cooled 911s. This car beats the latter on performance but in a sedan package.
Great video, thanks!
love the insight, i’m currently looking for a 2011 335i, trying to upgrade from my 06 330i since it got totaled from a drunk driver🤷♂️
update: i got a 2012 335i 90k miles love this car so far💯
@@jeremyrekoshhow is it? Getting a 2011 tmr
@@V36Kev i’ve only put 1k miles on it so i haven’t drove it a ton, but for the time i’ve been driving it, i love this car, mines not stock it’s tuned on stage 2 so it’s got some power, but even stock this car is great, the n55 is solid. my advice is just please keep up with oil changes do it way before its due, like every 2k miles, and always let the car warm up before driving, carbon buildup is a common issue on this car, other than that i’ve ran into 0 issues and this car is incredible, i hope you like the car bro👍
Nice. Love these cars. Wonderful car to take a fun drive in. Plenty of room, comfortable and down-right fast (enough for me anyway). I also have a 2013 X5 with the N55 and think its the perfect size SUV, and also a blast to drive.
This is a great video. I need to get into a new car within the next few weeks. I had planned on getting into a 10, 12, 15, or 16 335, but then went on an M235 tangent for a bit. I might be leaning back on the 335 again, and likely the 10. I appreciate this video.
Thank you! The E90s are super interesting for that reason, you can get the face lifted 10’ with the N54, or an 11’ with the N55. I think if I was going newer, I’d be looked at the M235 instead, as you were, just a more fun form factor than the F30s.
Love the video!
Thank you!
The face lifted models started in 2009. But I love them all!
Ah that’s correct, thanks for clarifying 👍🏼
Truthfully, get a fully loaded 328i 6-speed manual, with the IMO mandatory Sport Package. Plenty of power for daily use, and a much more reliable N52 engine. Timeless styling, and excellent build quality with superb handling. Much better than the F30, and even the newest 3 series.
i just got one that’s an absolute beaut under 90k miles full warranty 9k, absolute crazy steal
Man with a warranty you got it for a steal! Nice.
Great video man! You got a new sub! Just outta curiosity how long does it take to make such a well filmed high quality video like this?
Thank you! Some take longer than others for purely logistics reasons but this was shot in a day. Sunrise-Sunset basically. Obviously additional editing time too.
Congrats and good luck with your switch to full time doing this. Your work is certainly up there with some of the best. I bought a 2011 335i Msport 6 speed RWD on Bring a Trailer back in late 2021. Lemans over brown as well. I loved it and planned to keep it forever. Sadly the rod bearings went and I decided to walk away from it and now have a F80 M3 manual, which i really love. I do think about getting my old car back as my mechanic fixed it and still has it. It would put 25k back in my pocket so I could get another fun car. It’s tempting, but the F80 is everything this car is just turned up. It’s about 3500lbs and a lot of fun. Not at connected as the E90, but everything else makes up for it. I had an E46 ZHP brand new in 04 and then another with 150k a few years back. Truly a sport car that punches way above it’s weight class, but they are simply old and getting expensive buy. The E90 is a nice sweet spot in between that ZHP and my F80. I’d be perfectly happy with any of them, but the F80 really has me hooked for the moment.
Thank you! And I totally agree with you on all fronts, having had some seat time in an F83 M4 now, an F80 M3 manual would be my next solution for a “do it all” performance car when I move on from the 335i. I gotta say, it’s off-putting that you had a rod bearing failure, I had another 2011 (auto) years ago that spun one as well. I’ve been doing oil analysis on my current one to get a bit of peace of mind in that regard.
Dude - I saw that e90 you bought and lusted over it forever, beautiful spec!
I actually just bought (probably the next most recent, since there so rare) a 2011 335i, white over black, sport pack, 6MT on BaT. I LOVE it so much.
This makes me think I should do the rod bearings though… I think of an F80 as my next buy. I drove one recently and found it to be much better than magazines make it out to be!
@@scotthilly5653 I saw that one on BAT as well! Nicely done! The only journalist that really got the F80 was Chris Harris, which is awesome! Enjoy that e90 and yeah watch for those rod bearings!
@@clubracer6 did you ever end up installing an LSD? Looked back at the listing today and saw you had that planned. Considering one myself as it’s a little frustrating getting wheelspin especially with the PPK.
@@scotthilly5653 I never got to it. TBH there was a lot of surprises with that car and I had a lot of things to address. The car was FBO and then some during his one year of ownership. He didn’t do a careful job putting it back to stock. So my LSD budget was blown. I had an LSD in my F30 340i and it was awesome. I think it’s the best upgrade you can make to the car. Well besides improving the nut behind the wheel. 😁😎
Fantastic, I think this is hands down the best review i've seen on this car. and your chanel is Ace. Have you tried the X delete feature and how you can adapt the % of torque sent upfront? Any how it has sold me on the fact a 335i touring N55 wont be a competitor in driving experience to my E46 330ci clubsport thats been poly bushed, lsd and all for mountain roads... And has been my daily for 14 years. So i'll be keeping both. Keep up the great vids.
Thanks man! I have tried XDelete, love it. On the E90s you get the option to dial it in whereas in the newer cars you can apparently only turn it on/off. I found the Snow setting to be my favorite, sending like 70-80% to the rear, gave the results I wanted (some rotation/less pushiness) without revealing too much of the “open-diffness” of the rear haha. 100% worth the money.
Bro that was a great video reminds me of a fortnine video
I’m surprised I haven’t seen his work until now, I see that’s quite the compliment so thank you!
homies vids are fire 😂
Thanks bro 💪
great video! I could not agree more. I own a 2008 335xi 6MT. It's completely original. I am at 194,000 miles. It is as strong as it was at 75k miles. I own a couple of more newer cars, and the pleasure I get when I come back to my super comfortable, analog, 6MT real twinturbo BMW, is just phenomenal.
Great video. I've been looking for a manual N55 E90 for quite a while to compliment my E92 M3. Sadly E90 N55's seem to be very rare here in the UK. Either they are an E92 or a very low spec for almost M3 money.
Hey man, great video!
Quick question - have you done, or are you considering doing your rod bearings?
I just got a 2011 N55 335i with 80k miles and had to replace a cracked charge pipe a month in. OFHG was replaced around 40k and doesn’t need replacing for a bit longer.
Seeing so much stuff online about the rod bearings being worn / blowing and since I’ve got the MPPK as well, I’m a little concerned. Let me know what you think!
This is a great question and one that I'm also concerned about.
When I was younger I had another 2011 that was an automatic, and that car actually spun one. However, I think it was self induced, I had a Cobb tune on the car and left work one day in a rush, it spun in first gear and shot up to red-line with the oil cold. That's the day it happened, so I can't really call it the cars fault.
With the car in the video I very very rarely rev it over 5,000 (not much need with factory turbo anyway), and have been doing an oil analysis with each oil change to monitor bearing wear. It's not a perfect solution but given that I don't plan on keeping the car forever, I really don't want to invest another $3,000 or whatever into the bearings.
The problem does seem prevalent enough though that if you ARE planning on keeping the car a long time, and drive it relatively hard, it may not be a bad idea to do them around 70-100k. But in the meantime start doing Blackstone analysis if you don't already.
getting this car sooner or later ! saving money atm
Always killing it on the cinematography, man.
What’s your camera setup?
Thanks man, have been shooting on a BMPCC 4K for a bit now with Olympus 25 1.2 and 12-100 Pro. Sometimes handheld, sometimes on a Crane 2S.
Oh and a G9 for some of the talking segments (nice to have one camera with autofocus).
@@BuzzytheBlue Nice man. Is the BMPCC 4k worth the price?
I have a Sony A7s II, A7r III as well as various GoPros, a DJI Drone, & DJI Pocket, myself.
Cool, I love the black magic cameras personally. I started out with an OG Pocket 1080 and just love their color science. For the price the Pockets punch waaaay above their weight class. And BRAW footage is a dream to work with in DaVinci.
XDelete fixes the understeer on XDrive. Can confirm as an owner the oil issue is way out of hand.
Awesome car and awesome video. Personally I like japanese/reliable cars and would go for a Lexus IS350 AWD. Second gen if competing with this, third or newer if money ever allowed.
Thank you! The IS350s have always interested me for that exact reason. A lot of the luxury and quality of the German cars without the head aches.
those are just way harder to find 😭
More expensive
So many of the 3 series are still on the road...reliable?
found one with 41,000 miles looking to purchase it
How’s reliability long term on these? Just picked one up with 80k miles. Great video.
They’re very dependent on regular maintenance, like 3-5k mile oil changes, and how they’re used. Well maintained and not beat on, they’re not bad. That’s part of why I’m keeping mine relatively stock (BMW PPK tune), and doing oil analysis to monitor bearings etc…
@@BuzzytheBlue what kind of mileage can one expect as far as longevity is concerned if taken care of? What are common issues? Thank u for responses.
I’m looking into getting one soon, it’s got about 70k miles it’s got my concern was it started off as fleet car but it seems the last owner took solid care of it (the usual oil/filter changes, maintenance inspections the last big thing they changed was the starter) I was wondering if there’s anything to look out for? Like anything starting to fail?
Fleet car is a tough one, I’d really analyze that history and specifically how LONG it was used in that capacity. I’d assume it was used as a corporate car or something. Get a pre-purchase inspection from a reputable independent shop, one that specializes in BMWs if possible.
70k miles is literally nothing for a 10+ year old car. Fleet or otherwise. in my experience fleet vehicles are more regularly maintained than the average car on the road. My 2011 335i has 210k and is still going (i do my own maintenance.) Every time i feel like changing cars i look around and nothing really ticks all the boxes like this car does (speed, responsiveness, smooth, mpg is good for a sports car)
At 70 - 100k at least consider the maint items that will leave you stranded: acc belt, idler pully, water pump. Other e90 n55 specific things to look out for are oil thermostat/filter housing gaskets, cracked factory plastic charge pipe, water leak into rear 2 or 3 ignition coil wells.
you really have got to get behind the wheel of a 335d
Would love to, such interesting cars.
Would you get one of these without the iDrive and drop in an aftermarket CarPlay unit?
You could, but the ones without iDrive have a completely different dashboard. I’d probably want an iDrive car so that I could use the factory location for the screen, it’s closer to your eyeline that way. Either way is do able though.
What rims do you have the car ? Love the match with the headlights
Thanks man, they are just Aodahns in satin copper. Decent wheels for cheap (comparatively).
@@BuzzytheBlue appreciate that man. I actually a month go honestly thanks to your video. Bought that same vehicle 2011 335ix with 66k miles absolutely love the car
Are you running the stock exhaust? It sound so good.
Thanks man. Stock mufflers with the PE mod. Nothing else done to it.
I recently purchased the 2011 335i xdrive automatic can you still mod it being awd?(new to bmw and mods)
Really depends on what kinda mods you have in mind. For example, certain front suspension changes that would fit a regular 335i, won't fit an XDrive. And being an early N55 engine, I'd be really careful about going too crazy with mods/tuning, they're a bit more fragile than the N54 or later B58. On my car I did the PPK tune (factory BMW performance tune), XHP to tune the XDrive to send more power to the rear, and the PE muffler mod for more exhaust sound. I have videos on each of those on the channel.
@@BuzzytheBlue thank you I wouldn’t have the knowledge, just wait it faster than what it is and sound nice … even thinking about getting those race chips
xDrive on the E90s is not torque vectoring or "electronically controlled" beyond automatic braking differential functionality (which can only take power away, not move it somewhere else). Its nothing special, its 3 open differentials.
Never once mentioned torque vectoring. Also, the center differential is electronically actuated, hence the ability to even make changes to the torque split via this app. I meant it in the most direct way possible; where Audi’s Quattro system is fully mechanically actuated, this is not.
@@BuzzytheBlue I brought up torque vectoring as Audi's contemporary equivalent was torque vectoring. Quattro hasn't been purely mechanical ever, the diffs have always had some level of electronic logic going on. xDrive doesn't actually allow you to adjust the torque split as far as the differentials are concerned, all you're adjusting is how the automatic braking differential is behaving, which literally just applies the brakes to wheels which are slipping (ie fancy ABS).
Is 211k KM too high for a 335xi msport? I found a decent deal but its 211k KM
I’d want to have a really thorough pre purchase inspection done and have maintenance records too. I don’t think I’d buy one with those kind of miles from a dealership. It’s difficult to gauge its history when they are.
@BuzzytheBlue Alright thanks for the insight. It's from a private seller and he has had all the leaks fixed and new turbo lol. I'm just worried about the engine health
I see connecticut i click like😭💯
What's perfect about it? I will cause nothing but trouble, terribly expensive repairs, and the constant fear of being stranded due to a fault is just not worth it
They’re as expensive to repair as most other turbo BMWs lol (barring a B58 which you’re not getting for 15k), neither of mine have ever left me stranded but I wouldn’t blame someone for worrying.
@@BuzzytheBlue I can respect that
would you recommend buying a 120k miles N55 Bmw 335?
Really depends on how it’s been maintained; I would, but only if it has great ownership/maintenance records. Probably wouldn’t buy one from a car lot either, I’d want it to be a private owner so I can get a gauge for how it’s been taken care of.
Thanks!
I had to come back I thought this video had hundreds of thousands of views lmfao
Fingers crossed for later 😂
I’d say honestly the e91 is a close second!!
I’m admittedly using E90 as a catch-all for the whole range. With that said, an E91 would actually be my top choice. In the process of restoring an E39 Touring so I’m partial to wagons!
@@BuzzytheBlue Same here! I am lookin at getting this e91 with a manual trans and all m3 hardware it’s nice
The E91 is definitely my choice over an E90
You don't think it's possible to find one with 80k miles for $10k if you're patient? I only have 10 to spend,I'm not sure if I should look elsewhere. I used to have a G37 but the fuel economy is horrible and they're not too reliable.
It’s possible! I got my last one (an auto) with around 100k miles for $11.5K I believe. I’m betting you could find one for $10K. Bear in mind though if fuel economy and reliability are things you really value, an aging, higher mileage, 335i may not be the best option. I need to make a video covering reliability but it’s a bit “iffy”, mine has been great thus far but they can be VERY expensive to maintain.
Side note, an E90 330i solves a lot of those issues. The naturally aspirated six cylinder in that car may be less powerful but it’s way more durable/reliable. Likely fits into your price point better too.
@@BuzzytheBlue Thanks for the info man, I'll consider all of it carefully. Are there any other cars you recommend with around 80k miles, decent hp (280 - 330), and decent reliability? I loved my '09 G37 coupe but I was literally getting 12 mpg hahahaha. I'm considering maybe giving up the speed and taking a '14 528i for around 10k if I sit on it and find a deal but I don't know, I feel like the upgrade in the interior may not be significant enough to justify being limited in how fast I can drive. Also not sure how many problems those cars will have.
@@agsdjklshadsabn If you're considering a 5-Series like that I'd steer you toward an Audi A6 3.0T instead. They're not amazing on gas but definitely better than 12mpg, reliable, and very powerful. (around 400hp with a flash tune). 10K would almost get you into the C7 which is 2012 and up but the older gen with the 3.0T is still a good car and definitely in your price range. I have a review of one on the channel.
@@BuzzytheBlue Found a 2013 A6 3.0T with 100k miles (clean title, maintenance done, 2 owner) for a little under 10k. I think this deal is semi-rare but still pretty findable, might just have to pull the trigger
god it needs lowering so bad but otherwise its *chefs-kiss*
I would but I'm addicted to having one car that can handle my garbage CT roads without feeling like it's going to break/hit the bump stops constantly 😂
@@BuzzytheBlue Oh I get it - I live in Seattle, idk how my strut towers are even straight at this point
Please stay away from first gen N55’s. They are horribly unreliable and have rod bearing issues as well as the 6 speed transmissions have synchro issues and will cost you a fortune. I’ve replaced twice as many N55 engine as I have N54
Beyond the oil starvation issues when used on track, I don’t think N55s are commonly just spinning bearings spontaneously in normal use. Possible sure, but hardly as common as in the S54, or S65/85 for that matter. But people could just get an LCI 2010 with an N54 if it worries them.
Haven’t heard about synchro issues, at 100k mine was shifting perfect but maybe I’m just lucky.
You were in englando or usa? 😅
Usa
is that Hartford lol
Caught me
X drive E90? Wtf
Close. E60 is better
I had an E60 545i manual for a couple years, loved that car.
@@BuzzytheBlue fun. I just got a 535i
n55 is poop
relax
Fantastic cinematography. Please do a video on the e85 z4.
Thank you! I’ll try get my hands on one soon 🤙🏼
just can’t trust n54/ early n55
Left relatively stock and with really solid maintenance upkeep they’re not awful. They struggle to handle lots of abuse though, Track work etc unfortunately.