[pocoyo_3]

I have a dilemma on which car to purchase, as these are similar price. One is a 2006 E90 330i / 80k miles, and the other is a 2010 E92 328i / 95k miles. Both have similar features and are similar in price. They have similar histories too.

I'm leaning towards the E92 as it's that much newer and it's an LCI. Any thoughts and ideas?

[eljay]

They are different cars: sedan vs coupe, so pick the one that suits your lifestyle.
If you don't need rear doors and rarely have more than one passenger, the newer coupe gets my vote.

[desertman123]

You can always bring the 328 up to 330i hp with BimmerLabs

[rick100]

easier to make your 328 into a 330 than it is to make a 330 pre lci to a most modern look ( which is not possible as far as I know)

All you need is a 3 stage intake and a tune ( just under 1k if you can do the install urself) and bang same power as a 330 with a modern look

The automatic tranny is different in a 330 , but if you are getting manual tranny , its pretty much the same as far as I know

[pocoyo_3]

Thanks everyone. I don't need the 4 doors daily but prefer to have them. I also realise the 330i is that little bit more special. Saying that, a newer LCI is tempting

This morning I'm leaning towards the 330i as it's also closer to me

[330istocknot]

I own a 330i 2006.

With the amount of miles on that 330i, it will need some good maintenance done, something the 328i could wait on, as it is 4 years newer.


2006 330i are a lot of fun, and special, as they were only made in 2006 e90 chassis. Fun to drive! Never owned a 328i. Overall 330i is a nice car to drive, hauls ass, and make those 325i kids jelly. Haha.

[pocoyo_3]

The 330i needs a coolant system refresh, which will cost just over $2k according to the indy shop that did the ppi. Otherwise it's clean

I'm expecting age related items on the 328i too as it's 95k miles which is 15k miles more than the 330i. Besides, all E90s need new water pumps before 100k miles

[alfazrus]

$2K for coolant refresh?? If you mean the pump & the thermostat, even then it seems way too high. You should check different places.

[pocoyo_3]

Thanks. New pump, hoses, expansion tank, and radiator

[BioChemBro]

Wouldn’t a 2010 e92 still be a pre lci? Unless we’re referring to build dates

[doru]

Originally Posted by pocoyo_3

Thanks. New pump, hoses, expansion tank, and radiator

2 grand is a tad steep.
I purchased a little over a year ago an X3 e83 with the N52 engine for my daughter. Pretty much same engine as the 330 (3 stage manifold, yada,yada) Did upper radiator hose, OFG (the oil leaks killed the upper rad hose), expansion tank (was leaking) + oil T-stat, water pump & t-stat, new plugs, new VCG, all new fluids everywhere and rear springs. I did all this just after I purchased the car. The parts bill was under 1 grand, including all fluids.

I don't think new rad is needed, unless it's leaking or the plastic started to change color (brownish or greenish).

[GoRomeo]

coolant system refresh over $2k...

[pocoyo_3]

Thanks everyone. Sounds like $2k is on the high side

Good point on it not being an LCI

[pocoyo_3]

Actually I think M-Sport was only available on the LCI cars so this may be an LCI

Is there a significant advantage to an LCI, other than the looks?

[ctuna]

If the 2010 has the base sound system pass on it.
The ampless sound system in the base 2010 is a POS.
Or be prepared to spend 2k to put something decent in.
Lots of decontenting happened in 2010.

[hassmaschine]

IMO, 330i if its a 6 speed, especially with the sport package. Its just perfect out of the box. Also MSV70 is still easier to tune, you get the metal valve cover, fold down rear seats, and a bunch of other stuff that BMW deleted to save money on later cars.

Also i doubt the 330i needs all that stuff replaced. Only the pump is a common replacement, but mine lasted to 130k, which is a long way away from 80k. Replacing the rad, hoses, and tank is a waste of money IMO.

[pocoyo_3]

Interesting, as it sounds like LCI was more about decontenting the cars rather than improvements. I thought that the LCI cars would have many improvements to them.

Anyway, I've been going back and forth between the cars. I think they are going to be the same purchase price, so it's basically the decision between the 2010 328i / 95k miles and the 2006 330i / 80k miles. Which is worth more, the 4 years newer or the 15k fewer miles.

I realise that neither car is collectible, but the 330i is rarer. Both are manual transmissions with sports (or M-Sport in the case of the 328i) packages. Both are also original owner.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by pocoyo_3

Interesting, as it sounds like LCI was more about decontenting the cars rather than improvements. I thought that the LCI cars would have many improvements to them.

Anyway, I've been going back and forth between the cars. I think they are going to be the same purchase price, so it's basically the decision between the 2010 328i / 95k miles and the 2006 330i / 80k miles. Which is worth more, the 4 years newer or the 15k fewer miles.

I realise that neither car is collectible, but the 330i is rarer. Both are manual transmissions with sports (or M-Sport in the case of the 328i) packages. Both are also original owner.

The LCI cars look a bit more modern on the exterior, but I prefer the pre-LCI interior build quality. I prefer the look of the sedan, so I'd chose the 330i.

Depending on where you are, 2 grand might not be too far off to replace that stuff. That is around $1000 in parts through a shop, and we all know the labor prices on these cars. DIY will save you a lot of labor money.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by pocoyo_3

Interesting, as it sounds like LCI was more about decontenting the cars rather than improvements. I thought that the LCI cars would have many improvements to them.

Anyway, I've been going back and forth between the cars. I think they are going to be the same purchase price, so it's basically the decision between the 2010 328i / 95k miles and the 2006 330i / 80k miles. Which is worth more, the 4 years newer or the 15k fewer miles.

I realise that neither car is collectible, but the 330i is rarer. Both are manual transmissions with sports (or M-Sport in the case of the 328i) packages. Both are also original owner.

Yeah all these extra replacement of non broken items is a waste of your time and money. The 330i will be better of the box as mentioned. The LCI better looking, but that’s very subjective.

[rick100]

one thing though , you can make the e92 perform close to/like a 330 without spending much ( possibly under 1k) . You can not make the 330 look like an LCI , its just not possible as far as I know. To me the 300 looks a bit outdated , but again looks are very subjective to each person

Im just giving you the reason why I would personally steer to the e92 , or e90 328 lci. And yes , it is unfortunate the BMW downgrade the performance on the 328 , its a good thing that the aftermarket support caught on and now there are options to make the 328 perform as good if not better than a 330 ...

[atmosphericM]

I think it really comes down to coupe vs. sedan. Pick what you'd rather have. The rest is details that can be modified for the most part. Personally I think M Sport package is huge on BMW, but not everyone agrees. The thicker steering wheel and black headliner do a lot for me feeling like I'm in a special place vs. a standard sedan (albeit a BMW version), and the aero kit definitely makes the car look more aggressive if that's what you're in to.

LCI isn't just about cheapening, many things were improved as well such as the nav. system, headlights and tail-lights, etc. Only a few things were "cheapened" and they're really no big deal IMO (who cares that much about the sun visors, really?). The LCI sedan (and even coupe) looks more modern and aggressive than the Pre-LCI to me, but that's irrelevant here I suppose.

[atmosphericM]

Oh, one more big thing to consider. Find out if the 328i is a SULEV (N51 motor) or ULEV (the standard N52 motor). If it is N51 it will already have the 3 stage manifold that the 330i has to make more power, which is nice, but the N51 also has a different head, resulting in lower compression. In other words, an N51 will never be *quite* what an N52 is as far as power output... it will be about 10whp behind or so without building the motor. That said, the N51 cars come with a (basically) life-time warranty on certain parts that do go bad such as the valve cover gasket (VCG).