Buying a used 2006 bmw 330i
 

Hey guys, I'm planning on buying a used 2006 330i from the CPO lot in a bmw dealership, but I'm just wondering if anyone who actually own that car can give me some insight as to how it performs and any maintanence issues? Also, during idling, I can feel this slight vibration from the shifter but the guy told me once i put it in gear, then it'll be fine. Just wondering if that's normal for you guys?

2006 is the last yr for the E46 sedan....they pretty much fixed all issues with the E46 by 2006. Great car, handles well, good chassis, great interior materials and decent smooth power. I used to own a 2002 330ci and had no issues with it. I would definitely get the slight vibration checked out, that is not normal....but regardless I am assuming you have a factory warranty. Is the dealer offering you the Certified Preowned extended warranty?

Yea they still have the factory warrantly and it's a certified pre-owned sales. Like I said, the only thing i'm worrying is the vibration felt on the shifter, which i was told it's normal in all bmw's. I've never driven a bmw before so i'm not sure but I sure don't feel that in my TSX.

2006 is actually the first year of the E90 330i, though you'd be correct if it is in fact a 330ci.

Personally, I would be wary of any first year model - though the prices for 06s these days are tempting!

How much is the used 06?

BMW is having big discounts on their higher end cars.

I know Autowest was selling 08 M3's for mid 60's OTD

It is indeed a E90 and not the E43. The listed price for the car is 34k which is quite tempting. But i'm just concerned wtih the reliability issue. There is the warranty on it tho for another 2 yrs with the extended plus the option to purchse additional years.

I got a used 06 328i from BJ and haven't had any major issues.

e90fanatics.com is ur friend

e90post.com is ur friend

Yes, e90post.com ftw.

DO IT! I loved the E90 330i! I was going to get one as well but I couldn't find one with the options I wanted in the US, when the dollar was 1 to 1, plus the fact that their wasn't one on the lots, so I just waited and bought a LCI E90 328i since I got a really REALLY good deal on it haha :)

I would've loved it if they put the 255hp 330i engine inside the 328i but meh I chose the new E90 style over the 255hp engine :D

I wouldn't say theirs something you need to know about the 330i, a lot of 330i owners haven't really had much issues with their cars. Just occasional rattles and electronic issues. Just normal BMW maintenance lol

hahah yea, thx for the help guys. But I think most of that stuff will be covered with BMW's warranty anyways. But with the slight vibration i feel thru the shifter, that's something normal?

what kind of car do you currently have? while I'm not an expert, the "rattle" you are feeling is probably vibrations from the transmission and engine. manual transmissions on RWD cars aren't mounted the same way as FWD. the shifter is usually directly connected into the transmission. no cables, and stuff like in transverse mounted set ups. correct me if I'm wrong.

The shifter on my bmw vibrates a bit and does so on a bunch of other friend's bmws too. They're all bmw e30s though so... I think it's normal. I only notice it if I really pay attention to it. The E30 M3 shifter always rattles, lol. The faster you go, the faster it rattles :).

the E90 330i is a good car and won't be as bad to have as a E90/E92 335i when the warranty does run out

Word, the 335i's has a few issues like the dreaded fuel pump which I doubt will be fixed during the E90/E92 cycle.

lol.

vibration in the shifter is definitely not normal. get it checked out if ur really interested.

good car choice.

e30 m3 probably has much stiffer engine and transmission mounts, which equate to more vibrations traveling into the interior and shifter. but oh man, an e30 M3 would be hotness, the engine and tranny probably respond super well!

wouldn't this be a good thing for a horny female driver?

isn't vibration in the shifter during idle just the transmission mounts? everything vibrates a little bit when you're idling.

Just a little update, I went to check out another 330i and it vibrates the same so I suppose it's normal. Yea i was told it's because how the shifter and transmission is mounted different for a RWD as opposed to FWD. I'm coming from a 2004 TSX. and when i test drove it, it isn't as noticable.

Haven't seen many manual 330i's out there, but this is the engine that puts out 255-260hp right? and I think this might have been the first year of that series of engine, but not too sure. Our X3 has that engine and it's great on gas and we like it. But it is the first year of E90 but considering how many they make, this car should have pretty decent quality.

Hopefully it won't be like our old Z3 that was the first year, and everything broke including the power windows... Luckily it was stolen and we didn't have to put up with it for too long

yea that's the one wtih the 255 hp and 238 torque i think. and yes it is the same engine used in the X3 apparently.

^
I believe the 328i uses a detuned form of the same 3.0L engine in the 330i.

yup i think this series of engine was new though something about the material (magnesium?) used to make it or something that makes it perform better... could've just been some bs salesman tactic