How to Buy a Used E90 / E92 BMW 3 Series | BMW Buyer's Guide 

Intro literally explained my life when I first got my license

Ive been a bmw tech for a couple of years and you definitely nailed this video! I knew all the oil leaks you were going to bring up but I was surprised at the detail you went into on them, especially with the belt sucking oil filter housing leak because not many BMW owners know about that

No exaggeration I probably watched over 25 videos on bmw’s trying to learn their terminology and everything. I wish I watched this first this was perfect well explained easy to understand and not dragged out at all 🤝🏾

This is a great video, very informative. I bought a e90 335xi last April. Got it for 9k, only 60k miles. Owned by an old lady who couldn't turn the steering wheel anymore lol. Fast forward a yearish, I'm pushing 430hp to the wheels. Such a fun drive

One of the best presented videos I've seen. Nice intro. Smooth articulate and no nonsense delivery. Sharing valuable information and really quite entertaining. Great job man. Excellent video!

I owned my 2008 328i since brand new. Currently at 130k miles maintenance oil changes and a waterpump. Thats all i paid. Fantastic car even by today's standards.

Great video, extremely informative !! I have a 2012 BMW 335i E93, and I love it. I had some initial problems ( water pump !! ). The car had only 18.987 miles when I purchased it. I received a dispute form from an attorneys CO. concerning the early pump brake down. it is still under litigation . Meanwhile I paid for it. ( did not have the warranty extension ). Other than that it runs just perfect !

Thank you so very much for making this excellent video. I don't maintain my car myself, and the thought of paying dearly at a dealership to have this car's likely problems addressed has scared me away from buying one. I just found a beautiful one locally, but I'm not going to pursue it now. I am grateful to you for saving me from the heartache and headache!

Hands down!!! This is the most well put video on this content so far. Salute!! I'm on the hunt for a 335i/e92/n55 also and this video cut my learning curve and valuable time into researching almost everything I need to know about this car by around 80%. Thank you so much, now I'm even more stoked and fearless about purchasing an n54/n55 engine.

This is well explained, even though I am someone who already knows a lot about these cars I have learned some interesting things🔥

This video is gold! Thanks for sharing enthusiast / maintenance info. Salute!

Just got a ‘07 e92. CV joint seems to be acting up. Not had a chance to drive since I’m only 15. Very excited for my first BMW experience 🎉😊

Thank you so much man for real 😎 I'm looking to get a 2009 328i at my local dealership. My boss is gonna give it to me via Company use and they are indeed cheap right now. Definitely needed this video for my awareness of what to ask and look forward to at the dealership and afterwards on my own

Great video man. You definitely highlighted all key areas. Reminded me to do preventative maintenance soon.

Hands down best car plattform in my opinion. I've been driving a 325d E90 for a long time until it got wrecked by a truck not seeing me at the traffic light. It was the LCI model and an absolute joy. It got replaced by my current 335d E92 with every option except the tow hook and I gotta say this is the best a car can get. Although the petrol version has 20 more HP you would struggle to notice that difference a lot. what you get is loads of torque from the bottom of the rev band, very high mileage per fuel (up to 1000km+ per tank) and much more. In terms of carbon build up I cannot recommend enough to go out and just get better quality fuel. Not sure about the US of A, but here in europe you might want to got to aral/bp or shell to get you fuel. preferably the ultimate/v-power, but not necessarily. It's just not worth it to cheap out on 2-3ct per litre on cheaper fuel. you may save 2-3€/$ per fueling but will spend 1000€/$ and above if someone has to get in there and scrape of all that shit that did not burn properly. As an excample, a friend of mine and I both have had the 325d and we both got new parts and bits installed because they were worn from the previous user. My friend did the cheap way, got cheap fuel and had his engine rebuild 60tkm later because of excessive carbon build-up. Mine with the more premium fuel was in near mint condition 100tkm later. Our way of driving and the trips we were doing were comparable. So at least in my experience, going for better fuel goes a long way if you want to preserve your engine. (as do frequent oil changes) I've been driving newer BMWs and as a driver who's focus is on the driving experience I got to say, that the steering wheels on the newer ones are just too light up to the point where you'd struggle to properly feel the road and traction.

I purchased a 330i directly from a bimmer mechanic! Amazing experience and the car has been perfect

Man. I appreciate the transparency.

Thank you ! So helpful while I'm considering buying my first one. 💫

I have an E92 325i i never had any kind of engine problems, its the most reliable car i have,the engine is amazing!!

Honest BMW owner, rare... At least you warned them it WILL have problems, it's not a Honda.

This is what I needed wanting to buy 325i for first one

Great information, I have a E93 if I heard right. 2013 3 series Hardtop convertible 328i . Just bought it about 3months ago

Great video indeed, If I may ask, what do I need to look out for on N45 engine bmw e87 116i 2010 model, I recently bought one and its used

Great delivery and information...I've started researching the E90 series cars, so this is very helpful. I'm leaning towards an E91 wagon with the N43 4 cylinder or N52 6 cylinder. The N54/5 sounds awesome, but a bit too much work as a daily car (mainly for my wife). I live in Japan so models are slightly different here. Definitely going to get an MSport model and probably an LCI car.

I've owned a 2012 328i e92 Hardtop Convertible. absolutely Loved that car. ended up swerving to avoid a dear, went over a rock and totalled it. I am now in a 2011 328i X drive, and again I really love it. My N51 is a SULEV which means it has a 15 year, 150k mile warrant for any and all emissions related issues. super clutch

Great video bro, the level of description is elite 👍🏾

Great vid my man keep it up

Very informative dude. Watching out for more

Great video. Considering getting 2008 325i at 140000km for 12000 aud not bad

I got my 2007 E90 for a bargain and I love it, the previous owner had put slick tires on and I couldn't get anywhere in the rain (DTC would kick in at 30mph, wth? Rainy Washington, Hello) so I put Michelin 80k's on and .... so fun.

Re: Honda Accord, if it's a V6 then you'll need to make sure the timing belt maintenance has been completed for the higher mileage examples. (This pretty much applies to all Honda/Acura V6 motors). But other than that, car only needs basic maintenance throughout its long lifespan. That aside, thank you very much for this video. I am looking for an E90/E92 335i (or possibly an F30 version) to supplement my current cars (22 MDX/22 TLX) but want to have fun with it as well. This presentation provided some great direction.

Thanks for your videos. Really helpful

Great video. Greetings from the netherlands 🇳🇱

e 90 is exactly the best car i have ever had. i bought it second time yesterday

2012 E90 at 90k miles. Oil filter housing gasket, ac evaporator, motor mounts, and stabilizer. Plus many TPMS sensors.

Great video I have a 2012 328i e92 coupe with the N52 extremely reliable platform the car is no slouch it’s way faster than your average everyday car water pump is the main thing on the N52 I replaced mine at 74k I’m currently sitting at 85k with no issues

I have an E92 335d and its a pretty nice car although it was driven already over 230000km when I bought it. I had to fix some things because the previous owner did not maintain the car. Since that I do not have any problems and if you are happy with 286 HP and 580 NM torque I would recommend to buy one. The problem with BMWs is mostly the owner / previous owner rather than the car. If the previous owner of my car had paid more attention to it, I could have spent less money on repairs and more on the purchase price. So rather look longer for a reputable seller and you only have to repair oil changes, brakes and other wearing parts. The expensive repairs are only necessary after around 250,000km, such as the turbocharger on my car in the coming summer. I hope this helps someone and they have as much fun with the car as I do. Greetings from Germany.

This was very informative. Thank u

Thanks for the informations you gave.

Really appreciate man. Thanks a lot 👍

Thanks for the great vid, what about the N53 ? You don't talk about it in the video. which one is the most reliable of the e90s you think ?

Well explained video. Very helpful thank you

Thanks. I’m looking at a 328xi and intuition told me it’s much more reliable than the boosted versions. Glad to hear that’s the case. Don’t need tons of power beyond a bit of fun now and then, and getting groceries in the snow.

I am interested in this generation of 3 series but with an N53 engine, which is on the 325i. What about this engine.

Well done extremely detailed vid! but the E90 sedan was produced from -05 not -07👍

Thank you. about to check out a 2008 328i Coupe

Guy has a 2007 335 6speed manual coupe 23,500 miles. Blk/blk asking $19k is it worth it?

Very informative video. Thank you

Great info' man. Cheers

I'm looking to either buy a E92 coupe or a CLK coupe, as a japanese car guy I am not that good with euros. What would you get?

Great job very informative thanks

Thank You, very informative

I am glad I found this video before buying a BMW. Honda Accord seems a good option 😎

Bmw e90, model 316, year 2008 . You think still worthy in 2022 ?

Great vid M8 thanks heaps

what about the diesel engines?

Writing this while watching and so far u are doing great job on explaining everything😁.. really thinking about buying one, not sure if coupe or sedan but it will have 3.0l 6cyl diesel engine and I'm afraid of the maintenance cost. If I'm buying, I'm buying diesel engine because I heard they are reliable, so it doesn't bother me that much, but I'm worried about cost of parts like suspension parts, breaks etc.. so the point is what are the yearly maintenance costs of this car not including engine, thanks.

If I do have an oil leak How do I know where is it coming from ?

Love our n52. Had a 135 with the n54 for a few years - more fun and definitely faster but, much more complex, expensive to fix and less reliable than the n52.

I had both 09 rwd 328i and 11 xdrive 328i the x drive is just something else to break also.. my 09 rwd i traded in with 160k nonissues at all i bought it at 77,000 and had 0 issues for 4 year's of ownership. I wish i would habe kept it. If you take care of the N52 it will take care of you maybe my water pump was already changed when i bought it but it had nothing wrong but oil leak

Hey can you explain the 316-318i explanations ?

The fact I have a Honda accord and barely have to do maintenance lmao and I want a bmw and of course I feel targeted in the intro 😂😂😂😂

I have an e46 330i and let me tell you, the oil pan gasket is a mega bitch to do yourself if you aren't a mechanic. Took me all day but I saved like a grand doing it myself

Does anybody know if is the 325i E92 Lci a reliable car? I’m considering to buy one with the N53 engine

I own one of these cars and love it but definitely wish I'd known more about the issues before buying it. Bought around 100k mi and have spent $,6000 over the past year, just in parts. Hopefully I won't have any big repairs for a long time, but $6k in a year is a good chunk to pay for maintenance even if you included labor costs. If you are buying a higher mileage car (like 80K+) keep in mind that the suspension will likely need to be replaced by 100k and is around $1,000 + labor (easily $2,500 at an indi shop).

I love this car(e92 LCI), been driving it for 10 years 😂 still looks good, if u have some money to spend I would buy the M3 convertible and make it my project car, mega fun V8

Nice sharing！ Nice details!

So helpful man, you’re a champ 🏆

- lol idk if that intro was a Jab at my life sir ,,,,,,,,, BUT YOU WAS DEAD ON RIGHT

Good video explaining some of the main common problems. The whole water pump thing is way more common on the 335i and 335is because of all the extra heat generated by having turbos or mods that increase performance. I owned so far for more than 10 years a 328i e-92 n51 SULEV and thank God is been a blessing of a car. If anyone wants a 5th generation BMW and you want a reliable car that is not gonna hurt the bank as much assuming you do most of the labor yourself get a 328i n51 or n52 engine (the n51 engine is found on states that are CARB compliant like California, New Jersey and a few others states) e90,e91,e92 or e93 none x drive there the most reliable fallow by the 330i they only made them in e90 sedans. Stay away from convertible’s as they are heavier in weight and could come with there unique set of possible problems that come with a hardtop convertible. If you want horsepower and less gas mileage go with the not so reliable at times money pit 335i or 335is the 335is n55 was introduced in the last years of the e92 generation and there a bid more reliable they got rid of some the bugs from the n54 and have the better fuel pumps that are prone to fail on early model 335i and offer 25 more horsepower than the 335i and lastly the highly desirable M3 that most want but are more expensive to upkeep and maintain and at times insure the good thing is the M3 of this generation has a mechanical water pump on like the 328i,330i and 335i or 335is they have the electronic water pump that cost more depending what route you go. What ever you choose enjoy it and have fun.

I’d like to get your opinion on the N51 (SULEV) vs the N52 (non-SULEV) models for the 328i. Which is better? I hear the SULEV’s have a 15 year/150K mile factory warranty. But, if warranty runs out, anything to worry about (major costs or repairs) on those SULEV models? I’m currently considering a 328i coupe and wondering if I should avoid the N51.

Thank you, I'll buy the Honda accord.

I bought an early 2011 328i and it was a beautiful car…. But I changed all this stuff n some within a year! So I sold it.

quick question on the tinder what make and model of Lamborghini was he laying on sweetie

Outstanding video. Very informative. One question on the water pump… my 328i didn’t come with a heat gauge. How do I know when my engine is overheating? Do I have to wait for the warning light to come on?

Thank you so much. About to go pick up my first BMW, and its a 90. You just helped me big time. I heard its recommended to do a maintance when you bring the car home, is there a way i can check in the menu when it last had maintence?

Just bought one with 100k miles with recent water pump replacement

That's why I swapped mine for a ls6 v8.

If you do the maintenance on time , and take care of the car it will last even longer than the honda accord

bmw 320i 2005 e90 , 170000 km, well maintained, is it worth it ?

Im looking to buy an e92 with the N47 as a first car, any tips?

And here I am, proud owner of 1995 Toyota Starlet, watching this well made video out of pure polite curiosity. i admit, i had a fleeting interest in a BMW but when i saw that the road tax for the thing i'd need to pay is almost 3x of what i pay now, interest shiveled like joy in life when passing through nudist section of pensioners. Still a good video tho!

Bought a e92 325i with 53k miles. Love it.

I’m actually looking at a 2010 328i with 113,000 miles on it from the description the owner seems to have taken really good care of it. He pretty much has replaced every single problem you mentioned except for the water pump. But I’m still kind of hesitant on buying it, what do you think?

The 328i is probably the most reliable out of the e90's. Especially the SULEV models where they have 15 year warranties covering major parts addressed in the video. I have a 2010 e93 328i LCI at 115,300 miles. Only had to change 6 coils/plugs and the head cover gasket along with an eccentric shaft sensor. All covered by BMW's SULEV warranty, i paid $0. Car runs like a dream!!

Where did he say to look at cars? Was it forum?

I'm actually trying to buy a Toyota chaser, but if my budget doesn't work out imma try a bmw as I love drifting

Check valve cover gasket leak, check engine light, 4x4 light, anything headlight related can be expensive and requires removal of front bumper. Vanos and banjo line, misfires, burning oil, ticking or knocking noise. Rod bearings, DISA valve, i drive issues, oil leaks, dont buy one that has a tune or downpipe unless you can fix it. Stay away from temu modded cars. Most commonly owned by owners that do no maintanance. Most commonly found on buy here pay here lots for 29.99 apr. Anything related to the cooling system. Oil filter housing. And a partridge in a pear tree. Love my E30 and E36 🎉

Is it better t drive than e46?

Which is better a 09 328i covertible with under 90k miles or a 2011 328i sedan with around 120k miles? Lookin to buy my first car

Yep, my BMW 2011 328Xi needs a valve cover leak fix... quoted at $1400.00 not including taxes.. sucks.

wish that e90 had e92 headlights and rear lights e92 looks so much better only because of the lights

1.5k per injector? Or per set

Sold my e36 recently and been eyeing the E90 platform Saw a 335i pop up for 6.7k, gonna use these as negotiation tactics to score it for less 🧐

I just bought a E90 trans problem replaced for 1200 only bought the car for 1500

What about the 316i? It doesn't seem to get mentioned anywhere 😅

After watching this idk if i should buy 2008 320i

But I think e92-90 it’s the last one no turbo generation I mean the petrol ones

I bought a 2009 335i e93 with 58K miles for $10500 July of 2019. Already put in 2k in maintenance (tires, brakes, oil, tran, coolant drain/fill, and filters replaced). It now has 67K miles. Should I do a walnut blast with it not being driven often and low miles?

Looking at an e92 lci but it's stuck in park it's been 6 months and the used car dealership still hasn't fixed it I want that car so freakin bad I wish they'd just sell it to me so I can fix and drive it 😫