Considering selling my BMW 335i to get FR-S... Good or Bad idea?

[luscious]

Originally Posted by R Corse

I'm not even touching this

So much wrong....

Actually...he hit the nail on the head for many, many BMW drivers.

Where he is wrong is thinking it applies to all of them.

[phillip]

Originally Posted by Fish

I personally never really liked the N54 engine in that car. Way to many problems with the fuel system. Something to consider if your keeping the car. Though I believe they updated the warranty regarding that. I'm not sure though since I left the BMW dealer by the time the recall started picking up.

I don't know how you can dislike the N54. It has won Engine of the Year several times (both overall, in its own class, etc). The issue with the HPFP was resolved with both an extended warranty and a fixed part, so it's not really an issue anymore.

[R Corse]

Originally Posted by Turbowned

For a track car yes. For a daily or even weekend car? No. The Elise is not built for tall people, and is incredibly raw. All shreds of comfort are thrown out the window.

You can shave some weight in the FR-S (there's a guide in this forum which shows a slew of different parts weighed on a scale) starting primarily with the heavy stock wheels, but 24-2500lbs might be pushing it. However, the aftermarket is finding a good amount of horsepower to be made in the intake and exhaust alone, even before tuning!

This.

Originally Posted by Gen

I've daily driven an Elise and an Exige S, and if you can live without having a usable trunk, it's not so bad. It has AC and a roof, so I never understood the big deal people make. I'm 6'1 and fit in one nicely. Honestly, the first thing I thought of one sitting in the FR-S was "Elise". I can tell the designers of the BR-Z / FR-S used it as inspiration on some aspects. As someone else said, however, the Elise and Exige are quite a bit more raw than the FR-S/BRZ.

The biggest downer for the Lotus is maintenance cost (unless you're handy with a wrench, then it's dirt cheap) and the insane amount of money if someone taps into you at 3 mph ($10,000+).

Doing your own maintenance, especially on this Lotus, is fairly easy.

Originally Posted by luscious

Actually...he hit the nail on the head for many, many BMW drivers.

Where he is wrong is thinking it applies to all of them.

Actually, I think most BMW Owners buying point is the warranty and maintenance package on new/used cars. Not having to pay for service on anything is the new primary reason for buying one.

[SUB-FT86]

Originally Posted by luscious

Actually...he hit the nail on the head for many, many BMW drivers.

Where he is wrong is thinking it applies to all of them.

You need to read his post again. He said not all BMW drivers fit the description. He is 100% right about his post IMHO.

[SUB-FT86]

Originally Posted by ZmZMWagon

IMO, it just depends on what you will be using the FRS for. If your daily drive consist of straight lines and being stuck in traffic it would be a waste of the cars potential, unless you want to get it for the looks and attention.

But if you driving through "twisties" on a daily basis and have track days on the weekend, I would make the switch too.

Your post is by far the most sensible post in this thread.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by phillip

I don't know how you can dislike the N54. It has won Engine of the Year several times (both overall, in its own class, etc). The issue with the HPFP was resolved with both an extended warranty and a fixed part, so it's not really an issue anymore.

I know all about that stuff. It's just that I was a BMW tech for 4 1/2 years. I loved how much money I made off that engine, but at the same time I disliked the sheer volume of failures it had. It wasn't uncommon for me to put a new part in and have the new part fail during the test drive. When your dealing with 15+ cars a day, the last thing you wanted was to do was take a car apart over and over again. Also it was just knowing that although I was fixing the problem, the car was going to come back anyway. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with its performance or anything. But this is why I disliked that engine.

I also know that all the warranty and parts were getting updated. By that time I was on my way out of the dealer so I stopped caring about what was going on with all that.

[Mr. Mcoupe]

Fish- how was the S54 in your experience?

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Mr. Mcoupe

Fish- how was the S54 in your experience?

I never really noticed very many problems with that engine actually. Nothing that stands out off the top of my head at least Usually it was the SMG transmission that had problems. If you had a manual you didn't need to worry about that. Maintainence obviously cost more. I can't remember exactly how often but you had to adjust the valves every Inspection 1/2 service. Which is about every 30k miles. For the most part it was a pretty solid engine IMO.

Haven't had a chance to read through the thread. Has the OP made a decision yet? I'm just curious.

[tripjammer]

Originally Posted by iBurnTires

Here's my situation, I got an 07 335i Coupe two years ago and the extended warranty is going to be up soon. Im thinking about selling it and getting a black 6spd FR-S... Thoughts

Do it, your BMW is almost out of warranty. You do not want to keep a BMW when it is out of warranty. The FR-S or BRZ looks way better in person than the BMW 335i and they are way rarer too. The FR-S\BRZ is also more fun to drive.

You BMW does look nice though...

[Echo]

I'm getting average 31.7 miles to the gallon (36ish on the highway) in my FR-S.

Do it.

[Dark]

I would get the current gen M3 instead.

[huma]

Originally Posted by dirk_diggler

I bought one yesterday myself, a 2011 328i Coupe, fully loaded (including M-sport package) with MT. MSRP 49k negotiated down to 37k. Car had 68 miles on odometer (a few test drives.) It sat on the dealer lot for 11 months.

As much as I would have liked a BRZ, it has become increasingly clear that there are bugs to be squashed, no allocations to be had, and rushed production/sloppy QA (i.e. no oil in MT.)

The staggered setup (225/40/18 front and 255/35/18 rear) make the car track straight, balanced, and so easy to handle. You overcook a turn and instead of complaining, the car asks "Is that all you got for me, p#ssy?"

I sat in both the BRZ and the FRS, and while I did not have a chance to drive them, I doubt it can raise the bar on the BMW in the way that the BMW makes me feel so special. The BMW is sex on wheels, the BRZ/FRS, not so much. Don't get me wrong here, for many the BRZ/FRS exceeds anything they have driven before and therefore it makes them feel special in the same way I feel about it, but for someone who is comming from a 335i, don't kid yourself.

Trade it for another one and enjoy the vast ecosystem of BMW fans, tinkerers, tuners, and vendors. The FT86 ecosystem is only in its infancy and has no continuity of heritage (like, say, the 3 series.)

Your car has been in more than a few test drives. I would say at least 10 and that's why you got a deal on it. Good luck with a vehicle that's been broken in by other people test driving it. When your warranty runs out and you're stuck paying the repair bills, I'm sure you'll love your bmw even more.

So 1 vehicle came w/o transmission oil and the whole production line is now sloppy? People make mistakes, look at bmw's...people buy them despite their horrid reliability. I'm sure there are more horror stories revolving bmw's than toyota/subaru. Since it's a ft86 forum, lets only call out their issues and turn a blind eye to bmw's.

You try to make the 328i sound like it's a champion in the corners when the reality is, you'll get smoked on a track vs a frs/brz. With the price difference between a 328i and frs/brz, I could make a brz more comfy, faster, better looking and turn more heads than a stock 328i.

I've driven m3's and other sports cars. In your opinion, the 328i might be the best car you've ever driven and I'm glad it makes you feel special. If I spent $40k on a vehicle, I better be happy with my purchase as well. Otoh, for a $25k vehicle, there is no competition. When everyone is done paying off their vehicle in 3-5 years, you'll still be paying another 2-3 years for yours and all the repair bills. By then, you'll probably get frustrated and trade it in for frs/brz at the end of it's cycle.

[Gen]

dirk_diggler


I sat in both the BRZ and the FRS, and while I did not have a chance to drive them, I doubt it can raise the bar on the BMW in the way that the BMW makes me feel so special. The BMW is sex on wheels, the BRZ/FRS, not so much. Don't get me wrong here, for many the BRZ/FRS exceeds anything they have driven before and therefore it makes them feel special in the same way I feel about it, but for someone who is comming from a 335i, don't kid yourself.

This is the most hysterical post I've read on the forum and surely must be an exceptional troll. I can't throw a rock without hitting a BMW. There's more BMWs than Hondas on the streets. If that makes you feel special...well whatever floats your boat....

[D1cker]

Originally Posted by dirk_diggler

Trade the bimmer for another one.

I bought one yesterday myself, a 2011 328i Coupe, fully loaded (including M-sport package) with MT. MSRP 49k negotiated down to 37k. Car had 68 miles on odometer (a few test drives.) It sat on the dealer lot for 11 months. Looks like people in LA hate MT. Can't blame them.

As much as I would have liked a BRZ, it has become increasingly clear that there are bugs to be squashed, no allocations to be had, and rushed production/sloppy QA (i.e. no oil in MT.)

Instead, I chose a mature platform at the end of the model production cycle. The sports seats in Dakota leather will make the BRZ Limited seats blush. The staggered setup (225/40/18 front and 255/35/18 rear) make the car track straight, balanced, and so easy to handle. You overcook a turn and instead of complaining, the car asks "Is that all you got for me, p#ssy?" The ride is plush, confident, and communicative. Trunk space is substantial and you get bonus space where the spare used to be. Plus, no human rights violations will occur if someone sat in the back seats. I could go on and on...

I sat in both the BRZ and the FRS, and while I did not have a chance to drive them, I doubt it can raise the bar on the BMW in the way that the BMW makes me feel so special. The BMW is sex on wheels, the BRZ/FRS, not so much. Don't get me wrong here, for many the BRZ/FRS exceeds anything they have driven before and therefore it makes them feel special in the same way I feel about it, but for someone who is comming from a 335i, don't kid yourself.

Trade it for another one and enjoy the vast ecosystem of BMW fans, tinkerers, tuners, and vendors. The FT86 ecosystem is only in its infancy and has no continuity of heritage (like, say, the 3 series.)

What's up man! It's Derek your salesperson!!