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545i vs 330i e90

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Old 05-01-2013 | 01:01 AM
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Default 545i vs 330i e90

I like both of these cars and wonder which one you guys would pick.Keep in mind reliability and repair cost.
Old 05-01-2013 | 03:22 AM
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My Ride: 04 545i - Titanium Silver/Black, Sport pkg, Comfort Seats w/ Lumbar, Premium Sound, power rear sunshade, Adaptive Xenon Headlights, Steptronic, Park Distance Control, Fold down rear seats w/ski bag, Aux jack, 6-disk changer, puddle lamps... Engine: Custom Remus cat-back exhaust w/chrome square tips, K&N Air Filter, Charcoal Filter Removed, Sprint Booster :-), 50/50 mix of 91+100 Octane, EuroRev ECU Remap (coming soon lol), Dinan High-Flow Throttle Body (coming soon...maybe lol) Interior: Portable Sirius Stilletto 100 w/car kit, Garmin Nuvi 680 mounted below rear-view mirror, LCI-style I-drive knob, Dark Poplar Center Dashboard Trim. Exterior: E60 forum clings, 5% rear tint, ACS roof spoiler (painted black for distinct look against limo tint), ACS trunk spoiler, ACS add-on front spoiler and rear apron (awaiting installation), "18 Black Staggered BeBeS Style OER (emergency replacement for cracked sport 124 rims), black kidney grill, white accessory lighting (including license and trunk lamps), Angel-eye upgrade, AIB xenon-matched fog lamps, AIB V3's on order, red rear reflectors
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Lets just get this out of the way - the 545i/N62B44 is one of the least reliable platforms, while being amongst the most expensive because of its complexity, clearances, and newness. It is also one of the most satisfyingly fun engines. That said and all things being similar from a service standpoint, the 330 should be more reliable, and handle better.
Old 05-01-2013 | 04:38 AM
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Between the two, the 330i. But I wouldn't want that car either.
Old 05-01-2013 | 06:29 AM
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Originally Posted by KyleB
Between the two, the 330i. But I wouldn't want that car either.
So what would you go with instead??
Old 05-01-2013 | 07:12 AM
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Originally Posted by aythatblackguy
So what would you go with instead??
You have two different class of cars, what are you looking to get out of your choice? power, handling, family car? etc...
Old 05-01-2013 | 08:45 AM
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Had both.
330i - it always feels more agile
545i - it is more civilized if you just drive it nice and smooth, but if you decide to push it - it becomes crazier and more fun than the 330i.
I found handling of 545i better than 330i, but that was probably because of sport packaged e60 vs non-sport e90.
At first cars seemed quite similar, but after I got used to 545i, every time I drive the e90, I see how much more I like the 5er.

Maintenance - 330i has much less potential problems. If you want e90, 330i is a good choice. It's a bit more powerful than the 328i, but doesn't have 335i problems.
Old 05-01-2013 | 09:02 AM
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Originally Posted by KLR4LIFE
You have two different class of cars, what are you looking to get out of your choice? power, handling, family car? etc...
Well mainly going to be a daily driver and im not looking to have a family anytime soon. Then I want somthing I can do work on myself. And i want somthing that i can tune to make more power.
Old 05-01-2013 | 09:08 AM
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Originally Posted by aythatblackguy
Well mainly going to be a daily driver and im not looking to have a family anytime soon. Then I want somthing I can do work on myself. And i want somthing that i can tune to make more power.
Well then the 330i is for you. The 545i is already maxed out from the factory at around 340HP. You can do things like K&N filter, air scoop, exhaust, headers etc... But you wont get a big jump in HP. Most of the parts on the E60 have to be coded to the car so unless you have the software and laptop you wont be doing much work yourself.

If you have a bigger budget you may want to get the 335i which has a ton of mods and you can get a lot of HP gains from using a JB4, cobb tune etc...
Old 05-01-2013 | 09:10 AM
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I love my 545i, even though i spent a lot of money maintaining it so far, i enjoy driving it every day!
It depends what you want, the 5 series in general have better interior quality than the 3 series, a different class all together.
That being said...the 3 series would very agile (weighs less) and smaller so it's easier to drive I would think.
Old 05-01-2013 | 09:17 AM
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Originally Posted by aythatblackguy
So what would you go with instead??
E46 330i ZHP



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