# 2006 330i vs 2004-2006 545i Reliabiltiy



## snowtrax00 (Jan 10, 2010)

To date, I've owned a total of four BMW's. Last year I had a 2004 330i with 79,000 miles 








a 2006 330i 6MT with a Berger chip








I then sold it for a 2005 g35x with 96,000 miles








and a 2008 g35x with 8,000 miles








And now I'm looking for something else. While I like the G, the gas mileage and general lack of refinement (for a premium name) is getting to me. I've learned a lot about doing my own maintenance in the past year such as transmission fluid, belts etc. I'm thinking about getting another BMW so which is more reliable, a 2006 330i automatic or a 2004-2006 545i automatic? I've already done quite a bit of searching but can't seem to find this comparison. Thanks for your help in advance!


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## Turbo_525 (May 29, 2011)

Sorry to rain on your parade (of cars....) but NONE of the e60, e90 type BMW's are "more relaible" than an e46 or especially a G series Infiniti. Sounds to me like you're burning through cars, and honestly, cash as well. Read through the 3-series and 5-series forums, these cars have some nasty issues that the Infiniti's won't have. I'd keep what you have and learn the word contentment.


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## snowtrax00 (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks for your honest opinion. I know they won't be more reliable than an Infiniti. I actually sold my 2004 330i for the same price I paid for it and only spent $300 in maintenance in 4,000 miles. My 2005 Infiniti I bought, spent $1,000 on it and it's still worth $1,000 more than what I have into it even after almost a year and 6,000 miles of ownership. After a year of owning my 2006 330i and 15,000 miles, I sold it for $1,000 less than I paid and also replaced one of the injectors. My 2008 g35x is still worth more than what I paid for it over a year ago and after 16,000 miles. I'm not worried about losing money, just the major reliability problems.


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## Turbo_525 (May 29, 2011)

Well, that's good to know! My recently sold 525i sold for $950 more than I paid for it 30,000 miles prior. However that is balanced with the fact that around $2800 was put into it in maintaince during that 30k miles. But overall, not a bad return on the "investment."

You face a hard decision there, if you do look at anything else, I would encourage the consideration of a manual transmission - I really do enjoy a 3-pedal car more than the alternative. If you can deal with FWD, an '04-'08 6-speed Acura TL may be well worth consideration, they are awesome cars with excellent reliability & resale values.


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## tturedraider (Nov 11, 2005)

Turbo_525 said:


> Sorry to rain on your parade (of cars....) but NONE of the e60, e90 type BMW's are "more relaible" than an e46 or especially a G series Infiniti. Sounds to me like you're burning through cars, and honestly, cash as well. Read through the 3-series and 5-series forums, these cars have some nasty issues that the Infiniti's won't have. I'd keep what you have and learn the word contentment.


I completely disagree. The E46 is a great car, but it has a few more than its share of issues. The E90 has proven very reliable.......after the HPFP issue was rectified. And the HPFP issue does not affect the E90 330i.

The E90 3er has been reliable enough that _Consumer Reports_ is recommending the new F30 in its first year of production. They have never done that with a European car. They've never done that with a non-Japanese car. I don't think they've ever done it with anything that wasn't a Honda or Toyota product. They only do it when the previous model(s) have a strong enough reliability record for them to feel confident that reliability will carry over to the new model.

What size car do you want and need? The E90 will be more reliable than the E60. But, it won't be as large and it won't be as powerful as a 545i. Have you considered a 2008 or newer E60? There were a number of improvements with the facelift and those should be a little more reliable than the pre-facelift model. Not that it is terribly unreliable.



snowtrax00 said:


> Thanks for your honest opinion. I know they won't be more reliable than an Infiniti. I actually sold my 2004 330i for the same price I paid for it and only spent $300 in maintenance in 4,000 miles. My 2005 Infiniti I bought, spent $1,000 on it and it's still worth $1,000 more than what I have into it even after almost a year and 6,000 miles of ownership. After a year of owning my 2006 330i and 15,000 miles, I sold it for $1,000 less than I paid and also replaced one of the injectors. My 2008 g35x is still worth more than what I paid for it over a year ago and after 16,000 miles. I'm not worried about losing money, just the major reliability problems.


Where are you finding and buying these cars?! I want in.

It's a shame you didn't have your E46 and E90 longer. Especially the E90. That was a beautiful car.


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## snowtrax00 (Jan 10, 2010)

The e90 was a really great car but it just wasn't practical enough but I also have a 2010 Tundra which I use if I need space. The 6 speed is very fast and torquey, especially with the chip it had. I don't know what it was but every time I floored it it felt as if your feet became "light headed" if you will. I can't even get this same feeling in my 2008 g35x which supposedly has a better 0-60 time. The e46 was too small for me but I believe the e90 is slightly larger(?) and looks larger on the road IMO. My 2005 g35x was extremely dirty when I went to buy it. I took it right home and spent the weekend detailing it inside and out and now it's unusually clean. I also spent a lot of money on maintenance because the previous owner just did oil, brakes and tires. I think I would get a 330i for my next BMW but what are some of the most common issues?


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## dolfan13 (Jan 1, 2011)

Find a higher mileage 550i at same price as lower mileage 545i.Alot less trouble with 550i and more power.5 series driving a lot different from 3.


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## thumper600 (Sep 24, 2014)

well, why are all you all discussing Japanese cars on an enthusiast created BMW website?


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