35i vs 35is

[Mbintx]

I know this has probably been talked about a million times, and you guys see this and pull your hair out…but I’m completely new to this car brand and the more I search and read the more confused I get.
I’m looking at a few used Z4 cars in the 2011-2013 years. One is a 2011 35is and the other is a 2013 35i, and I believe it’s the M Sport model (has the M steering wheel, M door sill plate), but like I said I know nothing about these cars.
My question is, is there much difference in the 35is and the 35i (msport?) besides the obvious hp and torque difference?
Between these two cars I’m looking at, the 35is is 2 years older, about $5k cheaper, and has about 30k more miles than the 35i.
Any input from you guys would be appreciated

[B21]

A few questions first

How many miles on each car
What age is each car
Does the 35i have a DCT
Does the 35i have adaptive dampers

Then what spec in terms of options does each car and do they matter to you..

Then you can make an informed decision..

FWIW it’s very easy for £300 ish to get both cars to around 360-380 BHP depending on fuel

[Mbintx]

B21….

The 35is is a 2011 with 95k miles.
The 35i is a 2023 with 66k miles.
The 35i has the DCT

I don’t know what adaptive dampers are.

[B21]

Electronic adaptive dampers were standard on the 35is and an option on 35i..if you type the VIN into a decoder you should get the full spec…strongly recommend you do so as this will be a split decision…

My view is assuming that the 35i is not a pauper spec that I would go with the 35i..even if I suspect it was built in 2013 not 2023..

The 35is at that age and mileage will be most likely tired and more faults pending than the 35i.

Another issue is ‘are you a twiddler or would you go to a garage to get the coolant level checked’?

If you want more go and generally improve the feel and drivability then MHD and xHP are your friends..

5K USD can be consumed very quickly on these cars unless you take an extended warranty..

So a look at the VIN decoder and unless you can’t afford the 5K USD ( in which case you shouldn’t be looking at these models) and I’d tend to the 35i…

[Mbintx]

B21

Sorry, I meant 2013, not 23.
And yes I’m pretty mechanically inclined. I did a few things to the BoxsterS I had, and most recently replaced the rear shocks on my CTS-V coupe in which the entire back seat has to come out to get to the top nut and mag-ride connection. So no, I’m not afraid to tinker with something.
And yes I can afford the 5k. I’m just trying not to buy a car when I should have bought the other one.

[B21]

Well on that basis I’d definitely go for the 35i unless the spec is poor or the colour is an issue…which it was for me..

You can make a 35i out perform in all aspects a stock 35is if you are up for ‘twiddling’ and spending non porkster levels of cash..

[Mbintx]

Where is the best site to find a vin decoder?

[B21]

They can be sometimes not available on certain sites so suggest you Google bmw vin decoder and see which ones are active

They pretty much give the same results

If you type the vin number into realoem.com that will give you the correct parts for your build date too although it won’t tell you which options it was built with

[Mbintx]

Ok
Thank you sir

[Mbintx]

Isn’t one of the things that would be different as well is the exhaust on the 35is? Or is the msport version of the 35i equipped with it too?

[B21]

Isn’t one of the things that would be different as well is the exhaust on the 35is? Or is the msport version of the 35i equipped with it too?

The 35i has a slightly quieter exhaust than the 35is..if you want more noise you can do a ‘cut n shut’ on the back boxes or get a noisier alternative..personally I think the 35is version is too noisy but others want more noise..

[Mbintx]

Yea sometimes a little quieter is a little better. I’ve always thought about doing a muffler delete on my ctsv, but it’s so dang quiet and you get to hear the “whine” when you put the pedal on the floor. Lol

[john-e89]

Hi Mbintx,

Agreed go for the 35i, 35is is 10db louder than the 35i. With tweaks you can get them to handle reasonably well, and power is only limited by your pocket.