3.0i E85 Vs 23i E89

A

Adam

Member
 Manchester
Hi all,

Not posted in a little while, as I've been too busy cruising in the 'fantastic' weather we've been having.
I have a couple of questions that I would like your input on before making a decision.

First of all, I will be selling my E85 Z4 in the next few months and joining the convertible tin-top club. It's been a great 3 years with the car and whilst I'm not a fan of the VERY bumpy ride and crashing over the bumbs (even with the Falken 452s on), I have to say that it's been an overall great everyday car. :thumbsup:
Now onto the questions, looking at the E89 classifieds, it is a nightmare getting the car with the specification that I want within my budget. Here is what I'm after:

E89 Z4 in either Deep sea blue, or black
35i (ideally), but open to 30i, 23i
Manual (Non negotiable!) :evil:
Professional Nav/iDrive
M Sport Pack
Less than 30 grand

Sounds simple enough, but I am really struggling to get the 35i with both the M sport pack and a MANUAL gearbox. What's happended to all the purist manual lovers out there!?!? :poke:

On to the questions, I currently have a 2003 3.0i E85. If I don't get the 35i, how will the 30i and 23i compare for general punch. Has anyone made the move from a E85 3.0 to a 23i?

Second question, my service is due in 500 miles - I HATE our local BMW garage, but given the hours I work, I have no choice but to use them if I want to have it done at main dealer. The car was a AUC and has a full BMW Service History. Will I destroy my resale value and chances of a decent trade-in price at BMW by using an Indy for this service?


A bit long winded I know, but I would appreciate your feedback on the above

Cheers,
Adam
 
Hi Adam,

Good choice of car specification, we recently purchased a black 35i and it has a great engine and power delivery. Before you completely write off the DCT versions, I would recommend you at least go for a test drive if you've not done so already. I used to also be a manual box purist, but I've now been converted to the DCT transmission :D

For your age of car, I don't think the full main dealer service history is as important as for a car which is 3-4 years old. As long as the car is serviced to schedule by a qualified independent dealer and has the service book stamped, then most buyers will be looking at the overall condition and mileage of the car.

You'll probably be better off selling the car privately and then negotiating on the price of your replacement car. Most main dealers will just move on cars that are this age to auction or an independent.
 
IIRC The M Sport package came along when the 35is was released, which only came in DTC. I would imagine most buyers would just pay a little more a nd go with the 35is. So unless I'm mistaken you'll find it very hard to find and have to choose either:

35is M-Sport DTC
or 35i SE Manual
 
Thanks for the response so far. I'll give the DCT a try, out of curiosity, but doubt I will be giving the 'real' driving anytime soon :wink:
 
dario said:
ditto, 35i with DTC. monstrous!
Click to expand...

+1 DCT is a pretty awesome box, progress in an E89 with one can be made rather quickly lets say :evil:

I had the same line of thought when first looking at an E89, it had to be a manual. But because most were auto's just out of curiosity i decided to try one out. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed at how well they worked, the shifts were very smooth. But the clincher for me was that manual changes can still be performed, either from the stick or the paddles on the steering wheel.
 
Purist manual lover checking in :D Although the DCT is a very good system, I wanted to be more connected to the driving experience. After test driving a 35i DCT and (is) I knew what I wanted.

35i with DCT is monsterous but a manual 35i with 395bhp is like well...He comes for z4m's while they sleep sssh!

Freddy35i.jpg

Nah i'm just playing :D
 
If you do end up going for the smaller engine I would either go for the 20i or 28i as both are turbo'ed 2.0 and can be tuned up nicely. :)
 
peddy said:
If you do end up going for the smaller engine I would either go for the 20i or 28i as both are turbo'ed 2.0 and can be tuned up nicely. :)
Click to expand...

I had a go in my mate's 20i and whilst I was impressed with the acceleration for its engine size, I felt it lacked the real pulling power of my 3.0i E85 (and I suppose it would). The 28i is an option, but the 4 pot engine is putting me off a bit. Just can't beat the 6 cylinder scream!!

I was out in North Wales this weekend (the A5 is a quality bit of tarmac), and I think it's convinced me to not go for anything slower. So really, I think I'm set on the 35i or 30i, but may have to wait around for a while for the right spec etc.
 
What are the respective weights of the e85 and e89? I'm betting the e89 is heavier, therefore possibly slower in 3.0 guise in direct comparison. If you can afford it, go 35i, the power and that twin exhaust note is spot on.
 
Adam said:
I had a go in my mate's 20i and whilst I was impressed with the acceleration for its engine size, I felt it lacked the real pulling power of my 3.0i E85 (and I suppose it would). The 28i is an option, but the 4 pot engine is putting me off a bit.
Click to expand...

There is a big difference, at least on paper, between the 20i and the 28i. 0-62 times are 6.9 seconds vs. 5.7 for the 28i.

As I recall the e85 3.0i was also 5.7 seconds. The e85 is lighter, but the latest engines are more powerful.
 
Also noted in the first EVO report on the E89

http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/234784/bmw_z4_sdrive_35i.html

The E89 doesn't feel a heavy car to drive, but you'd probably notice the weight if you're changing from a much more focused track oriented car.
 
peddy said:
IIRC around 200kg heavier...

EDIT: 1745 kg vs 1590 kg
Click to expand...

Just wondering where you got your weights from, according to the 2007 Z4 brochure (USA) E85 3.0 Si unladen weight is 1,412 kg and from the 2009 e89 (UK) 3.0 sDrive curb weight (DIN) is 1,490 kg which INCLUDES 68 kg for driver, 90% fuel and 9 kg of luggage.

edit....Okay just seen the 1745 kg, which is the maximum permissible weight of the vehicle (Gross weight), so to answer maniac's question the e89 3.5i is 1,580 kg to DIN
 
Yeah, USA and DIN measure weight differently. USA is either the 'dry' weight or the 'wet' weight + 10% to 50% fuel. It is also the weight of a base US spec car, which is often different.

More recent UK brochures should use the EEC weight. EEC is the wet weight + 90% fuel + 75kg.
 
sars said:
peddy said:
IIRC around 200kg heavier...

EDIT: 1745 kg vs 1590 kg
Click to expand...

Just wondering where you got your weights from, according to the 2007 Z4 brochure (USA) E85 3.0 Si unladen weight is 1,412 kg and from the 2009 e89 (UK) 3.0 sDrive curb weight (DIN) is 1,490 kg which INCLUDES 68 kg for driver, 90% fuel and 9 kg of luggage.

edit....Okay just seen the 1745 kg, which is the maximum permissible weight of the vehicle (Gross weight), so to answer maniac's question the e89 3.5i is 1,580 kg to DIN
Click to expand...
Autotrader, so could be wrong...
 
Old v new 3.0 I can not comment but on past information not a lot in it. I came from 2.5 to 3.0 and would never go back. For me from a 2.5 I was concerend to go to 2.3 but you from a 3.0 you would just miss it.

Now I have a auto and I would say dont trash it just yet. In sprots mode its fast and like the 3.5 the auto box does know how to punch it, I must have a go at trying my go at my manual gear change sprint v's auto. Also my gear changes wer 2 3 and 6 so in manual auto its 1 2 and flick flick 6

Even so 2nd and 3rd down country roads will not make any difference in gear changes at 60+. You get caught out more in a manual, auto just floor it and it kicks down and goes before you can think of what gear should you be in to get the best.... owh well.

Now the 3.5 does sound good, and I would love one, like the 3.0 and then the 3.2 before but the 2.5 had the sweet spot for me, both purchase price and running costs. The 3.0 is now my sweet spot, MPG, purchase price and performance.
 
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