3.5iS- will this be a classic?

[extrablatt]

One of those 21 was me shipping my car to Sydney 8)

 

[Burgy100]

One of those 21 was me shipping my car to Sydney 8)

Get in there sir..

 

[step_change]

I love mine. Classic though? Lol..... There is so much electronic and temperamental gear on them that they will all have been written off long before then

 

[9designs]

If only it had been given an M

 

[Chippie]

What is it that people want from a classic car, others to stare and say “wow I which I had one”, well for me if you are happy with the car you drive than what does it matter what others think.
If being a classic means that it has appreciated in value well when new a mk1 golf gti was around £7800 OTR, today a pristine example is worth around £15000. A new gti is around £25000. If you had invested £7800 in 1983 today it would be worth over half a million, very few cars can be seen as an investment.

 

[Silverstar]

Contrary to how it feels today, the Jaguar E type was floundering at it's death in June 1974. The Company just couldn't sell them and had fields full of them parked up with no where to go.

Different story 40 years on. Admittedly, the car has generated a lot of design and aesthetic appreciation that was only partially acknowledged in it's day, but for what it was and did - it was a standout car (for some). Used values went way down low before they hit the eye watering overpriced levels of today.

Now I'm not comparing the Z4 with an E type (the world caught up and overtook that "standout car") and if you remove the emotion the Z4 is a much better car anyway. There are also so many good cars about today we're spoilt for choice, but the Z4 (especially the "35" variants) have a lot going for them. They may not have sold in huge numbers but owners tend to love 'em and I suspect many are in longer term ownership because the fad hasn't yet worn off. And 2 seater sports cars tend to have a wider classic appeal, with "curvy" cars more so than "angular" (imo).

So, if you'd asked an E type owner back in the day if his car was going to be a classic? ............ Nah!

I'm not so quick to write the Z4 off. But it may be just a case of how long you have to wait.

This is so true. Dealers couldn't shift the Z8 when it came out but look at the prices of those now. Personally I think the Sdrive30i has a better chance of becoming a classic then the 35i or 35is due to short production run and the last of the naturally aspirated straight sixes. But to see any gain in value I think the miles would have to be kept low and we will be waiting a very long time.

 

[Silverstar]

An interesting point made about the 1973 oil crisis hitting sales of the E Type, got me thinking that the E89 was launched just after the start of the global financial melt down (the effects of which has lasted throughout its production lifetime) and what impact this might have had on sales volumes. I looked at the sales figures for the SLK (considered to be its main competitor) and global sales in 2007 were 28,104. By 2009 this had fallen to 13,371. Even when the R172 new model was launched in 2011 sales only rose to 20,949 - some way off the 48,101 they shifted in 2005. Perhaps those who feel the E89 was not as popular based on sales volumes compared to the E85/6 should consider this?

I think the problem is everyones jumping into SUVs!

 

[stijohnny]

Classic cars are just old cars and that's it, just look at the Austin Allegro and Morris Marina - utter sh**e back in their day, but now "Classics".
No BMW is going to be a 250GTO however I absolutely love my e89 and the 35is is the top model so I think you should love yours too. I think the real classic criteria is desirability when the car was new (eg. series 1 e-type) and then some racing heritage always helps (check the ultimate driving machine - 3.0csi).
All the Z4s are desirable and certainly better than anything that British Leyland ever made so enjoy your car, keep on top of servicing and maintenance and one day (should you want to sell), you will be presently surprised at how much some one will pay you for it.

 

[Huzee4]

Classic cars are just old cars and that's it, just look at the Austin Allegro and Morris Marina - utter sh**e back in their day, but now "Classics".
No BMW is going to be a 250GTO however I absolutely love my e89 and the 35is is the top model so I think you should love yours too. I think the real classic criteria is desirability when the car was new (eg. series 1 e-type) and then some racing heritage always helps (check the ultimate driving machine - 3.0csi).
All the Z4s are desirable and certainly better than anything that British Leyland ever made so enjoy your car, keep on top of servicing and maintenance and one day (should you want to sell), you will be presently surprised at how much some one will pay you for it.

Well said

 

[gippo]

hi, im' new here, i bought a 2016 440i last year and feel its a bit bland, have been looking at 35iS's, searched the forum for 'N54 reliability', and oh dear...........it sounds like its not good.
Is it really that bad? Nothing that can't be fixed with a retrofit 'official' mod or something?
should i just forget about swapping and stick with my B58?

i've slightly fallen for the 35iS and could swap mine for one with a few grand to spare, but i care more about reliability......

are the cases of unreliability with the N54 down to poor maintenance or is it just inherently crap?

 

[sunnydays]

hi, im' new here, i bought a 2016 440i last year and feel its a bit bland, have been looking at 35iS's, searched the forum for 'N54 reliability', and oh dear...........it sounds like its not good.
Is it really that bad? Nothing that can't be fixed with a retrofit 'official' mod or something?
should i just forget about swapping and stick with my B58?

i've slightly fallen for the 35iS and could swap mine for one with a few grand to spare, but i care more about reliability......

are the cases of unreliability with the N54 down to poor maintenance or is it just inherently crap?

The 35is is a fantastic car, the N54 it's self is a great engine, solidly built, forged internals etc, it's generally the things around it that seem to fail. High pressure fuel pump is one that is thrown around alot, around £750, Injectors are another one, around £1000 for a full set, turbos around £2500. You could always slap a BMW approved warranty on if these issues worry you, circa £500 per annum for a sub 60k mile car

Edit: I believe the HPFP issue is just due to it being a crappy part
Revision 12 of injectors are much better than the rest

Second edit: Also worth noting that there are turbo rebuild / upgrade places that could probably sort your turbos for way less than £2500, IIRC they can also fix the waste gate rattle, but I would imagine there would be a decent amount of labour in getting the turbos off the car

 

[Silverstar]

hi, im' new here, i bought a 2016 440i last year and feel its a bit bland, have been looking at 35iS's, searched the forum for 'N54 reliability', and oh dear...........it sounds like its not good.
Is it really that bad? Nothing that can't be fixed with a retrofit 'official' mod or something?
should i just forget about swapping and stick with my B58?

i've slightly fallen for the 35iS and could swap mine for one with a few grand to spare, but i care more about reliability......

are the cases of unreliability with the N54 down to poor maintenance or is it just inherently crap?

When I started my search for a Z4 I spoke with a couple of reputable BMW specialists who all said the same thing the problems with the 35i / 35is such as HPFP Injectors wastegate turbos etc, is a matter of when not if. Which is why I decided to go for the 30i.

 

[john-e89]

hi, im' new here, i bought a 2016 440i last year and feel its a bit bland, have been looking at 35iS's, searched the forum for 'N54 reliability', and oh dear...........it sounds like its not good.
Is it really that bad? Nothing that can't be fixed with a retrofit 'official' mod or something?
should i just forget about swapping and stick with my B58?

i've slightly fallen for the 35iS and could swap mine for one with a few grand to spare, but i care more about reliability......

are the cases of unreliability with the N54 down to poor maintenance or is it just inherently crap?

Much as this is a good forum it’s still a very very small % of 35is owners, imho you need to do more research, get to know the car a lot better then make a judgement, bad news always makes the headlines no matter how small the issue.

 

[Busterboo]

You could always slap a BMW approved warranty on if these issues worry you, circa £500 per annum for a sub 60k mile car

My BMW Insured Warranty is under £500 per annum with cover available up 100k miles.

So far, the warranty has replaced the rocker cover gasket, one corner of the adaptive suspension and the DCT sump plate. Well over £2,000.

I bought my 35is at 20k miles two and a half years ago. It's just coming up to 60k, is an excellent car and I've no intention of selling it.

 

[Chris1712]

FWIW I've had Approved Used and then the top warranty on my 35iS aswell, from 30k-41k and not had a single problem. Almost kicking myself for paying for the warranty . It's a 2014, not sure if the engine had any revisions but it's been rock solid and is an absolute peach.

Watch some 1M reviews and you'll realise how special the N54 is imo, the torque is incredible.

 

[gippo]

yeh i ran a quote on the bmw website for a few 35iS's from autotrader with the numberplate - £457 Comprehensive.
this ones near me so i'm going to go check it out at the weekend.... will be very interesting to see how it compares to my current car!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201905248309037?atmobcid=soc5

i do love my car at the same time but its just that tiny bit bland....i went to look at a 370z Nismo last weekend but the driving position and interior was beyond a joke, which was a shame.

 

[Busterboo]

I don't buy cars for compliments, but the 35iS has prompted more - especially from strangers - than any I've had. And I've had some good 'uns.

Mind you, I think the Melbourne Red with Ivory White interior helps.

 

[ronk]

I had compliments re a previous Deep Sea Blue E89 mainly in Europe. In Italy a group of youths were staring at my humble jalopy while a super looking Ferrari went past - perhaps they were looking in pity,,!

 

[R60BBA]

I am so sorry to bring this prickly subject up again. I mentioned to my wife about chopping it in for the new up and coming Z4 but she is totally in love with our car and is convinced with the rarity of this model it's worth keeping it as our forever car and settle up the finance on it in 18 months time! With its drop dead good looks and designed inside and out by two female designers she feels in 10 years time it will still look good and will become a desirable car. What do you think and be brutally honest please! Thanks

Your wife sees financial sense, however she is using sentimental rationale to justify her opinion.

Put simply, no the 35iS will not become a future classic. However, once your finance is settled both you and your wife can continue to enjoy the car whilst putting the extra disposable income towards your marriage.

 

[ronk]

Although I like my 35is very much I did consider a new M40i but £28k to change after only 33 months an 9k miles coloured my judgement!

With this depreciation I doubt any future classic status - but I didn’t buy with any eye on future status - only my enjoyment. I’m too old to worry about any future value!