[wes.myers]

I have been searching for a few weeks for a Montego Blue 6 speed 335i, and finally found one that is only an hour away from me. I am having a PPI done on it tomorrow, and will likely be going to see it this weekend. This thing has been highly modified, but it seems to have been done with quality parts:

RB Next Gen Turbos
3.5 bar MAP sensor
Silicone inlets/outlets
VRSF catless downpipes
VRSF 7.5" FMIC
ETS charge pipe
BMS DCI
MSD81 ECU Upgrade (It is manual swapped, so opted for new manual ECU)
MHD Tune by Omar
Stage 2.5 LPFP
ADe Port Injection kit
AIC split second controller
Mfactory Single Mass Flywheel
Spec 3+ clutch
NGK iridium 2 step colder plugs
Index 1 injectors

It is also tuned for e85, but he said it could run on other gas with an Ethanol Content Sensor and adjusted tune. It also has new bosch coils installed.

The guy seemed very upfront about the build and had no problem telling me all about the build and the previous owners. I only have 2 things that I am concerned about.

The first is that it is originally an auto car, so I am worried that I will have electrical issues in the future and it has the auto diff so i'll probably want to swap that out. However, with the upgraded ECU I am thinking that shouldn't be a problem, but I was hoping that someone on this forum with a little more wisdom on this platform could tell me whether or not that really is something to worry about.

Secondly, the car has about 172k miles. Water pump, fuel regulator, VANOS, and all the annoying leaky gaskets have been addressed. I am just concerned with the life of the engine especially with the power it is putting out. I believe he is currently running low 20 psi. I am fine with having to eventually rebuild the engine at some point, but I don't want it to die on me a month after I purchase it haha.

His asking price is 9k, but he is negotiable. Now, this will be a project car that I will be doing all work on myself, so is this car worth buying? What would be a good price to counter with?

Also, the guy doing the PPI for me said he could do a compression test for an extra $150, is it worth it?

Thanks!

[S65Hunter]

How much whp is the car putting down?

[ozziewizzle]

Do it.....aren't all those mods worth 9k in labor alone? If it goes t*ts up you can part it out and get your money back but then that's the worst-case scenario. Live a little

[Antetokounmpo]

9k isn't that bad.. I'd probably risk it if you have money burning a hole in your pocket. also.. Omar is tuning now? Lol

but also... good luck.

[wes.myers]

Originally Posted by AlpineE93

How much whp is the car putting down?

543 on a conservative tune

[wes.myers]

Originally Posted by Antetokounmpo

9k isn't that bad.. I'd probably risk it if you have money burning a hole in your pocket. also.. Omar is tuning now? Lol

but also... good luck.

Wouldn't necessarily say I have money burning a hole in my pocket, but I am willing to invest in this project haha

[S65Hunter]

I'd say do it.

[wes.myers]

Originally Posted by AlpineE93

I'd say do it.

Should I opt for the compression test? The PPI only costs 20 but compression test is another 150

[Wolf 335]

Was the car tracked? Do you care?

What year is this thing?

How old is the seller?

Absolutely you should do a compression test.

[wes.myers]

I don't believe it was tracked, but I can ask.

It's a 2007

Don't know how old he is, but I'd guess in his mid 30s. He is getting rid of it because his stage 3 roush build is almost done at the shop and he wants to focus all his time and money on that.

[alfazrus]

I wouldn't worry about the rear diff. It's a common swap between manuals and autos, since you have an auto rear diff, I would say it's a + for you. 3.08 vs 3.46 for the auto I believe.

[wes.myers]

Originally Posted by alfazrus

I wouldn't worry about the rear diff. It's a common swap between manuals and autos, since you have an auto rear diff, I would say it's a + for you. 3.08 vs 3.46 for the auto I believe.

Wow I didn't know that. That's good to hear.

[Maestro]

I have an 07 (bough in 10/06) 335I Manual with 170K miles and the car is running strong, no issues other than the standard maintenance issue which it sounds like this car already addressed. There are plenty of examples of N54 with 200K+ miles and engine can handle it. I do doubt the car is putting down 500+ to the Wheels, granting I not kept up on the turning but all the tunes I use to see was in the 400+ range.

The real question is how much abuse did the owners put onto the engine. As it was pointed out, you could always part out the car for the cost of the car if things do not go well.

[wes.myers]

Originally Posted by Maestro

I have an 07 (bough in 10/06) 335I Manual with 170K miles and the car is running strong, no issues other than the standard maintenance issue which it sounds like this car already addressed. There are plenty of examples of N54 with 200K+ miles and engine can handle it. I do doubt the car is putting down 500+ to the Wheels, granting I not kept up on the turning but all the tunes I use to see was in the 400+ range.

The real question is how much abuse did the owners put onto the engine. As it was pointed out, you could always part out the car for the cost of the car if things do not go well.

It's having a compression test and PPI done on it today. Hopefully those both come back perfect in which case i'll likely be going to see it in person this weekend. I'll see if he has the dyno sheets and get all the receipts for work done. I am very excited to take this thing for a test drive haha

[Wolf 335]

You never told us his user name on e90post...he's gotta be a member on here

[wes.myers]

So PPI results came back in:

Cons:
There are a lot of transmission codes that were scanned, looks like it isn't reading a lot of the sensors that would be on an automatic transmission. Not sure what the solution is, but considering the car isn't originally manual, I don't think I'd even consider buying unless those codes were dealt with.

Rear bumper has a crack in the paint from minor impact. Front bumper is slightly warped, and there are a ton of scrapes on the bottom. The passenger side front bumper has paint completed scraped off. The splash guard has been completely ripped off from it running over a curb. Hood is faded and will likely need new paint. Headlights are faded.

oil filter housing & oil cooler thermostat gasket needs to be replaced. Transmission output shaft seal will need replacement (although they said the leak is minimal). oil change needed. Battery is also weak (660 cold cranking amps).

Compression test - one of the cylinders gave slightly lower compression. They figured that it may be from dirty valves. So they are cleaning the valves right now and will be retesting to see if it solves the issue.


Pros:
Brakes look great (front is almost brand new). Tires look good. Rear suspension looks good. Front suspension - brand new lower control arms x4. Serpentine belt recently replaced.

[type-dRew]

They are walnut blasting the valves and retesting the compression?

Thats going to be a hell of a PPI bill if you dont buy it.

If you dont want to deal with issues, stop shopping for someone elses project with major work done and a transmission swap. Seems obvious enough

Problems dont seem drastic enough to walk away. If you dont care about the power, then find a stock one, but theres gotta be a reason youre considering a highly modified car, most likely because you want those parts.

[wes.myers]

I'm not paying for the walnut blasting (although they may just be doing a chemical clean).

I don't mind dealing with issues, but I want to know what the solution is to issues like this considering that I didn't do the work on the swap and want to at least be confident that everything is working as it should. I am obviously not super familiar with this platform. So I am hoping that I can rely on y'alls knowledge and expertise to ensure that I am making the most informed decision when it comes to buying a 335i.

[Gamb1t]

Do you think people highly modify their car to drive to groceries staying within the speed limits? Why is this fella selling it? I'd never touch a modified car let alone ones with issues.

$2k starting price. Rip out the mods and sell them to the people here. And laugh yourself to the bank.

[wes.myers]

Originally Posted by Gamb1t

Do you think people highly modify their car to drive to groceries staying within the speed limits? Why is this fella selling it? I'd never touch a modified car let alone ones with issues.

$2k starting price. Rip out the mods and sell them to the people here. And laugh yourself to the bank.

He has a roush stage 3 mustang that is almost finished at the shop. I think he just bought this for fun while he waited for his car to finish

[hassmaschine]

Originally Posted by wes.myers

So PPI results came back in:

Cons:
There are a lot of transmission codes that were scanned, looks like it isn't reading a lot of the sensors that would be on an automatic transmission. Not sure what the solution is, but considering the car isn't originally manual, I don't think I'd even consider buying unless those codes were dealt with.

Rear bumper has a crack in the paint from minor impact. Front bumper is slightly warped, and there are a ton of scrapes on the bottom. The passenger side front bumper has paint completed scraped off. The splash guard has been completely ripped off from it running over a curb. Hood is faded and will likely need new paint. Headlights are faded.

oil filter housing & oil cooler thermostat gasket needs to be replaced. Transmission output shaft seal will need replacement (although they said the leak is minimal). oil change needed. Battery is also weak (660 cold cranking amps).

Compression test - one of the cylinders gave slightly lower compression. They figured that it may be from dirty valves. So they are cleaning the valves right now and will be retesting to see if it solves the issue.


Pros:
Brakes look great (front is almost brand new). Tires look good. Rear suspension looks good. Front suspension - brand new lower control arms x4. Serpentine belt recently replaced.

it's a trans swap?

delete option S205A, default code the car - done, no more errors.

[wes.myers]

Here are the codes that he scanned. Also attached some pictures of the leaks he found.