325 Sports - Ownership Experience

[Mun]

can read my "troubling" experience in my recent post :How reliable is your electronics? too sensitive?

http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30349


Overall, quite satisfied - sufficient power, good sporty ride with all the creature comforts. Alternative was Golf GTI but hate the interior. In fact 320 was initially considered, but what's the point of driving BMW without good power. Even Waja can give it a hard time.

Maybe its the auto box, but the 325 just doesn't push you to drive hard. Might be different with a manual ( not that +/- shifts that downshifts automatically when you slow down.). It is all on the throttle feel.

But is good for daily use and occasional rushings.
But for a Sunday morning drive or midnight run, I have to think for another toy car to fill in the missing elements. E46 M3 is still above 200k and I don't think I want to spend that kind of money to thrash a car.
A type R is under serious considerations. My previous Civic S04 hardly gave any major problems even with the thrashings...

But so far so good, always looking forward to drive it every morning, but the sad thing is, it is a very short trip to the office. Often had to take the longer route with some excuse...

 

[E46Fanatic]

The peak torque comes in lower for the 325i over the 323i which helps in daily putzing around town and of course the 325i has a little more torque figures as well. On the top end is where the difference is really felt. Rev the 325i past 6k rpm and its really lovely more so with the BMW Performance Intake. The 323i doesn't give you that final 1k rpm scream which the 325i gives.

I would say the 325i sports is definitely more performance oriented than a 323i. Not for all folks as some have complained that the M sport suspension + 18's are too harsh for their liking. Different strokes for different folks. Depends what you're looking for in a car I guess.

 

[Schwepps]

Akuaha, the 325i Sports is a refined town cruiser or a monster, depending on whether you feather the accelerator or floor it. To me, the additional HP/torque and the M-bits are well worth the extra 34k. Whether it's worth it for you, is really your own decision, and you should base your decision on back-to-back test drives of the 323i and 325i Sports. Make sure you punch them hard and throw them round a few corners when you test them. They will feel much the same if you just piddle along at city speeds in your tests.

 

[e60FANster]

akuaha, i tried both the 323 and 325 b4 i decided so u shld do e same as well numerous times until u r sure which 1 to get. I neva considered e 323 but i had a fren who was hence i test drove e car and like i said was not convinced. After dat i tried e 325 sports and i was convinced, the rest like ppl say is history. many will pay e 34k diff but if u do not appreciate e additional frills den opt for e 323, both also good cars if u ask me, Just diff strokes for diff folks.

mun, yeah BMW's r like mistresses, they're unpredictable ahaha.. yeah NA VTEC rarely gives problem but e car does not have half e electronics as e e90 hence the enhanced driving pleasure and handling dynamics of e BMW. I've not owned my E90 long enuff to go thru all e challenges of maintaining e car dats y i'm also keeping my fingers crossed. Dats also 1 reason i got myself a new car instead of a pre owned, mainly due to warranty & knowing e cars history from new.

i can also assure most ppl dat e 325 is not a monster...ahaha... its a nice car to move around town tho w excellent overall balance. it has got everything majority of car owners/enthusiast r looking, aesthetics both interior and exterior, electronics n gadgets, driving handling dynamics, brand quality and luxury. i juz love driving and sittin in e car, i hope dis feeling last for at least 3 yrs.

 

[e60FANster]

had a nice succulent home-cooked lamb chop for lunch... burp... now sipping coffee while watching KY Choi live in Johor...
gud time to continue penning my experience...

MOD List and WISH list

Peculiar thing abt me is that i use to enjoy modding bit by bit during my earlier years, enjoyed working on my 2 previous VTEC's bit by bit. Went thru auto to manual conversion, messing arnd e NOS, piggy backs and type R goodies. Did not mind lepaking in Sunway e whole of Saturday w my car club buddies, TT almost every night @ Carlos Subang & hitting e illegal drag race scene b4 all e official drag comps came abt. well those were e day's, now too old to be doing it oredi.

But for my last car, i spent less than 1 month to get everything done after driving it fairly stock for abt 1 yr. From another rim change, body kit's, full exhaust and intake system, full sound system, auto foam + sound proofing, coilovers, etc. And i kinda learnt my lesson here coz not long after i completed e transformation, i sold my car off for e E90.

The mod bug hit me early on this one, even before i received my car i had already a package being air flown in to KL. had visualized a space grey exterior w a black/cf diffuser type of concept w black rims, etc. coz i lurve e contrast of black trims w e lighter space grey exterior color, fierce looking right... but then i decided against it coz my wife said so u r going to rice boy and ah beng'nize e car ah.. for God's sake, its a BMW.
ehehe... yeah yeah.. we go for clean lines and executive yet sporty looks OK... yeah rite if these such a thing.

Already ordered my matte black kidney grill so i said let's keep e concept going 1st then trial n error lo.
Was also putting in an order for the BMW performance CF front splitters reps until i found out tt it did not fit LCI only pre LCI.. wah so very disappointed so until now still waiting for it to be in production. Looking arnd for a rear spoiler as well but e ori bmw performance one's r a tad too pricey @ 2k+ actually i think its way overpriced. But rear spoilers r clearly visible so if e reps r not of gud quality n not properly finished, u will c its imperfections clearly so now still in a dilemma also quite a few different models available.

Was already looking around for rims abt 2 wks before i got my car, was going for e Advan RZ gun metal but was told 2-3 mths to get the rims in if i wanted a staggered setup and wld also cost 8k+9k... wow dat much for a japo branded rims. Then had to contemplated on which size to go with, either 18" or 19", was quite sold on the 18" coz tires r much more expensive on e 19". But 2-3 mths is too long await then i called my buddy shedden@exoticmods and he suggested tt i have a look at his AEZ collection. Well these r really bang for buck made in germany rims, finishing is quite good and quality is assured w TUV certification if it matters. Couple of pretty nice models for e e90 but e one's tt i wanted was not a gud fit for LCI E90 as e rear ET is 30, TRUST me it does not fit unless u roll e fenders coz i fitted it so i had to remove it... kill joy.

Then back to deciding which rims to get, Breyton GTS came to mind but after speaking to a couple of ppl decided against it coz its prone to bend and in some cases cracks as well. Its made in China for those tt did not know, well not tt i'm discriminating against it but there're some quality issues w e these rims. But there're some ppl who do not have any problem riding on it so it depends on your driving style and road conditions in your area. Really these r really bang for buck rims @ less than 7k for a set of 19" and from a gud reputable brand maker as well. Well purchase at your own RISK, you've been forewarned.

Lurve e BBS LM-R to death. thanks to e guys at e90post and also e46fan who posted nice links n pixz on facebook. But the price of these wheels r a killer but worth every single cent if you got deep pockets but not for me tho. Coz i decided to go w 19", there weren't many options for me goin for a staggered set up tt wld fit e size of my thin wallet. What else the classic BBS CH, still wanted e matte black then i tot wah.. constant nagging from wife wld lead to changing rims n potentially goin for e LM-R's so i decide on the hyper silver CH ahaha and not a LM-R hyper black/gun metal. I'm hopin tt i would not regret my decision tho coz i really like e LM-R n also gun metal color. so anyhow now still waiting for my CH to arrive, shld be another 2 wks before it arrives.

Woohoo.. KY Choi juz chipped in for a par after putting his tee shot in e water... Kudos to choi...

Also done my coilover install yest at oberamaier... wah.. damn chun e car looks w a lowered stance and it drives better w e bilstein coilovers not tt e m sports suspension was bad. the steering feels tighter and less twitchy and the comfort level is still maintained. Actually it feels more comfy compared to stock suspension as it soaks up some of e road imperfections those small holes and un-even roads. but for road dips u w feel e shocks stiffening up due to firmer rebound/compression ie. less travel n immediate stiffening while e M's will firm up slower and over a longer travel distance hence more comfy from tt perspective. But overall i'm quite happy w it but need to try it out over outstation travel especially when heading down south and taking more corners and bends. all this after my rims arrive as well... damn e handling dynamics gets better...

so mods virus has infested my veins edi.... quick wish list

1. CF LCI Splitters & rear spoiler
2. BMW Performance Intake or Gruppe M Intake
3. Full exhaust system... not sure which brand tho
4. ECU reflash
5. DCT shifters
6. To force induce e car at a later stage
7. other... i'm sure e list w expand as i move on my ownership experience

 

[Spaceman]

congrats on your new ride. there's one important mod you missed, 8. BBK.

 

[enkil]

e60FANster,

Glad ur enjoying ur ride bro. Guess no need much of racuning for u. Looks like u know what u want already. :top:
Will be waiting to salivate when ur car is completely done up.

Cheers

 

[Juan Powerblow]

Great write-up! Totally agree with the findings. I was at IA today and their service has remained impeccable. Besides, they threw in their support for the Club's Gymkhana yesterday and it's nice to have authorised dealerships involved in supporting car activities besides trying to just sell cars all the time. The mods bug is not a bad thing. The BMW Performance Air Intake is a must! Car takes on more "character" and from what I can tell about you, that's what you want even more.

 

[Daytona]

Great write-up! Totally agree with the findings. I was at IA today and their service has remained impeccable. Besides, they threw in their support for the Club's Gymkhana yesterday and it's nice to have authorised dealerships involved in supporting car activities besides trying to just sell cars all the time. The mods bug is not a bad thing. The BMW Performance Air Intake is a must! Car takes on more "character" and from what I can tell about you, that's what you want even more.

Enjoyed reading your writeup e60Fanster. I am a new owner of a 325 sports too and loving it. Extremely contented with the original package. So much so that I feel i could live with it for a while without any upgrades. so happy until i started seeing everyones post about doing this and that, and how good it is! Actually I was still able to resist, as my car is new and didnt want to mess with it. i am quite a scaredy cat in doing any mods....THEN now i see a fellow new car owner (e60Fanster) doing all this!!!!Terrible terrible man!!!You are poisonous!!

The BMW performance Air intake and ECU remapping is certainly very tempting.
Juan, how are you liking the performance air intake? Is it "boomy" or annoying when cruising on highways? I love to hear some extra grunt on accelaration but would be put off if it caused us a migraine on long journeys! I have read and gotten lots of feedback that performance enhancement is definitely there but my reservation is only the sound. How it sounds like amd if it is going to wake up the neighbours everytime i fire it up.

e60Fanster, maybe we could team up to purchase this upgrade along with any onyone else who want to go down this path when you are ready....terrible terrible!

 

[kl_mafia]

Mr Juan,
How much is the is performance air intake...?

 

[Juan Powerblow]

Enjoyed reading your writeup e60Fanster. I am a new owner of a 325 sports too and loving it. Extremely contented with the original package. So much so that I feel i could live with it for a while without any upgrades. so happy until i started seeing everyones post about doing this and that, and how good it is! Actually I was still able to resist, as my car is new and didnt want to mess with it. i am quite a scaredy cat in doing any mods....THEN now i see a fellow new car owner (e60Fanster) doing all this!!!!Terrible terrible man!!!You are poisonous!!

The BMW performance Air intake and ECU remapping is certainly very tempting.
Juan, how are you liking the performance air intake? Is it "boomy" or annoying when cruising on highways? I love to hear some extra grunt on accelaration but would be put off if it caused us a migraine on long journeys! I have read and gotten lots of feedback that performance enhancement is definitely there but my reservation is only the sound. How it sounds like amd if it is going to wake up the neighbours everytime i fire it up.

e60Fanster, maybe we could team up to purchase this upgrade along with any onyone else who want to go down this path when you are ready....terrible terrible!

The answer to your question is very simple, and one which others like E46F will confirm from similar experience. The sound is perfect. It's as if BMW paid particular attention to it to preserve the integrity of BMW engine note. So, it doesn't sound like a souped up Civic at all. The same can be said about the exhaust. Most notably, the intake enhances throttle response at all revs band, particularly at higher revs where in the 325i, it really comes on song to "add" to that scream. At low revs, it just a low, mild rumble. It doesn't sound like an aftermarket intake. It sounds like what your high performance BMW engine should sound.

I got it for RM3,800 but I understand even from the place I bought from that price is no longer applicable. It's a bit higher now.

 

[Daytona]

Thanks for that feedback.Actually, i misread your post. I thought you had the performance exhaust installed!Now I have to add the performance air intake onto the wishlist as well. Btw did you install the performance exhaust as well? Where do you recoomend to get it installed? Cheers

 

[e60FANster]

congrats on your new ride. there's one important mod you missed, 8. BBK.

oh yeah and dat too.. thanks.. as fast as u can accelerate, braking shld be faster :top:

 

[e60FANster]

e60FANster,

Glad ur enjoying ur ride bro. Guess no need much of racuning for u. Looks like u know what u want already. :top:
Will be waiting to salivate when ur car is completely done up.

Cheers

bro.. no need to salivate, definitely chunner car's arnd town, jus minor stuff to make it look better only.
was in obermaier last wk, i was really salivating there wen i saw some chunded X6 w full hartge kit, c63 amg, m3's & m5's... dat nite kenot sleep, dreaming abt one day owning them

 

[Juan Powerblow]

Thanks for that feedback.Actually, i misread your post. I thought you had the performance exhaust installed!Now I have to add the performance air intake onto the wishlist as well. Btw did you install the performance exhaust as well? Where do you recoomend to get it installed? Cheers

Daytona, you're not wrong. I had the performance exhaust done as well and I'm loving it. Strangely, the air intake gave more performance improvement. The exhaust's main attribute is the lovely sound, and it's ability to con girls into thinking it's a faster car than it really is, hahahaha.... Sound shallow rite, but that's what happened 2 years ago when I just couldn't justify forking out an extra RM140k for a 335i. :wink:

In my view, best place to get the exhaust is Obermaier in Jalan Ipoh. Freddie's people did a perfect job installing mine. I'm very pleased he extends such quality service to minor customers like me even though he services far more illustrious cars. Those who have been there would know.

 

[e60FANster]

Great write-up! Totally agree with the findings. I was at IA today and their service has remained impeccable. Besides, they threw in their support for the Club's Gymkhana yesterday and it's nice to have authorised dealerships involved in supporting car activities besides trying to just sell cars all the time. The mods bug is not a bad thing. The BMW Performance Air Intake is a must! Car takes on more "character" and from what I can tell about you, that's what you want even more.

Welcome.. enjoy writing it and hope its informative for member and forumers here...
Yeah i gues IA has been always been supportive of the bmw community in MY.
do u call this corporate social responsibility???? ahahaha
Mod bug is a FUN thing definitely not a BAD thing, e 325 sports is ingrained w FUN all round :top:
The intake is a MUST, funj also said so too but for 3.8-4k its abit too X for 3 hp gain.
Of course the CF aesthetics in e engine bay, e sound and drivability is priceless i guess.
but yeah i'm still considering it but slowly la, my pockets aint dat deep ahahaa.

 

[e60FANster]

Enjoyed reading your writeup e60Fanster. I am a new owner of a 325 sports too and loving it. Extremely contented with the original package. So much so that I feel i could live with it for a while without any upgrades. so happy until i started seeing everyones post about doing this and that, and how good it is! Actually I was still able to resist, as my car is new and didnt want to mess with it. i am quite a scaredy cat in doing any mods....THEN now i see a fellow new car owner (e60Fanster) doing all this!!!!Terrible terrible man!!!You are poisonous!!

The BMW performance Air intake and ECU remapping is certainly very tempting.
Juan, how are you liking the performance air intake? Is it "boomy" or annoying when cruising on highways? I love to hear some extra grunt on accelaration but would be put off if it caused us a migraine on long journeys! I have read and gotten lots of feedback that performance enhancement is definitely there but my reservation is only the sound. How it sounds like amd if it is going to wake up the neighbours everytime i fire it up.

e60Fanster, maybe we could team up to purchase this upgrade along with any onyone else who want to go down this path when you are ready....terrible terrible!

glad u did, e stock set-up on e car is nice really, juz tt i normally like mine to be slightly different.
JPB was spot on right, i like to give my car some character...
i've never used stock rims on all my previous cars for long and my last 5 cars has all been lowered.
wen i walk towards my car and another same color 325 is parked next to it, i want to be able to identify & distinguish my car easily... dats my objective in life...ahaha.. easy enuf right
but i reckon tt u can enjoy e stock setting first then mod slowly to enjoy it more..

i might regret not enjoying the stock form long enuff but really have not done much to my car yet la.
hence some items in my wish list is e one dat will change e power bend of e car, giving it more torque and power hopefully across the RPM range. But BMW performance mods r generally pricier so i'm really not used to paying top $ for mods like these. But i'm sure some of the veterans here wld haf differing views on this given tt they're used to e price of bmw mods.
always try to keep the ori/stock parts if possible so worst case scenario can put it back, all u lose is installation money but at least u can proudly proclaim " BEEN der DONE dat" :top:

can definitely go group buys when the time is right and when got special "lubang", let's wait for it

 

[E46Fanatic]

To gauge how hard core the owner is in modding their cars, E60FANSter was going to roll his 2 day old E90 sport fenders to fit in aftermarket wheels which had super aggressive offsets so that they will fit. Even the mechanic who was gonna roll the fender advised him not to do it on Jason's virgin car, as he was too heartbroken to do it.


:top:

 

[kl_mafia]

power power...... please post pictures for us to admire....im sure it super nice

 

[kl_mafia]

po

power power...... please post pictures for us to admire....im sure it super nice
:top: