I have read so many posts elsewhere that puts the BMW on a high pedestal and the G37 as just more Japanese junk...
I just want to say here after reading many hundreds of posts and owning a BMW before I would buy another one ONLY if it came with an iron clad guarantee good for everything insurance policy which would pay 100%
BMW are great....when they are running......at 66000 mi. my car started breaking here and there requiring much time in the prof. garage. the costs to fix this "Little Jewel" is mind shattering
...HERE is a 5 min video of a professional driver wringing out a G37, not shown and a blow by blow acct of the BMW....during this 5 min. ride. the driver talks incessantly about how great the BMW is and how he mentions every little thing it does exceptionally well.
the laugh of the century is when the driver exits the car and it is announced that the G37 WON ALL POINTS and was deemed the winner....this was, of course, PRICELESS.

03 G35 6MT DP

 

Dont get us wrong. The 335i is a superb car that any driver would love. If money was not a factor I think most of use would go with the 335. But since money is a subject for most of us, the ones that choose the g37 over the 335 are considering the long term expense of the car. The bmw starts out as the more expensive car. And although it has the care free maintaince for 50k, one knows there no problems with new cars the first 50k miles. Its the issues start after 50k and that is when prices start to add up.

 

Buy a G37, LEASE a 335. Major and I mean MAJOR issues with that engine. BMW did a terrible job with that one. If you want similar performance with better reliability in a Bimmer find yourself an E46 M3 and call it a day!

 

I love my G, but the turbo engine found in the 335 is consistently raved about in almost every way. 2 of my friends own the 335 and have had no issues. I am not going to go too deep into reliability because i dont know anyone that's driven it for more than 50k miles or so... but i will say the G cannot compete with the 335 when it comes to performance. I am just being 100% honest. But the G is a totally different car. Its target focus is more on luxury and styling, rather than in pure performance, and i believe the bmw is reverse in comparison.

 

BWM is a great car, it just has problems such as, bottom gaskit leak/ valve cover leak, turbo's fail, biggest problems are the injectors and fuel pumps. But if you do get it new or certified- pre owned you have nothing to worry out. G37 wins with reliability and what it offers for the price.

 

While I appreciate your honest reply, I own an 09 335i coupe. I've had it for close to 9 months now and its had to have major service 4 times already. Other members that have seen similar threads know of my discontent for this piece of crap. Hence the reason I recently purchased another G35 coupe with higher mileage for a RELIABLE daily driver. So in answering the OPs question I was giving my honest opinion with 1st hand experience as well. You are right though, the car is amazing and superior to the G35 in every way (while it is actually driveable). You yourself said you don't know anyone with over 50K miles on theirs, as a member of e90 post I have read all the horrible threads about the cars reliability. This is why I suggested the OP lease so once he hits 100K and is out of warranty he can get something else.

 

Hey, thanks for the input and for sharing your experience. Your right, no car at this price range should have issues at 9months. The 3 cars i was looking into purchasing were a 2012 335i coupe, 2009 M3 coupe, and of course my G vert. I can say that I chose my car because it offered much more overall (outside of performance) for the price i was looking at as the poster above mentioned. Well, the M3 was an easy winner for me to be honest, but it was 3 years older and had 35k more miles than what i purchased which was essentially almost brand new. i actually still regret not getting the M3, i aint gonna lie lol...
But anyways... So it came down mainly to a 335 or the G. This may sound like reverse thinking, but when i do research i try not to dig too deep into forums as alot of people (i would even say most people) tend to be very biased. Not only that, but most people that post on forums are just the ones that have some kinda issues and need help.
But then again, who can you really trust... All i had to base off of was what my friends experiences were, and they havent had any problems at all with their 335's even though they havent had it for more than a couple years or so.. I know 2 people with G's and although the one with the sedan had no issues after 75k, the other with the coupe had major work done after 35k... So, I really just went with what I preferred after taking both cars on extended test drives. I loved the balance the G offered with luxury and sport. But there was no denying that the 335 was more of the performer and a great car as well. But i will add that even though the turbo engine is fast, for me nothing really beats the power on tap from a powerful NA motor.

If the 335i is really prone to such issues as you stated, i apologize for not knowing the facts. But my understanding was that the motor was a pretty reliable one.

 

No 2 experiences are the same and b4 purchasing I did all the research about reliability as well. Told myself "None of that stuff will happen to me!", 2 HPFP replacements, 1 acceleration run that ended in a complete shut down and then having my fuel injectors replaced as well I learned that Shat just happens. I know a lot of guys with not 1 issue to date but that's just the way the cookie crumbles. I won't tell anyone flat out "DON'T BUY THE 335i" but I will always recommend leasing one as opposed to buying it just to be safe. I don't want to see anyone go through what I have gone through. Had my original G coupe for 4yrs and it only had major work done once in 80K+ miles.
What drew me to the 335i is the unbelievably easy way to build power on that engine... ECU reflash, dual cone intake, larger FMIC, true dual exhaust and your looking at 380+whp and over 400TQ. Just amazing if you have no problems, but having to go to the dealer so often I would have voided my warranty and really be assed out! I still love the car, I just hate mines...

 

What major work had to be done to the G at 80k? If you dont mind sharing...

I think i may've been spoiled by my previous 2 s2000's. Both were AP2. I put 130k on the first one in 6 years and i had ZERO issues. The 2nd one I had for 3 years and put 65k miles and only had one hiccup with misfires which was cured by fuel system cleaner. Those cars were built like a tank! Just maintained fluids and performed the obvious break jobs. The original clutch busted 2nd gear even at 130k. Im just hoping my G treats me just as well or anywhere close to the way the s2k treated me and i'll be greatful.

 

I test drove an 09 335i last year and was going to trade in my 06 RWD sedan for it. They wanted over $30k for it and the warranty seemed incredibly crappy so I passed on it. I purchased my G in 09 with 17k miles and now it has 112k. Its been excellent all along; no problems at all especially since I beat on it everyday.

 

This is an old video from 2008 when Infiniti won the comparison against the 3 series and was crowned the "King".

Forget the video. What I recall from reading the comparo is the 335 beat out the G37 in almost every category. Amongst those categories were interior size, torque (which negated the extra HP Infiniti had over the 3) and 0-60 numbers. Those were some of the main advantages the G35 had over the 3. MT gave Infiniti the win because it was the better value. That's fine, but If it were reverse and BMW got the win despite falling short in the majority of the categories, we would be screaming bloody murder.

Reliability is important, obviously, but reliability is usually determined over a duration of ownership. It was irrelevant when they compared these cars. I take nothing away from the G, but I've always felt it was a subjective win. The G35 and M35 racked up a number of wins. If the G37 followed this up with a couple of more head to head comparison wins, it would have been a different story.

You don't have to sell us on owning a G though. Just don't expect the people on the BMW boards to agree. Furthermore, BMW wins the perception argument hands down.

 

my 335i is not a reliable car. but in driving comparison , it totally destroys my previous g37s coupe.

 

I was looking at a '03 911 Porsche, car was beaten up......so I bought an '05 G 35!

 

ive read bmw underated the 335. its actually closer to 350hp or something like that. thats pretty cool. but yea quality sucks. my bros one has a leaking head gasket. he got rid of it

 

I hear good thing about the bmw but its not reliable but it drives like no other. I drive the 5 series sometimes and wish the G can really drive like that. When it come to repairs its no joke on the wallet.