Car Model Guide/ BMW/ 3 Series/ E90

BMW 3 Series Sedan, E90

The volume car of the generation and the cheapest way into it. Everything good and bad about the E9x, in the body most of them were sold in.

Overview

The E90 is the sedan BMW 3 Series, built 2005–2011 and facelifted in 2008. 20 standard engines are documented here plus 1 M model, each with its own issue list, inspection sequence and price band. Asking prices across the standard range run €2,600–€17,200, and 7 of the 20 carry a risk level of 4 or 5; the facelift cars sit at a premium over otherwise identical pre-facelift ones. The cheapest way in is the 318i N46 from €3,100, while the 323i N52 is the lowest-risk engine at €4,050, which engine you buy matters more here than which year. Prices are illustrative placeholders rather than a sourced market sample. See the methodology.

BMW 3 Series sedan (E90) · photo BMW E90 kallerna by kallerna · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Body style	sedan	Production	2005–2011
Platform siblings	E91 wagon · E92 coupe · E93 convertible	Facelift (LCI)	2008

What changed at the 2008 facelift

Revised front and rear lights and bumpers; Interior trim and iDrive updates; N53 replaced N52 in most European markets; N57 replaced M57 in the 330d. The engine changes are the ones that matter, a car built in the changeover year can carry either engine, so check the engine code on the block rather than the registration date.

Engine matrix: pre-facelift, 2005–2007

The 16 variants sold before the 2008 facelift. Power and years come from the variant records; prices are illustrative, not sourced.

FilterFuelGearboxRisk ceilingGood buy under16 of 16

Badge↕	Engine	Fuel	Years↕	Power↑	Torque↕	Risk↕	Issues	Price band↕	Good buy↕	Verdict
318i	N46	petrol	2005–2007	143 PS	190 Nm	R3	13	€2,600–€5,200	€3,100	Buy w/ conditions	View
318d	N47	diesel	2007–2007	143 PS	300 Nm	R5	17	€3,500–€6,400	€4,100	Avoid	View
320i	N46	petrol	2005–2007	150 PS	200 Nm	R3	13	€2,900–€5,500	€3,400	Buy w/ conditions	View
320d	M47	diesel	2005–2007	163 PS	340 Nm	R3	15	€3,200–€6,100	€3,800	Buy	View
320i	N43	petrol	2007–2007	170 PS	210 Nm	R4	16	€3,300–€6,600	€3,950	Caution	View
323i	N52	petrol	2005–2007	177 PS	230 Nm	R2	17	€3,400–€6,600	€4,050	Buy	View
320d	N47	diesel	2007–2007	177 PS	350 Nm	R5	17	€3,700–€7,000	€4,400	Avoid	View
325d	M57	diesel	2006–2007	197 PS	400 Nm	R2	17	€4,400–€8,200	€5,200	Buy	View
325i	N52	petrol	2005–2007	218 PS	250 Nm	R2	17	€4,000–€7,800	€4,750	Buy	View
325i	N53	petrol	2007–2007	218 PS	270 Nm	R4	18	€4,400–€8,600	€5,250	Buy w/ conditions	View
330d	M57	diesel	2005–2007	231 PS	500 Nm	R2	17	€5,000–€9,600	€5,950	Strong buy	View
328i	N52	petrol	2006–2007	234 PS	270 Nm	R2	17	€4,300–€8,400	€5,150	Strong buy	View
330i	N52	petrol	2005–2007	272 PS	315 Nm	R2	17	€4,700–€9,200	€5,600	Strong buy	View
330i	N53	petrol	2007–2007	272 PS	315 Nm	R4	18	€5,000–€9,800	€6,000	Buy w/ conditions	View
335d	M57	diesel	2006–2007	286 PS	580 Nm	R3	16	€5,800–€11,000	€6,900	Buy w/ conditions	View
335i	N54	petrol	2006–2007	306 PS	400 Nm	R4	19	€6,300–€11,800	€7,350	Buy w/ conditions	View

Engine matrix: facelift / LCI, 2008–2011

The 15 variants sold from the facelift on, priced at a 9% premium over the pre-facelift car.

15 variants from the facelift on, carrying a real market premium of roughly 9% over an otherwise identical pre-facelift car. Variants appearing in both tables were sold either side of the changeover, the build month decides which one you're looking at, not the model year.

FilterFuelGearboxRisk ceilingGood buy under15 of 15

Badge↕	Engine	Fuel	Years↕	Power↑	Torque↕	Risk↕	Issues	Price band↕	Good buy↕	Verdict
316d	N47	diesel	2009–2011	116 PS	260 Nm	R5	15	€3,600–€6,550	€4,200	Avoid	View
318i	N46	petrol	2008–2011	143 PS	190 Nm	R3	13	€2,850–€5,650	€3,400	Buy w/ conditions	View
318d	N47	diesel	2008–2011	143 PS	300 Nm	R5	17	€3,800–€7,000	€4,450	Avoid	View
320i	N43	petrol	2008–2011	170 PS	210 Nm	R4	16	€3,600–€7,200	€4,300	Caution	View
320d	N47	diesel	2008–2011	177 PS	350 Nm	R5	17	€4,050–€7,650	€4,800	Avoid	View
325d	M57	diesel	2008–2010	197 PS	400 Nm	R2	17	€4,800–€8,950	€5,700	Buy	View
325d	N57	diesel	2010–2011	204 PS	430 Nm	R3	18	€6,100–€11,100	€7,200	Buy	View
325i	N53	petrol	2008–2011	218 PS	270 Nm	R4	18	€4,800–€9,350	€5,750	Buy w/ conditions	View
330d	M57	diesel	2008–2008	231 PS	500 Nm	R2	17	€5,450–€10,450	€6,500	Strong buy	View
328i	N52	petrol	2008–2011	234 PS	270 Nm	R2	17	€4,700–€9,150	€5,650	Strong buy	View
330d	N57	diesel	2008–2011	245 PS	520 Nm	R3	18	€7,200–€13,500	€8,500	Strong buy	View
330i	N53	petrol	2008–2011	272 PS	315 Nm	R4	18	€5,450–€10,700	€6,550	Buy w/ conditions	View
335d	M57	diesel	2008–2010	286 PS	580 Nm	R3	16	€6,300–€12,000	€7,500	Buy w/ conditions	View
335i	N54	petrol	2008–2010	306 PS	400 Nm	R4	19	€6,850–€12,850	€8,000	Buy w/ conditions	View
335i	N55	petrol	2010–2011	306 PS	400 Nm	R3	18	€10,050–€17,200	€11,700	Buy	View

Market availability varied by country; check the engine code stamped on the block rather than the badge on the boot. · Compare every engine side by side →

M models, separate category

Listed apart because they share a bodyshell with the range and little else. Their prices are excluded from the range figures on this page.

BMW M cars share a bodyshell with the range they come from and almost nothing else that matters: different engine, different cooling, different running costs, and a different buyer. They're listed separately because putting an M3 in the same table as a 320d makes both harder to read.

FilterGearboxRisk ceilingGood buy under2 of 2

Badge↕	Engine	Fuel	Years↕	Power↑	Torque↕	Risk↕	Issues	Price band↕	Good buy↕	Verdict
M3M	S65	petrol	2007–2007	420 PS	400 Nm	R4	14	€30,600–€56,100	€35,700	Buy w/ conditions	View
M3M	S65	petrol	2008–2011	420 PS	400 Nm	R4	14	€33,350–€61,150	€38,900	Buy w/ conditions	View

Prices above are for M cars only and aren't included in the range figures quoted elsewhere on this page.

Model-year availability

Which engines were on sale in which year, from the year ranges in the variant records. Availability varied by country.

Variant	05	06	07	08	09	10	11
316d N47					◐	●	●
318i N46	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
318d N47			◐	●	●	●	●
320i N46	●	●	◐
320d M47	●	●	◐
320i N43			◐	●	●	●	●
323i N52	●	●	◐
320d N47			◐	●	●	●	●
325d M57		◐	●	●	●	◐
325d N57						◐	●
325i N52	●	●	◐
325i N53			◐	●	●	●	●
330d M57	●	●	●	◐
328i N52		◐	●	●	●	●	●
330d N57				◐	●	●	●
330i N52	●	●	◐
330i N53			◐	●	●	●	●
335d M57		◐	●	●	●	◐
335i N54		◐	●	●	●	◐
335i N55						◐	●
M3 S65			◐	●	●	●	●

● full year · ◐ arrives or leaves mid-generation. Years from 2008 in the accent colour are facelift (LCI) cars. Verify the engine code, not the model year.

Rating map, price against risk

Good-buy price plotted against risk level for every standard engine, so the value corner is visible at a glance.

Every standard engine in the chassis, plotted at its good-buy price against its risk level. Cheap and low-risk is the top-left; expensive and fragile is the bottom-right. M cars are excluded, they would stretch the price axis and tell you nothing about the rest.

Buy / strong buy Buy with conditions Caution / avoidLeft is cheaper, up is safer. The top-left corner is where the value is.

Prices across the range

Where the money sits across the whole chassis. Every figure here is an illustrative placeholder, not a sourced market sample.

Every standard engine on one euro axis: the bar spans the 10th to 90th percentile of asking prices, the tick is the median and the green marker is the good-buy figure. M cars are excluded; they sit an order of magnitude above the rest.

Cheapest good buy€3,100318i N46

Median good buy€5,200across 20 engines

Dearest good buy€11,700335i N55

Full range€2,600–€17,200P10 to P90

Every standard engine · cheapest first · 328i N52 highlighted as best value

€5k€10k€15kGood buy

318i N46€3,100 320i N46€3,400 320d M47€3,800 320i N43€3,950 323i N52€4,050 318d N47€4,100 316d N47€4,200 320d N47€4,400 325i N52€4,750 328i N52€5,150 325d M57€5,200 325i N53€5,250 330i N52€5,600 330d M57€5,950 330i N53€6,000 335d M57€6,900 325d N57€7,200 335i N54€7,350 330d N57€8,500 335i N55€11,700

at or under the good buy · good buy · median · bar spans the 10th–90th percentile

Chassis-wide issues, every engine inherits these

Faults recorded against the bodyshell and running gear rather than one engine, so every variant on this page inherits them.

Front control arm bushing wearE9x chassis€300–€700

Knocking over bad surfaces, vague or wandering steering, uneven front tyre wear, steering shimmy under braking. The front lower arm bushings are a known wear item on this chassis and go well before the ball joints.

Check: Drive over a rough road at low speed with the windows down and listen. Check the inside edges of the front tyres for feathering.

SuspensionuniversalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented80–150k km

Run-flat tyres and kerbed or cracked wheelsE9x chassis€150–€900

Harsh ride, vibration at speed, slow punctures. Stiff-sidewall run-flats transmit impacts straight into the rim, and these alloys crack rather than bend.

Check: Inspect the inner rim edge of every wheel for cracks and hairline splits, not just the face for kerbing. Budget for a set of conventional tyres; most owners switch and the ride improves markedly.

SuspensioncommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Corrosion at the rear subframe and arch seamsE9x chassis€300–€2,000

Bubbling at the rear arch lip, scaling on subframe mounting points and rear suspension components. Age plus road salt. This generation isn't a notorious rotter, but nothing from 2005–2013 is immune in a salted market.

Check: Put it on a lift and look at the rear subframe mounting points and the arch lips from behind. Largely a non-issue on cars from southern Europe, a real one on northern and Baltic cars.

Body & corrosionoccasionalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Footwell module (FRM) failureE9x chassis€150–€700

Headlights, indicators, windows, wipers and central locking stop working at once, usually right after a battery change or a jump start. The module's memory corrupts when supply voltage dips. It is the single most common electrical failure on this generation.

Check: Test every window, both mirrors, the wipers, all exterior lights and the central locking before you drive. If any cluster of these is dead, this is why.

ElectricalcommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Rear shock mount wearE9x chassis€250–€500

Knock from the rear over speed bumps, a hollow thump from the boot area. The rubber mounts perish. On hard-used cars the mount can crack the surrounding turret metal, which is a far bigger job.

Check: Lift the boot floor and look at the top of the shock towers for cracking or a lifted mount. Listen for a knock over bumps.

SuspensioncommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented100–180k km

xDrive transfer case actuator failureE9x chassis€600–€1,200

Grinding or binding at low-speed full lock, 4x4 warning lights, a shudder when manoeuvring. The actuator motor and the transfer case's internal chain wear, especially on cars run with mismatched tyre sizes.

Check: Full-lock circles in both directions in a car park, slowly, listening for binding. Check all four tyres are the same brand and wear, mismatched tyres destroy these.

DrivetrainoccasionalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented120–220k km

iDrive CCC head unit failureE9x chassis€300–€900

Black screen, rebooting, refusal to read the drive, non-functioning navigation. The early CCC unit's hard drive and mainboard fail with age. Later CIC units are more reliable.

Check: Turn it on and use it for a few minutes: navigation, radio, settings. Reboots during that window are the fault showing itself.

ElectricaloccasionalDetectable at viewingevidence: documented

Coolant expansion tank crackingE9x chassis€120–€250

Coolant smell after a drive, slow unexplained loss of coolant, crusty residue around the tank seams. The plastic tank goes brittle with age and splits, usually at a seam or around the level sensor.

Check: Look at the tank with the engine warm, dried coolant leaves a white or pink crust. Cheap to fix, but it tells you how the car has been maintained.

CoolingcommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented90–200k km

Unregistered replacement batteryE9x chassis€30–€60

Random electrical faults, warning lights that come and go, a battery that dies again within a year. The car's power management must be told a new battery was fitted. Cheap replacements are routinely fitted without coding, which then overcharges or undercharges the new battery.

Check: Ask when the battery was changed and whether it was registered. A car with a new battery, no registration and a scatter of odd electrical faults usually just needs coding.

ElectricalcommonPartly detectableevidence: documented

Written once against the chassis and shown on every variant page below, so nothing here is repeated 21 times: M cars included, since the bodyshell and electronics are shared.

Buying summary

Our read on the chassis, built on the records above rather than added to them.

Best value: 330d. The M57 is the strongest engine BMW made in this period and the sedan is the cheapest body to buy it in. Best long-term petrol: 330i N52, or a 328i N52 in markets that sold it. Port injection, no turbos, nothing that ends the car. Avoid: 320d and 318d N47. The rear timing chain fails and the repair costs a large fraction of the car's value; there are too many alternatives to take that risk. The trap: 325i and 330i N53. They look like the sensible naturally aspirated choice and they are, until the piezo injectors start going at €350–500 each, six per engine.

Cheapest and dearest in this chassis

The ends of the range by good-buy price. Useful for sanity-checking anything you're quoted.

Lowest entry price

318i N46 : from €2,600, risk 3

320i N46 : from €2,900, risk 3

320d M47 : from €3,200, risk 3

Lowest risk

323i N52 : risk 2, good buy at €4,050

325i N52 : risk 2, good buy at €4,750

328i N52 : risk 2, good buy at €5,150