I'd probably go with the BMW. It weighs a little more than the SRT, but it also has roughly 375hp (despite BMW's claim of 300). It takes just as well to mods as the SRT, has a larger aftermarket, and is more practical. The only real drawback is that they're almost as common as Mustangs and they haven't stopped plummeting in value.

As someone else mentioned you should go for an E46 M3. You can get all of the benefits of owning a 335, but pay the same price you would for an SRT6.

 

How is an NA E46 M3 as easy to mod as a forced induction turbo motor of the 335i? Have been a bimmer guy for years and think this may be off base. You certainly can not get an ECU tune to produce 100 HP on the M3, not to mention anytime you mention M and BMW in the same sentance, the price jumps considerably on the aftermarket parts....

 

This was my car before it got totaled

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Uh, that looks really boring
How about an AMG , but in order to own one you have to be stuck up and a bit of a troll

 

Practicing again aren't you..... After owning a car like that, I don't think you will be happy with a XF.....good luck either way, and the "Dog" gives lessons on AMG ownership in case you lean that way...

 

Why do you say this?

 

Crossfire isn't as refined....that is a clean refined ride. You won't get that. If you want a performance car, and willing to mod it a bit, you will have a car that will stay with about anything out there. Triple figure cars, will edge it out, but you just spent triple figures...for 15K or there about, you can have a fun sporty car. Not a refined ride, but sporty, rough but not bad a ride. I would have a nice refined ride, and find an SRT6 to mod....best of both worlds. The rest was picking on the "Dog"....the AMG Dog...lol....

 

You're not going to get 100hp out of a tune on the 335. The 335 has no less than 350bhp for the 335i and 370bhp for the 335is (dyno proven by reviewers, shops, etc). Also from what I've read you're not going to get close to 400whp in a 335 without upgrading the turbos. You can safely achieve that with a turbo kit on the M3 running very low boost (4-5psi). So modding costs wont be too different and certainly wont be enough to justify paying $7-10 more for the 335.

The 335 is a great car, but it'll be a couple of years before I'd take one over a E46 M3.

 

OK here is a little lesson.


2011+ 335i has a single Turbo which produces 300hp. The ones before made 320 HP. They have the same engine as the new 335is or m1. You can get 400whp+ without changing turbos.

 

Where in LA are you located? I live in Diamond Bar, approximately 25 miles east of downtown. I would be more than happy to share my knowledge of these fantastic little cars...

 

Just checked a few forums that say 380whp is limit of the factory turbos but should be changed long before that. Also check again. The 335i had a 300hp twin turbo, the 335is came with the overboost feature.

Full Test: 2007 BMW 335i Coupe

Both the 335i and 335is were underrated by BMW by roughly 50hp. Feel free to look up the dyno charts. They get anywhere from 275-315whp depending on if they had overboost.

I'm strictly speaking about the N54 powered 335's. If any of us were recommending a new 335 to him then we'd just tell him to buy a used M3 and a used SRT6 and use the money left over to mod both.

 

I don't know a thing about BMW's...but I do know how to save money. If you want a name, big name car, Porsche for example, then you are going to pay for it. I did run up against a v-10 BMW at US 41 t/t day some time back...but again you are pushing 3 digits to buy. Nice rides for sure, and nice interiors, but they should be for that price. Now if you want to run with them, and damn close to them spend 15-18K on an SRT6 and mod that baby for under 3K.... You can drive the hell out of it, and enjoy it. I know when I owned the Z06, I was too afraid of having any real fun with it, because I had so much invested. I can enjoy the 2 SRT6's, and I can afford to continue to make more HP for the $$$$. Just a thought...It's your money....but, the big price tags don't appeal to me anymore when I know the little cars I have will give them a good run.

 

I am coming from a 335i, they are not 50 hp under rated. They are 20 hp under rated. And as for the 335is, any tune on the normal 335i can give you that same overboost feature. It means nothing to me. its still the same exact engine. As for the stock turbos, I know several people who are pushing 400 WHP on the stockers.

 

The 20hp was the difference what overboost added. Here's the dyno run for an auto 335i, obviously without overboost. That's also been repeated quite a few times.

2007 BMW 335i Dynamometer Run - Latest Auto News and Pictures - Automobile Magazine

"The non-turbocharged 330i, rated by BMW at 255 hp and 220 lb-ft of torque, puts about 200 hp and 180 lb-ft to the rear wheels. That's roughly a twenty-percent loss. Since they have similar drivelines, you'd expect the 335i to put down 235 hp and 250 lb-ft. But it didn't. It put down a whole lot more: 275 hp and 300 lb-ft. A few quick taps on our trusty calculator shows that this engine is likely putting out closer to 350 hp and 360 lb-ft of torque."

I'm just basing the info on the turbos limits from various forums. These guys claim 400whp is safely possible on pump gas with meth injection. Then again meth injection isn't meant for daily driving. Here's the company that made the claim.

BMW Aftermarket Parts for BMW | BMW Performance Tuners | 335 Performance | N54 | BMW Chip | E90 Tuning | BMW 335 Performance | BMW 335 Accessories | N54 Motor | BMW 3 Performance | 335i Engine | N54 Turbo | parts for bmw | tuning bmw

Here's the claim. It's Terry's last post.

How Much Horsepower? - N54TECH.COM : BMW N54 / N55 Turbo Performance forum

I did my homework on these cars after getting my butt whooped by a modded 335

 

Excuse me, it is only 98HP LOL and 129Ft lb of torque, try and get that out of an M3 for ~$2,000. Pricey Dinan stuff, but powerful as well...

Dinan Cars - Stage 3 Performance Engine Software/Boost Upgrade

And if you want a little less HP and lots less money, visit our friends at EuroCharged, here is 73HP and over 100ft lbs for $600 - $8.20 per HP, I think this speaks for itself...

335i Performance Engine Software (N54) - Stage 2

Not trying to say the M3 is anything less than awesome, but inexpensive power can be made on that N54 with little investment, and I am with you, there is a point you hit the wall on the OEM turbos, but it doesn't look like the OP wants to break the sound barrier, just get a fast car that looks great and does not destroy a gas pump - E92 N54 335i is a hell of a ride...

 

That's not 98hp that's 98hp over BMW's claim (which they state in the last sentence of the first paragraph) which I've already proven was much higher via dyno results. I can say Eurocharged's pulley and tune gave me a 100hp increase over stock too, if I use Chrysler's horsepower claim, but in reality it's only like a 70bhp gain which isn't surprising with a boost increase and tune.

You're right though, if he's not looking to push 400whp then he can't really go wrong with any of the cars mentioned. That's where price point comes in, the SRT6 and M3 are a lot cheaper than the 335. At least for a couple more years. That's why I'd still recommend the M3.

 

All valid points - all great cars

 

I owned an SRT6 about 3 cars ago (SRT6- CSRT4- 09 Corvette- 335xi) and now own a BMW 335i X-drive. Stock it's relatively fast, however it's smoothness makes it feel slower than it its.

A cattless dp, and tune really wake this car up. Now acceleration feels like my old 12.1 second SRT6, in fact I can launch it even harder with the AWD.

Performance-straight-line-wise, I'd say a tuned 335 is really close to a modified SRT6 with the edge going to the 6. However handling, and steering feel are in the BMW's favor hands down. Also much more comfortable and better fit & finish inside and out. Wonderful car, however I'm already plotting to get a Merc C63 AMG now. Those cars are n/a and in the 10's with full bolt-ons!

Here's a pic of my 2011 335i x-drive:

 

I think we are comparing $46k 335xi and $60-70k AMG against a $15-20k SRT6. Price vs performance, the Crossfire wins.

 

Agreed. There's no better bang-for-the buck out there...at least in terms of straight line acceleration & 1/4 miles times per dollars spent. However that is only one piece of the puzzle. There are a long list of attributes that make a good car. Sure, acceleration is a big one....but not everything.

I loved my SRT6- my BMW is quite comparable in performance but miles ahead in just about every other aspect. Just a much more livable car. Looks better too- IMHO.