Advice Needed which 330 to buy?

Hi Guys

My 120D sport was recently taken out by a taxi onto steel pallasades , Im fine but the car is a write off, only had it for 7 months. Im now faced with a dilema of buying another car, I have test drove the 2006 E90 330d sport and 2007 E90 325i sport - 73000 km @ R240000 and made a decision on the 330d which had lower mileage - 65000km @ R230 000. Now my insurance is not paying out my full amt owing to the bank and have to pay in R50000

So im rethinking the E90 and looking for a e46 330i or 330d - i need a saloon cause i have a 9 month old son.
managed to find :
a 2003 330d 98000km @ 130k
a 2003 330im individual 129000km @ 135k
a 2003 330d sport 155000km @ 100k
a 2004 330d exec 115000km @ 130k
a 2003 330i 140000km @ 115k

I need to know the maintenance costs involved with these cars out of motorplan, which will be the cheaper to maintain, run and reliability?
What is the avg servicing costs and intervals? are the turbos on the D's reliable as i have a heavy foot when im alone.
When does cambelt etc needs to be replaced?
I see that there are more d's than the 330i for sale....


Also should i go for auto or manual?
Please can you guys advice...

Check out this one:
http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=13816

Depending on how much mileage you do monthly but I would go for a 330i auto in all honesty..Although the manual box would be a cheaper fix if anything goes wrong

what excuse is insurance using?

@ moranor - i did not take top up & they only willing to settle - Retail and not sum insured..

average abt 20 000km yearly are the gearboxes troublesome?

Contact ajm on this forum, and buy his 2005 330d 140000km 6spd manual, but relatively new turbo. I would not buy another e46 diesel auto, the boxes are flawed... The 3litre turbos are very reliable, mine is sitting at 277kkm, still original. BMW's don't have cambelts. People are scared of the diesels for some foreign reason, thats why they are more abundant, but the 330i's have a bigger problem with the cooling system, which is more expensive than the turbo to fix if it goes boom...

I would opt for the 330i instead of the 330d if the car is more than 5 years old. The reason is not because of the turbo - it's because injectors, etc need cleaning and you never know what type of fuel the previous owner threw in.

Also, since the 330i has less torque than the 330d, IMHO the gearbox would last longer. However, budget for some preventative maintenance and you should be fine with the auto - just have the entire car checked out properly before you purchase.

I sold my 330d with 207000km on the clock and not a days hastles, my Father In Law sold his 330d with 198 000km on the clock, also no hastles. Both where auto. Never had any issues with the gearboxes or turbos, plus it has decent fuel consumption and performance to boot! I would buy a 330d in an instant!

Check the service history with BMW before buying to set your mind at ease, and buy as late as possible model ('04 or '05) My experience with the diesels are that they are REALLY bulletproof, very strong and ultra reliable! Hope you come right! :thumbsup:

Thanks for the advise guys..
What are the costs of servicing for the 330i and 330d's

nishen said:

Thanks for the advise guys..
What are the costs of servicing for the 330i and 330d's

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Kinda difficult to compare apples to apples here.

The 330i has longer service intervals, but spark plugs, etc are more costly, where the D does not have those. I've done some preventative maintenance on mine (e.g. replaced coolant expansion tank, etc)

The 330d has shorter "cheaper' intervals and less potential cooling system issues. However, if you need to refurb/replace/clean injectors it could add up.

Hence, I would say it's much over muchness - neither are horribly expensive to maintain, provided the car is still in good condition and has been well looked after. On both the petrol and diesel, some guys recommend shorter service intervals as the car ages, but then again, this impacts both models.

I'm sure some of the other guys can provide a bit more detail.

@ BMW M & MSM -THANKS

a 2003 330im individual 129000km @ 135k


I would take that one

And the 330i would be easy to do some DIY services on it... There are always guys on the forum that would help out another fanatic if they need help...

andrewbuch said:

a 2003 330im individual 129000km @ 135k


I would take that one

And the 330i would be easy to do some DIY services on it... There are always guys on the forum that would help out another fanatic if they need help...

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+1
That is also the one I would go for and there are a lot of guys on the forum with 330i's for you to tap knowledge from or help when you want to DIY.

2003 330im individual 129000km @ 135k - sold guys.

looking @ ajm 330d for sale... http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=13816

nishen said:

2003 330im individual 129000km @ 135k - sold guys.

looking @ ajm 330d for sale... http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=13816

Click to expand...

Not surprising.