2003 330i Individual

[Bavs108]

Thanks for all the advise guys:=): Much appreciated. I agree the tow bar spoils the look of the car. There should be a way to remove it? Or at least make it look a little better with those black plastic covers or something and remove the back plate.

My cousin went to see the car yesterday and test drove it. His impression was that the exterior is immaculate with little/no scratches given the age of the car. The interior does show signs of wear, but with a little attention it should look as good as new. When he drove the car, he didn't hear any noises, rattles or knocking sounds and there's no abnormal smoke coming from the exhaust.

My uncle is seeing the car tomorrow as well. He has bought and sold bmw's all his life so I trust that he knows exactly what to look out for. I will definitely follow up on what the dealer has said he was going to do on the car. I was also skeptical about the steptronic box, but I've been told that they aren't as problematic as it's made out to be.

Things I want to have done if I take the car are a gearbox oil and filter change (Any idea what this will cost?), I want an inspection done, major service and of course get the interior up to scratch. Mileage currently is 131k if I'm not mistaken. The mileage is also one of the main reasons I'm after this particular car as I do approximately 3000km per month too and from work. 90% highway driving.

The car in the link above does look neat, but the mileage is a bit too high for my liking and I'm not a fan of the wood trim (not a big deal though). The other reason is that the car is from a dealer who will hopefully make sure the car is up to scratch before I take delivery. It's an Audi dealership by the way. As far as I know, Audi is quite strict with regard to the condition of the pre-owned cars they're allowed to sell.

 

[Karthik]

:thumbs: Either way good deal

Audi Dealerships are good but

We bought our M3 from an Audi Dealership , they promised to redo the trim around the gearbox , get a new BMW bonnet roundel and to our disappointment after the car was signed and taken delivery of , they never stuck to their word .

My car was also from a dealer and they promised to fix the front foglamps which were broken but again to our disappointment , they didn't go through with it . Dad actually filed a case against them but it wasn't written in words so nothing happened .

Get them to fix whatever they mentioned they'd fix before you take the car from them .

Also since this is your first car , you might wanna get some of your girl friends to judge the colour . None of my girl friends like my car's colour , had a few bad remarks towards it :thumbdo: . At the end it is upto you off coarse so either way its a great car . Personally the car in the link I posted , even though the high mileage looks great in every way . Private seller's also mostly will keep their word on little problems you have with the car . :thumbs:

 

[Philip Foglar]

I am sure you can have that hideous tow bar removed without any problems. Fingers crossed all goes well with the purchase! I do agree - any things agreed by the dealer to be sorted out needs to be done, they get away too easily with not keeping their promise these days!

 

[Bavs108]

Thanks Karthik. I will make sure to follow up with the dealer on those things. I did tell my uncle to check it as well when he sees the car tomorrow.

Honestly the colour doesn't look too bad, especially with the individual kit, would I choose that colour if I were buying new? No... Personally I'd prefer an Individual in White:inlove: But it does have a sort of uniqueness to it that I like:thumbs: I can't say I've seen an e46 in that colour around here before.

 

[Philip Foglar]

Messing Metallic is a very rare and stunning colour!! In particular in sun light!! :inlove:

 

[Andy1GP]

Messing Metallic is awesome, with those rimms Sank and karthik have on especially. (not sure of name)

But like was said, the females don't easily approve of it. What do they know right?

 

[abmi0000]

I think this whole BMW gearbox issue is blown out of proportion. For every one guy that complains there's probably 9 that have no issues... Yes, budget R15 to R20k for it, but the 330i does not have enough torque to destroy it unless it was really abused.

Yep, Im one of those few people here that prefer auto to manual in a high performance car ...

+1

 

[Doomsdaya]

I think this whole BMW gearbox issue is blown out of proportion. For every one guy that complains there's probably 9 that have no issues... Yes, budget R15 to R20k for it, but the 330i does not have enough torque to destroy it unless it was really abused.

Yep, Im one of those few people here that prefer auto to manual in a high performance car ...

+1

+2 & welcome 108 :thumb:

I've driven an e46 330i, it's exceptionally refined & a pleasure to drive. Probably my next car....

As for the gearbox issues, I've seen a few 330i auto's with well over 200k and still going strong.

 

[Bavs108]

Thanks for all the welcomes guys:=):
Quick update. After requesting an AA report, the dealer has sent me a roadworthy test sheet which he says is the outcome of the multipoint check, I'm not convinced though. There are a few issues highlighted on the report which are:
Windscreen washers defective
Handbrake holding uneven
Right Rear tyre sidewall is damaged
Spare wheel is not roadworthy
Right Rear shock is leaking
Sump guard needs to be replaced.

The dealer said that all these things will be sorted out to get the car roadworthy including replacing all 4 tyres.

My uncle just test drove the car. He suggests I walk away. He couldn't find anything really wrong with the car, but advised that it's not worth the asking price and I could pick up something in better condition for less. He also said that the report given to me by the dealer is not an AA report.

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Oh yes, he also mentioned that consumption was sitting higher than his 335i at around 15l/100.

 

[AdiS]

Thanks for all the welcomes guys:=):
Quick update. After requesting an AA report, the dealer has sent me a roadworthy test sheet which he says is the outcome of the multipoint check, I'm not convinced though. There are a few issues highlighted on the report which are:
Windscreen washers defective
Handbrake holding uneven
Right Rear tyre sidewall is damaged
Spare wheel is not roadworthy
Right Rear shock is leaking
Sump guard needs to be replaced.

The dealer said that all these things will be sorted out to get the car roadworthy including replacing all 4 tyres.

My uncle just test drove the car. He suggests I walk away. He couldn't find anything really wrong with the car, but advised that it's not worth the asking price and I could pick up something in better condition for less. He also said that the report given to me by the dealer is not an AA report.

---

Oh yes, he also mentioned that consumption was sitting higher than his 335i at around 15l/100.

---

I wouldnt read too much into the consumption - probably just the result of a few hard test drives.. hammering a 330i will make it drink.

 

[Bavs108]

Yeah he said that even if I negotiate the price, the dealer will most probably skimp on the things he needs to do to get the car up to scratch like replacing the tyres and shocks etc. I was advised to rather wait for a cleaner one or an E90 instead.

 

[speeddemon]

Hmmm... I'm thinking of letting mine go but it's not an individual though but a 04 sportspack 6speed with 135 000km on the clock for about the same price more or less..
Pm me if u interested...a few guys have seen my car and can vouch for the condition it's in:thumbs:

 

[Philip Foglar]

Thanks for all the welcomes guys:=):
Quick update. After requesting an AA report, the dealer has sent me a roadworthy test sheet which he says is the outcome of the multipoint check, I'm not convinced though. There are a few issues highlighted on the report which are:
Windscreen washers defective
Handbrake holding uneven
Right Rear tyre sidewall is damaged
Spare wheel is not roadworthy
Right Rear shock is leaking
Sump guard needs to be replaced.

The dealer said that all these things will be sorted out to get the car roadworthy including replacing all 4 tyres.

My uncle just test drove the car. He suggests I walk away. He couldn't find anything really wrong with the car, but advised that it's not worth the asking price and I could pick up something in better condition for less. He also said that the report given to me by the dealer is not an AA report.

---

Oh yes, he also mentioned that consumption was sitting higher than his 335i at around 15l/100.

---

Yep, consumption will be high like this from typical short test drives - if I fill my 330i and reset everything, then sit in peak traffic not moving my consumption will do crazy high 30 - 40 l/100 km. But the moment you start driving as normal then it comes down quickly and settles.

Windscreen washer could simply be a bit blocked? But has to be sorted out.

Handbrake shoes and cable adjustment, not a big issue really.

Tyres being replaced is fair enough - keep the best of the tyres then for spare wheel, assuming that spare wheel is at least fine.

See if they can replace the rear shocks since the one is leaking.

Missing sump guard is strange, but provided no damage underneath they can just replace - the E46 also has a plastic under tray from the bumper to the metal sump guard.

With the consumption again, could always take the car for another test drive and once the engine is warm simply reset the average consumption meter and see what it does with normal driving.

Ultimately you have to be happy with the car, and as such, best to trust your gut instinct! True, E90's are now entering the market at very good prices, so could look at that... :thumbs:

 

[Karthik]

Sigh I'm sorry bud , but the problems listed don't sound too wary , could it really be that bad ?

I don't know what to say , if they fix all the problems shouldn't be too bad ? The price also does seem good

 

[Bavs108]

Na its cool. I'll pass on this one. My uncle, speaking as a dealer said he wouldn't pay more than about 85k for the car and in my position wouldn't pay more than about 90-95k. Book value on the car is around 92k and retail 103k. So I'd be spending about 15k above retail on a car that still needs about 10k worth of attention. Also the dealer sounds a bit dodgy. When my cousin viewed the car he told him that the front tyres were relatively new, he'd just replace the back tyres and shocks were already replaced. When my uncle went his story changed, all tyres need to be replaced and shocks still to be done when he complained about the suspension being a bit soft. He advised that even if I negotiate the price to about 100k, the dealer would most probably fit cheap tyres or rethreads and skimp on the other things he said he'd do as well. Tyres on the car at the moment are conti sport contact 2's so highly unlikely that they'd replace with the same. He would probably do the bare minimum just to get the car roadworthy. My uncle suggested that I rather wait it out till he gets an E90 325i for around the same price. There really isn't anything wrong with the car, it's just not worth the asking price.

 

[Karthik]

Name and shame this Audi Dealer please :thumbs:

 

[Bavs108]

Hmm the one with the 4 round rings linked together:thumbs:

I'd like to give the dealer the benefit of the doubt. To be honest he was pretty helpful and responded quite promptly with everything I requested of him with the exception of the AA report. I guess most dealers twist the truth a little to make a sale, in this case they lost one, not because of that, but I did lose my peace of mind because of that. I'm pretty sure they won't have trouble selling the car. Also they didn't pressure me into a sale after I backed out. If you do a search for '330i individual' on Autotrader you will see the ad for the car:=):

I guess my window shopping shall continue:thumbs:
Thanks to all for the advise givenraise:

 

[Andy1GP]

It's not a nice feeling to let go of something you had your hopes set on. But to be honest I'm glad you did.

As everyone mentioned the 'known' niggles listed are fairly small fixes. What lies underneath that, they could be hiding as well?

Out of personal experience if you know and trust someone that's owned a car you get much greater peace of mind knowing where it comes from and what honest issues it might have.

I like this quote. Would definitely check this out to give you a good idea what your money can buy.

Hmmm... I'm thinking of letting mine go but it's not an individual though but a 04 sportspack 6speed with 135 000km on the clock for about the same price more or less..
Pm me if u interested...a few guys have seen my car and can vouch for the condition it's in:thumbs:

 

[Bavs108]

Yeah it is kinda disappointing, but I'd rather be disappointed now than be disappointed later and have an empty wallet:idea:

I did lose a bit of confidence in the car when the dealers stories changed, so I wouldn't have bought the car being fully happy with it. I think I'll just wait it out for an E90 and hopefully one day get an E46 for the fun of it:thumbs: I actually prefer them over the E90's.

 

[Philip Foglar]

Yep, best is to take your time and in the meantime read up as much as possible - when I bought my E90 I was pretty clueless when it came to the various options and spec levels, so ultimately paid more than I probably should have while missing out on some of the nicer toys that these cars have as options.