Buying an E90

[Sonn]

Good day fellow fanatics.

I have decided to buy an E90 (unless a very nice E46 or 1-series jumps at me) second hand.

The models I am considering are the 320i, 320d and 325i. Years are 2005+.

My price range is 80-120k. Looking for FSH, financing and around 100-150k km on the clock.

Given these specifications, is there a "best" one to pick from those three?

I know it's largely subjective but I think the criteria is down to power, fuel economy and reliability.

I've heard some bad things about the 320d's turbo if the car hasn't been taken care of, at the mileage I'm looking at.

Apparently the 320i runs a bit hard on the 4 cylinders.

Are there any major things to look out for? Is there an "obvious" choice given my specifications?

If it helps, I live near the coast.

Input is much appreciated! :ty:

 

[Nick]

A good 320d would be the best choice at the coast.
320i is a little under powered but still a good daily drive.

 

[Mrcloc]

A good 320d would be the best choice at the coast.
320i is a little under powered but still a good daily drive.

+1

But give a 325i a drive (as well as a 323i).

 

[Rayzor]

A good 320d would be the best choice at the coast.
320i is a little under powered but still a good daily drive.

+1

But give a 325i a drive (as well as a 323i).

+1 :thumbs:

 

[MuhammadJ]

A good 320d would be the best choice at the coast.
320i is a little under powered but still a good daily drive.

+1

But give a 325i a drive (as well as a 323i).

+1 :thumbs: def would suggest checking out a 323i - I was pleasantly surprised henced bought one myself

 

[Nick]

A good 320d would be the best choice at the coast.
320i is a little under powered but still a good daily drive.

+1

But give a 325i a drive (as well as a 323i).

+1 :thumbs: def would suggest checking out a 323i - I was pleasantly surprised henced bought one myself

+1 my dad has one, 130kw and not lazy at all.

 

[STREETDREAMER]

Pm sent sorry my connection is abit messed up sorry if it came through a few times :fencelook:

 

[akash]

I would go 320D good performance and economy.

 

[Sonn]

Thanks for the PM streetdreamer - it only came through 8 times For that price range however I'm more keen on the newer E90.

While my brain is occupied with those rather sensible choices, my heart really desires the 320d E92 coupe. Now that is a magnificent car. But they seem to *start* at R 180k which would be stretching things a bit.

For some reason I thought it was the other way around - that turbodiesels fared better at altitude than near the coast?

 

[akash]

Do you get a 320D in the E92, i never seen one?

 

[Sonn]

akash, here's a link.

http://www.bmwblog.com/2009/10/15/mwerks-reviews-the-european-bmw-320d/

 

[S1NGH 001]

Theres no E92 320d in South Africa.......

From the options above, considering your budget the 320d would be the logical choice :thumbs:

320i tends to build sludge (very common with those engines)
323i is lazy IMO
325i is nice but can get very thirsty

 

[akash]

akash, here's a link.

http://www.bmwblog.com/2009/10/15/mwerks-reviews-the-european-bmw-320d/

Thanks for the link but i dont think we ever got this spec in SA just like the 335d.

 

[ChrisBrand]

AFAIK we only get the 320i e92.

320i - no
323i yes
325i yes
320d yes.

In the price range the car would be out of motorplan.

What was your previous car?

Reason I asked is that people who had for instance a 1.3 tazz would find the 320i sufficient.

If you drove something more powerful or modded the 320i might be underwhelming.

The 320d can be modded with software to add a bit more power and even better fuel figures. (6.0l/100km combined)

323i and 325i should be nice daily drives. Great straight six soundtrack. Figures should be around 9.0l - 11.0l/100km combined.

Then again a very clean e46 330i would also be in that price range with similar consumption figures as the 323i and 325i. Even better, can't believe I said that, is many e46 330d also fall in that range. Consumption at 6.0l/100km and lots of torque.

1 series tend to keep their value a bit better so they might be more expensive.

---

Also if you rather like the coupe's then a e46 325i would also be nice. Especially with the Mtech 2 kit.

 

[akash]

Your inline 6 cars run well at the cost, power only really kicks in at 4000 rpm on the 325i and 323i, theres not much difference in the power delivery from the two. I have driven both. You will find a few in your price range and they are solid engines.

However i still think a 320d would be the better option.

And this is coming from me some that owns a e90 323i and 335i.


Any Fanatic here would however tell you, that the best way to choose which model you would like to have would be to test drive them.

We may all say that a 320D is the better car aon paper it is, but you may find your heart follows that of the 323i, 325i or even the 320i after you have driven them.

 

[NavZ]

320i - no
323i yes
325i yes
320d yes.

+1

Please don't even consider a 320i.
Out of those I'd go with a 320d or if you're scared of turbo's get a clean 323/325i.
Or if you can fit a 330i/d in your budget... :tease:

 

[cOlDFuSiOn]

320d hands down! :thumbs: I had 2 E90 320i's ... They are very heavy on juice and in my opinion dangerously slow... :fencelook:

 

[Sonn]

From what I gather the 320d seems to be about 30-40k more expensive than a similar mileage 320i. Given the possibility (probability?) of a turbo blowing somwhere down the line, which should be taken into conideration regarding price, it seems a 320d is going to work out quite a bit more expensive, unless I drive it a lot to make up for the economy.

 

[S1NGH 001]

And what happens with the 320i starts building sludge :bangdesk:

 

[cOlDFuSiOn]

Also the E90 320i manual is prone to clutch problems.. check my signature to see the luck I had with a 320i.. it is a catch22 as always because the diesels are more expensive but I maintain my position that I know the 320d is the better car..