E90 330i Pre-LCI Buying Advice

[Eon]

I have an opportunity to buy a 2005 BMW 330i Manual with only 82 000km on the odo. The car is grey with tan interior. New tyres. Looks very clean and has a lady owner. It doesn't appear to have any fancy extras, no m-sport, satnav or adaptive cruise control judging from the pictures. The selling price is R120 000,00.

Is there anything that I should be wary of when buying one of these models, ie. Major services that are due or high maintainence (except the fuel bill)?

I am particularly interested in the 330i because I feel it's the last of the N/A 6 cylinder BMWs and also the (non-M) one with the highest power output. Although the body and interior colour combination is not exactly my favourite, but I can live with it. To me, the golden recipe for the Ultimate Driving Machine is a N/A 6-pot up front, with a manual gearbox in the middle, sending power to the rear wheels, and at this price I think it's a steal?

 

[Lizzard]

They are awesome cars :blowheart:

Love mine to bits, same 2005 E90 330i, they are old versions with the 190kw but they drive like a dream.

 

[Marcel83]

google " e90 common problems"

you will see there isn't much - about a 10k slush fund will see you replacing parts that seem to be problematic...and I use the term "problematic" very loosely.

there aren't anything to worry about the e90's , built very solidly.

im getting a white m-sport in the next few months, busy saving up the final cash + slush fund so whats non-negotiable to me is that is has verifyable FSH and log book...the rest is just up to visual inspection.

 

[Lizzard]

I get Fuel consumption of 11-12L per 100km with 80% traffic and 20% freeway, so they are the same as the small ones. Only difference is when I plant my right foot, that figure goes to 16L/100km and when I cruise on the freeway it drops to 7L/100km. So don't worry about the fuel, its not too bad.

Maintenance, Check the onboard computer as it will tell you when to change the parts and will give you an estimate. But regarding maintenance, here are the prices up to 2 months ago:

* Spark plugs - R264.48 each (you need 6 of them)
* Oil - R90 each (require 8 of them as the car takes 7.5L)
* Filters
Air - R510.90
Cabin - R819.79
Oil - R182.47

Problems or things to look for (in my case, experienced)
* Powersteering pump - Start the car and turn the steering while standing still, listen for excessive noises. If any then it will set you back R3500 at Suspension parts and R9035 at the dealer.
* Waterpump and thermostat - The car, 2005 E90 330i has an electric waterpump and thermostat, both sitting outside the engine. When they go, you will get small hints like the car will not overheat but will tell you to pull off the road. this one you will have to experience as you cant see or prepare for it. It happened to me within my 1st year of ownership but I am sitting on 200 000Km, so you have a while to go. This will set you back at Goldwagen - Waterpump R4450, Thermostat R1100 and at the stealers ( :sorry: dealers) waterpump R7309.00, thermostat R1648. Prepare for this one along the line but just save some money for this, as they do go eventually.

Otherwise then this, they are solid cars and are fun :rollsmile: to drive.

 

[Karthik]

Sounds like a good buy, go test drive the vehicle and I'm sure it will do the convincing. Just a good thing to do is get the vehicle Vin and Registration and get the motorplan history and see if there's any comments. Then call up eNatis and get a vehicle check, confirming no accident history and number of previous owners.

:=):

 

[Eon]

Thanks for the advice so far guys! From what I've heard it sounds like a great car. With such low mileage it seems that I won't have to spend too much to maintain it initially, but will start a 'slush fund' as soon as I take ownership. Will contact the owner shortly for the details and do a CIA etc.

 

[Philip Foglar]

Take it for a test drive and see how it goes. Try and look at the car when it is cold (has not run for quite a while), then when it is started, pay attention to the sound of the engine for any lifter noise - these are the older N52 engines with the older head design, and they are known to become noisy if driven short distances frequently (those 5 min to work and back). You can take a peek into the engine and see the intake valvetrain, so you can at least get a sense of what the engine looks like in there to see if there is traces of sludge build up, but at that mileage and if the service history is complete, it should be fine. But going forward, change the oil at half BMW's normal service interval - these engines are fussy about the condition of the oil.

They're not the fastest cars on the road, but they most certainly can put a grin on your face, and for daily driving they are very well rounded, and can be quite fair in terms of economy. Servicing costs are not too bad, and a lot of stuff can be DIY'd.

Hope this helps.

 

[Eon]

Thanks Philip,

I phoned the lady last night, and unfortunately the car was sold after only 2 days on gumtree :smashScreen:

Oh well, the search continues!

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=69302

 

[Philip Foglar]

Thanks Philip,

I phoned the lady last night, and unfortunately the car was sold after only 2 days on gumtree :smashScreen:

Oh well, the search continues!

Sounds like it must have been a minter and the low mileage of course helps! Keep looking, there's bound to be more, maybe not with the same sort of low mileage, but there were quite a few manuals of the earlier E90s sold...