I've had enough of this shit

[1lum1nat1]

They changed the valve body on the 330i, still same problem. Now they want to send the gearbox up to ZF.

I've had enough. I told Dmetri I fetching my cheque tomorrow morning. They then asked whether or not I want something else on their floor, but there's nothing else that will be the same as the 330i.

The owner asked whether or not they look for a 330i manual during the week. I said only & only if they can get a 6 speed manual with the same mileage , or less & in the same condition.

If by Friday it's not replaced I'm fetching my cheque & driving up to Joburg to get me a 330i manual.

Fuck it. I'm so pissed right now, but relieved at the same time.

 

[320 ice]

Rather have the problems now than later when you can't get your money back.

On the bright side now you can get that 6 speed Manual, much better option.:thumbsup:

 

[zaleonardz]

I feel ya man... hope you find your baby,

If you need yelp, im pretty good at tracking down vehicles as wel and know a couple of guys in the trade, give a shout.

 

[Gizmo]

Hope you get the cheque back.

 

[1lum1nat1]

Thanks guys

I've decided I'm not going to get another BMW, well until I can afford a new one. I'm going to miss the 330i so much, but a man can only take so much abusing. It can take quite some time to get the right BMW, but I'll always have that little devil on my shoulder whispering in my ear & reminding me of this experience. So I'll much rather eliminate it completely.

TBH, the BMW would cost me a few bucks maintaining it the way it deserves. I'm not rich & nor am my folks, I was able to afford it because I've been saving for a long time. So economically it would make sense to get a car thats a little lighter on the pocket maintenance & fuel wise.

I paid R140k for the BMW, but the owner is willing to exchange it for a 2005 C180 Kompressor with 123k on the clock or a 2006 A3 2.0fsi sportback ambition. Both in a really good condition. The Merc is listed for R155k & the A3 for R165k. I'm leaning towards the A3, lower mileage, newer model, a bit more sporty & better fuel consumption.

In 2-3 years I can pass it on to my lady & get the car I want. Lousy bloody articles salary.

Your thoughts? Please don't recommend a BMW. I'll get one in due time, but one that works & when I can actually afford it.

 

[Ricky318i]

:bawling:

 

[semaj]

Glad to hear you're not stuck with that lemon. I would get the A3 they are very nice cars but dont expect maintenence to be cheaper once out of plan.

 

[St Lunatic]

unlucky bud! im having the same issues with my box and its costin me almost 20k

i also thought of selling my 330i for next to nothing so i dont have issues like this coming up but after getting my car back today even with a broken gearbox she still looks sexy as hell!

 

[///M_POW]

A3 make sure its the 2.0 Turbo :excited:

The Merc is a nice car too...

Why dont u get a 2005 330i for around +- R150K under 100 000kms u can still extend that motor plan... :thumbsup:

 

[clutchplate]

hmm, thats nasty ... I guess everyone has bad experiences .. I've lost allot of faith in ZF gearboxes.. Getrag seems to be much better. and manual>auto.

bmw's best value for money on second hand car.. but like, if u have 140K+-, take the audi A3 2.0, otherwise use it as a deposit for an S8.. my favourite car would drive an S8 any day ..

 

[zaleonardz]

semaj is right man, any of those two choices will lead to money if out of plan.

Case in point, company jetta a few weeks back, manual gearbox failure , 28k damage, and thats not agents, agents wanted close to 50, and that is a very sensible 2006 Jetta 1.9 Tdi with 110,000 on the clock .. not even anything loud.

Also, while you will loose physical money with these expensive repairs, depreciation on a newish beemer or anything else will be just as bad if not more, so either which way you loose.

If I was you, and I had that kind of cash spare, I would take 100k, pay 20k for a E34 540i, spend 30 on it, tires service, exhaust, manual swap, exhaust, body kit, replace all the wear parts, maybe 40,

So your in for 60, put 40 into a high yielding moneymarket linked account.. and forget about it, thats for when something breaks, thats 50k less then you would spend in something you will be unsure of.

100k you have a frikkeeeen aswesome car, and a insurance policy... but then, thats just me

 

[sykotic]

i agree wid zale... bt if you want something that economical and sporty, y dnt u try th polo 1.9tdi sport (2door) or even the 4 door... really comfortable, freakn great performance and really REALLY REALLY ECONOMICAL! on a full tank local running and driving normally we get about 800kms. long distance joburg to durban.. got out close to 1100kms!

 

[1lum1nat1]

Yeah the 1.9tdi sportline is an awesome car. My future brother in law had one & I loved it to bits, but he had to replace the first turbo on 45k. I'm not even considering a turbo because you don't know how the previous guy treated the car & I'll always wonder when I'll have to replace it.

I've got the option to get a 2006 Jetta with 120k on the clock also the 1.9 tdi, but I'm to scared to go with a turbo. I think It'll be a little bit easier to get rid of the A3 than to suffer with a diesel tractor.

I can also extend the A3's motorplan.

LOL LZ, I'd love a 540i, but there's nothing economical about it's fuel consumption

 

[Ricky318i]

the audi as well as the merc is more heavy on maintenance than your 330i. please compare service costs and wear items on both before you make a choice. I might sound stupid saying this: but if you want a reliable car, get a honda or a toyota.

 

[Hellas]

the audi as well as the merc is more heavy on maintenance than your 330i. please compare service costs and wear items on both before you make a choice. I might sound stupid saying this: but if you want a reliable car, get a honda or a toyota.

+1 Ricky. I may also be biased towards the BMW, but maybe that's because I know it (...the devil you know story..). There is little beside major engine and gearbox problems that I won't try and sort myself on the BMW, so getting another vehicle will just shift the list of problems that may occur. No car manufacturer (or car) is bullet proof.

 

[freerider]

the audi as well as the merc is more heavy on maintenance than your 330i. please compare service costs and wear items on both before you make a choice. I might sound stupid saying this: but if you want a reliable car, get a honda or a toyota.

I almost made the mistake of buying a c230k once upon a time. THANK GOD I didnt! A guy in the office has one, and its a serious money pit.

 

[///Marksman]

the audi as well as the merc is more heavy on maintenance than your 330i. please compare service costs and wear items on both before you make a choice. I might sound stupid saying this: but if you want a reliable car, get a honda or a toyota.

+1

It really is a pity when you decided to go with the auto. I remember ur thread a while back ilum manual or auto.. Feedback suggested the manual. Had u chosen the manual instead you would have been soo fckin happy today. But i guess shit happens for a reason, who knows what u might find now. Goodluck

 

[St Lunatic]

bud stay away from the polo 1.9TDI

A lady friend of mine has had to replace hers 4 times! and she is a slow driver

 

[Stiffler_PE]

I dont like being negative but i feel i should give my 2 cents worth... please think carefuly before taking the Merc, at the very least go drive it. When i bought my beemer, i did a lot of looking around. A good mate of my dads is a dealer so he got a bunch of beemers together for me to drive. The day i got to him to start the test drives, someone had move the cars to the back o fthe lot. This meant there was some juggling needed to get the beemers out. My dads mate said that if i was bored i could help out and grab that car ( pointed to a c180 ) and go fill her up for him as someone was coming to test her later. At the same time i could go for a drive and play with the car while they got the beemers out to test.

I was very curious to drive the C180.. being a kompressor ( supercharger ) and not the ugliest car in the world. I was soooooooooooooo shocked ! That gearbox is enough to A) break your neck and B) drive you up the wall !
It is backward compared to the BMW. The tiptronic works side to side.. unlike BMW which you tap forward and back.
Then when you give it some stick and tap for gear change nothing happens, the box ignores you then seems to hesitate while it decids to change then BANG it decides to give you the gearchange you asked for an hour ago... and throws in a good dose of whiplash for free.

I gave it a very fair chance, varied speeds, tried it in full auto, tiptronic. Just a horrid gearbox. :cursin: Not to mention the performance.....

Then stepped into a 325Ci tiptronic.... Man i was nursing a semi !! Now that is a gearbox !:drool:

I have to say that a facelift 318i will run away from that c180.. never mind 320D or larger !

Please take it for a spin before you buy... even better... take them both fro a spin and then go get yourelf 330i in joburg

Hope you come right with whatever you choose, best of luck :thumbsup:

 

[Nic_s]

I have to say, I've heard of a few stories of people having to spend loads on their cars. It's seems it doesn't really matter what you drive these days, their all somewhat expensive.

I thought about getting something to just get me from a 2 b, but after having to drive my mom's corolla the other day I decided right there and then that it's not worth the frustration. No power, no power steering, uncomfortable seats, bouncy ride, and the gearbox was terrible. My gearbox's sincros are pretty worn, but it still feels better than the corolla.

Maybe you should look at a E46 318i manual. Would be cheaper to run and have less power, but it will still be a BMW. I'm thinking of going this route.