I've had enough of this shit

Ricky318i

Member
that being said, the 318i could also be just as maintenance intensive as s 6-cylinder. ask me. read the thread "common problems on 318i" :(
 

Nic_s

///Member
Ricky318i said:
that being said, the 318i could also be just as maintenance intensive as s 6-cylinder. ask me. read the thread "common problems on 318i" :(

But any car can be. My point was that if he really wants sheer driving pleasure, maybe a smaller BMW could still be worth it as both Audi and Merc will also cost him.

I know I'm going to get some flak for this, but... :mmm: a normal focus is a very nice car. Keep it as stock as possible and it will be a good car to trade in for the next BMW :thumbsup:
 

1lum1nat1

New member
Thanks guys.

I'm so fucking irritated now it just is'nt funny.

I went for the test drive in the A3, actually a very nice car. Not enough power, but still enough to get by in. He then said we'll just have to pay in the additional 20k. To which I replied you must be fucking joking. He said it must have been a misunderstanding so I said then I want my cheque now, thank you. He then said I said (confusing I know) he had till Friday to get me the 330i manual, which I did.

I also said he should have a look for a A3 2.0 fsi 3 door.

BMW then phoned me & told me, they rechecked all the wiring in the harness, the valve body & all the mechanical bits. He said the gearbox is still in a great condition. He then went on to say that he spoke to ZF in germany & he spoke to ZF in Centurion (I think). After he went through the trouble he got a new error. It was something with the crank &/or gearbox control unit.

I don't know what to do anymore. Friday I want the manual or my money. :bawling:
 

Nic_s

///Member
I just thought of something... it's not he car's fault, the biggest problem here is the people who are working on the car. And it's the same thing every time as I struggle with mechies all the time. I have to do research and try and figure out myself what is wrong with my car while every mechie I speak with keeps on telling me what the problem isn't. I find BMW to be the same and they really lack knowledge of the E30.

I hope all works out 1lum1nat1.
 

zaleonardz

Well-known member
Dude wait...

This is good news, all of this attention on the box + new valve body + you not paying for any of it, if it is the crank sensor or something like that, you are going to score a bargain here, specially if the stuff comes with a warentee that they have done.

Face it, 330... farking awesome car... gearboxes suck.

You have just had yours overhauled almost for free (apart from the price of your soul and frustration)

if it comes back, sorted... then KEEP the car, that new gearbox with the replaced valve body and oil will be good 120,000km again before any hassles.. and then when it breaks, manual conversion..
 

Hellas

///Member
Good point LZ, but I've heard of autoboxes crapping out a couple of times during a 100k period. Tough call.
 

1lum1nat1

New member
Even though I did'nt drive the BMW very long I enjoyed it immensely. One day I'll own another one & I'm looking forward to it, but atm it's just not a viable choice.

I got my white 2006 A3 2.0 fsi sportback yesterday. I was'nt even home, but my future father in law went to fetch her. A beautiful car. Great interior, very good sound & awesome bucket seats. They hug you like a love bug.

I'll get some photies up as soon as the weather clears up. I'll still be hanging around here with my not so very fast audi, if you okes don't mind.
 

zaleonardz

Well-known member
As a two time audi owner myself, I can say that is a fantastic car man, congrats...

And they look good in white, now get those articles done so we can put you in a M3 and get it over with :)
 

1lum1nat1

New member
Thanks guys! LOL, I'm really looking forward to the day I can get a nice big V8, something in the lines of the RS4 or M3 :clap:

I have to say, I'm very impressed with the interior of the A3. I'm also pretty sure the boot is larger than the E46's. The car also has enough grunt to get by with, so all & all I'm pretty happy. The stock sound system in the A3 is pretty decent compared to that of the E46.
 

Bullzeye.za

New member
The white will be out of style in a year or two, I'd have looked for a dark blue..

But awesome car anyway! May you have many happy miles in it.
 

andrewbuch

///Member
Bullzeye.za said:
The white will be out of style in a year or two, I'd have looked for a dark blue..

But awesome car anyway! May you have many happy miles in it.

White cars will never go out of style
 

SirSparky

New member
heres my 2c worth.your moaning about maintaining the bmw,,,now you wanna get mercedes or an audi,dude its gonna cost you more or less the same to maintain all 3 of those cars.you have had some bad luck with the car,far enough.so have all of us here on the forum.i had kak with a demo model mitsubishi bakke with 2000km on the clock and i mean serious kak,gearbox problems.

ive had kak with my my e36,e46 and e39 but i still drive bmw.you see where iam going with this.its not the brand thats the problem,its the luck of the draw.who says you are not gonna have problems with the merc or audi?let me tell you ive had an audi a3 and when things break they cost the same as the bmw.but its your choice,sorry to hear your leaving the bmw brand but we all have to do what makes us happy..
 

SirSparky

New member
i think the common misconseption people dont realise is that when you do buy a second hand car you will pick up problems,even with new cars(not as much).you cant expect to buy a car that is say 4 or 5 years old and not expect to have any problems at all.the problem being with a car that has a bit of grunt behind it is that people tend to ride the living shites out of the car and when they sell it they gooi you the sales talk that it was an old ladys car or it was only used for long trips etc..

buying a used car is like life....full of surprises,you either fix what is broken or you buy a brand new one with a motor plan.
 

Gizmo

Banned
Such a compromise you made going for the A3, you were forced into taking a car you didn't want to begin with. I would have still wanted the cheque back because you were in the market for a BMW, not an Audi.
Hell, if you wanted help looking around JHB for a 330i I could have gone with you to find a decent one...

Hopefully the A3 kaks and then you can still get your money back......Otherwise trade the A3 in @ another dealership for a 330i 6spd.
 

1lum1nat1

New member
Guys, thanks for the support. :slap:

If things break, on any car these days, you'll spend a lot of money to fix it. I was'nt forced to take anything. My first choice was to get a A3, way before I even contemplated getting a BMW. http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=1921

The 330i was great, I'm sure a s6sp would have been a lot more fun, but the car would never have seen a track, it was easy to drive & it was in great shape. So I felt the chances of getting a car in a better condition was slim, so I took the E46. It was a mistake, but one anyone can make.

I could have bought a 1.4i Fiesta & had a lot of kak with it. Any second hand or new car can be a headache.

When I said economical, I should have said the audi would'nt give me 8km/l.

For what it's worth, it might be a compromise in your eyes Gizmo, but both cars have their advantages & disadvantages.

Like I said, there will be a day that I'll drive another BMW, but not a second hand one, but a new car is not an investment for me or anyone, I don't want to be the guy that lose 30-40% of it's value in 2-3 years time.

EDIT: thanks for the guys that congratulated me though. I'm pretty sure someone that bought a car & had the kak I had & then have the nerves to go & get another one is rightly fucked in the brain.
 
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