Looking for my 1st BMW

[jacquesvk]

Hi everyone, I'm new here as I'm sure you can all see.

As the subject reads, I'm looking for my 1st BMW. I never buy new so my 1st will be 2nd hand.

There's tons of knowledge and experience in this forum so I figured I'm going to ask here and hopefully get a few much needed tips and pointers when looking for a 2nd hand BMW.

My new job has me driving around more then usual and my current vehicle (Nissan Tiida 1.6 Petrol) seems to be a bit on the heavy side in terms of fuel consumption, comfort is also not what I'd like it to be, and to be very honest, I've always wanted to sit my arse down behind a BMW steering wheel.

Currently my car gives me between 8.5l/100km and 9.5l/100km. I'm considering eiter the 320i but my eyes are set on the 320d. Looking for anything above 2010 model.

I need some advise/pointers/tips for what to look out for when buying a 320i or 320d when mileage starts playing a role. I'd like to get one of the above that gives me better fuel consumption, even if it's slightly.

Where should I draw the line in terms of mileage on the 320i and 320d engines? What do I look out for when looking at a car? What should I pay attention to when test driving one of the above? Automatic or manual?

Unless I strike a great deal somewhere, I cant see my budget allowing me to buy something that has less than 100 000km on the clocks, especially the 320d's.

320d is my 1st choice, possibly considering the 320i if I get a great deal somewhere.

You have no idea how much your feedback helps me and I'm extremely grateful for your time.

Regards.

(I will monitor the thread)

 

[FerdiBotha]

If you say 2010 model and newer I’m going to assume you will be looking at E90 (difficult to say as you did not state your budget).

This one is very easy then - get the 320d.

The E90 320i is one of BMWs least good cars. They are underpowered, not at all economical, prone to problems such as valve stem seals and ultimately slow.

The 320d has good power across the rev range, very light on fuel (could easily get upwards of 18km/l on the open road) and pretty much problem free (apart from dampner pulley which will have to be replaced eventually).

If your budget allows for a F30 it could change the picture a bit seeing as the F30 320i is turbocharged which makes it a lot more lively. It is still considerably heavier on fuel ,though,than the 320d and early model 320is (2012 and early 2013) are prone to turbo issues and cam chain issues.

All things considered you really should be looking at a 320d - it’s one of the best (if not the best) all rounders in the BMW stable:thumbs:

 

[Gordvisr]

Agree, go for the 320d if you are looking for fuel consumption. Most of the 320i ( E90 ) i know of either had a smoking problem, whining from either gearbox or diff and slow.

 

[jacquesvk]

If you say 2010 model and newer I’m going to assume you will be looking at E90 (difficult to say as you did not state your budget).

This one is very easy then - get the 320d.

The E90 320i is one of BMWs least good cars. They are underpowered, not at all economical, prone to problems such as valve stem seals and ultimately slow.

The 320d has good power across the rev range, very light on fuel (could easily get upwards of 18km/l on the open road) and pretty much problem free (apart from dampner pulley which will have to be replaced eventually).

If your budget allows for a F30 it could change the picture a bit seeing as the F30 320i is turbocharged which makes it a lot more lively. It is still considerably heavier on fuel ,though,than the 320d and early model 320is (2012 and early 2013) are prone to turbo issues and cam chain issues.

All things considered you really should be looking at a 320d - it’s one of the best (if not the best) all rounders in the BMW stable:thumbs:

How reliable are these engines when you reach 100k mileage, and 150k mileage and even 200k mileage if maintained accordingly?

I see many 320d vehicles between the 100k and 150k mileage that falls in my price range but where do you draw the line and say, "Thats too much mileage" when considering reliability of this engine? Purely based on your experience and knowledge of these 320d engines. If I were to get a 320d above 100k mileage I'd like to think it will continue to provide me with a good driving experience for a few more kilometeres before it starts giving problems more than usual.

The F30 320D is still slightly out of my price range, I could possibly pick the F30 320i up in my price range but I'd prefer the 320d so yes, e90 is most likely what I'm going to get.

Regards.

 

[FerdiBotha]

If maintained correctly the 320d will happily stroll past 250k km without any major issues. Many on the forum have gone way past that as well.

Those motors are very solid and reliable.

 

[Tinuva]

If you say 2010 model and newer I’m going to assume you will be looking at E90 (difficult to say as you did not state your budget).

This one is very easy then - get the 320d.

The E90 320i is one of BMWs least good cars. They are underpowered, not at all economical, prone to problems such as valve stem seals and ultimately slow.

The 320d has good power across the rev range, very light on fuel (could easily get upwards of 18km/l on the open road) and pretty much problem free (apart from dampner pulley which will have to be replaced eventually).

If your budget allows for a F30 it could change the picture a bit seeing as the F30 320i is turbocharged which makes it a lot more lively. It is still considerably heavier on fuel ,though,than the 320d and early model 320is (2012 and early 2013) are prone to turbo issues and cam chain issues.

All things considered you really should be looking at a 320d - it’s one of the best (if not the best) all rounders in the BMW stable:thumbs:

How reliable are these engines when you reach 100k mileage, and 150k mileage and even 200k mileage obviously if maintained accordingly?

I see many 320d vehicles between the 100k and 150k mileage that falls in my price range but where do you draw the line and say, mmm thats too much mileage when considering reliability of this engine? Purely based on your experience and knowledge of these 320d engines.

Yes, e90 is probably what Im looking at.

I don't have any experience with the E90s and F30s, having only had E46s ever. But I have bought cars at 100k and 140k mileage, where the one which were at 140k is now at 195k.

A car that is at 100k mileage, is going to be in decent condition, but expect to start working on preventative maintenance.

The car that was at 140k, well lets just say it was at the point where it was pretty much 100% original, which meant it had a huge backlog of preventative maintenance needed. So I had to put in an extra R20k over 8-12 months to get that all sorted out, but that car is super reliable now, even though it has the similar engine in the E90 320i (known to be problematic).

So in short, my advice for buying a car at 100-150k mileage, have a budget ready for preventative maintenance and/or small things going wrong, it will happen, regardless of whether its the 320i or 320d. If you opt for repairing after things fail, have 3rd party warranty or savings. I personally prefer the preventative maintenance route, which means I never get to claim from 3rd party, so I skip that now personally.

 

[tman]

If you are looking for economy, 320i is NOT te car to get.

Here are some real life figures to consider: http://www.fuelly.com/car/bmw/320i

What is your budget?

Also, reliability comes down to a few factors, one of which is maintenance and service history. If you can find a car with well documented preventative maintenance and FSH, it shouldn't be problematic.

 

[cOlDFuSiOn]

Avoid any 320i.. E90/F30.
What about an E82 120d Coupe they are also nice! :smilebounce:

 

[SubLoaded]

Just bear in mind if you find a low(ish) mileage car then you might be in for some repair/maintenance bills sooner than you may think. Higher mileage isn't always a bad thing if all the necessary work was carried out on the car and if the car is in good shape (mechanically)

 

[ChefDJ]

If you're going to be driving a lot for work, I would recommend looking for as low mileage as possible, but diesels are known to be strong for many hundreds of thousands of km. 150k on a diesel is high to the end-user, but low to someone who knows how to look after a diesel and has experience with higher mileage diesels.

 

[Dirtydeedsman]

I would rather get into a high end E90 320D LCI than barely get into a F30 which is sparsely speceed.

Like you said you travel a lot so creature comforts are more important and fuel consumption. If you are talking about Freeway driving then get the D.

Things are bullet proof if maintained well.

The only question should be what color E90 320D do you want :thumbs:

 

[RAArmstrong]

Go for the diesels... Also look at E90 330d's if they fall within your budget...

The 320d is an awesome car, however personally I felt that my 30d's were better in traffic and ended up being lighter on fuel than the 20d...

 

[Jeremy.d]

Diesel FTW:cartel:

 

[CTR]

Avoid any 320i.. E90/F30.
What about an E82 120d Coupe they are also nice! :smilebounce:

E82 120D is a really cool car:thumbs:

 

[jacquesvk]

Thanks for the feedback, most if not all of you confirmed that the diesel is an excellent engine and that was my feeling all along.

@Tinuva - What would you consider to be preventative maintenance parts that needs to be replaced and/or checked on the 320d?

Still looking for my BMW, haven't found one yet. Where do you guys look for cars out of curiosity?

Regards.

 

[FerdiBotha]

You have to check all the car sites very often.

The forum is a good place to shop as well, but not many 320ds for sale currently.

I don’t know if this is within your budget, but here’s a nice example - https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=85227

 

[tman]

Thanks for the feedback, most if not all of you confirmed that the diesel is an excellent engine and that was my feeling all along.

@Tinuva - What would you consider to be preventative maintenance parts that needs to be replaced and/or checked on the 320d?

Still looking for my BMW, haven't found one yet. Where do you guys look for cars out of curiosity?

Regards.

0-100 000km on mp study what was replaced. Look for big ticket items, or non consumables that might pop up. Also note comments

100 000km > crank damper pulley. Gearbox service. Shocks. Disks.

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