[sohlman]

you could also consider a 320si. This was a limited edition to homologate the 3 series for the touring car championships. It's an older technology engine so no Eficiency dynamics and has 177bhp. The car has Msport bumpers, but lightweight bbs wheels and different dampers. It's a bit of a baby e30 M3 and rechoned to be the best handling E90 this side of an M3. It's also been built by the M division. It will be a fair amount cheaper, but should hold it's value quite firmly. They only made around 1000 so also quite rare.

[S114HED]

Originally Posted by mob17

Don't trust car dealers, trust people on here.

I'd say get a 4 pot diesel engine until you can afford a 6 pot petrol/diesel. With the 320D you can easily get much better tuning results than a petrol. All it takes is a little box or remap.

Mob17, it's a private seller. Just been into BMW and they've said there's hundreds and thousands of the 320i on uk roads and a handful of them have the issues. So I hoping the one I go to see isn't one of them. Btw how would I be able to tell if it's misfiring?

[Drrncour]

Originally Posted by S114HED

It will be virutally impossible to insurance myself on a 3 litre BMW, I'm 22 with 6 points on my licence, even tho my initial intention was to buy a 325i M Sport.

I did check, and to extend the warranty with BMW is around £600 for the year. Which I might be able to haggle with the seller.

That's fair enough mate, I know what it's like trying to insure these car in London. . I owned a 320i e90 a few years ago. I don't mind it to be honest, not much power but I used it as a nice cruiser. Know have the e92 which is nicer, and your one looks lovely. If its what you want and it checks out, why not go for it. (I just thought it was strong money, nd there could be better deals about)

Good luck with any purchase.

[sohlman]

a missfire will not sound smooth on idle or under power. basically one of the cylinders won't be firing properly. depends on how bad it is. slight might be seen as an overly vibrating engine. bad and there will be smoke no power etc.

If you want to test drive a car i would suggest going to a main dealer. Find one locally with a 320, this will be a far better reference. CarGiant is not picky about the cars they buy. You've seen the adverts we buy any car. This is where they go among others. A friend of mine bought a golf from them. It was very dirty and poorly prepared and when i checked it over it had not been serviced for 30k. Needless to say it was not the most reliable thing.

[Rudz]

the car that you've picked looks spot on, alpine white/red leather, best combination IMHO, but as has been said, anything but the 320i mate, you'll get a good, low mileage 320D for the money you are willing to spend.

[S114HED]

Originally Posted by sohlman

you could also consider a 320si. This was a limited edition to homologate the 3 series for the touring car championships. It's an older technology engine so no Eficiency dynamics and has 177bhp. The car has Msport bumpers, but lightweight bbs wheels and different dampers. It's a bit of a baby e30 M3 and rechoned to be the best handling E90 this side of an M3. It's also been built by the M division. It will be a fair amount cheaper, but should hold it's value quite firmly. They only made around 1000 so also quite rare.

That's like finding a needle in a barn, but thanks for the heads up.

[S114HED]

Originally Posted by Drrncour

That's fair enough mate, I know what it's like trying to insure these car in London. . I owned a 320i e90 a few years ago. I don't mind it to be honest, not much power but I used it as a nice cruiser. Know have the e92 which is nicer, and your one looks lovely. If its what you want and it checks out, why not go for it. (I just thought it was strong money, nd there could be better deals about)

Good luck with any purchase.

Drrncour, glad someone has a jist of what the insurance costs are in London. I've been looking for around 2 weeks and I think that it's the best value for money. The full specs are:

59 Plate 320i Msport
1 owner from new with full BMW history
25k on the clock
Bluetooth phone prep
Heated front seats
Automatic Headlights
Automatic windscreen wipers
Folding wing mirrors
Cruise control
Full leather interior
19’ Alloy wheels
Xenons
Rear parking sensors

He is selling for £14k but I'm going to try and get it for £13k. Is that worth it?

[S114HED]

Originally Posted by sohlman

a missfire will not sound smooth on idle or under power. basically one of the cylinders won't be firing properly. depends on how bad it is. slight might be seen as an overly vibrating engine. bad and there will be smoke no power etc.

If you want to test drive a car i would suggest going to a main dealer. Find one locally with a 320, this will be a far better reference. CarGiant is not picky about the cars they buy. You've seen the adverts we buy any car. This is where they go among others. A friend of mine bought a golf from them. It was very dirty and poorly prepared and when i checked it over it had not been serviced for 30k. Needless to say it was not the most reliable thing.

Okay, I've just got back from car giant and test driven a 59 plate 320i e92 with 18k on the clock and it didn't seem bad, power was quick and responsive. There was a ticking noise though. What would you say the common problems are and how to check them when I go to view the car, apart from the obvious.

[S114HED]

Originally Posted by Rudz

the car that you've picked looks spot on, alpine white/red leather, best combination IMHO, but as has been said, anything but the 320i mate, you'll get a good, low mileage 320D for the money you are willing to spend.

Thanks pal, guess I have good taste

I've been looking for ages and I think that it's good value for money, I am not going to pay £14k as its a private seller and my haggling skills are quite good

What would you pay for it?

[Dragon88]

I would hold out for a 325i if you can, 14k is a lot to spend on a 320i.

I bought my 320i back in July and like you, insurance was too expensive (I was 23 back then) on anything faster. Even though mine has not had any problems (apart from a faulty O2 sensor replaced under warranty), I'm finding the 320i a bit sluggish now and wished I went for a 325i/330i. That or I've now got the power bug!

[S114HED]

Originally Posted by Dragon88

I would hold out for a 325i if you can, 14k is a lot to spend on a 320i.

I bought my 320i back in July and like you, insurance was too expensive (I was 23 back then) on anything faster. Even though mine has not had any problems (apart from a faulty O2 sensor replaced under warranty), I'm finding the 320i a bit sluggish now and wished I went for a 325i/330i. That or I've now got the power bug!

£14k is a lot, given the year and specs what would you pay?

Also I've driven one today and it doesn't seem that bad, I would hold onto the car until it dies on me, also power is good but what's the point when petrol is £1.35 a litre and our national speed limit is 70mph which the 320i can easily do?

[mob17]

Originally Posted by Dragon88

I would hold out for a 325i if you can, 14k is a lot to spend on a 320i.

I bought my 320i back in July and like you, insurance was too expensive (I was 23 back then) on anything faster. Even though mine has not had any problems (apart from a faulty O2 sensor replaced under warranty), I'm finding the 320i a bit sluggish now and wished I went for a 325i/330i. That or I've now got the power bug!

This is why its good to get a 4 pot diesel (if you cant get a 6 pot diesel/petrol). If it ever does seem sluggish you can get more out of it quite easily/cheaply. Plus i'd say the 320D is a safet bet than a 320I. For £14k i'd expect you can get a good lowish mileage 2009 320D?

[mob17]

Originally Posted by S114HED

what's the point when petrol is £1.35 a litre and our national speed limit is 70mph which the 320i can easily do?

Yes but you also have to factor in how long it takes to get there, and the enjoyment you will get

[S114HED]

Originally Posted by mob17

This is why its good to get a 4 pot diesel (if you cant get a 6 pot diesel/petrol). If it ever does seem sluggish you can get more out of it quite easily/cheaply. Plus i'd say the 320D is a safet bet than a 320I. For £14k i'd expect you can get a good lowish mileage 2009 320D?

Can anyone help me find a good replacement?

[sohlman]

Basic rule of car buying. If in doubt walk away regardless of the deal. For prices check out auto trader, pistonheads and other on line publications. Try and find similar mileage and specified cars. this will give you your price. For example if you can find the same spec and mileage at a BMW dealer this car has to be worth £1500 less. Non main dealer then £750 less as a guide price. I don't mean to teach you to suck eggs as i am sure you know what you are doing.

With private sales i find that they often have unrealistic valuations and expectations of value. For example i bought an E60 530d for my father and we found a Private sale with 29k for £17k Found a dealer in manchester with a 2 year newer car 31k for £16,500. I offered £15k and they would not accept anything less than £17k. So we went to Manchester and bought that car for £16,250. 3 months later the £17k car was still for sale. In other words you can be a good haggler, but that does not mean you will get the deal at the price you want.

[Dragon88]

Originally Posted by S114HED

£14k is a lot, given the year and specs what would you pay?

Also I've driven one today and it doesn't seem that bad, I would hold onto the car until it dies on me, also power is good but what's the point when petrol is £1.35 a litre and our national speed limit is 70mph which the 320i can easily do?

That example you posted is competitively priced.

For similar money, you can get a slightly older car with a faster engine. Coming from a 100BHP VW Golf, I also had the intention of holding onto the car until it died, however I do regret not going for a bigger engine (only after 6 months of ownership) and can only pass on my feedback.

[S114HED]

Originally Posted by sohlman

Basic rule of car buying. If in doubt walk away regardless of the deal. For prices check out auto trader, pistonheads and other on line publications. Try and find similar mileage and specified cars. this will give you your price. For example if you can find the same spec and mileage at a BMW dealer this car has to be worth £1500 less. Non main dealer then £750 less as a guide price. I don't mean to teach you to suck eggs as i am sure you know what you are doing.

With private sales i find that they often have unrealistic valuations and expectations of value. For example i bought an E60 530d for my father and we found a Private sale with 29k for £17k Found a dealer in manchester with a 2 year newer car 31k for £16,500. I offered £15k and they would not accept anything less than £17k. So we went to Manchester and bought that car for £16,250. 3 months later the £17k car was still for sale. In other words you can be a good haggler, but that does not mean you will get the deal at the price you want.

I think you hit it on the nail with that post, I have been trying to compare and they've always been more, autotrader, gumtree, piston heads, BMW approved. Now I don't want to pay £14k and I've said my limit is £13.5k. Should I agree with the seller a price before I go, as I don't want to come back without a car because it will cost me to go there.

[Dragon88]

Either way, if you're dead set, go for it - buying cars is a learning experience.

Start the engine from cold, look out for lumpy idle (a little is okay and should disappear once warmed up), check for engine management lights, check for rough power delivery when driving through the gears, check for misfires.

[Lemans330i]

Tbh, my 330i i just bought was only £1000 more and it's a hell of a lot more car, as it came with idrive, a similar mileage, two extra cylinders and a hundred extra horses ...

If you can hold out I'd say wait and then buy a 325 or 330. I've owned a six and four pot petrol and i can say the difference is night and day.

[shortie]

Originally Posted by S114HED

What plate is your one? I read somewhere that if you have the new bosch coils the problem goes away. I guess there must be some good 320i out there, you just got to find the right ones. The one I'm thinking of buying has had its coils changed and the seller assures me that i hasnt happened again.

2008, latest coils and still problems

[mob17]

Originally Posted by S114HED

Can anyone help me find a good replacement?

http://www.approved.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/...adm-xx,00.html

I know these are a bit over budget, but you can try haggling. I haven't looked at the specs but thats something you can decide Theres even a cheeky 6 pot there.

[S114HED]

Originally Posted by shortie

2008, latest coils and still problems

What does the car exactly do? Meaning how can I tell if I have a bad apple?