[dexterous]

Hey all,

I was new to the forums & I was looking for some advice, Im a prospective BMW owner, in the market for a 3 or 1 series Coupe. Still in the early stage of shopping around & testing the market at the moment.

Firstly, I was just curious as to how many of the owners out there (when buying a used car obviously) used a pre purchase inspection before forking over the money for the wheels?

Also, this is more of a poll amongst the members, how long did it take you to know that you wanted the car you eventually got?

Was it love at first sight/drive? or did you have to convince yourself with multiple test drives, and how many cars did you eventually look at before you settled on your ride?

Thanks!

[harms]

I recently went through the same thing and purchased a 335i about a month ago.

I had test driven an Audi A5 and Lexus 350 before I test drove the BMW, and the BMW was light years ahead in driving experience and I was sold, but it took a while to find one that i wanted.

I was searching for a few months, and ended up buying a car from interstate sight unseen. I did get a pre purchase inspection. As the car was in NSW, i used MTA Vehicle Inspections. I can highly recommend them. It was very thorough, and picked up 2 rims which were cracked. I only did the inspection because I couldn't view the car myself, but now i would seriously consider one for any car i bought (even from a dealer). For $250 it is a small price to pay - these inspectors know their shit and dont miss a thing.

I can't say everything was all perfect though, as the first day i got the car it threw some errors. Which turned out to be an exhaust Vanos solenoid (very common). I also had a heap of low battery warnings as the battery was shagged. New battery seems to have resolved that.


With the 335i - great car but they are known to have their problems; which i was fully aware of after research before buying the car - none unsurmountable but frustrating nonetheless.

[dexterous]

Thanks Harms

I was definitely gonna go down the pre purchase inspection route, basically because the dealer I was speaking to on the weekend didnt give me the feeling he was being entirely honest with the car i was interested in, or its history.

[DR-JEKL]

Definately get a pre purchase inspection done, the outlay of a few hundred bucks could save you thousands!

If in Sydney take it to advan performance, they know these things inside out and what the common faults are

Also if your budget is $40k be prepared to keep $2-5k for repairs (HPFP, injectors, water pump, vanos solenoids etc etc) and a tune/spark plugs/coils etc

[nash_86]

I went through this process last year before settling on my 335i.

I test drove an Audi TT 3.2L as well as what was my dream car in my late teens, a SLK 350. My heart was always set on a SLK up until the point when I test drove the 335i.

I was sold as soon as I test drove the car. It just pulls like a rocket and handles very well around corners, something the SLK doesn't do.

I didn't do a pre-purchase inspection but I did all the other checks i.e. car history check, REVS check, logbook inspection etc...

[dexterous]

Thanks guys, all good info!

Im trying to line up Advan for the inspection on a particular car I was looking at, just depends on timings so hopefully all goes well.

And yep, Im well aware of the main issues around fuel pump/wastegates etc. I have asked the dealer to try & chase up the servicing history of this particular car, if it ever got those items replaced in the past.

[lemonpark]

I was in the market for a long time, since the end of last year till about May/June this year. I had a IS250 and wanted an upgrade.

Drove a IS350 (2nd Gen), IS350 (3rd gen), F30 328i, E92 325i, A4 2.0T, S5 4.2 V8, S4 3.0T. I was set on a 328 F30 M Sport cos of loved the shape (M Sport's only, i hate the look of the normal ones) and had always wanted a BMW. Then I wanted a coupe cos I'm still young and might as well enjoy it. F32's were out of the price range so I looked at E92's and initially wanted a 335 but backed out of the the problems with HPFP, water pump etc. I then looked at 325's and found a nice one but I joined this forum and ended up buying a 335 after everyone convinced me too haha

honestly, it was a long and windy road, but I'm glad I ended up where I did. With my 335 haha it literally puts a smile on my face every time i start it and go for a drive.

[JJH]

Originally Posted by DR-JEKL

Definately get a pre purchase inspection done, the outlay of a few hundred bucks could save you thousands!

Could not agree more – it really is a must regardless who you are buying from; dealer or private. Being a BMW tragic (my 335i is the 6th 3-series I have owned), my shopping list was either a 1-series or 3-series with N54. One drive of each and the 3 was to me, the only way to go.

I looked at quite a few cars just to get a feel for the condition of what on the market at the time in terms of paint, bodywork and interior. 335is come pretty loaded anyway compared to other E92s, so any extras some carry are just a bonus.

I bought from a BMW dealer as they proved to have the best deal I found at the time, even compared to private sales. Although the car had full BMWSH, those logs did not mean the car was necessarily trouble free. I had State Roads do the inspection for me mainly because I am in Canberra and the car was in Sydney. And I have zero mechanical confidence. I did have the chance to look at and drive the car first as I was visiting Sydney and arranged for the inspection after that because the car met my expectations.

The inspector from State Roads was a Euro specialist, he went out to do the inspection at the dealership, provided me a very detailed written inspection report and actually called me in person to discuss his findings as soon as he had finished with the car. Fortunately, the car I bought was trouble free but only the inspection confirmed that for me .

At that time, I did not know of Advan and given what I have read about them since joining this forum, they would have been a consideration for an inspection.

[Scotty89]

Originally Posted by lemonpark

it literally puts a smile on my face every time i start it and go for a drive.

This!

It's my first turbo car, and I always giggle when I hit that pedal.

Even if the turbo's die and I have to pay for new ones, I think I'd be upset but still go ahead with it.

[7smurfs]

I actually was in the market for an n54 335i to which I ended up with a n54 135i.

335i was naturally a better looking car overall however I just could not find one within my specifications (CIC idrive, n54, low kms, sunroof, price, colour). Also, coming from many NA and turbocharged coupes I felt that the 335i felt foreign to me in regards to its size whereas the short wheelbase of the 135i provided a familiar feel.

Didn't do a pre-purchase however did my own due diligence and research with the car.

In saying all of that, If I had the extra money at the time, I would not have hesistated to purchase a 2010 335i (still n54) over my 2010 135i...

[MJ80.]

When i was looking to get into an E92 335i i was watching the market for a very very long time while saving my pennies, watched the good buys go reasonably quickly watched the dreamers never sell their cars over nearly a year. Got a very very firm grip on what the cars were worth and just how much of a part options and specifications played in the value of the cars.

I was looking for an M sport with good KMs, i really wanted a beige interior but with a decent paint job, not a grey or silver or black, as my last BM was black and i wanted something different. The prices varied a huge amount, M Sport pack seems to add about 5-7K to the value of a vehicle and obviously white paint is always a another premium.

I had finally amassed enough $ to actually go shopping for one and that week an Alpine white M Sport with 56K kms and amazing options popped up in Sydney (I live on the Gold Coast in QLD...) It was outside of my budget but none the less flicked Audi center in Mossman an email with my best offer long story short and some heavy negotiating i had a deposit on it that week and a one way flight to sydney booked.

No pre purchase inspection done, only the clause in my deposit that the purchase was subject to my satisfactory inspection of the car. I didn't think there could be much wrong being only about 2 services old.

The water pump went about a month into ownership, but that was covered fully under 3 month warranty. the car has been trouble free since then, dont regret taking the leap at all, it is a beautiful car and i really got lucky picking up a white m sport with such low kms, half the reason i jumped right on it was because i knew it wouldn't last long, the good ones had all gone quickly on carsales.

I had driven one other 335i prior to driving the one i bought, no difference between them, both tight as and yes defiantly love at first sight, when they walked me down to the basement at Audi to view it i saw her from across the room and i just thought to myself " well that's defiantly coming home with me regardless"

Good luck mate hope it works out for you, i would defiantly advise a ppi if its convenient for you, my purchase was a very quick pull of the trigger after almost a year of waiting and even though it hasn't bit me in the bum at all 12K kms later i would still advise you get one done.