Not another BMW thread!

s-man

s-man

s-man

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27 Jun 2004
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420
Location
Sunny Scoatland
Partly out of necessity (my current car has been sat in a garage failing its emissions test for the best part of 3 weeks) I now find myself needing to acquire a 'decent' car at fairly short notice. I've been casually looking at a replacement for some time but not finding a great deal that has really made me sit up and want to make the leap I've held off. It would seem that is no longer an option hence I've had get serious.

The only car that I plan to view right now is a 54 320d ES, 1 owner, 35k full BMWSH. It's at a second hand dealer (not BM) at £8495 which from the research I've done seems to be decently priced if not cheap. I wanted to avoid pre-04 cars to dodge the turbo issues but I gather there are still a couple of other things that could go awry such as the swirl flap problem(!) and the manifold issue. The bigger question is will I be bored and is this a real bargain basement BM in the scheme of things? The interior looks el blando and the 150bhp diesel seems no more than adequate.

My criteria are as follows:
Circa 8k
Probably derv since I do 350 commuting miles with another 50-100 social on top p/w
Comfortable
Space for me the mrs and 1 kid and decent luggage capacity
Minimal miles and owners - I'm not too hung up on miles but at the same time I don't really like the idea of spending this money on something with 80k plus on it given the miles I'll be putting on it.

So can anyone suggest any other alternatives? Also, was there a 320 m sport at this age and what do they go for?

The only other car that remotely floated my boat is a honda accord cdti which seem altogether better specced but again the 140bhp 2.2 cdti doesn't sound that great. I'm sorta stuck...I like the idea of a beemer (must be my age ;0) but at the same time if I'm going to get one I'd like it to be a nice one.

Anyway your motoring type thoughts would be appreciated cheers...
 
So would we say its about 50/50 buy don't buy then ;)

Cheers for the speedy replies!

Am I right in thinking that the ES has m spec suspension and steering wheel and gearknob? When did the 320d sport model come into production?
 
Ok change of tack...nothing to do with you guys though ;)

Off to look at a 2002, 330d Sport, 1 owner, 60k in black with brown(!) leather and standard spec I think. Priced at £7995 at a Honda dealership...your thoughts gents?
 
s-man said:
Off to look at a 2002, 330d Sport, 1 owner, 60k in black with brown(!) leather and standard spec I think. Priced at £7995 at a Honda dealership...your thoughts gents?
Click to expand...

Thats more like it! :cool::D - Dunno about the price tbh, but the car is a better choice imo. :)

Brown leather? - Hmm......
 
Been to see the car and I like it but have reservations. Firstly it looks like a well cared for example and the v5 bears out the salesmans statement that its a 1 female owner (cliche and mixed blessing I know!) car with a full history. The interior is certainly an acquired taste but on balance I like the brown leather and could live with the strange light wood colour inserts and trim (I think). However, the salesman reckoned the car would only get around 30-35 mpg on mixed driving which I felt was a bit low? Also, because its an auto (again not my ideal option) the CO2 child killer rating is about 230 which seems high for what it is. I managed to negotiate 12 months MOT, 12 months tax and a 12 month warranty on the car for £7800 all in which seems like a decent price given the condition and comparing to other 330d's I've seen advertised. Anybody think I could do better?

Also does anyone here have 1st hand experience of a similar era 330d auto who can advise as to realistic mpg figures for the car?

Cheers
 
The price certainly sounds good for a 330d Sport with leather. The salesman is right - mid 30's is about what you'll get. When driving a manual 530d, which is a tad heavier but obviously hasnt got the autobox, I get 40-45mpg on the Motorway, 28mpg doing pure town work from cold and 38ish on an A road journey.

You'll be just slightly less than this with a 330d Auto.

If the CO2 rating is a deal breaker for you then I suggest you look for another car as an extra 100 quid a year tax is hardly big news with a car like this.
 
Remember that 330d autos all have swirl flaps, which can be dangerous - they break off the manifold and get sucked into the engine, possibly causing terminal engine failure.

184bhp manuals don't have these, however the 204bhp manuals (these have 6 speed gearboxes and introduced in 2003) do too.
 
Fox - the C02 thing isn't in itself a deal breaker but I'm putting it alongside the other aspects of the car which are not 100% to my likeing such as the interior and the auto box and trying to work out whether, on balance this is the car for me. I'm not normally one to ever rush a car purchase but circumstances are conspiring to force my hand and I'd like to try and remain at least semi-objective.

Olly - cheers I'd heard this was an issue what's the chances of failure and does it matter what age/mileage/driving style the owner has or is it just pot luck?
 
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