£3000 petrol or diesel?

Minstadave said:
U mad bro?
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Well, it is a 330D and it is for less than 3 grand, so he has answered the question that was posed.

I do get the underlying 'OMG, MONEY PIT' tone but it is not something I really understand. E46s are becoming old, cheap cars now. They don't just suddenly disappear because you can no longer get a warranty for them.

I don't think the issue ever is buying an old, cheap prestige car. The issue is buying an old cheap prestige car and thinking that it'll come with Mondeo running costs along with the mondeo price tag.
 
Joshy said:
Well, it is a 330D and it is for less than 3 grand, so he has answered the question that was posed.

I do get the underlying 'OMG, MONEY PIT' tone but it is not something I really understand. E46s are becoming old, cheap cars now. They don't just suddenly disappear because you can no longer get a warranty for them.

I don't think the issue ever is buying an old, cheap prestige car. The issue is buying an old cheap prestige car and thinking that it'll come with Mondeo running costs along with the mondeo price tag.
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Sorry the phrase is from GD.

In all seriousness though if you're looking to buy a luxury saloon at this price you can't afford to run it or repair it when it inevitably throws up a big bill.
 
Minstadave said:
In all seriousness though if you're looking to buy a luxury saloon at this price you can't afford to run it or repair it when it inevitably throws up a big bill.
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Not really the case though?

Plenty of people run old 'luxury saloons' at this price point and below and have been doing so for years.

While E46s might be a little more complicated than the E36s that they are replacing at this end of the market the very same can be said for when the E36s replaced the E30s. Its a more complicated car, but the MASSES of BMW independents and back street garages out there will ready to sort whatever issues these develop in there older age.

Like I said. old prestige cars do not disappear off the face of the earth when you can no longer get a warranty. They fall cheaper and cheaper into the used market, certainly with common stuff like 3 series BMWs. They're going to fall into banger tertiary and they will be ran by maybe people who you would think 'can't afford it' with ease.
 
Minstadave said:
Sorry the phrase is from GD.

In all seriousness though if you're looking to buy a luxury saloon at this price you can't afford to run it or repair it when it inevitably throws up a big bill.
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Yet he states he can fix it himself which cancels out any need for OMGZ the dealer/indy ripped me off.
Unless I'm missing something quite a few of you have already stated he's half handy with a set of spanners already.
So if he's into cars, he knows where to get stuff trade and then fix it himself.

To me, if on looking over it, it wasn't a hanging example it would be a no brainer.

It keeps some of the functionality of the van being A tourer

The economy will be better than the petrol equivalent 325/328/330

It's got full service history which lets be honest when it has done that many miles it's probably worth it's weight in gold.

He's already stated he was thinking of that model of car

It's within his budget.

He doesn't appear too phased about high mileage cars having stated "100k+ mile" example in his OP



I can fully understand your point of view if you are some white collar worker that doesn't know one end of a spanner from another, I'd stay well clear if that was the case but this screams of being right up the OPs street.
 
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The thing is I don't get who buys these cars.

If you are happy to throw a load of cash at keeping an ageing prestige car on the road you've probably got the financial circumstances to be able to spend more on it in the first place. If you don't, then... why are you buying a pit into which to throw loads of money?

As for 330d's, pointless at this end of the market, too many issues, the petrol ones are far simpler and far more DIY friendly.

Actually hang on, why are we taking a DannyW thread so seriously? It's a DannyW thread!
 
[TW]Fox;19903499 said:
The thing is I don't get who buys these cars.

If you are happy to throw a load of cash at keeping an ageing prestige car on the road you've probably got the financial circumstances to be able to spend more on it in the first place. If you don't, then... why are you buying a pit into which to throw loads of money?
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With all due respect I sometimes think that the way you have ran your E39 has maybe warped your perspective when it comes to something like this. You have kept your car immaculate with what seems to be a no expense spared approach and fair play to you, but 99.9% of people don't run their cars in such a way.
 
Perhaps it irritates me to see what were once lovely cars fitted with fake wheels from Ebay and bodged by people who with a budget that'll buy a Nangkang just so they can say they've 'got a beemer innit'. These are great cars that will be dependable if looked after properly but it appears to me that 99% of the people who can look after one properly have...

... bought an E90 or an E60 or something :(

I don't drive a Mercedes E55 AMG because I couldn't afford to keep it in the condition it deserves to be in using the consumables a car like that should be fitted with. I don't buy one anyway, bodge everything and fit Chinese tyres.
 
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But this is exactly what I'm saying. You're idea of running a car 'properly' is hugely different to most people's idea of running a car, and is probably at parallels to someone who thinks a £3,000 330D is a good idea.

But the question isn't if this person could run this 330D as when as it was ran the day it rolled off of the forecourt, the question is if this person can run a 330D full stop. You'll find that in the majority of cases, the answer is yes. Nangkang tyres, motorfactors own brand Oil and a back street arches style garages might replace the Continentals, Castrol and the experienced BMW Independent it might 'deserve' in your eyes, but it is still on the road, and almost certainly to the person who is behind the wheel it'll drive the same.
 
Isn't the point with these "expensive to fix" cars more the fact that an £800 part when it was new will still cost £800 now, if it not more because they're in demand? I'm perhaps thinking primarily of Mr. Clarkson's recent coil pack issue, but then again that was a much more "prestigious" car than an old 3 series...

Let's face it though, the answer to this thread is obviously this.
 
Having just got rid of a 166,000 mile 330D, I'd be saying a definite NO to that one.

It could easily cost him the purchase price again in repairs in a few years. I had one because I wanted an e46, it was something I just wanted to own, and at the time did the mileage to warrant a diesel. But I'd not recommend one over a petrol 330i to anyone who isn't prepared to spend a small fortune keeping it "as it should be".
 
andrewdodd13 said:
Isn't the point with these "expensive to fix" cars more the fact that an £800 part when it was new will still cost £800 now, if it not more because they're in demand? I'm perhaps thinking primarily of Mr. Clarkson's recent coil pack issue, but then again that was a much more "prestigious" car than an old 3 series...
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Pattern/reconditioned parts and stuff off of cars being broken are your friends in that car.

The main dealer is precisely the last place I go to look for any parts.
 
Joshy said:
Pattern/reconditioned parts and stuff off of cars being broken are your friends in that car.

The main dealer is precisely the last place I go to look for any parts.
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Which is entirely what is wrong with these cars. People buy utter turd parts and they then fail, usually costing more to fix or prompting sale.
 
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