Motorway Coupe - E92? £7k budget.

Kristoph · 25 May 2018 at 12:11

Hi all,

Not long after I decided on looking at a 350z, my circumstances changed a little. Commute has doubled and is now motorway mostly.

I quite like the BMW 3 Series Coupe (E92) but also open to the saloon or even a 5 Series around this age. My budget is £7k.

Ill be putting around 15k miles on it per year, so not sure if this is diesel territory or not.

320i or 320d (even 325d 330d) are tempting but I'm not familiar with the things to look out for. I've read there's some reliability issues with one of the engines (N52?) but not sure how common that is.

If I can find one near me (<100 miles from Newport) today or tomorrow I hopefully will go and view/buy.

So, petrol or diesel? 320 or 520? Any major issues with the engines/years I've mentioned?

Thanks!

Kris

[TW]Fox · 25 May 2018 at 12:25

4 cylinder BMWs both petrol and diesel are worth avoiding at this age. The 6 cylinder models are far more reliable.

But to be honest if you want to do a reliable 15k a year why is an old BMW your choice?

Kristoph · 25 May 2018 at 12:34

Because my priorities are probably wrong.
I'm finding it painful enough that I have to skip the 350z idea. Are 70-80k mileage 10 year old bmws with full BMW service history an unreliable choice?

I could go newer & more reliable, but there's not a lot that interests me in this price range.

Kristoph · 25 May 2018 at 12:38

This ticks some boxes and 6 cylinder.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201704214624747?atmobcid=soc3

grudas · 25 May 2018 at 12:45

Lexus !

sigma · 25 May 2018 at 12:48

grudas said:
Lexus !

How are you getting on with yours? I tried to send you a message but it wouldn't work. Do you find it has enough power? What's it like on the motorway? Slugish? Throttle response? Obviously it is a cruiser rather than a fire breathing monster but the stats suggest it's underpowered (we all know stats aren't the be all and end all).

Kristoph said:
This ticks some boxes and 6 cylinder.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201704214624747?atmobcid=soc3

I reckon that's being sold because it's starting to play up. They're getting to that age now.

texasjohn · 25 May 2018 at 12:52

The five series is a much better motorway car. If it must be a three, you may get more for your money going for a saloon over a coupe. I'd suggest sticking to 17" wheels on the E90. An SE on non runflats is actually very comfortable and makes a good motorway commuter: I did 28k last year in a 335i SE saloon and often hit over 40mpg on a journey (N55 engine, manual gearbox). But, the E60 is a more refined car.

They can **** themselves and cost a fortune to repair, as my car did. The BMW warranty is worth having at £50-60 a month but it means no mods allowed. bmwwarranty dot co dot uk

I'd probably take a punt on running a 325/330 petrol out of warranty, there's less to go wrong with those. This is the N52 engine mentioned in the OP, it's actually pretty reliable. The N53 is the later model with direct injection and the internet suggests it's problematic.

I think the 335d's are supposed to be ok but I don't really do diesel cars.

Otherwise get a Lexus (or Infiniti if you like Nissan), as mentioned above.

ThestigGT999 · 25 May 2018 at 12:55

After a quick autotrader search

BMW 3 Series 3.0 335d M Sport

BMW 3 Series 3.0 325d M Sport

BMW 3 Series 3.0 335i M Sport

BMW 6 Series 3.0 630i Sport

BMW 6 Series 3.0 635d Sport

[TW]Fox · 25 May 2018 at 13:05

ThestigGT999 said:
BMW 6 Series 3.0 635d Sport

For 7k? It'll be awful.

ThestigGT999 · 25 May 2018 at 13:07

[TW]Fox said:
For 7k? It'll be awful.

IDK

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-se...e&exclude-writeoff-categories=on&retryCount=1

Kristoph · 25 May 2018 at 13:43

grudas said:
Lexus !

If I rule out a BMW at this price range, maybe. Though if I rule it out I'm pretty lost on what I actually want. Have had an E92 in my head for a few weeks now.

sigma said:
I reckon that's being sold because it's starting to play up. They're getting to that age now.

Maybe. Feels like a minefield with a lot of these cars.

texasjohn said:
The five series is..

Thanks for the info! 2.5 and 3.0 325 being both N52? There's a few around that look like they've been taken care of.

ThestigGT999 said:
After a quick autotrader search

~~BMW 3 Series 3.0 335d M Sport~~

BMW 3 Series 3.0 325d M Sport

~~BMW 3 Series 3.0 335i M Sport~~

~~BMW 6 Series 3.0 630i Sport~~

~~BMW 6 Series 3.0 635d Sport~~

Probably the more realistic of the bunch?

[TW]Fox said:
For 7k? It'll be awful.

A 630i at this price range scares me.

sigma · 25 May 2018 at 13:52

I'm considering similar and to be honest all cars, especially 'premium' ones, are going to have some element of risk here. They're all rather complicated compared to older cars (which themselves are most likely to be rusty/worn/not particularly comfy/possibly unreliable due to age related issues) so I think it's just a case of biting the bullet and having a chunk of cash set aside for repairs - not to mention potential time the car might spend off the road.

I'd steer away from diesels to be honest, you're just adding more to the list of things that could go wrong.

Kristoph · 25 May 2018 at 13:52

[TW]Fox said:
...

Am I more 1 series coupe territory right now? Notice there's more choice at this price. I have a bit of a soft spot for it, like the E92.

sigma · 25 May 2018 at 13:54

Kristoph said:
A 630i at this price range scares me.

Why does it but a 325d doesn't? A 325d will most likely have been ragged from cold (I say this because the 630i doesn't have a turbo so less fussy in this regard) and this'll be the age/mileage where it starts to show.

Cleisthenes · 25 May 2018 at 13:56

Kristoph said:
Am I more 1 series coupe territory right now? Notice there's more choice at this price. I have a bit of a soft spot for it, like the E92.

Inb4 Fox says a 1 series is a terrible place to be when doing long motorway miles

[TW]Fox · 25 May 2018 at 13:57

sigma said:
Why does it but a 325d doesn't?.

Because it'll be even older presumably.

Armageus · 25 May 2018 at 14:00

Sensible choice would probably be a Mondeo?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201805176597464

ThestigGT999 · 25 May 2018 at 14:12

Kristoph said:
If I rule out a BMW at this price range, maybe. Though if I rule it out I'm pretty lost on what I actually want. Have had an E92 in my head for a few weeks now.

Maybe. Feels like a minefield with a lot of these cars.

Thanks for the info! 2.5 and 3.0 325 being both N52? There's a few around that look like they've been taken care of.

Probably the more realistic of the bunch?

there was a BMW 3 Series 2.0 320d M Sport I think

Uncle_Gravy · 25 May 2018 at 14:57

I personally prefer the look on the 1 Series coupe, It's certainly not a small car and quite daily-able i'd imagine, I hear E46 sized a lot from reviewers.

the 123d and 125i seem to be in your price range, 123d being a 4cyl diesel and the 125i a 6cyl detuned 130i hatch petrol engine (Easily remapped to 130i power)

Funky-Melon · 25 May 2018 at 14:59

Not coupes but few alternatives that'll be reasonable on motorways....

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201805166549393?price-to=15000&price-from=500&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&advertising-location=at_cars&model=S60&radius=1500&minimum-badge-engine-size=2.4&transmission=Manual&sort=sponsored&make=VOLVO&aggregatedTrim=R-Design&postcode=so168hp&page=1

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201803274988826?onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&advertising-location=at_cars&model=OCTAVIA&make=SKODA&price-to=10000&price-from=500&radius=1500&transmission=Manual&sort=price-desc&aggregatedTrim=vRS&postcode=so168hp&page=1

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201805186648498?price-to=10000&price-from=500&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&advertising-location=at_cars&model=LEON&radius=1500&transmission=Manual&sort=price-desc&make=SEAT&fuel-type=Diesel&aggregatedTrim=FR&postcode=so168hp&page=1