Used BMW Buying Advice

SwedishChef · 15 Sep 2009 at 09:56

I'm interested in buying a used BMW 3 series for around £15k. I need a reliable, economical, nice looking, interesting to drive, family friendly (ish) car. Doesn't need to compete in the traffic light grand prix but needs to be able to overtake caravans with ease and cruise nicely on long motorway drives. I do 20k a year mostly motorway driving.

My current perfect spec would seem to be:

320D M Sport (manual)
4 door saloon
Between 1 - 3 years old
No more than 35k miles. Must have been well looked after.
Colour: grey (preferably), black or maybe silver.
Interior: Cloth seats, probably not leather. Sat Nav would be superb, but not essential.

I would expect to keep the car for quite a while rather than expect to change it in two/three years time.

There's no rush - I can wait a few months for the right deal. I'm keen on the 320D M Sport because it looks smart, it has a firmer ride than the SE, the power seems to be at the right level, the fuel economy seems great, and everyone raves about how the 3 Series drives.

I've sat in the showroom model which is lovely but way over budget - and for the standard price very few toys are included. I'm not keen on paying that first year depreciation anyway. I've looked at BMW Approved Used cars but they still seem pricey - although I appreciate they come with better peace of mind. I have also looked around the internet but haven't found much of interest - 'good' used BMWs seem to be in short supply! So this is where I need your help on where best to look, what is a good age/mileage to look for and still have high reliability, and anything else. Feel free to suggest other models too. I've never owned a BMW so don't have the inside knowledge so any advice is potentially helpful!

Thanks.

[TW]Fox · 15 Sep 2009 at 10:15

The reason you are having trouble is that your budget is not big enough to meet your requirements. The 320d M Sport is arguably the most popular and sought after car in the whole 3 Series range and you want a mint low mileage car. Two problems with this:

a) Most people do not buy a 320d to pop to Tesco once a week. They live on the Motorways racking up huge mileage because this is what they are for. Therefore the number of sub 35k 3 year old ones (Thats under average mileage) are limited

b) Trade book on the oldest highest mileage car in your criteria, a 35k mile 56 plate, is £14500. No dealer is going to retail this car for just £500 margin, so this puts even the oldest highest mileage car you'll accept outside your budget. 95% of cars at this pricepoint are dealer sales not private sales.

You must therefore either:

a) Compromise on mileage - perhaps a 60k miler?
b) Compromise on spec - Maybe an SE?
c) Get more money

iaind · 15 Sep 2009 at 10:36

d) Look at alternative cars

The closest equivalent to the 320d M sport is arguably the Audi A4 2.0 S Line. Possibly less "interesting to drive" than the 320d but fits all your other requirements for the money, just.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1240080.htm

Saying that, I'd prefer the BMW with higher mileage personally - just some food for thought

jamief · 15 Sep 2009 at 10:43

The problem with the A4 is that it is the "previous model", which imo has a pretty horrendous interior, and the ride quality on the s-line is .... harsh.

iaind · 15 Sep 2009 at 10:49

jamief said:
The problem with the A4 is that it is the "previous model", which imo has a pretty horrendous interior, and the ride quality on the s-line is .... harsh.

Thats probably why it's a bit lower value. The interior might not look nice but its rock solid and functional.

I think all Audis suffer from a bit of a harsh ride. As I said, I'd still have the BMW but if he's set on age/mileage then an A4 might be another compromise.

jamief · 15 Sep 2009 at 10:51

It seems like a lot of money to me for the previous model, when for 6k more you could pick up the newest model with next to nothing on the clock. Personally I'd just extend my budget slightly or get a BMW with higher miles. Higher mileage on a fairly new car isn't a problem.

SwedishChef · 15 Sep 2009 at 11:15

Thanks [TW]Fox for the reality check - it's exactly the sort of advice I needed. Hmmm.. these choices are difficult:

a) Compromise on mileage - perhaps a 60k miler? - not so keen on that. I know BMWs are well built and the engines are good but other things still wear. However, I could be imagining problems that don't exist until much higher mileages?

b) Compromise on spec - Maybe an SE? - again, not so keen just because I would probably regret not getting the M sport spec eventually. I enjoy driving and want something reasonably involving. However, if I'm doing the SE a dis-service then please tell me. I should point out that I haven't driven an SE yet.

c) Get more money - This is possible. The budget could be increased to £20k but that would be the limit. I'd be reasonably comfortable with that bearing in mind that a BMW should last a good long while and not suffer horrendous depreciation (should I need to sell for any reason). Do you think 20k is a realistic budget, or not enough??

Hi Iand - I was keen on A3s for a while and for some reason went off them. Hadn't really thought about the A4 as it seemed slightly too big. It's not something that appeals to me. I'm set on the 3 series now so let's rule out D.

iaind · 15 Sep 2009 at 11:19

SwedishChef said:
Hi Iand - I was keen on A3s for a while and for some reason went off them. Hadn't really thought about the A4 as it seemed slightly too big. It's not something that appeals to me. I'm set on the 3 series now so let's rule out D.

A3 = 1 series, A4 = 3 series, A6 = 5 series (in size terms)

If you're not keen then fair enough.

£20k seems much more reasonable for your requirements

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1122772.htm for example

SwedishChef · 15 Sep 2009 at 11:26

Hi jamief - Out of interest, how old a car would you still consider to be fairly new? And at what point would you think that mileage is too high (bearing in mind that I'd be looking to keep the car for a while and stick plenty of m-way miles on it).

jamief · 15 Sep 2009 at 11:37

SwedishChef said:
Hi jamief - Out of interest, how old a car would you still consider to be fairly new? And at what point would you think that mileage is too high (bearing in mind that I'd be looking to keep the car for a while and stick plenty of m-way miles on it).

Its subjective of course, but "fairly new" - maybe upto 3 years old? I have a 2 year old car and it looks brand new. I'd hazard a guess I could spend a few hours cleaning the interior and you wouldn't know the difference between that and the same model with 5 miles on the clock.

At what point is the mileage too high - well, Fox is your man for that question - he knows a lot about "higher" mileage BMWs. In my opinion (and I'm considering buying a 330 / 530 just now), anything upto 60k / 3 years old is fine (for my needs), but I've looked upto 4.5 years old with 80k.

EDIT: You're really trading off spec against mileage in most cases.

I.e. 15k gets you a SE with 30k on the clock or a M-Sport with leather and 60k on the clock (for example)

SwedishChef · 15 Sep 2009 at 11:52

iaind said:
£20k seems much more reasonable for your requirements

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1122772.htm for example

Hmmm... nice looking car. The black does look good. Leather seats are a nice addition too. Shame it's a auto box but I'll look around the rest of the Britannia site.

iaind · 15 Sep 2009 at 11:55

SwedishChef said:
Hmmm... nice looking car. The black does look good. Leather seats are a nice addition too. Shame it's a auto box but I'll look around the rest of the Britannia site.

Goes to show its a more realistic budget to get the car you want though

Ex-lease cars might be pretty good shout as they're normally maintained properly and the 320d is a classic lease repmobile

SwedishChef · 15 Sep 2009 at 11:58

jamief said:
EDIT: You're really trading off spec against mileage in most cases.

One of the age vs mileage vs spec vs price dilemmas I've been battling with are the swirl flaps and inspection II issues. I don't want a car that could face high repair bills if the swirl flaps break (only a problem with older diesels I understand) or a car that's just about to require a £1k major service.

mjt · 15 Sep 2009 at 12:01

60k miles really isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things, especially if you plan on using the car as a motorway cruiser. you're just going to stick even more miles on the car, so why pay more for a low mileage example which you will then make a high mileage example?

if you're stretching closer to £20k, start looking at the 6 cylinder models..

do you even need a diesel? what's your predicted annual mileage?

edit- why doesn't anybody spec the satnav? they look crap without idrive

SwedishChef · 15 Sep 2009 at 12:43

mjt said:
60k miles really isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things, especially if you plan on using the car as a motorway cruiser. you're just going to stick even more miles on the car, so why pay more for a low mileage example which you will then make a high mileage example?

It's a fair point. Maybe am I unncessarily restricting myself by saying no more than 35k miles.

if you're stretching closer to £20k, start looking at the 6 cylinder models..

While the extra oomph would be nice, I'm not sure it's wise. I have a hard enough time sticking to the speed limit in my current 100bhp diesel. :rolleyes:

Also, the 6 cylinder models lose out on fuel economy. I'd rather spend the money on the satnav for example than an extra 0.5/1 litre on the engine.

do you even need a diesel? what's your predicted annual mileage?

I do 20k a year. Miles aside, I do like the diesel torque.

edit- why doesn't anybody spec the satnav? they look crap without idrive

I'd love satnav if I an get it for the money.

[TW]Fox · 15 Sep 2009 at 18:33

SwedishChef said:
Thanks [TW]Fox for the reality check - it's exactly the sort of advice I needed. Hmmm.. these choices are difficult:

a) Compromise on mileage - perhaps a 60k miler? - not so keen on that. I know BMWs are well built and the engines are good but other things still wear. However, I could be imagining problems that don't exist until much higher mileages?

To be honest your only real concern about a higher mileage example is residual value, but this is countered to some degree by lower purchase price. Most sub 3 year old 60k mile 320d's are going to be people like yourself, bought/leased from new, run up and down the Motorway which is what the car is designed for. Minimal interior wear etc.

b) Compromise on spec - Maybe an SE? - again, not so keen just because I would probably regret not getting the M sport spec eventually. I enjoy driving and want something reasonably involving. However, if I'm doing the SE a dis-service then please tell me. I should point out that I haven't driven an SE yet.

To be honest I'd be inclined to agree, this is not where I would make my compromise as M Sport is the best spec to get the car in. You can, however, get things like the M-Tech suspension with an SE if its the dynamics you like more than the styling.

c) Get more money - This is possible. The budget could be increased to £20k but that would be the limit. I'd be reasonably comfortable with that bearing in mind that a BMW should last a good long while and not suffer horrendous depreciation (should I need to sell for any reason). Do you think 20k is a realistic budget, or not enough??

£20k would be sufficient to get a car meeting your requirements but the BMW badge does not protect you against depreciation. Even at £15k you are still going to lose a packet on whatever you buy - buy a 30k miler, keep it for 3 years and when you sell it its a 5-6 year old 90k mile car. It will be worth less than £10k.

Hi Iand - I was keen on A3s for a while and for some reason went off them. Hadn't really thought about the A4 as it seemed slightly too big. It's not something that appeals to me. I'm set on the 3 series now so let's rule out D.

The A4 is the same size but to be honest if driver involvement is your thing then leave the Audi's to the sales reps.

The 6 cylinder diesel is a better engine, its smoother, more flexible, more torquey and more 'BMW' but after having taken out a 2009 520d M Sport this weekend I was amazed at the progress they've made with the 4 cylinder plant - sure its still a diesel and it still runs out of puff far too soon which I found hugely annoying but it was very smooth for a 4 pot. It was not fast but I would go so far as to say its all the performance most people would ever NEED (as opposed to want).

Speccing Satnav on the E90 is pretty useful. This forum has a habit of insisting that unless you get every single option ever you are a moron so will normally chant OMG GET NAV OR YOU SUCK regardless of what you are buying. In the past Nav was nice to have but no big deal but on the E90 it does add significant changes to the car - in addition to the Satnav (Which on the post LCI E90's is average at best) you get iDrive which gives you so much more flexibility over the cars settings etc etc. I'd be dissapointed with an E90 without iDrive but getting a 320d spec'd with it is going to prove difficult - its rare on the 4 pots.

Westyfield2 · 15 Sep 2009 at 19:02

Excellent advice from Fox

[TW]Fox;14893700 said:
The 6 cylinder diesel is a better engine, its smoother, more flexible, more torquey and more 'BMW' but after having taken out a 2009 520d M Sport this weekend I was amazed at the progress they've made with the 4 cylinder plant - sure its still a diesel and it still runs out of puff far too soon which I found hugely annoying but it was very smooth for a 4 pot. It was not fast but I would go so far as to say its all the performance most people would ever NEED (as opposed to want).

One thing worth noting is that the one you drove is the "new" 2.0D. In 2007 (I don't know when) they changed the 2.0D on both the 3 & 5 from the M47TU2D20 163PS to the N47D20-O0 177PS, which also made it a bit more refined as-well as the few extra ponies.

[TW]Fox · 15 Sep 2009 at 19:03

Yup, the previous one is more diesely - had one of those for the day a year or so back.

Scania · 16 Sep 2009 at 05:46

[TW]Fox;14893700 said:
having taken out a 2009 520d M Sport this weekend I was amazed at the progress they've made with the 4 cylinder plant - sure its still a diesel and it still runs out of puff far too soon which I found hugely annoying but it was very smooth for a 4 pot. It was not fast but I would go so far as to say its all the performance most people would ever NEED (as opposed to want).

I was wondering when you'd get round to checking out the 520d, I'm glad you were as impressed with it as I was, you sum it up prefectly (you git!)

To the OP.

Imo, you do a high mileage so why the issue with high mile examples?

To my mind, a higher mileage puts you in the seat of say a 330d which will still be in great condition (see Fox & his 150k+ 5 series) but with a much more realistic purchase price.

Try to find the highest mileage 1 owner 330d you can and enjoy the extra performance with running costs that are countered by the reduced purchase price.

The 320d is a great performer (as the 520d underlines) but the 330 is a whole lot better again.

Just watch out for those damn swirl flaps.....

SwedishChef · 16 Sep 2009 at 10:36

First of all I'd like to thank evryone for the most excellent, thought provoking advice. I've taken it on board (I think!) and had another look around so secondly, please can I get your thoughts as far as value for money and any gotchas to watch out for on this age/mileage/model for sale from a used car dealer?

2005 55 Reg BMW 330d M Sport (registered Dec 05)
Price: £16,999.
40k miles
Silver metallic paint
Manual, 4 doors
Sat Nav, black full leather, BMW Connect Drive Assist, Bluetooth, ipod aux connector, parking sensors, sports seats, rain sensor, 18" alloys.

Supposed to be in very good condition with FSH. Has had two owners, bought by dealer from a leasing company.

Comes with an RAC Inspection (I don't know how thorough these are) and HPI report, mileage guarantee and moneyback guarantee (if mileage or HPI turns out to be duff).

The spec looks perfect, more than I could have hoped for. My only concern is fuel consumption. If this would do anything near 40mpg on long m-way journeys I'd be happy with that - but surprised, considering it's a 3.0L.