Discussion
At the moment I own a Volvo 850 T5, and as much fun as having big overtaking power is, I'm really missing having a manual 'box and a bit of chuckability - I'm at uni in west Wales and have some tremendous driving roads in the area, and the T5 really doesn't do them justice. I'd be looking at a 323i, 325i or 328i manual.
Now, a few questions, if I may?
1) Are they comfortable on long journeys? I spend a lot of my life travelling to different parts of the country, so being able to do so in relative comfort would be great.
2) Reliability - they seem to be pretty good, from what I've read elsewhere? I've got a hypothetical budget of - at the most - £1500, so I'll be looking at fairly high milage examples, which doesn't bother me. It seems that rust and suspension components are the main things to look out for?
3) Fuel economy. Obviously I'm not expecting anything amazing, but the 25mpg average in the T5 is a bit depressing. Low 30s on a run?
If anyone has spotted a decent one within budget recently, please point me in the right direction!
Thanks!
Ben
Now, a few questions, if I may?
1) Are they comfortable on long journeys? I spend a lot of my life travelling to different parts of the country, so being able to do so in relative comfort would be great.
2) Reliability - they seem to be pretty good, from what I've read elsewhere? I've got a hypothetical budget of - at the most - £1500, so I'll be looking at fairly high milage examples, which doesn't bother me. It seems that rust and suspension components are the main things to look out for?
3) Fuel economy. Obviously I'm not expecting anything amazing, but the 25mpg average in the T5 is a bit depressing. Low 30s on a run?
If anyone has spotted a decent one within budget recently, please point me in the right direction!
Thanks!
Ben
Edited by Big News on Monday 16th September 13:24
Edited by Big News on Monday 16th September 13:24
Big News said:
At the moment I own a Volvo 850 T5, and as much fun as having big overtaking power is, I'm really missing having a manual 'box and a bit of chuckability - I'm at uni in west Wales and have some tremendous driving roads in the area, and the T5 really doesn't do them justice. I'd be looking at a 323i, 325i or 328i manual.
Now, a few questions, if I may?
1) Are they comfortable on long journeys? I spend a lot of my life travelling to different parts of the country, so being able to do so in relative comfort would be great.
Curious, but if you are at Uni, how come you spend a lot of your life travelling to different parts of the country?Now, a few questions, if I may?
1) Are they comfortable on long journeys? I spend a lot of my life travelling to different parts of the country, so being able to do so in relative comfort would be great.
Either way, it's a 3 Series saloon, it'll be more than comfy enough. Ok it's not a 7 Series, as denoted by the number in the name
Big News said:
2) Reliability - they seem to be pretty good, from what I've read elsewhere? I've got a hypothetical budget of - at the most - £1500, so I'll be looking at fairly high milage examples, which doesn't bother me. It seems that rust and suspension components are the main things to look out for?
Most cars of this age have similar reliability in my experience. Some BMW parts can be more pricey, but shop about.For your budget you'll buy more lesser engined BMW for your money. So decide if visual condition and lack of rust matter. I'm sure you can get a usable 328i, just don't plan on it being pretty or a keeper and not the sort of car to then spend a lot of money on.
On the other hand, you may well buy a tidy 320i. Not as speedy, but might be a nicer car for it.
Big News said:
3) Fuel economy. Obviously I'm not expecting anything amazing, but the 25mpg average in the T5 is a bit depressing. Low 30s on a run?
Ben
The are actually pretty good on fuel all things considering. It will depend how you drive it, and if you thrash it all the while, then it won't be great. But I'd expect 28-32mpg out of most of the 6 pot e36's for general use and better on a run.Ben
Edited by Big News on Monday 16th September 13:24
Edited by Big News on Monday 16th September 13:24
I paid £1500 for a 328i Sport two years ago. It was [is] is in good condition with no rust, but has needed all the usual stuff doing:
New engine fan viscous coupling
Rear trailing arm bushes (makes massive difference to stability)
Rear shocks (old ones were very worn and bouncy and still passed MOT)
Front lower ball joints (fixed steering wheel vibration, classic MOT fail)
Engine breather valve (worn one causes erratic idle and intermittent stalling)
Crank position sensor (broken one caused engine to judder and stall intermittently)
MAF (old one caused general lack of power, flat spots and poor throttle response)
It drives better now than it ever did and I really like it. It's a very good cruiser and quite decent on a b-road. There's enough power to adjust it on the throttle (needs LSD though as mine is a later traction control model). I can easily get 32mpg on a long run, but was getting 25ish before replacing the MAF.
£1500 will get you a decent starting point and will be perfectly serviceable. I'd wait for a 328i. It'll no doubt need some of the above doing at some point and probably other things. When in good order, they are a very nice car to drive. When most of the above needs doing they are not very nice to drive.
Good luck.
New engine fan viscous coupling
Rear trailing arm bushes (makes massive difference to stability)
Rear shocks (old ones were very worn and bouncy and still passed MOT)
Front lower ball joints (fixed steering wheel vibration, classic MOT fail)
Engine breather valve (worn one causes erratic idle and intermittent stalling)
Crank position sensor (broken one caused engine to judder and stall intermittently)
MAF (old one caused general lack of power, flat spots and poor throttle response)
It drives better now than it ever did and I really like it. It's a very good cruiser and quite decent on a b-road. There's enough power to adjust it on the throttle (needs LSD though as mine is a later traction control model). I can easily get 32mpg on a long run, but was getting 25ish before replacing the MAF.
£1500 will get you a decent starting point and will be perfectly serviceable. I'd wait for a 328i. It'll no doubt need some of the above doing at some point and probably other things. When in good order, they are a very nice car to drive. When most of the above needs doing they are not very nice to drive.
Good luck.
I've had my £900 323 coupe for a few months.
Clearly I've bought a rubbish one. The rust and suspension were obvious when I bought it.
It's recently had the following replaced: front suspension arms, all springs and dampers, water pump, radiator, wheel speed sensor, ABS controller and a rear wheel bearing. All of that just before I bought it.
My other sub-shed budget BMWs have been much more reliable (E30s and an E34). It's my first shedding failure.
If I wanted driving thrills I'd put my £1500 in to an MX5. The E36 is OK (and a much nicer place to sit in and cover distance), but not spectacular. I think I'd have been as happy in another E34 535.
I do love how the E36 looks though. I keep thinking about selling it, or burning it, but it looks really nice on the driveway.
Big News said:
1) Are they comfortable on long journeys? I spend a lot of my life travelling to different parts of the country, so being able to do so in relative comfort would be great.
I did 180 miles on Friday, my only complaint was it got a bit hot inside with the AC being broken, the passenger window being stuck up and the heater fan being unable to generate much of a breeze. The seats are comfy enough, although I've been fine strapped in to a bucket seat for ten hours a day and nearly crippled doing 50 miles in a standard Astra, so your spine may vary.Big News said:
2) Reliability - they seem to be pretty good, from what I've read elsewhere? I've got a hypothetical budget of - at the most - £1500, so I'll be looking at fairly high milage examples, which doesn't bother me. It seems that rust and suspension components are the main things to look out for?
As well as the broken HVAC and window mine also has a random rythmic clonking from the transmission, exhaust has started blowing, two spots of rust on the body, suspension alignment was all out of spec (fixed last week and hugely more fun to drive as a result), it has a random misfire at 3.5k rpm (about one time in three when you try using full throttle), the driver's window also has random attacks of not wanting to close and the clutch has recently dropped it's biting point to near the floor.Clearly I've bought a rubbish one. The rust and suspension were obvious when I bought it.
It's recently had the following replaced: front suspension arms, all springs and dampers, water pump, radiator, wheel speed sensor, ABS controller and a rear wheel bearing. All of that just before I bought it.
My other sub-shed budget BMWs have been much more reliable (E30s and an E34). It's my first shedding failure.
Big News said:
3) Fuel economy. Obviously I'm not expecting anything amazing, but the 25mpg average in the T5 is a bit depressing. Low 30s on a run?
I've been very used to the 25mpg my MX5 and Elise manage, and this is so obvioulsy using less fuel than they do that I've not bothered to put a number on it.If I wanted driving thrills I'd put my £1500 in to an MX5. The E36 is OK (and a much nicer place to sit in and cover distance), but not spectacular. I think I'd have been as happy in another E34 535.
I do love how the E36 looks though. I keep thinking about selling it, or burning it, but it looks really nice on the driveway.
I have a 323i.
It's black with black leather, standard late coupe wheels, totally original, they have a big issue that the second you start modifying them the image goes very nasty very quickly.
It's got high mileage (186k) but drives like a new car, no knocks, bangs, rattles or squeaks. Pulls like a train and is a lovely thing to drive, lovely smooth engine oil changed every 3k comes out clean. Since buying it it's asked for nothing but a couple of brake flexis and I changed the pads and discs out of choice. Very gentle on tyres, I bought it about 15k ago and the tyres were getting ready to change, they haven't worn one jot since.
I use the car to commute daily in and trek up and down the country in collecting parts etc. It does an easy 30-36mpg (real world not gauge) driving normally on country roads/town, not hammering the arse off it but not driving like a granny either. On a run it extends that to upper 30s. I towed a small car trailer down to Sheffield and back a couple of weekends ago and it returned around 34 on the way down and 31 on the way back (unloaded/loaded).
Very comfy on a run (the sports seats help). Climate control is nice, air con is ice cold, the BMW cd player is a nice quality thing with decent sound, it's got enough toys to keep you interested but definitely isn't laden down with equipment (and this is a well specced one). It's a nice place to spend a few hundred miles.
It's also quite rapid when you want it to be, the traction control isn't intrusive, but when it does work on a greasy road it works well, the engine has plenty of poke (it's only 170BHP but is lively with it) and the suspension is comfortable but holds the car well.
The boot space is ok, the back seats fold, the boot hole isn't the biggest but I managed to get 2 mx5 front bumpers and a load of other bits in there on the weekend on a trip down to Derby and back across a morning returning from the 300 Mile round trip still refreshed.
It "might" be for sale, I haven't decided yet, there isn't exactly a shortage of them out there to be honest, but if I do decide to sell it then it is a good one.
It's black with black leather, standard late coupe wheels, totally original, they have a big issue that the second you start modifying them the image goes very nasty very quickly.
It's got high mileage (186k) but drives like a new car, no knocks, bangs, rattles or squeaks. Pulls like a train and is a lovely thing to drive, lovely smooth engine oil changed every 3k comes out clean. Since buying it it's asked for nothing but a couple of brake flexis and I changed the pads and discs out of choice. Very gentle on tyres, I bought it about 15k ago and the tyres were getting ready to change, they haven't worn one jot since.
I use the car to commute daily in and trek up and down the country in collecting parts etc. It does an easy 30-36mpg (real world not gauge) driving normally on country roads/town, not hammering the arse off it but not driving like a granny either. On a run it extends that to upper 30s. I towed a small car trailer down to Sheffield and back a couple of weekends ago and it returned around 34 on the way down and 31 on the way back (unloaded/loaded).
Very comfy on a run (the sports seats help). Climate control is nice, air con is ice cold, the BMW cd player is a nice quality thing with decent sound, it's got enough toys to keep you interested but definitely isn't laden down with equipment (and this is a well specced one). It's a nice place to spend a few hundred miles.
It's also quite rapid when you want it to be, the traction control isn't intrusive, but when it does work on a greasy road it works well, the engine has plenty of poke (it's only 170BHP but is lively with it) and the suspension is comfortable but holds the car well.
The boot space is ok, the back seats fold, the boot hole isn't the biggest but I managed to get 2 mx5 front bumpers and a load of other bits in there on the weekend on a trip down to Derby and back across a morning returning from the 300 Mile round trip still refreshed.
It "might" be for sale, I haven't decided yet, there isn't exactly a shortage of them out there to be honest, but if I do decide to sell it then it is a good one.
Big News said:
At the moment I own a Volvo 850 T5, and as much fun as having big overtaking power is, I'm really missing having a manual 'box and a bit of chuckability - I'm at uni in west Wales and have some tremendous driving roads in the area, and the T5 really doesn't do them justice. I'd be looking at a 323i, 325i or 328i manual.
Now, a few questions, if I may?
1) Are they comfortable on long journeys? I spend a lot of my life travelling to different parts of the country, so being able to do so in relative comfort would be great.
2) Reliability - they seem to be pretty good, from what I've read elsewhere? I've got a hypothetical budget of - at the most - £1500, so I'll be looking at fairly high milage examples, which doesn't bother me. It seems that rust and suspension components are the main things to look out for?
3) Fuel economy. Obviously I'm not expecting anything amazing, but the 25mpg average in the T5 is a bit depressing. Low 30s on a run?
If anyone has spotted a decent one within budget recently, please point me in the right direction!
Thanks!
Ben
1.5k should get you a decent one, it certainly did for me. Now, a few questions, if I may?
1) Are they comfortable on long journeys? I spend a lot of my life travelling to different parts of the country, so being able to do so in relative comfort would be great.
2) Reliability - they seem to be pretty good, from what I've read elsewhere? I've got a hypothetical budget of - at the most - £1500, so I'll be looking at fairly high milage examples, which doesn't bother me. It seems that rust and suspension components are the main things to look out for?
3) Fuel economy. Obviously I'm not expecting anything amazing, but the 25mpg average in the T5 is a bit depressing. Low 30s on a run?
If anyone has spotted a decent one within budget recently, please point me in the right direction!
Thanks!
Ben
To address your points:
- Buy a 328i. Great package straight out the box (with some tuning potential).
- Don't forget to consider a Touring, might be useful being a student (moving places, road trips around the UK etc).
- Yes they are comfortable on a cruise. I bought mine last Sept, in November I used it to drive to Berlin (was very happy cruising at 110mph). A few weeks back, did a return trip to Scotland. Very reasonable, the engine sits at around 2800 revs at 75mph. Get one on original 16 inch alloys and the ride is great.
- Reliability is variable. There are a couple of niggles, the most major weak point is the cooling system. If not done already, may be worthwhile looking at a new (metal impeller) water pump, radiator and belts (that's what I've done on mine, 130k miles). Rust is less of an issue on the later E36s but arches are known weakpoints, as are boots. Balljoints also get worn.
- Mpg is also reasonable. Genuine 35mpg on that Scotland run (speedo indicated 80 where possible). In town, expect 20s.
- Avoid the auto, saps the economy.
- Take your time finding a good example. E36s are getting on a bit now and there are plenty of ropey examples out there.
- Get a good spec - expect dual climate control, full 18 button OBC. Leather and a sunroof is a bonus.
I love mine
Shameless photo whoring!
I woudn't say they were gentle on rear tyres, especially if the RTABs are knackered!
Oh, yeah forgot to mention the aircon is broken on mine too, plus the driver's side window has recently started constantly rattling and neither window goes up automatically unless you press and hold the button all the way.
Oh, yeah forgot to mention the aircon is broken on mine too, plus the driver's side window has recently started constantly rattling and neither window goes up automatically unless you press and hold the button all the way.
I bought my 328i Sport in march this year. It had 143,000 miles on the clock and is now just coming up to 150,000. It's been fantastic to be honest, I did need to change the engine mounts as one had snapped in half but that cost about £70 with me doing the work.
I think it needs a full suspension refresh pretty soon as it's feeling a bit off and clunking now and then.
The engines are pretty bulletproof, I serviced mine the day after I bought it and it hasn't used a drop of oil.
Mine was cheap, it has some non serious rust on both rear arches on the bottom of the boot but is still a solid car.
I've averaged 35.4mpg in the time I've owned it using proper calculations rather than the optimistic OBC. 3500 miles around Europe this summer gave me a 31mpg average over 13 days and that included the nurburgring, Alps and passes and autobahn hammering.
I do have an LSD sat in the garage that was supposed to go on it but it's really not hampered by not having one and will still wag it's tail nicely if provoked.
In short, I love it!
I think it needs a full suspension refresh pretty soon as it's feeling a bit off and clunking now and then.
The engines are pretty bulletproof, I serviced mine the day after I bought it and it hasn't used a drop of oil.
Mine was cheap, it has some non serious rust on both rear arches on the bottom of the boot but is still a solid car.
I've averaged 35.4mpg in the time I've owned it using proper calculations rather than the optimistic OBC. 3500 miles around Europe this summer gave me a 31mpg average over 13 days and that included the nurburgring, Alps and passes and autobahn hammering.
I do have an LSD sat in the garage that was supposed to go on it but it's really not hampered by not having one and will still wag it's tail nicely if provoked.
In short, I love it!
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