330i/d

[Belle427]

Never owned a BMW before but am looking for a nice daily in the next 12 months that will do around 30 miles a day give or take.
Budget up to £15k.
The Diesel will probably make little sense but I do like the idea of the silky smooth engine.
Want something not too ruinous to run, fairly comfortable with a bit of poke.
Probably prefer auto too.
Any 330i owners here, seems like a good compromise to me and makes most sense.
Thanks.

[d_a_n1979]

It was an F31 330i that I was aiming for back in Dec 2022 but there were very few around and when I did find one; they were closer to/north of £20k and budget was £15k like yourself

Settled on a 2015 F31 325D M Sport instead which has been a superb car; we do few miles (4k in the last 14 months); but it gets a good run every so often and oil changed every 6 months without fail

Looked after, maintained properly and with a regular Italian tune up don't discount the diesels

You'll get a better spec car for your budget as well

[daver1184]

Any 330i beyond 2014 will be a 2 litre 4 pot turbo and from my limited knowledge, they're not the most reliable unit.

The 335i was always a 6 pot but they also come with their own issues.

I've had 2x E90/91 330i manuals (N52 6 pot n/a) and (touch wood) they have been very reliable.
The E90 went to 260k and the biggest bill was a drowned ECU (~£600). It's now 'resting' in the barn.
The E91 is on ~140k and other than the Nav head unit swap (~£300. Thank you Vlad) it's been great.

Both seem to have a theoretical max motorway range of ~500 miles which gives about 37mpg. My real world including all the school run and fast A road stuff is between 30 and 33.
The later (2008 on) N53 330i is better on fuel but again has it's own reliability issues.

I've never had a 330d but people generally say they are reliable but maybe the M57 more so than the later N57.

No doubt many other more informed comments will follow this.

Good luck.

[Belle427]

I've looked at these in the past. they do hold their money well but would probably suit me.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16517966

[sortedcossie]

That's strong money to say it's boggo spec. No I-drive, bluetooth and it has from the looks of it halogen headlight which are worse than terrible.

[Belle427]

That's the problem for me not being familiar with the options.
Headlights probably sortable but not sure on the i drive.
I'm not one for the latest tech tbh but Bluetooth is a must.

[d_a_n1979]

Belle427 said:

That's the problem for me not being familiar with the options.
Headlights probably sortable but not sure on the i drive.
I'm not one for the latest tech tbh but Bluetooth is a must.

For your budget of up to £15k; that'll get you an F30 saloon / F31 touring or maybe the likes of a 4 series?

Do you need 4 doors / an estate etc?

I certainly wouldn't be spending that on an E9x car unless it was an M3 etc

For me the min spec for the F31 I wanted needed to be xenons, heated seats, pro nav, KH stereo, M Sport and M Sport Brembo blue brakes (and powered tailgate); that's what I got

I'd personally hold out for xenons, heated seats and pro nav at a minimum if you can and ideally the HK stereo. The blue Brembo brakes can be retrofitted easy enough if you wanted

For petrols in the F3x range; you could look at the 328i as well; this as an example that seems to have an OK spec:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402216...

[Belle427]

Nice car, will add to the list.
You do forget about cars like this as there are so many variants.
4 doors a must, not specifically looking at estates but they do appeal.

[sortedcossie]

Have to say, I own an E91 330d and an F31 335d - the F31 is better in so many ways, to be expected given newer tech. As above, try and work out what you want the car to have spec wise - mines got an epic options list for example, but it took close to 4 months to find the right car and of course the price reflected that spec of car,

I still like the way the E91 drives though, they are just getting a bit long in the tooth now unless someone has spent cash getting the suspension refreshed. Ours is 16 and time for a change next month when we're back from holiday.

[weewhiskydram]

Had an F31 330d estate in the past, and its the one car I've always regretted selling. Brilliant all rounder and should be well within your budget these days.

[cerb4.5lee]

I've had both a 2006 E90 330d and a 2006 E90 330i(both auto). It goes against the petrolhead grain, but I personally thought that the 330d was the better all round car of the two.

[d_a_n1979]

Belle427 said:

Nice car, will add to the list.
You do forget about cars like this as there are so many variants.
4 doors a must, not specifically looking at estates but they do appeal.

A touring example here; 330D (N57, great engine, BMWs straight 6 goodness etc). Good spec also and looks well in white:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404078...

The full build of my F31 is here if you want to see how these cars can be looked/maintenance wise etc:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

I've been lucky that I got a good car to begin with; looked after and well maintained by BMW for a lot of its life and then indy's and BMW from when I bought it

Made it very much my own; but really enjoying it and would highly recommend an F3x over an E9x car, as above. Both are good; but the F3x is that bit more newer; with better tech etc and a great drive too

[rottenegg]

If you have up to £15K and want a 6 pot (and who can blame you) then I'd be targeting the F30/31 330d personally.

E90s are nice cars, but they are seriously dated now. Whilst the F3x platform isn't exactly cutting edge either, it does have a much stiffer bodyshell and the electric steering feels nicer as well, imo. Well, I say 'feel' (neither platform has much of that) but the 'weighting' feels better.

It's such a good all rounder, especially in Touring flavour. Smooth, quiet and refined during the commute, and actually pretty rapid when the mood takes you. And in M Sport flavour, it's an accomplished handler as well. 50mpg if driven sensibly. 40mpg if driven hard all the time.

[Belle427]

d_a_n1979 said:

Belle427 said:

Nice car, will add to the list.
You do forget about cars like this as there are so many variants.
4 doors a must, not specifically looking at estates but they do appeal.

A touring example here; 330D (N57, great engine, BMWs straight 6 goodness etc). Good spec also and looks well in white:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404078...

The full build of my F31 is here if you want to see how these cars can be looked/maintenance wise etc:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

I've been lucky that I got a good car to begin with; looked after and well maintained by BMW for a lot of its life and then indy's and BMW from when I bought it

Made it very much my own; but really enjoying it and would highly recommend an F3x over an E9x car, as above. Both are good; but the F3x is that bit more newer; with better tech etc and a great drive too

Thanks will take a look, that touring looks fantastic and would be right up my street.

[d_a_n1979]

Belle427 said:

d_a_n1979 said:

Belle427 said:

Nice car, will add to the list.
You do forget about cars like this as there are so many variants.
4 doors a must, not specifically looking at estates but they do appeal.

A touring example here; 330D (N57, great engine, BMWs straight 6 goodness etc). Good spec also and looks well in white:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404078...

The full build of my F31 is here if you want to see how these cars can be looked/maintenance wise etc:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

I've been lucky that I got a good car to begin with; looked after and well maintained by BMW for a lot of its life and then indy's and BMW from when I bought it

Made it very much my own; but really enjoying it and would highly recommend an F3x over an E9x car, as above. Both are good; but the F3x is that bit more newer; with better tech etc and a great drive too

Thanks will take a look, that touring looks fantastic and would be right up my street.

If £15k is your budget; you'll find plenty around £12k to £15k - if they're under 100k miles too and 2014 onwards, you'll be able to get BMW warranty on them also for peace of mind (I'd highly recommend it, even if just for the first 12 months)

Fully comp will cover everything bar tyres/brakes and rubber seals etc

[Belle427]

I seem to remember the N57 engine to be the one with the most issues if not well cared for?

[rottenegg]

Belle427 said:

I seem to remember the N57 engine to be the one with the most issues if not well cared for?

From remaps, yes. Shoddy remaps breaking injectors, which then destroy piston crowns.

Mechanically, it's just crank main bearings and crank pulleys that are most documented - read, internet exaggerated. The rubber dampener material deteriorates, splits and then causes a severe wobbling harmonic that destroys main bearing no.1....but you're talking well past 100K, and again, bad remaps can cause that as well.

Chains are fine, but advisable to fit the newest tensioner revision.

The only thing against the N57 is it's not rebuildable like the M57 is. The alloy diesels are essentially scrap if they fail.

[d_a_n1979]

rottenegg said:

Belle427 said:

I seem to remember the N57 engine to be the one with the most issues if not well cared for?

From remaps, yes. Shoddy remaps breaking injectors, which then destroy piston crowns.

Mechanically, it's just crank main bearings and crank pulleys that are most documented - read, internet exaggerated. The rubber dampener material deteriorates, splits and then causes a severe wobbling harmonic that destroys main bearing no.1....but you're talking well past 100K, and again, bad remaps can cause that as well.

Chains are fine, but advisable to fit the newest tensioner revision.

The only thing against the N57 is it's not rebuildable like the M57 is. The alloy diesels are essentially scrap if they fail.

As detailed here (re timing chain tensioner; same for N47s and N57s):

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t...

Re mileage on these; my pal Chris has an F31 320D (poverty spec but he's retrofitted the M Sport brakes to it and recently B4 shocks/Eibach pro kit springs) and does close to 5k a month between the UK & Germany. 120k miles, original engine, chain, new turbo in 2021 (replaced under BMW warranty); all the EGR recalls etc and oil changed every 5k miles - zero issues

His Dad's F30 330D Luxury has now done close to 170k miles, original engine etc (new turbo), EGR recalls. Refreshed suspension etc etc... Zero issues

Looked after, maintained well, treated with mechanical sympathy and they're spot in

This is where due diligence comes in re checking service history and seeing plenty of paper receipts/invoices etc - none of that, IMO, keep walking/keep looking

[Mr Tidy]

I wouldn't bother with the 4 cylinder petrols if you want a bit of smooth power.

If your mileage doesn't really justify a diesel I'd be looking for a 335i to get a petrol 6, although they aren't without their issues.

I've had my 2005 330i daily for 5 years now and I just love the silky smooth manual petrol straight 6 with a bit of grunt, but most E9*s are way below your budget now.

[pmorg4]

rottenegg said:

If you have up to £15K and want a 6 pot (and who can blame you) then I'd be targeting the F30/31 330d personally.

E90s are nice cars, but they are seriously dated now. Whilst the F3x platform isn't exactly cutting edge either, it does have a much stiffer bodyshell and the electric steering feels nicer as well, imo. Well, I say 'feel' (neither platform has much of that) but the 'weighting' feels better.

It's such a good all rounder, especially in Touring flavour. Smooth, quiet and refined during the commute, and actually pretty rapid when the mood takes you. And in M Sport flavour, it's an accomplished handler as well. 50mpg if driven sensibly. 40mpg if driven hard all the time.

If steering feel is an issue the E9x 335i retained the hydraulic power steering throughout the model's life, unlike the other variants that switched over to electric steering for the latter part of the E9x production. Which results in far better steering feel than any of the electrically assisted models, at a cost of probably less than 1 MPG.

For that budget however you're probably creeping into F3x 335i/340i territory which would be my choice, much as I enjoy the E91.