Where are all the 325's?
Discussion
I was looking around a few months back for a 325 with a good spec and remember there being loads about but the time I'm ready buy (now) there's nothing. I've been looking for a few weeks but most of the stuff I enquire about are sold already.
Budget is up to £4k so I reckon I should get an m sport with 100k for that money.
Budget is up to £4k so I reckon I should get an m sport with 100k for that money.
The market is very strong for the 325i at the moment because people see it as being a more attractive proposition than the 330i.
(330i prices have dropped quite a bit recently as people are put off by the idea of a "big" 3.0 litre engine with fuel prices the way they are these days even though there's not that much difference between the two in the real world. If you're in the market for a 330i currently then you're almost spoilt for choice).
(330i prices have dropped quite a bit recently as people are put off by the idea of a "big" 3.0 litre engine with fuel prices the way they are these days even though there's not that much difference between the two in the real world. If you're in the market for a 330i currently then you're almost spoilt for choice).
Craig - I'm guessing here, but if the 84 part of your username refers to your DOB then it's worth shopping around a bit more for the insurance and just getting into a 330i which is a much stronger engine.
I'm 27 and my insurance is £760 on a Z4 3.0 and £550 on a 530i. Reckon with careful shopping you could get a 330i for less than a £500 increase over a 325i.
I used Greenlight for the Z4 and they knocked hundreds off the next cheapest broker.
Good luck!
I'm 27 and my insurance is £760 on a Z4 3.0 and £550 on a 530i. Reckon with careful shopping you could get a 330i for less than a £500 increase over a 325i.
I used Greenlight for the Z4 and they knocked hundreds off the next cheapest broker.
Good luck!
cslwannabe said:
As above - I thought there was very little difference in insurance but apologies if I'm wrong about that. Everything else the 330 over 325 is a no-brainer, mpg virtually identical, servicing and consumables virtually identical so why not have the extra grunt.
I guess it also depends on what model you're looking for. I spent weeks looking for a decent manual 330i M-Sport Touring, and just couldn't find one. In the end I plumped for a 325i that appeared locally, and ticked all the boxes. There are just so many better 330 options around that I've decided that if I can more than make the saving of the extra insurance premium on buying the car itself (which I think I can) then I'd be daft not to buy the 330.
It's only money.....
Will report back when I'm a new owner now. There are a few lovely 330's that have cropped up this weekend.
It's only money.....
Will report back when I'm a new owner now. There are a few lovely 330's that have cropped up this weekend.
4rephill said:
The market is very strong for the 325i at the moment because people see it as being a more attractive proposition than the 330i.
I am lost for words if this is really the case. Do people really do that little research before buying a car like this? As has been mentioned it is no more economical than the 330i. This is almost always the case with BMW - in any family of engines, each engine delivers largely the same fuel economy. In extreme examples, ie the 116i v the 118i, the smaller version is actually less economical on the combined cycle even in official figures.Always buy the largest capacity variant of any engine family (So no, an M3 wont do the same MPG as a 330i but a 3.0i Z4 is the same as a 2.5i and both are less economical than the 4 cylinder 2.0i) when buying a BMW, unless you find a particularly good deal on the inferior ones in the range to make it worth the fact you will be getting 330i running costs without the performance.
Fox- said:
Always buy the largest capacity variant of any engine family (So no, an M3 wont do the same MPG as a 330i but a 3.0i Z4 is the same as a 2.5i and both are less economical than the 4 cylinder 2.0i) when buying a BMW, unless you find a particularly good deal on the inferior ones in the range to make it worth the fact you will be getting 330i running costs without the performance.
I've always said this with cars like the E46 3 series, if cost when new wasn't an issue then they need only ever have sold them as four options, the 318i, 330i, 320d and 330d. Everything else was largely pointless, the only advantage of a 320i over a 330i was really the insurance costs and the list price.I can't really understand why people buy these cars based on insurance cost anyway, how big can the difference really be? I'm in my twenties and it only cost an extra 200 quid a year to move from a 530i to a 335i so really I can't see the difference between 325i and 330i being anything significant. You might think £200 is a lot extra to pay but its nothing against the backdrop of the rest of the costs associated with these cars. It'll just about buy one rear tyre for my 530i...
Fox- said:
4rephill said:
The market is very strong for the 325i at the moment because people see it as being a more attractive proposition than the 330i.
I am lost for words if this is really the case. Do people really do that little research before buying a car like this? As has been mentioned it is no more economical than the 330i. This is almost always the case with BMW - in any family of engines, each engine delivers largely the same fuel economy. In extreme examples, ie the 116i v the 118i, the smaller version is actually less economical on the combined cycle even in official figures..True story:
Years ago I owned a'77 Pontiac Trans Am (black with T-tops: Smokey and the Bandit was to blame, saw the film aged 8 and decided I had to have a Trans Am when I was old enough, and so I did). I needed to get the road tax renewed so went to the Post Office with My form and all My docs., to sort it out and the guy behind the counter says:
Post office worker: "You've made a mistake on your form Sir!".
Me: "Really?, where?".
Post office worker: "Under engine size you've put 6600cc's when it should be 1600cc's".
Me: "No", I replied, "It's correct, it's got a 6.6 litre engine".
Post office worker: "They don't make engines that big for cars Sir!", he informs Me.
Me: "They do in America and that's where it's from!", I told him.
He then spoke with his supervisor who was happy that, yes, American cars do come with engines that big!
Fox- said:
Always buy the largest capacity variant of any engine family (So no, an M3 wont do the same MPG as a 330i but a 3.0i Z4 is the same as a 2.5i and both are less economical than the 4 cylinder 2.0i) when buying a BMW, unless you find a particularly good deal on the inferior ones in the range to make it worth the fact you will be getting 330i running costs without the performance.
This is the exact same theory I use when buying a car, especially BMW's, and yet everyone I know says to Me: "Why do you need an engine that big?" (After a 6.6 litre Trans Am though, no BMW engine is that big! 
)Gaygle said:
It costs you another £500 to insure yourself on a 330i over a 325i?! I...i can't really believe that?
As my ncd is over 2 yrs old there's only Aviva in the uk that will accept them (I lived away and came back this yr). They quite firmly have my insurance balls in their grubby hands but I'm not willing to lose the 4 years I had built up without a fight. I'm over a barrel so for this time I'll just have to take this shafting with a big lesson learnt.
And so the 325 vs 330 debate continues.. I'm sure there's a lot of life left in this one yet.
As a 325 owner myself I completely concur with the 'may as well get the 330 anyway' stance too.
When looking for my vehicle approx 2 years ago I began my search with this train of thought. However it soon became apparent that when looking at cars roughly 7 years old it was far more important [to me anyway] to buy the straightest most honest example available. For me, this turned out to be a 325.
Having now covered 25000+ miles without fault I'm without regret.
If insurance is such a difference then I’d plump for whatever suits your circumstance best. Like everyone says there's not a great deal of difference in real world driving anyway.
Is there?
As a 325 owner myself I completely concur with the 'may as well get the 330 anyway' stance too.
When looking for my vehicle approx 2 years ago I began my search with this train of thought. However it soon became apparent that when looking at cars roughly 7 years old it was far more important [to me anyway] to buy the straightest most honest example available. For me, this turned out to be a 325.
Having now covered 25000+ miles without fault I'm without regret.
If insurance is such a difference then I’d plump for whatever suits your circumstance best. Like everyone says there's not a great deal of difference in real world driving anyway.
Is there?
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