Buying high mileage E90 3 series
Discussion
Hi guys,
(I expect it's been asked before, but the forum Search and my Googlefoo is letting me down. Apologies if this is a repost.)
Due to the impending arrival of my first offspring, i've got to change both of my cars over the next few months. One option I am seriously considering is a high mileage E90 320 SE.
I rather like the E90s and with my budget being around the £6k mark, I've found some tidy looking examples in the Classifieds and on Autotrader with 90-120k on the clock, one owner, FSH, etc. e.g. http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3529887.htm
Although i've not owned a BMW before, I feel I could trust a high miler that has been looked after as a daily family wagon. I'd expect to keep it 3 years+, doing 7-8k a year. It has to be a smaller engine (318/320) due to insuring the wife at a reasonable cost (she's not had her licence long) but otherwise easy on whether it's petrol or diesel, auto or manual.
Am I being naive here, or would a well looked after example be a good choice? Are there any specifics to look out for?
Any thoughts or advice would be gratefully received.
(I expect it's been asked before, but the forum Search and my Googlefoo is letting me down. Apologies if this is a repost.)
Due to the impending arrival of my first offspring, i've got to change both of my cars over the next few months. One option I am seriously considering is a high mileage E90 320 SE.
I rather like the E90s and with my budget being around the £6k mark, I've found some tidy looking examples in the Classifieds and on Autotrader with 90-120k on the clock, one owner, FSH, etc. e.g. http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3529887.htm
Although i've not owned a BMW before, I feel I could trust a high miler that has been looked after as a daily family wagon. I'd expect to keep it 3 years+, doing 7-8k a year. It has to be a smaller engine (318/320) due to insuring the wife at a reasonable cost (she's not had her licence long) but otherwise easy on whether it's petrol or diesel, auto or manual.
Am I being naive here, or would a well looked after example be a good choice? Are there any specifics to look out for?
Any thoughts or advice would be gratefully received.
Fox- said:
With a budget of £6k you'd be far, far better off buying a lovely E46 instead of sifting around in the sediment at the bottom of the E90 pond. £6k will buy a very nice, immaculate reasonable mileage E46 SE, or it will buy the rubbish at the bottom of the E90 market.
I don't think that is fair at all.Mate bought an 80k mile 05 plate for £8k 2 years ago, he is now at 140k miles and it has been perfect, not missed a beat.
I have been in a few 100k+ e90's now and they seem to be brilliant, and feel far tighter than many of the E46's with less miles.
I would rather put my £6k into a 7 year old E90 with 100k than into a 8 or 9 year old E46 with 70k.
I reckon things like bushes will start to go at 10 years old and that doesn't leave you much time left on an E46.
Fox- said:
If that's what you want, then get more money and buy a nice one.
The bottom of the market is not a good place to buy.
Why isn't it?The bottom of the market is not a good place to buy.
A 7 year old 2005 e90 with 100k is now at £6k, doesn't make it a bad car, it just means that is its value, could be one of the best bargains ever.
e90 318i (2.0 engine) is underrated imho.
Performance is not startling of course but the upsides are very good economy for what it is - 40-45+ no problem on longer runs at sensible speeds and tidy handling and ride even on the SE.
And if it's an SE chances are it will be sat on 16" wheels which with runflats give a very acceptable ride by comparison with the 18" and even more awful 19" diameters.
Performance is not startling of course but the upsides are very good economy for what it is - 40-45+ no problem on longer runs at sensible speeds and tidy handling and ride even on the SE.
And if it's an SE chances are it will be sat on 16" wheels which with runflats give a very acceptable ride by comparison with the 18" and even more awful 19" diameters.
Well my car is nearly on 91k currently doing 2.5k a month milage.
Honestly it is like new and that's now rose tinted either.
At worst I'd say you wouldn't be able to tell the difference sat in it between a 15k example and my example just hide the milage.
Pretty much everything on my car has been routine service schedule. Tyres last ages discs too and pads - maybe my style of driving?
This year what have I got coming up? Brake fluid change it's a bi annual change oil service usually every 23k miles condition based and might have to change rear pads (they will have done c45k).
Next year what will I have? Possibly new rear tyres they will have lasted over 40k miles by then , micro filter service, and an inspection service once every 35k miles or three years.
2014 year probably new fronts tyres, brake fluid change front brake pads and oil.
Um that's it.
So after two more years and c 60k mote miles total 150k miles the costs are not going to be mega.
One thing about it which is a big cost save is timing chain not a timing belt needing a change every 2 years on my milage that would be an unpleasant extra hit
Honestly it is like new and that's now rose tinted either.
At worst I'd say you wouldn't be able to tell the difference sat in it between a 15k example and my example just hide the milage.
Pretty much everything on my car has been routine service schedule. Tyres last ages discs too and pads - maybe my style of driving?
This year what have I got coming up? Brake fluid change it's a bi annual change oil service usually every 23k miles condition based and might have to change rear pads (they will have done c45k).
Next year what will I have? Possibly new rear tyres they will have lasted over 40k miles by then , micro filter service, and an inspection service once every 35k miles or three years.
2014 year probably new fronts tyres, brake fluid change front brake pads and oil.
Um that's it.
So after two more years and c 60k mote miles total 150k miles the costs are not going to be mega.
One thing about it which is a big cost save is timing chain not a timing belt needing a change every 2 years on my milage that would be an unpleasant extra hit
Fox- said:
With a budget of £6k you'd be far, far better off buying a lovely E46 instead of sifting around in the sediment at the bottom of the E90 pond. £6k will buy a very nice, immaculate reasonable mileage E46 SE, or it will buy the rubbish at the bottom of the E90 market.
I have to disagree, I've just swapped from an e46 to an e90 and they are very, very different cars. The e46 feels massively dated compared to the e90. I bought both at similar mileage so can give a fair comparison - the e90 is a far superior car, if you drive both I'd be very surprised if you consider the e46siwebster said:
I have to disagree, I've just swapped from an e46 to an e90 and they are very, very different cars. The e46 feels massively dated compared to the e90. I bought both at similar mileage so can give a fair comparison - the e90 is a far superior car, if you drive both I'd be very surprised if you consider the e46
I don't dispute this - I'm talking about relative condition and not relative ability. The E90 just strikes me as a car you buy if you've got a bigger budget. That said I guess its easy to forget the earliest ones are now 7 years old and therefore into the realm where £6k or so is what they are worth, rather than the £6k ones being £6k because they are crap examples.There is no comparison, better to buy as new a model as you can afford, E90 is a totally different car. I have a 330d M sport Touring which we have owned from new, it has now done 175,000 miles and never misses a beat. It drives just as well as much newer, lower mileage cars and I am reluctant to sell it even though it hardly gets used at the moment.
I would suggest that you try both and you will not touch an E46 afterwards.
I would suggest that you try both and you will not touch an E46 afterwards.
Fox- said:
I don't dispute this - I'm talking about relative condition and not relative ability. The E90 just strikes me as a car you buy if you've got a bigger budget. That said I guess its easy to forget the earliest ones are now 7 years old and therefore into the realm where £6k or so is what they are worth, rather than the £6k ones being £6k because they are crap examples.
What it really does show is that E46's are over priced ditto E36's. For instance the epic thread about the 330d sport touring with vile interior sold for £3k it's an 02, that is it's market value if so how can a much newer far superior model and far superior engine be worth so little more??? What should happen is noone buys the older one at that price but with newer and newer cars pushing the prices down then were starting to get to a point where there us so little difference in price that these now become depreciation proof.
Ie main dealer offered me £7k.... A laughable offer however if I waited a year or two more years how much would that offer change by? I mean it couldnot get down to the £3k mark as that is the territory of E46 330d sports with no extras
Welshbeef said:
What it really does show is that E46's are over priced ditto E36's.
Well no, its always been the case that really nice examples of a previous model are worth more than iffy examples of the newer model. Look at E60's, you'll pay more for a 10 plate 530d M Sport E60 than you will for an F10 520d SE and thats without the iffyness factor given they are both so new.Welshbeef said:
Ie main dealer offered me £7k.... A laughable offer however if I waited a year or two more years how much would that offer change by? I mean it couldnot get down to the £3k mark as that is the territory of E46 330d sports with no extras
Its just an offer by a dealer, it means nothing in this context. I was offered £14k by a dealer for my 335i for example and sold it for almost £6k more. It just means they didnt really want but if you were prepared to give it away they'd take it. And cars almost always trade in for less than they'd sell for privately.Plus look at it in percentage terms. You were offered well over double the money. Sure, it's only £4k extra but to people buying £3k 330d's with blue interiors £4k is a HUGE amount of money, or they wouldnt be scrabbling around buying 330d's with blue interiors for £3k from illiterate people.
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