Would you buy a 118d at 100,000k for 4k?
Discussion
Hi all,
My daughter is in the market for a car and her friend is flogging a 118d at 100,000 for 4k, after MOT this month, e.g. it'll have a year's MOT and any necessary work done prior to sale. Thoughts on if this is a good deal? I've never dabbled personally in the high mileage 'premium' end of the market, so any thoughts on whether it's more likely that a car like this will do the proverbial extra 50k-100k without throwing a big bill, or if BMWs at this mileage and age (2010 plate) are bad news?
I know this is a bit 'how long is a piece of string' but any thoughts would be much appreciated - in terms of the car, performance, MPG etc. it seems a good deal IF it's not likely to throw a titanic bill any time soon, and we've all heard the stories about diesels having 200k in them, but if they are known to be terrible for reliability at this sort of point then maybe not?
My daughter is in the market for a car and her friend is flogging a 118d at 100,000 for 4k, after MOT this month, e.g. it'll have a year's MOT and any necessary work done prior to sale. Thoughts on if this is a good deal? I've never dabbled personally in the high mileage 'premium' end of the market, so any thoughts on whether it's more likely that a car like this will do the proverbial extra 50k-100k without throwing a big bill, or if BMWs at this mileage and age (2010 plate) are bad news?
I know this is a bit 'how long is a piece of string' but any thoughts would be much appreciated - in terms of the car, performance, MPG etc. it seems a good deal IF it's not likely to throw a titanic bill any time soon, and we've all heard the stories about diesels having 200k in them, but if they are known to be terrible for reliability at this sort of point then maybe not?
On the face of it that doesn't seem particularly cheap, although the age of the car would have quite a bearing on the price.
I sold my 57 plate 123d in June 2014 with 81k miles for £6,600, and it had only had 2 owners - the dealership and me! Plus it had full BMW Service History.
But the age also has a big impact on reliability, as there was a facelift in early 2007 when they got a new design of diesel engine. It was designated the N47, and was fitted to all 118d, 120d and 123d models in different states of tune. But they are known for having cam-chain failures which are very expensive to fix as the chains are on the back of the engine so it has to come out of the car (Google is your friend) which is largely why I sold mine.
Plus the facelift models had a DPF, which brings it's own issues! They also had stop/start - which is probably why my battery didn't manage 5 years, and being an AGM battery that needed coding through the Diagnostics so a new one cost over £250 (BMW quoted over £300). Then before it was 7 years old it needed a new starter motor - another £600! So after that I just turned it off every time I used the car!
But it had some plus points - it felt well-built, was pretty refined and in 123d format it went well. I also averaged 48.7 mpg over the 6+ years I had it.
Personally if I was looking for another diesel 1 series I'd look for a pre-facelift with the M47 engine that has no DPF (it's easy to tell as they have a tailpipe on the exhaust that points downwards whereas facelifts with the DPF just point straight back). But I wouldn't pay that much for a pre-facelift.
Sorry if that sounds a bit negative, but it's better to know before you commit!
I sold my 57 plate 123d in June 2014 with 81k miles for £6,600, and it had only had 2 owners - the dealership and me! Plus it had full BMW Service History.
But the age also has a big impact on reliability, as there was a facelift in early 2007 when they got a new design of diesel engine. It was designated the N47, and was fitted to all 118d, 120d and 123d models in different states of tune. But they are known for having cam-chain failures which are very expensive to fix as the chains are on the back of the engine so it has to come out of the car (Google is your friend) which is largely why I sold mine.
Plus the facelift models had a DPF, which brings it's own issues! They also had stop/start - which is probably why my battery didn't manage 5 years, and being an AGM battery that needed coding through the Diagnostics so a new one cost over £250 (BMW quoted over £300). Then before it was 7 years old it needed a new starter motor - another £600! So after that I just turned it off every time I used the car!
But it had some plus points - it felt well-built, was pretty refined and in 123d format it went well. I also averaged 48.7 mpg over the 6+ years I had it.
Personally if I was looking for another diesel 1 series I'd look for a pre-facelift with the M47 engine that has no DPF (it's easy to tell as they have a tailpipe on the exhaust that points downwards whereas facelifts with the DPF just point straight back). But I wouldn't pay that much for a pre-facelift.
Sorry if that sounds a bit negative, but it's better to know before you commit!
Too many other variables to consider really. On an F20 with 1-owner from new and full service history etc I would definitely go for it, as it's likely all motorway miles and well maintained. But if it's a tired old E87 with multiple owners I wouldn't waste my time as you can get newer and nicer cars for the money.
Personally I'd avoid like the plague. She really isn't doing enough miles to warrant the diesel, and the N47 is enough to make a grown man weep. One of my best mates had and E90 with one, and I was the lucky fooker who looked after it. Dead by 140k with a cracked liner, got so hot before he stopped it seized the piston to the liner. When we pulled the crank the #2 bottom end bearing was about to spin too. Replaced it with a 2007 one with the older engine. 240k on it now and never a minutes bother.
You pays your money you takes your choice...
You pays your money you takes your choice...
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