Any old BMW worth picking up? (£4k)

[Dbz2021]

Looking for replacing an old banger (Toyota) but want something a bit nicer.

budget £4k,must be petrol and auto.

considering Audi A3,Golf but also many BMW of 2007-2010 era available for this budget.

Any advice?
There seems to be many 3 series and 1 series available for this budget.

I’m aware of timing chain issues 1 series of that era have.
But was thinking if I find an otherwise good con one for cheap (£2-2.5k) then replace the chain straightaway (£600-£700) it might be a good runner for few years?

I only do low miles maybe 4k a year.doesn’t have to be fast.

any suggestions?

[g3org3y]

Dbz2021 said:

Looking for replacing an old banger (Toyota) but want something a bit nicer.

budget £4k,must be petrol and auto.

considering Audi A3,Golf but also many BMW of 2007-2010 era available for this budget.

Any advice?
There seems to be many 3 series and 1 series available for this budget.

I’m aware of timing chain issues 1 series of that era have.
But was thinking if I find an otherwise good con one for cheap (£2-2.5k) then replace the chain straightaway (£600-£700) it might be a good runner for few years?

I only do low miles maybe 4k a year.doesn’t have to be fast.

any suggestions?

E9X naturally aspirated 6 cyl model - 325i or 330i IMO.

[d_a_n1979]

BMW E46 330i (saloon, coupe or touring)

E39 530i saloon or touring

E90/91 325i or 330i saloon / touring

IMO

The E39s and E46s need to have decent due diligence and fully checked for rust, but with a £4k budget, that should get you a well looked after example

It's all about having lots of paperwork & receipts to show maintenance IMO. Not a 'stamped service book' as they can be faked very easily...

No reems of paperwork & receipts = keep looking

[trevalvole]

Dbz2021 said:

Looking for replacing an old banger (Toyota) but want something a bit nicer.

budget £4k,must be petrol and auto.

considering Audi A3,Golf but also many BMW of 2007-2010 era available for this budget.

Any advice?
There seems to be many 3 series and 1 series available for this budget.

On the positive side, I suspect any auto BMWs of that age will have a decent six-speed ZF box, whereas it is possible that a Golf or A3 might have an early DSG. Even worse, those connected to engines of sizes 1.4TSI and smaller may have a dry-clutch one. Also, I'd recommend doing your research on the engine of any VAG product you settle on from that era.

[Dbz2021]

Thanks for suggestions ,
what do you think about buying a 1 Series for around £2.5k and put new timing chain (£700) so that timing chain snapping worry is minimised?
The more compact size of 1 Series and being a hatch back appeal to me more + they are much cheaper on insurance.
(116i 1.6 specifically).

[Court_S]

Dbz2021 said:

Thanks for suggestions ,
what do you think about buying a 1 Series for around £2.5k and put new timing chain (£700) so that timing chain snapping worry is minimised?
The more compact size of 1 Series and being a hatch back appeal to me more + they are much cheaper on insurance.
(116i 1.6 specifically).

My other half had a 116 with the 1.6 engine….it was glacially slow, used quite a lot of fuel for the lack of performance and cost a lot on VED. It’s since been replaced by a 125i which is faster, only uses marginally more fuel, costs a wee bit more in VED but is chaser to insure!

A 125/130 can be had for your budget if you’re patient.

[Mr Tidy]

I bought my E90 330i (albeit manual) well within that budget in March 2019.

It has the earlier N52 engine that seems to have less issues than the N53 that replaced it.

And the 125i and 130i models suggested also use the N52.

I'm not sure you would get a cam-chain replaced for £700 on a facelift 4 cylinder 1 Series as it's on the back of the engine that someone thought was a good idea!

[Dbz2021]

Mr Tidy said:

I bought my E90 330i (albeit manual) well within that budget in March 2019.

It has the earlier N52 engine that seems to have less issues than the N53 that replaced it.

And the 125i and 130i models suggested also use the N52.

I'm not sure you would get a cam-chain replaced for £700 on a facelift 4 cylinder 1 Series as it's on the back of the engine that someone thought was a good idea!

That’s the quote I get from various garages (click mechanic),between £700-£800 range for a few 116i / 118i that I enquired and they all have the chain behind the engine,so requires taking out the engine..

The 125i and 130i are much nicer but hard to find and in much higher insurance group,they’re 3l engines and overkill for my needs..I don’t really mind slowness of a 116i..as long as I don’t have to worry about that chain snapping wrecking the engine..

[Mark-E34-535]

I really liked the earlier 1 series and a set of Bilstein and Eibach springs made it fun without spoiling things. 116i are by no means fast but enjoyable all the same.

E36 saloon are thin on the ground nowadays and this is a tidy example. It even has a warranty! A set of Eibach springs and some nicer alloys would make it a nice modern classic that could easily cope with daily duties.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174997847094?hash=item2...

[Court_S]

Dbz2021 said:

That’s the quote I get from various garages (click mechanic),between £700-£800 range for a few 116i / 118i that I enquired and they all have the chain behind the engine,so requires taking out the engine..

The 125i and 130i are much nicer but hard to find and in much higher insurance group,they’re 3l engines and overkill for my needs..I don’t really mind slowness of a 116i..as long as I don’t have to worry about that chain snapping wrecking the engine..

Have you actually checked quotes? My other half’s insurance went down when she changed from her 116 to a 125. The extra fuel usage is negligible and it’s an engine that’s les likely to grenade itself.

[Dbz2021]

Court_S said:

Dbz2021 said:

That’s the quote I get from various garages (click mechanic),between £700-£800 range for a few 116i / 118i that I enquired and they all have the chain behind the engine,so requires taking out the engine..

The 125i and 130i are much nicer but hard to find and in much higher insurance group,they’re 3l engines and overkill for my needs..I don’t really mind slowness of a 116i..as long as I don’t have to worry about that chain snapping wrecking the engine..

Have you actually checked quotes? My other half’s insurance went down when she changed from her 116 to a 125. The extra fuel usage is negligible and it’s an engine that’s les likely to grenade itself.

I have actual quote for 1.6 L 116i and 2l 116i (they are in insurance group 17 and 21) they cost similar to insure give or take and aren’t too bad,I don’t have actual quote for 125i but they are 3 litre engines in insurance group 30 so I assumed it’s going to cost much more to insure.
that being said I will try to get an actual quote for a 125i,the way they work out car insurance in this country makes no sense at all lol

Edited by Dbz2021 on Monday 20th December 16:45

[Court_S]

Dbz2021 said:

I have actual quote for 1.6 L 116i and 2l 116i (they are in insurance group 17 and 21) they cost similar to insure give or take and aren’t too bad,I don’t have actual quote for 125i but they are 3 litre engines in insurance group 30 so I assumed it’s going to cost much more to insure.
that being said I will try to get an actual quote for a 125i,the way they work out car insurance in this country makes no sense at all lol

Edited by Dbz2021 on Monday 20th December 16:45

It makes zero sense. I was pleasantly surprised when we swapped cars and her insurance went down.

There’s more to it than just engine size; I’d wager that the risk profile of a 116 is probably worse than the 125/30 with them being popular with younger drivers etc.

There’s a lovely 130i for sale on BabyBMW for £4K…

[Dbz2021]

Court_S said:

Dbz2021 said:

I have actual quote for 1.6 L 116i and 2l 116i (they are in insurance group 17 and 21) they cost similar to insure give or take and aren’t too bad,I don’t have actual quote for 125i but they are 3 litre engines in insurance group 30 so I assumed it’s going to cost much more to insure.
that being said I will try to get an actual quote for a 125i,the way they work out car insurance in this country makes no sense at all lol

Edited by Dbz2021 on Monday 20th December 16:45

It makes zero sense. I was pleasantly surprised when we swapped cars and her insurance went down.

There’s more to it than just engine size; I’d wager that the risk profile of a 116 is probably worse than the 125/30 with them being popular with younger drivers etc.

There’s a lovely 130i for sale on BabyBMW for £4K…

That one is manual right? I’m after Automatic only.
Does the 125i/130i has same issues with timing chain as other 1 Series of era?

[helix402]

No timing chain probs on the 125/130i. Autos are available.

[Jamescrs]

Would be an e9x 330i for me too, I used to wonder why people said BMW's should have at least 6 cylinders but now I own one I wouldn't go back to a 4 cylinder BMW.

[Mark-E34-535]

You could do a lot worse than a 325 Compact.

They're a great drive and cheap / easy to maintain. I imagine you could insure pretty cheaply too.

They have a strong following too.

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

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324940578561?hash=item4...

[Court_S]

Dbz2021 said:

That one is manual right? I’m after Automatic only.
Does the 125i/130i has same issues with timing chain as other 1 Series of era?

Yeah, apologies I missed the auto bit. The car I was talking about has sold already.

The six pot don’t suffer with chain issues like the four pots. There are auto 125/30’s out there and they tend to be less popular because most want manuals.

[g3org3y]

Court_S said:

Dbz2021 said:

That one is manual right? I’m after Automatic only.
Does the 125i/130i has same issues with timing chain as other 1 Series of era?

Yeah, apologies I missed the auto bit. The car I was talking about has sold already.

The six pot don’t suffer with chain issues like the four pots. There are auto 125/30’s out there and they tend to be less popular because most want manuals.

But if you are looking for an E9X 330i, autos outnumber manuals.

[Court_S]

g3org3y said:

But if you are looking for an E9X 330i, autos outnumber manuals.

True. I had to settle for an auto 330 because manual ones were like rocking horse poo.

[Dbz2021]

those 125i/130i are really nice but hard to find and go for £5k+ for 2008 which is too much for any 14yrs old car imo I just want a daily driver (hatchback) for short journeys that is nicer than boring budget cars such as Japanese/French/Vauxhall/Fiesta etc