High Mileage Diesels
Discussion
Hi guys,
am looking for a new commuting car and quite like a 3-series diesel. Am looking at either a 320 or 330d with a budget of around £5k. Looking on the trader it seems that finding a 5-6 year diesel 3 series with less than 100k miles on the clock is rare as hens teeth.
Is mileage above 100k an issue with these cars - am I setting myself for a lot of problems, or is this the norm? Appreciate any help
am looking for a new commuting car and quite like a 3-series diesel. Am looking at either a 320 or 330d with a budget of around £5k. Looking on the trader it seems that finding a 5-6 year diesel 3 series with less than 100k miles on the clock is rare as hens teeth.
Is mileage above 100k an issue with these cars - am I setting myself for a lot of problems, or is this the norm? Appreciate any help
I just parted with a high mileage 335d. The gearbox was whining, suspension was tired, and a week after selling it the DPF threw its toys out.
It had lived an extremely hard life,but don't expect to buy a higher mileage car be it tractor or petrol without some issues cropping up. I used to change my oil/filter every 7-8k as i have no faith in leaving oil in an engine for up to 20k.
That would put me of buying a mega mile car other than anything else.
It had lived an extremely hard life,but don't expect to buy a higher mileage car be it tractor or petrol without some issues cropping up. I used to change my oil/filter every 7-8k as i have no faith in leaving oil in an engine for up to 20k.
That would put me of buying a mega mile car other than anything else.
£5k is not enough money to buy a reliable and trouble free diesel BMW for doing 20k a year in.
You are at the bottom of the E46 market here buying everyone elses tired cast-offs.
Go for something a little less premium, or substantially increase your budget.
If you could get a reliable, great condition, trouble free, economical BMW for £5k dont you think everyone would drive one?
You are at the bottom of the E46 market here buying everyone elses tired cast-offs.
Go for something a little less premium, or substantially increase your budget.
If you could get a reliable, great condition, trouble free, economical BMW for £5k dont you think everyone would drive one?
or buy an Ex Police car - like I did! (530d Touring)
very very cheap, maintained better than any private or company car out there, It has service history stamps which equate to the Inspection 2 level of maintenence every MONTH!
I got it at 150K miles just after it's 3rd birthday, and I've done 70K miles of trouble free motoring. The big expense was the Autogearbox failing at 172K miles, even with that £1500 cost, the purchase price of the car was thousands less than privately owned examples prices asked for. Routine servicing and small bits doing, no major surprises at all. I need some work doing to it now, common issues with the front suspension, replacement ABS Sensor/Pump and AC pump need doing.
As per any car, if it's been looked after and maintained well, it'll continue on and on
Cheers, Dennis!
very very cheap, maintained better than any private or company car out there, It has service history stamps which equate to the Inspection 2 level of maintenence every MONTH!
I got it at 150K miles just after it's 3rd birthday, and I've done 70K miles of trouble free motoring. The big expense was the Autogearbox failing at 172K miles, even with that £1500 cost, the purchase price of the car was thousands less than privately owned examples prices asked for. Routine servicing and small bits doing, no major surprises at all. I need some work doing to it now, common issues with the front suspension, replacement ABS Sensor/Pump and AC pump need doing.
As per any car, if it's been looked after and maintained well, it'll continue on and on
Cheers, Dennis!
DennisCooper said:
or buy an Ex Police car - like I did! (530d Touring)
very very cheap, maintained better than any private or company car out there, It has service history stamps which equate to the Inspection 2 level of maintenence every MONTH!
Hmm I'm not entirely convinced. The only reason they are maintained better than any private or company car out there, is because they are used harder than any private or company car out there. These things are driven extremely hard by professional drivers in all manner of conditions while heavily loaded. The strain put on every component of the vehicle is enormous and you can't maintain-away all of it.very very cheap, maintained better than any private or company car out there, It has service history stamps which equate to the Inspection 2 level of maintenence every MONTH!
Hi PMKeates,
I see the point your making and to an extent it's true. However, looking at it logically, what areas of ultra high stress is there apart from the drivetrain?
All the suspension parts, brakes, engine oil, filters and fluids, tyres, consumables are changed at much more shorter intervals as they wear out. These vehicles need to be 100% reliable, and available for use. So as per my example, and other high milers, the ones that are looked after just keep on going.
what other parts have the strain and which could affect driving reliability? if they're heavily loaded, then it's mainly the suspension that takes the brunt of that and those bits are changed regularly. Whilst carrying that load around - the engine will wear faster? yes, perhaps - so that's why servicing work is carried out monthly so the oil used is at peak protection usage and keeping wear of the engine down to an absolute minimum.
non essential bits are worn though, the drivers door seal rubbers are worn to the metal innards, and I have some replacements. The original cloth seats were in surprisingly good condition, but they've made way for some Sport Leather seats. Original headlamps were extremely pitted, but very functional still, they made way for some clear indicator versions.
Cheers, Dennis!
I see the point your making and to an extent it's true. However, looking at it logically, what areas of ultra high stress is there apart from the drivetrain?
All the suspension parts, brakes, engine oil, filters and fluids, tyres, consumables are changed at much more shorter intervals as they wear out. These vehicles need to be 100% reliable, and available for use. So as per my example, and other high milers, the ones that are looked after just keep on going.
what other parts have the strain and which could affect driving reliability? if they're heavily loaded, then it's mainly the suspension that takes the brunt of that and those bits are changed regularly. Whilst carrying that load around - the engine will wear faster? yes, perhaps - so that's why servicing work is carried out monthly so the oil used is at peak protection usage and keeping wear of the engine down to an absolute minimum.
non essential bits are worn though, the drivers door seal rubbers are worn to the metal innards, and I have some replacements. The original cloth seats were in surprisingly good condition, but they've made way for some Sport Leather seats. Original headlamps were extremely pitted, but very functional still, they made way for some clear indicator versions.
Cheers, Dennis!
Speaking as a police officer who drives the 530d fairly regularly amongst other cars, I wouldn't touch an ex-police car with a barge pole.
Contrary to popular belief, they aren't really maintained better than any other private or company car. In our force they are serviced by mileage interval rather than the service indicators and yes, each service would equate to an Inspection service.
Here's the buts....
They are loaded up to the gunnels 24/7 plus 2 officers on board. This seriously takes it's toll. Our whole fleet of 530s had to be examined for stress fractures to the shell. They are invariably driven very hard on a daily basis, often without the luxury of having been fully warmed up. They may well be used for TPAC driving (i.e. tactical contact with other cars). Whilst always repared properly, it doesn't help the panel fit/paint. Add to this that decommissioning still leaves a few odd holes and trim issues.
Simple truth is, based on millions upon millions of miles of experience, is that if a 3/4 year old 530d with c150K on the clock had 3 more years of trouble free motoring in it, we'd keep it! Police fleet managers are a canny bunch!
You might strike lucky and get away with minimal bills, but unless you are literally saving many thousands of pounds, my advice would be to steer well clear!
Contrary to popular belief, they aren't really maintained better than any other private or company car. In our force they are serviced by mileage interval rather than the service indicators and yes, each service would equate to an Inspection service.
Here's the buts....
They are loaded up to the gunnels 24/7 plus 2 officers on board. This seriously takes it's toll. Our whole fleet of 530s had to be examined for stress fractures to the shell. They are invariably driven very hard on a daily basis, often without the luxury of having been fully warmed up. They may well be used for TPAC driving (i.e. tactical contact with other cars). Whilst always repared properly, it doesn't help the panel fit/paint. Add to this that decommissioning still leaves a few odd holes and trim issues.
Simple truth is, based on millions upon millions of miles of experience, is that if a 3/4 year old 530d with c150K on the clock had 3 more years of trouble free motoring in it, we'd keep it! Police fleet managers are a canny bunch!
You might strike lucky and get away with minimal bills, but unless you are literally saving many thousands of pounds, my advice would be to steer well clear!
DennisCooper said:
I see the point your making and to an extent it's true. However, looking at it logically, what areas of ultra high stress is there apart from the drivetrain?
I was mainly thinking about the chassis itself when I wrote that, but you are right in saying that the drivetrain will be loaded significantly more than typical for vehicles of higher mileage. You have to think, a personal vehicle with high mileage is almost certainly driven on the motorway. There's no real other reason for personal vehicles to have high mileage. A fleet car from say Hertz could be high mileage and thrashed, but they are rare. Police cars will be high mileage because they are used constantly, and used hard. The drivetrain hasn't had the luxury of long cruises at 80 MPH - it's been shunted from gear to gear by someone who doesn't pay the repair bill and considers it simply a tool to do his job.DennisCooper said:
All the suspension parts, brakes, engine oil, filters and fluids, tyres, consumables are changed at much more shorter intervals as they wear out. These vehicles need to be 100% reliable, and available for use. So as per my example, and other high milers, the ones that are looked after just keep on going.
Changing something at much shorter interval because it wears out faster isn't really a positive, just a neutral.DennisCooper said:
what other parts have the strain and which could affect driving reliability? if they're heavily loaded, then it's mainly the suspension that takes the brunt of that and those bits are changed regularly. Whilst carrying that load around - the engine will wear faster? yes, perhaps - so that's why servicing work is carried out monthly so the oil used is at peak protection usage and keeping wear of the engine down to an absolute minimum.
The engine and drivetrain will wear out faster because it's being driven with probably little sympathy and used in chases. There's effectively no extra maintenance to offset that - regular oil changes won't keep an engine going forever. The chassis/subframes etc. will get stressed significantly more than on a normal car. If the damage caused by bumps and scrapes isn't repaired perfectly you're more likely to have odd panel gaps, mismatching paint etc.It just seems for the sake of the saving, and the fact you usually end up with a relatively low-spec vehicle, I'd avoid the police cars.
xxplod said:
Speaking as a police officer who drives the 530d fairly regularly amongst other cars, I wouldn't touch an ex-police car with a barge pole.
This is also the sort of thing that worries me 
Edited by PMKeates on Monday 25th April 17:05
Hi
XXplod & PMkeates - all absolutely valid points and feedback! I am of course going by my own experience !
There is no such thing as a perfect second hand car - there are going to be 'issues' somewhere along the line, be it drivetrain, exterior bodywork, interior, electrics, mod cons etc etc. It's the 'risk' factor you've got to take into consideration. Of course, everyone would love a car that's very low mileage, been super babied throughout it's life, had oil changes twice as quickly as recommended, hasn't been over 3500 RPM, everything works, is pristine etc.
Truth is, perhaps 2% of the cars out there resemble anything like that! the rest, some come close other's are miles way.
As different opinions and experiences are recorded, reported and discussed, and especially since the internet days, certain cars and certain traits have presented themselves, and certain prejudices and stereotypes still exist despite overwhelming evidence they really are nothing to worry about.
I'd say some cars are driven in a just as worse or even more detrimental way than what the cops would drive their 'work tools' cars! You only have to come to some meets and see some fantastic machinery, only to see the owner switch the car on after a few hours of it standing and then immediatley rev it right up the range!! I've lost count of the times that's happened! you can only wonder how else they treat it !
So logically, it really comes down to how much you trust the evidence provided as to how the car has been looked after and then if you progress with a sale, you then see how it behaves over the time of ownership. High mile Diesels are often seen and their mileages seem way beyond what's considered the psychological 'limit' of '100K miles' - there's lots of examples of super high milers that keep on rocking, and super low milers that are a bag of spanners and everything in between!
Cheers, Dennis!
XXplod & PMkeates - all absolutely valid points and feedback! I am of course going by my own experience !
There is no such thing as a perfect second hand car - there are going to be 'issues' somewhere along the line, be it drivetrain, exterior bodywork, interior, electrics, mod cons etc etc. It's the 'risk' factor you've got to take into consideration. Of course, everyone would love a car that's very low mileage, been super babied throughout it's life, had oil changes twice as quickly as recommended, hasn't been over 3500 RPM, everything works, is pristine etc.
Truth is, perhaps 2% of the cars out there resemble anything like that! the rest, some come close other's are miles way.
As different opinions and experiences are recorded, reported and discussed, and especially since the internet days, certain cars and certain traits have presented themselves, and certain prejudices and stereotypes still exist despite overwhelming evidence they really are nothing to worry about.
I'd say some cars are driven in a just as worse or even more detrimental way than what the cops would drive their 'work tools' cars! You only have to come to some meets and see some fantastic machinery, only to see the owner switch the car on after a few hours of it standing and then immediatley rev it right up the range!! I've lost count of the times that's happened! you can only wonder how else they treat it !
So logically, it really comes down to how much you trust the evidence provided as to how the car has been looked after and then if you progress with a sale, you then see how it behaves over the time of ownership. High mile Diesels are often seen and their mileages seem way beyond what's considered the psychological 'limit' of '100K miles' - there's lots of examples of super high milers that keep on rocking, and super low milers that are a bag of spanners and everything in between!
Cheers, Dennis!
I have been in some European taxis and adtonished by the huge mileage (500,000+) on them but they have all tended to be older simpler engines. I think the newer engines have become a lot more technological requiring complicated diagnostics dpf fuel sensors etc and hence more expensive to run.
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