E91 Straight Six Bearding
Discussion
lord trumpton said:
Thanks for the thoughts.
If I'm honest, with a car of this age, the miles, history and condition are far more important that the base spec.
It's got full history with everything done on time apparently. Also the water pump was done last year (£600 he said it cost)
Re price - to me it seems very cheap. I'd have expected a 5995 type of price for the miles and that magnificent N52 sitting under the bonnet.
What do you say? Buy?
Christ, if it's had the water pump done then get it bought. Hardly anything else to go wrong. If I'm honest, with a car of this age, the miles, history and condition are far more important that the base spec.
It's got full history with everything done on time apparently. Also the water pump was done last year (£600 he said it cost)
Re price - to me it seems very cheap. I'd have expected a 5995 type of price for the miles and that magnificent N52 sitting under the bonnet.
What do you say? Buy?
helix402 said:
In the world outside PH enthusiasts etc people are very scared of old cars with big petrol engines.
Hence the low value of a standard looking 330i. Most buyers want bling and small diesel engines. 320d M Sport bro/bruv. The 330 in the ad looks great.
Preaching to the choir there, Helix. But you're right. Even if the big petrol ones are the most reliable. Even the DI N53 seems to hold the miles well. And doesn't shake the gear stick at idle. Hence the low value of a standard looking 330i. Most buyers want bling and small diesel engines. 320d M Sport bro/bruv. The 330 in the ad looks great.
Be a bit careful about getting over excited on pricing.
These cars are now 12-13 years old, most have been on run flats all their lives and the suspension parts are shagged.
A front end rebuild of roll bar bushes, drop links, control arms, top mount bushes to get them feeling tight again will be around £1000 before you consider dampers, and that is just the front.
I looked at a few E91s recently and all of them were feeling tired.
In the end I bought an LCI 530d Touring in SE guise, as that felt much better, having said that I still had to do most of the above to it, and then realised I am just not a fan of diesel at all.
What starts as a £4500 car could soon be a £6500 car by the time it feels nice again, and at that point it may just be better to pay a couple of grand more and get a much newer one.
These cars are now 12-13 years old, most have been on run flats all their lives and the suspension parts are shagged.
A front end rebuild of roll bar bushes, drop links, control arms, top mount bushes to get them feeling tight again will be around £1000 before you consider dampers, and that is just the front.
I looked at a few E91s recently and all of them were feeling tired.
In the end I bought an LCI 530d Touring in SE guise, as that felt much better, having said that I still had to do most of the above to it, and then realised I am just not a fan of diesel at all.
What starts as a £4500 car could soon be a £6500 car by the time it feels nice again, and at that point it may just be better to pay a couple of grand more and get a much newer one.
gizlaroc said:
Be a bit careful about getting over excited on pricing.
These cars are now 12-13 years old, most have been on run flats all their lives and the suspension parts are shagged.
A front end rebuild of roll bar bushes, drop links, control arms, top mount bushes to get them feeling tight again will be around £1000 before you consider dampers, and that is just the front.
I looked at a few E91s recently and all of them were feeling tired.
In the end I bought an LCI 530d Touring in SE guise, as that felt much better, having said that I still had to do most of the above to it, and then realised I am just not a fan of diesel at all.
What starts as a £4500 car could soon be a £6500 car by the time it feels nice again, and at that point it may just be better to pay a couple of grand more and get a much newer one.
What about tin worm - do these suffer when they get older?These cars are now 12-13 years old, most have been on run flats all their lives and the suspension parts are shagged.
A front end rebuild of roll bar bushes, drop links, control arms, top mount bushes to get them feeling tight again will be around £1000 before you consider dampers, and that is just the front.
I looked at a few E91s recently and all of them were feeling tired.
In the end I bought an LCI 530d Touring in SE guise, as that felt much better, having said that I still had to do most of the above to it, and then realised I am just not a fan of diesel at all.
What starts as a £4500 car could soon be a £6500 car by the time it feels nice again, and at that point it may just be better to pay a couple of grand more and get a much newer one.
gizlaroc said:
Be a bit careful about getting over excited on pricing.
These cars are now 12-13 years old, most have been on run flats all their lives and the suspension parts are shagged.
A front end rebuild of roll bar bushes, drop links, control arms, top mount bushes to get them feeling tight again will be around £1000 before you consider dampers, and that is just the front.
I looked at a few E91s recently and all of them were feeling tired.
In the end I bought an LCI 530d Touring in SE guise, as that felt much better, having said that I still had to do most of the above to it, and then realised I am just not a fan of diesel at all.
What starts as a £4500 car could soon be a £6500 car by the time it feels nice again, and at that point it may just be better to pay a couple of grand more and get a much newer one.
Yup. You could buy a newer car. You could lease a brand new anonamotor blandmobile. You could pay the depreciation. You could deal with the expensive more prevalent issues on the newer cars. You could savour the bland soundtracks, the dull delivery, the squidgey artificial controls and the identikit gadgetry that adds nothing to the experience.These cars are now 12-13 years old, most have been on run flats all their lives and the suspension parts are shagged.
A front end rebuild of roll bar bushes, drop links, control arms, top mount bushes to get them feeling tight again will be around £1000 before you consider dampers, and that is just the front.
I looked at a few E91s recently and all of them were feeling tired.
In the end I bought an LCI 530d Touring in SE guise, as that felt much better, having said that I still had to do most of the above to it, and then realised I am just not a fan of diesel at all.
What starts as a £4500 car could soon be a £6500 car by the time it feels nice again, and at that point it may just be better to pay a couple of grand more and get a much newer one.
Such is the joy of choice. There is nothing about the current 3-series that I like. And very little, if anything, about it that I prefer to my decade old alternate. They're utterly soulless IMO.
ferrisbueller said:
Yup. You could buy a newer car. You could lease a brand new anonamotor blandmobile. You could pay the depreciation. You could deal with the expensive more prevalent issues on the newer cars. You could savour the bland soundtracks, the dull delivery, the squidgey artificial controls and the identikit gadgetry that adds nothing to the experience.
Such is the joy of choice. There is nothing about the current 3-series that I like. And very little, if anything, about it that I prefer to my decade old alternate. They're utterly soulless IMO.
You OK hun? Such is the joy of choice. There is nothing about the current 3-series that I like. And very little, if anything, about it that I prefer to my decade old alternate. They're utterly soulless IMO.
I wasn't knocking the E91, and I have probably been the biggest advocate for BMWs straight six petrols for the last 20 years.
The only reason someone would buy the diesel that I can think of is because they can't find a petrol.
What I was saying is, there are some 2009-2010 cars for around £8k out there, which could well be a far better buy as most of the 2004/5/6 cars I tested were, to put it bluntly, felling shagged.
The bushes etc. on these were not the best, too soft for the car, probably to compensate for the run flats, and if they have not all been done will need doing, and even Lemforder ones are really pricey on for these.
ferrisbueller said:
Can we change the thread title to E9X bearding?
Also, has anyone supercharged an N52. On my commute this morning I was harbouring naughty thoughts of a Mad Max style clutched SC.
You have me thinking now - ESS Supercharger bolted on to a 125i Coupé. I'm guessing the results would be hilarious Also, has anyone supercharged an N52. On my commute this morning I was harbouring naughty thoughts of a Mad Max style clutched SC.
bodhi said:
ferrisbueller said:
Can we change the thread title to E9X bearding?
Also, has anyone supercharged an N52. On my commute this morning I was harbouring naughty thoughts of a Mad Max style clutched SC.
You have me thinking now - ESS Supercharger bolted on to a 125i Coupé. I'm guessing the results would be hilarious Also, has anyone supercharged an N52. On my commute this morning I was harbouring naughty thoughts of a Mad Max style clutched SC.
bmwmike said:
ferrisbueller said:
Can we change the thread title to E9X bearding?
.
How about we change it to straight six petrol bearding then I can join in with my f10 six pot hehe .
Happy days for me as it passed its MOT with 0 advisories. First bit of good fortune with it for a while
Oh and supercharged n52 thread http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138...
Edited by Mike335i on Friday 15th June 19:45
gizlaroc said:
ferrisbueller said:
Yup. You could buy a newer car. You could lease a brand new anonamotor blandmobile. You could pay the depreciation. You could deal with the expensive more prevalent issues on the newer cars. You could savour the bland soundtracks, the dull delivery, the squidgey artificial controls and the identikit gadgetry that adds nothing to the experience.
Such is the joy of choice. There is nothing about the current 3-series that I like. And very little, if anything, about it that I prefer to my decade old alternate. They're utterly soulless IMO.
You OK hun? Such is the joy of choice. There is nothing about the current 3-series that I like. And very little, if anything, about it that I prefer to my decade old alternate. They're utterly soulless IMO.
I wasn't knocking the E91, and I have probably been the biggest advocate for BMWs straight six petrols for the last 20 years.
The only reason someone would buy the diesel that I can think of is because they can't find a petrol.
What I was saying is, there are some 2009-2010 cars for around £8k out there, which could well be a far better buy as most of the 2004/5/6 cars I tested were, to put it bluntly, felling shagged.
The bushes etc. on these were not the best, too soft for the car, probably to compensate for the run flats, and if they have not all been done will need doing, and even Lemforder ones are really pricey on for these.
My point is that newer isn't better. 2009-10 have depreciating to do, inherent mechanical issues and will have the same suspension as the older car. The bushes on these tend to be swapped as assemblies with the arms, rods etc as it's more cost efficient given the relative time taken to swap the components.
The examples over the last few pages we're talking about are £4k cars with low miles, some of which have impeccable history with preventative maintenance done. I genuinely cannot see a downside relative to a later car. You can't lease a Citroen C1 for what it costs to run an E9X 330i in my experience.
Mike335i said:
bmwmike said:
ferrisbueller said:
Can we change the thread title to E9X bearding?
.
How about we change it to straight six petrol bearding then I can join in with my f10 six pot hehe .
Happy days for me as it passed its MOT with 0 advisories. First bit of good fortune with it for a while
Oh and supercharged n52 thread http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138...
Edited by Mike335i on Friday 15th June 19:45
Off topic in terms of E9X but not SC'd sixes, albeit an M54. When I googled earlier, this came up: https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&...
ESS kitted Z4 3.0 (M54). 330 bhp/ 330lb.ft
That's a chunk up on the Alpina 3.4 and not far off the Z4M. Should be a giggle. Was asking £7k originally.
ESS kitted Z4 3.0 (M54). 330 bhp/ 330lb.ft
That's a chunk up on the Alpina 3.4 and not far off the Z4M. Should be a giggle. Was asking £7k originally.
ferrisbueller said:
I'm good, thanks.
My point is that newer isn't better. 2009-10 have depreciating to do, inherent mechanical issues and will have the same suspension as the older car. The bushes on these tend to be swapped as assemblies with the arms, rods etc as it's more cost efficient given the relative time taken to swap the components.
The examples over the last few pages we're talking about are £4k cars with low miles, some of which have impeccable history with preventative maintenance done. I genuinely cannot see a downside relative to a later car. You can't lease a Citroen C1 for what it costs to run an E9X 330i in my experience.
I'm not sure why you keep comparing it with different cars? My point is that newer isn't better. 2009-10 have depreciating to do, inherent mechanical issues and will have the same suspension as the older car. The bushes on these tend to be swapped as assemblies with the arms, rods etc as it's more cost efficient given the relative time taken to swap the components.
The examples over the last few pages we're talking about are £4k cars with low miles, some of which have impeccable history with preventative maintenance done. I genuinely cannot see a downside relative to a later car. You can't lease a Citroen C1 for what it costs to run an E9X 330i in my experience.
Or course newer ones have the same suspension, but the fact they are 5 years newer makes a huge difference when it comes to rubber.
Even dampers tend to need replacing when they get to 10 years old, many say 5 years or 100km, but I think 10 years is when they really start to go.
I just think people need to be very careful when looking at £4k cars, make sure they test drive them properly and over some rougher surfaces where they will show if things need doing.
I get how the bushes are swapped, hence saying Lemforder parts, but they are not cheap, you can quite easily spend half as much again sorting them if you can't fit them all yourself.
Of course you may be lucky, may have been done already, but from the ones I saw they were shagged ride wise.
Maybe I had too high expectations when looking, I was probably comparing them with my 335i that was brand new. But after viewing at the 5th one I gave up.
To be fair, buying one for £4k and leaving a grand for suspension bits will probably give you a better car than buying one for £5k.
Just want people to be realistic, I have just been through this and was a bit disappointed.
gizlaroc said:
ferrisbueller said:
I'm good, thanks.
My point is that newer isn't better. 2009-10 have depreciating to do, inherent mechanical issues and will have the same suspension as the older car. The bushes on these tend to be swapped as assemblies with the arms, rods etc as it's more cost efficient given the relative time taken to swap the components.
The examples over the last few pages we're talking about are £4k cars with low miles, some of which have impeccable history with preventative maintenance done. I genuinely cannot see a downside relative to a later car. You can't lease a Citroen C1 for what it costs to run an E9X 330i in my experience.
I'm not sure why you keep comparing it with different cars? My point is that newer isn't better. 2009-10 have depreciating to do, inherent mechanical issues and will have the same suspension as the older car. The bushes on these tend to be swapped as assemblies with the arms, rods etc as it's more cost efficient given the relative time taken to swap the components.
The examples over the last few pages we're talking about are £4k cars with low miles, some of which have impeccable history with preventative maintenance done. I genuinely cannot see a downside relative to a later car. You can't lease a Citroen C1 for what it costs to run an E9X 330i in my experience.
Or course newer ones have the same suspension, but the fact they are 5 years newer makes a huge difference when it comes to rubber.
Even dampers tend to need replacing when they get to 10 years old, many say 5 years or 100km, but I think 10 years is when they really start to go.
I just think people need to be very careful when looking at £4k cars, make sure they test drive them properly and over some rougher surfaces where they will show if things need doing.
I get how the bushes are swapped, hence saying Lemforder parts, but they are not cheap, you can quite easily spend half as much again sorting them if you can't fit them all yourself.
Of course you may be lucky, may have been done already, but from the ones I saw they were shagged ride wise.
Maybe I had too high expectations when looking, I was probably comparing them with my 335i that was brand new. But after viewing at the 5th one I gave up.
To be fair, buying one for £4k and leaving a grand for suspension bits will probably give you a better car than buying one for £5k.
Just want people to be realistic, I have just been through this and was a bit disappointed.
"Old" cars may need some TLC but if you buy the right car at the right price it's not much of an issue. Compare to the issues with the N53 and their associated costs, or if you offset that risk with a BMW warranty and the cost associated with that......
The cars linked were a £4k low mile E91 with an apparently comprehensive history and a £4k low mile E90 at a dealer. Now that dealer might be flogging dross off his forecourt and we may never know but IMO both cars are undervalued by a grand or more. Both are sought after models with the right powertrain. Again, I can't really see how you can go wrong.
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