Pre-owned E92 325i under consideration
Discussion
Hi all,
I'm looking to get myself a (relatively speaking!) jack of all trades kind of car and I think I'm homing in on the car above - 4 seats, decent boot size (with folding rears), coupe looks, good performance/running costs balance etc - and just wanted to ask if there was anything in particular that I should be looking for when scouting them out.
Any known engine/drivetrain/brakes/electrical weaknesses and suchlike? Anything that I should be looking for regarding the service history? Budget would be around the £10k mark which would translate to an early/higher than average milage car.
Really need to (but definitely don't want to!) go down to a single car and I'm thinking that something like this will cover all the bases in terms of driving pleasure, manageable costs and decent practicality.
ETA what are the differences between a Business stereo system and a Professional one? I'm presuming that the Professional is the premium set-up...
I'm looking to get myself a (relatively speaking!) jack of all trades kind of car and I think I'm homing in on the car above - 4 seats, decent boot size (with folding rears), coupe looks, good performance/running costs balance etc - and just wanted to ask if there was anything in particular that I should be looking for when scouting them out.
Any known engine/drivetrain/brakes/electrical weaknesses and suchlike? Anything that I should be looking for regarding the service history? Budget would be around the £10k mark which would translate to an early/higher than average milage car.
Really need to (but definitely don't want to!) go down to a single car and I'm thinking that something like this will cover all the bases in terms of driving pleasure, manageable costs and decent practicality.
ETA what are the differences between a Business stereo system and a Professional one? I'm presuming that the Professional is the premium set-up...
Edited by CardShark on Monday 27th February 19:52
I've got an E90 325i, it's a late 2007 model with the 3 litre engine. Currently with 54,000 miles on the clock, I picked the car up with 5,000 miles.
Things that I've had fixed under warranty:
1. New steering column required after roughly 10,000 miles. Seemed to be a sensor issue with the steering lock.
2. Injectors, had to have three new injectors fitted.
Other than that it's a great all rounder. Returns roughly 30mpg.
Things that I've had fixed under warranty:
1. New steering column required after roughly 10,000 miles. Seemed to be a sensor issue with the steering lock.
2. Injectors, had to have three new injectors fitted.
Other than that it's a great all rounder. Returns roughly 30mpg.
There are two types of 325i E92. The 2006/early 07 cars with the N52 engine and the late 07 onwards cars with the N53 engine.
The N53 engine is considerably more economical - it has outstanding fuel consumption figures - but also considerably more unreliable. A warranty is essential.
The N52 engine is far more hardy.
The N53 engine is considerably more economical - it has outstanding fuel consumption figures - but also considerably more unreliable. A warranty is essential.
The N52 engine is far more hardy.
Just to expand on the MPG, from mine on a very long "hypermilling" run I've seen nearly 40mpg.
Average with a mix urban/motorway driving is around 30-32mpg.
I've rarely seen it dip below 28mpg when I work out the MPG, even with spirited drives.
Overall, it's a good blend of performance/fuel economy, I believe it's 218bhp, with a 0-60 of 6.7, plus you get a six cylinder engine.
All the above is for the 3 litre engine.
Average with a mix urban/motorway driving is around 30-32mpg.
I've rarely seen it dip below 28mpg when I work out the MPG, even with spirited drives.
Overall, it's a good blend of performance/fuel economy, I believe it's 218bhp, with a 0-60 of 6.7, plus you get a six cylinder engine.
All the above is for the 3 litre engine.
I had a 2007 325i, loved it and is probably the nicest car I have owned to drive, the 6 cylinder engine (2.5 in mine) is very smooth but a little too quiet and depending on the type of driving you do a touch thirsty. My daily commute was mainly B roads with lots of stop start and I only averaged around 22 mpg, but to be honest my wife's 1.8 focus is hardly any better.
A superb car, I did 20,000 miles in it and would still have it if I hadn't manufactured the idea that I could have a Z4M after my little boy was born
I would have preferred a 330i but there were none in the spec I wanted at the time, it genuinely didn't bother me in the end, it had plenty of performance for what was required.
Mine was a fairly late AUC with a warranty that I used for a new seat frame. I also extended the warranty for a reasonable £275 as it was a low mileage car.
Mine was a saloon, the coupe is a better looking.
ETA - they like to eat tyres or at least mine did especially the inside edges of the fronts but tha could be down to the M Sport spec.
A superb car, I did 20,000 miles in it and would still have it if I hadn't manufactured the idea that I could have a Z4M after my little boy was born
I would have preferred a 330i but there were none in the spec I wanted at the time, it genuinely didn't bother me in the end, it had plenty of performance for what was required.
Mine was a fairly late AUC with a warranty that I used for a new seat frame. I also extended the warranty for a reasonable £275 as it was a low mileage car.
Mine was a saloon, the coupe is a better looking.
ETA - they like to eat tyres or at least mine did especially the inside edges of the fronts but tha could be down to the M Sport spec.
Edited by Urban Sports on Tuesday 28th February 20:22
Many thanks for your responses, chaps!
I didn't realise that there were 2 different engines used as well as 2.5l and 3l variants of the earlier version, though looking through some adverts just now I'm surprised I hadn't noticed the capacity difference... Will most probably go for either one of the earlier N52s as they're closer to my budget, though diesels aren't exactly off the radar now either...
Either way, all food for thought
ETA are the N52 engines belt or chain driven? Had a quote for a belt change (plus a couple of bits that might as well be done at the same time) for my Renault today and nearly fell over backwards.
I'm thinking chain rather than belt, is this so?
I didn't realise that there were 2 different engines used as well as 2.5l and 3l variants of the earlier version, though looking through some adverts just now I'm surprised I hadn't noticed the capacity difference... Will most probably go for either one of the earlier N52s as they're closer to my budget, though diesels aren't exactly off the radar now either...
Either way, all food for thought
ETA are the N52 engines belt or chain driven? Had a quote for a belt change (plus a couple of bits that might as well be done at the same time) for my Renault today and nearly fell over backwards.
I'm thinking chain rather than belt, is this so?
Edited by CardShark on Tuesday 28th February 22:53
CardShark said:
Many thanks for your responses, chaps!
I didn't realise that there were 2 different engines used as well as 2.5l and 3l variants of the earlier version, though looking through some adverts just now I'm surprised I hadn't noticed the capacity difference... Will most probably go for either one of the earlier N52s as they're closer to my budget, though diesels aren't exactly off the radar now either...
Either way, all food for thought
ETA are the N52 engines belt or chain driven? Had a quote for a belt change (plus a couple of bits that might as well be done at the same time) for my Renault today and nearly fell over backwards.
I'm thinking chain rather than belt, is this so?
Chain-driven on all BMWsI didn't realise that there were 2 different engines used as well as 2.5l and 3l variants of the earlier version, though looking through some adverts just now I'm surprised I hadn't noticed the capacity difference... Will most probably go for either one of the earlier N52s as they're closer to my budget, though diesels aren't exactly off the radar now either...
Either way, all food for thought
ETA are the N52 engines belt or chain driven? Had a quote for a belt change (plus a couple of bits that might as well be done at the same time) for my Renault today and nearly fell over backwards.
I'm thinking chain rather than belt, is this so?
Edited by CardShark on Tuesday 28th February 22:53
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff