323i SE running costs.

[sparks87]

Already got a quote of £970 for the insurance (I'm 21). I'm looking to spend £4000 on the car, hopefully a 2000 model and I have a few questions:

Am I right in thinking its a 2.5 liter?

How much roughly does it currently cost to fill a tank?

What sort of mileage can I expect to a tank? (driven carefully)

Are parts that expensive/hard to source?

What sort of things commonly go wrong, and what should I look out for when looking at one?

Is there any better 3 or 5 series for the age/money?

[[TW]Fox]

Buy a 328i instead - the running costs, bar insurance, are literally identical - they are within 1mpg on the combined cycle and everything else is the same.

Insurance should be fine - I was 22 when I got my 530i Sport and insuring it wasn't a problem.

[soprano]

My tank is costing me about £76.00 to fill up at the moment, from scratch, with 95octane at 117.9 per litre. From that I will get somewhere between 400 and 450 miles, mostly on motorway. OBC is showing 31 miles to the gallon since the last service (about 4000 miles).

This is a 1999 328Ci. Cant imagine it would be much different for a 323.

ETA yes the 323 is a 2.5L. One common fault on the coupes is the rear sub frame tearing its mounts, resulting in a rather costly repair. Best to check this before buying. Engines and gearboxes are generally bulletproof.

Edited by soprano on Tuesday 10th June 19:24

[vxsi]

HI THERE I HAVE JUST BOUGHT A 325CI SPORT 2001 AM 21 WITH 3 YRS NO CLAIMS BONUS AND AM ONLY PAYING £750 FULLY COMP. AVERAGING AROUND 29MPG COSTING ABOUT £77 TO FILL UP GETTING JUST OVER 400 MILES TO A TANK.

[sparks87]

soprano said:

My tank is costing me about £76.00 to fill up at the moment, from scratch, with 95octane at 117.9 per litre. From that I will get somewhere between 400 and 450 miles, mostly on motorway. OBC is showing 31 miles to the gallon since the last service (about 4000 miles).

This is a 1999 328Ci. Cant imagine it would be much different for a 323.

ETA yes the 323 is a 2.5L. One common fault on the coupes is the rear sub frame tearing its mounts, resulting in a rather costly repair. Best to check this before buying. Engines and gearboxes are generally bulletproof.

Edited by soprano on Tuesday 10th June 19:24

When you say costly, what are we looking at?

[soprano]

sparks87 said:

soprano said:

My tank is costing me about £76.00 to fill up at the moment, from scratch, with 95octane at 117.9 per litre. From that I will get somewhere between 400 and 450 miles, mostly on motorway. OBC is showing 31 miles to the gallon since the last service (about 4000 miles).

This is a 1999 328Ci. Cant imagine it would be much different for a 323.

ETA yes the 323 is a 2.5L. One common fault on the coupes is the rear sub frame tearing its mounts, resulting in a rather costly repair. Best to check this before buying. Engines and gearboxes are generally bulletproof.

Edited by soprano on Tuesday 10th June 19:24

When you say costly, what are we looking at?

I had my work carried out (and thankfully paid for!) by BMW. Invoice is for £2800.00 in respect of the subframe repair. I'm sure you could get it cheaper elsewhere but is still going to be a hole in your pocket. Best to check before you purchase.

[sparks87]

soprano said:

sparks87 said:

soprano said:

My tank is costing me about £76.00 to fill up at the moment, from scratch, with 95octane at 117.9 per litre. From that I will get somewhere between 400 and 450 miles, mostly on motorway. OBC is showing 31 miles to the gallon since the last service (about 4000 miles).

This is a 1999 328Ci. Cant imagine it would be much different for a 323.

ETA yes the 323 is a 2.5L. One common fault on the coupes is the rear sub frame tearing its mounts, resulting in a rather costly repair. Best to check this before buying. Engines and gearboxes are generally bulletproof.

Edited by soprano on Tuesday 10th June 19:24

When you say costly, what are we looking at?

I had my work carried out (and thankfully paid for!) by BMW. Invoice is for £2800.00 in respect of the subframe repair. I'm sure you could get it cheaper elsewhere but is still going to be a hole in your pocket. Best to check before you purchase.

Thanks mate, I'll definitely get it checked out before I buy.